Traveling With a Beautiful Girl - Chapter 10: Ruka's Concerns

“Story?”

Nanase frowned in puzzlement.

“Yeah! Today, I’m going to take the biggest gamble of my life! I was praying in the footbath for it to be successful.”

Oh, so that’s why she was muttering to herself earlier.

“Usually, people pray at a shrine, not a footbath, right?”

“Huh? But foot baths feel good, don’t they?”

It seems appropriate to only think as deeply about this person’s actions as one would about a footbath.

“Is this big gamble you’re taking something like a confession of love?”

“Wha-!? How did you know!?”

Ruka-san reacted dramatically, surprised that we figured it out.

“You called yourself a love-stricken bitch earlier.”

“I’m not a bitch, I’m a maiden!”

Annoyed, Ruka-san stomped her foot on the ground.

“But now that you know that, the conversation will be quicker!”

“I haven’t said I’d listen to the story yet, though.”

“Come on, let’s listen to her. We have time, and interacting with people we meet on our journey is part of the fun.”

I was simply interested in Ruka-san. I’ve never met anyone like her before, so she’s very refreshing.

“…Well, you have a point.”

Nanase gave in, resigned.

“Please keep it short.”

“Uwaaa, thank you, Ri-chan!”

“Hey, don’t hug me.”

Despite her protest, Nanase didn’t push Ruka-san away, revealing a glimpse of her inherent kindness. With Ruka-san still hugging her, she began her story.

“Actually, I have a girl I like right now…”

“Stop.”

Did I hear that right?

“Ruka-san, you don’t mean you’re a boy, right?”

“I’m a genuine LJK (high school girl)☆!”

Seeing Ruka-san strike a confident pose, I feel relieved. If that soft chest was fake, I wouldn’t be able to believe anything in this world anymore.

“My classmate, Haru-chi, is cute, smart, and kind. From the moment we met, she stole my heart.”

Nanase pushed Ruka-san away.

“What are you doing?”

“No… I felt like you were touching me in weird places…”

“I didn’t touch you! I wouldn’t do something weird like that without thinking!”

I swallow the retort that she does weird things after careful consideration. But, Ruka-san liking a girl is unexpected.

The image of Ruka-san, a beautiful woman, being affectionate with a beautiful girl was indeed picturesque and mystical.

No wonder yuri stories are popular.

“So, are you close with her?”

“Definitely! We’re always hugging at school, holding hands on the way home, and after we say goodbye, I think about her while I do (censored) at home!”

Ruka-san’s wild. The yuri flowers are withering.

“But if you’re that close, you could make it work, right?”

These days, same-sex relationships aren’t that rare.

“Well, that’s the thing…”

Ruka-san made a face as if she just tasted salt.

“Haru-chi has a boyfriend.”

“Oof…”

I see, that kind of pattern.

Nanase, who had been listening to the conversation, let out a deep sigh.

“There are many things to comment on…. but I won’t say anything bad. Just give up. The chances of your confession being accepted are low.”

“You’re really hitting with the harsh reality, huh?”

I mostly agree, though.

“Yeah, I guess…”

Ruka-san scratched her head with a forced smile, seemingly expecting this response.

“But I want to convey my feelings! Ever since I met her, I’ve always loved her… I know she has a boyfriend, but if it’s about the size of my love, I think I have a chance…!”

“Stop it. Objectively speaking, the likelihood of your confession succeeding in a situation where the other person has a boyfriend is low. And…”

Coldly, Nanase let it out.

“In addition you both are of the same gender, the likelihood of you being seen as a romantic interest is also low.”

“… Yeah, I guess so.”

Again, Ruka-san scratched her head with a silly grin. Compared to earlier, she seemed somewhat lonely. The moment I saw her profile, I felt a surge of wanting to do something for her.

“I think you should confess!”

Before I knew it, I had opened my mouth. I don’t care if it’s a lame excuse. I wanted to push the back of Ruka-san, who was trying to gather the courage to confess her feelings.

Nanase said in a low voice, “Are you sane?”

“Actually, I think Ruka-san has already made up her mind to confess, so whatever we say now won’t change her mind. She must know better than anyone that her confession is a long shot…”

“If she’s aware of that, it makes even less sense. There are other risks involved in that confession. If it goes wrong, it could ruin their current relationship, and if the confession leaks to others, it could make her uncomfortable in class. The more you think about it, the more she’s doing something that doesn’t make sense.”

Nanase’s tone carried an odd heat. From the beginning, I had a feeling of discomfort. Nanase seemed irritated by Ruka-san’s decision to go through with a low-success-rate confession. It was as if Nanase herself was afraid of Ruka-san’s failure.

“Alright!”

With a slap on her cheek, Ruka-san stood up. After a pause, Ruka-san said,

“Thank you both. Thanks to you, I’ve made up my mind.”

With a smile, Ruka-san beamed.

“I’m going to school now to confess to Haruchi! It’ll be lunchtime by the time I get there, so it’s perfect!”

At Ruka-san’s declaration, Nanase looked incredulous.

As for me, I thought, “Well, that makes sense.”

After all, the answer had been settled in Ruka-san’s mind from the beginning. No matter what we say now, it won’t shake her.

“I understand what Ri-chan is saying, and I know it’s absolutely correct, but still… As you said, I think my resolve to confess is so strong that I won’t be satisfied unless I do it.”

“…If that’s the case, do as you please.”

With that said, Nanase turned her face away, as if to say there was nothing more to discuss.

“So, make haste! Ka-kun, Ri-chan, I’m glad I met you both! See you!”

Leaving those words behind, Ruka-san sprinted off.

“She was like a typhoon, huh?”

I said to Nanase after the two of us were left alone.

“More like a tornado. She completely messed up our plans.”

“Did we have plans?”

“I had them planned out by the minute. Even dipping into the foot bath was included.”

“What incredible preparedness… Wait , didn’t you say we were only going to do that for 10 minutes, but ended up spending more than 30?”

“…That was 10 minutes.”

“Huh, but”

“It was 10 minutes. It’s not like I was feeling so good that I lost track of time or anything.”

That must be it. Seeing her cheeks flushed even though she hadn’t entered the foot bath, I sighed, thinking how she wasn’t being honest. …Well, as long as she enjoyed herself.

“But she was an interesting person, huh. We would never have met her if we were just living our normal lives.”

I indulged in the peculiar feeling of travel.

“I don’t like that type of person, who doesn’t calculate risks before taking action.”

“You don’t seem like the type to do anything that could fail.”

“That perception is wrong.”

Facing me, Nanase spoke with a strong tone.

“I try and try again until I succeed in things that might fail. That’s me.”

Her words were filled with strong determination. Then, Nanase murmured quietly.

“Failure is… not allowed, even in the smallest things.”

──Living has become a hassle.

Suddenly, her voice repeated in my mind. I wanted to say something to Nanase.  But I didn’t know what to say. In the meantime, Nanase turned around and said,

“I’m hungry. Let’s have lunch.”