Tanaka-san Is Cuter Than the Main Heroine - Chapter 06: Tanaka-san Is Super Caring!

Chapter 06: Tanaka-san Is Super Caring!

Another super important question—part four:

What kind of person do you think is really popular?

Is it someone with a pretty face?

Someone who’s amazing at sports?

Or maybe someone with a ton of money?

Sure, everyone has their own opinion.

But if you ask me?

The people who are truly popular… are the ones who take care of others.

Yeah, sure, those other types—good-looking, athletic, rich—they definitely get attention.

Handsome guys, cute girls, rich kids… people naturally gather around them.

But most of the time, it’s just surface-level attraction.

People aren’t really in love with who they are.

They’re more into the idea of it.

Like, “Wow, I’m dating a total hottie,” or “Score, I landed someone with money.”

It’s about the image, the status.

So yeah, they’re popular—but it’s not always real popularity.

It’s convenience.

It’s projection.

That’s why, in my opinion, looks and money aren’t what matter most.

They help, sure—but they’re not the key to being genuinely popular.

What is important is creating moments where people really get to know you.

And for that, being kind and dependable is everything.

When you’re the kind of person who helps others, people start to rely on you.

And when they rely on you, they talk to you more.

You spend more time together.

And in that time, you’re there for them. You listen, support, help out.

It’s hard not to develop feelings for someone who’s always looking out for you.

Do it enough, and the goodwill starts to stack up.

Unless they’ve got a heart of stone, they’ll start seeing you in a new light.

They’ll notice little things about you they never paid attention to before.

And before you know it—bam.

Those little sparks of affection start to grow.

Pretty solid logic, right?

Fufun. Not bad, huh?

…Well, okay.

I didn’t exactly come up with this on my own.

It just… kind of hit me one day—

After watching a certain someone.

“Oh? Nakayama-kun, what are you doing here all alone, looking all dramatic?”

“Ah—Akizuki-senpai. ‘Sup.”

Now then—

The person who made me realize all that stuff about real popularity is the very same person standing in front of me right now.

A stunning red-haired beauty with a flawless figure, who just called out to me near the staff storage room—

None other than Madoka Akizuki-senpai.

She’s one of the Shikihime.

And hands down the most popular student in the entire school.

Akizuki-senpai is ridiculously pretty.

At first glance, she gives off this cool, distant vibe, like she might be hard to approach.

But the truth is the complete opposite.

She’s warm, thoughtful, and amazing at connecting with people.

She’s the kind of person who listens—really listens.

She notices when something’s wrong, figures out what you need, and helps in just the right way.

Total MVP energy.

It’s not just the guys who admire her—she’s just as loved by the girls.

Actually, probably even more so.

Last year, when she ran for student council president?

She got every single vote.

No joke.

It was such a flawless landslide that even I had to laugh.

“Fufu. ‘Sup. So, Nakayama-kun—what exactly are you doing here?”

With a laid-back smile, she echoed my greeting.

And yeah, just from that alone, you can probably tell we’re on pretty good terms

Honestly, when I first started school, I didn’t think we’d ever even talk.

We were in different grades, and people like her seemed way out of my league.

But during the cultural festival, I got roped into the planning committee—and she was there too.

She helped me out a ton, and that’s how we became friends.

Since then, she’s been kind enough to hang out with me every so often.

Well… I’m guessing it’s kind of like how things are with Haruno.

She probably appreciates that I don’t get all starstruck around her.

I’m not like, “Whoa! You’re amazing, Akizuki-senpai!!” or “You’re so cool!!”

I just talk to her like a regular person.

And I guess that makes it easier for her to relax around me.

“Actually, our homeroom teacher asked me to move some materials for tomorrow’s class, but one of the boxes turned out to be way too heavy to carry alone. So yeah… I’ve just been standing here, trying to figure out what to do.”

“I see. Well then, I’ll help you out. I don’t have any student council stuff today anyway.”

“For real!? You’re the best—thanks!”

Honestly, I was in a bit of a bind.

The teacher who gave me the job had to leave on a sudden business trip, so I ended up stuck with the task.

Akizuki-senpai offering to help?

Total lifesaver.

I gave her a quick bow and thanked her.

But then—for some reason—Senpai started scratching her cheek, looking a little flustered.

