Chapter 55: Uhyou Sakuya

Uhyou Sakuya

I, Uhyou Sakuya, am in love with Matake Satoshi.

And by love, I don’t mean “like.” I mean “love.”

It isn’t romantic attraction, but admiration for his spirit.

What I’m about to share is the story of how I came to feel this way.

Though I won’t be revealing anything about who I truly am…

I first learned about him through the rumors that spread when he enrolled.

They said a first-year boy was constantly confessing to beautiful girls and getting rejected.

My first reaction to hearing that was honestly just, “What’s he trying to do?”

But as I kept hearing about his confessions, one after another, a question formed in my mind.

How could he keep standing back up after being crushed more than twenty times?

Most people would be mentally exhausted after four or five rejections.

But he didn’t stop, even after ten, even after twenty.

That kind of mental strength was abnormal. I couldn’t help but wonder why.

From that moment, I began thinking of ways to approach him.

Luckily, I’m attractive.

I was confident I fit squarely in his strike zone.

But there was one issue.

Once he fell for someone, he would become completely focused on her.

Which meant approaching him while he was interested in someone else wouldn’t have much effect.

To make matters worse, he always started pursuing a new girl the very next day after being rejected.

So for someone like me, in a different year, finding the right moment was incredibly difficult.

But then the perfect opportunity came.

Right after summer break of my final year, I found my chance.

I was fed up with being pushed into playing the agreeable honor student, and ended up being forced to take the role of committee chair. That was when he walked into my life.

It was during the first cultural festival committee meeting.

Watching him, I quickly noticed his eyes were fixed on my friend Nao. I knew I could make this work.

“Oh, if it isn’t Matake-kun, the legendary rejectee!”

First, I made sure everyone else knew who he was. Then…

“So, you joined this committee because you’re after Nao, huh~?”

I exposed his real reason for being there.

When I said it, he visibly panicked, and just like that, he became completely isolated.

Once that happened, everything was in the palm of my hand.

I kept talking to him as if I was concerned, slowly closing the distance between us.

Whenever he was with me, he looked genuinely happy.

As if all the effort and heartache had been just to spend time with a beautiful girl.

The moment I realized that, something inside me went cold.

He had simply been chasing after his own desire.

That desire was the true source of his incredible mental resilience.

I had believed…

That his strength came from overcoming pain and struggle.

And the part I wanted to understand was that journey.

But this wasn’t the answer I had hoped for.

Selfishly, I felt disappointed in him.

And at the same time, a new question formed.

What would happen if I, also a beautiful girl, rejected him in a way so brutal it left a lasting scar?

Would he still get up again, just like always?

“Hey, Matake-kun. Did you have fun?”

“Yes. A lot.”

“I see. I had a lot of fun too… watching you misunderstand everything.”

“…”

When I told him I had only been toying with him, he looked like he’d been crushed.

That expression told me he had been deeply hurt.

Without a doubt, he would begin to distrust beautiful girls.

And when that happened, his desires, his admiration for beauty, would all fade away.

That was why, on graduation day…

“Amano-senpai. I like you. Please go out with me.”

When I saw him confess again, and not just to anyone but to Nao, the same girl I’d told him he had no chance with, I was stunned.

Even after everything I had done to him, he stood back up.

I had no choice but to admit defeat to his willpower.

And at the same time, I felt genuine respect.

Even if the source of his strength was nothing more than desire.

That’s exactly why…

Ah, that was fun.

I felt my heart race just from seeing him again after so long.

Of course, it wasn’t love. I was just happy to speak with someone I liked as a person.

But there was one thing on my mind.

The two girls beside him. Who were they to him?

From the looks of it, they had probably just eaten lunch together.

He said they weren’t dating, but they seemed awfully close.

And if I had to guess, the ojou-sama definitely had feelings for him.

Considering the way the other one looked at me, she probably did too.

While we were talking, it became perfectly clear.

He didn’t want me to have anything to do with those two.

Which meant, even while I was right in front of him, his thoughts were already on them. That wasn’t a pleasant feeling…

“Heh.”

This almost feels like jealousy.

Even though I don’t have romantic feelings for him.

“Uhyou-senpai?”

I let out a dry laugh at my own ridiculous thoughts, and Fujikawa-chan, walking ahead of me, glanced back with a puzzled look.

“Sorry. Just talking to myself.”

“Uh… okay.”

Well, since those two are on the student council, I’ll end up dealing with them whether I like it or not next semester.

I’m sure I’ll start to see things more clearly soon.

Ah, I can’t wait for second semester. The cultural festival is going to be fun.