Tanaka-san Is Cuter Than the Main Heroine - Chapter 20: Nakayama-kun Really Is a Strange One

Chapter 20: Nakayama-kun Really Is a Strange One

The next day.

I hadn’t slept well at all.

So I showed up to school rubbing my eyes like a total zombie.

“Ah, good morning! Tanaka-san, did you have fun yesterday?”

The moment I stepped into the classroom,

Haruno-san—who just so happened to be standing near the door—called out to me.

“Good morning, Haruno-san… yes. Thanks to you, I made a new friend.”

Seeing her face brought everything from yesterday rushing back—

And with it, a small wave of guilt.

But I quickly masked it with a smile I’d spent years perfecting.

“That’s great! Some of the girls in your group were saying you’re really good at teaching. So if you’re up for it, I’d love for you to join us again sometime!”

“I’d love to—if I get the chance.”

Thankfully, I managed to keep it all beneath the surface.

We exchanged calm, polite smiles,

And I made my way over to my seat.

“Morning, Tanaka-san.”

Just as I pulled out my chair,

Nakayama-kun looked over and greeted me in his usual laid-back tone.

“G-Good morning, Nakayama-kun!”

It was just a normal morning.

But for some reason, I felt weirdly nervous.

My voice even came out all stuttery.

Nakayama-kun gave me a puzzled look.

And the moment I felt my cheeks starting to heat up, I quickly turned my face away.

I stuffed my textbooks into my desk and slumped forward over the table—like I was trying to disappear.

“If you’re sleepy, Tanaka-san, you can nap a bit. I’ll wake you up when SHR starts.”

A moment later, Nakayama-kun said that out of nowhere.

It seemed like he assumed I was acting weird because I hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

I had tried to cover the dark circles with makeup this morning…

So how did he even notice?

(Ughhh… So embarrassing.)

I honestly thought I’d fooled everyone in class.

But somehow, he saw right through it.

Totally flustered, I hugged my bag—still using it as a makeshift pillow—and tried to disappear even harder.

And yet…

Weirdly enough…

I couldn’t stop the little smile tugging at my lips.

“…Please do.”

Before I even realized it, I’d mumbled the words softly—

Asking Nakayama-kun to be my personal alarm clock.

“Tanaka, can you carry this for me?”

“Ah—yes! Got it!”

Thanks to Nakayama-kun, I made it through morning SHR without totally collapsing.

I was just about to prep for the next class when I suddenly paused.

Honda-sensei, our homeroom teacher, had just asked me to help carry some notebooks to the office.

I stood up and looked toward the teacher’s desk—

Only to see an absurd mountain of notebooks piled up like some kind of paper-based Mt. Everest.

(Oh, right. Today’s the day we’re collecting two kinds of notebooks.)

I stared off into the distance, totally overwhelmed by the paper mountain in front of me,

When suddenly, a voice called out from the other end of the classroom:

“Nakayama-kuuun, help me out!”

I glanced over—and sure enough, Haruno-san was struggling with something way too heavy for one person.

Nakayama-kun looked over too, just for a second,

Then let out a small sigh and muttered under his breath:

“…Should’ve figured.”

With one short breath of exasperation, he turned back around—

“Sorry, I’ve already got something else to do.”

And that was it.

He walked right past everyone, headed straight for the front of the class,

Grabbed half the mountain of notebooks I was supposed to carry,

And held them like it was nothing.

“No waaay~!?”

Haruno-san let out a dramatic little slump, totally “shock” vibes and all,

But Nakayama-kun didn’t even glance her way.

He came right up to me and asked,

“It’s the staff room, right?”

“Eh?”

I blinked, completely thrown off.

I hadn’t asked him for help or anything.

Before I could say anything else, he gave a quick nod—almost like he was answering himself.

“Alright then. I’ll go take this batch ahead.”

And just like that, he turned and started heading toward the hallway like the plan was already set in stone.

Panicking a little, I grabbed the rest of the notebooks and hurried after him.

“Um… Nakayama-kun? Are you really okay leaving Haruno-san like that? She seemed like she needed help…”

As soon as I caught up to him, I asked Nakayama-kun about Haruno-san.

He blinked in surprise—then suddenly burst out laughing.

“Ah, nah. It’s fine. Totally not a big deal.”

“Ehhh? But… isn’t Haruno-san your friend?”

I tried to gently suggest that maybe abandoning a friend in need wasn’t the best look,

But Nakayama-kun just grinned and said,

“Exactly. Because she’s a friend.”

Not even a shred of guilt on his face.

I had no idea what he meant, so I tilted my head in confusion.

That’s when he looked over at me again and added,

“Besides… you looked like the one who needed help more. So obviously, you come first.”

“!?”

The second those words reached my ears,

My heart practically exploded.

It was pounding so hard I could barely hear anything else.

My body felt warm all over,

And I could feel the flush rushing up my cheeks.

But it wasn’t uncomfortable—

More like that same gentle warmth I’d felt earlier that morning.

Just like before, I caught myself smiling without even realizing it.

“Fufu. You really are a strange one, huh, Nakayama-kun.”

Before I knew it, the thought slipped right out of my mouth.

And Nakayama-kun shot back with mock outrage:

“Hey, rude! I’m not that weird!”

After that, the walk to the teacher’s office felt strangely peaceful—

And somehow, just a little bit longer than usual.

Author’s Note:

Ah, youth.

If you enjoyed this chapter, a follow, review, or comment would mean the world! Thanks for reading!