CFVT – Vol 1 Chapter 4 Part 2 – Love Talk with an Introvert is Difficult

And so the question was resolved… somehow? With that, Ayaka moved on to the next question.

“Alright, let’s move on to the next one! This one is… oh, it’s from a ReiBoy! It’s from SourGrapes-kun!” (Rei)

“That’s an interesting name.” (Rui)

“[Rei-san, guest Lily-san, and Ramen Man-san, hello!]” (Rei)

“Oi.” (Rui)

Comment:『LOL』

Comment:『LOL』

Comment:『LOL』

“Uhihi, Ramen Man…! Ramen Man…!!” (Lily)

Lily, perhaps reminded of that distinctive visual, continued laughing. Caught up in her laughter, Ayaka temporarily paused reading the letter…

“…Sorry, you can go on, Rei.” (Lily)

“Yeah, okay. [I’m in middle school, and on this year’s Valentine’s Day, I received handmade cookies from a girl I haven’t talked much to. Since then, I can’t stop thinking about her. Does this mean she likes me back? If so, should I confess…?]” (Rei)

“…” (Rui)

Here it is, that question… It pains me to give serious advice to this middle schooler, but it’s probably tougher for them to continue misunderstanding…

“Well, I think she might like you. So I think you should confess soon… What do you think, Rui?” (Rei)

“Are you serious, Rei… I think it’s a no-go. Like, a high chance.” (Rui)

“Huh, why!?” (Rei)

Comment:『Well, that makes sense.』

Comment:『Isn’t it just an obligation kind of gift?』

Comment:『No, if it’s handmade, some thought must have been put into it.』

Comment:『I’m with Rei on this.』

The comments are divided into two camps, with supporters for both Rui and Rei… Wow, it’s getting intense. Almost like a debate show now.

“Since the letter doesn’t provide much detail, I’m speculating from my perspective… First, receiving cookies on Valentine’s Day is a key point. When you think of Valentine’s, what’s the typical gift?” (Rui)

“I know, Rui! It’s chocolate!” (Lily)

“Lily’s correct. Yes, Valentine’s is traditionally about giving chocolate.” (Rui)

Comment:『But can’t you give other things besides chocolate?』

Comment:『Muffins or cookies could work too, right?』

Comment:『Some people don’t like chocolate, you know!』

“I get everyone’s points, but we’re discussing the norm here… So, instead of focusing on chocolate, we should think about why cookies were chosen.” (Rui)

“Then, Rui, why do you think she chose cookies?” (Rei)

“I think she’s probably good at baking. It’s different from just melting and molding store-bought chocolate into something that passes as homemade, which some classmates might do.” (Rui)

“Rui… Aren’t you making enemies with all the middle school girls nationwide? Are you okay?” (Rei)

I felt like I might have gone too far, but I don’t really have female fans anymore anyways… More importantly, I thought it was important to show him the reality! So I stepped up my game here and passionately appealed to everyone.

“…So she made cookies! But for those who’ve done it before, you know you can actually make a lot of cookies! Of course, it takes time and effort because you have to bake multiple batches!” (Rui)

Comment:『Huh?』

Comment:『Oh?』

Comment:『The topic suddenly changed.』

Comment:『Could it be…』

“By making a lot of cookies, naturally, she can give them to more people… In other words! Even to classmates you haven’t talked much to, you now have extra to give them as well!” (Rui)

Comment:『Nooooooo!』

Comment:『Stop ittttttt!』

Comment:『So that’s what you meant!!』

The comments were in an uproar, but I pressed on.

“Furthermore, even though it just says ‘cookies’ here, they might have been chocolate cookies for someone special, or perhaps they were shaped into cute designs!” (Rui)

Comment:『Aaaaaaaah!!』

Comment:『Please stop!』

Comment:『Stop it already!』

Comment:『Stop it, Rui! The questioner’s life is already at zero!』

“…That’s all. Rei, are you convinced?” (Rui)

“Uh… yeah, well, I guess I’m convinced, but… I think I might understand a bit why Rui doesn’t have many friends.” (Rei)

“Eh?” (Rui)

Ayaka’s words made his heart tighten. Not with a flutter, but with a tight squeeze… Am I really that tactless?

