Chapter 19: Takasu Ryuji Wants to Know
"So... what exactly did you call me out here to talk about? You want me to help you figure out how to confess?"
Inside the fast-food restaurant, Kaede took a sip of cola and looked at the slightly reserved Takasu Ryuji sitting opposite him, speaking helplessly.
Originally, he could have comfortably stayed at the Art Club. After finishing his homework, he could have read manga or drawn with everyone else.
But Takasu Ryuji somehow pulled this stunt and called him out of school.
"Also, are you sure this love-at-first-sight thing is reliable?"
"It is!"
Takasu Ryuji widened his eyes and said to Kaede, "I've always had great confidence in my intuition!"
That statement immediately sounded unreliable... Looking at Takasu Ryuji's excited expression, like someone who had just met his first love, Kaede immediately asked, "So, since that girl is a member of the Softball Club, why don't you just ask Kitamura? Isn't asking me taking the long way around?"
"No, I can't ask Kitamura!"
Takasu Ryuji shook his head: "That guy is unreliable. He might blurt it out anytime, and then I'll truly lose all my chances! Asakura, you'll help me, right?"
"With something like this... how exactly do you expect me to help?"
"Emmm..."
"So you called me out here without having thought anything through?"
"Don't be mad, don't be mad! The fries and cola today are on me. Help me figure something out!"
Seeing that Takasu Ryuji really seemed to be experiencing love at first sight, Kaede sighed and waved his hand: "Forget about treating me; you don't have much pocket money anyway. But you don't even know the girl's name, or anything about her personality. Don't worry about anything else yet, okay? First, you need to get her basic information."
"Mhm! I thought so too!"
Takasu Ryuji nodded repeatedly: "Asking Asakura for help was definitely the right choice. So, what should we do?"
"...It's not 'we,' it's 'what should you do.'"
Kaede pointed at Takasu Ryuji and said, "Actually, there's the simplest method: you join the Softball Club directly. That way, you'll be in the same club as the girl. It's the fastest route, whether for getting to know each other or for understanding her better later on."
"I know that, but... things at home are important too." Scratching his head, Takasu Ryuji said, "My mom is usually exhausted from work, so I have to do more of the housework, and I have to prepare the meals. If it were another club, it might be fine, but sports clubs usually require practice not only during the week but also on weekends. That's a bit too difficult for me."
So, they were back to square one.
Biting the straw and finishing the cola in his cup, Kaede felt this was quite tricky.
The girl Takasu Ryuji fell in love with at first sight was, most likely, the Taiga's best friend. However, Kaede couldn't quite recall her specific name; his memory was hazy, only roughly remembering her personality and appearance.
In the original story, that girl seemed to have liked Takasu Ryuji from the start, but the current situation was completely different; the two of them didn't even know each other yet.
Sigh, a guy who's been single since birth like me is seriously discussing this romantic plot with Takasu Ryuji. Is something wrong here?
Looking at this friend, whom he had only known for a week but already had a good relationship with, Kaede could only say, "This kind of thing can't be settled in a day or two. Let's take it slowly, step by step. At the very least, we can hint to Kitamura and use the excuse of going to watch him practice at the Softball Club. Maybe you'll get a chance to meet her."
"True, for now, that's all we can do." Nodding, Takasu Ryuji asked, "But... is it really okay if I don't tell Kitamura?"
"It's fine. At worst, we'll tell him your situation after he finds a girl he likes."
"What about you, Asakura?"
"Me?" Kaede looked at Takasu Ryuji, puzzled.
Showing a sneaky grin, Takasu Ryuji leaned forward slightly and said to Kaede, "Kitamura knows quite a few guys. I heard him mention that blonde Ojou-sama from Class A also joined the Art Club, right? I think her name was Sawamura Spencer Eriri? How is your relationship going now?"
"..."
Sure enough, after making friends, Takasu Ryuji also exhibited the typical behavior of a boy his age. After falling in love with a girl at first sight, his mindset changed even faster.
"While I'm not opposed to romance, I'm not the type to chase after every cute girl I see. Instead of worrying about me, why don't you focus on your own business?"
It was getting late, and Takasu Ryuji had to go home to take care of things. After they finished eating, the two parted ways and headed home.
That evening, Kaede was comfortably listening to music and typing in his bedroom when he saw the screen of his phone light up on the side table.
He didn't have many contacts on his phone. Excluding Editor Nakajima, who had already used him for labor and wouldn't contact him again soon, the people who would call him at this hour were few and far between.
He picked it up and saw that it was indeed Eriri, but today she wasn't looking to play games; it was about something else.
[What happened with your classmate's situation?]
[How did I not notice you were so gossipy?]
After about half a minute, Eriri's reply came through.
[I am not! It's mainly because you looked so shocked this afternoon that I got curious. It's not my fault!]
You're blaming me?
Shrugging, Kaede quickly typed out a reply to Eriri.
[I can't say the specifics. After all, it's his private business. I can only say the guy fell in love at first sight.]
[Agh! Isn't that a scene right out of a manga? It sounds very interesting! You can't even reveal who it is? Maybe I know her!]
He had a feeling Eriri didn't have good intentions. Was she looking for material for her doujinshi?
Shaking his head, Kaede ultimately chose not to tell her.
[I promised to keep it a secret, so please stop asking.]
On the other side, Eriri, who was lying sideways on her bedroom bed holding her phone, pouted helplessly after seeing Kaede's reply.
"He really won't say anything, huh? Well, there's nothing I can do then. But what should I do about the doujinshi for the Summer Comiket? I finally found some interesting real-life material."
It seemed Kaede's intuition was quite accurate.