Chapter 1. Two rom-coms in one.

“Yo, Kuze! That debate last week was incredible!”

“I heard you took down Taniyama. I’m impressed. I wish I hadn’t had cram school so I could have gone.”

It was the following Monday after the debate. Masachika was welcomed with genuine curiosity and praise the moment he stepped inside the classroom.

“That’s too bad, man. You should have been there. Seriously.”

“Yeah, it was intense. I’ve honestly never seen a more exciting debate in my life.”

The debate had apparently been the talk of the class before Masachika had even gotten there. He’d heard a few students gushing about the event on his way to the classroom as well. That was simply a testament to how exciting the student conference the week before had been.

“To tell the truth, I thought the debate was over the moment I heard Taniyama’s argument.”

“Yeah, and the fact that you two didn’t have any questions for her after her argument made me even more confident that she’d already won.”

“Hey, what was your strategy for that debate anyway?”

“Come on, guys. At least let me put my bag down first.”

With a pacifying grin, he put out a hand to hold his overly enthusiastic classmates back while he headed over to his desk.

You guys could just ask the main speaker over there if you’re so curious …

He thought this as he looked over at said main speaker—Alisa Kujou. Though she had been the star of the debate, nobody was gathering around her. The sight made it painfully clear how unapproachable she seemed to fellow students.

It’s not like I don’t see where they’re coming from, but she’s going to be running for student council president, so this isn’t going to work.

How was she going to gain support from her peers and win if her own classmates wouldn’t talk to her? That’s why Masachika decided to proactively drag Alisa into the conversation.

“Morning, Alya.”

“Good morning,” she replied, lifting her head and taking her nose out of her textbook, which she always had open before class. She was reviewing before the day’s lesson as if the gossiping going on had nothing to do with her.

She probably doesn’t know how to react to all these people talking about her … but her behavior’s making it hard for anyone to approach her, too.

In his mind, Masachika smiled a bit evily at his socially inept partner.

“They want to hear about the debate you put on last week!” he exclaimed, gesturing with his eyes to their classmates behind him.

“Huh?”

Despite her bewilderment, he set down his bag, turned around to face their classmates, who seemed just as confused as Alisa, and raised a hand to excuse himself.

“All right, guys. If you have any questions, Alya here will answer them in my place … because I’ve got a game to play, and it’s not gonna play itself.”

“““Seriously?!””” shouted the class half jokingly while Masachika whipped out his phone with a serious expression. Nevertheless, he stared at his phone screen and shamelessly launched an app.

“I’m counting on you, Alya.”

“W-wait. I—”

The troubled star of the debate and her classmates observed one another from either side of Masachika. As the students exchanged glances, wondering who would be the first to talk, Masachika discreetly glanced at Hikaru, who was sitting in front of him, and his friend immediately knew what Masachika was trying to communicate.

“So, Alisa, I was wondering about your speech. Did you come up with that all by yourself? Or did Masachika help?” asked Hikaru with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Huh? Oh … I created the speech. Kuze did give me some advice, though.”

“Oh, wow. I was surprised, to be honest. I had no idea you were going to be that good at debating.”

“Th-thanks … ?”

The other students started chiming in as well—thanks to Hikaru initiating conversation—until eventually everyone was speaking their mind as though their curiosity had overcome their anxiety.

“Was not asking any questions during the Q and A session part of your strategy?”

“Yes, it was something we had planned before the debate.”

“Then, was Masachika suddenly taking over during the second half of the debate part of your strategy, too?”

“That actually took me by surprise as well … ”

Although unaccustomed to this type of interaction, Alisa did her best to answer the questions while Masachika nodded to himself, content with how she was handling things as he gazed at his random loot box reward for the day. Alisa was the center of attention in Class B for once … but everything suddenly changed the moment a certain male student opened his mouth.

“Too bad about what happened, though, right? Like, Taniyama just ran away before the debate even finished. It was a pretty disappointing ending to a good show. Know what I mean?”

Perhaps he was trying to butter Alisa up but was overly excited by the chance to finally speak with such a beautiful girl. Other guys began to get in on it as well, until they were all basically putting Alisa on a pedestal and absolutely trashing Sayaka.

