The Handsome Boy I Saved from Getting Beaten on the Train… Turned Out to Be the “Prince” of an All-Girls School - V1 Chapter 11: The Crybaby Prince

Chapter 11: The Crybaby Prince

“Alright, time to head home.”

“You’re stopping by the gym today, right? I’ll give you a ride.”

As I got up to leave after homeroom, Rinna suddenly called out to me.

“Eh!? That’s way too much, though.”

“It’s on the way, so don’t worry about it.”

Rinna walked ahead like the decision had already been made, leaving me no choice but to quietly follow behind.

“Hm? What’s that? Looks like a crowd near the front gate…”

As we stepped out the school entrance, I saw a bunch of girls huddled together, squealing and chattering excitedly.

They were all staring at someone from a distance…

“Wait—is that Rei!?”

Standing in front of the school gate was Rei, dressed in casual clothes.

As usual, he had on sweatpants, a hoodie, a black mask, and a cap.

If I wore the exact same outfit and stood in front of a school, the police would probably be called on me in five seconds.

But Rei somehow still made it look cool.

Seriously, good looks really are a cheat code.

“What are you doing here, Rei?”

“Ah, there you are, Saito!”

Rei lit up behind his mask and jogged over to me, clearly thrilled to see me.

“Is it really okay for you to be out like this?”

He was dressed pretty much the same as in that viral video,

So if someone saw him on a train or walking around town, they’d definitely recognize him as that guy.

“I’m fine. I took a taxi today.”

“So, not the train this time?”

“Yeah. I’m still a little scared of taking trains. But still, that was really mean of you… I sent you so many messages, and you just ignored all of them.”

Just a moment ago, Rei had looked so happy to find someone he knew in front of a different school’s gate.

But now that he remembered his original reason for being here, his expression darkened as he glared at me with cloudy eyes.

“Ah, well… about that… Our school doesn’t allow phones on campus.”

Panicking at Rei’s sharp tone, I instinctively threw out the school rule I never actually follow as an excuse.

…Rinna, stop looking at me like, ‘Is this guy for real?’

“Hmm. So, when you said you had plans today… was it because you’re hanging out with Rinna-chan over there?”

Rei narrowed his eyes suspiciously and looked past me—right at Rinna, who had been quietly watching from behind.

Ah, right.

I showed him her photo the other day, so he already knows her name and face.

“So, you’re Rei-kun? I’ve heard a lot about you from him. Thank you for being such a good friend to our Saito.”

Rinna gave a polite, honor-student-style greeting.

But her words… carried the faintest hint of a thorn.

“Our Saito, huh…”

“Saito doesn’t really have any close friends besides me, so I was a little worried about him.”

With the calm smile of a refined young lady, Rinna spoke gracefully—

While Rei stood there with a look like he’d just swallowed a bitter bug.

“Are you my mom or something? And anyway, you don’t have any other friends at school besides me either, Rinna.”

“Oh my. Unlike you, Saito, I’m just choosing not to make any. It’s not like I’m unpopular with the other girls or anything.”

“You seriously don’t realize it’s your fault I’m in this mess!?”

“You two seem… pretty close.”

Ah—crap.

Sorry, Rei.

I accidentally slipped into my usual banter routine with Rinna.

Right…

Rei was actually interested in Rinna, wasn’t he?

“Let me introduce you properly, Rei. This is Rinna—”

“No need. If we’re done here, let’s go, Saito.”

I’d been all set to play Cupid,

But Rei just grabbed my arm and started pulling me away.

Whoa there, Rei.

You’re seriously one of those awkward types who acts all cool and standoffish in front of the girl he likes, huh?

That’s kind of adorable, actually—like a little kid trying to play it tough.

“Rei-kun, Saito and I already have plans today. My family car is taking us out. So yes, he does have plans.”

“Huh!? Why’s your family car taking Saito around!?”

Rei shot me a sharp look, eyes wide with suspicion.

“Ahh, well, that’s because—”

“If a friend is in trouble, helping them is the obvious thing to do, isn’t it?”

Before I could even fumble out a response, Rinna stepped forward and answered clearly and confidently.

“Troubled… Saito is…?”

“I’m sure Saito hasn’t told you, but ever since that video went public, he’s been dealing with a lot of problems because of it.”

“Saito’s having problems… because he’s around me…?”

Rei’s face twisted from anxiety into despair.

But Rinna didn’t hold back—she hit him with those words like she was dragging him down into darkness.

“At school, people are laughing at him. Even the teachers have called him in multiple times.”

“Whoa, Rinna—can you not word it like that!?”

I mean, yeah, technically that is true…

But you don’t have to make it sound like some big tragic drama on purpose.

