I Got Dumped by My Childhood Friend Fiancée Who I Didn’t Even Like, I Thought I Could Finally Have a Peaceful School Life… But Then I Got Targeted by SS-Class Beautiful Young Ladies - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: [Honey Trap] If You Look at It from a Different Angle, It’s Actually the Perfect Setup for a High-Quality Rom-Com

“Really…?”

“Yeah, totally! I’ve got a killer recommendation for you!”

Hearing my answer, Kotone Sanwa lined up beside me in front of the bookshelf, smiling shyly with clear delight on her face.

She ran her eyes across the countless books lined up on the shelf and opened her mouth.

“Wow~! You’re right, there really are tons of books I’ve never seen before.”

From my point of view, every single one was brand new. Honestly, I had no idea if any of them were actually rare or not—but I made sure not to let that show. I kept a gentle smile on my face and spoke slowly.

“Yeah, I guess so. There are quite a few you don’t see much anywhere else… Sorry. Were you maybe hoping to find some rare books?”

“…? What do you mean…?”

“Ah… well, the book I was about to recommend to you, Kotone, isn’t actually that rare or anything…”

“Oh, I see! No, no, it’s totally fine! I’m way more interested in whatever you recommend, Kirishima… By the way, which one…?”

As she spoke, Kotone looked up at the bookshelf, glancing around curiously.

I took one step forward, following her gaze, then reached up to the top shelf with a practiced hand.

I pulled out a single book with a slightly worn yellow spine from the neatly arranged paperbacks.

“There we go… Got it. This is the one.”

“This is… your recommendation?”

“Yep. You might’ve already read it, Kotone, but just in case…”

While saying that, I adjusted my grip so she could see the cover clearly and held the book out to her.

She took it, slowly tracing the title and author’s name with her eyes.

“Um… the title is… Metamorphosis? The author is… Kafka…?”

“Yeah. The full name is Franz Kafka. It was originally written in German, but this is a Japanese translation, so it should be pretty easy to read!”

“Wow~! I’ve seriously never seen it before!! It’s fine! I haven’t read it!”

“Oh, really…? Great~ This book’s pretty thin, but it makes you think a lot, so I’ve been wanting to recommend it to someone and talk about it!”

“Really? …It does feel kinda like something you’d pick, Kirishima.”

“Huh, you think so…? I’m not sure myself…”

As I answered, I gave a small shrug.

No matter how you looked at it, the scene just looked like two people who shared the same hobby—book lovers—having a lively chat.

Even Kotone herself probably couldn’t shake that illusion.

She hugged the copy of Metamorphosis to her chest and looked down at the cover again with genuine interest.

“It really is thin, huh. And yet it makes you think so much…”

“Yeah. It’s the kind of book that stays in your head for days after you finish it.”

“Wow… I might actually like that kind of thing.”

“If that’s the case, I think it’ll suit you. It’s a little strange, a little scary… but somehow really captivating.”

“…Hehe. What’s that supposed to mean? Now I’m even more curious.”

Kotone let out a soft laugh as she said that.

If this were really just an ordinary everyday scene—how peaceful it would have been.

A space with no one else around, a shared hobby, the way our atmospheres blended together… It could have been the kind of special day that feels like the perfect opening to a high-quality rom-com.

But reality isn’t that pretty. She’s trying to trick me, and I, knowing that, am using her to set up a trap. If this were the protagonist of a rom-com, he’d probably feel at least a little guilty… but unfortunately, that’s not me. I don’t feel even a shred of guilt.

“Let me know what you think once you’ve read it!”

“Eh, ah… yeah! Of course!”

Kotone nodded with a slightly delayed reaction to a promise that would never come true.

Then a warm, heavy silence settled between the two of us.

If she would just go home now, that would be perfect. At least then I wouldn’t have to drag her down into hell—

“—Ah… but…”

Her voice cut through the peaceful quiet. It slipped out softly, like she had just remembered something.

“…Yeah?”

“Actually, while I was looking at this shelf… I found a book that caught my eye personally…”

“A book that caught your eye…?”

“U-um! It’s that one over there…”

Kotone pointed at the exact same top shelf where Metamorphosis had been—the spot a little to the right.

“When I was looking at the bookshelf, it really stood out to me… But I’m too short to reach it…”

“…Ah, yeah. The top shelf can be pretty hard to get to.”

“Yeah… so, if it’s not too much trouble… could you get it for me?”

—Here it comes.

I muttered that inside my head, but my expression stayed completely unchanged as I nodded and said, “Of course.”

Right before that—only for a split second—I let my gaze drift across the seemingly empty space, then quickly turned back to Kotone, raised one arm, and asked,

“Sure. …This one?”

“Um, on the right side of that shelf…”

“Right…? Oh, this way?”

“No… a little more to the left?”

The instructions she gave were extremely vague.

She was probably doing it on purpose.

This was clearly meant to lead into that classic “closing the distance” kind of atmosphere. Knowing Ryuki’s personality, it was exactly the kind of staging he would love.

I held back the bitter smile that almost slipped out and instead let a small, deliberate grin show.

“Sorry, I’m not quite getting it… Which one?”

I pointed her toward the natural path so she could do exactly what she wanted.

After fidgeting for a moment, Kotone made up her mind and took a step onto that neatly paved road.

“Eh, ah… then… um…”

Then—right up against me.

She pressed in so close that our bodies were almost touching.

“This! This is the one!”

She stood on her tiptoes and pointed at a book with her slightly trembling index finger.

The smooth hair brushing against my shoulder. The faint sweet scent mixed in. The slightly high-pitched voice ringing right by my ear.

—I see. If someone saw this from the outside, it would probably make a pretty decent picture.

Though the real picture-perfect moment was probably what was about to happen next.

“…This one?”

“Y-yeah…! That’s it!”

I reached toward where her fingertip was pointing and grabbed the intended book.

And in that instant—

—yank.

“…!”

A sudden pull threw off my balance at my feet.

It felt like someone had yanked me forward, and my body collapsed instantly.

There was no time to brace myself or regain my footing.

“Kyaa—!?”

At the same time as Kotone’s small scream, our bodies tangled together and crashed to the floor.

She ended up on the bottom, with me on top… in other words, we landed in the absolute worst possible position.

“…!”

We were so close our breaths mingled. Arms and legs tangled up.

It was way too perfect to be an accident—an unmistakably clear guy-and-girl scene.

And then—

—click!

—snap!

Almost at the same time, two shutter sounds echoed from different directions in the library.

One from the entrance, and one from the back left.

—Perfect. That’s good.

Still with my hand on the floor, I quietly muttered that in my mind.

Kotone, on the other hand, froze for just a split second, then snapped back to herself and pushed me away.

“S-stop…!”

She scrambled to her feet in a panic, lips pressed tightly together, and glanced at me once.

Her expression was no longer the soft smile from earlier—it was clearly rattled.

Then Kotone spun on her heel and rushed toward the library exit like she was fleeing from something dangerous.

“…I’m sorry.”

In the instant she left, I thought I heard those words brush against my eardrums.

Of course, it might have just been my imagination—but whatever. It didn’t matter either way.

Beyond the sliding door that closed behind her, several sets of footsteps hurried away, sounding restless.

In the now-silent library where only I remained, I slowly pushed my still slightly aching body up.

“…I’m sorry, huh.”

I muttered the words to no one in particular.

Then I picked up the book that had fallen on the floor, unconsciously fighting back the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, and quietly spoke toward the library exit.

“That might actually be my line…”