Tanaka-san Is Cuter Than the Main Heroine - Chapter 19: Nakayama-kun Gets Along with the Princesses Too (with bonus content)

Chapter 19: Nakayama-kun Gets Along with the Princesses Too (with bonus content)

[TLN: I made a mistake earlier, Tanaka-san’s first name isn’t “Junka.” After a lot of research, I’ve concluded that her name should be “Sumika”/「純香」.]

“What’s the plan for today?”

“What’s our first subject next week again? English?”

“No club practice today! This is the best!”

It was after school—

The same day Nakayama-kun had gone out of his way to find my missing keychain.

The classroom buzzed with noise.

Why?

Because our teacher had just reminded us:

Our first round of second-year exams was coming up next week.

“Where should we study for the tests? Ta-chan? Hamacchi?”

“Anywhere’s fine with me.”

“Hmm, same. Honestly, I don’t really care where.”

I was chatting with Mikoto-chan and Haruka Hamaguchi-chan—

Two girls I’d grown pretty close with since starting our second year—

When someone suddenly called out to us.

“Hey, Tanaka-san, mind if I talk to you all for a sec?”

I looked up—

And there she was.

A pink-haired beauty standing by our desks.

“Harucchi, what’s up?”

Mikoto-chan called her Harucchi.

Her full name? Haruno Mika-san.

She was every bit as gorgeous and magnetic as Reno-chan.

One of the rare few who held the title of Shikihime—a true main heroine.

Not like me. A real one.

This year was the first time Haruno-san and I had ended up in the same class.

But we’d never really talked before.

Just like Mikoto-chan, I tilted my head in confusion.

Then Haruno-san smiled and said,

“Actually…”

She turned her gaze toward the group of girls gathered behind her.

“We were talking about putting together a little study group with those girls over there. Though honestly, it’ll probably turn into more of a snack party—everyone munching on stuff from the school store while pretending to study. So yeah… might not be super productive. But if you three wanna join, feel free! Oh—and no pressure if you can’t. Totally okay to say no!”

Haruno-san had just casually invited us to what was basically a lowkey study session—

A.k.a. a mini girls’ hangout.

“What do you think?”

“To be honest, I was planning to just take it easy today, so I don’t mind going.”

“I think I’ll pass. If I mess up this test, my allowance is getting slashed. So I’d rather spend the week studying properly.”

One vote for, one against.

All eyes turned to me.

“What about you, Ta-chan?”

“I… um…”

With Mikoto-chan and Haruka-chan split down the middle,

The final decision was mine.

And, well…

If I’m being totally honest—

I kind of didn’t want to go.

Not because I disliked Haruno-san or anything.

It’s just…

She lives in that world I used to dream about.

That shiny, dazzling world I could never quite reach.

And deep down, there’s this part of me—this ugly part—that feels jealous of her.

I hate that part of myself.

And I didn’t want Haruno-san to notice it.

I didn’t want her to feel weird or uncomfortable because of me.

So yeah… I wasn’t exactly eager to join.

But then—

grrrr~

My stomach let out a dramatic growl, echoing through the quiet pause.

“Pfft… Haha, alright then. I guess we’ll tag along. Wouldn’t want someone getting too hungry to concentrate on studying, right? You’ve got plenty of snacks ready, don’t you?”

“Of course! Hehe, I totally stocked up for today—grabbed a mountain of donuts and sweet buns from the bakery, Plus a jumbo bag of chips from the convenience store. They’re all stashed in my locker. I promise, no one’s leaving hungry.”

“Nice, Ta-chan. Looks like Harucchi’s treating us today.”

“Uuuuugh~! You guys are so mean!”

And just like that, it was settled—we were going to the study session.

Though… I did end up getting three very smug, knowing looks thrown my way.

Let’s just say I felt slightly awkward for a bit.

“Alrighty, here’s today’s venue. Make yourselves at home!”

Haruno-san led us to the Astronomy Club’s room.

Apparently, one of the girls in our class was a member and had gotten permission from the teacher to use it.

We grouped up by subject and took our seats.

And just like that, the girls’ study party officially began.

Haruno-san went around handing out paper plates stacked with snacks for each table.

Feeling kind of guilty, but way too hungry to resist,

I reached out and grabbed a donut with chocolate sprinkles—

Hoping it would finally silence the noisy growling in my stomach.

“So good…”

As expected from the legendary bakery item that always sells out fast.

The sweetness of the chocolate and the simple flavor of the donut were perfectly balanced,

And before I knew it, the words just slipped out of my mouth.

“Really? Then I’ll give it a try too!”

The girl next to me—a blonde with a loose, stylish uniform and full-on gyaru vibes—

Picked up the same donut and took a big bite.

