Teruhashi-san wants to be confessed to

Nowhere left to run

Café Mami is as quiet as always, a perfect respite for an introvert like me. Coming here alone and eating coffee jelly in peace is one of my greatest pleasures in life, and now even that got taken away from me. Damn you god.

Opposite me sits Teruhashi Kokomi, the prettiest girl in school, or maybe the whole world (self-proclaimed), a real pain in the neck. Somehow or other she managed to corner me into coming here with her, even though I decided earlier to go home, good grief.

"Welcome! Would you like to or- oH? Saiki and Teruhashi? You don't usually come here together, anything happened?"

The waitress, and our classmate, Mera asked with a curious look on her face. You might be thinking why did I come here, knowing that Mera would see us. Wasn't this supposed to be a secret? The answer is simple, the only thing on Mera's mind is food. In some respects she's just like Nendou. She won't give this a second thought the moment her lunchbreak comes around.

"Hi Mera, don't worry about it its nothing special. Me and Saiki just happened to have the same choices of college so we just came here to share studying strategies. Oh, and I'd like to have this Strawberry cake, and a cup of tea please."

"Oh, so it's about college! Ahh I hope I'll be able to save enough to afford going too... If I set my entire salary from the 6th job aside, and there are no unexpected expenses, I should barely make it."

"You can do it Mera! I believe in you!"

"Thanks! Will it be the usual for you Saiki?"

I nod.

"Ok! I'll bring your orders shortly, enjoy yourselves!"

Mera went away to service the table at the other side of the hall.

"Poor girl, I can't imagine combining studying with even one part-time job, let alone six."

She's built different.

"Speaking of college, I was surprised two of your choices were in Literature, I didn't know you liked reading. What's your favorite kind?"

That would be international works not yet translated in Japanese. Languages aren't a problem for me, and I can't get spoiled telepathically if nobody around me could even read them, but that won't fly as an explanation right now. Other than that, it would be [bad light novels I guess, or gag mangas]. Helps me avoid triggering flags in my own.

"Hmm that's an... interesting answer. Mine would be Western Literature. I have a soft spot for fairy tales in particular, I used to be obsessed with them when I was little." I wanted to become as perfect as the princesses in them, and then a perfect prince would show up to save me in a pinch, and then we would get married in a castle! Ehehehe... just like in that dream I had... a shame something like that can't happen in real life.

Be careful what you wish for.

[I also was surprised you put Economics as your first choice. I had the impression you didn't like math that much.] Judging by her thoughts during exams, she struggles with math the most.

"E-eh, I put it there as a challenge for myself? To see if I can do it." Hairo is that you? "It's a well-paying field after all." You get everything for next to nothing anyway.

[And the colleges are dead average, with your grades you could have aimed for the cream of the top.]

"Thats... I... ... ok ok, you got me! I copied what you wrote when you showed it to us back then."

She admits it.

[You don't have to go that far, it's not worth it. There's still time to make amendments.]