“Well then, based on Rui’s answer… what did Lily-chan think?” (Rei)

Here, Ayaka turned the conversation to Lily. I think her response to my statement must have been quite challenging… After a brief hesitation, Lily spoke up.

“Well… it’s true that Rui’s thoughts might not be entirely wrong… but! At the very least, I don’t think anyone dislikes you! No one would give cookies to someone they hate, no matter how many they baked!” (Lily)

With that, she encouraged the questioner. And Lily continued on…

“So you should be confident! I don’t know if that girl likes you or not, but relationships can change in any way! So why don’t you start by asking her how to make the cookies?” (Lily)

She even gave advice to the questioner. Ah, Lily is such a good girl…!

Comment:『Perfect answer』

Comment:『Lily-chan is so kind…』

Comment:『I wish Lily would hold a consultation session』

Comment:『I’ll become a fan of Lily-chan!』

Compared to Lily’s perfect answer… I… I…!

“…Somehow, I feel embarrassed about myself now.” (Rui)

Comment:『LOL』

Comment:『LOL』

Comment:『It’s good that you can reflect on it』

Comment:『Isn’t it good though?』

Comment:『But I think Rui’s realistic advice is necessary too』

Comment:『Lily-chan is the one who empathized with the questioner the most, though…』

👻👻👻

──After that, we answered several more questions. Well, some of them were questionable whether we actually solved them, but the comments were lively, so let’s call it a win…

“Fuu we read quite a lot. I guess it’s about time to wrap up?” (Rei)

“Eeeh? It’s already over!?” (Lily)

“Well, it’s been over two hours.” (Rui)

The clock under the monitor showed ’22:24′. According to the schedule, the stream should have ended a long time ago.

“Is that so…” (Lily)

But Lily’s voice clearly sounded sad. Honestly, ending this fun time made me feel a bit lonely too…

“Then, let’s read one last simple one! We’ll answer it and end the stream?” (Rei)

Reading the mood, Ayaka made that suggestion to us.

“Ah, sounds good to me.” (Rui)

“Yeah, got it!” (Lily)

Lily agreed with the proposal energetically… Ayaka, hearing this, smiled and started reading the letter.

“Alright, this will be the last one! A letter from Sudeire-chan! [Hello, Rei-chan, Rui-kun, and Lily-chan]!” (Rei)

“Oh, someone actually read our names properly…” (Rui)

It should be normal, but why does this make me so happy…?

“[Tell us about situations that make you feel flustered!] … it says!” (Rei)

“… Is that it?” (Rui)

“That’s it!” (Rei)

Is that really something people want to know…? Well, we didn’t discuss this question during the prep meeting, and Ayaka probably chose it because it seemed quick to answer. But being asked about situations that make you feel flustered… Is that something you can come up with on the spot?

“So… who wants to go first?” (Rei)

“Me, me! I’ll go first!” (Lily)

“Ohh!” (Rei)

It’s not something you’d usually volunteer for so eagerly… And then, Lily, perhaps lost in her imagination, started speaking with a giggle.

“Hehe. For me, I’d like it if someone pressed a cold can of juice against my cheek and said something like, ‘Lily, you seem a bit down lately. Are you okay?’ …or something like that!” (Lily)

Comment:『Classic』

Comment:『So cliché』

Comment:『Is this an old shoujo manga?』

Comment:『Isn’t that something a girl manager would do?』

Comment:『Does Lily even have times when she’s not cheerful?』

“Yeah, that’s pretty cliché…” (Rui)

“Hey, it’s nice, right!? It would make your heart flustered, wouldn’t it!?” (Lily)

Well, I’ve only ever seen something like that in fiction. And more importantly…

“If someone did that to me suddenly, I’d probably just get mad and say, ‘Whoa, that’s cold!'” (Rui)

