"Fufufu... My, my, please forgive me. My shock was so great that I’m afraid I’ve shown you a rather unseemly side of myself. My deepest apologies."
"I don’t particularly mind," Sara-san replied. "There would be no end to it if I worried about every single triviality."
"You can only afford such backtalk for now," the stuck-up woman sneered. "A Student Council President, who should be a model for the entire student body, caught living with a boy... This is a scandal where suspension, or even expulsion, should be on the table. Don't you agree?"
"In general terms, perhaps?"
"Indeed. You couldn't possibly imagine that you'll get away with such a scandalous outrage, could you? Ah, and of course, the Vice President, Taka—"
"Silence. I will not permit you to speak Kazunari-san's name so familiarly."
"...Huh?"
For the first time, a clear flash of anger seeped into Sara-san, who until now had seemed completely indifferent. Normally, she would never lose her cool just because someone said my name...
"I believe I have said this before. I will never forgive anyone who directs malice toward my precious Kazunari-san, no matter who they are."
"...!?"
"To do that right in front of me... you have quite the nerve."
Sara-san suddenly bared her hostility, her cold gaze piercing the stuck-up woman like a blade. Overwhelmed by that tremendous intensity, the woman actually recoiled. Sara-san was in an entirely different league; if they clashed, it was only natural for it to end like this.
"Kh... A-Anyway! As for this scandal, I shall personally demand the school take strict disciplinary action! But more importantly... fufu, look. It seems there are others who have something to say to you, don't they?"
"Others?"
With a repulsive smile, the stuck-up woman pointed toward the side of the stage. There, before I knew it, a group of men had gathered. There were about ten of them, and they all wore expressions of anger and impatience.
What now?
"Satsukawa-san! We heard you've been living with the Vice President for a long time... Is that really, truly the truth!?"
"When I confessed to you, you never said you had a lover! That's why I told you I wouldn't give up... that I'd confess again someday!"
"Me too! I know it's a nuisance, but I still can't give up on you!"
Judging by their words, these guys were a collection of those Sara-san had rejected in the past. They were being so incredibly selfish that I felt my own blood start to boil just listening to them.
"Yikes... that type showed up again," Natsumi-senpai muttered.
"Natsumi-senpai, do you know them?"
"Well, yeah. But if I explain, Sara will probably get mad at me... Hmmm..."
"Most likely," Hanako-san interrupted, "the bill has come due for those half-hearted rejections the wife used."
"Hanako-san? Half-hearted rejections?"
But Sara-san had told me that whenever men confessed to her, she rejected them while clearly stating it was a nuisance. Knowing her personality, I could only imagine her turning them down so flatly that there was no room for negotiation. I didn't think she was capable of being "half-hearted."
"First, the wife doesn't care about any man other than Kazunari. This is an immovable prerequisite," Hanako-san explained.
"W-Well, I guess so."
"In other words, she doesn't care about the person confessing, either. She finds even talking to them a bother. So, the wife simply tells them it's a 'nuisance.' Because she doesn't want to deal with them in the first place."
"Ah..."
"If the wife had explained and rejected them while taking Kazunari into account, the other person would have given up obediently. Normally, people don't try to pursue someone who has a lover, and they would certainly give up if they knew she was engaged."
"I see!" Natsumi-senpai chirped. "Since Satsukawa-senpai just said it was a 'nuisance' because it was a hassle, it left behind people who weren't convinced and couldn't give up, right?"
"Probably."
I see... there was definitely a possibility of that. I suppose feelings like "I don't want to give up" aren't something others can easily control. If that were the case, it wasn't strange that some "positive-thinkers" refused to quit after being called a "nuisance" and decided to try again from a different angle.
"Sigh... Hanako-san is as sharp as ever. But I guess this means Sara won't get mad at me if I talk about it?"
"This isn't really a big deal," Hanako-san replied.
"Seems so... You're spot on," Natsumi-senpai said. "Sara has been cornered in a similar situation before."
"...I knew it."
"Yeah. It was a boy in our class. He'd been rejected once, but because of Sara's poor way of turning him down, he was aiming for a second try. But for that one, Sara mentioned Takanashi-kun's name and made him give up completely. Well, along with all the other boys, too."
"........."
