The Handsome Boy I Saved from Getting Beaten on the Train… Turned Out to Be the “Prince” of an All-Girls School - V1 Chapter 07: More Cute Than Cool, Honestly

Chapter 07: More Cute Than Cool, Honestly

“Wow… This place is huge…”

Okay yeah, rude to blurt that out in someone else’s house,

But the place was so fancy I couldn’t help it.

“Oh, it’s really not that special. It’s just… hard to clean when it’s this big. Please, have a seat on the sofa. I’ll go make us some tea.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it on my account.”

Just the living room alone looked like it was at least 40 tatami mats wide.

Probably ten times bigger than the tiny one-room apartment I live in.

“Here you go. I’m not sure if it’s to your taste, but…”

“Thanks, Rei-kun. By the way—where’s your mom?”

I took a sip of the tea he brought and glanced around.

I assumed his mother would be here in the living room, but there was no sign of her.

“My mom, um… she’s not home right now. She got a sudden work call and had to step out.”

“Oh really? But wasn’t the plan to talk about what to do going forward? Should we maybe reschedule?”

“I’m really sorry. We were the ones who invited you, and now…”

Rei looked down, clearly feeling bad about it.

And even though he’s super handsome, that little gesture… was kinda adorable.

“Well, if it’s work, then it can’t be helped. What kind of job does your mom do?”

“Umm… something like freelance work, I guess.”

“Oh, so kind of like running her own business? Then yeah, handling sudden issues is just part of the deal.”

Sure, it felt like a wasted trip on a day off,

But I figured we could always talk about the future plans over the phone or something.

“By the way, this is an order from my mom—She told me to make sure I properly take care of you while you’re here, Kujou-san.”

“You really don’t have to. Your face still isn’t fully healed, right?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore, so I’m fine. Besides, I’ve been off school and had nothing to do anyway.”

“I see… so you haven’t been going in.”

Yeah…

Can’t blame him. After what happened…

For a teenage guy, getting hit like that and having the whole thing uploaded online for the world to see—

That had to be rough.

If it were me, I’d definitely lock myself in my room for a month.

“Ah—please don’t look so serious. Honestly, I’m kind of thankful I’ve got a solid excuse to skip school for a while.”

Maybe I was making too serious a face,

Because Rei quickly tried to play it down.

Still…

For someone with that pretty-boy, visual-kei look,

He’s polite, considerate, and surprisingly down-to-earth.

He’s definitely been raised well.

“I see. So, what’ve you been doing while staying home?”

“Mostly writing make-up reports for attendance… and gaming.”

“Oh? You play games? What kind?”

Thinking it was best not to bring up the train incident myself,

I decided to keep things light and steer the conversation toward casual stuff.

“I’m into fighting games, mostly. Which is kinda ironic, considering I got punched.”

“Wait—you’re turning it into a joke!?”

I was starting to think maybe he was actually doing fine.

But… it could just be that he’s putting on a brave face in front of me.

“Ahaha! Kujou-kun, do you play games too? The action looks amazing on this big screen.”

“This TV’s seriously huge. How big is it?”

“About 150 inches, I think. My mom’s pretty picky when it comes to TVs—probably because of her work.”

“Her work? You mentioned she freelances… Does she work in the TV industry or something?”

“Ah! N-No, not exactly—she just has to keep up with trends for her job. That’s all. Anyway, is ‘Street Zero’ okay for the game?”

“Oh! That’s one I’ve played a ton. Yeah, let’s go!”

“Alright!”

Seeing Rei’s innocent smile as he eagerly set up the game

Made me smile without even realizing it myself.

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“Whoa, it’s already this late… Also—this view is amazing!”

We’d gotten so into our fighting game session on the giant screen

That I completely lost track of time.

By the time I looked out the window, the sun had already set.

And from way up here on one of the top floors,

The city lights were absolutely stunning.

“There’s no balcony up here, so you can’t really enjoy the evening breeze. That’s the only downside.”

As I stood by the living room window, practically glued to the glass like an excited kid,

Rei—used to this view as part of his daily life—stood beside me and smiled wryly.

“You don’t like high places, Rei-kun?”

“This apartment just has really good security, so we live here for that reason. I’m not really into night views or anything. My mom’s just super overprotective.”

“Speaking of which… your mom still hasn’t come back. Did she message or anything?”

“Ah—Mom’s actually out for a photosh—cough cough—I mean, I don’t think she’ll be coming back tonight. Sorry, I’m not really sure…”

Rei answered awkwardly, clearly dodging the question a bit.

“I see. Well then, I should probably get going. Let your mom know we’ll talk about everything properly another time.”