“Sho gooood~!”

Her face lit up instantly.

“Right?”

“Totally! I don’t usually buy stuff from the school store, so I had no idea. But this is amazing! I’m hooked. I’m absolutely buying this every day from now on.”

And just like that, we clicked.

“In that case, you should try this one too. This fried bread is crispy on the outside and super chewy inside. It’s really good.”

“Ooh, lemme see… You’re right! Shooo goooood! Thanks for the rec—uh, wait. What was your name again? Sorry! I kinda slept through introductions, so I still don’t know most of the class.”

“Ahaha, it’s okay! Honestly, I haven’t learned everyone’s names yet either. I’m Sumika Tanaka, by the way. Can I ask what your name is?”

“I’m Karin Enomoto. Just call me Karin!”

“Alright then—Karin-chan it is. You can call me whatever’s easiest for you too.”

“Then I’ll go with Sumippe! Nice to meet ya, Sumippe!”

And just like that, after swapping names,

Karin-chan and I hit it off and spent the rest of the time chatting about all kinds of things.

“I was gonna ask you for help with something I didn’t get, but looking at the vibe here… seems kinda hard, huh?”

“Ahaha. Well, we still have time—so if you want, I can totally help! Believe it or not, I’m actually pretty good at English.”

“For real!? That’d be super helpful! Okay, hold on—yeah, here! I don’t get how this sentence ended up like this.”

And just like that, I found out that Karin-chan had actually come to study.

So I stuck around with her, helping out, until the sun started to dip behind the school.

“Sumippe! Seriously, thanks for everything today! You totally saved me! Let’s hang out again sometime!”

“Of course! See you tomorrow!”

And with that, our little study session came to an end.

Karin-chan had something to take care of afterward, so I walked her to the school gates—

Then headed back inside to meet up with Mikoto-chan and the others.

Huh?

“Ahh—sorry, Nakayama-kun. Didn’t mean to rope you into trash duty with me.”

“Pretty sure this feels more like evidence disposal than trash duty.”

“Ahaha, same thing! Really, I’m just lucky you were still around since you’re on cleanup duty today.”

As I walked through the building,

I spotted Haruno-san and Nakayama-kun walking side by side.

(…They look… really close.)

It made sense.

Totally, painfully obvious.

Back in first year, Haruno-san and Nakayama-kun were in the same class.

And they’re both the type who can’t ignore someone in need—

So of course they’d end up talking. Of course they’d grow close over time.

My head understood all of that.

But still…

Seeing the two of them chatting so easily, so comfortably—

It made my chest tighten.

Before I could stop myself, I turned and ran.

“Haa… haa…”

I sprinted through the now nearly empty school building, not even sure where I was going.

Eventually, I ducked into the brass band club room.

Someone must’ve forgotten to lock it after practice,

So I slipped inside, shut the door behind me, and slowly sank to the floor—completely drained.

(…What am I even running from?)

A few minutes later, after I’d caught my breath and my brain started working again,

I sat there, replaying everything in my head—

And let out a tired, awkward little laugh.

There was no reason to run.

Not really.

Because I already knew the truth.

Haruno-san didn’t have feelings for Nakayama-kun.

She was in love with her childhood friend—Natsuse-kun.

So there was no way she and Nakayama-kun were going to end up together.

I knew that.

(But… what if… Haruno-san gets rejected by Natsuse-kun? Would she start dating Nakayama-kun then…?)

But that was all just stuff happening right now.

What really sent me spiraling were all the what ifs.

Like… what if a year from now?

Or three years from now?

What if everything changed?

I let my imagination run wild and ended up stressing over a future that didn’t even exist.

In other words, I totally self-destructed.

Honestly, how dumb can I be?

“…Why did I even start thinking like that?”

The words slipped from my lips in a quiet, bitter whisper,

Echoing softly through the empty clubroom before fading into the still night air.

“Ah… I see. I—”

Silence fell again as I sat there, my head a mess,

Trying to untangle the knots in my heart.

And then, all at once—

The answer hit me.

“—I was jealous.”

Even as I said it, I wasn’t totally convinced.

But hearing the words in my own voice…

It settled into my chest like a puzzle piece finally clicking into place.

“…I’m not even his girlfriend. I don’t have any right to feel this way. Seriously, what am I doing…? I’m such an idiot.”

Realizing the truth brought a strange, hollow clarity.

And with it, I turned those harsh words inward again.

So I wouldn’t get carried away by my feelings.

So I wouldn’t start hoping again… like I used to.

“Pathetic.”

“Embarrassing.”

“Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.”

I kept repeating it to myself—

Over and over,

Until the frantic beating in my chest finally began to quiet down.