So Sara-san really did use my name. I had told her to use it if anything happened, and I was glad to hear it actually had an effect. At the very least, it meant I could serve as a deterrent.
"Fufu... Sara reported it to me looking so happy, telling me that Takanashi-kun told her to use his name."
"I-Is that so?"
"Yeah. And this is just my guess, but... surely Sara was avoiding using Takanashi-kun's name, even unconsciously. Somewhere in her heart, she was afraid of causing you trouble, or feared the possibility that Takanashi-kun might even 'think' it was a nuisance... So when you actually told her to do it, I think she felt relieved."
"...That sounds like her."
Because Sara-san hated causing me trouble more than anything else, it was only natural for her to hesitate, even unconsciously. If I were in her shoes, I probably would have felt the same way.
"Well, I think it's also true that she just found it a massive hassle! But mentioning Takanashi-kun's name is what finally allowed her to deliver the finishing blow."
"I see. So if I do the public proposal and Sara-san accepts... we might be able to put an end to all those guys at once."
"Exactly. Unless they're incredibly persistent, it should work."
"Right!"
Even if it was a coincidence, I was grateful to have heard this before carrying out the plan. I now had the conviction that the proposal would be effective.
"It's fine," Hanako-san added. "There's no way the wife will just accept Kazunari's proposal as is."
"True! She'll probably end up doing all sorts of things, and maybe that will be the actual finishing blow!?"
"Yoko!!"
"...Haha."
Yuji and Hayato had told me the same thing earlier, but I had already accounted for that. I was ready to embrace everything about Sara-san, whatever she chose to do.
"So, what will you do, Kazunari?" Yuji asked.
"Are you going already?" Hayato added.
"I guess so. I'll jump in here and—"
"Please wait a moment," Nishikawa-san said.
"Nishikawa-san?"
"I understand your feelings, but this is a seed Sara sowed herself," Natsumi-senpai noted. "Let her handle it on her own."
"Even Natsumi-senpai..."
"To ensure no unnecessary grudges are left behind, the wife should settle this alone," Hanako-san said. "Kazunari's turn comes after that."
"Hanako-san..."
I understood what Hanako-san and the others were saying. If I thought about it calmly, there were other reasons to wait. But seeing Sara-san cornered like that and just watching...
But... I...
"...Understood."
"Kazunari, are you really okay with that?"
"I don't think it would be wrong for you to jump out there, you know?"
"Yuji, don't say unnecessary things," Natsumi-senpai snapped.
"No, but..."
"Sigh... It's still too much to ask for Yuji to reach Takanashi-kun's level."
"Huh?"
Natsumi-senpai let out a massive sigh, leaving Yuji looking perplexed. I wasn't entirely sure why we were being compared, either...
"Listen... Takanashi-kun trusts Sara-san completely, you see?"
"I know that much."
"That's not it," Hanako-san said. "Kazunari believes the wife can overcome this situation even alone."
"Jumping in on impulse is easy," Nishikawa-san added. "But while that might seem like you're worried about her, in reality, you're just letting your own anxiety run wild. This situation should be left to Sara-san. The fact that Takanashi-san can judge that calmly is because he trusts her that much."
"...That's a bit of an exaggeration, though."
I see, so that's what they meant. Of course I trusted her, but that wasn't the only reason. If I charged onto the stage now, I feared I would only complicate matters. Even if the backlash against me erupted, I didn't care, but the real danger was Sara-san (and probably Hanako-san) exploding as a result. Hanako-san and the others likely considered that risk when they said I should leave this to her.
"It's fine. I'll leave this to Sara-san."
"I see..."
"It's in times like these that you should think calmly and act without hesitation when it's time to make a move. Understand, Yuji?"
"Yes, yes, I get it..."
"Seriously, it's not such a grand story."
In the first place, Sara-san could handle guys like them without any help from me. Because I knew that, I judged it was okay to step back. It was common sense; it wasn't some grand epic about the depth of my trust.
"Before we discuss that," Sara-san said from the stage, "let me apologize for one thing. It was unexpected that my dismissive response would give you such vague expectations. This is a point I must reflect on, and I understand it clearly now."
"Wait, was that an apology?" Hanako-san muttered.
"Hanako-san, shhh..."
