Chapter 48: I Don’t Feel Sorry for Him, Though
Haa…
A deep sigh escapes.
Because I could feel someone giving me an intense stare.
During the fourth period class… I’ve been feeling that gaze for a while now.
It isn’t from the long-haired, seemingly pure and warm-hearted beauty Fuyunagi Shizuku…
No, I’m definitely feeling some pressure from her too, but she’s not the one who’s the problem right now.
I kept feeling Kuzuryuu’s intense gaze on me throughout the entire class.
Focus on the class, Kuzuryuu…
Anyway…
Feeling a girl’s eyes on me usually makes me break out in a cold sweat because of Fuyunagi-san, for a certain reason, but if you asked me if I hate it, I guess I don’t hate it…
In fact, I welcome it.
However, I think it’s perfectly normal for a guy to not want to feel another dude’s eyes on him.
(Great… at this rate, he’s definitely going to come bother me at lunch break…)
That’s exactly why I hate it…
And even if I try to make it sound dramatic by saying there’s only one method left… the truth is, there’s only one thing I can actually do.
Riiiiing.
The synthesized bell announcing lunch break echoed through the room.
“Huh? Taku-chan is coming to me!? Wh-wh-what’s going on!?”
I ran straight toward Fuyunagi-san.
Why?
Because I thought that would be the most effective defense against Kuzuryuu.
“Kuzuryuu kept staring at me the whole time… so I figured I’d be safe if I stayed near you, Fuyunagi-san.”
“Ah, that moocher parasite? But why would he bother Taku-chan? I don’t see any reason at all.”
“…Are you seriously saying that?”
“Huh?”
It seems that when it comes to anything other than themselves, a menhera can become completely indifferent.
Kuzuryuu is exhibiting a certain type of menhera behavior.
He’s the “arrogant, self-centered” type—someone with an unusually strong desire for approval from others, the very embodiment of pride.
Even though he looks down on others, his pride can’t survive without their approval.
But the one and only person capable of breaking that pride is Fuyunagi-san.
Among all the countless girls, the only one he ever genuinely liked was Fuyunagi-san, yet she won’t even acknowledge him. And now he’s unknowingly spiraling into menhera behavior because of her.
But…
There’s no demand for menhera guys, right…?
“Kuzuryuu… you know, that guy. He’s into you, Fuyunagi-san. But you don’t pay him any attention, and meanwhile, your ‘arrow’ has been pointed at me the whole time, right?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Well, apparently Kuzuryuu can’t stand that, and because of it, he’s been directing those intense glares at me.”
“……”
“To protect myself from a laser beam monster named Kuzuryuu, being close to you, Fuyunagi-san, is safer—wait… what’s wrong?”
Fuyunagi-san suddenly stood up and looked like she was about to start walking, but then she stopped and began pondering something.
“…………But… still…”
“Um… Fuyunagi-san…?”
After a moment, she quietly plopped back down into her seat.
“To dare cast his eyes so rudely and one-sidedly at my Taku-chan… that’s an act of sheer stupidity worthy of death. Unforgivable…!! But thanks to that, today has become a memorable day where Taku-chan came to my seat on his own… Haa… what should I do… If I stop him, that unpleasant phenomenon will be resolved, and I won’t have to worry about that leech stealing Taku-chan away!!”
“No… he’s not gonna steal me…”
“But if I ignore it, then starting tomorrow… no, starting from now on, Taku-chan will come to my seat on his own, and that will be the norm!! That’s a reality I can’t give up!!”
Wow.
So that’s what she was thinking…
I honestly thought she had suddenly developed the frog prince phenomenon toward me, because I tried to use her authority and influence just to avoid Kuzuryuu.
I’m relieved that wasn’t the case…
But right now, there’s something more important than that…
What’s truly terrifying is that, in her mind, there’s an actual possibility that Kuzuryuu and I might end up together.
Apparently, the difference in gender seems to be a trivial matter for her.
Good heavens, that’s terrifying.
“I mean, personally, I really don’t like the idea of him watching me whenever I go to the bathroom or do anything.”
“Same here… it’s downright unpleasant.”
Uttering just that single phrase, she again suddenly stood up from her seat and strode aggressively toward Kuzuryuu’s spot this time.
By the way, Kuzuryuu was still monitoring me and Fuyunagi-san with an intense expression.
But when one of the people he was monitoring suddenly started stomping toward him, he immediately panicked and became visibly flustered.
“Hey, Kuzuryuu-kun.”
“Huh? Wha-what is it, Shizuku?”
“Haa… I told you before, don’t call me without an honorific! It’s unpleasant, and it makes my skin crawl! If you drop my honorific again, I’ll give you the nickname ‘Trash,’ so remember that.”
“Tra-trash…?”
“Well, whatever. That doesn’t matter right now. The real issue is—could you stop sending those filthy stares toward my Taku-chan?”
“Huh…? Stares… what?”
“The only one allowed to gaze at Taku-chan is his girlfriend—me.”
“W-wait!? Shizuku!? You’re mistaken!!”
“What do you mean mistaken? Trash-kun, you have been staring at my precious Taku-chan through the whole class, haven’t you? Taku-chan is mine! I won’t let some newcomer like you take him away from me!!”
“Hah!? W-wait, hold on! Before that—did you just call me Trash!? I’m not Tra—“Shut up!”—sh! I’m…”
“I said it earlier, didn’t I? If you call me without an honorific, I’ll call you Trash. Why should I show any consideration to someone who repeatedly ignores my warnings and keeps calling me by name so casually? Or is it that you don’t understand what ‘don’t call me without an honorific’ means?”
“I-I was just…”
“Just what?”
