CH 47

Chapter 47 – Christmas on Fire! (And the bell rings.)

February 28, 2022

We entered the restaurant where the event was to be held.

The party was to start at 6:00 p.m., but I arrived an hour early to help out.

It was a buffet-style party.

Several women were setting out the homemade dishes and desserts that they had brought in.

As expected, we couldn’t use the restaurant’s tableware for the food we brought in, so we arranged it on our own dishes and trays.

I asked them to set up a table next to the restaurant’s food, and put the homemade dishes on the tabletop stove.

I looked up and saw Kazumi coming up beside me.

I scanned my surroundings quickly.

Karen was far away, talking with another boy.

She had been so engrossed in the conversation that she hadn’t done much to help.

‘The timing is right for the end of the party. You know that, don’t you?’

Kazumi murmured.

‘It’s during ‘The Best Couple,’ right?’

I said, and Kazumi nodded.

‘When Touko calls you, step forward. …….’

“Understood.”

I replied briefly.

‘Thank you for coming, everyone! Last year, it seemed like we were discriminating by having separate parties for those with a girlfriend and those without a girlfriend. This year, we’re all in the same circle, so let’s have as much fun as we can!’

Kazumi shouted into the microphone.

It’s time for the Christmas party!

Everyone burst into laughter.

The hostess of the Christmas party was Kazumi.

Even though she had only joined the club in the fall of her sophomore year, her cheerfulness, positive attitude, and shyness had already made her one of the main people in the circle.

Beside him, Nakazaki-san, the head of the circle, watches over the proceedings, but he has a strong look of caution on his face.

However, considering what was going to happen in the future, it was natural for the director to be concerned.

Since the party is originally divided by the presence or absence of a girlfriend, there are many couples.

Even if your girlfriend is not in your circle, you can still join this party.

Even if you are not currently in a relationship, you can be paired up on a temporary basis.

To put it simply, it’s like the “prom” held in high schools in the United States.

Among the couples, the pair that stood out the most was Kamokura and Touko-senpai.

Kamokura wore a leather jacket, slim jeans, and a white long-sleeved t-shirt, a rough look but still cool.

Touko-senpai wears a thin white mohair sweater, a belt with a big ribbon at the waist, and a navy blue pleated skirt just below her knees. The bottom of the skirt is a navy blue pleated skirt that is just below the knees. She is wearing a beige bolero over it.

Her waist is tight, her bust is emphasized by the thin sweater, and her legs are slender, stretching out from under the pleated skirt.

It’s an outfit that perfectly shows off Touko-senpai’s good style.

And a lot of male students were talking to her.

Touko-senpai was smiling at all of them.

As if to emphasize that she is my girl, Kamokura puts his hand on her shoulder and speaks as if to hug her.

…… Now watch this. That’ s how you can get carried away. ……

‘Yuu-kun, where are you looking?’

Karen, who had been standing beside me for some time, asked.

‘No, not really. It’s not that I’m looking anywhere.’

‘You were looking at Touko-senpai, weren’t you?’

I did not reply.

‘She’ s always flirting with guys like that, right?’

“Touko-senpai is?”

You’re the one who’s flirting with men,” I retorted inside my mind.

‘That’s right. I don’t know if you guys understand this, but. I know it’s hard for men to understand, but when she puts on this face that says, ‘I’m not interested in men,’ and then casually puts on clothes that emphasize her breasts, she’s conscious of the male gaze. She’s also trying to get men’s attention by acting like a pretentious young lady. It’s annoying to watch!’

Today’s Karen was unusually hostile towards Touko-senpai.

I had an idea why.

It was the “Best Couple Poll” held at the end of the party.

The “Best Couple of the Party” will be chosen and will receive a luxurious prize.

I’m sure that Touko-senpai and Kamokura will be chosen as the best couple.

This guy must not like that.

Karen grabbed me tightly by the left arm.

‘I don’t want to lose to those guys, that’s for sure’

In Karen’s eyes, the front light reflected like a demon fire.

The food was getting quite scarce.

Incidentally, the ” pork back ribs,” “potato salad,” and “shortcake” that Touko-senpai brought were extremely popular.

Even though I was in charge of tasting her practice cooking, I was happy about it.