"Even if it's just a formality, I'm surprised Sara-san even felt like apologizing," Natsumi-senpai noted.
"Um... Sara-san apologizes normally, you know," I whispered.
No matter how much she disliked men, she would apologize honestly if she made a mistake. However, this was a matter she detested, and it wouldn't have been strange if she had ignored them entirely. The change in her was even greater than I realized.
"However," Sara-san continued, "the fact that I said I was not interested and that your presence was a nuisance was by no means a mistake. I have someone precious in my heart, Kazunari-san, and I could not care less about other men. Therefore, being confessed to is truly nothing but a nuisance."
"Urgh..."
"This is harsh... way too harsh..."
"No, it's even harsher this time because she actually named a man..."
"Kazunari-san... She's calling him by his first name!"
"Dammit! If I failed but no other guy was allowed, I could live with it, but this...!"
"So you couldn't care less, huh..."
"Wait, do you have to go that far!?"
"Are you satisfied now?" Sara-san asked coldly. "If so, return to your seats immediately."
"My, my, you have quite a personality, don't you?" the stuck-up woman interrupted. "From what I've heard, the reason you don't let others get close is that you are strict with both yourself and others. Is that right?"
"...What are you trying to imply?"
Just as the conversation seemed to be ending, the stuck-up woman chimed in again. She wore that same repulsive smile, and her arrogant, pretentious tone grated on my nerves. Was there still more?
"I don't suppose... this is your true nature?"
"True nature?"
"Yes. While preaching convenient pretenses like being 'aloof,' in reality, you just don't want to interact with anyone other than the man you like. You're not strict with others; you're just harsh because you simply dislike them. That applies not only to men but to your own gender as well. In my opinion, that's not being aloof—it's just being socially inept, isn't it?"
"............"
"Fufun. The fact that you aren't arguing means I've hit the mark, hasn't it? I see, I see... So your 'aloofness' was just a cloak to hide your twisted personality. You certainly played it well, didn't you?"
What was with her!? She was spouting complete nonsense with exaggerated expressions as if it were fact! The title "Aloofness" was something the school had created without her permission; Sara-san had nothing to do with it. This was a total character assassination!
"W-W-What is with her!? I'm so pissed!" Natsumi-senpai hissed.
"Horrible... How can she say such things..." Marina-san added.
"She's finally bared her true nature," Nishikawa-san noted. "Talking about a twisted personality—talk about a massive boomerang!"
"I see... So you are completely ignoring my warning? You have quite the nerve..."
Having Sara-san insulted this much, none of us could suppress our anger. Nishikawa-san, in particular, was radiating a dangerous aura; though her voice was quiet, she was clearly in a state similar to the Yamasaki incident.
"Hiding your true nature with a nice-sounding alias while gathering popularity—how calculating," the woman continued. "Was hiding your lover's existence because you feared your popularity would drop? And as soon as it's discovered, you're quick to make excuses and maintain your reputation... sigh... what a truly ill-natured person. Even in my position, I have met many people... but this is the first time I've seen someone like you. Ah, what about all of you over there? This is the true nature of the woman you call The Aloof Goddess—"
"Is that all you want to say?"
"!?"
At Sara-san's cold voice, which sounded completely unfazed, the woman fell silent again. She just stood there, her mouth opening and closing as she desperately tried to find some retort. Her face was twisted with frustration.
Still, that was close. If Sara-san hadn't spoken up, I might not have been able to stop myself from jumping out.
"This is a good opportunity," Sara-san said. "Until now, I thought it was a hassle and left it alone, but let's talk about these things as well."
"H-Humph! No matter what you say now, the facts won't change! Not about your true nature, and certainly not the fact that for a woman who lives with a man to enter this Miss Contest—"
"I don't know what you're misunderstanding, but I have never once desired to enter the Miss Contest."
"Huh? Even if you try to build a defensive wall now—"
"It is a fact. The only reason I am here is my duty as Student Council President; I have absolutely no interest in the Miss Contest itself. You should stop spouting your childish delusions."
"C-Childish delusions!?"
"In the first place, why must I be evaluated by complete strangers who have nothing to do with me? Academic grades are one thing, but the only person allowed to evaluate me is Kazunari-san. The evaluations of the masses have no value to me. Do you really think someone like that would be interested in the Miss Contest? It is so absurd that even as a joke, it isn't funny."
