âWakashima-chan said that Shiori has a bad personality, did she do something malicious?â
Koharu grumbled as she drank her cafe au lait, but Yoko seemed to be the only one having a blast.
Itâs fine that Yoko joined us and started eating lunch, but Koharu is pouting, and I donât have a proper reply, so only Yoko is actively talking. Koharu is a hissing cat with me, but apparently she still holds some of that for Yoko.
âShiori is completely black hearted, and she is the farthest from talking with her heart. Instead she thickly wraps those words.â
âThatâs so cruel to say.â
âIf you think so, then show more of your heart. Or rather, show me your boobs!â
âThe black thing is the contents of your head. . .â
Itâs draining as Yoko wasnât fazed by the tension. She said a lot, but I wonât deny it. Iâm not a good person at all, but Iâm not that bad. I often donât say what Iâm actually thinking and have been superficial. Iâm told I wonât often speak truthfully, but I donât want to bow my head obediently.
âLook whoâs talking Yoko.â
âYou are crazy. There arenât many people with as good of a personality as mine, right?â
âYou donât have a good personality.â
At the corner of my eyes, I saw Koharu quietly give a small nod. She also agrees.
Yoko seemed to have noticed as well, so she stopped moving her chopsticks and gave a devious yet satisfied smile.
âHowever, I was surprised. Wakashima-chan has such an interesting personality. Itâs unfair that only Shiori knew.â
âItâs not really. . . my true personality.â
âIs that so? But, itâs definitely more lively than the usual quiet honor student in the art club. I prefer the venomous Wakashima-chan.â
I also agree with that. Itâs not just in front of Aoi, but also during club activities. Koharu never breaks the face of an honor student, and youâd be laughed at if you say this tepid good girl actually is somebody capable of spewing venom at people.
An orthodox heroine is good at first glance, but if you want to get a real connection it is better to have some quirks to you. Like Koharu does now.
âThat good girl face is good enough for parents and teachers. But that bad side will come out steadily!â
âI donât want to be told that by Senpais with bad personalities. . .â
âAhaha, thatâs it! Atta girl! Keep it up!â
Koharu looked straight ahead with a serious face as Yoko laughed and returned with snide comments. From the disappearing light in her eyes, I could feel the voice in her head âThis person is annoyingâ or âWhat do I do?â I understand those feelings well. When I was a first year I was frustrated by Yoko always pestering me. I wanted to give up so early. I wanted to just smile back, as the vitality that was barely left in my eyes disappeared. . .Stay strong.
âOr how should I say it? Shimamoto-chan also has a splendid personality. Iâm honestly impressed that you understand your situation so obediently. By the way, what do you like about Shimamoto-chan?â
âNo matter what I say. . .I really donât know. There are too many things to mention, but since I was a child itâs always felt as natural as now. . .â
âAhh, a childhood friend.â
She said in the game that she has liked her for a long time, but I remembered itâs never talked about how long, or what made her like her. In a dating sim the way you fell in love comes out as a template, but in âFragmented Rhapsodyâ, that episode for all the heroines doesnât appear. If Aoi is conscious of her, it will come out on any route. However the reason for âShioriâ was because shen was scheming at first, for âSaraâ she never even fell in love. So I know now that it doesnât actually naturally come out.
I thought about asking Koharu, but I donât think she will answer honestly. So Iâll leave it to Yoko and quietly eat my lunch. Itâs helpful to have a friendly talkative friend. The drawback is that it can be a little oppressive.
While sitting on the sidelines Yoko nodded at Koharuâs reply with a smile and said.
âWell then, this is good, Wakashima-chan could use this opportunity to get away from Shimamoto-chan.â
Instantly the air in the room froze. What just happened. How did it happen? We were talking normally just a while ago.
Looking at Yoko she is completely smiling, but she is giving provoking eyes towards Koharu. And speaking of Koharu from my line of sight she was- â â Furious.
âThere is no reason you should be saying that.â
It was the usual icy words but said with an angry voice.
