The Charm of the Popular Beautiful Succubus in Class Doesn't Work on Me ~ For Some Reason, This Beauty Keeps Trying to Hold My Hand ~ - 61-62

Chapter 61: It’s Been a While, Shibuya-Senpai

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

I stood alone beneath the clock tower in Ryuo Park.

Ryuo Park was a large public park located in Nishi Ward, Hiroshima City. During the day, it was a lively place where couples and families could often be seen enjoying outdoor activities like tennis. The park also boasted a scenic location overlooking the city, making it a well-known night-view spot.

However, at this time of night, the crowds had thinned considerably. The only occasional passersby were middle-aged men walking their dogs. I watched a dog darting through the park. Then, I turned my gaze to a group that seemed to be part of a tennis club. After that, my eyes followed a man jogging. About ten minutes passed like that until a lone man began walking toward me. Noticing him from the corner of my eye, I straightened up from where I had been leaning against the clock tower and turned to face him.

“At last, we meet again, Kisara-san.”

“It’s been a while, Shibuya-senpai.”

Standing before me was Shibuya-senpai, whom I hadn’t seen since middle school. I let out a slow breath to calm myself, then I met his gaze. He was tall, with a slender yet well-proportioned build. His fair skin and well-defined features remained unchanged from back then. However, the slight stubble on his face and his transition from long hair to a shorter cut reflected the passage of time.

How many years had it been since I last spoke with Shibuya-senpai in person…? The person who threw my life into chaos. The person whose life I threw into chaos.

“I have to admit, I was a little surprised to be called out by you, Kisara-san. After all, you completely ignored the LINE message I sent before.”

“I’m sorry about that. Things were a bit hectic for me back then. But today, there’s something I need to discuss with you, so I reached out to you.”

As I said this, his face lit up. His smile was so dazzling that my heart ached. Right… Senpai used to show this kind of smile to me. This was the reason why I was drawn to him. But… I ended up touching him too much. Back then, I never imagined that my feelings of “love” would spiral out of control the way they did. All I wanted was for him to love me more and more.

“Kisara-san, let me speak first.”

His eyes pierced straight through me.

“I’ve kept you waiting since middle school, but I like you, Kisara-san. Let me say it again. I want to be with you.”

At Senpai’s words, my heart thumped involuntarily. His sincere affection was directed at me. Until I met Michihito, I didn’t understand what it meant to like someone. No, I blamed my ability and avoided thinking about what it meant to like someone. I refused to face it.

Maybe back in middle school, that feeling of love still existed within me, but after I was attacked by Shibuya-senpai, the feeling of love had completely vanished from my heart. But Michihito taught me the importance of understanding what it meant to like someone…

Meeting Michihito… I learned what it feels like to fall for someone. I learned what it felt like to have someone say they liked me. I learned what it felt like when that love went unfulfilled. These were moments I would never have experienced if I hadn’t seriously faced my feelings of love. Precious, irreplaceable moments in my life.

That was why I had to think about love with my heart… Even if what I felt right now was just an illusion I created myself. Yes… Shibuya-senpai’s feelings of love for me were likely something I unintentionally brought about. But that didn’t mean I could just ignore them. Right now, he was confessing to me with complete sincerity. So I had to respond to his feelings just as earnestly.

“Shibuya-senpai…”

A fleeting silence enveloped us.

“I appreciate your feelings, but I can’t be with you, Senpai.”

The old me would have immediately thought about how to gain control over the person who confessed to me. How to get through the situation. How to handle it smoothly. The concepts of ‘dating’ or ‘not dating’ didn’t even exist for me. In fact, the concept of ‘love’ didn’t even exist to me. But I was different now. Michihito taught me and this was the answer I had come up with on my own. I had to respond properly to his feelings. Sure, maybe rejecting him outright would hurt him more than leaving things in the limbo, but even so… I had to take responsibility. I had to take responsibility for his feelings. 

“Senpai… I’m truly sorry that I can’t return your feelings.”

I bowed my head sincerely, with all my heart.

Please… Let my feelings reach him.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Chapter 62: Thank You Very Much, My Most Beloved Person

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“… Why did you say something like that?”

“Eh…?”

I couldn’t help but look up in shock at the cold words that came from Senpai. I had never heard him speak in a cold tone like that before. And there, I saw Senpai’s figure approaching me. His face was deathly pale. The memory of that day came rushing back. I could feel my body stiffen in an instant.

“Ah… I… I…”

The moment I barely finished saying that—or perhaps didn’t quite finish—my shoulders were shaken violently.

“Why don’t you understand? I like you so much, Kisara-san. There’s no one in this world who loves you more than I do.”

For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what had happened. My vision spun, and my back slammed against something hard.

It hurts!