“Yeah, for real. Challenging someone to a debate, then running off like that? Pathetic.”

“Yeah, that was pitiful. She ran away the moment things started to get hard.”

“Alisa won the debate the moment the Q and A started. Sayaka used to seem unbeatable, but she gave up the moment someone actually stood up to her.”

Maybe they were all waiting for Alisa to say, “Yeah, she was all bark and no bite,” but Alisa’s reaction told a different story.

“ … ”

Her lips were pressed firmly together, and her brow was furrowed. She was clearly displeased, and her classmates were taken aback, at a loss for words to continue the conversation. In the midst of that awkward silence, Alisa stood up from her seat.

“Kuze. Come on.”

“Hmm? All right.”

Masachika slipped his phone into his pocket and got out of his chair, then acted as if he had just remembered something.

“Ohhh, right. We have student council business we need to take care of still. Sorry, guys. Looks like we’ll have to pick this back up later.”

He briefly apologized to his classmates before swiftly following Alisa out of the room. He kept up with her brisk pace until they arrived at the student council room.

“So? What happened back there?”

But Alisa didn’t respond, her brow still pinched together. He had a good idea why she was upset, though.

“You didn’t like them talking bad about Sayaka like that, huh?”

“ … Of course not. She—”

“She challenged us to a debate, but she ran away before it was over. They didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

“But still … !”

Alisa seemed to have raised her voice unintentionally, but she didn’t continue that sentence. Instead, she gritted her teeth in frustration.

Masachika sighed as she stayed silent, struggling to put her feelings into words. He understood how she felt, and that was exactly why he’d sighed. She was far too socially inept.

“We now know what was going through Sayaka’s mind when she challenged us, and we know why she ran away during the debate. So I can understand how frustrated you must feel when people who don’t know the details just focus on how she took off.”

“ … ” Alisa listened in silence.

“But to be honest, we don’t need to feel guilty for fighting fair and square, and we shouldn’t have to feel bad no matter what Sayaka says. Am I wrong?”

“ … I know, but we didn’t actually win. The debate essentially ended in a no contest, right?” Alisa argued.

Winning the way they had wasn’t enough for her. Because she knew that Sayaka had reacted to Alisa teaming up with Masachika. They were the root cause of her rage, and Alisa didn’t want to admit that she’d won simply due to her opponent forfeiting. Her pride wouldn’t allow that.

“So what are you going to do? Hypothetically speaking, of course. What would you do if everyone suddenly decided that the debate was a no contest and didn’t count? Sayaka would be able to redeem herself, but … our victory would be all for nothing. Praising and glorifying the loser would end up cheapening the victor’s win as well.”

“ … ” Alisa fell silent again.

“More importantly, we don’t even know if Sayaka would want that. Receiving pity and charity from the person who beat her could crush what little pride she has left. Plus, it was her partner, Nonoa, who admitted defeat.”

“ … I know that.”

But Alisa’s frustration didn’t ease, no matter how reasonable Masachika may have sounded. She probably realized this, but that still didn’t mean she was happy about it. If they were logical about this, their best choice of action would be to pretend not to notice. They should accept the victory Nonoa gave them and nonchalantly act like winners. That was how Masachika felt, and Alisa, too, likely believed this to be the right decision. However, he didn’t call her stubborn or push her away. He just watched over her.

She’s really beautiful … Almost blindingly so.

Masachika could have continued trying to convince her to get over it if their only goal was to win the election, but there was something more important to him than the election: protecting Alisa’s brilliant glow. He wanted her to be satisfied with how she became the student council president. That was why …

“Anyway, if we were to act rationally, that would be our best option, but … it doesn’t really matter.”

“Huh?”

“What matters is what you want to do. Come on. Quit trying to smother your feelings. Stop with that huffy expression and spit it out. Tell me everything on your mind.”

Alisa pouted after suddenly being teased like that.

“What do I want to do? I want to help Taniyama. But that’s—”

“All right. Then let’s help her,” Masachika said with a shrug.

“Huh?”

She was caught off guard by how easily he agreed to help, and her expression filled with disbelief.

