The Handsome Boy I Saved from Getting Beaten on the Train… Turned Out to Be the “Prince” of an All-Girls School - V1 Chapter 18: A Guy You Can Count On When It Matters

Chapter 18: A Guy You Can Count On When It Matters

Right after I parted ways with Rei, I found myself getting stopped by all sorts of people around school—again.

“Wait, that prince was actually a girl!? No way!”

“I totally thought she was a hot guy! I feel so betrayed!”

“Hold up—does that hug mean you two are dating!?”

“But honestly… even if she’s a girl, she’s kind of cute…”

Yeah…

Looks like word about Rei actually being a girl had already spread all over school.

Everyone was still blurting out whatever popped into their heads—

So I didn’t bother answering seriously.

Just gave them vague, half-hearted replies and kept walking.

But of course, no chance to breathe—trouble was waiting just ahead.

“…Ugh. Rinna’s totally gonna be mad at me.”

I couldn’t help muttering to myself as I dragged my feet toward the classroom.

That little scene at the front gate?

Yeah—someone nosy definitely ran off to tell Rinna already.

No doubt I’d be getting another lecture about how I lack “basic risk awareness” or something.

And since I’d turned down Rinna’s ride and came in using the car from Rei’s place instead, it only made things worse.

That’s why I was sighing as I slowly climbed the stairs toward the classroom—

When suddenly…

“Man… If I’d known she was a girl, I would’ve helped her too.“

Just as I reached the landing, I heard a voice coming from above.

It stopped me in my tracks.

“Don’t you think that ‘Whoa-Whoa’ guy knew she was a girl from the start?”

“Yeah, probably. That’s why he jumped in to help so fast.”

…Ah.

Yeah, they’re definitely talking about me.

Also, could you not use that nickname when gossiping behind someone’s back?

Judging by the number of voices and footsteps, it sounded like a small group of guys were hanging out at the top of the stairs, chatting away.

But with them standing right there, there was no way I could walk out now…

“If it were me, I would’ve taken down the punk before he even had a chance to hit her. No way I’d let a girl get punched.”

“In that sense, Whoa-Whoa Dude kinda looked lame. He only stepped in after she got hit.”

Urgh…

That part hit where it hurt.

Honestly, I’ve been thinking the same thing myself.

I was stuck between two feelings:

Anger, like “You guys didn’t lift a finger to help her yourselves, so don’t act all high and mighty now.”

And guilt, like “If only I’d moved faster, Rei wouldn’t have been hit at all…”

“Not to mention, all he did was stand there going ‘whoa-whoa-whoa.’”

“And now he’s trending because of it, plus he’s got that super pretty ‘prince’ girl crushing on him? Man, talk about unfair.”

If I were some cool, confident guy,

I probably would’ve walked out right then, thrown in a snarky one-liner, and shut them all up.

But… I couldn’t.

Because deep down, I knew they weren’t wrong.

I wasn’t some heroic figure or handsome lead who always saves the day.

I wasn’t the kind of guy who deserved to be looked at with admiration in Rei’s eyes.

“Right, Nishino-chan? You think the same, yeah?”

—Wait, what!?

Rinna’s there too!?

I hadn’t heard her voice at all until now—

So I had no idea she was standing there with them.

“True. I mean, it’s pretty funny.”

“Right? Totally hilarious.”

“””Ahahaha!”””

…Okay, yeah.

I really didn’t want to hear my own friend joining in on trash talk about me.

Guess I had no choice.

It was a bit of a detour, but I decided to turn around and head for the stairs on the opposite side of the school building.

“It really is funny. Listening to a bunch of cowards blabbing about what they would’ve done, without actually doing anything… is such a pathetic waste of time it’s laughable.”

“…Huh?”

…What?

Rinna suddenly dropped that biting line with a smile still on her face,

And I was so surprised I froze mid-step.

Peeking out from behind the wall of the stair landing,

I saw the guys standing there with the dumbest expressions—like pigeons getting smacked in the face with a rice cracker.

Honestly…

I probably had the exact same look on my face.

“N-Nishino-chan…?”

“Making up some heroic story just to boost your ego? That’s even lamer than those war tales drunk uncles keep repeating at every party.”

Oof…

Rinna may look sweet and elegant,

But as usual—she showed no mercy.

“I mean, it’s not like we were actually there, so…”

“Yeah, if we had been, maybe we would’ve done something…”

“Oh, is that so? Then how about this—tonight, why don’t you head downtown and help some random girl being harassed by creeps or scammed by shady hosts? Should be easy, right?”

Rinna threw their own big talk right back at them like a boomerang, leaving them no way to escape.

“W-Whoa, come on, Nishino-chan… No need to get that serious. It was just a joke, okay?”

