Right then, I was facing off against several people.
Since I had assumed the sender of the letter would be those other guys, my expectations were completely thrown off.
The other party had already introduced himself. Apparently, he was the representative.
I mean, was this seriously Sara-senpai's Fan Club?
At worst, I wondered if I should just make a run for it.
"Takanashi-kun, you are a friend of the Princess, are you not? We are aware that you have stated as much publicly."
"We overlooked you because we owed you a debt for what happened on the rooftop, but during the Sports Festival, there were simply too many things that were impossible to ignore for someone claiming to be just a friend. I thought it best to confirm a few things with you."
"Oh, it's just a talk, so please don't worry. There is no way we would do anything that would make the Princess hate us, right?"
How troublesome... The melodramatic, stagey way these guys spoke was truly annoying.
Did "Princess" refer to Sara-senpai?
I never expected to be summoned by these guys. I suppose it was because I had stood out too much during the Sports Festival.
Still, if it was just a talk, it probably wouldn't escalate into anything serious. If anything happened to me, I didn't think Sara-senpai would stay silent—at least, I hoped not.
Besides, I had a few things I wanted to say to these guys myself.
"Hey... I have something I want to ask you guys, too."
"Hm... and what would that be?"
"Leader, is this alright?"
"He isn't exactly an enemy, so why not?"
I wondered if these guys were even capable of speaking normally.
However, based on their conversation just now, the possibility of them actually trying something seemed to have decreased for the time being.
In that case, I would just say what I needed to say. Hayato was likely hiding nearby, anyway.
"I understand that you guys are Sara-senpai's Fan Club. You've probably been working behind the scenes for her sake, right?"
"Precisely. We serve as the shadows who assist the Princess. The incident on the rooftop was a regrettable failure on our part..."
Just as I thought. It seemed these guys were the ones responsible for the fact that the people involved in that incident had been expelled or transferred afterward.
But based on what I had heard from the Natsumi-senpai Fan Club, these guys were causing trouble for everyone around them. More importantly, Sara-senpai hated what they were doing.
If they were continuing despite knowing that, then it was nothing more than harassment.
"I'm well aware that you've been active. I also understand the desire to do something for Senpai. But she hates it, doesn't she? If you're going to call yourselves shadows, then at least don't show your faces like this."
"What are you saying? The Princess's attitude is merely a way to hide her bashfulness. In reality, she views us—"
"Don't screw with me."
I took back what I thought before. These guys were just a group of delusional nuisances.
"Don't you guys realize that Sara-senpai actually hates what you're doing?"
"The Princess recognizes our efforts, you know. The fact that she doesn't interfere with our activities means—"
While there was certainly a heavy dose of delusion involved, they were likely interpreting the fact that Sara-senpai ignored or left them alone because she wanted nothing to do with them in whatever way suited them best.
"Do you guys even understand Sara-senpai? You've never even spoken to her, have you? What part of Senpai do you even like?"
"That would be, of course, her lovely appearance, and that coldness and the way she looks down on and rejects men... that gaze is simply..."
So these guys were the same as the rest. They probably viewed Senpai like some kind of idol. How selfish.
Because it was always people like this or flashy guys who approached her just for her looks, Senpai had developed a disgust for men and built up that harsh exterior.
But Senpai definitely wasn't cold. That was just a mask forced upon her by idiots like these.
And they... of all things, were looking at that version of Senpai as their ideal image.
I was starting to get truly pissed off.
"What exactly are you looking at when you look at Sara-senpai? Looking down on men? Cold? Keep your sleep-talking for when you're actually asleep."
I wasn't going to be satisfied until I said it. For Sara-senpai's sake, I had to shut these guys up.
"That's not the real Sara-senpai. It's because of insensitive idiots like you who approach her based only on her appearance. You're the ones who forced Sara-senpai to act like that!"
"What are you saying? The Princess we see is the real—"
"Senpai is a truly kind person. She's attentive, she's polite, and when someone is in trouble, she's the first to reach out. She thinks things through with you..."
I was certain that the Senpai who interacted with me was her true self. That was why I couldn't forgive these people who had twisted the image of such a kind person.
These guys were just self-centered, delusional bastards who treated a girl who hated them like an idol and pushed their own ideals onto her outward appearance.
"Forcing your ideals on her is nothing but a nuisance to Sara-senpai. If you absolutely must continue playing your little fan club game, then stay in the shadows and never show your faces in public again."
"You have no right to tell us that! You're just a friend! You're not even her boyfriend, yet you dare to—"
"So what if I'm just a friend! If that's what Sara-senpai wants, I don't care if we're just friends for the rest of our lives! That person is more important to me than anyone or anything else! I'll say it as many times as it takes—stop forcing your selfishly created ideals on her!"
When I thought about it carefully, there was no way Sara's Fan Club didn't understand the danger of laying a hand on Takanashi-kun. So I figured he would be fine... probably.
Well, that was my calm assessment of the situation. But more importantly than that...
Yeah.
I'll apologize in advance. Sorry, Takanashi-kun. You think nobody's listening, don't you?
I personally thought he was being incredibly cool. Because he was that kind of person, I considered him a precious friend.
I had heard about his feelings from Tachibana-kun, so it wasn't a total surprise, but hearing it directly like this made me really understand how deeply Takanashi-kun cared for Sara. It made me happy, too.
But Sara herself had never heard him say that before...
Which meant...
"Umm... Sara?"
"..............."
Right now, Sara was standing right in front of me.
She looked happy, yet completely stunned. Her face was "bright red."
Well, of course it was. Sara was a girl, after all. There was no way she wouldn't be happy after being told something like that.
Sara... I wondered what she was thinking after hearing Takanashi-kun's true feelings.
...Ah, Sara was so cute! I really wanted to take a picture!
But the shutter sound would definitely give us away, wouldn't it?