Volume 1 - CH 1.1

Chapter 1: Confessions of a punishment game

Most of my classmates left for Karaoke, leaving the three girls behind. Their voices echoed throughout the empty classroom.

“Yes, Nanami lost. And therefore, you have to accept the punishment as according to the rules.”

“Batsu game! Bastu game! Hooray, I’m glad it wasn’t me.”

“Eh, me?”

At the top of the class hierarchy were the winners in life, the sun’s aura, the cute and beautiful gals; three girls were in the empty classroom playing card games after school.

They didn’t seem to be betting any sort of money; rather, they appeared to be playing around with some kind of punishment game.

Contrary to their flashy appearances, I was pretty impressed by how wholesome they were.

I…Misumai Youshin was a classmate of theirs who just so happened to chance upon this scene.

I had never interacted, nor have I ever conversed with them before in my entire life.

I didn’t come back here to the classroom to eavesdrop on them.

It just so happened that I forgot something, so I came back to get it and happened to run into the three of them.

However, I’ve always been hiding in the background of others ever since the start of school, so I doubt those three would notice me.

Being a gloomy guy always hiding in the shadows despite having the word ‘sun’ in my name, I totally failed to live up to my name.

Not like I cared, though.

As I continued to lean in on their conversation, I found out that they skipped Karaoke just to play some card games, with some weird punishment games included, which honestly surprised me.

I mean, if that was the case, couldn’t they just use the karaoke scores to determine who gets the punishment game?

But none of that really matters to me.

At any rate, I just came back to take the pencil case which I left behind.

I took it from my desk, placed it in my bag, and started to leave the classroom.

Even now, none of the girls seemed to have noticed me as they continued on with their conversation.

My seat was in the back end of the classroom, near the open classroom door, so I left the classroom without making much noise.

However, considering how loud they were, even if the doors were closed, I doubt they could hear me opening the door as their voices would probably drown it all out.

“Hmm…let’s see…what should we make the punishment game about…..hmmmmmm…Ah! I know! A confession! Tomorrow after school, you’re going to confess to a boy you don’t normally associate with!”

“Oh, I like that! It’s a standard punishment game confession!”

“Eh….? A punishment game confession…?”

That girl……I believe her name was Nanami Barato. So she got the punishment game huh?

Barato-san reluctantly replied and sat cross-legged on the desk, despite having a very short skirt.

If you were to stare at her from the front, you would probably be able to see her ‘secret’ parts.

Though I was tempted to do so, I held my ground.

This can’t be helped.

Because even someone like me has their lustful desires, though I wouldn’t do it.

“Confessing to someone and toying with their feelings just because of a punishment game, that’s the worst! A confession is something important, something you should only do with serious feelings…! And only towards the person you actually like…!”

“You say that a lot, but aren’t you the only one among us without a boyfriend, Nanami-chan?”

Barato-san doesn’t have a boyfriend !?

That’s a surprise, I thought all three of them had boyfriends.

Even so, I was expecting Barato-san to go along with the punishment game since she was a gal after all, but she’s surprisingly sensible about it and says morally correct things.

“Yeah, even though you’re the cutest among us, you’ve been turning down confessions left and right every day. Why?”

“That’s…because…men…are scary… every time they confess to me, they always look at my body first…not my face….”

So Barato-san thinks of men as scary creatures, huh?

That’s unexpected.

But could that be the reason for her earlier relief when they declined the karaoke invitation?

Barato-san was at a loss for words when her two other friends…whose names I’ve forgotten, expressed their worries for her in a concerned tone.

No, don’t stop there!

You’re right, Barato-san!

Don’t give up, do your best!

My evaluation of her changed slightly, so I decided to cheer her on.

It was only in my mind, though, so I couldn’t really say it out loud.

“You’re really not used to men at all, Nanami. So, for the time being, confess your feelings to a boy who seems harmless enough and go out with him for a month! That’s your punishment.”

“Eh….? A month….!?”

“The occasion doesn’t matter. We just need you to get used to boys first. We’re really worried about you…if you don’t change your ways soon, some strange guy may attack you one day. I’m really worried….”

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.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

“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…

“I’m against it! You’re playing with people’s hearts like that! Please say no, Canyon-san!”

“I’m grateful that you’re angry, but please don’t say it so casually, Peach-san.”

Canyon is the name of my character in the game. And the one who interrupted me was a female player on my team, Peach-san, with whom I’m pretty good friends.

But I have never met Baron-san or Peach-san even once, so I don’t really know their gender all too well, but Peach-san is probably a girl, in my opinion.

“I don’t care. So why should I? If she’s going to confess, why can’t he just turn her down?”

“Whoa whoa whoa, calm down there, Peachy.”

Baron-san was appeasing the mad Peach-san. The three of us were the only ones in the chat right now, and the others were in the middle of battle, frantically fighting for the qualifying round, so they couldn’t enter our conversation.

It’s a team-wide chat, so I’m sure they’ll see it later. It’s a little depressing to think about it, but for now, it’s just the three of us.

