It Turns Out the Beautiful Girl Who Was Supposed to Be Aiming for My Handsome Best Friend Was Actually after Me

The moment the words left my mouth, I immediately realized I had said something I shouldn’t have.

“…Huh? Why…?”

“Because… I just assumed…”

I started to explain, but she stood up and ran off without another word.

All I could do was watch her from behind.

…Huh?… Could it be… she really means…?

At that moment, I understood what that confession meant and why that date was important.

Could it be… maybe I had been dating her all along?

Even that fake date… maybe she thought it was real and not just pretending…

I couldn’t help but grit my teeth.

I was such an idiot…

I had convinced myself that there was no way someone like her could like me…

Even though I should have known more than anyone else how painful that kind of feeling is.

I stood up and ran straight out onto the rooftop.

I rushed down the stairs without thinking and headed toward the classroom.

The moment I stepped inside, I saw Sendou-san crying at her desk, surrounded by her two friends who were trying to comfort her and glaring at me.

“What happened? Are you okay?” one asked while comforting her, and the other said, “Don’t ever bother Ayaka again.”

It was too late for regrets.

No… in the end, this is just who I am.

Hurting others so I don’t get hurt… I was never meant to be a match for someone like her.

“…I’m sorry, Sendou-san.”

I muttered in a voice so small I wasn’t sure if she even heard me.

After that, a hellish time followed.

The girls whispered about me, and even the boys in class who figured out what happened said, “Wow… that’s messed up.”

Of course, it was 100% my fault. I had no right to argue, so I just stayed quiet and somehow made it through the day.

I even sent a message on LINE to apologize properly, but it was never read.

Ah… It’s really over… Seriously…

◇

After school, I was lying on my bed alone in my pitch-dark room.

The curtains were wide open, and I just stared out the window while replaying everything that happened today in my mind.

Sendou-san’s teary face wouldn’t leave my thoughts.

Haa… I feel so down.

Then, without a knock, the door opened, and the light turned on.

“Bright…”

Standing there was Yuuto.

“Yo, Takuya. Are you okay?”

“…I’m not really okay. I messed up.”

“I thought so. Tell me again, what happened?”

I let out a sigh and explained everything that happened on the rooftop.

Yuuto listened quietly.

When I finished, he looked at me with a serious expression, which was unusual for him.

“…Well, it can’t be helped. I get how you feel, Takuya. I’ve seen you get hurt over stuff like this so many times. But… that’s actually why I think you need to face it properly.”

“…You’re right.”

“Well, don’t worry. From here on, just leave it to your best friend Yuuto.”

“…What are you planning to do?”

But Yuuto just said to leave it to him and then left without another word.

◇

8:00 pm.

I got Sendou-san’s contact through a friend and somehow managed to get her to meet me at the park.

Standing there in the cold, I waited for her. She appeared in her cute casual clothes.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and it even looked like tear marks were still on her cheeks.

“Rindou-kun…”

“I’m sorry for calling you out all of a sudden. I just wanted to talk for a bit.”

I bowed my head slightly and gestured for her to sit on the bench.

Sendou-san sat down and asked softly.

“…Talk about what?”

“You probably know already… It’s about Takuya. I heard everything earlier. He really wants to apologize to you.”

“…There’s no need to apologize. I… I just misunderstood.”

Her eyes glisten.

“If possible, I hope you can forgive him. What happened… It’s my fault too.”

“…What do you mean?”

Her voice shook. I took a deep breath and began to explain Takuya’s past.

“Sendou-san, have you ever heard about his past? Takuya and I have been close since we were kids. Not to brag, but a lot of girls try to get close to me first, and then end up getting close to Takuya to become friends with him… Of course, they never tell him that they like me, and then Takuya ends up liking them, he confesses to them, and gets rejected. That kind of thing happened a lot. Because of that, he started thinking that no girl who approached him would ever like him for real…”

Sendou-san lifted her eyes.

“…I think… I heard a little about that story.”

“He never told me, but every time he got rejected, he’d feel really down. But he always hid it with a smile… and over time, he built walls around himself…”

Her eyes slowly widened.

“…I see… so that’s how it was.”

“Exactly. That’s why he couldn’t trust anyone. And he thinks he’s not good enough for someone like you.”

Sendou-san put her hand over her mouth while holding back her tears.

“…Yeah… if I had been more straightforward… maybe the misunderstanding could have been cleared up… but I hurt him…!!”

I shook my head.

“It’s okay. That’s why I want you to talk to Takuya properly, one more time.”

Sendou-san thought for a moment, then nodded.

“…Yeah. I understand. I want to talk too. Rindou-kun, thank you for telling me about Satou-kun’s past.”

Her expression softened a little.

Then, I took her home.

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