CH 209

“Okay, I’m going home now.”

“Uh, yeah… bye-bye, Ryuzaki.”

This was after I was treated at Kurumizawa’s home.

After checking on her, I decided to go home.

“Hey, are you sure you don’t need a ride home? Isn’t Ryuzaki’s house far away?”

“… Well, it’s a little far.”

However, it’s not a problem, because I can get a taxi if I walk a little bit.

I’m not at all short of money because my parents, who died when I was very young, left a lot of their wealth for me.

More importantly, I wanted to get away from Kurumizawa as soon as possible now.

Her heart is in turmoil right now. I want to maintain this because I am in a precarious situation.

If I were to make a blunder, for example, and lower her favorability, and if her heart were to lean toward Nakayama again, then that would be the end of the line.

“But it’s all right. Don’t worry about it.”

“…I-It’s not like I’m worried about you.”

She was still not able to be honest in front of me, and her face was bright red and she was tense.

That part of her looked lovely.

“Then, I’ll see you at school… Bye-bye, Kururi.”

Finally, I called her by her name.

I did not intend to do that. I called her that unconsciously.

It has always been a habit of mine to address someone I’ve gotten to know well.

I’m sure this is one of the reasons why I’ve become a “womanizer”.

“Huh? Ah, yeah…”

Can I call Kururi Kurumizawa … by her first name now?

Kururi was surprised by the sudden designation, but her face seemed unconcerned.

I waved to her and went out the front door.

It’s quite a distance to the outside of the property, but oh well. I wanted to do some thinking, so I decided to walk at a leisurely pace.

–I’m a little bit of a wimp.

I can’t help but chuckle at my own ability to easily make one girl fall in love with me.

I’m afraid of my talent … which will be quite popular once I’m the host.

Well, it’s not something I’m proud of.

This is not something I worked hard to achieve.

It is a “gift” given to me by God from birth.

It is nothing to be proud of.

In fact, I was even bewildered to know that I was different from others.

What kind of person am I?

I am so unreasonable that I can’t just say I didn’t know about it until now.

It is so easy to fall in love with someone after just a short conversation.

I should have taken more responsibility for my words and actions. I should have faced up to the girls who fell in love with me because of me.

(… It’s too late for that, though.)

However, there is no point in having regrets now.

The girl who liked me left me at once when… I thought I was a mob character.

I think I was in the position of a so-called “harem protagonist”.

It’s presumptuous, and I think it’s too arrogant of me to say so, but objectively speaking, it is true.

I didn’t take on that responsibility, and as a result of pretending I didn’t know, I let down a lot of girls.

In other words, I hurt the members of my harem.

I can’t let that happen again.

(I need to take care of the girls who still like me…)

I only have a few of those partners anymore.

So I have to answer responsibly to the feelings of these few.

I need to take care of them more and more and… one day, I will love them properly.

hen, this time.

（I might be able to deliver a proper “romantic comedy” this time around.)

To do that, I have to face the past and make peace with it.

But in order to do so…, there was one thing that I couldn’t avoid.

“I’m afraid of coincidences.”

Just as I was leaving the grounds of the Kurumizawa house, a car pulled up in front of the gate.

A car arrived in front of the gate.

Out of that came the most … abominable and fateful opponent.

“Yo, Nakayama. What a coincidence.”

I called out to my classmate, who was of medium height and had no distinguishing features.

When I did so, he looked at me and his eyes widened.

“… Ryuzaki? Why are you here?”

He probably can’t believe I’m in this place.

Don’t worry, I feel the same way.

I don’t know what kind of coincidence it was that I ended up at Kururi’s house and even ran into you.

This is not normal.

So it’s probably the work of some romantic comedy god who loves me.