Chapter 55: He made him cry again.
"Morofushi, is there anyone around you who looks like a comic protagonist?" Nozaki Umetarou asked the person sitting in front of him.
This isn't the first time Nozaki Umetarou has brought up this question; he's even asked a group of people around him about it.
Then he met a girl who sang very well but was quite rude through Sakura Chiyo's side, and he also met the school prince through Mikoshiba Mikoto's side.
"If only we weren't in the same class." Nozaki Umetarou lamented. That way, he would have had one more way to meet people, just like Sakura Chiyo and Mikoshiba Mikoto, who were in different classes.
Morofushi Sora'aki: "If we weren't in the same class, I wouldn't even talk to you."
Nozaki Umetarou: "...Yeah, that's true!"
Nozaki Umetarou said with distress, "The recent storylines involving supporting characters have been receiving good feedback, but to be honest, I can't imagine them being together at all. The confession scene seems a long way off, so I'm thinking about whether to add a new character."
It's normal for a romance comic to have multiple couples. Sometimes, the supporting couples, because they aren't described much, allow readers to imagine more and become more popular than the main couples.
"Why insist on sticking to the comic's character settings?" Morofushi Sora'aki inserted the straw into the drink bottle and said casually, "Even if someone is just an ordinary person, once they're drawn into a comic, they naturally become a character. Have you ever thought about going out and observing the people on the street?"
"--So, I'm planning to go to the amusement park this weekend. Do you guys want to come along?"
"Huh?" Sakura Chiyo's fingers were interlaced, and she was momentarily led astray by her own imagination: "Is this a date invitation?"
Mikoshiba Mikoto wished she could shake Sakura Chiyo, who was lost in her fantasy, awake: "This date invitation isn't just for you... Ah!"
Mikoshiba Mikoto, who possesses exceptional theoretical knowledge of romance, suddenly realized something, immediately winked at her, and began to read in a monotone tone: "Ah—I just happen to be unavailable this weekend, what a pity—"
Sakura Chiyo was a little confused: "Huh? Mikorin, didn't you say you were going to...uh...uh...uh...uh...uh...!"
Mikoshiba Mikoto smiled and covered Sakura Chiyo's mouth: "Both Morofushi and I are busy! So this scouting task will have to be done by the two of you!"
Sakura Chiyo wasn't stupid; she almost immediately realized that Mikoshiba Mikoto was helping her out. Her eyes lit up, and she gave Mikoshiba Mikoto a thumbs up. Mikoshiba Mikoto also smiled and returned the thumbs up.
However, some people didn't seem to understand the atmosphere at this moment. Morofushi Sora'aki spoke up: "I'm on the weekend..."
Mikoshiba Mikoto immediately covered Morofushi Sora'aki's mouth, and Sakura Chiyo also stood in front of Morofushi Sora'aki.
Nozaki Umetarou asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
Sakura Chiyo looked guilty, then made up an excuse: "It's just a friendly exchange! That's right, it's the latest gesture to show a good relationship!"
Nozaki Umetarou: "Huh? Really? I've never heard of that before! That's amazing."
Others: ...They actually fell for it?!
Morofushi Sora'aki pushed Mikoshiba Mikoto aside and said, "...I'm busy."
Sakura Chiyo was immediately moved: I never thought you were such a good person, Morofushi-kun!
Nozaki Umetarou could only regretfully give up: "I was thinking that if the two of you were here, you would attract a lot of girls... In that case, Sakura, would you like to come to the amusement park with me?"
Sakura Chiyo blushed deeply and almost immediately blurted out, "I do!!"
The moment those words left her lips, Sakura Chiyo could already picture their future wedding.
Watching Sakura Chiyo leave happily with Nozaki Umetarou, Mikoshiba Mikoto's eyes flashed with a sharp look: "Morofushi, shall we go to the amusement park this weekend?"
Morofushi Sora'aki: "...I'm busy."
Mikoshiba Mikoto: "What are you talking about! Aren't you curious about what those two will do..."
Before she could finish speaking, Mikoshiba Mikoto recalled all of Nozaki Umetarou's utterly unromantic actions, and his hands trembled slightly: "I... I didn't push Sakura into the abyss, did I?"
Mikoshiba Mikoto's voice trembling with tears, grasped Morofushi Sora'aki's hand: "Morofushi, you have to stay with me! I can't watch Sakura get pushed like this!"
Morofushi Sora'aki: ...This person is so troublesome.
So the next day, on the weekend, when Morofushi Sora'aki saw Mikoshiba Mikoto wearing sunglasses and a black scarf covering half his face, dressed like a stalker, Morofushi Sora'aki opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
I always felt that if we walked together like this, someone would definitely report us to the police.
Morofushi Sora'aki: "Aren't you hot?"
Mikoshiba Mikoto's face was flushed with obvious disbelief: "Absolutely not! This is for Sakura! I absolutely cannot let Sakura be deceived by a bad man!"
Morofushi Sora'aki: ...Isn't it possible that the bad man you're talking about is your friend? And wasn't this whole thing instigated by you? With that tone, where did you come from, this supposedly protective best friend who's always wary of men?
"So, Morofushi—wait! What are you doing, Morofushi?!"
Morofushi Sora'aki, holding the cotton candy he had just bought, asked, "Do you want some?"
Mikoshiba Mikoto: ...
Mikoshiba Mikoto: "...I want it!"
