The Gal Next to Me Is Trying Too Hard to Make Me Fall in Love With Her
“Ah, Saeki-san. Good morning.”
She noticed me, stopped chatting with her friends, and waved over here.
Her tone was completely different from usual—quiet and subdued.
Her cool smile left me unsure how to respond.
“…Ah, Amagi-san?”
“Yes?”
“Amagi-san…is that right?”
“That’s me. Do I look like someone else to you?”
“N-no, I mean…!!”
Her appearance, her aura, the way she spoke.
I had no idea where to even begin pointing out the discrepancies, and I just stood there flustered.
“Saeki-kun, didn’t you know?”
Amagi-san’s friend chimed in.
“Arisa-chan’s doing character prep for a drama audition she’s taking soon!”
“Seems like she’s playing a serious student council president role.”
“Going this far for it? That’s just like Arisa-chan, huh?”
Hearing them all say it, I finally understood.
Amagi gives her all to everything.
It’s no surprise at all that she’d go this far for an audition. In fact, it’s exactly what you’d expect from her.
“I understand the situation… but, um, did you dye your hair?”
“No, I didn’t. This is a wig.”
“Oh, I see…”
“So, for a while, I’ll be staying in character like this, both at home and at school. Don’t worry, Saeki-san.”
“R-right… I understand.”
For work. For character development.
Changing her appearance and tone for that purpose.
I understand, but the sense of incongruity is overwhelming. My brain unconsciously refuses to accept her addressing me formally with “-san.”
“Class is about to start. Saeki-san, see you later.”
“…………”
“Saeki-san?”
“…Ah! Y-yes, see you later…!”
We gave each other a light bow.
I turned on my heel, taking two steps, then three.
Just before leaving the classroom, I suddenly stopped.
Something was missing, this wasn’t right… Drawn by that feeling, I turned and caught Amagi-san’s gaze.
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh! N-no! Nothing at all!”
A cool tone of voice, uncharacteristic of Amagi-san.
Feeling like I was being scolded somehow, I bolted out of the classroom as if fleeing.
…I realized what was missing.
That Amagi-san wasn’t clinging to me. No affection, nothing. Not a single hint of affectionate behavior.
Probably because she’s in character.
She’s fully immersed in her drama role, so she’s not doing things the real Amagi Arisa would do.
That’s all there is to it.
“…Well, if that’s the case, then it’s fine…”
I muttered softly.
No displays of affection meant her efforts to make me fall for her were temporarily on hold. No seduction, nothing.
In other words, while she’s immersed in her role, the risk of my solo life collapsing is practically zero. Long-awaited peace finally descends upon the oasis I’ve just secured.
Not bad, huh, me? She’ll still tutor me as usual, and honestly, getting only the good parts is downright lucky.
Phew, that’s a relief.
It really is a relief.
It’s a relief…
…is it?
[Saeki!! I love you!!]
Suddenly, her voice—which had echoed so naturally until just yesterday—flashed through my mind.
It’s been three months since I met her.
Until yesterday, she told me she loved me every single day without fail, saying it so much it felt like she couldn’t say it enough. It stopped abruptly, so feeling weird about it is only natural.
It’s okay, I’ll get used to it soon.
Besides, this role-playing won’t last forever.
A week? Two weeks?
Well, until then, I’ll enjoy these safe days to the fullest.
“Saeki-san!”
“Huh?!”
A voice called out from behind, making me spin around abruptly.
Amagi-san was running towards me.
Ah… I see. She couldn’t hold back after all.
Sighing inwardly, I braced myself for her to hug me. There was also the possibility she’d try to kiss me, so I’d have to handle that forcefully if it happened.
“Wh-what is it, Amagi-san?”
She stopped and looked up at me.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and covered her mouth with a smile that was pure grace—something the usual Amagi-san would never do.
“Thank you for the lunch box again today. I just wanted to say that…!”
“…………H-huh. Oh, I see.”
“Well then, see you later.”
She bowed her head and quietly walked away.
Watching her back, I realized this wasn’t the Amagi-san who’d come rushing at me, declaring her love. I felt keenly that peace had returned.
…… Somehow today, it feels unusually…
…heavy.
◆
“I’ll get straight to the point. Let me help you take onii’s virginity.”
Time rewinds to mid-November.
That night, when Saeki was away at the cultural festival afterparty.
The one who came to my house was Saeki’s younger sister—Ouran-chan.
“Um, what exactly does that mean? Help take his virginity? Why would you support me, Ouran-chan?”
I let her in and served tea.
I sat across from her at the table and asked what she meant.
“Let me explain.”
She touched her lips to the glass, moistening them slightly.
Her distinctive side ponytail bounced cutely as she leaned forward.
“Onii is currently allowed to live alone under three rules. First: [Maintain a top ten ranking in his class]. Second: [Earn his own food and social expenses]. And third: [No inappropriate relationships with the opposite s*x]…”
She counted on her fingers as she spoke, then turned her phone screen toward me. “Look at this.”
[Because I like her, Amagi-san.]
[Ah, no, that’s not… it’s not like that, but! I mean, I like her positive attitude!]
[Anyway, I want her to make up with her Mom! I hate seeing her give up, saying it’s impossible or inevitable! I love seeing her doing what she love with all her might and smiling!]
[Let’s go. You’re not alone, Amagi-san! I’ll always, always be right here beside you!]
At the school festival, the whole scene when Saeki took me out.
Someone filmed it, uploaded it online, and for some reason, it went viral.
The warmth of his hand back then, its strength, comes flooding back, and I can’t help but grin.
“When I found this, I immediately contacted onii and asked him what kind of relationship he had with this woman, if they were dating. …But he denied it. He said they were just friends. Knowing onii’s personality, I don’t think he’d lie about that.”
