I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

Chapter 108: Why?

“I like you.”

Minato confessed at the same moment the fireworks burst in the sky.

Honestly, like in typical love comedies, I could have pretended not to hear her over the fireworks.

The fireworks were loud enough to do so.

But could I really ignore the confession that she had bravely made?

And above all, I was curious.

Why Minato, whom I had met only a few times, liked me.

“Why do you like me?”

When I asked directly, Minato hesitated with a slightly embarrassed expression and said,

“And?”

“Your muscles are impressive too…”

After saying that, Minato blushed, seemingly embarrassed.

It seemed like the last thing she mentioned was her true feelings.

I knew all along that she was incredibly serious about muscles.

If that developed into a liking for me, it wasn’t completely unreasonable.

Honestly, I was a bit worried.

If she had liked me for no reason at all, it would have been like my fears coming true.

It was better to have a clear reason.

But that was one thing, and this was another.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can accept those feelings.”

I said to her firmly.

Minato looked shocked.

She bit her lip and then asked,

“Can I know why?”

I scratched my head and said,

“Firstly, to be honest, I’ve never thought of you as more than a junior. We’ve communicated a lot through text, but we haven’t met much in person.”

I could probably count the number of times I’ve met her on my fingers.

The rest of our communication was just over the phone.

Then Minato said urgently,

“If that’s the case, we can slowly get to know each other by meeting more!”

“Do we have the time for that?”

“Uh.”

Minato closed her mouth at my point.

Probably because she realized herself that she had no answer to that.

Unlike me, an ordinary high school student, she was a beloved actress known nationwide.

Naturally, she spent more time outside than at school.

Even if we impulsively started dating, there would hardly be any time to actually meet, and from her standpoint, a scandal would just be inviting unnecessary risk.

“There’s no need to ruin your future just to date me.”

“But!”

I spoke in a gentle tone to Minato, who seemed unconvinced.

“And honestly, I never expected you to confess. We hardly spent any time together.”

“Time isn’t important when it comes to falling in love!”

“Maybe that’s true.”

I agreed with her assertion, but soon added with a bitter smile,

“But to me, it matters.”

That was the end of the conversation.

Minato, with her head hung low, remained silent for a while.

Probably because her brave confession was so bluntly rejected.

Honestly, I had never confessed to anyone directly before, so I couldn’t think of any comforting words for her.

Before I knew it, the fireworks display was nearly over.

When the last firework vanished into the sky, everyone would be heading home.

There I was, unable to act, just looking at Minato in a state of indecision.

Suddenly, Minato raised her head, her eyes firm with resolve.

“I won’t give up.”

“What?”

Her response was totally unexpected.

But she looked me straight in the eye, savoring every word as she spoke.

“I’ll make sure you look at me. Next time, you’ll accept my confession.”

Something about the atmosphere was intimidating.

Usually, when a confession is rejected at such a moment, people give up cleanly, don’t they?

But instead of giving up, she seemed even more determined than before.

Then, she suggested we head back.

“Uh? Uh, okay.”

Despite being rejected just moments ago, Minato’s confident demeanor surprised me, but I followed her down the hill.

Descending the hill with Minato, we found Rika, Sasha, and Karen waiting for us, not having gone home yet.

Feeling their gazes on her, Minato chuckled and said,

“I lost today. But I haven’t given up on being Senior’s girlfriend, so you’ll see me around often.”

The three of them visibly relaxed at her words.

It seemed like they were no longer trying to hide their feelings for me.

Honestly, it was more attention than I thought I deserved, but I never expected to become this popular all of a sudden.

Thinking it might be due to the intertwining with the original story, there remained an uneasy feeling, but I was relieved that it didn’t seem like they liked me without any reason.

If it were truly so, I wouldn’t have been able to accept it.

“Now that the fireworks are over, let’s call it a day.”

“Sounds good.”

“That seems best.”

“I’m tired.”

“Let’s go home.”

After I said that, all four of them agreed.

Thus, the chaotic night of the summer festival passed by.

July, with its intense heat, passed, and before we knew it, it was already August.

The previous festival almost led to awkwardness in my relationships with others, but somehow, I managed to get through it.

Anyway, having overcome a major hurdle, next week we, the members of Group D, were planning to go to the beach.

Then, I might meet Rika, Sasha, and Karen again, but I couldn’t be sure what would happen next time.

I couldn’t pretend to be unaware of their feelings forever.

This must be why most protagonists in love comedies are set to be oblivious.

Knowing they were all good people and having personal affection for them, I couldn’t decide definitively.

Wasn’t this just like managing a fishpond?

Setting aside the headache from complicated relationships with women, I was working hard at the store, helping my parents, and attentively listening to the news on the radio.

[The winner of the 7th GOF recently held in the USA, Mei Ling, arrived today at Narita International Airport. Mei Ling, who can be considered the pinnacle of martial artists in the world, is…]

“Now that I think about it, I wonder what happened to Ivan.”

I heard he went back to his home country with his daughter Sasha during Golden Week, but I hadn’t seen him since.

He was probably fully recovered by now, and hopefully, he wasn’t rampaging around seeking revenge against me.

Back then, I barely managed to defeat him with the help of Senior Fuma, so I wasn’t confident I could win if we met again.

Clatter!

After perfectly cleaning up the table that a customer had just left, I took the dishes to the kitchen.

Most of the tables in the store were dirty due to the peak time that had just ended.

It would take a decent amount of time just to clear the plates and wipe down the tables.

I was so busy working between the hall and kitchen that I even forgot to eat.

Someone came into the store, walking past the curtain at the front.

“Welcome!”

“Is… meal… possible?”

The new customer was a tall woman, a rarity in Japan.

A woman who seemed to be a foreigner, asking me in broken Japanese.

She looked Asian but not specifically Korean, so there was only one option.

“It’s possible. Please come this way.”

She was probably a Chinese tourist.

I brought her a menu with pictures, especially for foreigners, and asked.

“What would you like to have?”

The woman ordered from the menu without much hesitation.

“Grilled meat, please. A lot.”

“Understood.”

The distinct muscle contours visible even through her clothes suggested that she regularly handled a massive amount of exercise.

‘Could she be a martial artist?’

If not, honestly, it’s a level of muscularity not seen in the average person.

Almost like a female powerlifter who’s trained professionally.

After informing my father that we had a yakiniku customer, I brought basic side dishes and a single-serving grill to her table.

Watching the swift preparation right before her eyes, she wore an expression full of anticipation.

She seemed quite hungry.

Seeing that she struggled with Japanese, I asked her just in case.

“Can you speak English?”

To this, the Chinese woman looked surprised at first, then nodded happily with a relieved expression.

“Yes, I can.”

Sure enough, English.

Communicating in English, practically a universal language, was more effective than in broken Japanese.

Afterward, I kindly responded to the Chinese woman’s questions one by one.

Then my father came out of the kitchen with plates of pork belly and neck meat.

As I served the plates, I asked her.

“What brings you to Japan?”

While swallowing eagerly in anticipation of the meat, she earnestly answered my question.

“I came to meet a man I must see.”

“A man you must meet?”

As I asked back, the Chinese woman nodded and said,

“Yes. A Korean named Kim Yu-seong.”