Chapter 209. Ran Returns to School. (5/5)

“Just ask her yourself. You don’t even need me, she’s a nice girl, she won’t outright refuse anyone.”

“But if I show her I’m on good terms with her best friend’s boyfriend, I feel like I’ll score some points with her.”

“So you just want to blatantly use me.”

“Yes. That’s why I call you my trump card.”

“This sort of cheap trick won’t do anything to make a girl think favorably of you, it’ll just show her you’re too cowardly to do it yourself. If you’re really serious, then just go straight up to her and ask her out in front of everyone then get flat out rejected. You can ask to talk to her alone after that. At least that will leave a deeper impression of yourself on her than every Tom, Dick, or Harry asking her out every day.”

“Oh! True, but… it’s a bit hard to get flat out rejected in front of everyone like that.”

“That’s the whole point though. That it’s hard. Calling her out to somewhere remote to ask her out is the easy way out.”

“Ugh. I did that with Rosa. Damn, maybe if I had a more bold approach like you it would have worked out.”

It was at that moment the door opened up and Rosa walked into the classroom. She’d left to eat lunch together with Alicia over me today.

That was what gave Jass an opening to approach me and talk about this during lunch in class like this.

“Oh, Jass, you were talking with Ran? Did the two of you become friends?”

I frowned and responded, “Absolutely not. Please don’t lower Jass to the position of being friends with me.”

“What are you talking about? We’re basically good pals now.”

My face paled in horror and I responded, “Take it back, quick. I think my chronic illness is acting up again. It happened the instant you said that. I’m going to be sick.”

“What the hell? Is your chronic illness some sort of allergic reaction to friends?” Jass retorted.

“Yes, it is. So please never call us friends again. If you’d like to be mortal enemies, I’m fine with that though.”

“Just how deep is your trauma man? Are you the type that thinks, ‘As long as I consider them mortal enemies, when I’m eventually betrayed by them I won’t feel a thing?’”

“...”

“For real? Bro… isn’t that a bit too sad.”

“Look, not that I’d ever have one, but even if a friend betrayed me, I wouldn’t care. However, I can’t deny that your logic makes sense. I don’t necessarily think that way myself though.” I only used that sort of logic against Alicia to make her not feel bad about certain things because of how good-natured she is.

“Rosa… your boyfriend is too pitiful.” Jass looked at Rosa as he lamented over my response.

“Hahaha, yeah, he’s super pitiful.”

“Having no friends isn’t something pitiful. If you ask me, it’s something to be praised for. If you've never had any friends before, you’ll never need to worry about something unnecessary like getting lonely.”

“But you have a girlfriend now. Does that not count as a friend?”

“A girlfriend is a girlfriend. A friend is a friend, please do not ever confuse these things. If there was no distinction between the two, then any girl that friend zoned you would be your girlfriend, would they not?”

“Is that how it works? Can your girlfriend not also be your friend?”

“Sure, they can. But just the same, they can also be your mortal enemy.”

“What sort of scumbag would dare refer to his girlfriend as his mortal enemy?”

I raised my finger and proudly pointed to that scumbag.

“Rosa? Are you okay with this! He’s pointing to himself!”

“Hahaha! It’s fine, it’s fine. We are like mortal enemies in a way.”

“How is it fine for your boyfriend to straight up tell you he considers you his mortal enemy?”

“Don’t you think it’s kind of hot to be dating your mortal enemy?” Rosa asked without a hint of shame.

“Hot? How?”

“Haaaaaah, you just wouldn’t understand Jass. It’s a more refined adult taste, maybe in the future you’ll come to understand.” Rosa shook her head like she was the most mature one in the room taking the time to patiently explain complicated adult-like matters to a child.

“Jass, don’t think too hard about it, Rosa’s preferences are just abnormal and strange. The fact that she somehow fell in love with a gloomy guy like me should serve as enough proof of that. Please don’t try to comprehend the inner workings of this girl’s bizarre tastes, not even I comprehend them.”

“Haha… right… maybe it was better that things didn’t work out after all… I never knew she had such interests. I don’t think I’d be able to think of my girlfriend as a mortal enemy.”

“So, what were the two of you talking about before I got back?”

“Huh? Uh, it’s nothing. Look at the time, class is already about to start. I should get back to my seat now.” Jass fled in such a blatantly unnatural fashion which made it obvious it wasn’t something he wanted Rosa to know about.

“So? What was it?” Rosa cocked her head and posed her question to me this time.

“Just some guy stuff.”

“Like?”

“Which girls have the best… assets.”

“You, talking about such a thing? I can’t see that at all.”

“Well, Jass pushed the conversation that way and said he wouldn’t leave unless I gave my input. That’s why he didn’t want to say anything.” I threw him under the bus faster than the toilet paper I wiped my ass with.

“Oh? If that’s true, what input did you give?”

“You hands down won in the legs department without any questions asked.”

“Heheh, is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you the type that has a thing for a girl’s legs?”

“If they’re your legs, sure.”

“Was that all the input you gave?”

“Yeah.”

“What about bust?”

“Personally, I quite like yours. It’s more about the shape, not the size in my opinion.”

“Oh? I can’t imagine Jass would agree. Who did he say has the ideal bust?”

