"S-Satsukawa-san... e-e-engaged..."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
"It’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lieeeee..."
Reasons aside...
The boys, who until a moment ago had maintained the somber silence of a wake, were now a living portrait of shrieks of agony due to the sudden turn of events.
The fact that Sara had a lover—and was even engaged—was far beyond a mere shock. Furthermore, seeing that very same Sara bragging about it with a blissful, radiant smile was more than they could handle.
Honestly, some of these boys looked like they wouldn't be able to recover for a while.
"Uhihihihi... A ca-tas-trophe!♪"
"You... I know how you feel, but still."
Yuri and the others must have known from the start that things would end up like this once the truth about Sara and Takanashi-kun came out. For Yuri, who had been enjoying the anticipation, this current disaster was exactly what she had hoped for.
"But Satsukawa-san hated it when other boys approached her, so isn't this perfect? Right, Natsumi-chan?"
"I guess. I figured the secret would be out sooner or later anyway..."
Slide.
"Take your seats. Class is about to—...What happened?"
The Teacher, who had just walked in, tilted his head in confusion at the sight before him.
The girls aside, the boys were completely despondent. From the Teacher's perspective, it must have looked like a bizarre scene.
I had a feeling the next break time wouldn't be very peaceful either...
……………
………
…
"And that’s why... next is... Takeyama."
"........."
"Takeyama!"
"!? Y-Yes!?"
"Were you listening?"
"...S-Sorry..."
"Good grief... then Nishida!"
"........."
"Nishida!!"
"Y-Yes!?"
...Yeah, it was impossible to conduct a class like this.
It was as expected, but the shock seemed to be far too much for the boys. They couldn't concentrate on the lesson at all, and even the girls seemed flighty.
Filled with curiosity—no, with their curiosity fully unleashed—they were focusing all their attention on Sara.
This was the engagement story of Sara, the girl who had shot down an incredible number of boys and maintained such a flawless rejection of everyone that she was rumored to be a man-hater. There was no way teenage girls who loved Love Talk wouldn't be interested in such a treasure trove of gossip.
To symbolize the mood, small folded pieces of white paper were currently flying around me.
I wondered how many people were actually listening to the lesson under these conditions.
Plop.
And then, a note landed right in front of me—or rather, it literally flew at me. It was the same white paper that had been traveling all over the room for a while now. If the serious Sara saw this, she’d get angry and tell them not to play around during class... but for now, I decided to check the contents.
"Is Takanashi-kun that Takanashi-kun?"
At the very end of the paper, which was covered in scribbled notes, that single question was written in large letters.
Following the chain of messages...
It seemed someone remembered Yuri letting Takanashi-kun's name slip before, and they had linked it to the "Goddess's Furious Incident" from a while back.
There were also notes like "Vice President?" written down, so it was safe to assume they had identified more than just his name.
But if they had figured out this much, they should have just asked Sara directly... well, I guess she was still a bit intimidating to talk to.
I glanced around the room and saw a bunch of people looking my way expectantly. Then I felt a tap on my back. I guess the next person to receive this was the one sitting right behind me.
"No comment. Ask Sara."
Since Sara seemed to have intended to speak about it herself, there was no way I was going to expose the details for her. I wrote that down, fully prepared for the boos, and secretly passed the note behind me... only for it to be snatched away with incredible force!
After that, the letter continued its journey across the room until it eventually returned to my desk.
Written there was...
"Stingy"
"Mean"
"Ogre"
Hmph. Those words didn't bother me in the sli—
"Flat-chested"
"Wall"
"Wait!! Who are you calling a wa—"
"Hm? Yuzuki, did something happen?"
"Ah!? S-Sorry, it's nothing."
I had accidentally reacted to those unforgivable words and let out a shout.
...Dammit. I don't know who wrote that, but you'd better remember this.
By the way—just to defend my honor—I am definitely not a wall.
I'm often told I'm slender, but this was the first time anyone had been rude enough to call me a wall.
I have to admit that "this place" is modest, just like myself, but even so, I should have about half... no, a third... of what Sara has... maybe with a favorable reference point or something... I had to have that much.