“Oh, so when you’re cornered, you just laugh it off and pretend it was all a joke? Yeah. That tells me everything I need to know about whether you’re someone who can be trusted when it actually matters. Bye.”

The guys, now totally backed into a corner and out of excuses, tried to make a clean exit.

But Rinna didn’t let them off the hook—

She made sure to land one last direct hit.

Being publicly shut down by the top beauty in school?

Yeah, the color drained from their faces instantly.

Game over.

Honestly… it might’ve been a bit of an overkill.

But at the same time, I couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit bad for them.

“Ugh, what a total waste of time. Sure, I was feeling a little off this morning, but just because I was upset doesn’t mean I’d be happy hearing them badmouth Saito like that… Wait—Saito!?”

“O-Oh. Morning, Rinna.”

Still mumbling angrily to herself, Rinna came down the stairs—

Right as I was about to leave.

No way to slip away now.

We ended up face-to-face.

…Awkward.

“Saito… you heard all that just now, didn’t you?”

Rinna, unusually flustered, blushed as she looked at me.

“W-What are you talking about? I-I just got here, that’s all.”

“Your mouth is grinning! You totally heard everything!”

Ah…

Yeah. That was careless of me.

But come on—

Anyone who saw Rinna cut those guys down so cleanly couldn’t not smile.

It was seriously impressive.

“Yeah… I heard it. Thanks, Rinna. For standing up for me. You were awesome.”

“The… worst…”

Rinna suddenly dropped into a crouch on the spot.

“You okay, Rinna?”

“Yeah… it’s your fault, though.”

Crouched on the stair landing, hugging her knees like a little pill bug,

Rinna muttered in a tiny, defeated voice—

A far cry from the usual confident, high-and-mighty ojou-sama I knew.

“Alright then—since I’m a reliable guy when it really counts, I’ll carry you to the nurse’s office. What do you want? A piggyback or a princess carry?”

Feeling a little smug after seeing Rinna unusually defeated,

I decided to joke around, quoting her own line from earlier.

Of course, I didn’t actually mean it.

“…Then, princess carry.”

“…Wait, seriously?”

Her completely unexpected answer made me freeze up.

Crap. I definitely took the teasing too far.

“…You’re not like those guys from earlier, right? All talk, no action?”

Rinna looked up at me with a teasing glint in her eye—

But her entire face was burning red.

She was being stubborn now, clearly trying to turn the tables and make me squirm.

But, uh…

Rinna, you’re basically blowing yourself up with this move.

“Hey—come on, don’t push yourself, Rinna.”

“Haaah~? I’m not pushing myself at all, thank you very much. You’re the one freaking out, aren’t you? What, did that wimpy prince’s wimpiness rub off on you?”

“…Oh, you said it, Rinna. Alright then—get ready.”

Now that Rei had been dragged into this,

Backing down here would’ve been a blow to my manly pride.

So, I braced myself and crouched down to match Rinna’s eye level.

As I reached my hands out, her body gave a tiny jolt—

But without saying a word, still crouched, she slowly raised her arms above her head.

She was clearly saying, “Pick me up.”

Ugh…

The moment I actually lifted her into a princess carry, I realized something—

This… is bad.

Since it’s a princess carry, I had no choice but to support her under the knees—

And unlike Rei, Rinna didn’t wear tights.

Which meant…

Yeah. Bare legs.

My left hand, wedged against her soft thighs, was now sweating uncontrollably.

My right hand, meanwhile, was positioned just behind her back—basically cradling her like I was holding something delicate.

Girls really are fragile, huh…

That thought hit me hard as I held her—

Like she could break if I didn’t handle her carefully.

And that made me want to treat her with more care, almost without thinking.

And then there were her arms, now gently wrapped around my neck,

And our faces… way, way too close.

“H-How is it? Y-You’re totally reacting to this, aren’t you, Saito?”

“Seriously? You’re going for a dirty joke now? And don’t act all smug—your whole body is tense as a rock. I can feel it, you know. I’m the one carrying you.”

“P-Perv!”

“You’re the one who asked for a princess carry in the first place!”

“Oh right—this kind of got brushed aside with all the eavesdropping earlier, But is it true that you kissed Rei-kun when you said goodbye just now?”

“Wow, that rumor escalated fast! No way I’m kissing anyone with that many people watching! She just hugged me, that’s it!”

“Haaah~ thank goodness… Wait—hugged you!? That spineless little prince seriously pulled that in front of everyone? Has she no shame!?”

“And you’re one to talk! You’re the one being carried through school like this, you know! Stop squirming—you’re making it harder!”

And so, with all eyes on us,

Rinna and I made our way to the nurse’s office.

…I had a sinking feeling this was going to turn into another wild rumor with even more ridiculous details.

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It was a full-on Rinna-chan powerhouse episode!

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