“It’s just… you’ve been helping me out a lot lately, Nakayama-kun…”

“Okay, can you not say it like that? Sounds way too suggestive.”

“H-Huh!? What are you even talking about?! I just meant you’ve been telling me about Kaisei-kun’s interests and hobbies!”

Yep. Figured.

She’s one of the main heroines, after all. No way she’s into me.

Her heart’s already locked in a Kaisei-shaped box.

She was probably daydreaming about him again—some lovey-dovey (maybe even R-rated) fantasy playing in her head.

And sure enough, the second I teased her, her whole face turned bright red.

Classic closet perv behavior, Senpai.

“Alright, alright. Can you grab that side for me? I kinda wanna get this done and go home.”

“Haven’t you been treating me a little coldly lately, Nakayama-kun?”

“Totally your imagination.”

Ignoring the perv senpai who was clearly off in her own little world, probably daydreaming about inappropriate stuff right in front of her underclassman, the two of us teamed up and lugged the massive cardboard box all the way to the classroom.

“Thanks for the help, Senpai. Let me buy you a drink or something.”

The box turned out to be way heavier than I expected, so I pulled out my wallet, ready to treat her as thanks.

But Akizuki-senpai just gave a small shake of her head.

“No need. I only helped because I wanted to thank you, remember?”

“Alright then. How about just tagging along while I grab a drink? I’m dying of thirst over here.”

Her answer was exactly what I thought it would be.

That’s why I had already prepared a little counterattack—a clean follow-up I’d been saving for just this situation.

And sure enough, she blinked in surprise.

“Fufu… You really are a sharp-tongued underclassman, aren’t you? Very well. If that’s the case, I—Madoka Akizuki—shall accompany you!”

Smiling playfully, she gave my shoulder a light tap, and the two of us headed out toward the vending machines outside.

As we walked, the sound of light music drifted over from across the campus—

The brass band must’ve been practicing in one of the other buildings.

“Ooh, that’s from Blue Box, right? The song sameblue.”

Just as I was trying to place the tune, Akizuki-senpai beat me to it.

“You know that song, Akizuki-senpai?”

“Yup. It’s the opening for an anime. I’m not really into action stuff, but Blue Box is a romance series, so it’s totally my kind of thing. I actually watched the anime first—it was so good, I ended up buying the entire manga too.”

“Whoa, seriously? That’s kinda surprising… Actually, no. Not that surprising. You are a girl, after all.”

“I’m not just a girl—I’m a full-fledged maiden, thank you very much!”

Hearing Senpai talk about anime and manga felt a little surreal, considering how elegant and composed she usually is.

But then I remembered seeing her student profile once. It did say she liked romance manga.

(I wonder if Tanaka-san’s read it too…)

That random thought floated into my head—and now I couldn’t stop imagining what Tanaka-san’s character profile would look like.

If it existed, it’d probably say something like: “A goddess-tier beauty who puts even the main heroines to shame.”

While I was daydreaming that nonsense, the brass band finished their song, and suddenly I heard cheerful voices coming from across the schoolyard.

“Nice, nice! You played it all the way through this time! Barely any mistakes—you were amazing!”

“Thank you! It’s all thanks to Tanaka-senpai for teaching me so patiently!”

“I only gave you a couple tips here and there. You nailed it because you worked hard, Hamada-san.”

I turned toward the voices—and there she was.

Tanaka-san, gently patting a first-year girl’s head and praising her with a warm smile.

“Wha—!?”

(I’m so jealous!! Hey, you—first-year girl—switch with me!! I’ll pay a billion yen!!)

“Uhh… what’s going on, Nakayama-kun?”

I accidentally blurted out loud from sheer jealousy, and Akizuki-senpai turned to me with a mix of surprise and curiosity in her eyes.

Not good. If she caught on that I had a thing for Tanaka-san, it’d turn into a whole mess.

So I tried to play it cool.

“It’s nothing, really.”

“Hmm? That so? Now I’m super curious~ Like, ridiculously curious~”

But of course, she wasn’t buying it.

Now she was pestering me like a cat that just spotted a twitching string.

“Seriously, it’s nothing.”

“Ehh~ That voice? That face? Textbook ‘something happened!’ Just give in already~ Spill it~!”

She kept going, even after we reached the vending machine. It was starting to get really annoying—and right when I was about to snap back…

Tanaka-san came walking out of the school building.

