When I Told the Most Beautiful Girl in the School That My Confession Had Failed, She Suddenly Started Coming at Me With Unbearably Heavy Feelings - Chapter 10-11

Chapter 10: Weight and Relationships

≪Nonoka’s Side≫

After class, Nonoka sent a message to Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki.

“Are you free today? Wanna go see a movie if you are?”

Today was the release date of a new movie Nonoka had been looking forward to. She’d already reserved tickets, so all she needed was Ryoutarou’s reply.

It was a sudden invitation, but she figured it’d be fine. That carefree thought, however, was quickly shattered.

“Sorry, I’m hanging with my buddies today, so I can’t.”

Annoyed by the blunt rejection, Nonoka took a step further and typed another message.

“When are you free then? I’d love to go with just the two of us.”

“Nah, my schedule’s kinda up in the air. Also, me and you, Nonoka, we’re just friends with benefits, right? A date feels a bit heavy, lol.”

The spear of his words pierced Nonoka from an inch away.

Ryoutarou’s words, cruelly enough, were the truth.

Nonoka and Ryoutarou were just friends with benefits, not a couple.

If Ryoutarou refused a date, Nonoka had no right to force him.

No read receipt appeared for her follow-up messages.

A hollow feeling spread through Nonoka’s heart.

She was wanted only for her body. Nonoka Hoshiumi, as a person, wasn’t desired. She thought she’d understood that when she entered this relationship, but the emptiness in her heart refused to accept it.

(…Why am I even doing this? I knew it was just physical…)

The moment she realized she was fighting a losing battle, doubts about her actions began to sprout.

Was this relationship, built on the ashes of the one she’d thrown away, worth it? Nonoka asked herself, but no answer came.

Instead, the face of the guy she’d rejected floated into her mind.

(Hinate-kun would probably come along happily…)

But she was the one who cut him off. When she tried inviting him before, Renji himself had pushed her away.

She shouldn’t have any regrets. She thought she could just pick up their friendship again when she got bored. That shallow thinking had been mercilessly crushed.

(…And honestly, Hinate-kun’s no better. The second I’m gone, he starts hanging out with a girl like her…!)

Her pent-up emotions turned their fangs on Rinne.

If you traced it back, Nonoka’s selfishness was the root of it all. But in her mind, she wasn’t at fault. Her self-centered worldview was deeply rooted in blaming others.

Nonoka hated Rinne.

She saw Rinne as the one who stole Renji from her, viewing the academy’s so-called top beauty as an enemy. Yet, she knew she could never match Rinne.

“—and that movie’s supposed to be really good.”

(…Hinate-kun.)

Wandering aimlessly toward the school entrance, Nonoka stopped when she spotted Renji coming out of a classroom. Beside him was her hated rival, Rinne.

“Oh—”

“…? What’s wrong, Kisaragi?”

“…Nothing. It’s not worth looking at. Let’s go.”

Rinne urged Renji to keep walking, preventing him from turning around.

As they left, the scornful glance and mocking smile Rinne shot at Nonoka dripped with a woman’s smug superiority.

“—!!”

Faced with that top-tier provocation, Nonoka was powerless. After all, she was the one who had thrown Renji away.

(That jerk…! She’s just got a pretty face…!)

Nonoka could only hurl pathetic insults in her mind, instinctively sensing her complete inferiority to Rinne.

Rinne, who polished her already striking appearance for the man she loved, marked him to keep him close, and devoted herself wholly to him, stood in stark contrast to Nonoka, who discarded an irreplaceable connection for her own desires.

The weight of their feelings had already decided the victor.

(And what’s with her acting like his girlfriend…? It’s like I’m the bad guy here!)

Overwhelmed by an undeniable sense of defeat, Nonoka’s phone buzzed in her pocket.

“Tonight at my place.”

Reading the short message, Nonoka shoved her phone back into her pocket roughly.

She felt nauseated by herself for still following him despite this humiliation.

—

Chapter 11: Holidays and Pretexts

In her unnecessarily spacious bedroom, Rinne lay on her bed, her brow furrowed and her expression troubled as she stared at her smartphone.

In her hands were her phone and two aquarium tickets, sent out of the blue by her mother.

“Ngh…”

Rinne was conflicted. She wanted to bind Renji, the object of her affection, to herself. She needed a reason to do so.

Rinne had already set two traps.

The first was the love letter.

