I'm Going to Say No

I’m in serious trouble right now.

I’m in trouble, but I’m sitting in my seat, trying not to let the people around me know it.

What to do, I’m in trouble. I’m really in trouble.

――What is it that I’m so troubled about?

When I arrived at school, I opened my shoebox to change into my inner shoes.

I found a letter.

A letter in my shoebox.

Yes, it’s a love letter.

It’s not a misunderstanding. It’s not like I thought it was a love letter, but it actually is.

After all, I had checked the contents.

The letter was indeed a love letter, it was sent to me, and the sender was a man.

I’m not proud of it, but I’ve never received a love letter in my life, and I’ve never confessed my love to anyone.

To be frank, I have no idea what to do.

Wait, no, there’s one thing I do know.

I know one thing: If someone confesses to me, I should say no.

Because I’m a man at heart. There’s no way I can go out with a guy.

I’ve already decided to say no, but the question is how to do it.

I’m a man, too. Even though I don’t have any experience, I understand how much courage it takes to confess.

So I don’t want to ignore it.

I have to answer their call, accept their feelings, and then say no to them.

If possible, I should do so without hurting the other person.

That’s the hard part, isn’t it?

If I say no, I’ll end up hurting them no matter what.

But that doesn’t mean that I can say no in a roundabout way or take an insinuating attitude. If you do that, you’ll end up hurting him even more.

In other words, the key is to say no.

But how to say no?

“I refuse!” I’d like to say that just once, but there’s no way I can say that.

First of all, apologize and say, “I’m sorry.” Okay, I think that’s enough. The next question is.

How do you make excuses when someone says, “Why not?”

“I’m in love with someone.” I guess that’s a common cliché, but if he asks me who I’m in love with, I’m in trouble.

Then how about saying, “I’m not interested in love right now.”

I’d be troubled if he replies, “I will wait until you’re interested in love.”

If I’m honest about the fact that I’m not in love with a man… This is definitely not the way to go. I’m sure it’s going to be even more difficult.

I’m in trouble. I can’t think of a good way to say no.

We’re meeting in the courtyard after school, so I still have time. I have to think of a way to say no until then.

That’s why I decided to put that aside for the moment, but there was one more problem.

It was the person who sent me the love letter.

He’s is a third-year student, Otohime Kaede.

Looking at his name alone, it sounds like a girl, but it’s a man. He’s also a celebrity.

Otohime-senpai is the vice president of the student council.

He’s famous for her ability to support the student council president, for his personality, for his brilliance, for his rich family, and his good looks.

By the way, he is tall and stylish and is also good at sports.

He also wears glasses.

When it comes to the vice president, glasses are the way to go.

I think any normal girl would cry with joy if someone like that confessed his love to her.

But I’m a man.

Even if you say that I can marry for money, I can’t be in a relationship with a man.

But why me again? There are probably 50,000 girls prettier than me.

“Amane.”

The voice I heard made me nervous.

I looked and saw Takanashi-san standing in front of my seat. There was Kiniwa-san next to me, and Yonomiya was trying to get on my lap.

It seemed that it’s break time before I knew it.

Come to think of it, girls often ask their friends for advice when they confess their feelings.

I’ve heard a lot of stories about girls who called their friends to confess their feelings to them, and their friends came along with them.

I wonder if I should talk to Takanashi-san and the others about it.

But I’ve already decided to say no, and besides, I’m dealing with the wrong person.

If I tell them that I got a love letter from the vice president, they might take it as bragging. Besides, I’d like to end this quietly if possible.

I think it’s better to keep it quiet.

“Amane, you seem a little strange since this morning, is something wrong?”

I was startled by Takanashi-san’s question.

Calm down, it’s okay.

“It’s nothing.”

I replied with a natural smile, keeping my dignified attitude.

“Amane, why are you acting like a robot?”

I was astonished to hear Takanashi-san’s words.

I thought I was acting naturally, but now I’m acting like a robot?

“Haha, so someone confessed to you? And he’s a great guy?”

I felt the blood drain from my face as Kiniwa-san raised her voice with a grin.

Stop it, stop it, Kiniwa-san. Don’t read my mind.

“What? Confessing to Amane?”

Takanashi-san shouted in astonishment, and the whole classroom went buzzing.

“Haha, just kidding.”

Kiniwa-san laughs at that.

Is this a joke? I think you can see right through me.

“It’s up to Amane to accept or decline. And if Amane says she will, I will support her. There’s no wrong man for Amane to choose.”

Yanomiya-san, who was on my lap and moving her legs around, says.

Takanashi-san groans and Kiniwa-san nods her head in agreement. And the surrounding area was in turmoil.

I had planned to keep it a secret, but I feel like I’ve been completely exposed.

If anyone finds out that the other party is the vice president, there will probably be a huge uproar.

Otohime-senpai. I don’t think you have any bad intentions, and I’m sure you’re rather fond of me, but I dare say this.

You’ve done something unnecessary.