“I just… wanted to show… Fuyunagi… which of us is superior…”
“Hah? Are you stupid or something?”
“S-stupid…?”
“There’s no such thing as being superior or inferior among ordinary students.”
“Hah!? I-I’m from a distinguished family!! The heir of a financial conglomerate… Kuzuryuu Souma!! Obviously I’m superior!!”
“What difference does that make?”
“Huh…?”
“I’ll admit the Kuzuryuu family is impressive. But that’s because your grandfather and father are impressive, and because the people working at the Kuzuryuu corporation are impressive! What part of you is impressive? There’s nothing—absolutely nothing! I mean, your carefree mindset that lets you act all high and mighty while mooching off your parents is impressive in its own way, but I wouldn’t want to be like that in the slightest.”
“Ah… ugh…”
“Haa…. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about any of that. I only have one thing to say!! Don’t you dare set your filthy eyes on my Taku-chan!! Taku-chan is mine!! Try taking him from me and I’ll ki◯l you, you piece of trash!!”
“H… haa… a…!?”
Oh…
Once again, Fuyunagi-san’s overkill struck with full force.
And once more, Kuzuryuu has turned completely white and burned down to pure white ashes—truly, nothing but dust now.
This is practically a repeat of that other time…
“But isn’t the thing hurting Kuzuryuu the most the fact that he’s being misunderstood as having romantic feelings for me…?”
If it were me, I’d absolutely hate that.
Being mistaken for being gay by the person you like…
I actually felt a little sympathy for Kuzuryuu, for the first time ever.
I don’t feel sorry for him, though.
Character Summary (non-official)
- Majima Takuma / Taku (真島 拓真 / タク) — Taku is an utterly average high school boy in both appearance and ability. His hair and uniform are always neat but unremarkable, giving him the classic “background character” characteristic.
- Fuyunagi Shizuku (冬柳 雫) — Fuyunagi Shizuku is a stunning black-haired high school beauty with a mature, graceful aura. Her long, silky hair, elegant posture, pure and innocent atmosphere, and impressive figure—including her large chest—give her an appearance so gentle and comforting that a tired working adult might instinctively want to cling to her and call her “Mama.” Her looks alone make her feel like a UR-rarity heroine. At school, she’s admired as a pure, wholesome, and almost ideal girl—popular among girls, constantly confessed to by boys, and always at the center of her class. In private, however, Shizuku reveals a selfish, bratty, and emotionally unstable side. She’s clingy, easily upset, mentally fragile, and relies heavily on her boyfriend for emotional support while demanding secrecy and setting controlling conditions in their relationship.
- Sakurada Nagisa (桜田 凪咲) — Sakurada Nagisa is a gyaru and one of the central members of Fuyunagi-san’s friend group. With light-brown hair, piercings, and perfectly applied bold eye makeup, she has a flashy style but is undeniably beautiful—cute enough to stand out even among the popular girls. Sado Kengo’s current girlfriend.
- Natsume Kano (夏芽 華乃) — The class president. A dignified, serious beauty whose pure appearance gives her a charm distinct from Fuyunagi-san. She prioritizes efficiency, logic, and rationality above all else, resulting in a rigid, no-nonsense personality that makes her unpopular with most classmates.
Sado Kengo (佐渡 健吾) — A high-spec soccer club member who once acted as Shizuku’s fake public boyfriend. He is now Sakurada Nagisa’s actual boyfriend.
- Katou Susumu (加藤 進) — The textbook “protagonist’s best friend” character. He’s a founding member of the self-proclaimed “Unpopular Men’s Club”. Although he’s extremely jealous of Takuma for landing a girlfriend like Fuyunagi—thus “betraying” the Unpopular Men’s Club (a group Takuma never actually agreed to join)—Kato remains loyal to him despite both his jealousy and the negative public opinion surrounding Takuma.
- Fuyunagi Reiko (冬柳 澪子) — Fuyunagi Shizuku’s mother. She is, in every sense, the woman Shizuku was shaped from—from their breathtaking beauty to the way they view men and even their underlying desires all mirror one another. Beneath that elegant, doll-like exterior lies a strict and controlling parent fixated on restoring the Fuyunagi family’s former prestige. Unlike Shizuku—who directs her warped affection toward someone she genuinely chose—Reiko tries to force her ambitions onto her daughter, believing that arranging Shizuku’s marriage is the key to reclaiming the family’s lost glory.
- Fuyunagi Kanemasa (冬柳 兼政) — Fuyunagi Shizuku’s father. A highly capable and successful man who even took the Fuyunagi family name in order to marry Reiko. Despite the family’s rigid traditions, Kanemasa is the one person who genuinely supports Shizuku, encouraging her to live freely and choose her own path—including whom she loves. The only reason Shizuku’s mother and grandfather don’t openly oppose his stance is because his success and value to the family make him too important to antagonize.
- Kuzuryuu Shiori (久豆流 詩織) — Souma’s younger sister—a beautiful, sharp-tongued genius with strikingly foreign features. Despite her Japanese-sounding name, she is a natural blonde with radiant golden hair, inherited from their great-grandmother, and possesses elegant looks that stand out strongly against Souma’s more traditionally Japanese appearance. Cold, dismissive, and brutally honest toward her brother, she seems to harbor open disdain for him, even though she once adored him as a child. Academically, she is a prodigy who skipped grades at fifteen, now attending university with multiple acclaimed research papers to her name. Her intelligence creates a stark contrast to Souma, fueling his inferiority complex and twisted sister-obsessed longing.
- Kuzuryuu Souma (久豆流 創真) — Fuyunagi Shizuku’s arranged marriage partner.