Part-1 Ch-08 Ep-01

Summer vacation had ended, and we had already gone through the forest school trip and the cultural festival. Most of the major game events packed into summer and beyond had now been cleared.

And on top of that, seeing almost zero progress in the relationship between Maki and any of the capture targets, I was once again beginning to feel anxious.

Let me review the current situation once more.

My childhood friend and best friend, Ichinose Maki, is the protagonist of this world, the otome game 『Cherry Blossom Oath ―The Story of Us That You and I Weave―』.

She is supposed to fall in love and develop romance with seven capture targets, and on graduation day, the one with the highest affection will confess to her beneath the cherry blossom tree.

That is the basic storyline of the game.

And I, Nagase Mari, am her childhood friend, her best friend, and the support character who gives her advice.

It will soon be December. Once the new year comes and spring arrives, we will be second-years. Up to this point, Maki has shown no signs, not the slightest hint, of nurturing any romantic feelings for anyone. Does that mean Kagami-kun, Todoroki-kun, Asahina-kun, and Ranjishi-kun are not her type?

Just what is Maki’s type, then?

Four capture targets have already appeared. Yet she does not seem to be on anyone’s route. Still, it is too soon to give up. The only major event remaining this year is Christmas, and it is rapidly approaching.

Who you spend Christmas with is crucial. Normally, as the final first-year event, the heroine is supposed to choose the target she most wants to pursue at that point and invite him herself. But in the current situation, it does not seem like Maki will invite anyone at all, so…

“…Which is why, Kagami-kun, Todoroki-kun, one of you two should try asking Maki out on a Christmas date.”

Right after school, the moment Maki stepped away from her seat, I cornered the two of them and asked for their cooperation.

“…Nagase, I’m only saying this because we’re friends, but isn’t that suggestion a bit too blunt? All I can imagine is her rejecting me outright or it turning into a group outing. Also, I’m not exactly eager to date her…”

When Kagami-kun said that, Todoroki-kun added, “I do want to fight her at least once, but I don’t want to date her.”

Both of them rejected the idea immediately. As expected, it was not going to be that easy. Moreover, it seemed neither of them harbored any particular romantic feelings toward Maki.

She gets emotionally unstable sometimes, but how can they not be aware of such a cute, angelic girl? Something must be wrong with them. Still, Todoroki-kun really wants to fight Maki…

He has shown interest in her strength before, that much is true…

But if they fought to strengthen their bond, it would turn into a shonen manga where they communicate through fists, which is completely the wrong genre.

Hmm.

Even so, when I consider who would be best for Maki, the two I trust most among the capture targets are definitely these two.

“But Maki seems to let her guard down around you both. Among the boys, you two are the closest to her, right?”

“Among the boys, sure. But that’s precisely because we’re not in her romantic strike zone,” Todoroki-kun replied.

Todoroki-kun is the type to deliver conclusions in short, decisive statements, so sometimes his answers feel like riddles to me. If the boys she is closest to are not in her romantic strike zone, then who is?

Maybe they know Maki likes yuri works and have mistakenly concluded that her interests lie elsewhere.

“…Also, we keep getting subtly blocked…”

“Hm? Did you say something, Kagami-kun?”

“Ah, no, never mind,” Kagami-kun said, waving a hand in front of his face.

Even that faintly flustered expression, the way he speaks, his voice, every gesture, everything about him is cool. Above all, his personality is genuinely good, which makes him trustworthy.

Todoroki-kun is calm and composed, and the sense of security and warmth that radiates from his solid build is impossible to ignore.

“Come on, if neither of you is in her romantic strike zone, then who is? This is so hard!”

Hearing my heartfelt complaint, the two of them widened their eyes and exchanged looks.

“You’re… seriously saying that?”

“Yes, I’m serious.”

Kagami-kun let out a sigh mixed with exasperation and clutched his head, while Todoroki-kun folded his arms and looked up at the ceiling. What was with that reaction?

It felt like they thought I was the one who did not understand the situation, which was honestly a little irritating.

“Well, for now… If you want Ichinose to get a boyfriend that badly, should we introduce her to some guy in another class?”

“Huh? No way. I can’t let some unknown guy get close to our precious Maki.”

“That’s an awful lot of trust you’re putting in us, and it’s honestly kind of heavy.”

Of course, you two are capture targets, after all. I barely swallowed the words that almost slipped out. And it is not just because they are capture targets. Since enrolling, I have spent plenty of time with these two, so I genuinely trust them.

With any other boy, even if he were a capture target, I would have no idea what kind of person he is. I cannot hand my precious childhood friend over to some unknown boy like that.

Yes, so maybe I should reorganize her relationships with the capture targets again…

“Oh, by the way, how has Asahina-kun been lately?”

“Ah, he got a girlfriend.”

“Oh, really? Wow… wait… what?!”

“A girlfriend?”

When I repeated the question,

“Yeah, a girlfriend.”

“I heard too. There was some buzz in class that the playboy-looking Asahina actually got a girlfriend. Well, he’s serious at heart, so I’m sure he’ll treat whoever he’s dating well,” Todoroki-kun said with a knowing nod.

No, that is not the issue right now…

“Um, this girlfriend…”

“It’s apparently Seishuku Kokoa.”

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-whaaaaaaaaaat?!”

Seishuku-san is a support character just like me.

For her to end up dating a capture target…

That scenario never existed. Confronted with that bombshell dropped so casually, all I could do was cry out, “Whyyyyyyyyyyyy?!”