Chapter 18 Asakura, I Feel Like I'm In Love!
By the time they returned to the classroom, there were only two minutes left before class started, and everyone else had basically returned as well.
Seeing Kaede returning only now, Kitamura Yusaku, who was sitting one seat away, leaned back in his chair, looked at Kaede, and said with a smile, "Asakura, you were gone for quite a while."
"... If you have something to say, just say it. Stop being so sarcastic."
"Hehe, nothing, nothing at all."
Just then, the class bell rang, and Kitamura Yusaku stopped talking, smiling as he took out his textbook.
Blinking his eyes, Kaede increasingly felt that he had made a terrible friend.
Kitamura Yusaku initially looked honest and reliable, but after spending the past week together, Kaede discovered he was a guy constantly full of suggestive remarks and strange ideas.
However, he hadn't evolved into the overtly suggestive character from *Toradora* yet, so perhaps there was still hope for him.
The afternoon classes passed relatively peacefully. It was only during P.E. that the boys gathered together to discuss when the school would start swimming lessons, so they could see the girls' swimsuits.
Regarding this, Kaede immediately and without hesitation retorted, "You talk as if boys and girls have P.E. class together."
This statement immediately brought the boys' fantasies to a halt.
"Can't you just let us fantasize?"
"Yeah, we can't have class together, but we can still catch a glimpse, right?"
"Asakura, you guy who received a love letter right after school started, shut up!"
"..."
In the end, was receiving a love letter somehow my fault?
... "You're on cleaning duty today. Will you be okay?"
Before heading to the Art Club, Kaede looked at Takasu Ryuji, who was on duty today, and asked, "Judging by your look, are you preparing for a major cleanup?"
"Don't worry, it's just a small matter."
Rolling up his sleeves, Takasu Ryuji said with a smile, "It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I'm a bit of a clean freak. I've endured it for a long time, but it's finally my turn to be on duty. Watch me clean this classroom thoroughly!"
"As long as you're happy."
Kitamura Yusaku also patted Kaede's shoulder and said, "Alright, we know what kind of person Takasu is. Since he says he's fine, it's okay. Besides, he's not the same as before. He won't bottle everything up with no one to talk to."
"Why does it sound like you're saying I was miserable before?"
"Isn't that the truth?"
"Get lost!"
"Hahahaha~~ Then I'm off to the Art Club, Takasu. Good luck~~~"
Laughing happily, Kitamura Yusaku pulled Kaede, and they left the classroom together.
When they arrived outside the Art Club, Kaede could already hear the sound of conversation coming from inside. Everyone must have arrived.
Before opening the door and entering, Kaede, feeling a little paranoid again, looked around both sides. Only after confirming that no one was secretly watching him this time did he open the door and enter the Art Club.
As soon as Uchimaki Subaru saw Kaede enter, he smiled and waved, "Asakura, hurry up and come look! I've finished drawing my new wife!"
As soon as he said this, the two girls simultaneously twitched their lips, their expressions awkward.
Kaede, however, didn't feel that way. He walked over smilingly and saw a cat-eared, pink-haired girl on Uchimaki Subaru's easel.
"Hmm~~~ Very good. Uchimaki, you've really been working hard these past few days. You even finished the coloring."
"Hehe, this is a wife I drew very seriously!" While saying this, Uchimaki Subaru took the canvas down and put it aside, then picked up a new one. "Alright, let's draw the next one!"
It seems that even though he drew a very cute wife, she wasn't Uchimaki Subaru's most cherished one.
Kaede smiled too, sat down, and started working on his usual homework.
Eriri, after glancing at Kaede, continued practicing sketches with Usami. When other people were present, she was very restrained, maintaining a modest frequency in her conversations with boys.
After all, her everyday persona was that of a well-behaved and quiet young lady.
Kaede knew this, and after arriving at the Art Club, he tacitly didn't say much to Eriri, focusing seriously on his homework.
However, he hadn't written much—only fifteen minutes had passed—when a phone call came in.
He picked it up and saw it was Takasu Ryuji.
Eriri happened to look over and whispered, "It's fine, just answer the phone. We won't make a sound."
The others also nodded, so Kaede pressed the answer button.
"Hello, Takasu, what's wrong?"
"Asakura!"
On the other end of the line, something unknown had happened. Takasu Ryuji's voice was slightly breathless, and Kaede could also hear the shouts of other people.
He paused, then asked, "Weren't you on cleaning duty? Where did you run off to?"
"We can talk about that later, I have something very important right now!"
Takasu Ryuji's voice, heard through the phone, sounded especially serious and... rushed?
"Uh... alright, tell me about it. I'm listening."
"Asakura!" Takasu Ryuji paused, then said in a low voice, "I think I'm in love!"
"..."
Under the gaze of the other club members, Kaede's expression went from shock to gradual calmness, and then he silently hung up the phone.
However, after another dozen seconds, the phone rang again.
After answering, Takasu Ryuji's voice came through again: "Why did you hang up on me? I wasn't finished yet!"
"Because I didn't know what to say. The information load in your statement was a bit too much." Touching his forehead, Kaede sighed, "So, tell me, what kind of girl caught your eye?"
The conversation between the two also drew the attention of the other club members, especially Usami Mizuki. She was arguably the most "normal" one among them, and her curiosity was piqued the most upon hearing such a topic about romance.
Eriri, meanwhile, was the most surprised. Judging from the content of the call, the person who called Kaede was Takasu Ryuji. Kaede had previously mentioned that this person was a classmate in their class who had fierce-looking eyes but was actually a very nice guy.
If someone like that fell in love, wouldn't that be interesting? It feels like something out of a dating sim or a light novel.
Kaede ignored the gazes from his clubmates and continued listening to Takasu Ryuji's explanation.
"Wasn't I on cleaning duty just now? Then Kitamura called, saying he left something in his desk drawer and asked me to bring it to him. And that's when I saw her—my destined girl—on the Softball Club's practice field. Ah, it was wonderful, that cheerful face, beautiful red short hair, and that lively figure..."
Kaede felt like he couldn't listen anymore; his teeth were aching. He really hadn't expected Takasu Ryuji to be this nauseating sometimes.
So, to stop the guy from continuing to gross him out, he cut straight to the chase: "So, when are you going to confess?"
"..."
Sure enough, he choked.