Tanaka-san Is Cuter Than the Main Heroine - Chapter 13: I Might’ve Been Rejected by Tanaka-san

Chapter 13: I Might’ve Been Rejected by Tanaka-san

Ding-dong-daang-dooong

“Tanaka-san—”

“S-Sorry! I, um, have something to do! I’ll be going now!”

“…Huh?”

The moment the bell rang, I tried to thank Tanaka-san again—

But she suddenly bolted out of the classroom like she was fleeing the scene of a crime.

It was only second period, so I definitely wasn’t expecting her to already have plans.

All I could do was stare at the door she vanished through.

(Well… if she’s got stuff to do, I guess it can’t be helped.)

I’d actually been thinking about buying her a drink as a thank-you.

But no big deal—

Back when we first became seat neighbors, she told me what drinks she liked.

Milk tea and grape juice.

I’d already given her milk tea once, so today I figured I’d go with grape.

With that in mind, I grabbed my wallet and stepped out into the hallway—

“Nakayama-kun, heading somewhere?”

It was her.

The pink-haired beauty, Haruno.

Radiating main heroine energy like she’d just stepped out of a shampoo commercial.

“Just going to the vending machine.”

“Oh wow, same here! What a coincidence. Mind if I tag along?”

As I answered, she flashed this bright, sparkly smile and pulled her wallet from her pocket.

That classic main heroine aura was in full swing—she practically glittered.

No, seriously, she looked like she was rendered in 8K ultra-HD.

But sorry, not interested.

Because Tanaka-san?

She’s 32K.

I see that ultra-level beauty every single day.

You think I’m gonna fall for regular high-def?

Not a chance.

“I mean, I don’t mind… but are you sure?”

“Sure about what?”

“About hanging out with me. What if Kaisei sees us and gets the wrong idea?”

Personally, I didn’t care.

But it could still mess with someone else’s storyline.

If me tagging along somehow threw Kaisei’s romantic plot off course, I’d be in for way more drama than I ever signed up for.

Especially if it dragged Tanaka-san into Kaisei’s orbit.

Now that would be a nightmare scenario.

So I asked carefully—trying to figure out whether this little vending machine detour might shake up the whole heroine ranking.

Haruno just smiled and gave my shoulder a friendly pat, like it was nothing.

“No worries, no worries! Kaisei already knows we’re friends… And character-wise, I’m the kind of girl who can talk to anyone, so people don’t really overthink it.”

“…Ah. Well… um, good luck with all that.”

But honestly?

What she said sounded way more complicated than she made it out to be.

Girls in love are a strange and mysterious species.

A weird silence settled between us.

Trying to shake it off, I threw out, “Anyway, let’s get going.”

“Yeah.”

With that brief reply, we started walking toward the vending machines on the first floor—

Our steps just a little awkward, a little too in sync.

Then, as we headed down the stairs—barely anyone else around—

“Oh, by the way. Is your crush Tanaka-san?”

“Wha—!?”

With absolutely no warning, Haruno dropped a verbal grenade on me.

Caught completely off guard, I missed a step and almost ate the stairs face-first.

“W-What the hell was that sneak attack?! I almost died!”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry! It’s just… I remembered what happened this morning. I started wondering why you got so fired up, and that answer kinda popped into my head. Couldn’t help blurting it out. But judging from that reaction… bingo, huh?”

Haruno did look a little apologetic at first, watching me nearly eat the stairs.

But then her expression flipped.

Cue smug smirk.

Full-on evil gremlin mode: activated.

“Haaah?! N-No way!! You’ve got it all wrong!!”

Totally busted. Yeah, I knew it was obvious.

But still—

There’s something about being a guy that makes you want to deny that stuff till your dying breath.

I tried to play it off. Really.

But the panic in my voice? Even I could hear it.

I’d dug my own grave.

“…This is the worst.”

Unable to keep it together, I hung my head in shame.

Meanwhile, Haruno leaned in with a teasing grin, slipping right into big-sister mode.

“Now, now, don’t get all sulky, young one. As your self-declared romance master, I shall lend you my unmatched wisdom and guide your love to victory!”

“…Romance master, my ass. Who wants dating tips from the Queen of Mixed Signals?”

“EXCUSE YOU?! That’s a red card! Major foul! I try to be nice and you go full rude mode?! Nakayama-kun, you’re the worst!”

“What’s wrong with telling the truth?! Like I’m gonna trust romance advice from someone who’s been stuck in romcom limbo for ten years!”

And from there… classic case of you say this, I say that.

One thing led to another, and me—already kinda annoyed—ended up deliberately stomping on one of Haruno’s emotional landmines.

Boom. Instant argument.

But no matter how irritated I get, I’m not the kind of guy who’d fight with a girl.

(Okay, real talk: I just really don’t want Tanaka-san hearing about it and thinking I’m some scary jerk.)

So just like last time, the moment Haruno lunged at me all wild and flailing—I turned around and booked it.

Thus began a spontaneous game of tag.

No rules. No mercy. Just the two of us sprinting through the school like idiots.

We ran until Haruno’s stamina finally gave out.

And since I figured she’d ambush me if I went back to the vending machines near our classroom, I made a quick detour—

To the one near the club building instead.

And there—

“Huh? Tanaka-san? What are you doing here?”

“N-Nakayama-kun!?”

Did not expect anyone to be around.

But surprise!

There she was—Tanaka-san, of all people—quietly sipping milk tea by the vending machine.

Wait, huh?

Why’s she here by the club wing? She’s in brass band, not a sports club.

My brain flooded with questions, but then I realized—

Hey, this is the perfect time to give her that thank-you drink.

So I stepped up to the vending machine.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel Tanaka-san watching me.

Hard. She didn’t say a word.

Just stood there, frozen, her gaze tracking my every move like I was defusing a bomb.

Being stared at by your crush while fumbling with coins and vending buttons?

Yeah. Peak anxiety.

Still, I somehow managed to grab the grape juice.

“Hey, uh… here. This is a thank-you—for earlier. The textbook thing.”

“Ah, thank you very much. Um… I’m really sorry, but… would you mind just… putting it down over there?”

The moment I pulled the juice from the vending machine and held it out, Tanaka-san didn’t take it.

Instead, she asked me to just set it down.

(Wait… waitwaitwait… does she not want to touch me? Is that it?! Aaaaaugh!! She totally hates me now!! I’m doomed!! It’s overrrrr!!)

“…okay.”

Yup. This was absolutely the reaction of someone who wants nothing to do with me.

Dropping her textbook the second our fingers brushed, bolting from the classroom like she couldn’t stand to be near me—it all added up.

She hates me.

Still screaming on the inside, I swallowed the despair and clung to the last fragile sliver of masculine pride as I set the juice down where she asked.

Then, heart sinking like a rock in a pond, I turned to leave—slow, defeated.

But then—

“Um…”

Tanaka-san’s voice stopped me mid-step.

“…What?”

I turned back, surprised she’d said anything at all.

There she was, standing with the grape juice in her hands—

Fidgeting, rolling the bottle gently back and forth like she was stalling for time.

She stayed quiet for a few beats, as if working up her nerve.

And finally, after taking a slow breath, she asked:

“…Why are you so nice to someone like me, Nakayama-kun?”

Author’s Note:

Starting tomorrow, we’ll be switching to Tanaka-san’s point of view for a while!