âSure~. But if possible, Iâd keep that in the back of your mind. Right now you arenât only in love, but it looks like an addiction. Love already dulls your thinking, but this level of dependency added is not normal. Do you understand?â
âI understand what youâre saying but Iâm not being dependent. . .â
âReally?â
â. . .â
âHonestly, absolutely, definitely, can you say that?â
Koharu was once again asked to confirm it, but she hesitated, her eyes shook.
It will feel bad If you say youâre dependent. Even at the best of times, love involves some dependency, so Yokoâs question is a little dirty. However she canât deny what Yoko said. Even to me, at the chapel Koharu said âI only have Aoi-chan.â After those words sheâs definitely dependent.
âDependency huh, if itâs appropriately done from both sides it can work well, but if itâs one sided on top of you are going around in circles, well. . .Youâll just self-destruct.â
âSelf Destruct?â
âYeah, please could you listen to this piece of advice from someone who has experienced failure. Too much dependency doesnât lead to anything good, neither for you nor your partner.â
I think the relationship between the president and Yoko is a little different from dependency. I feel like itâs more like attachment. But thatâs my opinion, I only know one side of the story, there is plenty behind the scenes. If Yoko says she was dependent that must be from her side.
And I know well the consequences of Koharuâs dependency. Itâs a bad ending in the âSaraâ route.
âYou should take a step back and properly reassess your feelings. There is plenty of insight you can gain from a distance.â
Yoko said something unusually decent, perhaps I have to rethink my assessment of her. Her sexual harassment is terrible and careless, but when it matters she never plays around. Aside from foolishness, I hope that the president can reign in Yokoâs sexual harassment.
âIf you take a step back, look back and like what you see, then why donât you do your best again? Fortunately it seems like Shimamoto-chan doesnât have that Shiori infatuation.â
I wonder? My gut reaction was immediately to answer âI donât that.â, but Iâd have to grimace because itâs complicated. Hmm, a womanâs heart is difficult.
âGenerally speaking, Iâm going to give up on Aoi-chan. I already told Sugimura-senpai that, right?â
âYeah, you did.â
âThatâs why I am leaving without needing to be told by my seniors. Iâm not dependent.â
When I heard that the other day I wasnât that agitated. No way, I never thought that Koharu would give up on Aoi. However, looking at her bite her lips staring at her desk you can easily tell. Iâm not stupid, I canât easily believe that. Itâs hard to give up on someone you like. Even for me, somebody thatâs only been with their crush for a short time. Itâd be especially hard if you have been with them since you were a child. The more I think I have to give up, the stronger my feelings feel.
âI donât think you need to give up, but itâs Wakashima-san who decides. Just donât regret your decision.â
âYeah yeah. Itâs Wakashima-chan that decides, but we will always be here for advice, and feel free to complain if you just want to complain. Of course not just about romance.â
There is more I want to say. As a Senpai, as somebody who knows how the game develops there are many more I want to say.
But if a love rival says it she wonât take it to heart. In the first place the story is flowing quite differently from the game, so itâs doubtful if my knowledge will even be useful.
â. . .Thank you very much.â
She said that with an ambiguous expression, so I wouldnât count on it. I want you to open your heart a little more, but unfortunately I am not good at getting people to open up.
What should I do? Koharu and Aoi are two who are deeply connected depending on the route, so there is still a chance. I wouldnât give up if I had a chance, you might roll well.
I donât have enough information. How do I get her onto the Koharu route? What was the trigger in the game? Iâve played it so many times, so itâs surprising that I donât even know anything.
While my impatience from being helpless continued, the first lunch with the three of us passed by.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The plot thickens even more. I am really enjoying the theme of the story, itâs rare these things are even talked about, how somebody is too dependent on another for validation. Iâm happy Yoko is saying it, finally somebody says it. As much as I like Shiori, Yoko is right. She holds back way too much. Honesty is key! Although if people did do that, most dramas would be over quick.