"Wh... what are you..."
"Can't you understand even this much? Well, you seem to have an extraordinary enthusiasm for the contest, and I have no intention of denying that. So please, don't mind me and just keep working hard to win, okay?"
"D-D-Don't mess with me!"
"I'm not messing around. It's just that I'm neither bored nor whimsical enough to keep up with your worthless delusions. More importantly, I'm tired of hearing your voice. Quickly shut that mouth of yours; it's lighter than air and in the way of the conversation."
"I-I-In the way!?"
Having said that, Sara-san turned her gaze away from the woman as if she were finished with her and faced the audience seats head-on. She straightened her back just as she did when giving a speech as Student Council President. Her expression and atmosphere were that of the dignified, truly cool Sara-san.
What was she planning to talk about now...?
"I was a bit troubled about where to start... but let's address the point that was raised earlier. First, regarding the title of 'aloof'... though I've never used it myself... it's something that somehow started being used around me back when I first became Vice President. There should be people here who know about those days, so you can verify its origin. However, as she said, the fact that I utilized it is indeed the truth. I was never aloof—I simply didn't want to interact with others."
A wave of surprise and confusion rose from the audience. I was just as surprised, though for different reasons. I never thought Sara-san would start talking about this.
"I'll omit the details... but I've suffered all sorts of hardships since I was young because of this appearance. Envy and jealousy from women, curiosity and forced affection from men. I was constantly exposed to gazes of self-assertion... there's no end to it if I count them all. Because of those experiences, I became completely distrustful of people."
Laughing self-deprecatingly, Sara-san spoke of her past indifferently. This was a hardship only those who had lived it could truly understand. To most people, being beautiful and popular seemed like a dream.
"As I continued through such experiences, I eventually began to find interacting with people troublesome. But curiously, whenever I tried to reject the interference of others, people would appear who criticized me and interfered even more. That was mainly from my own gender... so, partly to silence those people, I decided to make those around me recognize my abilities. If I could make people think, 'That person can't be helped' or 'That person is fine alone,' then I could move on my own without receiving unnecessary interference. It was then that I was invited to the Student Council, and I accepted it for that very reason. To be honest, that was a big reason why I took the role of Vice President later, too."
I couldn't believe Sara-san was opening up like this. If she had no interest in others, she didn't need to speak her true feelings. I couldn't grasp why she was determined to tell her story now.
"So, if I were to affirm the story she just told, it would be that I utilized the image of 'aloofness' to hide my true feelings. Even if it was an idol-like persona created by those around me, I used it as a justification for rejecting others. Though... I never thought they would add unnecessary fluff like calling me a 'Goddess.' That was completely unexpected."
Seeing Sara-san talking this way made my heart ache. Saying she "utilized" it sounded bad, but considering the depth of the loneliness she must have carried... I had Yuji. Just having one trusted friend allowed me to hold on. But Sara-san had been unable to trust anyone. She had been all alone for so long.
"Do you understand? This is the real me. I'm called grand things like 'aloof,' but the truth is I just didn't want to interact with others. I am a person lacking any and all social skills. And as for why I told this story, there are two reasons. First... this is something that's too late now, and it's a part I regret... but please stop projecting your ideals onto me. Do not impose your convenient fantasies on my life. Having you hold dreams in the name of delusions toward me is extremely troublesome."
At Sara-san's true feelings finally being spoken, a massive stir arose from the crowd. Most of the people here had projected some kind of ideal image onto her; I wondered how they felt hearing the raw truth.
"And the second reason is similar to the first. Until now, I had only answered 'nuisance' to confessions from men, but I finally realized that was not enough to convince them. Since I believe there was a problem on my side regarding this, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize. Even if it seemed like nothing but frivolous nonsense to me, it might have been serious to the person themselves... Especially over the past six months, it's a fact that my reason for rejecting confessions has changed."
Once again, Sara-san apologized. To do so toward people she detested, to even consider their feelings—this was a massive change for her.
"Sara..." Natsumi-senpai whispered.
"This... is truly surprising," Eri added.
The people who had known her longest were the most stunned. And that meant...
"Mayumi-san..."
