I Was Supposed to Be Giving Love Advice on the School Radio, but Before I Knew It, the Beautiful Girls at School Were Hitting on Me
A few days passed after the incident with Kinami… With summer vacation coming to an end, I, who had been working part-time jobs nonstop, was thinking of at least enjoying something summery, when suddenly, the incident occurred.
What came into my view was, for some reason, the familiar broadcasting room, and there was a pipe chair under my butt.
…In addition, there were two beautiful girls sitting around me for some reason.
“Then, Kageyama Shogo, step forward.”
The girl sitting to my right, with long black hair, a quiet and reserved demeanor, and few words—but in reality just socially awkward—Kitahara Yuzuha, spoke briefly while still holding her paperback book.
“No, um…..”
“Step forward.”
My desperate resistance was in vain, and I was silenced with a short, sharp command. Reluctantly, I stood up and walked toward the desk.
Once I was standing in front of the desk, the woman sitting directly across from me—a stylish, elegant woman with lightly waved hair—President Saionji Chihaya, narrowed her eyes.
“Defendant, do you know why you were called here today?”
“I was told to come to the broadcast room, and this is the situation I’m in. How could I possibly know?”
“I see, you’re still trying to play innocent.”
The president shrugged her shoulders as if dealing with a criminal showing no signs of remorse.
“By the way, how did you get permission to use the broadcast room…”
Only club activity members are supposed to be permitted to use the room during long breaks…is this also an abuse of the student council president’s power? However, without answering my question, the president shifted her gaze to Kitahara.
“Then, prosecutor, please explain the situation.”
“Right away.”
After answering briefly, Kitahara looked up from his paperback book for the first time.
“The defendant, Kageyama Shogo, was acting suspiciously when he was returning home with a junior colleague from his part-time job the other day. From the junior colleague’s excitement afterwards, it is certain that something suspicious was going on, and I demand an explanation.”
There was no sign of any prepared script, but Kitahara made his statement smoothly. …I see, it’s about that incident the other day…wait, what?
“Did you see it? The scene?”
[ […….] ]
The two beautiful girls immediately looked away when they heard the question. However, the black-haired girl quickly cleared her throat and returned to her usual composed expression.
“Your Honor, look at the defendant’s reaction. The way he’s trying to cover it up, it’s clear he’s aware of his guilt.”
“Yes, I’m even more curious now about what kind of envy…..outrageous things were going on at that time.”
The president crossed her arms, rested he elbows on the desk, and brought her mouth close…..striking a pose reminiscent of a certain humanoid general-purpose battle weapon from an anime.
Seeing her like that, I swallowed the words I had just been about to ask and let out a sigh of resignation.
“Defendant, do you have any objections?”
“No, nothing in particular…”
Stared with eyes filled with a strong determination not to let me take the lead, I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat and decided to say them only in my mind…
(This trial (temporary) doesn’t have a lawyer, does it…)
♢
“So, what were you doing, Kageyama kun?”
Thus, the trial without a lawyer, which would make even a medieval witch trial pale in comparison, began, but Kitahara struck with a decisive blow from the very first question.
“Nothing special, just going out for ramen with a junior. Nothing more than that.”
I answered without hesitation. Seeing me like that, Kitahara raised her eyebrows, straightened her back, and began to walk around me in a circle.
“Hmm… I see. Nothing happened, then…”
“Yeah, the ramen was delicious, and she seemed satisfied. I’m not lying.”
“I see. Nothing happened at the ramen shop, then..”
Kitahara stood up and began to walk around my table in a deliberately slow, theatrical manner.
…I somehow understood that he was trying to imitate the scene where they cornered the suspect.
“Kitahara… you watched that drama, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, it was rerunning when I got home from school… What’s with that sad look?”
“Nothing.”
As I caught a glimpse of the shadow behind Kitahara’s loneliness, I decided to end the conversation. Seeing me do so, Kitahara let out her unique chuckle. I felt like I could hear that BGM playing in the distance.