“Who do you think he would pick?”

“Alicia. I’ve seen him eyeing hers when she comes around. Though she hides it pretty well with her uniform it’s still quite noticeable. Am I right?”

“Yes, you’re correct.”

“Oh~ aren’t I amazing?”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re so amazing for guessing what simple-minded guys like us think.”

“Do you think he’s going to target Alicia next after me?”

“No way, right? He’s still recovering from a broken heart.”

“It doesn’t look that way to me at all. It looks more like he’s more than ready to get over me and chase after a new target.”

“Well, that’s none of my business.”

“Even if his target is Alicia?”

“Yes, even if he aims for Alicia, it’s not like he has much hope in that department. He’ll end up shot down and have to move on to the next fish in the sea.”

“Aren’t you too cruel? You’ve snatched up both his consecutive targets.”

“He’s just unlucky. But there’s always the chance he could somehow win Alicia over you know.”

“Heheh, win her over? Jeez, aren’t you a bit too cute, Ran? You think I’d give him the chance to potentially take her away from me? He can have her over my dead body.”

“You wouldn’t even give him the chance to confess to her?”

“Oh, I’m not so heartless to say he can’t confess, with how popular she is, I’d run myself ragged if I tried to stop every guy from asking Alicia out after all. However, if any guy did get too close to her, I’d definitely guarantee they wouldn’t be able to win her over. Alicia is mine, I won’t hand her over to anyone.”

“Uh…”

“Oh, that doesn’t include you though. When I say I, I'm speaking for both of us.”

“Rosa, don’t you think our lines seem to be reversed.”

“I’m just saying your true thoughts.” 

“Don’t delude yourself, those aren’t my true thoughts.”

“Well, even if they aren’t now, I’ll make sure they are in the future~”

“That’s never going to happen.”

“It’s a work in progress. I’m still working on making you more possessive.”

“Aren’t you just a bit too possessive?”

“Well, we balance each other out if that’s the case then.”

The other students who’d left the classroom for lunch piled into the classroom around the same time the teacher for the next period showed up. Our conversation where we whispered back and forth came to an end once the students who sat in our vicinity took their seats.

Wednesday closed out without any other noteworthy event.

Thursday, Alicia was still distant at work, there wasn’t much change in that department. Slowly, but surely, Valentine’s Day was closing in. I thought Alicia might have at least approached me and forced me to practice how to dance, but she never did.

She said she would before, but whatever was bothering her seemed to prevent her from doing so. Since it was convenient to me, I decided to leave things as they were until after the dance. That way I wouldn’t have to embarrass myself.

When Friday came, there were a lot of guys going around asking girls out in a last-ditch effort to experience Valentine’s Day to the fullest. As for why it had to be today, it was because Valentine’s Day fell on a Sunday this year. Though the school dance was scheduled for Monday, those who wanted to specifically receive chocolates on Valentine’s Day from the girl they liked had to act today. It was a rather sorrowful sight to see, all the fallen warriors ruthlessly shot down and killed on the battlefield where love ran rampant and filled the air with a bitter stench.

By the end of Friday, Alicia had been asked out by dozens of desperate guys praying to win the lottery, but they’d all been shot down with an apologetic bow and the same exact response, “I’m very sorry, I can’t respond to your feelings.”

That was the only answer she gave. Nobody asked her why, they all assumed every guy before her had already asked the same question so they didn’t want to continue bothering her by forcing her to repeat herself over and over again when she’d already been kind enough to hear them out. 

She was a busy popular girl who was sociable and highly respected by her peers. She studied hard while working a part-time job. She was diligent and forthright, honest and upfront, a girl at the very top of her grade, so most guys understood she didn’t have much time for love or romance but they still tested their luck anyway. She was the perfect girl in a lot of guys' eyes, far out of their league, but they still took the gamble on the small chance that they might miraculously succeed.

Should that hard-working Goddess smile upon them favorably, they would never ask for another thing in their life again.

That was the existence, Alicia Sorayuki, in the eyes of the public. None of them truly understood this girl at all. She was just a stupidly kind and naive innocent girl, that was all there was to her. She was far from perfect and she had countless flaws. She’d get used by others because she was too nice to everybody. She’d end up suffering because she gave away too much of her time to everyone else at her own expense. People would rely on her too much because it was convenient to do so.

They’d selfishly request favors despite knowing she was busy without considering just how much those small little things truly inconvenienced her. They’d think it was no big deal because she was perfect. She could handle anything. They never saw the underlying problem with this girl.

Her kindness was a great weapon, but it was her greatest weakness. She’d end up blaming herself and feeling guilty for things she didn’t need to.

Even right now, something was obviously bothering her, but nobody even noticed or asked her about it. All they saw was that natural smile on the surface that she showed them. If she was smiling, she was obviously okay and happy. Nothing could be troubling her if she could innocently display such a pure sincere smile at all times without ever faltering.

No, perhaps only I ever saw through it because I was always among the root causes of the various things that deeply troubled her the most. I was the first guy who outright refused to be her friend and became her mortal enemy instead after all.

There are things your mortal enemy will see that your friends will not and simply overlook. Your mortal enemy, however, will see through all your greatest weaknesses and use them against you until you obediently surrender yourself to them.