I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life After Transferring, but I Fell into a Rom-Com Trap and a Hidden Battlefield No One Knows About - Chapter 29: What the hell?! Nakano Ouka betrayed me even though she promised not to exercise?!

Chapter 29: What the hell?! Nakano Ouka betrayed me even though she promised not to exercise?!

Lunchtime came right after P.E. class, and I was sitting on the stairs outside the classroom, absentmindedly gazing at the sky.

But this wasn’t just me killing time—I actually forgot my money today, so I couldn’t buy lunch…

Since my wallet was empty, going to the convenience store wasn’t an option either.

Luckily, the school had drinking water, so I was barely getting by. But still, if only I had something to eat… I sipped on water, trying to suppress the hunger.

It had no taste at all, but surprisingly, it filled me up—at least for a little while. That fullness, however, quickly faded.

If only I had some instant coffee, it’d make things feel a whole lot better! I mean, even if my stomach feels full from just water, my taste buds are left completely unsatisfied. A bit of coffee would instantly lift my mood!

“Misaki-kun, what’re you doing here? The classroom has air conditioning, so why not go inside?”

As I was staring blankly at the sky, Nakano suddenly appeared before me.

“Nothing much, just drinking water. I forgot my lunch, so I’m making do with just this.”

“Huh? You forgot your lunch? Then why not just go to the convenience store?”

Instead of answering right away, I shoved my hand into my pocket, pulled out the fabric of my empty pouch, and showed it to her.

“See? My pockets are empty. If I had money, I would’ve gone already.”

“Oh, you’re out of cash? Then I’ll lend you some so you can go.”

“For real?!”

Nakano-san, you are truly my goddess!

Just when I was about to die of starvation, you appeared before me and saved my life!

From this day forward, I shall follow you forever!

“Of course. But you have to pay me back! With interest!”

What the hell?! What kind of devil is she?! Charging interest even on a small loan—this is no goddess, but a demon in disguise!

“Wha—?”

“Ehehe, just kidding~! Wait here a sec.”

What is with this girl…?

She reached into her pocket, rummaged around a bit, then quickly pulled out a few bills and handed them to me.

“Here, take this. Hurry up and go buy something to eat. No need to pay me back.”

Oh no.

That devil I mentioned earlier? That was me. Me! How could I think such things about someone who just helped me out?! I deserve to die! I should slap myself right now!

“Ohhh! Thanks, Nakano-san! By the way, what brought you here?”

“I came to play games with Ayana-chan and Momiji-chan. The loser has to treat everyone to drinks.”

“So, you lost?”

“Yeah… Now I have to go to the convenience store and buy drinks for everyone. Oh, hey, wanna come with me?”

“Sure, why not? Let’s go!”

And so, the two of us headed toward the convenience store, each with our own mission.

However, on the way, there was barely any shade, and it was exactly noon—the sun was beating down on us like it was trying to roast us alive.

Nakano, walking beside me, kept fanning herself with both hands and wiped the sweat off her forehead with a hand towel.

I could still endure it since I was a guy. My hair was short, and I only had my uniform shirt on my upper body. But Nakano was different.

She had long hair and was wearing a fitted inner layer beneath her uniform. Just watching her struggle against the scorching sun made me feel suffocated.

“It’s so hot… I feel like I’m gonna dry up and die…”

“Then why don’t you cut your hair short like me? Short hair is much cooler.”

…Not that I was feeling all that cool myself. I was already nearing my limit, too.

“No way! If I cut it short, people will say I look like a boy!”

“Who cares? If you’re pretty, any hairstyle will suit you. Long hair has its beauty, and short hair has its own charm too.”

“Nope, not happening! Then how about this—when winter comes, you should grow your hair long like me so you won’t be cold, Misaki-kun.”

“Hell no! People would call me ‘girly’!”

“Who cares? Long hair has its coolness, and short hair has its own coolness too!”

Nakano threw my own words right back at me with a cheeky smirk.

So this is what they call “getting cut down with your own blade,” huh?

“…Yeah, let’s just pretend I never said that.”

No point arguing when I obviously wasn’t going to win.

“Huh? What’s this?”

As we arrived at the convenience store, Nakano suddenly noticed a poster near the entrance.

“An art film contest? I feel like someone in our class was talking about this recently.”

She stared at the poster as she spoke.

Now that she mentioned it, I vaguely remember hearing about it too.

“Meh… School always holds these pointless contests. Let’s go, it’s got nothing to do with us. I’m starving.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

And with that, the two of us stepped into the convenience store.

“Art” might not even be a real thing.

Most people don’t even understand what art is, and the definition itself is such a vague concept.

That’s why people end up calling weird stuff “art” or creating things without even knowing what they’re making.

Inside the store, a variety of bento boxes lined the shelves. But as always, I went with my favorite—unajuu (grilled eel over rice).

Glad they had unajuu here. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t have known what to get.

By the way, there are three things I think are the most delicious in this world:

First, the meals my parents cook.

Second, the curry rice that Kotone makes.

And third, unajuu.

“Huh? Misaki-san, you like unajuu too?”

“Yeah. I mean… On my first day after transferring, I went to buy a bento at the convenience store, but the very last unajuu was taken by someone else. I couldn’t decide what to do and almost ended up being late.”

“Huh? Y-Your first day after transferring?”

“Yup.”

“Was that… April 10th?”

