CH 44

The Protagonist is getting pushed further and further into a corner



We finished making the curry and had lunch as a group.



At times like this, you can tell what kind of character is being cast by where people sit in their seats.



First of all, the person who sits in the first seat is, surprisingly, not our protagonist.



“” ………… “”



It was Hanagishi and Ikura, who were smiling vaguely the whole time.



If they have something to do, or if you talk to them, they’ll chat normally, but basically they don’t say anything and just go with the flow.



So, when it was time to eat curry, they would naturally take the first seat at the back of the table.



Incidentally, another pattern is to sit in the last seat left. In other words, the mob characters are either the first or the last to sit down, and they have no will of their own.



Well, the …… tables are not really seats in a restaurant, but just outdoor tables and chairs, so there is no such thing as a superior or inferior seat.



For the sake of convenience, let’s say the one in the back is the superior seat.



Since I’m also a mob character, I try to follow Hanagishi and Ikura.



However, there was a girl who interrupted me and prevented me from doing so.



Of course, it was the main heroine, Shiho Shimotsuki.



“I’d like you to wait for a moment …… before you sit down.”



She’s picking at my clothes a bit with an impatient look on her face.



I’d like to sit down as soon as possible because I’ve already …… got a bowl of curry and rice in my hand.



“Please, Nakayama-kun. …… At times like this, that person always comes to sit next to me, so let me use Nakayama-kun as a barrier?”



…… Oh, I see.



The main heroine does not like to sit next to the protagonist.



It is true that if the seat is to be decided naturally, it will be as it should be.



However, Shimotsuki was resisting that fate.



“Here, sit down too, Ryoma Onii-chan. Let’s eat together.”



In the meantime, the protagonist who had been serving the food finally arrived.



Then, Azusa, who was one step ahead of the other sub-heroines, was the first to try to get a seat next to Ryuzaki



Azusa sits next to Hanagishi and pulls Ryuzaki next to her.



“Hey, don’t drag me. …… I’ll sit down even if you don’t tell me to.”



Ryuzaki chuckled as usual and sat down as he was prompted. Next to him, of course, sat Azusa.



However, there was still a seat next to him on the other side, so Kirari took that seat.



“Then, I’ll sit on this side ~”



“Huh…….When I was putting away the dishes, I couldn’t sit next to Ryoma…….It’s not fair.”



With Azusa on the right and Kirari on the left, there was only one seat left for Yuuki to sit in, directly across from him. She sighed and sat down facing Ryuzaki.



And well, Shimotsuki was relieved as the subheroine filled the surrounding area like this.



“Phew, that was good……. Well, Nakayama-kun, why don’t you sit down?”



Prompted, next to Yuzuki.



No, but …… please remember carefully. Now, the seats look like this.



Hanagishi, Azusa, Ryuzaki, Kirari.



Ikura, vacant, Yuuki, vacant.



Yes, the seat next to Ikura is vacant, so if we think in terms of character, I should be able to fit in there.



But Shimotsuki didn’t want to do that.



“… Do you really want to eat your meal with the cute face of your stepsister Nakayama in front of you? No, you can’t do that!”



By the way, this girl had a yandere temperament.



She doesn’t show any signs of it at all because I never talked to other girls, but it’s a little scary because it comes on unexpectedly.



Of course, I couldn’t say no, so the seating ended up like this.



Hanagishi, Azusa, Ryuzaki, Kirari.



Ikura, vacant, Yuzuki, Shimotsuki, and me.



…… The seat next to Ikura’s is empty.



It’s not natural, so the members of the group are glancing at me.



Among them, Ryuzaki’s gaze was particularly striking.



“…… Hey, Nakayama? You must be lonely if you’re at the end of the line. There’s a seat available over here, so come on over.”



He’s wary of me.



He finds it annoying that the main heroine is always messing around with the mob character.



“I’m sure Shiho finds it annoying too. It’s rude to forcefully approach a weak-minded girl. …… Come on. If you don’t like it, you have to say so.”



In Ryuzaki’s mind, I probably forced myself to sit next to Shimotsuki. That’s why he has been lecturing me, which is the protagonist’s specialty.



The protagonist is usually kind, but sometimes he can be harsh. The heroine’s cheeks blush as she thinks, “He’s really thinking about me, isn’t he?”.



But apparently, this time the “promise” didn’t flow that way.



Because Shimotsuki seemed to be …… very uncomfortable.



“That’s not true.”



–For the first time, I think.



It was the first time I had seen her respond to a serious question.



Usually, she would either cover her ears to avoid hearing Ryuzaki’s sounds, or she would just reply with a few words when he spoke to her.



“It’s impossible for him to annoy me.”



The second sentence was spoken.



Her normally expressionless face was clearly unhappy. Her lips were tightly pressed together and she was staring at Ryuzaki as if she was glaring at him.



That’s how much Shimotsuki couldn’t forgive him for what he just said.



I’m sure she really cares about me.



–Annoyance is not a joke.



It’s a straightforward attitude, as if to assert that.



In response to this, Ryuuzaki was very upset …….



“Well, if you want …… Shiho, that’s fine……. Well, I’m sorry? I might have misunderstood you.”



Ryuzaki smiles sluggishly, sweating unpleasantly.



Clearly, that guy was being pushed into a corner.



Now, hardship was coming to the protagonist.



…… Normally, I might have looked at that and thought, “Suck it up.”



It would have been a dark feeling inside me.



But I couldn’t think of that now.



Because this is just a “valley” to create a peak of the story.



It happens all the time.



In order to emphasize the most exciting scene at the end of the story, it is a common practice to put the main character in a tight spot right before it.



The protagonist and the main heroine have a falling out, which raises the reader’s sense of danger by flashing a red light on their relationship.



But that’s just a prelude.



It’s all just a preview for the big comeback that the protagonist will make.



Have we finally reached this point?



The story is finally coming to an end.