“…Rui, how can you know if you’ve never experienced it?” (Lily)

“Stop saying things I can’t argue with.” (Rui)

Comment:『LOL』

Comment:『LOL』

Comment:『Strong comeback』

Comment:『That’s a forbidden move』

“Hmm. So, what kind of things make you flustered, Rui?” (Lily)

And then Lily asked me. Hmm… Even if you say ‘flustered’, there are various types of it. Well, for example…

“Well… maybe if a kouhai (junior) made a bento and said, ‘I made this for you, Rui-senpai! I’m not confident, but I’d be happy if you ate it…’ and handed it over shyly, that might get to me…” (Rui)

Comment:『Whoa』

Comment:『Oh wow…』

Comment:『Cringe voice acting』

Comment:『Why does it have to be a kouhai?』

Comment:『But honestly, I get it』

Comment:『Rui didn’t get to have that kind of youth…』

The comments were quite off-putting… but the two of them remained silent.

“…Say something, Lily.” (Rui)

“Well, I think it’s not good to interfere with someone’s ideals…” (Lily)

“I don’t need that kind of kindness!” (Rui)

Nono, if you think it’s cringy, just say so! I find it tougher to endure the looks of pity in silence.

“Haa… Well then, since we both said embarrassing things, how about hearing Rei’s answer?” (Rui)

Finally, I asked Ayaka… and as if she had prepared it beforehand, Ayaka smoothly gave her answer.

“Yeah, for me… I think I’d be happy if someone came to help me when I’m in trouble or feeling down. And if they gently patted my head… I think I’d be even happier!” (Rei)

Comment:『Nice』

Comment:『Cute』

Comment:『Sensible』

Comment:『The first two were too intense』

Comment:『Rui and Lily are just too into anime』

Ayaka’s answer was relatively praised, but for me, even the act of patting someone’s head is purely fictional. And besides…

“…Rei, you say that, but only if he’s handsome, right?” (Rui)

“Huh? Ahaha! Well, yeah, I guess so. It would probably take a reliable prince charming type for it to make me flustered!” (Rei)

“I thought so. Ahh, I shouldn’t have asked…” (Rui)

“…Rui, why do you sound so sad?” (Lily)

“W-What!? What are you talking about, Lily?! I’m definitely not sad at all!?” (Rui)

Taken aback by Lily’s unexpected remark, I retorted in a strange voice. No way! Why should I feel sad just because I asked about Ayaka’s ideal situation…!?

Comment:『LOL』

Comment:『LOL』

Comment:『Cute』

Comment:『Are you in elementary school?』

“Ahaha! Well then, let’s wrap it up here today! Thanks everyone for sticking around for so long! Rei, signing off!” (Rei)

Ayaka, not missing a beat to end on a good note, began to end the stream. Following that, Lily and I also said our farewells.

“Bye, everyone~!” (Lily)

“Yeah… good work.” (Rui)

Comment:『Good job, Rei!』

Comment:『Good job~』

Comment:『That was fun!』

Comment:『It was entertaining!』

Comment:『Looking forward to another collaboration from the three of you!』

Comment:『You had an excellent balance.』

After catching our breath, Ayaka ended the stream.

“Man, today was really fun!” (Lily)

“Haha, great job to both of you! …Hey, Rui. How about I make you a bento next time?” (Rei)

“Why would you do that?” (Rui)

👻👻👻

After the stream ended like that, we chatted a bit and then disbanded the voice call. At one point, Ayaka asked me various things about bento ingredients, which caught my attention… Could she really be planning to make me a bento? Well, it could be a joke too, so I shouldn’t get my hopes up too much… Ayaka must have her own busy schedule too, after all…

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Thanks for reading!

For the Valentine’s cookie one, I can totally understand where MC’s coming from. I think it’s normal for a man to be cautious and not want to misunderstand, which, in turn, leads to thoughts similar to what MC said. 

If she’s asking for ingredients, she’s 100% gonna make it. Now, I wonder if she’ll call him senpai too.

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