Chapter 79 - The Change in Himeno Karen
"Um, thank you all for gathering even though you're busy. I'd like us to decide on a theme for Class 2's cultural festival. If anyone has an idea, please raise your hand."
Fusegawa Raito, who had volunteered to take the lead, stood at the teacher’s podium and addressed his classmates.
All around the classroom, students were chatting in small groups, the room gradually filling with cheerful noise.
There was still time before the cultural festival, so there was no need to rush or panic. Ideally, everyone would share their opinions and come to a consensus.
In the original story, Shindo Ryusuke would always cause a ruckus and derail the discussion, which was a real nuisance. But of course, I had no intention of doing that. Arms crossed, I watched my classmates facing the blackboard, and found myself smiling inwardly at how much fun everyone seemed to be having.
Only Fusegawa Raito was glaring at me with a slightly troubled expression.
Perhaps he couldn’t accept how different I was from the original version of me. But if I stayed quiet, the discussion would go smoothly. In fact, I thought it was more convenient this way.
As I was thinking that, Hanasaki Yuna raised her hand, and I quickly turned my gaze toward her.
"Um, how about a sweets café? I was just talking to Raito-kun about it, and I thought it sounded really fun!"
Hanasaki Yuna began explaining the idea she had discussed with Fusegawa Raito.
She mentioned how the class next door was doing a maid café, so even if we were also doing food, we wouldn’t be overlapping. She added that girls love cute and sweet things, so it would definitely be a hit—such a typically adorable Hanasaki Yuna opinion.
She passionately explained that sweets cafés were popular even at other schools and could be a profitable idea.
Reo, who had been listening, smiled warmly and nodded.
"I see, a sweets café sounds great. Class 1 is spending their budget on costumes for their maid café, so we can focus on the sweets to attract customers."
The other classmates seemed to agree with Reo, and the discussion began to move in the direction of doing a sweets café for the cultural festival. Just as I expected, a few other ideas were brought up, but it didn’t take long for everyone to come to an agreement.
We decided to come up with a few menu ideas for the café, and everyone started brainstorming.
Suggestions included classic sweets like pancakes and chocolate bananas, and since it was still hot out, shaved ice was also proposed. There was also talk about whether we should make the sweets ourselves or source them from somewhere.
In the midst of the discussion, I raised my hand.
In the original story, this was the moment when Shindo Ryusuke would butt in with something unnecessary.
Thinking I was about to complain, Fusegawa Raito shot me a sharp glare.
"What is it, Shindo Ryusuke? Got a problem?"
"No, it’s not that. Actually, I’m pretty good at making sweets. I even worked part-time at a popular café for a while. It was really popular with girls, and all the desserts looked amazing. I remember the recipes well, and I think I could be a real asset if we’re doing a sweets café."
That must have been an unexpected proposal for Fusegawa Raito. His stern expression turned to one of surprise, and he fell silent, deep in thought.
"Shindo Ryusuke is good at making sweets? What kind of joke is that?"
"I’m being serious. We’re all working hard on this together. I want to contribute too, using the experience and knowledge I’ve gained. I mean it. Please believe me."
Fusegawa Raito continued to glare at me in silence, while the rest of the class watched the situation unfold with nervous anticipation.
An awkward tension hung in the air, but then Reo stood up and spoke in a calm voice.
"If Ryusuke’s willing to help with the sweets, I’m all for it. I can vouch for his cooking skills. His desserts are always beautiful and taste amazing."
"Come on, Reo. We’re talking about that Shindo Ryusuke here… The guy’s infamous for being a delinquent, and now he’s saying he likes making sweets? That’s just too much of a stretch. And him volunteering to help us? That’s just weird…"
"I can’t let that slide, Raito. Sure, maybe he used to be a delinquent. But the Ryusuke now isn’t someone who would hurt others. If anything, he’s the kind of guy who helps and protects people. Someone you can count on."
"Still…"
As the protagonist of this story, Fusegawa Raito instinctively saw me as the villain. He probably thought I was pretending to help while secretly plotting something nefarious.
The hostility in his eyes hadn’t faded, and even Reo looked troubled, giving a wry smile.
I really hoped he’d accept my offer, but if I pushed any further, it might just make things worse.
If I spoke out too much, the rift between me and Fusegawa Raito would only deepen, just like in the original story.
It’s not like I wanted to sabotage the event that Fusegawa Raito and the heroine were organizing. If things turned sour here, it would affect the preparations later on. I didn’t want my involvement to disrupt the class’s unity and cause the cultural festival to fail.
So I decided to back down quietly and keep things peaceful—but then—
"—Having someone who’s good at making sweets help out is a huge plus. Raito, I get that you’re uneasy, but I think we should just accept Shindo-kun’s offer. It’s definitely the better choice."
A clear, resolute voice rang out through the classroom.
All eyes turned toward the speaker—Himeno Karen.
She was one of the heroines of Fusekoi, the devoted childhood friend who supports the protagonist.
But now, instead of siding with Fusegawa Raito, she had spoken up in support of me and my proposal. It wasn’t just Fusegawa Raito who was thrown off by that—so was I.
It was an action completely unthinkable in the original story, and I found myself staring at Himeno Karen in astonishment.
Noticing my gaze, Himeno Karen turned her face away toward the window with a huff and rested her cheek on her hand, looking annoyed.
"Anyway. If we want our cultural festival to succeed, now’s not the time to be fighting. Let’s all work together and make this sweets café a success. Any objections?"
"W-Well… I mean… Yeah, I guess Karen’s right…"
Faced with the sulking Himeno Karen, Fusegawa Raito couldn’t bring himself to object and reluctantly nodded.
Hanasaki Yuna watched the exchange with a flustered expression, while Reo looked pleased that my proposal had been accepted, nodding in satisfaction.
Though still frowning, Fusegawa Raito turned back to the rest of the class to wrap things up.
"A-Alright then, let’s do our best with the sweets café. Shindo Ryusuke will be in charge of organizing the menu… We’ll figure out the rest of the roles another time. That’s it for today—dismissed!"
And so, the first meeting for the cultural festival came to an end.
Though the villain—me—and the protagonist, Fusegawa Raito, clashed, the end result was that Class 2 would be doing a sweets café.
It was a scene I’d seen in the original story. The details of the conversation were different, but just like oil and water, the protagonist and the villain were destined to clash.
And yet, something happened during the discussion that never could’ve occurred in the original.
The heroine, Himeno Karen, had taken my side instead of Fusegawa Raito’s.
What on earth is going on?
As I glanced at Himeno Karen, who was staring sullenly out the window, I found myself troubled by the mystery unfolding before me.