“That’s right. If I ever run into that idiot again, I’m gonna buy up every single unajuu there and make sure they don’t get to eat any!”

Yeah… My first day after transferring. That exact day, my older brother had to leave DARK City for a mission, so there was no one to make me lunch.

So, as usual, I had to buy something from the convenience store.

But that day, I left home late. I rushed to pick out a bento so I could head straight to school, but there was only one unajuu left—

And that girl took it.

Because of that, I got stuck choosing a bento and nearly ended up late for school!

If I hadn’t been a transfer student that day, it would’ve been seriously bad…

But wait, how does she know that my transfer date was April 15th?

“Ah, come to think of it, how do you know it was April 15th—Whoa! H-Hey, what the hell are you doing!? Are you trying to kill me!?”

Suddenly, Nakano shoved me against the fridge by the drinks section, grabbed my collar, and jabbed my chin with the cap of her thermos.

Her sudden movement startled me so much, I thought my heart was gonna jump out of my chest.

What the hell!? This is way too scary!

Her eyes were razor-sharp, locked onto me with a deadly seriousness as she spoke.

“Do you remember the face of the person back then?”

The way she said it… it was like she was radiating actual bloodlust. What the hell just happened!?

“Huh? Even if you ask me out of nowhere, I don’t remember!”

Crap! Nakano’s intensity was overwhelming—it was like I was staring at Sasaki-sensei or something.

But seriously, I really don’t remember! I completely forgot!

Why is she reacting like this all of a sudden!?

“I see… So you don’t remember…”

Nakano let out a deep sigh.

“Yeah! Geez… you scared the hell outta me! But the person who came out of the convenience store back then almost tripped—looked like a total idiot, honestly.”

“…Oh… What an idiot indeed… Huh? Wait, what the hell are you saying!?”

Suddenly, Nakano jabbed my neck again with her thermos.

“You just called me an idiot, didn’t you!?”

“Huh!? I was talking about the person who took my unajuu back then—it’s got nothing to do with you!…Wait a sec. That reaction… Don’t tell me it was you—”

“N-No! It wasn’t me! It’s nothing!”

In the end, Nakano finally let me go.

What the hell is up with her…?

“I wasn’t completely sure at the time, but now that I think about it… The person trying to buy unajuu at the convenience store that day was definitely you, Misaki-kun… That’s why, when I first saw you, I had this weird nostalgic feeling—like I’d seen you somewhere before.

So that’s the reason… But still! Calling me an idiot just for taking an unajuu—that’s so mean! I’m not an idiot at all!”

Nakano turned her back to me and mumbled something as she walked away, but her voice was so quiet I couldn’t hear a thing.

“Hey, you okay?”

I waved my hand in front of her face.

“Ah! Yeah, yeah, I’m fine… Hey, Misaki-kun, are you sure you don’t remember that person’s face?”

“Of course not. I mean, do you realize how much time has passed? But if it was you, you’d totally be mad, right?”

“Haha… Y-Yeah, probably! A-Anyway! Let’s go pay at the register!”

She laughed, but it was obviously forced.

That smile… It totally looked fake.

Could it really have been her…? No way…

After that, we both went to the register, paid for our things, and headed out of the convenience store.

“Ah, a scale!”

Right then, Nakano suddenly noticed a weighing scale. It looked pretty new, and there was even a height measurement device next to it.

Wait, why the hell is there a scale here? Aren’t these usually in gymnasiums or the nurse’s office?

“Hehe~ I guess I’ll check my weight again~”

Nakano beamed as she stepped onto the scale.

But barely two seconds passed before her smile completely vanished, and her face darkened fast.

The change was so sudden it actually startled me.

“H-Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I gained weight…!”

“Huh? W-Wait, what?”

“I gained two whole kilos! Two kilos!”

“……”

Hold up.

Is it really necessary to react this dramatically over just two kilos?

I was more shocked at how intense her reaction was—damn, this is bad for my heart. If she keeps this up, I might actually develop a heart condition.

But I’ve heard that girls are really sensitive about their weight, so I guess this kind of reaction is normal…?

“Two kilos isn’t even that much. You don’t look like you’ve gained weight at all. Maybe it’s just—”

“Huh? Did you just say something?”

“N-Nope! Nothing! Absolutely nothing!”

Crap! That was close!

If she heard me just now, she’d totally think I was some kind of pervert!

I’m a respectable guy, okay!? I don’t wanna be called a creep!

I mean, if it was just a natural fluctuation, that’s normal, right? That’s not pervy at all!

“Nope! That’s it! I’m definitely going on a diet! I need to exercise!”

“Huh? You’re making such a big deal over just two kilos?”

“Of course! It’s a huge deal! After school, I’m gonna work out on the sports field. And you’re coming with me, Misaki-kun!”

“Huh? Me? I don’t even need to diet—”

“Too bad! You’re coming! That’s final! I’ll come get you after school!”

Saying that, Nakano turned on her heel and walked off, leaving me standing there.

What the hell, traitor!

She always complains about how much she hates exercising, but now she’s suddenly dragging me into it!?

Just an hour ago, she was whining about how much she didn’t wanna work out!

And now she’s saying she’s gonna do it, and worse—she’s making me join!?

You traitor, Nakano! You damn traitor!

“Oi! Don’t just decide things on your own!”

I chased after Nakano, calling out to her.