A dare

In their own way, they expressed their worries towards Barato-san.

But I think the way that they are going about it is wrong.

"Basically, it's just a punishment game, so you don't have to keep going out with him, but if you really like him, I guess you could keep going out with him, you know? And even if you guys broke up, he has no way of knowing that this entire thing was a punishment game in the first place, so he wouldn't be so hurt, right? In fact, I think he'll be happy just knowing that you confessed to him and that you're both going out together, even if it's only for a month. We'll never tell him that it's a punishment game either, so it's a win-win!!"

The two friends were trying their best to light a fire in Nanami.

Certainly, if you can go out with someone for a month without letting them know that it's a punishment game, they are unlikely to suffer any emotional trauma. In fact, it might even be a rewarding experience for them.

However, I wonder if the girls were aware of this?

How would the ruffians who so desperately confessed to Barato-san in the past react to this? What would happen to the boy who received Barato-san's confession?

Nanami Barato.

I thought that name sounded familiar, so I pulled up my memory and remembered a quick rumour about her.

That was the name of the legendary woman, known for crushing the hopes and dreams of numerous handsome men who dared to approach…

It's so well known that even I know about it…and I have no doubt that the others will stare at the one who is dating her with a mixture of jealousy, envy, and other emotions.

If it were me, I sure as hell wouldn't be able to handle it.

Their stares will most likely perforate my stomach to the point that it resembles a beehive, and instead of sweating, digestive juices will start pouring out all over my body. Melting me away in the very end.

I'm kidding, but that's practically how high set the bar is.

I don't know who this man is, but there's only one thing I can say to him, "I envy you, and I'm sorry for your loss", as you taste heaven and hell at the exact same time….but that's none of my business.

At the very least, just try your best in a place that you don't know.

I should really stop eavesdropping by now.

I'll just keep everything to myself.

Yeah, that should be fine.

Just as I was about to leave the classroom, their next few words made me freeze in my tracks.

"Tomorrow…you'll be confessing to the quietest-looking boy in the class, Misumai Youshin!!"

Was that my imagination? I swore I heard that name before.

"Misumai….surely he can….yeah…..I'll try….!"

So the enviable and pitiful boy is named Misumai Youshin. That name sure sounds familiar. Yeah, it's a very familiar and family-friendly name. I'm sure we'll hit it off right away if we were to see each other.

Wait, hold up….is there anyone else in the class or the school who has the same name as me? No, there isn't. Yeah….this is no time to be running away from reality.

H-Hey…I'm here, okay…?

I've heard everything you said…including the punishment game confession.

Should I prepare myself for the upcoming event...….?

"B-but then…how should I…go about confessing….?"

"Hmm? Can't you just call him out behind the school building and tell him you like him or something?"

"Oh! Oh! is it going to end up like those shoujo manga scenes? Hang in there, Nanami-chan ♪."

"…By the way, how did you two confess to your boyfriends?"

After that, I went home quietly, unnoticed by the three who had just started their conversation. My mind was whirling around from what I had just heard. I felt restless. This situation was entirely unlike me at all.

Fortunately, by the time I got home, no one was there to witness the state of panic written on my face.

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"And that's what happened to me, Baron-san. What should I do?"

"Hahahaha. A punishment game confession? It sure is good being a high school student. That's what youth is about, after all."

The moment I returned home, I immediately logged on to my chat application to talk to Baron-san, a member of the team in a certain social network game, about what happened today.

However, today was also the day of our team's crucial qualifying round, so I felt guilty about asking him in the middle of our match. But thankfully, he responded to my request.

I don't have many friends at school, but there are many people you can talk to on the internet.

In this day and age, friends aren't just limited to the confines of school. You can even find them on the internet. I, for one, just didn't bother finding any at school.

By the way, I chat on my phone and play games on my computer. I'm not very good at voice chatting myself, so I'm taking the easy way out.

"It's no laughing matter, Baron-san. Try being confessed to in a punishment game yourself."

"I can afford to laugh since it's not my problem. Also, have you noticed? Even though you seem pretty gloomy in the class, they recognize you as some sort of 'quiet' boy. I'm a little relieved."

That was certainly a surprise to me as well.

However, the fact that they knew my name rather than my involvement in the confession game was the biggest surprise of the day for me.

Maybe the three of them didn't know who I was from the very beginning. That must be why I was able to sneak out of the classroom.

And most likely, tomorrow's the day I'll get confessed to.

"So what should I do, Baron-san? Concerning the punishment game confession, I'm really at a loss."

"No, it's fine. Why don't you just go out with her? You don't have a girlfriend, do you? And plus, wouldn't this be a great chance for you to get used to girls and a good chance for her to get used to boys?"

I couldn't help but sigh at the content of Baron-san's reply, which he said so comfortably. How much easier would it be if I could make that choice…