So, in a corner of the amusement park, a suspiciously dressed red-haired man (whose face was obscured and age impossible to determine) and a black-haired boy in a plain short-sleeved shirt walked together, each holding a giant cotton candy.
"Ah! I see Sakura and Nozaki!" Mikoshiba Mikoto immediately pulled Morofushi Sora'aki into a corner and stared intently at the shy Sakura Chiyo and Nozaki Umetarou not far away.
Mikoshiba Mikoto frowned and said, "Oh no, we can't hear what they're saying at all at this distance!"
Morofushi Sora'aki calmly took a bite of the cotton candy, glanced in the direction of Sakura Chiyo and Nozaki Umetarou, and read their mouths.
Sakura Chiyo: "...Um, Nozaki-kun, did you see that over there?"
Nozaki Umetarou: "Hmm? Ah, you mean Mikoshiba? Speaking of which, what's he doing over there... Is that Morofushi next to him? When did they become so close?"
Sakura Chiyo gave a dry laugh: "Hahaha."
Sakura Chiyo's eyes glazed over, and her tone was dry: "After all, Mamiko and the young lady are both your leading ladies, so maybe they can become good friends too."
Nozaki Umetarou suddenly realized: "Speaking of which, Ken-san also suggested that I portray the young lady as Mamiko's best friend... It's worth a try."
"Should we go find them?" Nozaki Umetarou asked.
Before Sakura Chiyo could reply, Nozaki Umetarou blurted out the answer: "No, Mikoshiba and Morofushi both specifically declined my invitation... So they want to hang out together, right? It wouldn't be good for us to bother them."
Nozaki Umetarou casually bought a cotton candy for Sakura Chiyo: "Let's go inside."
Sakura Chiyo was taken aback for a moment, then excitedly accepted the cotton candy, completely ignoring the other two third wheels: "Yes! Nozaki-kun!"
Morofushi Sora'aki: So you were discovered at the beginning? Was this tracking really meaningful?
Mikoshiba Mikoto: "Morofushi! They've moved! Let's follow them!"
Morofushi Sora'aki followed slowly behind Mikoshiba Mikoto, and casually bought an ice cream.
At this moment, Mikoshiba Mikoto even took out his binoculars.
Morofushi Sora'aki: But we're no more than ten meters apart, right? Do we really need binoculars at that distance? Won't that just make us look like stalkers?
Mikoshiba Mikoto gritted his teeth and said, "That bastard, if he dares to lie to Sakura, I will never forgive him!"
Morofushi Sora'aki: What kind of script did you get?
"Huh? They're heading towards the Ferris wheel!" Mikoshiba Mikoto exclaimed excitedly, "That's the most typical CG scene in an RPG game!"
Morofushi Sora'aki: Hmm, this guy is hopeless.
Morofushi Sora'aki bought another strawberry crepe, but Mikoshiba Mikoto asked in confusion, "Huh? The Ferris wheel is closed?"
Morofushi Sora'aki then looked up and saw that the Ferris wheel was surrounded by police, but it seemed that they were about to leave.
Among the pile of uniforms, Morofushi Sora'aki spotted two familiar faces. He took a bite of his crepe and said, "Looks like they won't be able to ride the Ferris wheel today."
Mikoshiba Mikoto also became conflicted: "Looks like we won't be able to collect all the CGs today."
Just then, Morofushi Sora'aki noticed that one of his acquaintances, Matsuda Jinpei, picked up his phone to answer a call. The man behind his sunglasses frowned slightly, then looked up and keenly surveyed his surroundings.
Afterwards, Matsuda Jinpei changed out of his obviously explosive genitals protective gear. Because his sunglasses blocked his view, Morofushi Sora'aki couldn't see what he was looking for.
Then after a while, Matsuda Jinpei strode over here... Hmm? This way?
After finishing the last bite of his crepe, Morofushi Sora'aki picked up the cream puffs they had bought earlier and looked thoughtfully at Mikoshiba Mikoto, who was standing two meters away, dressed in full protective gear and holding binoculars.
Matsuda Jinpei walked over during this process, completely unaware of Morofushi Sora'aki, and instead wary of Mikoshiba Mikoto, and said, "Someone reported you for acting suspiciously..."
Just moments ago, after confirming that this field mission was a false alarm, he was about to leave when he received a call from his colleague next door. Since he happened to be on the scene, he could observe the strange person reported by a passerby.
Before he could finish speaking, Matsuda Jinpei fell silent. Was it just his imagination? Why did that figure seem so familiar?
At that moment, Nozaki Umetarou and Sakura Chiyo arrived: "Mikoshiba, Morofushi, it seems we can't ride the Ferris wheel... Hmm? What happened?"
Matsuda Jinpei finally noticed Morofushi Sora'aki, who was standing to the side biting into a cream puff—the pastry was still crumbling.
"What are you doing here?" After saying this, Matsuda Jinpei immediately looked in the direction of Mikoshiba Mikoto.
Mikoshiba Mikoto lived up to expectations; he immediately covered his face, pulled off his scarf and sunglasses, and ran away with a blush.
"Mikorin!" Sakura Chiyo immediately chased after him.
Matsuda Jinpei, who found this scene all too familiar: "..."
Morofushi Sora'aki said in a cool tone: "Matsuda has made the high school student cry again."
Matsuda Jinpei: "...Hey!"