No, I definitely did!
Sigh... I was starting to feel miserable just thinking about it. The comparison was just unfair, and people like me were normally... anyway, enough of that.
I could hear several small giggles. When I glared around the room, several people quickly averted their eyes.
I’ll find the culprit someday...
……………
………
…
Slide.
The moment class ended and the Teacher left the room...
With footsteps echoing like a rumbling in the earth, the girls swarmed around Sara. Seeking the continuation of the story they had been deprived of during class, the way they crowded her was almost like something out of a horror movie.
"S-Satsukawa-san!! Is Takanashi-kun the one you're engaged to!?"
"That's the guy who became Vice President the other day, right!?"
"Wait, is that how you two are connected!?"
"How far have you two gone!?"
"I thought you were a man-hater!?"
The onlookers—or rather, the maidens with romance on the brain—had no sense of order left when it came to asking their questions.
A barrage of questions came from all sides, and in contrast to before, Sara was now the one wide-eyed and stunned.
"Eh!? U-Um, everyone, p-please calm down!!"
It was rare to see Sara this flustered about anything other than Kazunari-san.
Actually, considering these were questions regarding Takanashi-kun, I suppose in a sense she was still getting flustered because of him.
If you looked at it that way, maybe it wasn't so rare after all.
While I was thinking about that, Sara was being cornered by the girls, bombarded with so many questions that she couldn't even manage a proper reply.
This was getting a bit out of hand...
"Hey, you guys, give it a rest. Sara is troubled."
I couldn't just stand by while Sara was genuinely struggling. Communicating with such a large, unorganized group was still difficult for her.
I didn't mean to sound bossy, but I wanted to back her up.
Besides, if she accidentally let it slip that they were already living together, it would cause a massive scene later.
"Most of what you want to hear is the same anyway, right? But this isn't just Sara's story, so keep the questions to harmless topics."
I knew my argument was a bit pushy, but I said it anyway.
This was intended as a warning not just for the classmates, but indirectly for Sara as well.
For better or worse, Sara tends to get a bit careless when it comes to Takanashi-kun. I wanted to make sure she didn't reveal too much.
Though, I wasn't sure how much of that message actually reached her.
"That's right. I cannot cause trouble for Kazunari-san, so I will speak in general terms if that is alright... Is that acceptable?"
"""Kazunari-san!!!!?????"""
"Ohhh!!!! Satsukawa-san called a boy by his first nameeeee!!"
"Crazy!!?? This is seriously crazy!!!"
Even though Sara had only called him by his name, it caused such a massive uproar that it surprised even me.
Considering how Sara had been perceived until now, I suppose that alone was shocking to them.
"S-Satsukawa-san, do you usually call him by his name!?"
"Y-Yes. That is the case."
"Ah!!! You called Takanashi-kun your Husband earlier, didn't you!? Is that what you'll call him once you're married!?"
"No... once we are married... I will call him Darling..."
"""Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!"""
"""Daaaaaarling!!!!!!!!!!!!???"""
"...Oooohhhhhh!!!"
"...D-Darling... Darling..."
"...Aaaaaa, please stop already..."
The boys were shouting and clutching their heads, while the girls were reaching a fever pitch of excitement.
The more the girls got hyped, the more the boys sank into the depths of despair... the situation was absolute chaos.
"H-Have you already decided on things that far ahead!?"
"I wouldn't say we have decided, but since there are times even now when I call him that, I expect it will come naturally after marriage..."
"Eeeh, you're already calling him that!?"
"Whoa, whoa, I can't even imagine that!!"
"S-Satsukawa-san, that really is the Vice President, right!?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"I knew itttt!!"
"I thought it was suspicious because Satsukawa-san was strangely friendly during the General Meeting!"
"Me too. She was praising him so much, and she had a smile I'd never seen before."
At that time, Sara was truly happy just to be standing on the stage alongside Takanashi-kun.
That was why she had such a joyful smile, and it made sense that no one had seen it before.
In the first place, Takanashi-kun was the only one who could bring out that smile... so it wasn't surprising that people had become curious about their relationship.
