The Handsome Boy I Saved from Getting Beaten on the Train… Turned Out to Be the “Prince” of an All-Girls School - V1 Chapter 21: Do You Think Guys and Girls Can Be Just Friends?

Chapter 21: Do You Think Guys and Girls Can Be Just Friends?

“Nishino-dono is absent today, it seems.”

“Yeah. Sky’s really blue, huh…”

“So while the official wife is away, you’re sneaking off to meet another woman during lunch break. With me, no less.”

“Can you not say it like that!? And what’s this ‘official wife’ talk!?”

I sat up from the grassy field where I’d been lying down,

And turned to protest at Nakajou-san, who was stretched out beside me.

“At least within the school walls, Nishino-dono is already seen as your rightful wife, Kujou-dono.”

“Why are we being married off without either of us agreeing to it!?”

“Well, you two do arrive and leave together in that fancy car, and let’s not forget the whole scene where you carried her bridal-style through school. What did you think was gonna happen?”

“Ugh…”

Hearing it laid out like that…

Even I couldn’t argue.

“And lately, you’re also openly two-timing with the school prince, so your reputation just keeps taking hits—from both girls and boys.”

“…Yeah. That’s actually something I wanted to talk about today.”

It was depressing, but…

I didn’t really have anyone else I could go to for advice.

And since this involved Rinna, I definitely couldn’t ask her.

But honestly, I’d only grown more distant from most of my classmates lately.

At this point, Nakajou-san was the only one who still came up to talk to me like this.

…Though to be fair, I figured she was mostly doing it to entertain herself.

“But still, I never imagined the school prince would turn out to be a girl! Sure, it’s a classic rom-com twist, but for our side of fandom—it’s practically NTR-level betrayal!”

“…Yeah, sorry about that.”

“In guy-targeted romance fiction, it’s like finding out that cute girl you’ve been crushing on actually had something extra down there all along! Everyone in my circle was hyped about the Kujou × Dark Prince pairing! And now you’ve completely betrayed your readers!”

“Okay, first of all—who are these ‘readers’? And second, I’m not writing a story here.”

Seriously…

Turning my life into some drama-filled fanfic and then getting mad over the ‘plot twist’ is not my problem.

“Well, since I’m already aboard this sinking ship, I guess I’ll hear you out. Last time, I completely failed you anyway—ended up nosebleeding all over the place.”

Oh yeah…

Back when I still thought Rei was just a guy friend,

I’d asked Nakajou-san, “Is it bad that my heart races when I’m around Rei?”

And she had a full-on fountain of a nosebleed.

Totally useless for actual advice.

“Thanks, Nakajou-san. So here’s what I wanted to ask—Do you think guys and girls can really be just friends?”

“…That’s the eternal question towering between men and women. Honestly, someone like me with zero real-world romance experience is completely unequipped to answer that.”

“C’mon, I need some kind of advice…”

“Look, I know you’re desperate, but don’t go grabbing at this drowning twig of a human like I’m your lifeline.”

After my pleading, Nakajou-san—the self-proclaimed “twig”—let out a reluctant sigh and flopped back down onto the grass beside me.

“Well then… friendship between boys and girls, huh? To put it bluntly, I think it only works if there’s zero sexual attraction between the two.”

“That’s… brutally honest.”

Our conversation continued—raw and completely at odds with the bright blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and fresh green lawn around us.

“But it is the truth. Take us, for example. There’s absolutely no romantic or physical interest between me and you, Kujou-dono. I’m here because I enjoy watching a pure soul wrestle with forbidden feelings, spiral into confusion, and fall from grace in the end. But as a man? I’ve got zero interest in you.”

“That’s kind of a messed up way to say it, but I guess you’re trying to say you have no weird intentions.”

And honestly, I didn’t feel that way about Nakajou-san either.

So in that sense, we met the ‘zero attraction’ requirement she mentioned earlier.

“Indeed. However—outsiders won’t see it that way. When a teen boy and girl are lying on the grass side by side like this, enjoying a little taste of youth, the default assumption is always gonna be, ‘Those two are totally dating!’”

“Then friendship’s doomed from the start!”

What the heck!?

My reputation in school just keeps getting worse and worse.

Wait a sec—

Aren’t I the nice guy who stepped in to help Rei when she was getting punched on the train?

So why is my reputation dropping instead of going up!?

Shouldn’t this be the kind of thing that gets you praised and admired by your classmates!?

“Unfortunately, outside voices have a way of swaying people’s feelings—whether they want it or not.”

“Yeah… I guess that is how it goes.”

Like when someone teases you, “You totally like her, don’t you?”

And then you suddenly start thinking about it too much and get all self-conscious…

It’s kinda depressing how little emotional progress we make between elementary school and high school.

“In the end, feelings are up to the person who feels them. Thinking you can control or guide that from the outside? That’s just arrogance.”

“…So even if I wish for something, that doesn’t mean I’ll get the kind of relationship I want?”

“Exactly. That’s why you should follow the path you believe is right. A guy like you, who stepped in to help someone on a train, can definitely do that.”

“The path I believe in, huh…”

“Indeed.”

Listening to Nakajou-san’s words, I found myself reflecting a bit.

On that huge decision I made—to leave those people, my parents, and live separately.

And on that moment in the train, when I stood up to that loudmouth construction pants.

Compared to those, the stuff I was struggling with now felt…

Small.

Like fog lifting from my mind.

“Nakajou-san… I’m gonna give it a shot. After school, I’ll go visit Rinna at her house and check in on her.”

Lately, I’d been feeling like things between me and Rinna were starting to shift.

And honestly, I’d been scared to take another step forward.

But yeah… Nakajou-san was right.

I just need to follow the path I believe is right.

“Yup yup, go knock yourself out~”

Talking it out with someone really helped.

Rather than going in circles in my own head, just saying things out loud made it clearer what actually mattered.

As Nakajou-san lazily waved me off,
I started thinking about what kind of gift I should bring to Rinna after school.

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