The Signal Fire Of The Counterattack!

The next day, Monday.

Unlike our previous meetings, Toko-senpai and I were at a coffee shop in Ochanomizu. Our purpose, of course, was to discuss our future plans.

Incidentally, it seems Kamokura and Karen are having another tryst today. Honestly, that girl Karen—I think she’s spending more time with Kamokura than with me lately. While she sees me about once a week, she seems to be meeting him once or twice a week. Well, regardless, knowing those two are in the heat of their affair allows me to discuss things with Toko-senpai with peace of mind.

“I’ve found out the dates for their trip,” Toko-senpai said, leaning in and lowering her voice as soon as she sat down.

“From November 1st to the 2nd. It looks like they’re going for an overnight stay.”

“That’s during the school festival period.”

I figured as much. There are no classes for a week around that time, so they can travel without worry.

“But even though they said they’d be running a booth for the circle, I can’t believe they have the nerve to go on a trip together. Won’t people in the circle start gossiping?”

“Tetsuya is already a senior. Many seniors don’t show up for the festival. As for Karen-san, if she says she’s ‘feeling unwell’ for a couple of days, it won’t seem that unnatural.”

Is that how it works?

“Now, here’s the important part. I’ve already told Tetsuya that ‘it’s okay to go on the trip.’ So, Karen-san should be contacting you soon. When she does, you must also kindly tell her that ‘it’s okay to go.’ Do not say anything to blame her. And of course, no suspicious remarks.”

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

“Then, on the day before the trip, I will tell him ‘You can’t go!’ That should prompt Tetsuya to cancel the trip.”

I see, I see…

“When he cancels at the last minute, I expect Karen-san will contact you. She’ll say something like, ‘My friend canceled on me, so the trip is off.’”

“Would she really contact me that quickly after her secret getaway gets ruined?”

When I voiced my doubt, Toko-senpai answered confidently.

“In my estimation, there’s a 70% chance she’ll reach out. She’ll want you to listen to her complaints, and she’ll do it out of spite toward Tetsuya. Karen-san will be incredibly frustrated that Tetsuya didn’t prioritize her. She’ll likely want to hear the voice of the boyfriend who always puts her first to feel secure and be comforted.”

Man… I’m really being looked down upon, aren’t I?

“When she contacts you, I want you to comfort her kindly. Even if she only sends a message, call her and speak to her in a gentle voice. That way, she’ll think, ‘When push comes to shove, Isshiki-kun is the one who thinks of me above all else.’”

“I feel like such a convenient guy.”

“It can’t be helped. The fact that Karen-san is cheating means she either ‘likes the other guy more than you’ or she ‘can’t be satisfied unless she’s being loved by multiple men at once.’”

As I fell silent, Toko-senpai continued.

“But that’s fine for now. As long as Karen-san thinks ‘Isshiki-kun is the best after all!’ You need to give her an absolute sense of security—the feeling that ‘no matter what happens, I can always go back to Isshiki-kun.’”

“An absolute sense of security?”

“Yes. And what if that were to crumble at the final moment?”

I see. The ‘last bastion,’ the ‘lifeline’ existence suddenly vanishes. That would be quite a shock.

“Got it? For now, focus entirely on ‘making Karen-san fall for you.’ You have to act as if you are becoming ‘Karen-san’s guardian.’”

A guardian… seriously?

If things turn out exactly as Toko-senpai predicts, I think I’ll truly despise Karen from the bottom of my heart.

Suddenly, I realized Toko-senpai was staring at me intently. She looked like she wanted to say something. After a moment of silence where I just wondered what was up, she finally spoke.

“Next… it’s your turn.”

“My turn…?”

Wait, was there a part of the plan where I had to present something?

“The reward you promised me… remember?”

Ah, that? We had been talking about the revenge plan against Kamokura and Karen so much that I didn’t make the connection immediately. But… I don’t really have anything satisfactory to say.

“Oh, right. About ‘cute girls,’ right?”

Toko-senpai gave a small nod.

Well, where do I start?

I suppose in these situations, talking about a ‘woman’s inner qualities’ earns more points.

“Let’s see. I’d say a ‘kind’ woman.”

Toko-senpai just stared at me, saying nothing.

“Also, someone who has their own identity… you know, someone with a strong core.”

Toko-senpai continued to stare at me in silence.

“But it’s nice when they lean on you occasionally. Like the ‘tsundere’ or ‘kuudere’ types.”

Toko-senpai still just stared.

“Being refined or graceful is a nice vibe, too.”

T-the silence is getting scary.

“And domestic women are really healing to be around, aren’t they?”

Crap, I’m running out of things to say.

“Oh, and an important condition is ‘doesn’t cheat’.”

“That’s a given.”

Toko-senpai muttered flatly. Oh no, is she getting annoyed? All I have left are things about looks and appearance. But is that better than staying silent?

“Appearance-wise, I guess a beautiful person is better.”

The temperature in Toko-senpai’s gaze seemed to drop…

“And I guess big breasts are something men long for.”

Toko-senpai crossed her arms as if to hide her chest. Crap, was that a landmine?

“Hair styles might leave an impression too. Like blonde twin-tails…”

Toko-senpai was looking at me with dead eyes. Her gaze was now sub-zero.

“…Are you an idiot?”

Toko-senpai said quietly.

“Huh?”

Did I get it completely wrong? Toko-senpai let out a deep sigh.

“Forget it. It seems there’s no point in listening to any more of this.”

I could only sit there in silence. This is bad. Toko-senpai might actually despise me now. But if I was forced to say anything else, I only had those conditions Ishida mentioned.

“‘Kind,’ ‘has a strong core,’ ‘refined’—those are of no use as references. And then you start talking about ‘beauty’ and ‘chests.’ And to top it off, ‘blonde twin-tails’? You didn’t understand anything about what I wanted to know.”

I hung my head as her words washed over me.

No, but what do you expect? The definition of ‘cute’ varies from person to person. The same gesture might be cute when one person does it, but just annoying when someone else does.

“I thought you would be able to sense what I was trying to say and provide an appropriate opinion. It seems I was wrong to expect anything from you.”

Honestly, that remark stung. I had thought about it quite hard in my own way. But I felt like every ‘cute girl’ I thought of ended up being linked back to Toko-senpai. That’s why I only listed elements a typical guy would find ‘cute’… To be spoken to like this… But I couldn’t just back down like this.

“Please wait. I haven’t been able to explain my own ‘conditions for a cute girl’ in my own words yet.”

Toko-senpai looked at me again.

“Could you give me one more chance? I’ll tell you the ‘conditions for a cute girl’ that I’ve thought through with my own head, in my own words. If you still aren’t satisfied with that answer, then so be it.”

Toko-senpai remained silent.

“Please. Let me try just one more time.”

I asked quietly, but with total sincerity. After staring at me for a while, Toko-senpai finally uncrossed her arms and spoke.

“Fine. I’ll give you a chance for a rewrite. I feel like I might have been rushing you too much, anyway. Think about it once more, in your own way.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

I put my resolve into those words. Although Toko-senpai didn’t say it, I had a feeling that whether she was satisfied with this answer would be the condition for whether I’d be the one she spends the night with at the final moment on ‘X-Day.’

If that’s the case, I have to find the right answer to this question, no matter what.