"Satsukawa-san, weren't you a man-hater? Why was Takanashi-kun okay?"
"Ah, I want to hear that!!!"
"Me too!!!"
...Of course it would come to that.
The fact that Sara didn't let men near her was common knowledge, and these were her own classmates. They had witnessed it since their first year, so this class probably wanted to know the answer more than anyone else in the school.
"...My apologies. I believe Natsumi is likely the only one here who can truly understand that."
"...I suppose so."
I had heard the story from Sara, of course.
But I was only convinced because I knew about Takanashi-kun's past and Sara's past.
To begin with, looking at Sara's appearance, I could say with certainty that there was almost no man who could accept her as a pure friend without any ulterior motives.
But Takanashi-kun, partly because of the wounds in his heart, didn't see Sara that way from the beginning. In other words, at that point, Takanashi-kun was already a rare existence.
And for Sara's sake, because she understood him, Takanashi-kun in turn continued to support Sara by being exactly what she needed.
Even in a situation where a hundred people out of a hundred would have misunderstood, he was fine with being just a friend if that was what Sara wanted, and he never tried to seek anything more.
So while it might look like Sara was supporting Takanashi-kun on the surface, internally it was the other way around.
They were both searching for a rare existence and miraculously met... to use Sara's words, it was a Destined Encounter.
It might sound like a cliché, but even I felt it was destiny after hearing the whole story. It wasn't strange at all for the two of them to feel that way; in fact, it was only natural.
"But just one thing... Kazunari-san is my one and only, most precious person whom I have finally found."
"And just to add, Takanashi-kun feels exactly the same way. So these two are deeply in love, and absolutely no one can come between them."
Honestly, I hadn't intended to cut in.
But thinking about the two of them had made my heart feel warm, and I accidentally let those extra words slip out. I might have messed up a bit.
"To think Natsumi would say something like that..."
"Natsumi-chan is such a romantic~"
As expected, I got teased a little. But...
"Knowing the circumstances, that's all I can say. It's not a joke or an exaggeration; no one but Takanashi-kun would work as Sara's partner."
"It is as Natsumi says. That is exactly why I love Kazunari-san. Our future marriage is something I myself desire, and I have promised that I will become Kazunari-san's Wife."
"...Ah........."
"...That......"
"...W-Wife...!?"
Following my words, Sara made her declaration with a dignified air, without a hint of hesitation.
Sara stated clearly that she was the one who desired the marriage with Takanashi-kun.
At Sara's sincere display, even those who were about to tease her—no, every single classmate present—was genuinely speechless.
But that was only natural.
The weight of Sara's feelings and resolve was something that couldn't be measured by our normal sensibilities.
"...S-Satsukawa-san, you really do love Takanashi-kun."
"...That's amazing... Hearing you say it like that, all I can do is say congratulations."
"Satsukawa-san, you're happy, aren't you? Must be nice... I'm jealous you could meet someone you feel that way about."
The girls who had come to interrogate her out of curiosity had been surprised by Sara's pure feelings, and they found themselves unable to make fun of her.
Seeing her like this, I thought it was natural to want to honestly congratulate her.
"W-W-Wi... Wife."
"...Aaaaa, I guess I have no choice but to give up..."
"...I knew it was impossible, but stillll..."
"...I don't want to admit it... but do I have to!?"
And it seemed that message also reached the boys.
They were forced to realize that they had no choice but to accept it and give up.
Or rather, after hearing Sara's feelings so clearly, if they still said they couldn't accept it, I'd have to question their common sense.
Because the boys in this class knew about Sara's man-hating nature, they must have had a certain sense of security that no one else would appear. That was likely why, now that a specific partner had been revealed, they were quick to realize it was over.
I didn't know what Sara was thinking when she suddenly changed her stance, but the result suggested it was the right move.
"Satsukawa-san and Takanashi-kun are really lovey-dovey, after all."
Yuri, who had been enjoying the scene until now, suddenly chimed in with a smirk.
At that relaxed phrasing, which made it sound like she knew more than the others, the girls began to direct glares at her.
