Chapter 189: Eriri's Idea
Shinomiya Kaguya wanted to confess directly?
Eriri immediately felt a sense of dread, because if Shinomiya Kaguya confessed first, wouldn't that mean she was guaranteed to lose the bet with Kaede?
But she couldn't interfere; this was what Eriri and Kaede had agreed upon, and she believed in it herself.
If she lost, Kaede-kun wouldn't make strange demands, would he? Like asking her to buy and wear some weird cosplay outfit.
Then, Shinomiya Kaguya across the table noticed that before she had even done anything, Eriri had started blushing?
"Sawamura-san?"
"Ah!"
Snapping out of it, Eriri looked at Shinomiya Kaguya and quickly offered an awkward smile, saying, "It's nothing, nothing. Senpai, you just said you wanted to confess, right?"
"Y-yes."
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded, shyly whispering, "If a girl confesses, won't it seem like she lacks modesty?"
"Not at all."
Eriri said candidly, "It's the same regardless of who confesses. The key isn't actually who confesses, but whether the feeling can be conveyed to the other person. If two people already have mutual feelings, then either of them can confess. They'll be a couple afterward anyway, so why worry so much? Confession is just a process. What's important is the result that follows and the time the two spend together afterward."
"So... confession isn't actually important?"
"Of course not!"
Waving her hands, Eriri said, "I'm not saying confession isn't important. What I mean is, confession is just a necessary step on the road to romance. But compared to the subsequent relationship, you just need to treat it seriously; you don't need to treat it like the end of the world. You know, people fail confessions every moment around the world. Also, Senpai, do you think Shirogane-senpai... likes you?"
"Eh?" Shinomiya Kaguya said, blushing, "Well... that... how would I know..."
She really looked like Eriri herself before she started dating.
Eriri silently nodded, leaned forward slightly, and said, "Senpai, I think Shirogane-senpai definitely has feelings for you. I assume that after spending so much time together in the Student Council this past year, you must have noticed something, right?"
"Mm..."
Shinomiya Kaguya admitted it. If they didn't have mutual feelings, they wouldn't have engaged in the various "battles" that had lasted for almost half a year, trying to provoke the other person into confessing.
But similarly, Shinomiya Kaguya said, annoyed, "I'm a girl, of course I'd be shy if I had to confess! But that guy, the President, clearly had so many chances, yet he never said anything. It's truly infuriating!"
"Hmm~~~ In that regard, Shirogane-senpai is indeed a bit hesitant."
Eriri strongly agreed with Shinomiya Kaguya's assessment. If she were in that situation—if she and Kaede had mutual feelings but he kept delaying the confession—she would definitely be angry too.
Especially when she knew the other person had feelings for her, yet he still wouldn't speak up.
Crossing her arms, Eriri said, "It's normal for boys to have some pride and care about face, but they also need to consider a girl's shy nature!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded repeatedly, looking at Eriri with some envy: "Sigh, I really don't know if I'll ever wait for the President to confess to me. I've already used all sorts of methods in the past."
Methods like using movie tickets to get them to watch a film together, or using love quizzes from magazines. She had even had her maid write a love letter to provoke Shirogane Miyuki, but in the end, none of it succeeded.
After hearing Shinomiya Kaguya's "battle history," Eriri felt completely overwhelmed.
"Sen... Senpai, it's just dating. Does it have to be like this?"
Eriri widened her eyes and said, looking at the embarrassed Shinomiya Kaguya, "I have to say, you and Shirogane-senpai truly are a match made in heaven. Not only are you both excellent in every way, but even your dating ideas are so similar—you both want the other person to confess first. Honestly, in a manga or novel, this story could end in a single chapter, but you two insist on dragging it into a long-running series. It reminds me of an old manga called *Kimi ni Todoke* (From Me to You), which people jokingly called *Kimi ni Korosaretaku* (I Want to Kill You With Impatience). It perfectly describes you and Shirogane-senpai."
Eriri's blunt critique made Shinomiya Kaguya feel unbearably ashamed.
She herself had no romantic experience, and most of her understanding of love came from a handful of classic literature and some movies.
But now, after learning about the relationship between Kashiwagi Nagisa and Tanuma Tsubasa at school, plus Eriri and Kaede's relationship, Shinomiya Kaguya gradually realized how ridiculous the situation between her and Shirogane Miyuki was.
"Ugh... I know this situation is strange, but we just can't make any progress!"
Holding her head in her hands, Shinomiya Kaguya spoke with extreme frustration.
Her words were completely overheard by Hayasaka Ai, who had arrived at the cafe long ago, disguised as a customer and sitting with her back to Shinomiya Kaguya's seat.
Eating a slice of cake, Hayasaka Ai silently sighed. Her Ojou-sama had truly been cloistered for too long; she still needed to continuously learn a lot of knowledge.
Looking at the finished slice of cake in front of her, Hayasaka Ai beckoned, calling over the waiter—who had already been replaced by a Shinomiya Family member—and asked for two more slices of cake.
By the way, before Eriri arrived, all the staff in the store, including the scattered guests present, had been replaced by Shinomiya Family personnel, yet Eriri hadn't noticed at all.
Eriri's mind was currently focused on how she could help Shinomiya Kaguya.
"Hmm~~~ Confession, huh."
Eriri pondered hard and said, "No matter which of you wants to confess, a suitable location and timing are essential. Once the atmosphere is right, I actually think it doesn't matter who confesses, but before that, preparations still need to be made. Senpai, have you and the President ever gone anywhere alone besides school?"
"..."
"Alright, you haven't."
Eriri was once again stumped. So, besides the last fireworks festival, there haven't been any other outings? And the fireworks festival wasn't just the two of them either.
"It looks like we need to think from a different angle. It's okay to take the initiative, but we need to consider the method carefully. Shinomiya-senpai, you can't beat around the bush like before." Eriri decided on a method, looked at Shinomiya Kaguya, and said, "Senior, let's go, we're going somewhere."
"Huh? Where?"
Eriri said seriously, "A phone store!"
Putting everything else aside, Shinomiya Kaguya's flip phone, which should be a collector's item, had made her miss many opportunities.
Eriri couldn't care less about that now. Shinomiya Kaguya had come to her for help, so based on her many years of playing GAL games and her current bit of relationship experience, she would have Shinomiya Kaguya try to make the first move.