Chapter 116 - Helping Out

Takei and Akari promptly left the auditorium and began their walk back to his house.

For the meantime, Takei pushed aside the sight of Hiro's saddened smile since he wasn't sure how to deal with that situation.

I don't know if me meddling in someone else's affairs will end up the way I want it to...

Deciding to be mature about the situation, he promised himself to keep observing Hiro until something drastic happens to where the need to intervene arises.

While Takei was gloomily thinking about the situation, Akari seemed to have noticed his sour mood because she tightened her grip to let Takei know that she'll always be here for him.

"Don't try to take everything on by yourself," Akari scolded, albeit with a gentle smile.

Takei's body stiffened as he realized that he had been caught.

"Caught red-handed, huh?"

He meekly smiled to try and alleviate Akari's worries.

"Thanks for reminding me though, I'll ask for your help if I need it."

"Mm, that's good."

Akari finally felt satisfied after she heard Takei acknowledge his own limits.

She leaned in and hooked her arm around Takei's arm, while also pushing her desirable mountains onto him.

"I'll make a special dinner tonight to celebrate our first acting lesson being successful so let's hurry up and go home!"

Akari cheerfully declared her intent to hurry home, to which Takei could only happily nod.

I'll do some observing and spying tomorrow about this.

To end off this successful first day, the idiot couple went home and enjoyed a nice dinner together.

***

The next day, Takei went to school earlier than he usually would.

He texted Akari beforehand and told her that there was some business that he had to take care of, to which she hesitantly agreed because she had wanted to eat breakfast with him.

To satiate the goddess's heavy feelings, Takei promised to take her on a date soon.

Unsurprisingly, that had done the job perfectly and Akari happily replied with several thumbs-up emojis.

"She's really cute when she's clingy like this..."

With an elated smile on his face, Takei entered the school in a really good mood.

The reason for him being incredibly early to school today was to study the theater club president's movements.

He wanted to know the full extent of the pain that was gripping Hiro's heart.

The old Takei would've simply ignored Hiro and gone on with the rest of his day, but this Takei knew how it felt to be saved from a dark place.

He didn't want anyone else to feel the same despair that he had felt when he had fallen down to the bottom of the abyss.

With his resolution set in stone, Takei embarked to the first location that was on his mind.

He had heard tidbits around the school that stated that Hiro would consistently go to this area everyday in the morning.

Takei made his way to the courtyard of the school and hid behind a stone pillar in order to not be revealed.

Standing there in the middle of the grassy field was none other than Hiro Shirogane.

This place was unofficially the place where the theater club would practice in the morning.

When asked why he chose an outside location instead of the quiet and secluded auditorium, Hiro replied with a shrug and said that the atmosphere outside in the morning was too good to pass up.

As Takei crouched behind the pillar and observed Hiro with his full attention, he saw the true extent of Hiro's pain.

Although he was instructing the rest of the theater club with a gentle smile, there would occasionally be a flash of anguish that briefly appeared on his face.

However, no one was able to notice it due to the speed at which his expressions changed.

Before long, the gentle smile reappeared on Hiro's face without any evidence of his previous expression.

Seeing this makes me realize that I need to get involved. This can't be good for him.

Takei sat there quietly and waited for the theater practice to end.

After about fifteen minutes, everyone began to leave and disperse in order to get ready for school.

Seeing this as his cue to act, Takei left the pillar and approached Hiro.

Once Takei entered Hiro's field of vision, he greeted him cheerfully.

"Oh hello Takei, it's surprising to see you out here this early. I hope you're having a good morning."

"Just woke up a bit early today, I see you're hard at work as always."

"Haha, thanks for the praise. I don't do that much besides giving out the instructions, so that praise is wasted on me."

Takei ended up lying about him coincidentally waking up and decided to do some small talk for a bit.

Even with that kind smile aimed at him, Takei felt a bit creeped out about it.

"Now, I wonder. Why were you staring so intently at me yesterday? Did I look weird or something?"

Deciding that it was prime time to delve into the reason why he was here, Takei slowly directed the conversation towards Hiro's actions.

Hearing Takei question his actions, Hiro's smile stiffened instantly.

It looked like he was about to lie by the look of his mouth moving without any words coming out, but Hiro stopped after he realized that Takei wouldn't be fooled by that.

"I found you interesting..."

"Interesting?"

"A few months ago, you were an empty husk of a person who was devoid of purpose. As of recently however, you've been significantly more outgoing and a lot more happy as a result."

Takei was surprised that Hiro could remember an insignificant loner like him, but he kept his mouth shut since it looked like Hiro was about to get to the root of the conversation.

"I found you interesting because you were able to change yourself in such a short amount of time. That made me really jealous because... I hate myself."

Dropping a bombshell onto Takei, Hiro revealed the reason for his actions.

"All throughout my life, I've been forced to be someone who I didn't want to be. Hell, I was even forced to be the president of the theater club."

Hiro chuckled at the poor situation that he was stuck in.

"I'm just really sick of everything and having to meet others' expectations of me. This world is so fucked."

Hiro's smile began to crumble as tears endlessly streamed down his face.

His situation is eerily similar to Akari's... They're both victims of an unfortunate situation.

Takei felt bad for him, so he gently patted Hiro's back.

"It's okay to not be okay. I think the best way to fix your situation is to tell the other person that you're uncomfortable with doing something. Being yourself is the only long term solution that could work in this situation."

There was no other way for Hiro to fix his problem than to slowly change himself.

"It'll be a long and hard path, but I'll be here to help you. Just ask me for help and I'll come to your aid. Well, unless I'm spending time with Akari, that is."

Slipping in a joke, Takei held out a hand towards Hiro.

"So, how about it?"

A glimmer of hope flashed in Hiro's eyes as he realized that opportunity that lay ahead of him.

He grabbed onto Takei's hand and strongly smiled, in contrast to his previously sullen expression.

"I'll try my best!"

---

Idiot Couple Meter: 86 -> 87%

If this was a girl that Takei helped, she probably would've joined the harem.

Sugar-chan: You're not allowed to have a harem.

Serious-san: Why?! It's a man's dream!

Sugar-chan: ...