“Well, you’re right, maybe nothing happened at the ramen shop…”
“Yeah, I’ve been saying that since earlier.”
“But what I want to know is what happened before that. Before the ramen shop, there was something between you and Kinami san, right?”
“…Nothing?”
“That’s a lie.”
As if she were dragging me along, Kitahara answered eagerly.
“The way Kinami san was so happy, there must be something there.”
“Objection, Your Honor, you’re confusing speculation with a question.”
Without a lawyer, the only one who could defend me was myself. I raised my hand to claim my innocence. But the judge shook her head slightly…to the side.
“Objection overruled, prosecutor, continue.”
There was no sign that the opinions of the innocent people would be heard. The corrupt prosecutor next to her smiled defiantly.
“Your Honor, there is a witness here who knows both parties well.”
“Go ahead.”
“A witness….?”
At this point, the case took a new turn. Who is it? There shouldn’t be anyone whose testimony would be particularly damaging….
“Then, from Kaori san, the manager of the beach house Tasunamaru. [Hm? Makino chan and Kageyama? They definitely seemed to get along well. Yeah, they’re definitely together.]”
“Kaori chan !?”
It was a completely unexpected attack. That person, even though we were just part-time workers, she had no regard for us at all ! She was a casual person, but still !
“O-objection ! The witness may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time ! The testimony is not reliable !”
“Indeed, the witness’s face was red, and there were several beer cans on the table, but so what?”
There’s a big problem there.
After a while, seeing that I was stubbornly refusing to answer, the judge softened her expression.
“…..You see, Kageyama kun. We’re not trying to expose everything. We’re just worried about Makino chan.”
“Prez…”
The judge’s face reminded me of President Saionji’s kind face and gentle smile, but with a slightly complicated expression.
“As you know, Kageyama kun…that girl tends to bottle things up, doesn’t she? That’s why I think something like this happened.”
As the person involved in the incident that caused Kinami to become mentally ill, the president must have had a lot on her mind. She smiled faintly and shifted her gaze away from me.
“And she was worried too, you know? She was acting all shy and weird, but she even called me that night.”
“Kitahara…”
When I turned to look at her, Kitahara blushed and quickly looked away.
“It’s nothing…when someone who’s usually lively isn’t around, it’s hard to relax, right?”
I couldn’t help but smile at her tsundere-like reaction. Then, I looked straight at them.
“Then, it’s even more okay. Kinami has already recovered.”
She has learned to accept her weaknesses. She was good at hiding her feelings, which made her more vulnerable than others, but now she has come to terms with herself.
So there is no need for them to worry anymore. Everyone feels the same way about worrying about their junior. She smiled to reassure them. After a brief silence, Kitahara exhaled softly.
“…Then that’s good.”
“Thank you for worrying about her. And Saionji senpai too.”
Kitahara turned away with a slightly sulky attitude. …I was happy that she was being cared for, even if it was arrogant of me to think so.
“If Kageyama kun says so, then we can rest assured. Right, Kitahara san?”
“Yes, I’m really glad.”
As I let out a sigh of relief, Kitahara and Saionji senpai exchanged glances and smiled softly. It was a truly picturesque scene.
“I’m glad Kinami san is okay…”
“Yes, if she’s okay…”
Then, the two of them turned to face me. And at the same time, they opened their mouths.
“Now we can finally ask that girl what she was doing.”
“…..Huh?”
The light suddenly faded from their eyes, and while I was confused, Kitahara leaned her body toward me, placing her hands on the table.
“Come on, Kageyama kun, spill it. What did you do to Kinami san at that time?”
“Eh, no, we agreed not to ask about that”
“That’s that, and this is this.”
I couldn’t understand it at all, but it seemed that she had constructed a precise logic in her mind. …It was mysterious. I looked at the president for help, and she nodded with a smug expression.
“Well, let’s hear all the sweet words you whispered to her.”
“I didn’t say anything !”
