NTR Kousuke

Chapter 135: What Will We Do?

Nagase: "...If you go around hitting on girls in uniform, it'll give Hokusho a bad name, you know? So stop it, okay?"

Kuzu: "Ah, yes."

Before I could even step in, Nagase-san started lecturing Kuzu.

It's pretty common to see Kuzu talking to Nagase-san, but...?

Her tone is unusually sharp.

By the way, whenever Sho hears someone's talking, he always runs into people trying to pick up girls, and then he always steps in to stop them.

...He really has main character energy.

Kuzu: "N-Nagase-san? Aren't you usually a bit... kinder?"

Nagase-san glances at me.

Nagase: "I'm also the student council secretary right now, and it's about time for entrance exams at our school. Bad rumors are an absolute no! Besides, I hate guys who try to pick up girls!"

Kuzu looks shocked.

...But isn't this guy with Tomonaga-san...?

Kuzu: "But! That was! ...I just! I still like Nagase-san the most! ...!"

This guy...! He has a girlfriend, and yet he's still hitting on girls and claims he likes Nagase-san?

I'm so stunned I can't even speak.

Nagase-san seems to feel the same way,

Nagase: "Can you go home today? Today, Kousuke-kun is going to buy me a White Day return gift—♪"

Kuzu is left dumbstruck by Nagase-san's cheerful smile.

Kuzu finally turns to me,

Kuzu: "Did you get chocolate from Nagase-san?"

"...I did."

Kuzu: "...What? She declared she wouldn't give any out to avoid misunderstandings, you know?"

"...If she didn't say that, people like you would swarm her, right?"

Kuzu: "Saito-kun? Don't get all buddy-buddy with Nagase-san...!"

As Kuzu comes at me, Nagase-san stops him and admonishes him.

Nagase: "...First of all? You have Tomonaga-san, don't you, Kuzu-kun? Miss Hokusho—no, the cutest first-year girl."

Kuzu's expression clouds over,

"I never thought it would get like this... I can't believe she rebounded... Why? Me!"

Nagase-san cuts him off, like, "I can't deal with you anymore!"

Nagase: "Today! Is a date! Don't get in the way! And seriously, stop trying to pick up girls! I'll bring it up in student council, you know? Like, an agenda item about guys pestering girls in public?"

...It's not a date... but I can't say that out loud.

Kuzu: "No way! I just got approved to move up a grade! This could cause all sorts of problems! Nagase-san!"

Kuzu looks like he's about to cling to Nagase-san.

With a serious face, Nagase-san says,

Nagase: "Then go home. Don't go hitting on girls, just head straight back. You're going to be a second-year, right?"

Kuzu nods furiously and rushes off at top speed...

Nagase-san sighs in exasperation.

Nagase: "The boys who keep pestering me... they're always kind of weird. ...Do you think I'm a terrible girl for using my student council authority?"

She asks, looking worried, but I shake my head.

"...No. There are things you can't overlook as a student council member, right? The school's reputation, guiding the students, and as someone who knows you? If anything, you're only pointing out what needs to be said."

Nagase: "I'm glad you get it! ...You know, there are girls who get jealous that I'm popular? They say, 'The guys who hit on Nagase-san look good, but they're all shallow and weird.' Man, I wish a guy who's not shallow and actually has substance would come after me for once."

She keeps glancing over at me.

Uh, sorry, I can't.

Girls are scary.

I decide to ignore it, but Nagase-san just laughs, "Fufu!"

Nagase: "It's fine for now. But not all girls are 'those girls,' you know?"

Once you realize that... okay?

Maybe Kuzu, Yamamoto, and Sahori all got caught by that face.

With a dazzling, radiant, and adorable smile, Nagase Aya beams brightly.

Sho, girls who blush are cute, but don't you think girls look best when they smile?

But after that smile comes a smile that's fallen to the dark side,

"A guy who hits on girls even though he has a girlfriend. Says he likes me, but just because I'm wearing glasses and a hat, he can't recognize me? And then, claiming he likes me while keeping his girlfriend on standby... Just being hit on by that kind of guy is stressful, and on top of that, I get dissed by girls because of the kind of guys who come after me..."

As she grumbles, Nagase-san makes the kind of face you'd see in that classic Sunday evening anime, with vertical lines down her face, totally ruining her beauty.

☆ ☆ ☆

So, how do you cheer up a girl when she's like this?

It's easy, really—you just make sure she has a great time.

I go around to every ladies' shop in the station building with her, without a single complaint.

I never slack off, always give real compliments, and make sure my comments aren't just the same thing over and over—I actually tell her my own tastes, too.

On top of that, I compliment every part and the overall vibe.

If there's something off, I point it out.

After visiting a few shops, Nagase-san buys a blouse and a spring jacket.

I carry them for her without a word.

We grab a dark-something frappuccino, and then wander over to the game corner for a bit.

Our house is a gaming family, and we're pretty intense about games.

But Nagase-san doesn't really play much, so at the crane game, she wins a bunch of plushies and snacks.

She ended up with a ton of those black thunder bars... but since it's Koji's White Day return gift for Ninomiya-san... I probably shouldn't be the one saying anything.

And of course, I pay and the two of us start up a zombie-shooting game with toy guns.

With a slightly uneasy expression, Nagase-san says,

Nagase: "...I don't really do stuff like this, so I don't totally get how it works...?"

"...It's fine. Just play however. Empty your head, okay? The zombies come at you like crazy, so just unload with the gun."

I feel like she mentioned once that she'd seen a foreign zombie drama before.

Look, it's starting!

Nagase: "Eh? Eh? Kyaaa! Kyaa!!"

Bam bam bam! She frantically fires the gun.

Zombies get taken out the moment they come into view.

Nagase-san is squealing, "Kyaa! Kyaa!" as she clumsily but earnestly shoots at the zombies.

She gets better and more efficient as she goes, but by then the stage has advanced and the enemies are tougher.

I pop a few more coins in.

I make sure to cover all the dangerous areas.

Nagase-san takes out the easy enemies in the middle with total satisfaction!

Nagase: "Ah! ...It's over..."

"Push the button? Looks like you can keep playing."

Nagase: "!! You're right! I'll save you right away, Kousuke-kun!"

Even when it's game over, I've already put in coins so we can continue.

It's kind of anticlimactic if it ends too soon, after all.

We play for a while and then wrap up just before the last part.

...From here on, it's a hardcore stage for maniacs only.

Nagase: "Ahh! We were so close! If only we'd taken them out there... Ahh! Just a little more...!"

Seeing Nagase-san still hyped up and excited makes her look so cute it gives me chills.

...But seeing her forget all that irritation and stress from earlier is honestly a relief.

But then Nagase-san tilts her head,

Nagase: "...Somehow, Kousuke-kun seems way too used to dealing with girls, and it makes me feel weird. Do you often go shopping for girls' clothes with them?"

"...No way. This is the only time in the past year."

Nagase-san looks like, "Yes!" and then immediately, "Oops..."

Nagase: "Sorry, that was rubbing salt in the wound."

"...It's all in the past."

Nagase: "Sorry! I'm having so much fun today. What we do is important, but in the end, it's all about who you do it with, right—♪"

I finish my now-watery drink, and we head off to buy my main event—my Valentine's Day return gift for today.