Should I tell her about my relationship with Mayu-nee? I was conflicted until the end, and decided to explain it to her on the condition that she would keep it to herself.

There is a stalker involved, and I didn’t want to talk about it if I could… I wonder why. Maybe I didn’t want Izumi-san to think I had a girlfriend.

Of course, I don’t know if this is a romantic feeling. But I was sure that I had felt this way.

So I revealed the secret to her, knowing that I would regret it.

“Hmm…”

Izumi-san tilted her head when she learned of our relationship.

She seemed unconvinced.

I told her the truth, and if she suspects me now, I can’t proceed with the story.

“Ah, I’m not doubting you. It’s just that…”

“Just what?”

“…Perhaps Shota-san has bad luck with women.”

“Um… As someone whose age is the same with his time without a girlfriend, I can tell you it’s not that I have bad luck with women, it’s that I shouldn’t have any.”

“Whoa. That’s a sadder turnaround than I expected. So much so that I hesitated to spout at you.”

“So what’s my bad luck with women…?”

“…First of all, let me say that I am a friend of Shota-san’s.”

“Eh, yeah. Thank you.”

“Thats’s why, even at the risk of sounding rude, I’m going to give you my own guess. I have no malicious intent. As a friend, let me say this for Shota-san’s sake.”

“I’m sure Izumi-san doesn’t hurt people for no reason. So I’m okay with your guess. Please feel free to tell me.”

“Then I’ll take your word for it–Shota-san may not be very important to Takamine-san.”

Izumi-san told me with an unusually serious expression on her face.

I felt like I was being forced to face a reality that I had been turning away from.

Because–

—I recognize it too well.

“May I ask why?”

“Is it okay if I say it out loud and clear?”

“…Yes. Please say it clearly.”

“If I had been the victim of stalking, I wouldn’t have asked Shota-san to be my fake boyfriend.” (T/N: Damn, best girl right here!)

I see. I knew it…

I was disheartened to be confronted with a reality that I had been trying not to think about.

“You don’t seem too surprised. I guess that means you have an idea of what I’m talking about.”

“…Yeah, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t.”

Because if you think about it from the opposite side, you can easily understand it.

For example, if I was a victim of stalking by a girl.

Whether or not I should ask Natsukawa-san, Mayu-nee, or even Izumi-san to pretend to be my girlfriend in order to get said stalker to give up on me, the only answer I could come up with was ‘no’.

Because if you think about what could happen next, there’s a possibility that the girl who plays the role of my girlfriend could be harmed.

There’s no guarantee at all that the stalker won’t turn the tables. In fact, I think it’s more likely.

In other words, in the extreme,

It could be said that Shota Komori was someone Mayu-nee was willing to put in danger in order to escape her stalker.

Of course, I don’t think Mayu-nee was thinking that straightforwardly.

But it’s also true that Izumi-san’s point can’t be debunked.

“To Shota-san, is a friend who bows down to you and says, ‘Lend me money’ a true friend?”

I see. That’s an easy analogy to understand.

That means they don’t consider me a friend when they ask me to ‘lend them money.’

“I’m telling you this because I’m your friend. Shota-san should stop seeing Takamine-san.”

It was a so-called ‘advice’.

To be honest, it’s not that I don’t have a feeling that why should I be told such a thing by Izumi-san, whom I’ve just met.

But–

The act of warning is nothing but compassion.

Because, in the short run, there’s nothing good about it.

It’s exhausting, it makes the other person uncomfortable, and if you’re not very good at it, you may even make the other person hate you.

But on the other hand, there are thoughts that you want to convey even if you have to take that risk.

At the very least, it’s something you don’t say to people you don’t care about.

That is why I thanked Izumi-san for her thoughtfulness and decided to tell her.

“I refuse.”

“What? Um… Were you listening to me properly?”

“I’m grateful to you, Izumi-san. In fact, I’m glad. I also understand that you dared to be harsh with me because you’re thinking of me.”

“If so–“

“But honestly, I don’t really care what she thinks of me. I just want to help Mayu-nee.”

Izumi-san is at a loss for words.

I decided to reveal my past of being bullied and the fact that Mayu-nee had defended me. I thought it would be okay to tell her.

“Still…”

“Therefore, please keep my relationship with Takamine-san confidential. This is a request from Shota Komori, Izumi-san’s friend.”

“…If you’re too nice, you’re just a crazy person. Do you understand?”

“I take that as a compliment.”

“That’s it. I now understand that Shota-san cares more about his childhood friend than about me.”

“Wait a minute, Izumi-san, that’s not the right way to put it!”

“Hmm. If this is the case, I’ll also take advantage of Shota-san’s personality and ask him to go out with me after this.”

“EH!?”

“What’s with that ‘I have an appointment with someone else later’ look?”

“That…is a great answer.”

“Who is more important, me or that woman!?”

“No, you just did that! It hurts me when people look at me like that, so can you please stop!?”

“Then I’ll ask you to tell me who you’re meeting with.”

“Well, that’s a little…”

I tried to be a bit vague. Well, of course. Because I’m supposed to meet Natsukawa-san after this.

It’s also to buy a gift for Kengo Ohashi-kun.

There’s no way I can say anything.

“…Guhuu~, I guess you’re going to meet another woman tonight after all.”

“Come on, can you give me a break already!?”

“Then spit it out already!”

“Gaghh…”

I gagged jokingly.

But Izumi-san’s face was colder than dry ice.

“The next time you make a stupid gag, I will destroy you, Shota-san.”

“Destroy!?”

“That said, you’re not denying that you’re going to be meeting a girl. I find that surprising.”

“Ah…”

Oh no. The escape route is getting more and more blocked for me!