Vol. 4: Side Story Chapter 3 - Relationships

Technically, today should've been the third and final day of the Zodiac Test, but according to the rules, it would be tomorrow. Today was a rest day and we were free to roam around the ship as if nothing was happening. Of course, the rules and restrictions would still apply.

After breakfast, I decided to hang out with Makida, Kikuchi, Onizuka, and Minami (Hakuo) by the bow of the main deck.

The warm breeze blew against our skin as the rising sun created a glistening view of the ocean.

"Ahh... I want a girlfriend. This is the first summer of my high school life. I can't just mope around like an idiot," said Onizuka.

"Well, that's not for you to decide, Kiyoshi. You won't get a girlfriend unless the girl wants you, you know?" replied Kikuchi.

"Ugh-!" Onizuka grabbed his chest as if he was shot by a gun. "You're right, Eita... I gotta look manlier, or else..."

"Now, now, it's not like we can do anything about the girls in our class, though," shrugged Minami.

"Yeah. Hirata is already taken by Karuizawa... But this guy?" Makida turns to me with a smirk. "If you stay single, the girls will only ever look at you, you know?"

"Ahh... Well, I guess..."

I didn't really know what else to say. It's not like I don't know about the situation. My female friends have been hammering that fact onto me for a while now.

"Ahaha, at least you're aware of it, Ayanokouji," said Kikuchi.

"Yeah, I expected you to act like one of those dense harem protagonists in romcom manga. They tick me off the most." Onizuka put on a disgusted expression.

As someone who'd been using manga as an additional medium to learn social interaction, I can relate to Onizuka's statement. I was never a fan of the ones where the protagonist is unrealistically oblivious of the heroines' feelings. I find those stories less compelling than straightforward romances. But of course, some of them are written well enough to be entertaining until the very end.

"And you don't really need to apologize. It's not your fault that you're more popular than every other guy in our class," sighed Makida.

"I thought the attention was just brought on by my position in Class B. It seems like there are other factors at play," I replied. "I'm just happy that I'm not getting shunned."

"Hahaha! Why would you get shunned? What are we, middle schoolers?" Onizuka laughed while slapping my back.

"What are we, middle schoolers?" That question actually answered some of the questions I had.

"But really, Ayanokouji, I think you should consider getting a girlfriend. I'm sure you'll have fun." Kikuchi said as he put his hand on my shoulder.

Combined with his warm smile, he looked quite cool after saying that line. Kikuchi exuded a similar vibe to that of Hirata.

"Fuuu~! Eita has spoken!" Onizuka playfully struck his arm. "Your ex must've been regretting her decision to dump you now, huh? Look at how cool and manly you've become."

In terms of experience, Kikuchi would probably be our senpai. He had a lengthy relationship with a girl back in his middle school days, and it seemed like he was telling the truth given his calm and mature demeanor. There were no inconsistencies in his stories, too.

He was often compared to me or Akito since we act in a similar manner. If it weren't for his subpar academic and athletic performance, I'm sure he'd become popular.

"We were young back then. Breaking up was probably for the best. And besides, it was bound to happen given my enrollment in this school," he replied with a sigh. "If you're planning to get a girlfriend, you're better off going out with someone from the same school, especially in high school... And it's not like we have any other choice here, anyway."

"I did say that before, but..."

"What's there to worry about, Ayanokouji? You basically have the entire class to choose from-- Well, I guess besides Karuizawa. She's head over heels for Hirata, after all," said Makida.

"Really? I think Ayanokouji can do it if he tried," teased Onizuka.

"Are you dumb, Kiyoshi? And of all the girls that Ayanokouji would choose, why would he pick Karuizawa?" replied Makida.

"Ahaha, I guess you're right." Onizuka laughed bitterly as he scratched his head. "She might be too, uhh, high bar for a first girlfriend...?"

Onizuka tried to sugarcoat his words, but all of us knew what he meant. Karuizawa's image in Class B was a girl who had a lot of experience with relationships and stuff. It was the reason why a lot of the guys said they wouldn't go for her even if she didn't have Hirata. They're either uncomfortable because of that assumption or intimidated by her so-called "experience".

They couldn't be more wrong, though.

"Well, you can never guess nowadays. We're all close friends with Hirata, so we know how solid of a guy he is. If he chose Karuizawa as his girlfriend, then there must've been something that he's seen from her-- something that mere classmates like us wouldn't know about," said Kikuchi.

To be honest, I really admire Kikuchi's open-minded way of thinking. Before she came to me for help, my impression of Karuizawa was exactly the same as most of the guys.

"But still, Ayanokouji won't go for someone who's already in a relationship. That much is obvious..." said Makida.

"Of course. Hey, Kouji. If you're looking to date someone, the obvious choice would be Kushida-chan." Onizuka pointed out something that I'm sure most of the boys can agree on. "I know I would!"

"Well, on paper, she's probably the top choice in our class," nodded Kikuchi.

"Much like how Ayanokouji is on the top of every girl's list, Kushida-chan is on top of every guy's list. She's kind, smart, and extremely cute. I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my high school life as her boyfriend," said Makida.

"Pfft, you? Not in a million years." Onizuka laughed heartily before looking extremely depressed. "I... I can say the same for myself, though... I-I can't even imagine a plausible timeline where Kushida-chan and I would become a couple... She's just... She's just too unreachable!"

Minami and I gently patted Onizuka's back. You just shot yourself in the heart, dude.

"In your case, probably. But we're talking about Ayanokouji here." Kikuchi turned to me. "I'm sure you've noticed it, too, right? I mean you're her best friend."

"That Kikyou likes me?" I asked.

"Woah... You're really becoming more and more direct as time passes, Ayanokouji..." Kikuchi commented while chuckling bitterly. "But yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Most of us have noticed how differently she's been acting around you recently."