“ … Are you sure? I mean, you said it yourself. She might not even want our help. I’d be doing this for me. Besides, this might make the effort you put into the debate all for nothing … ”

“That’s fine. Better to go into the closing ceremony with no regrets than to drag this baggage along with us,” he replied casually, and Alisa began to look a bit guilty.

“I’m sorry for this. I know it’s probably aggravating.”

“Don’t worry about it. I told you, right? I’ll be there for you.”

“I will be by your side to support you.” Alisa suddenly remembered what Masachika had promised her.

“Kuze … ”

Something welled up inside her heart as she stood before Masachika, who was bashfully avoiding her eyes and scratching his head. Alisa clasped her hands in front of her chest, wondering what this sensation was. Some overwhelming emotion glowed in her eyes, and that deep, burning passion he saw … was not the only thing on his mind right then because he’d just realized something else. When he’d shyly averted his gaze, he’d noticed something by the window at the back of the student council room. Lurking under the student council president’s desk … were two shadows.

Someone’s there.

They appeared to be the shadows of the president and the vice president of the student council. In fact, it was less of a maybe and more of a sure thing. It was the most famous lovey-dovey couple in the entire school. The massive president, Touya, and the tall vice president, Chisaki, were crammed under the desk and smushed together as much as two people could be.

What are they doing? What is this, some kind of romantic comedy?

Masachika caught his breath and shuddered because it was like the pot calling the kettle black.

Is this what I think it is? They were in their own little rom-com world when we came in, which made them panic and hide. Then they were like, “Wait. What are we hiding for?” If you’re going to do the trope, then at least hide in a locker, not under a desk!

He could vividly imagine the exchange that would follow:

Chisaki would say, “Hey! Where do you think you’re touching me?!”

And Touya would respond, “Ouch! I didn’t mean to! It’s cramped under this desk!”

And if things kept going in accordance with said trope, they were soon going to be so close that they could feel each other’s breathing and hearts racing, sweat dripping from their hot, firm bodies until their hormones couldn’t take it anymore.

Huh. It looks like the main event was happening over there. Then I guess it’s my job to wait until the moment is right and leave as if I didn’t see a thing. I guess you could say I’m the guy who has to set the stage for the main show. A stage prop, if you will.

Masachika’s dirty nerd brain led him to this conclusion, so he turned to face Alisa once more … and instinctively leaned back when he saw the girl’s pure, angelic face.

Huh?! What’s going on over here now?! A-am I in the middle of a romantic comedy, too?! Tsk! Dammit! How could I not have noticed?! This isn’t just a scene where two people hide in a tight space, bringing both their bodies and hearts closer together! This is a scene where they are watching a romantic comedy play out for them as well! And they’re loving every moment of it! We are stage props to get those two closer and tools with the sole purpose of making things even more exciting for them!!

Even as Masachika’s 2D-addled mind ran wild, Alisa slowly closed the distance between them … with fire in her eyes and her hands folded on her chest.

Yeah, this isn’t good. What exactly about this isn’t good? Everything. Anyway, it’s just … not good. Ack! It looks like I have no choice but to change the direction this is heading!!

The unbearable sense of danger forced Masachika to switch genres, a forbidden technique he swore never to use again. He switched gears from romantic comedy … to serious drama.

“How long do you two plan on hiding, Mr. President and Ms. Vice President of the student council?”

The moment Masachika muttered that line, which could be found on any top ten list of Lines Otaku Want to Say at Least Once in Their Lives, Alisa’s face was overcome with bewilderment. At the same time, loud thuds sounded from under the president’s desk.

Oof. One of them must have hit their head.

With no sympathy, Masachika watched Touya emerge from under the desk and stand awkwardly, followed by Chisaki, whose gaze wandered the room.

“Sorry … We accidentally waited too long to come out, until it would have been embarrassing if we did.”

“Yeah, we were looking for something we dropped when we suddenly heard you two having a serious conversation, so we didn’t want to interrupt … ”

Chisaki was ad-libbing a painfully unconvincing excuse, but Masachika wasn’t in the mood to call her out, and Alisa wasn’t in the right mindset to say anything.

“Hmm … All right, then. How about we both pretend like we didn’t see or hear anything and call it a day?”

“Y-yeah, good idea. Let’s do that.”

“Great. Come on, Alya. Let’s go.”