“Ah… Yeah, that’s right. We definitely aren’t dating.”
“Even so, this looks like it’s one step away from an improper relationship. So I pressed our parents, asking if this was acceptable. …But they surprisingly gave a lenient judgment, saying something like ‘This much is fine.’”
Ouran-chan clenched her fist in annoyance.
Meanwhile, I was secretly relieved. Getting dragged back to his family home just because he helped me? Not exactly a pleasant thought.
“Amagi-senpai likes onii, right?”
“Huh? …Uh, yeah! I love him!”
“Then I’ll help you two get together! Because I want onii back at home!”
Ouran-chan knelt on her knees and pounded her chest, declaring, “Leave it to me!”
Having someone willing to help was nice… but what could this kid actually do?
If she went to the same school or was closer in age, there might be things she could do, but she’s still in middle school…
“I heard from Subaru-chan. Amagi-senpai, you’ve been relentlessly attacking my brother with your ‘I like you’ campaign to win him over. —That won’t work.”
“Huh!?”
The strategy of pushing and pushing relentlessly, continued since September.
Having it outright rejected like that, I recoiled, eyes wide.
“At first, Onii was probably embarrassed. But lately, he’s gotten used to it and seems to brush you off pretty easily, doesn’t he?”
“H-How did you know that!?”
It was true.
It’s not that he’s completely unembarrassed.
It’s just… compared to when we first met, his reactions are noticeably worse. He treats my affection like it’s just a greeting.
Even physical contact—he reacted well at first, but lately it’s been… off.
He’ll casually take my hand without hesitation. That makes me happy, but it doesn’t feel like we’re walking down the path to being lovers.
“Onii’s ability to take care of people is Olympic-level. No matter how demanding the person is, he adapts instantly. …Which means, if this keeps up, he’ll genuinely stop being moved by Amagi-senpai’s feelings in the not-too-distant future.”
“Huh!? N-no way, I don’t want that!! I want him to keep getting all flustered over me forever and ever!!”
“Exactly. So I’ll give you a last-ditch strategy.”
“W-what!? I’ll do anything!”
“It’s simple. ――Be cold to onii.”
She snorted. A wicked smile, unbecoming for her age, played on her lips.
Hearing that, I understood immediately. The meaning behind that strategy.
In short, it meant: If pushing doesn’t work, try pulling.
If you can’t get the result you want by just saying “I like you, I like you,” why not try the opposite? Since the sun in “The North Wind and the Sun” tried it, why not try being the north wind next?
I see, I thought.
But,
“…Sorry. I don’t think I can do that…”
“Why not!?”
Ouran-chan slammed her fist on the table and widened her eyes.
“There are a few reasons… but the biggest one is Saeki’s personality.”
“My brother’s personality?”
“Saeki’s mentally fragile, right? If I suddenly acted cold toward him, I think he’d genuinely get depressed. Even if it’s to make him like me, making him depressed is a bit…”
“Ah… y-yeah, you’re right…”
It’s not like I hadn’t thought about that before.
But I didn’t do it because Saeki probably couldn’t handle that sudden change in temperature.
…It’s totally possible he’d get snatched up by another girl while he’s heartbroken. That would be completely counterproductive.
“Then… what about being cold in a way that doesn’t make my brother depressed?”
“So he won’t get depressed… Is there even a way to do that?”
“Well, like… telling him I’m going to be cold from now on, but not to get depressed!”
“Nah, that’d be a bit unnatural—”
I started to say.
A sharp jolt ran through my brain.
There is.
One way to be cold to Saeki without making him depressed.
“…Acting…”
“Huh?”
“Acting! Acting! If I preface it with ‘This is acting,’ Saeki might not get depressed!”
“How… is that different from the idea I suggested earlier?”
“For example, say I got cast in a drama and have to play a pure, innocent character, right? So, for character development, I’d act like that pure, innocent character in my private life!”
“If it’s part of the job, it’d be natural, and knowing it’s acting, my brother wouldn’t get depressed… right?”
“Exactly! I’ll change my appearance and tone to be totally serious, and avoid any physical contact whatsoever! Then Saeki will probably start missing the real me!”
“…That might work. Yeah, it’ll work! It’ll work, Amagi-senpai’s Pure Character Transformation Operation!”
Yay! we high-fived.
Ouran-chan, excited, snorted loudly.
“This plan depends entirely on how thoroughly Amagi-senpai can maintain this pure image. Don’t show him even the slightest opening.”
“I know! The idea is to make him super frustrated, so when I go back to my normal self, he won’t be able to hold back!”
“During the operation, onii might go through a rebellious phase and get weird ideas.”
“He’ll make a move on me!? Ooh-huh-huh-huh-huh♡♡♡ What if that happens? What should I dooooo?♡♡♡”
After that, we discussed specifics like what kind of appearance would be best and how I should speak.
The operation would begin after the final exams. Until then, we carry on as usual.
This is perfect.
It’ll definitely work.
Heh, heh heh… heh heh heh heh…!
This time it’s really over, Saeki!!
We’re gonna do lots of nice things together and become lovers♡♡♡ We’re gonna kiss and kiss until we can’t kiss anymore~~~♡♡♡
Enjoy your last few days living alone while you can!!
Gahahaha!!
“By the way, I kinda wanna ask you something.”
“Yes?”
“Why do you want to bring Saeki back to your family home, Ouran-chan?”
“Isn’t that obvious? For the food.”
“The food?”
“My brother’s cooking is the best in the world. Nothing tastes better than that.”
Ouran-chan puffed out her cheeks proudly, snorting.
She seems so cool, yet she says the cutest things…
Well, I can’t help but agree with that reason.
Maiban