"Yep. We're not even paying that much attention to her, unlike Yamauchi or Ike. And besides, I'm sure the girls have noticed it, too," added Makida.

I don't really mind if Kikyou sees me that way, and I'd probably agree to go out with her if asks me to. After all, it's not like I can just go out with anybody given my position in class competitions. I'd want to date someone who can handle being targeted by the enemies with me-- or at least, that's how it was back then.

If I retire from being the class leader, I wonder if I can have a normal relationship with someone.

"Ohh, not an instant denial? I guess Kushida-chan has a chance, then," said Minami.

It seems like I was lost in thought.

That said, since I didn't want to sound like a hypocrite, I guess I'll just tell them the same thing that I've told Inogashira and Ichihashi.

"Hmm... In contrary to my sentiment about wanting to have a girlfriend, I feel like I'm not ready to be in an actual relationship just yet," I shrugged.

"Ohh, as expected from an "all-in" type." Kikuchi gave an understanding nod.

"Then let's talk about hypotheticals! Who would you want as your first girlfriend, Kouji?" Onizuka lifted the atmosphere once again.

"Even with all that said and done, you'd probably want to date Kushida-chan, after all, right?" followed Kikuchi.

"Well, she is one of the obvious choices, so I can understand why you'd mention her first," I nodded.

"To be honest, I always thought you and Horikita-san would end up dating, but she's not that experienced with things like love. I doubt you'd want that kind of vibe. And besides, Horikita-san said that she's not interested in dating, anyway," said Makida.

"Ohh! I'm surprised you know that, Sumu-chan! Are you close with Horikita-san?" asked Onizuka.

"Oh... I'm curious, as well," I said.

Apart from me and Hirata, I didn't think Horikita would be friends with other guys.

"We were in the same scouting group during the island exam, you know? Given her personality, I doubt she considers me a friend, but we had lots of time to socialize with each other. I got to talk to Horikita-san about some things," explained Makida.

Somehow, I feel happy for Horikita. She managed to open up to another classmate.

"Ah, man. I wanted to get close to Horikita-san, too. I don't really have a crush on her or anything, but I'd be really interested in becoming her friend," said Onizuka.

"Well, you might be really compatible, you know? If you manage to make Horikita-san laugh or smile, then you'd be doing everyone in Class B a huge service," replied Kikuchi.

"Ohh...! Horikita-san's smile! Yeah, that'd be extremely cute!" followed Minami.

"Kyousuke and I have seen her smile, though," said Makida.

Oh, right. Okitani was also in the same group.

"R-Really-? How was it?" Onizuka asked with great anticipation.

"You're close with Horikita-san too, right Ayanokouji?" Makida asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Then you've obviously seen her smile at least once, right?" he continued.

"Mn," I nodded again.

"Why don't you tell them the answer then?" Makida gladly dumped his role on me.

I turned towards Onizuka, Kikuchi, and Minami, who were waiting for the answer. I gave them a thumbs-up before answering.

"Mn, very cute." I followed with a nod.

"Ohhh!"

"Man, I'm envious!"

"The smile of a beautiful tsundere..."

I wonder how Horikita would react if she heard about this...

"But going back to the question, I think Maya and Chiaki are good choices for you, too. From what I've seen in the last couple of months, it's safe to say that the two of them have a crush on you," said Kikuchi.

Kikuchi's friend group is very close to Satou's friend group, so I shouldn't be too surprised about hearing them refer to each other using first names.

"W-Wha-?! I have a crush on Chiaki, remember?! If Ayanokouji goes for her, I won't stand a chance!" protested Makida.

"Hehe, you're mentioning Maya and Chiaki but not Nene? Aren't you being unfair right now, Eita?" teased Onizuka.

Unfortunately for him, Kikuchi already expected those words.

"Well, I like Nene. Why would I endorse her to Ayanokouji?" he replied.

"Agh-" Once again, Onizuka grabbed his chest as if he was in pain. "As expected of you, Eita... What a manly answer."

"Now, now. If we're going to be real here, most of the girls in our class should be very interested in dating you. You have the luxury to choose the one that you want to get close to, Ayanokouji." Minami confidently stated before averting his eyes. "Well, maybe not Chiyo..."

"Hahaha! What the hell was that, Haku?" laughed Onizuka. "And besides, weren't you rejected by Chiyo already? Isn't that right, Haku~?"

"Shut up! That doesn't count since I didn't even confess!" objected Minami.

Ohh, so something like that happened, huh?

"If you guys are that worried about me taking away your crushes, then just ask them out." I lazily responded while leaning on the railings.

"That's easier said than done, Kouji. We'd be going out with them by now if we were as sought after as you," replied Onizuka.

"Ah, I guess so..."

They could only smile wryly in response.

We continued talking about girls like normal high school boys. It was a fleeting moment, but I had a lot of fun. Of course, I've had similar talks with Akito and Ken, but I guess the more the merrier.

"Well, I have to be somewhere right about now. I'll see you guys later." I turned around and prepared to leave.

"Sure! Go get yourself a girlfriend soon, Kouji!" waved Onizuka.

"Hey, I was just kidding about earlier. If you're interested in Nene, then you can go for her. I'll gladly be your rival," said Kikuchi.

"To pick a losing fight... Y-You're too cool, Eita..."

He's right. Akito and Hirata were cool in their own way, but Kikuchi was a different kind of cool.

"Haha, I'm instantly deemed as the loser? Aren't you being too harsh, Kiyoshi? But then again, it's Ayanokouji that I'm going up against."

"I'll have to pass, Kikuchi. I'd rather have you as a supporter than a rival," I replied.

After bidding them a quiet and brief farewell, I walked towards the inside of the ship.

This may have been a rest day, but the battle hasn't stopped.