Peach-san said I should refuse her confession, but it’s not that easy. If I, a gloomy person, were to refuse her confession, just how many people would I make enemies with?

And it’s a punishment game, so the fault lies with them, but that’s something that only the parties involved can understand, and more than anything, Barato-san has the advantage. In terms of position, too.

It’s hell to accept and hell to refuse. That’s why I consulted Baron-san.

“Canyon-san, are you now thinking that it’s hell to both accept and decline?”

As if he could see through my thoughts, Baron-san’s comment made my heart beat loudly. I wondered how he could understand my thoughts on a text-only chat application. No, that’s why I consulted him.

“Accept her confession. I think that it would be more beneficial to you.”

“And just how would it be more beneficial to me?”

“Because whether you accept or decline, you’re bound to attract curious and disapproving glances along the way. After all, she’s popular, am I right?”

“Yeah, I heard that she’s extremely popular.”

Barato-san is extremely popular.

I remembered another story about her.

A girl with a cute and cheerful personality who treats all of her classmates with open arms. Due to this being the case, some boys may even think to themselves mistakenly, “Hey, maybe she likes me?” It has been said that boys who misunderstand this are being mass-produced every day.

You could describe her fashion as Gyaru-like. I’ve only ever seen her wear her school uniform, but she always dresses herself up so that she could look as cute as possible, and her skirt is really short, nearly to the point where the hem of her underwear can be seen.

The collar of her uniform was also unbuttoned, exposing that lavish cleavage of hers…because of that, I had the impression that she was playing around, but…

[To think that she was not used to men, that really surprised me……]

Because she’s not used to men, she turned down all the handsome guys who confessed to her, including the athletic team captain, the Yankee guy, and the guy who studies seriously. That must be it, yeah.

I thought she was in a position to choose from a wide variety of men. But since she was not used to men, she never had a chance to accept any of their confessions.

People aren’t always what they seem. I have to remember that.

And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who finds that gap adorable…….but it’s still unexpected nonetheless that she would be confessing to me, even if it’s a punishment game.

“A guy who gets dumped by his girlfriend after a month of dating vs a guy who rejects the popular girl’s confession, who do you think makes a better impression? Obviously, the guy who gets dumped a month after dating the popular girl. Besides…you should think of this as an opportunity.”

“…An..opportunity..?”

By opportunity, does he mean that earlier? No, I don’t think that’s what Baron-san meant by ‘opportunity’.

“If you accept her confession, you’ll be going out with her for at least a month, right? Then during that one month…..try to make her fall head over heels with you.”

“B-Baron-san!? W-What do you mean!?”

“Eh?”

Peach-san and I were both stunned when Baron-san typed out the following words.

It’s a little old-fashioned of me to call it ‘head over heels,’ ain’t it? Did I come off as an uncle to you?”

“That’s not what I’m surprised about, Baron-san.”

My hand stopped moving at his unexpected reply.

Peach-san, too, stopped typing.

“Don’t you see? You have a significant advantage in all of this. You know that this is a punishment game.”

“Yeah, I know…..And how does that give me an advantage exactly?”

“Well then, let me explain. If you didn’t know that this was a punishment game, you would think that she liked you, wouldn’t you?”

He does have a point.

I’m sure that the feeling of superiority when being chosen by the upper caste of the school would bring about a significant change in my inner thoughts.

“well……it is a nice feeling being chosen by the upper caste of the school and having to get carried away with it.”

‘Then I’m sure that when she breaks up with you in a month, you will be able to take it calmly as you know that it was a punishment all along.’

Calm……how am I calm? I would not be consulting Baron-san if I was so relaxed.

Regardless of my feelings, Baron-san continued to chat.

“You can work hard for a month to get her to like you, and then you can say goodbye to her in return, or you can go out with her. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what to do after a month. …… I think you’ll have a more enjoyable high school experience if you continue to go out with her.”

“Baron-san, are you sure you’re not enjoying this?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m having fun, alright. But you have to report back to me. It’s fun to hear about the youth of current high school students.”

I regretted asking for advice for a little while, but the more I listened to Baron-san’s thoughts, the more I concluded that I should accept her confession.

Perhaps I’m being guided to think that way, but I accepted Baron-san’s advice.

And I concluded that I should accept the confession in the punishment game.

“Ah, but remember, she’s a high school student. She’s not used to guys, so don’t go asking for her body all of a sudden.”

“I won’t do that!”

Do you think someone as gloomy as me has the guts to do that!! I was chosen because I don’t have that kind of guts or courage. That’s the premise they have set for the punishment game.

After that, I continued the game while receiving notes and advice from Baron-san about what to do when receiving the confession. Peach-san was against the idea from the very beginning, but in the end, she gave up and didn’t type anything else in the chat.

Did I make her angry? I’m a little worried about her. I should apologize to her next time.

Incidentally, we were able to win the qualifying round of the team competition, after which I was ridiculed in various ways by my other teammates from the chat log.

But that’s a story for another day……
RECENTLY UPDATES