Until now, she had only received letters from people she didn’t care about, passed to her through Renji.

By sending her feelings to him, she had left an undeniable mark of her affection in his heart.

The second was her hair color.

By incorporating Renji’s favorite ultramarine as an inner color, she had successfully made him see her as someone who held affection for him.

But Rinne felt that these two alone weren’t enough.

The reason was clear in her mind: the image of that blonde junior.

(That girl is more troublesome than I thought…)

Rinne openly viewed Amane, who was closer and more familiar with Renji, as a clear rival.

Amane had a subtle cuteness, paired with calculated gestures that could sway a man’s heart woven into her conversations. On top of that, she had the advantage of being a junior, a trait that naturally made her seem adorable.

As a romantic rival, Amane was the embodiment of everything Rinne didn’t want near the man she loved—her greatest enemy.

(I want to get closer to Hinate-kun. So close that he can’t see anyone but me, outshining that girl…)

To fulfill that wish, the tickets in her hand were essential.

(…It’s a bit frustrating to use them, but I have no choice.)

Resolving herself, Rinne sat up and began typing a message. But sending it wasn’t as smooth as she’d hoped.

“Ugh…”

Is this message weird?

Isn’t it rude to invite him out of the blue at night?

What if he turns me down…?

Despite her earlier confidence while drafting the message, Rinne’s mind was now flooded with anxiety.

She had no intention of softening her bold demeanor. But the thought of Renji rejecting her because of it made her chest tighten painfully.

She knew Renji wouldn’t dismiss her so easily. She understood that.

But irrational anxiety didn’t need a reason to surface.

(Why is my heart racing like this…?)

Fighting to steady her nearly crushed spirit, Rinne faced the screen again.

For the sake of her beloved Renji, and for her own desire to be by his side. Pushing past her heavy fingers, she hit the send button.

▼▽

“…Hm?”

In the living room, watching a movie on a streaming service with Amane, Renji noticed his phone vibrate on the table.

Picking it up, he saw a new message. It was from none other than Rinne, and his expression froze.

“Huh…”

“…? What’s up, senpai?”

“Sorry, I’ll be right back.”

Leaving a curious Amane behind, Renji stepped out of the living room to check the message.

“Sorry for the sudden invite. I got some aquarium tickets from a friend. Want to go together this weekend?”

Reading the concise message, Renji’s thoughts came to a halt. It took him a good ten seconds to process its meaning.

(This… is she asking me out on a date?)

A direct invitation from Rinne, the girl every guy in school had a crush on. There was no way he could stay calm—his heartbeat quickened, and his palms grew sweaty.

(No, I’m not jumping to conclusions… am I? This weekend… I’ve got nothing planned. Staying home would be boring, and just the two of us…)

Not wanting to keep her waiting after she’d seen his read receipt, Renji typed a reply with trembling fingers.

“If it’s okay with you, I’d love to join.”

The message was marked as read almost instantly.

They exchanged a few more messages to sort out the details before ending the conversation.

Letting out a relieved sigh and turning to head back, Renji suddenly felt a quiet menace behind him and spun around.

There stood Amane, arms crossed, her expression suspicious.

“W-What’s wrong, Amane…?”

“…Senpai, you’re grinning like an idiot.”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“…A girl?”

How were women’s instincts so sharp? Seeing Renji’s strained face, Amane sighed.

“…Kisaragi-senpai?”

“Ugh…”

“Ugh, it’s a date invite, isn’t it? When?”

“…This Sunday.”

“…Senpai, you’ve got a full shift on Saturday, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“And you were supposed to come to our place on Sunday, right?”

“…Oh.”

“Ugh! I was looking forward to spending the day flirting with my big brother!”

“S-Sorry! I couldn’t exactly turn down Kisaragi’s invite…”

“Mom was excited to see you after so long! We were gonna cook together!”

With no words to counter, Renji could only hope for Amane’s forgiveness.

Amane puffed out her cheeks and turned away. The crime of toying with a maiden’s heart, which had been eager to spend a rare weekend with her beloved stepbrother, was heavy.

“I can join you guys at night, so please forgive me…”

“…Fine, whatever.”

“Really…?”

“But in exchange, you owe me one favor.”

“Ugh…”

“Got a problem with that?”

“Just… make it something I can actually do…”

Though the outcome left some unease, Renji sighed in relief at being forgiven.

His heart raced with excitement for his first weekend date with Rinne.