A searing shock ran through my back. At the same time, I felt something as heavy as lead pressing down on my body, and as I desperately pried open my eyes—closed from the shock and fear—Senpai’s face was right in front of me. That face, so different from the gentle expression he had worn until moments ago, had turned into something ugly, filled with impatience, anger, and hatred.

No… Why… Are you making a face like that? I’m scared… I’m so scared.

My vision blurred with tears. I could feel an immense pressure on both my shoulders. My body trembled uncontrollably, refusing to move as I wanted.

Stop… It hurts. Let me go… Please.

Of course, it wasn’t as if I hadn’t considered the possibility of this happening, but my mind was already a complete mess. I had chosen a park with plenty of people around for this very reason… I had even brought a stun gun in my pocket just in case… But my body… My body wouldn’t listen to me… What should I do…? Even though I had come here with determination in my mind… But I realized, this wasn’t something a girl could handle alone.

Am I… going to be violated like this…? Should I just give up everything…? Or maybe use my “ability” to completely dominate Senpai?

As those thoughts swirled in my head, Senpai’s hand reached toward my chest. His fingers nearing the “Promise Key” pendant I wore.

Ah… No…! That’s… A token of precious memory between me and Michihito…

(Snap!)

The moment Senpai tried to restrain my struggling hands, the pendant around my neck broke apart and flew into the air with force.

Michihito…

His face suddenly flashed in my mind.

What am I doing? What kind of determination did I come here with? I’m here today to change everything… To show Michihito the new step I’ve taken… So that Michihito might forgive me, even just a little… So that I could become a girl worthy of Michihito… That’s why… I absolutely won’t give in to this violence!!

“I have someone I like!”

I desperately held back the tears that threatened to spill over and shouted with all my might. Senpai’s face twisted dramatically. But even so, I didn’t care about that!

“I have someone I like! Someone I really, really love!”

I breathed heavily, my shoulders trembling. My body felt as if it were burning. But I had no intention of going back to how things were before!

“I might have been a terrible woman who toyed with the feeling of ‘love.’ I might have ruined the lives of many people. Of course, I don’t expect to be forgiven for those sins.”

Even so… Even so…

“He… Taught me… He taught an evil woman like me, how precious the feeling of ‘love’ is. He listened to my nonsense seriously, always protected me, and accepted a selfish girl like me.”

That’s why…

“I’m sorry. I can’t be with you after all… Because… I…”

I took a deep breath, sucking in air with all my strength, and shouted with every ounce of power I had.

“Because I love him… I love Michihito so much I can’t stand it!!”

Haaah…. Haaah…. Haah….

The sound of my heartbeat pounding wildly seemed to be echoing inside my brain.

…I said it. …I finally said it. The words I could never say before… I finally said for the first time ever. These were all the feelings I had in me… I had no regrets anymore… Even if Shibuya-senpai violated me after this, Michihito was still in my heart.

Michihito… I… I’ve done my best, right? I can hold my head up in pride… Even if it’s just a little, right? I love you… Michihito…

I came to my senses when his tears wet my cheek. By that time, the arms that had pinned me down had already lost their strength.

“…M-… -ost….”

Senpai forced the words out, piecing them together with effort. At first, I couldn’t grasp the meaning of Senpai’s words.

“Se… Senpai?”

“It’s my loss. I’m truly jealous of him, the one you care about so deeply.”

Senpai clenched his fist tightly, as if suppressing something, and shut his eyes hard.

“But… When you show me a face like that… When you look so happy like that… How could I possibly stay angry?”

With that, Senpai let go of me and stood up quickly.

“Kisara-san… I’m glad I got to hear your honest feelings. Thank you. Please be happy, for my sake too.”

No traces of anger or hatred lingered on Senpai’s face anymore. Leaving only those words behind, Senpai turned his back and began to walk away. For a brief moment, I stared blankly at Senpai’s retreating figure, but in an instant, everything I had desperately held back came flooding out as if a dam had burst.

“Ahh…”

I could feel large tears streaming down my cheeks.

Michihito… I… I won. I beat… this devilish “ability.” I was scared… I was so scared. It hurt… it was painful. Telling someone who said they “liked” me that I “didn’t like” them truly tore at my heart. But compared to the feeling of having to lie and say “I don’t like you” when I really did like you… When I loved you so much I couldn’t contain my feelings…

It wasn’t just me… I couldn’t have beaten this “ability” alone. It was because of you, Michihito. Because Michihito supported me. For the first time, I was able to win against this “ability.” Now… I had moved forward, even if it was just a little bit, right…?

Before I knew it, the sun had set, and the sky stretching out before me glittered with a canopy of stars. I looked up at the sky with eyes blurred by tears.

Someday… It’d be nice if we could look at these stars together… Thank you, truly. My most beloved person.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー