Tanaka-san Is Cuter Than the Main Heroine - Chapter 27: I Like Nakayama-kun

Chapter 27: I Like Nakayama-kun

“Haaah…”

The warm glow of the setting sun spilled into my room.

I leaned back against the wall, staring at the leftover gift card in my hand, and let out a deep sigh.

(…So, Nakayama-kun likes someone.)

My thoughts drifted back to earlier that afternoon.

To that moment I saw Nakayama-kun buying a sunflower.

That’s it. That’s all that really happened.

And yet… just that tiny scene was enough to convince me he had someone he liked.

Why? Because he seemed a little different than usual. And because sunflowers are often used in proposals.

Some people might say, “Seriously? You’re jumping to conclusions with basically nothing to go on!”

But for some reason, it just… clicked.

After all, Nakayama-kun had a big circle of friends. Guys, girls, even teachers.

With that many people around him, it wouldn’t be strange if one of them fit his type.

And honestly, for a boy his age, having a crush is completely normal.

“…It’s not like I didn’t already know that.”

Even though I’d only reaffirmed something completely obvious… my heart just wouldn’t calm down.

It had already been hours since I parted ways with Nakayama-kun, but the storm inside me hadn’t settled in the slightest.

I glanced down at the bottom-right corner of my screen—

And there it was.

My phone was still open to a chat window with zero message history.

The recipient’s name: Nakayama.

Right in the middle of the screen sat an unsent message that read:

[Thank you always for your kindness. This is Sumika Tanaka. I really appreciate all your help today. By the way… who are the sunflowers for?]

The moment I saw it, I instinctively covered my eyes with my right hand.

“…What am I even doing?”

No heads-up, no context—I nearly added him from the class group chat out of nowhere.

And that was going to be my opener?

My very first message ever to him… asking who he’s giving sunflowers to?

Who does that?!

Now that I think about it, it’s totally unhinged.

But the me from just a few minutes ago?

She was dead serious about sending it.

That fact alone made me cringe so hard I wanted to vanish from existence.

Relying purely on muscle memory, I reached out without even looking, closed the chat app, and let my phone fall back onto the bed.

“Haaah…”

I let out another sigh and flopped onto my bed, staring blankly around my room.

How long did I stay like that, I wonder?

A minute?

Five minutes?

Ten?

An hour?

Honestly, I’d completely lost track of time.

I wasn’t asleep.

Just lying there, zoning out, letting my thoughts drift aimlessly…

Until something on my desk suddenly caught my eye.

A black handkerchief—folded neatly, sitting exactly where I’d left it.

The moment I saw it, the words slipped out before I could stop them:

“…This sucks.”

My eyes snapped wide open.

“!?”

Realizing what I’d just said, I slapped a hand over my mouth in a panic.

But it was too late.

Once words are out, you can’t take them back.

And now, those words just kept echoing inside my head—over and over again.

With each echo, that feeling I’d been trying so hard to ignore swelled bigger and bigger.

Like a tiny ping-pong ball inflating into a giant balloon.

And when it finally reached its limit…

My self-control gave out.

“…Nakayama-kun. I like you.”

I finally said it out loud.

The feelings I’d been keeping buried deep inside—trying so hard not to see them, not to acknowledge them—they slipped out at last.

—I want to know more about Nakayama-kun.

—I want to try calling him by his first name.

—I want him to call me by my first name too.

—I want him to look at me more.

—I want him to be even kinder to me.

—I want to be closer to him.

—I want to breathe in that scent of his again.

—I want to stay by his side.

—I don’t want anyone else near him.

—I want his eyes to only ever look at me.

The moment that first thought escaped… the rest came flooding out.

And then, without warning, tears began to fall—quiet, heavy drops landing on the bed.

“Ah… I guess I was already way past the point of no return.”

Through my blurry vision, I stared at the spreading stain on the blanket…

And whispered those words like I was watching myself from far away.

Author’s Note:

Remember when I said next time would be Tanaka-san’s last chapter?

Yeah. That was a lie.

Probably gonna need one or two more.