Motivated to be lazy

Chapter 15

This is what I came to the school for, to have genuine connections with people with no ulterior motives, no agendas. To be able to be open with people about mundane things and experience a high school life as innocently as it can be. If love was a life experience that we all have to have, then maybe my insight could help her.

"I have a friend who I had a crush on before I came here, Nanase Tsubasa. My other friend Eiichiro, he knew her before we had ever met and always had feelings for her. So when I figured everything out, I decided to stay silent because I didn't want to be the cause of issues for them, or for us to ever lose our friendship because of it. Sad, isn't it?"

In the distance, I could hear a door closing from the student council office. It had to be Manabu, trying to make a discrete exit while I was keeping her distracted. He had probably been waiting inside for the girl to leave so that he could avoid the awkward post-rejection encounter.

"Do you regret not confessing to her?" The girl asked curiously.

"I'm not sure," I frowned. "I don't think so, it would have been an unnecessary heartache for everyone involved. I knew my answer even if I didn't say anything."

"I see," She said quietly.

"Still, I think that it was brave of you that you would say something even if you didn't get the answer you were hoping for. It takes courage to confess how you feel to someone, so you should be proud of yourself. You seem like the shy type of person, so this is a huge milestone for you, congratulations." I offered with a smile.

She blushed cutely, the praise being a little heavy for her. Just by her mannerisms, she didn't look like she was the type to get compliments often. It was sad, she seemed like a kind girl, if not a little bit meek.

"I don't think it's brave, it's selfish. I burdened them with having to reject me even though I knew what the outcome would be," She said sadly.

"What do you like about them?" I asked curiously. Not once had she named the person, so it was obvious that she was trying to keep their identity a secret. I couldn't tell whether or not it was out of shame, or if she didn't want to reveal their identity for fear of their privacy. It was something that I respected in the short interaction for the moment.

"That person... is really kind and selfless. They look out for me and others and they're popular. For someone like me who isn't very outgoing, it was something I admire. I get nervous talking to people."

"You're talking to me just fine," I pointed out. "Besides, Horikita Manabu isn't really that great, trust me. He's always smirking and thinking that he knows what you're thinking. You can do much better than him. Besides, he'll be gone after he finishes third year which isn't too far away. Maybe this was a blessing."

I was trying to console her, let her know that there was a bright side to this. It wasn't right of me to pry like this, especially when she was trying her best to hide the identity of the person but I felt like right now some specific help would be good for her.

"Um, it's not President Horikita," She said with a blush.

I suddenly felt my blood run a little cold. Praise whatever God existed for me ignoring my apprehension for revealing secrets.

It was in times like this I realized there had to be a higher power. Sometimes circumstances allow you to dodge bullets in life. This was one of those instances, this girl really was lucky. She must have had some misguided belief that Nagumo Miyabi was a kind and selfless person.

There were only three guys in the student council at the moment. Myself, Manabu and Nagumo. There was no one else she could have confessed to. By a simple process of elimination, it revealed the only possible explanation...