“Oh, Nakayama-kun? It’s rare to see you here this late. And with the student council president, no less.”

Tanaka-san blinked in surprise, clearly thrown off by the unexpected combo.

“Well, Yamamoto-sensei asked me to help carry some materials for tomorrow’s class. Senpai here just happened to lend a hand. We’re on break now, and I was thanking her.”

“Hey, hey! Can you believe this guy? Nakayama-kun’s being suuuper stubborn and won’t tell me anything! Since you’re his classmate, maybe you know how to get him to talk?”

The moment I finished explaining, Senpai—clearly sensing the perfect chance to gang up on me—turned toward Tanaka-san with a mischievous grin.

“Ah, um…”

Tanaka-san looked flustered as the student council president suddenly latched onto her.

“You probably shouldn’t take her too seriously, Tanaka-san.”

I couldn’t just stand by and watch, so I stepped in to help.

As expected, Akizuki-senpai immediately turned her attention back to me.

“How mean! Nakayama-kun, I really think you need to work on respecting your senpai more!”

“I do respect people I think are worth respecting.”

“What was that~!? So cheeky!”

“You two get along well, don’t you?”

Tanaka-san watched our back-and-forth with a gentle smile.

(Crap. This is bad. She might get the wrong idea and think I’ve got feelings for Akizuki-senpai. I need to clear this up—fast.)

“It’s not like we’re close or anything, really. Anyway, why are you here, Tanaka-san?”

I cut in a little more sharply than I meant to, changing the subject in a hurry.

Didn’t want to risk any misunderstandings.

“Oh, right. I bought a drink for my junior—to thank her for all her hard work.”

Even though she looked slightly puzzled by the sudden shift, Tanaka-san answered with her usual grace.

(She’s so thoughtful! I love her even more now!)

The reason was so kind and genuine, my feelings for her only deepened.

I quickly stepped aside to let her use the vending machine.

She slipped in some coins and bought a single bottle of juice.

“Well then, I’ll be heading back now.”

“Ah, wait a sec. Take this with you.”

Something about it bugged me.

So just before Tanaka-san could head back into the school building, I stopped her—and handed her the unopened milk tea I’d bought earlier.

“Um, what’s this?”

She looked puzzled, clearly caught off guard.

Her eyes flicked from the drink in her hands to me, trying to figure out what I was up to.

“It’s for you. I overheard earlier—you’ve been helping your juniors out a lot too, right? So… think of it as a little reward.”

Of course, I couldn’t exactly say, “Please don’t get the wrong idea! I’m not into Akizuki-senpai!”

Or “This is just to boost my affection points with you!”

So I cobbled together a half-decent excuse based on that insanely envy-inducing moment I saw earlier.

“…”

But for some reason, Tanaka-san just stared at the milk tea in silence.

After a short pause, she finally whispered,

“…Thank you very much.”

Then she quickly turned and walked back into the building.

(Aaaaaaahhh!! I totally screwed up!!)

I thought she’d be happy to get her favorite drink!

Instead, her unexpectedly distant reaction hit me like a truck, and I collapsed to my knees in despair.

“W-Wait, Nakayama-kun! What’s wrong all of a sudden!? That wasn’t bad at all—actually, I think that was kinda swee—”

Akizuki-senpai tried to say something, but I was already too far gone.

Drowning in emotional shock, I didn’t hear a single word.

◇

“Ah, welcome back! Tanaka-senpai, what’s that?”

“Ah, um… it’s a reward. Hamada-san, you worked really hard today, so I got this for you.”

“Really!? Thank you so much! Then… can I have the milk tea?”

“No!”

“Ehh!? S-S-Sorry! I shouldn’t have picked one myself—that was way too rude of me!”

“Ah, wah! N-No, it’s not like that! It’s just… this milk tea was a gift I received. Would orange juice be okay instead? You like that, right?”

“Oh, if that’s the case, then it’s totally fine! I was just kind of in the mood for milk tea today, but orange juice is actually my all-time favorite. And the fact that you remembered? I’m honored!”

“Well, of course I remembered. Here you go.”

“Thank you!”

“No, no… really…”

“…Um, Senpai? Is something wrong?”

“…(Ah, it’s empty). Kyu~”

“UWAAAAH! TANAKA-SENPAI FAINTED!!!”