“That’s impossible ! Makino chan looked so happy, her brain must have melted !”
“The president’s vocabulary can be pretty intense sometimes…..”
This is the power of the top student in the grade…in a bad way, of course.
As we continued this back-and-forth battle, my smartphone buzzed. I looked at it…
“Huh !”
Speak of the devil. The caller was Kinami, the person at the center of the controversy. I tried to hide it, but Kitahara grabbed my arm.
“…Answer it?”
Kitahara smiled gently, yet with an intense expression. I nodded in response, took the phone with trembling fingers, and placed it on the desk on speakerphone.
“Hello, Senpai? It’s me.”
Kinami’s voice on the phone sounded somehow more cheerful than usual. Ah, the tension I felt was slightly relieved… But seeing the two people behind me frown even more, I straightened my back.
“Hey, what’s up all of a sudden?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to let you know that I switched shifts with Miharu san today.”
“Oh, okay…”
Honestly, it wasn’t much of a message considering she called, and I felt a little let down. However, she seemed to have something else to say, as she hesitated on the phone.
“So, we can work together today, right?”
“Ah, yeah, I guess so…”
“…Aren’t you excited to work with me today?”
“No, no ! That’s not it ! Kinami is good at her job, and I’m really looking forward to it…”
To be honest, I’m a little nervous about the two people behind me, but I try not to show it as I respond. Then, someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around…and see the two of them smiling broadly.
[ […(Ask her)] ]
“Yeah…”
I realize I can’t escape just by moving my mouth. I slowly return my gaze and stare at the screen displaying only Kinan’s name.
“Hey, Kinami…”
“…What is it?”
After a moment of silence, she replied.
“The day we went out for ramen together, nothing happened between us, right?”
After a few seconds of silence, I could hear her slowly inhaling through the device.
“Of course not～! That day, we ate the special ramen and you drove me home. Did you lose your memory, Senpai?”
“Ah, no ! I just had a lot on my mind.”
“Eh, did you expect something, Senpai～?”
For once, I felt a sense of relief from my usual teasing junior. I took a deep breath and looked back, and both of them had expressions that said, [Well, if that’s the case…] Good, it looks like I’ll get off scot-free…
“Sorry, Kinami, for asking such a weird question.”
“No, no, I’m the one who called you～”
“Well, then, see you at work.”
“Okay, see you later.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Kinami, in her usual lighthearted tone, said something as if she had just thought of something right before hanging up.
“Oh, but when it’s just the two of us at work, please call me Makino like before, okay?”
“Eh, wait.”
I reacted instinctively, but the call had already ended, and my smartphone mercilessly displayed the sleep screen and the current time.
[ […Huh?] ]
Then, a dark voice like it had crawled out of the depths of hell came from behind me.
“What does that mean, Kageyama kun?”
“I thought something was suspicious, but I never thought something like this would come out…”
I didn’t have to turn around to know what kind of faces they were making… I cautiously turned away, avoiding eye contact.
“T-there’s a deep reason for this…”
There was still time before my part-time job. I screamed the name of my junior who had left behind a super-sized bomb in my mind, but it didn’t solve anything. The broadcast room, which had no air conditioning, was strangely cool despite it being midsummer.
♢
“Phew…”
Meanwhile, at the same time, in another room. The girl sitting on the bed exhaled softly after hanging up the phone.
“Is Kageyama senpai getting anxious～?”
From the way she said it, she must have been grilled by someone about the incident the other day. Either one of those two…or both? Either way, it’s a fitting lesson for a senior who broke his promise and called her by her last name.
As she thought about that, she recalled that night. It wasn’t a lie that nothing happened—that day changed everything. She wanted to boast about it to everyone.
“But still.”
she muttered to herself, slowly placing her index finger on her pink lips.
“This must remain a secret.”
Feeling her facial muscles relax, the girl eagerly awaited her part-time job, the time when she could see him. Her room, which had been cool, suddenly felt as if the air conditioning had stopped working.
Maitoshi