Mayumi-san was staring at Sara-san in a daze, with an expression I had never seen before. Her eyes were wide, and she was frozen in place. This reaction was only natural.
"H-Hey, Satsukawa-san?" one of the boys asked.
"Yes."
"I-I understand what you're saying. It's true that I... we might have been pushing our ideals onto you. I never thought you hated it that much."
"By the way, about the reason changing... is that because, as I thought..."
"Yes," Sara-san said, a soft smile finally gracing her face. "Before, it was simply a nuisance, but now I have a precious person in my heart whom I have decided upon."
Gazing straight toward me from the stage, she wore such a gentle smile that even I was captivated.
"Dammit! Is that the Vice President!?"
"Then, about that talk about your preference earlier... was that actually about him!?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"There's no way we'd know that! Since he's a guy too, he definitely just approached you because he liked your looks, Satsukawa-san!"
"Right! There's no way a story like that is possible!"
"That's right! He's just the same as us, after all—"
"Don't make me laugh," Sara-san's voice turned lethal. "I won't forgive you for saying Kazunari-san is the same as you, even as a joke."
"No, no, for a man to approach a woman without ulterior motives, that's just impossible—"
"I was not approached by Kazunari-san. If anything, I was the one who approached him. Furthermore, I have even experienced being rejected by Kazunari-san... and yet you still call it ulterior motives?"
"""...Eh?"""
"When I remember this, I still feel angry at myself... but at that time, I was wounded by my own lack of consideration, and I hurt Kazunari-san's heart. As a result, I was rejected by him—to put it plainly, I was hated and avoided."
""Eh!?""
""Eeeeeeehhhhhh!?""
My friends all let out shouts of surprise. I hadn't told anyone this story besides Yuji and Natsumi-senpai. Hanako-san, however, didn't seem surprised at all.
"No... well..."
"You're kidding... Hating and avoiding Satsukawa-san..."
"I'm just jealous you've even had that much communication with her!"
"However," Sara-san continued, "despite that, Kazunari-san rushed to my side for my sake. And for me, who was completely ignorant of human connection, he wished only to be my friend. Despite being the man closest to me, he prioritized my feelings... and purely wished only to be the existence I sought. Truly... stupid as I was, I just leaned on his kindness out of joy. I only learned the truth of his feelings by chance much later. If it hadn't been for that, he would have intended to support me in silence forever. It was because he was such a kind-hearted person that I learned the feeling called love for the first time in my life."
At that time, I truly thought that as long as I was what she wanted, that was enough. If she wanted a friend, I would be her friend forever. I had intended to be whatever she needed. Looking back, my feelings for her had already transcended simple desire. She was "the most precious person" to me in the truest sense.
"Do you understand? Kazunari-san did not choose me for my appearance. He saw me as a person, a single human being, and chose me for who I am. And unlike you, he would never unilaterally force his feelings on someone. He is a man more wonderful than anyone, who accepts me as a whole human being and loves me from his heart. Don't you dare group my precious, more beloved than anyone Kazunari-san... with frivolous people like you!"
Sara-san's anger was so intense it was painful to watch. To see the person she loved lumped in with the people she detested was the ultimate insult to her. But more than that, I was happy. She understood my true intentions. That meant more to me than anything.
"I suppose you wouldn't be able to understand. The childishness of assuming others are the same just because you are, and pushing that assumption onto them. Saying you understand with your mouth, but in the end comprehending nothing. That's why I'm saying that dealing with people like you is a hassle and a waste of time!"
"Ah... uh..."
"T-That's..."
"Is your comprehension so poor that you still don't get it? I am telling you that your very existence is the nuisance!"
With Sara-san saying that much, the guys couldn't argue back. They realized that lingering would only make their situation worse. They all hung their heads, nodded, and left without returning to their seats.
"It seems like it's over," Natsumi-senpai said.
"Yes. But it seems it's not just them who are finished," Nishikawa-san noted.
"The final blow is Kazunari's turn," Hanako-san said.
"Takanashi-san, the rest is..."
"Yes," I replied. "I'll take it from here."
Sara-san had declared her feelings for me this clearly. Next was my turn. Having our cohabitation exposed was unexpected, but we had nothing to feel guilty about. I would face them with my head held high.