Chapter 397: How to Reject a Boy's Confession

"What's wrong, Ishigami?" Rinji looked at the guy sprawled on the floor. "Did I not do a good enough impression?"

"That wasn't an impression at all! Do you think Koyasu-senpai would ever say something like that!?"

"You only said to talk like a girl."

Rinji replied calmly.

"Based on what I found online, girls do say things like 'clear my shopping cart' or 'gross, disgusting otaku'."

"Can you look for more normal references, please!?"

"Then which girl do you think is 'normal'? Someone from the student council?"

"..."

"What's wrong? Why so quiet all of a sudden?"

"N-No, I just don't think narrowing it down to the student council helps."

Ishigami realized that the girls in the student council didn't exactly fall into the category of 'normal girls.'

"Still want to keep going?"

"Yeah."

Ishigami nodded and looked at Rinji.

"I've got to overcome this. Please play the girl one more time."

"I can, but I still think it'd be better if you just talked to a real girl." Rinji offered. "I mean, I'm a guy. Talking to me isn't the same. And your goal is to confidently talk to Koyasu-senpai tomorrow, right?"

"You're right, but…"

Ishigami's face clouded again. The atmosphere around him seemed to darken.

"If I do that, she'll definitely hate me. She'll say I'm gross or something. Just like you said earlier—girls really do say those things. Especially to someone like me. Come to think of it, maybe she ran away because she thought I was disgusting…"

"Okay, okay, Ishigami, stop right there."

Rinji waved his hand, cutting through Ishigami's self-deprecating spiral.

"I get it. I'll roleplay one more time."

"Thank you so much, Rinji. You're the best." Ishigami looked at him with teary gratitude. "You're probably the only one who doesn't hate me. If you were a girl, you'd be one of my ideal types."

"Shut up."

Rinji rubbed his temples.

"But I don't know many girls well. Who should I base my performance on? I don't know Koyasu-senpai's personality that well."

"Your girlfriend, maybe? You've spent enough time with her. You know her best."

"Fair."

Facing each other again, Ishigami resumed his practice.

Looking serious, he thumped his chest and said, "Koyasu-senpai…"

Rinji: "Yuu-kun, let's f***. (In Koyasu's voice)"

"Is that really how your girlfriend talks to you!?"

"Yeah, I'm troubled by it too." Rinji watched as Ishigami collapsed again. "I'm also troubled as to why you made me use Karura as a reference."

"Don't include private life stuff like that! Say something more everyday. No way your girlfriend talks like that 24/7."

Ishigami sat up, rubbing his burning cheeks.

Rinji using Tsubame's voice to say such wild lines had seriously rattled him.

"Everyday talk? Oh, I got it."

"I hope you really do."

Clearing his throat, Ishigami got into character again.

"Koyasu-senpai, why did you avoid me yesterday? Did I do something wrong?"

"Sorry, Yuu-kun," Rinji replied in Koyasu's voice. "I got a sudden job assignment yesterday."

"A job?"

"Yeah. I was sent to Chiyoda Ward to take out a certain boss."

"Ah, then I guess—wait, what!?"

Ishigami felt something was off.

Meanwhile, Rinji continued with his Koyasu act.

"He was a pervert who escaped trial through legal loopholes. But don't worry, I garroted him with wire last night. That fat face made it tough to choke out. His screams were like a pig's and even attracted the security guards—"

"Do you even understand what 'everyday conversation' means!?"

Ishigami collapsed, pounding the floor.

"My girlfriend's usual talk is more or less like this." Rinji said proudly. "As a good boyfriend, I naturally ask if she needs weapons, supplies, or troop support."

"…Are you two just roleplaying in a game, or is this straight-up a case of delusional chuunibyou?"

Ishigami finally accepted reality.

Rinji might be a great friend and an incredible person—

—but he was not normal.

"If you're really worried, I can go ask Koyasu-senpai myself."

"Huh?"

"If you're too scared to ask her directly, I'll do it. I won't bring up your name. Just subtly fish around."

"Then… I'd really appreciate that."

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Rinji didn't have to search long before he spotted Koyasu Tsubame sitting alone on a bench in the school courtyard.

She didn't look her usual cheerful self. She seemed preoccupied.

"Koyasu-senpai?"

"Rinji?"

When she turned and saw Rinji, her face lit up with surprise.

She patted the bench beside her, gesturing for him to sit down.

Rinji hesitantly sat next to her and asked, "What's wrong, senpai? You look like something's on your mind."

"Rinji, can I ask you something? You probably have experience with this."

She looked at him with pleading eyes, which only confused Rinji further.

"What?"

"How do you reject a guy's confession?"

"Senpai, do you have some weird misunderstanding about me?" Rinji clenched his fists as veins bulged along his neck and face. "Why would I have experience with that!?"

"Eh? But someone said you got a love letter from a boy after the sports festival."

That did happen.

But still—

"Fake news. And what's that got to do with the favor you're asking?"

"I… want to reject someone's confession but don't know how." Koyasu looked down, visibly troubled.

"Oh, that's it?"

Rinji chuckled.

"Just reject him directly. Be clear. Don't give him the slightest hope."

He didn't want anyone beating Ishigami to the punch.

What he didn't realize was: the guy

Tsubame was talking about… was Ishigami.