"That's right, Yuri!! Did you know Satsukawa-san had a fiancé!!??"
"I knew she had a lover. The engagement was news to me too, though~."
"So unfair!?"
"Wait!! You could have told us such a big story."
"No, it seemed like it would be more fun to stay qui— Ahem! It's a friend's private business, so I couldn't just say it."
Thinking it would be more interesting to stay quiet was likely Yuri's true feeling, but strictly speaking, I had also been putting pressure on her not to spread it around. Looking at her now, I couldn't tell which was the real reason she had kept her mouth shut.
However, more importantly, because Yuri had said something unnecessary, the conversation that was starting to wrap up began to flare up again.
...I hoped that wasn't her intention.
"S-Satsukawa-san! By the way, have you already decided on things like after you get married!?"
"No, we haven't had such specific talks yet..."
"Then, then... how about... the topic of children?"
"Childreeeeen!!??"
"Kyaaaaaaaaa!!"
"Wait, wait, that topic is a bit much!"
Hmm, the mood had turned into the kind of Love Talk you'd hear on a school trip... and it felt like the conversation was heading in a dangerous direction.
I was relieved that it hadn't turned into a topic related to them living together, but honestly, this wasn't much better.
Because even if it might be premature, unlike Takanashi-kun, Sara seemed to have given some thought to these things.
And in a certain sense, this could potentially lead to topics that our age group was far too interested in.
Even though I believed in the two of them, for me, who knew about the cohabitation, this was no laughing matter.
I mean, I didn't really want to hear those kinds of details about my best friend...
"Hey, that's really going too far—"
"N-No, as expected, we haven't talked about those things yet. It's far too early for that... and besides, it's a story for the future."
Even for Sara, this topic was clearly embarrassing.
But the way she answered firmly despite her blushing face was typical of her seriousness.
"Wa-wa-wa, Satsukawa-san is blushing!?"
"I've never seen that before!!"
"Eeeeee, are you really not thinking about it~?"
I was surprised by the sight of Sara being teased by her classmates.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be a strange sight at all, but because it was "Sara," the impact was greater.
And the classmates, having missed out on chances to interact with her casually until now, were getting involved as if making up for lost time.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!??"
Amidst all that, Yuri suddenly let out a loud shout.
It was a shout of sudden, shocking realization, and it cut through the atmosphere instantly.
Since it had interrupted the talk with Sara, everyone's eyes gathered on Yuri, wondering what was going on.
"W-What is it, Yuri, so suddenly..."
"S-Satsukawa-san, on the school trip, you received a Safe Childbirth Amulet..."
Silence...
Ah... right, there was that...
That idiot Yuri just dropped a massive bomb. While it was true, to begin with, that was my prank. Moreover, Yuri should have known that too, but by putting it that way, she made it sound like Sara had chosen it herself.
"""............ky"""
Ky?
"""KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"""
"""AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"""
"S-Satsukawa-san, could it be, already!!!???"
"It's a lieeeee, Satsukawa-san is!!?"
"N-No!! That was Natsumi's prank!! I haven't yet!!!"
"""YET!!!!???"""
"So you are thinking about it after all!!!!"
"T-That is, well!! O-Of course, once I am married, I would eventually like to have Kazunari-san's baby—"
"S-Sara, that's enough!! Calm do—"
"""BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????"""
"Uoooooooooo, it's all over already!!"
"Aaaaaaaa, it's a dream, it's a dream, it's a drea-drea-dream!!"
Everyone... everything was a mess...
There was only one thing I knew for sure: I was definitely going to wring Yuri later. I’d wring her until she cried and apologized... that was a promise!!
In the end, although I properly explained that it had been my prank, Sara's "baby" comment continued to linger.
The girls' excitement showed no signs of calming down even after the next class started. And the boys—especially those who had idolized Sara—were so crushed that it was almost pitiable.
Sara having a lover, the engagement, bragging about it, and the finishing blow: the baby... yeah, it was so cruel I could hardly blame them.
But it couldn't be helped. It was all the truth, and Sara had eyes only for Takanashi-kun...