“So… just being with me is a problem for Saito…?”

Tears welled up in Rei’s eyes as he reached for me, his hands trembling, clinging onto my sleeve like he was barely holding on.

“Of course not. And hey, Rinna—what’s with the cold attitude? He’s my friend, you know?”

“I’m just stating the facts, that’s all.”

This was weird.

Rinna usually treated guys who hit on her like they were beneath notice—cold, distant, and completely uninterested.

But even then, she never showed this kind of open hostility, especially not right from the first meeting.

“Rei’s been through a lot. That whole mess on the train really shook him up. So how about showing a little sympathy, huh?”

Hmm…

Yeah, this definitely isn’t the right moment to introduce Rei to Rinna and hope they hit it off.

But then again, in romantic comedies, there are plenty of couples who start off on the worst possible foot, right?

Maybe it’s fine for now?

Still, a handsome guy crying in front of Rinna like this…

The whole scene was just bizarre in a weirdly surreal way.

(Huh? I can feel someone really staring…)

I turned toward the intense gaze piercing into me—

And there she was.

Nakajou-san, crouched in the classroom, was holding a camera with a bazooka-sized telephoto lens, snapping burst shots like she was on a wildlife documentary team.

I couldn’t see her expression from here, but she was probably thinking something like,

“Love triangle alert! Two boys, one girl! Let’s gooo lololol!!”

And with so many students around watching the whole thing unfold,

I was pretty sure some wild rumors were already spreading through the school like wildfire.

At this point, I just accepted my fate.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“Sniffle… Saito, can I have a tissue?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Rei was still sniffling next to me, so I just handed over my entire pocket tissue pack.

There was no way I could just leave Rei crying like that,

So in the end, I turned down Rinna’s offer and shared a taxi with Rei to drop him off at his apartment.

Rinna sighed and muttered something about me being too overprotective, but… whatever.

“Man, she really made you cry hard back there.”

“I hate Rinna-chan!”

Seriously though…

Crying after getting logically shut down by a girl?

That’s like something a grade school boy would do.

Of course, I wasn’t about to say that out loud to Rei.

“Guess Rinna was a bit too much for our little prince, huh?”

“Uuugh… The girls around me at school are always gentle and treat me so nicely…”

“Haha! Yeah, Rinna’s pretty anti-boy. She’s shot down pretty much every guy in our school.”

“But still, Rinna-chan seemed kind of friendly with you, Saito.”

“Well, we’ve been seatmates since the start of the year. I guess it’s just that ‘get along with your neighbors’ mindset.”

“So how’d you win her over?”

“I didn’t win anything.”

It’s not like I’m special to Rinna or anything.

I’ve just always treated her like the girl who sits next to me.

Over time, we started cracking jokes, eating lunch together—

That’s all there is to it.

“No, seriously… the look she gave me was like she was guarding a treasure from a thief.”

“Yeah, okay. I think it’s safe to say you and Rinna don’t really mesh.”

If I tried to force the two of them together, it’d totally backfire.

A truly skilled Cupid knows when to back off too.

No need to rush it—another chance will come around eventually.

“Hmm… maybe coming to your school today wasn’t such a great idea…”

“Yeah, probably not.”

Way to be self-aware, Rei.

Honestly, I’d rather not have some dramatic boy-girl showdown happen again in front of my school gates.

“Rinna-chan probably saw how I acted and felt threatened, right…? If I hold back now, it might be too late… Alright, I’ve made up my mind!”

Mumbling to himself like he was lost in thought, Rei suddenly turned toward me with a look of resolve.

“I’m going back to school starting tomorrow. My injuries are healed now.”

“Wait, your face is okay already?”

“Yeah, actually, the swelling’s mostly gone now. And… this is kinda hard to ask, but… I’m still scared to ride the train alone. So, could you walk to school with me in the morning?”

Rei looked up at me shyly, fidgeting as he asked.

What the heck, man. That’s way too cute.

A pretty boy making that kind of sweet request?

Any girl would melt on the spot.

…Well, I’m not a girl though.

“You’re the only one I can ask for something like this, Saito…”

“Yeah, no problem. We’re friends, after all.”

Rei was trying to take a brave step forward.

And as his friend, of course I’d be there to support him.

“Really!? Then it’s a promise—come pick me up at my apartment tomorrow morning, okay?”

Even with the mask covering his face,

I could tell—Rei was smiling from ear to ear underneath it.

That unexpectedly dazzling smile caught me off guard for a second,

But I quickly brushed the feeling away in my mind.

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By the way, Rei’s black mask is purely the author’s personal preference.

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