Tanaka-san Is Cuter Than the Main Heroine - Chapter 36: Tanaka-san’s Unfair

Chapter 36: Tanaka-san’s Unfair

After school.

I sat alone in the empty classroom, staring out the window, when suddenly—

Clatter! The door slid open.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. So, what’s this super-secret thing you wanted to consult me about, calling me to a place like this, Nakayama-kun?”

Striding in with her usual light, confident tone was Mika Haruno—the spring rep of Shikihime, a peach-haired beauty who practically sparkled on a daily basis.

And today, somehow, she looked even more dazzling than usual.

Why? Simple—

“Tanaka-san fed me. Like, one of those ‘Ahh~’ moments. What do you think that means? Tell me!!”

—Because out of all my friends, she’s the one with the most romcom experience.

From the classic tropes to the weird curveballs—

Haruno’s been through them all.

If anyone could decipher Tanaka-san’s mysterious behavior, it’d be her.

“…Eh?”

…Or maybe not.

“Wha—wait, what!? You’re just gonna give up already? Why are you heading for the door!? I haven’t even said anything yet!!”

She lunged forward and grabbed my shoulder, her face twisted in pure desperation.

Well, okay, I was only pretending to leave as a little joke…

But still, seeing her react like that was pretty entertaining.

As expected of the main heroine—

Even comedy bits are right in her wheelhouse.

…Alright, I could keep teasing her like this for a bit,

But if I push her too far and she actually gets mad?

Yeah, that’d be a problem.

“Haaah, fine, fine.”

I hopped up to sit on the desk.

“Wow, you’re the one asking for advice, and that’s the attitude you take!?” 

Haruno shot back, plopping herself down in the chair next to me.

Seriously, though—she’s a good person.

Even after I teased her earlier, she didn’t say something like, Maybe I should just leave.

“So, Tanaka-san really did feed you? An ‘Ahh~’ and everything?”

“Yeah.”

She swung her legs back and forth as she confirmed the story, and I gave a small nod in return.

Then, out of nowhere, she turned to me with this strange look on her face.

“Just to make sure… this isn’t you bragging, right? Like, you’re not rubbing this in my face because things still aren’t working out between me and Kaisei, are you?”

Her brows furrowed as she gave me a sharp, suspicious glare.

Too bad for her—that’s not it at all.

“No! I’m seriously asking here! I want to know what it means when a girl feeds someone! What’s she thinking!? Tell me! I’ve been obsessing over it all day and I’ve got nothing! Hurry up and answer!!”

“Y-Yes! Sorry!”

I wasn’t taking cheap shots at her love life.

I was just—plain and simple—desperate for advice.

A guy with zero dating experience in this life, plus a pathetic record in his last one, clinging to any scrap of hope to understand girls.

What else was I supposed to do!?

In manga, you get those handy little thought bubbles that tell you exactly what the characters are thinking—but in real life? No such luxury!

How the hell am I supposed to know what’s going on in a girl’s head!?

“Uh… I’d say she probably likes you. Like, likes-likes you.”

“How much!?”

“How much!? Why are you even asking that!?”

“Because! If she were a flirty, mischievous type, she might do it just for fun, right? Or, like, girls sometimes do that with their friends, too! So what I need to know is—how high does her affection have to be for her to actually do an ‘Ahh~’!?”

“Ehh~… that really depends on the person, so I dunno.”

…And just like that, Haruno—our so-called “tragically pure main heroine” and fellow romance lightweight—completely failed me.

Her answer was vague. Useless. Not even close to what I wanted.

“Tch. Knew you’d be useless.”

I stood up again, but she immediately grabbed my arm and yanked me back down.

“Wait, wait! Sorry! I’ll actually try this time, so just give me a sec!”

Then she started muttering to herself—“Uhh… maybe…? No, that’s not it… hmm…”—all while pulling the most ridiculous faces, like she was cycling through every emoji ever invented.

After about two minutes of this bizarre one-woman show, she suddenly straightened up and declared:

“I’ve got it!”

“…And?”

“She really, really likes you.”

“How really are we talking here!?”

“Really as in… really!?”

Once again, her big, dramatic “final answer” was just as fluffy and unhelpful as the first.

And that’s when it hit me—oh right. She’s a feelings-over-logic type. Why did I even expect a proper analysis from her?

“W-Well, anyway! She wouldn’t do that unless she liked you a lot. So congrats—it sounds like things are going great for you.”

Haruno tried to cheer me up, but honestly?

Not a single word sank in.

Why?

Because when it came to Tanaka-san, I couldn’t think of a single thing I’d done to make her like me.

What I could think of, though, were all the times I’d screwed up.

I wanted her to like me.

I hoped she liked me.

But no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t picture it.

If anything, I probably looked like some clingy weirdo in her eyes.

Ugh. I’m such a pain.

“…Thanks. For listening to me rant. Here—strawberry milk. My treat. See ya.”

“Wha—hey, wait a sec—”

Feeling guilty for dragging her into my mess, I shoved a brand-new carton of strawberry milk into Haruno’s hands and walked out of the classroom.

I wandered aimlessly down the hall, no destination in mind…

Until the sound of an instrument caught my ear.

A trumpet.

My gaze was drawn to it like a magnet. Through the open window, I saw—

Tanaka-san.

Playing her trumpet, completely absorbed.

(…Tanaka-san, serious mode is… kinda amazing.)

Gone was the soft, gentle air she usually carried.

Her expression was sharp, focused—dignified.

And I couldn’t look away.

How long did I stand there, just watching?

I didn’t know.

But then—

She lowered the trumpet.

Our eyes met.

And in the very next instant—

She went wide-eyed, left behind a literal afterimage, and vanished behind the building wall.

(…Wait. Did she just… run away from me?)

My chest tightened under a crushing wave of anxiety.

Am I… actually hated?

(…Guess that moment really was just a mistake.)

She probably meant it for someone she actually likes, and I just happened to be there by coincidence.

For me, it was this unforgettable, happy memory…

But for Tanaka-san, maybe it was nothing more than an awkward accident.

That’s what I tried to convince myself of—

—when the trumpet started playing again.

This time, the melody was a popular love song.

One I’d been listening to a lot lately because its theme—two awkward teenagers, both in love but too scared to confess—

…felt way too familiar.

“I just want you to turn and look at me, notice me… and stay by my side forever?”

『Furimuite hoshikute, ishiki shite hoshikute, zutto tonari de mite ite kuremasen ka?』

It was only an instrumental.

No words. No vocals.

And yet, somehow, I could hear the final chorus crystal clear in my head.

I dropped to my knees.

“God, I’m hopeless… I get carried away over stuff like this so easily. Tanaka-san… you’re just too unfair…”

The fog of doubt I’d been dragging around for so long finally lifted—

And in its place, a blazing heat filled my chest, refusing to fade.

I stayed there, face buried in my arms,

Until the fire inside me slowly burned itself out.

[Afterword]

The lyrics in this chapter were inspired by Yuika’s “Suki Dakara”. Seriously, an amazing song—highly recommend it.

Also, big news!

Tanaka-san Is Cuter Than the Main Heroine (メインヒロインより可愛いモブの田中さん) is officially getting a book release!

Thank you so much to everyone who’s been supporting this series!

That means… we’re finally gonna get tons of cute Tanaka-san illustrations!! (Pure bliss!)

I’ll keep working hard so I can show them to you all soon—please look forward to it!