When I went to get the last of the back ribs, I found Ishida there.

‘It’s finally happening.’

Ishida whispered to me.

‘Yeah, we’re going to start when voting for the ‘Best Couple’starts in a little while.’

‘So far, everything is going according to plan, but the …… problem is what happens next, right?’

‘Hmm.’

Ishida paused for a moment and then put his mouth close to my ear.

‘By the way, have you decided on Yu for that thing?’

What Ishida means by “that thing” is “the person Touko-senpai going to spend the night with tonight.

‘I don’t know. I haven’t heard from her.’

‘What do you mean, “I haven’t heard from her”? It’s only a few hours away. And yet, ……’

‘I don’t know what I don’t know. There’s nothing you can do about it.’

I said irritably, and Ishida lowered his voice further.

“Do you have anyone else in mind?”

What he mean is the other person besides me that Touko-senpai will be spending tonight with.

That wasn’t something I didn’t think about either.

There are a lot of guys who have made a pass at Touko-senpai.

There are a few in this circle, and it’s rumored that the head of the club, Nakazaki-san, confessed to her once and was rejected.

There were also some OBs who had their sights set on her, and I’m sure there are some male students in the same department who are rather close to her in their second year.

However, I have heard that Touko-senpai has not had any personal contact with any of them.

It seems that Kamokura is the only one who has succeeded in asking Touko-senpai out on a date.

I’m the second in that sense.

‘I don’t know about that, but I’m sure it’s not entirely absent.’

Then Ishida said disappointedly.

‘That’s right. I’m sure that not all the guys who are courting Touko are in this circle. Her male friends in the department, her acquaintances from middle school and high school, her friends from her part-time job. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of guys to hook up with.’

Ishida was right.

In fact, we even said, “When I get into Joto University, I’m going to ask Touko-senpai to be my girlfriend! And we were saying that.

The party was coming to an end.

At the end of the party, each of the couples made an appeal for people to vote for them.

Each of the 12 couples gave a short speech.

Surprisingly, “Ishida and Kazumi” came forward as a pair.

And Kazumi, who was giving her speech, was very proud of herself.

‘I’m paired with Ishida-kun on a temporary basis here, but I’m actually free. So I’m waiting for a nice guy to approach me. Please do!’

The audience wowed.

Well, the couples at this party are not necessarily lovers, so I don’t mind.

Then it was our turn.

It’s a one-word speech, so I leave everything to Karen.

‘Hi! Merry Christmas! Everyone is happy today, right? If you have a girlfriend, you’re happy. If you don’t have a girlfriend, you’re happy because you have friends! But at least for Christmas, we want something unexpected, don’t we? So let’s celebrate the fun couples today! So let’s celebrate some fun couples today, and I’d appreciate it if you’d vote for Karen and the others! That’s how it’s going to be, so please take care of everyone!’

Karen’s speech seemed to be well received by some of the boys, but most of the girls were looking at her blankly.

I looked out from behind Karen to see what was going on in the hall.

…… At this rate, some of the boys, but most of the girls, won’t feel sorry for Karen. ……

As an “ex-boyfriend”, I felt a little complicated, but I guess I deserved it.

The last two were the big names, Kamokura and Touko-senpai.

Just as Kamokura stood in front of the microphone, some of the girls shouted “Kamokura-senpai! from some of the girls.

Indeed, Kamokura, tall and slender, standing in front of the microphone under the lights, looked like an idol or a star.

‘Merry Christmas! It was fun to see most of the Circle members here today! This is the last event of the night. Tonight’s last event, so don’t say a word, just write ‘Tetsuya Kamokura and Touko Sakurajima’ on your ballot! One last thing: “There are only two kinds of couples. My couple or any other couple!’

I’ve heard that line before.

If this wasn’t a restaurant, I would have spat on him.

But the audience was quite excited.

I guess Kamokura is a popular guy after all.

Karen, on the other hand, was looking at the front with her cheeks puffed out in frustration.

In front of Karen’s gaze, there was Touko-senpai.

As for that Touko-senpai, ……

She was staring at the floor with his hands clasped in front of her hips, his eyes downcast.

Are you thinking about something?

No, she’s lost in something. ……

…… No way, Touko-senpai ……

The anxiety was boiling even stronger in my mind.