After they’d all calmly come to an agreement, Masachika grabbed Alisa and exited the student council room. But right as he closed the door and sighed deeply … his eyes met Alisa’s, and she immediately stepped back and looked away.

“I, uh … Like … ”

She spoke nervously, mumbling and tripping over her words, then swiftly turned on her heel as though to escape her emotional stress.

“I … ! I have something I need to do … !”

And she took off running, which was unusual for her. Meanwhile, Masachika looked up at the hallway ceiling and groaned, turning his head.

“Maybe I should put my ear to the door and eavesdrop? According to the tropes, the door should suddenly open, and someone will say, ‘H-how long have you been there?!’ But I feel like Chisaki would be able to sense my presence almost immediately … ,” muttered Masachika as he glanced over his shoulder at the student council room. Giving the scenario such serious consideration truly marked him as the epitome of an otaku … But perhaps he was only doing this so he didn’t have to face reality.

“Oh my god! Check this out. It’s the newest bag from Faimel, and it’s so totally cute.”

“That is cute! ♪ I want one, too, but I doubt I’ll be able to snag one this month.”

“Faimel? I know someone who can get you one. You’re gonna have to give me a shout-out online, though.”

“Seriously? You’re the best!”

“Hold up. She barely has six thousand followers. Not much of a shout-out if you ask me.”

“Oh my god! That’s rich coming from someone who doesn’t even have a thousand followers.”

It was lunch. Alisa had been exuding vibes that said, “Don’t even think about talking to me, let alone look at me,” ever since what happened that morning, so Masachika decided to visit Class D alone to solve their issue … but he froze the moment he saw the girl he wanted to talk to. Given her surname, he figured she would have been assigned a seat near the window to the hallway, so he wouldn’t even have to step foot into the room … but his plan proved to be far too optimistic.

Dammit! Their conversation … ! They’re way too cool for me! I can’t. I can’t get any closer!

There was Nonoa Miyamae, one of his and Alisa’s opponents from the debate the other day, and she was surrounded by four other students: two boys and two girls. It didn’t help that they were clearly at the top of the school pecking order, either. In addition to being good-looking, they were dressed fashionably, albeit borderline against school rules. Nevertheless, they expressed no signs of guilt and were brimming with confidence. The way they dressed essentially gave off an aura that kept away those ranked in the middle or lower castes.

“Hey, Nonoa. What do you think of this?”

“Hmm?”

Meanwhile, Nonoa—the center of attention—hardly contributed to her followers’ conversation and seemed a bit bored, with her eyes half-closed and glued to the phone screen.

“This is Faimel’s newest bag. Isn’t it adorable?”

“Oh, that? Hmm … I used one during my last photo shoot, but I wasn’t really feeling it.”

“Oh my god. Really? I guess I don’t want one anymore, then.”

“Wait. Seriously?”

“Seriously. If Nonoa’s seen the real thing and didn’t like it, then that’s all I need to know.”

“Anyway, Nonoa, what are you doing next Sunday? I’m having a party at my house. Wanna come? My cousin is a huge fan of yours.”

“This Sunday? But we have a test on Monday.”

They were lower than followers—they were worshippers. They tried everything they could to get Nonoa’s attention, but she was blowing each and every one of them off while she fiddled with her phone. It was like a group of retainers or jesters trying to please their queen.

“Then we can study for the test together on Sunday, too. Come on. Please?”

“Mmm … ”

“Oh, come on. Nonoa, you’ve been so cold lately,” one of the girls said, pouting. That was when Nonoa, who had expressed absolutely no interest in their conversation up until now, suddenly placed her phone down, stood up, and wrapped her arms around the girl with a radiant smile.

“Oh my gosh. I was totally just messing with you. A party? This Sunday? I’m so there.”

“Really? Yesss!”

“Really. But … ”

After letting go of the girl, Nonoa slowly turned to Masachika, then leaned out the window to the hallway.

“Kuzeee, what’s up?”

“H-hey. It’s, uh … Yeah.”

“Can’t talk here?”

“I’d rather not if that’s okay … ”

“Sure,” Nonoa agreed easily without even asking why.

“I’ll be right back, guys,” she assured her followers.

“Oh, okay.”

“I’ll fill you in on the details later, then.”