“Wait… Kujou-kun, you’re leaving already?”

His eyebrows drooped into a pitiful arch above his wide, blinking eyes—

He looked kinda like a sad puppy who wanted to keep playing.

Honestly, it was kind of adorable.

“Yeah. I’ve already overstayed a bit as it is.”

“Do you have, like… a curfew or something at your place?”

“Nah. I live alone, so I don’t have anything like that.”

“T-Then… um… Do you have plans with your girlfriend after this or something?”

Even though his face was slightly flushed, his hands were trembling just a bit as he asked.

“Unfortunately, no girlfriend here…”

“I-I see! I see, huh… That’s… good to know.”

…Man,

Why do you look so happy right now?

“Wait a sec—are you trying to one-up me right now? Don’t get cocky just ’cause you’re a pretty boy!”

“W-What!? No way! I don’t have a girlfriend either!”

“Really? You were super popular though. Even on the train, all those girls were worried about you.”

“Those girls are just… kind of like a fan club, I guess. They’re not anything serious.”

Wait—you don’t have a girlfriend,

But you do have a fan club!?

That’s more shocking, honestly.

“Now that you mention it, they were calling you ‘Rei-sama’ on the train. So you’re like the prince of your school, huh?”

“It’s kind of weird, right…?”

“Whoa whoa. I guess stuff like that happens sometimes.”

I mean, not that I’ve ever been one myself,

Or even known anyone who could be called a “prince,” but…

Rei looked like he was a bit self-conscious about it,

So I just nodded along casually to keep things light.

“Oh wow… Hearing you say ‘whoa-whoa’ live like that? I’m honored.”

“You were there when it happened! Don’t act like a fan now!”

This guy really does like teasing me, doesn’t he?

“You were seriously cool that day, Kujou-kun.”

“Thanks. Don’t fall for me, though.”

Even if the school prince with his own fan club says I looked cool,

It kinda just sounds like polite flattery.

“No, I mean it. You were the only one who stood in front of me to protect me.”

“Heh… Pretty impressive back I’ve got, huh?”

Truth be told, I was totally freaking out on the inside when I jumped in.

But… since things worked out in the end, I guess it’s all good.

“Yeah.”

“A real man lets his back do the talking.”

Even though we’re both guys and the same age,

It felt like I’d really hit it off with Rei.

Honestly, before coming here, I figured we were way too different to get along.

But I guess I was just overthinking it.

“Alright then. Time for this cool guy to walk off with his back to the sunset.”

“Hey! Don’t just casually try to sneak out!”

I had started making my way toward the front door when Rei quickly chased after me.

He grabbed my arm, and I couldn’t help but notice—

His hands were really slender for a guy.

“Wait, stay a little longer. I ordered delivery, and it’ll be here soon!”

“Wait, you ordered food?”

“I ordered a ton! If you leave now, I’ll be stuck all alone, eating a mountain of food by myself like some tragic figure.”

With watery eyes, Rei gave me this dramatic little plea to stay.

Yeah… definitely a rich kid.

They don’t hold back when they want something.

“Agh, alright already. But only until your mom, Suzune-san, gets home.”

“Yay! Then after dinner, let’s pull an all-nighter playing Life!”

He had completely warmed up to me now, huh?

Still, seeing a good-looking guy like him grinning that innocently…

Yeah, it didn’t feel so bad.

“You know, Rei-kun… You’re not just cool—You’re kinda cute too.”

“Eh!? C-Cute!? Me!?”

Rei’s flustered overreaction was honestly kind of hilarious.

He looked like one of those slightly dangerous, aloof prince types—

But once you actually talked to him, he was friendly, clingy, and just plain adorable.

Even from another guy’s point of view.

“Bet that gap is exactly what gets all the girls falling for you…”

“I haven’t been called cute in forever, so it’s kinda embarrassing…”

Well, yeah.

When you’re a little kid—even boys get told they’re cute all the time.

But once you’re in high school? Not so much.

Some guys probably get self-conscious or even insecure about being called “cute.”

But with how happy Rei looked right now,

Clearly, that wasn’t an issue here.

“Hey… um… Could you maybe… say it one more time?”

“Rei-kun, you’re cute.”

“Waaaah~”

For some reason, Rei just completely collapsed—

He went all limp and flopped onto the floor, rolling around like he couldn’t handle it.

…No, wait.

Hold on.

It’s not like that, okay?

This is just two guys messing around, that’s all.

As I picked up my controller again,

I found myself mentally trying to explain this whole situation to an imaginary version of Nakajou-san—

One of those fujoshi girls in our class who’d probably be drooling at the scene.

Still, even after all that…

Rei didn’t reboot anytime soon.

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