Chapter 50: The Atmosphere Grows Increasingly Tense!
Utaha's anger was rapidly threatening to overwhelm her reason.
Yet she wasn't the first person to speak.
"Jinnai-kun. Kato-san. What exactly are you two doing?"
The words sounded light, but the chill behind them felt like the dead of winter.
Even Saku shivered.
He turned toward Yukino in confusion.
"Can't you tell? She's giving me a massage."
"I wasn't aware our club offered that particular service."
Yukino's voice remained perfectly calm.
"Kato-san's responsibilities are document organization, data entry, and similar work, aren't they?"
Megumi had heard Saku's thoughts too.
And thanks to them, she had finally figured something out.
Aside from Hikigaya, it seemed every girl in this room was just like her.
Megumi had only acted on a sudden impulse because she wanted to test the relationship dynamics inside the club.
She hadn't expected to step directly onto a minefield.
"Don't be so rigid."
Saku waved it off.
"Kato was just being nice and helping me relax. It would've been rude to refuse."
「Only an idiot would refuse. A massage from a girl? Warm, soft, and comfortable. What's not to like?」
"..."
For a brief moment, Megumi considered taking her hands away.
She didn't.
Partly because she didn't actually dislike being close to Saku.
And partly because even Megumi possessed a little competitive spirit.
Seeing the two of them still acting so comfortable together finally pushed Utaha over the edge.
She shot to her feet.
"If you like massages that much, I can do it too."
"Um, I can help too!"
Michiru immediately joined in.
"I'm pretty strong!"
She still hadn't fully sorted out what she felt toward Saku as "romance," but instinctively, she didn't want to lose to anyone.
"..."
Yukino looked at the two suddenly enthusiastic girls and found herself unable to say what she'd been about to say.
She hadn't realized Saku was this popular.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya, the sole true outsider in the room, was staring with his jaw practically hanging open.
As far as he was concerned, Hayama Hayato already represented the peak of what a popular guy could look like.
Hayama was constantly surrounded by girls.
Yet somehow, Hikigaya had discovered another "Hayama" right here.
And the girls around Saku weren't ordinary either.
Every one of them could easily rank among the prettiest girls in an entire school.
Even Megumi, who looked slightly less dazzling at first glance, was still easily beautiful enough to be considered one of the prettiest girls in her class.
At the very least, Hikigaya didn't think she was any less attractive than Yui.
And girls like these were competing for the chance to give one guy a massage?
Hikigaya didn't understand.
But he was deeply impressed.
What he didn't know was that Yui, sitting beside him, had briefly considered volunteering too.
As Mai-senpai's close friend, surely she had a duty to take care of Mai's boyfriend and prevent suspicious women from getting too close.
That sounded perfectly reasonable, right?
Unfortunately, when the moment actually came, Yui lost her nerve.
If she tried using that excuse here, she suspected everyone would immediately turn on her.
Besides...
The pressure coming from Yukino, Utaha, and Michiru was terrifying.
"Michiru, why are you getting involved?"
Utaha shot her a furious glare.
It was bad enough that Michiru constantly threw an arm around Saku at home.
Did she really need to interfere here too?
"What's wrong with that?"
Michiru showed no fear whatsoever.
"Saku's my best buddy. What's strange about giving my buddy a massage?"
She'd already given Saku a lap pillow before.
What was there to be embarrassed about now?
They were buddies.
No need to be polite between brothers.
"You're a girl, yet you're calling a boy your brother?"
"I like it that way."
Michiru grinned.
"None of your business."
The atmosphere was rapidly growing dangerous.
Saku finally decided he needed to intervene.
"Uh... Kato is already enough."
He gave both of them an awkward smile.
"Thanks for offering."
「Michiru doesn't really know how to control her strength. Her lap pillow is about the only thing she does gently.」
「As for Utaha... I genuinely can't picture her taking care of someone like this.」
Megumi almost laughed.
She somehow managed to hold it in.
"All right."
Her hands finally stopped.
"How do you feel? Still sore?"
"Huh?"
Saku froze for less than a second before immediately giving her a thumbs-up.
"Nope. Much better. You're surprisingly good at this!"
「Look at that composure. That mentality. Utaha practically looks ready to eat her alive, yet Megumi's expression hasn't changed at all. No wonder she won.」
「How should I describe it? This is the calm confidence of the main girlfriend.」
「But now that Megumi's over here with me... what happens to Aki Tomoya? Is he going to stay single forever?」
「Wait. Why do I care? He still has Eriri, his childhood friend who refuses to abandon him.」
「Her father is a diplomat too. If Tomoya actually ended up marrying Eriri, he'd basically hit the jackpot.」
「At the very least, he'd save himself twenty years of struggling.」
「Come to think of it, wouldn't marrying Yukino be the same kind of instant victory? Hikigaya, you really did draw a great hand.」
「Good thing my Mai isn't lacking either.」
[Valid roast detected. Roast Points +30. Current total: 2,880.]
The rapid-fire commentary reached every heroine who could hear it.
And the girls currently in the room all turned toward Saku with distinctly unfriendly expressions.
Yukino was the most obvious.
A smile suddenly appeared on her normally cold face.
Unfortunately, there wasn't the slightest warmth in it.
She really wanted to beat Saku up.
Why exactly did Yukinoshita Yukino have to be permanently paired with Hikigaya Hachiman?
Saku had already stolen so many girls from their original stories.
Why had it never occurred to him to steal her too?
Was she somehow not good enough?
Megumi also sensed danger.
Even she had to force a faint smile onto her face.
Saku really was exceptionally talented at attracting hostility.
Normally, it wouldn't matter much.
But right now, almost every thought he'd made revolved around her.
At this rate, he was going to make everyone resent Megumi along with him.
And Kato Megumi preferred winning through patience and stability.
She immediately understood that it was time to retreat.
You couldn't keep advancing forever.
Sometimes, the correct move was to back away.
"I'm glad you're satisfied."
Megumi calmly withdrew her hands.
"I only massage my family sometimes, so I'm not actually that skilled. You're praising me too much."
She stepped away.
"I still have some documents to organize."
With perfect timing, Megumi performed a clean tactical retreat and slipped away without the slightest hesitation.
And just like that, Saku was left completely exposed as the target.
"I hope certain people can learn to pay attention to the situation around them."
Yukino couldn't say what she truly meant, but the dissatisfaction in her voice was unmistakable.
That attitude immediately caught Utaha's attention.
Her heart skipped.
'Wait...'
'Don't tell me there's another rival now?'
Dealing with Sakurajima Mai, an actual celebrity, was already stressful enough.
Was she seriously expected to compete with the daughter of a conglomerate too?
What kind of high-level matchmaking lobby was this?
The official celebrity girlfriend.
The conglomerate heiress.
The expert home-stealer.
The live-in tomboy.
And even the childhood-friend neighbor.
Winning this competition was starting to look absurdly difficult.
That didn't mean Utaha was afraid.
This situation was different from the original story.
Saku wasn't Aki Tomoya, the kind of person who kept every romantic opportunity at arm's length.
If Utaha chose her timing correctly, there was no reason she couldn't still take the lead.
But for now...
The anger suddenly vanished from her face.
Utaha rose gracefully and walked behind Saku with almost feline steps before resting both hands on his shoulders.
"Actually..."
Her voice turned sweet.
"I know how to give massages too."
She leaned closer to his ear with a teasing smile.
"Want to try?"
"It's free, you know."
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