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 2: Rumors and Emotions

Chapter 2: Rumors and Emotions

The school route I walked, carrying a gloomy mood, felt somehow bleaker than usual.

The scenery, which should have been the same as always, seemed lacking. It was probably the lingering sting of yesterday’s heartbreak.

My grandfather, who laughed heartily, used to say that most bad things could be fixed by eating something tasty and sleeping. That was a lie. The speed of healing varies from person to person.

“You look awfully glum this morning, Senpai. Did you lose your wallet or something?”

Peering into my face was a girl with loosely wavy blonde hair.

She was Amane Shinomiya, my junior from the same part-time job.

Her bright smile seemed to lift my gloomy mood just a little.

“I wish it was that simple.”

“You’re down, which is rare. Even getting scolded by the manager doesn’t faze your ironclad mentality… Did you lose your virginity or something?”

“That’d be a happy occasion. …Just had some stuff going on.”

“Stuff? …Like getting dumped by a girl?”

With her index finger pressed against her cheek, Amane’s words pierced my heart with precision. …Women’s intuition is terrifying.

Seeing my silence, Amane’s expression turned shocked.

“…For real?”

“…Yeah.”

“I didn’t think you were into romance, Senpai… I thought you were completely devoid of those kinds of desires.”

“Don’t call it desire. What do you take me for…?”

“I mean, you don’t even blush with a cute junior like me around…”

“You shouldn’t call yourself cute. It’ll hurt when you find out you’re not.”

“Am I not cute?”

“You’re cute.”

“That’s sexual harassment.”

When I glared at her, Amane laughed mischievously, saying, “Just kidding.”

“Well, I’ll head off. …Oh, Mom said she wants to see you sometime! Come by when you can.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Waving lightly, Amane disappeared into her classroom, and I headed toward mine.

▼▽

Entering the classroom, I felt an overwhelming sense of unease.

At first, I thought it was the heartbreak, but no, it was different. The gazes from the girls in class felt oddly hostile.

“Hey, did you hear? Hinate-kun was threatening Hoshiumi-san, saying she should break up with her boyfriend and date him…”

“That’s awful… Threatening someone with a boyfriend? That’s the worst.”

…What’s with these baseless rumors? It’s gotta be that blonde jerk’s doing. Ryoutarou, my foot. Change your name to Evil-tarou.

“Renji~ I heard you got dumped, huh? And you threatened the girl? What are you, a delinquent?”

“Didn’t think you’d do something like that, Hinate. Bold… ♡”

A few guys from class gathered around my desk. They probably know the truth but are enjoying this mess… those rotten jerks.

“Shut up! Who’d do something like that?”

“Haha, don’t get so mad. Getting angry won’t erase the past, you rotten guy~”

“You little…!”

“Hold on a second.”

Cutting through the guys, a silver-haired girl with a wolf cut, someone I didn’t recognize, approached.

She glared at me sharply and stood in front of my desk.

“…I’m Nonoka’s friend. Are you the one who threatened her?”

“Look, I already said I didn’t do it…”

“Who’d believe that? You hurt Nonoka, you scum!”

I tried to explain, but the wolf-haired girl wouldn’t listen. She’s probably a wonderful person who cares deeply for her friends. Unfortunately, that’s working against me here.

“Apologize to Nonoka! Rub your head on the ground for hurting her!”

“Can you give it a rest?”

A clear, resolute voice cut through my frustration.

Pushing past the guys, Rinne stood in front of me, glaring back at the wolf-haired girl with equal intensity.

“What’s your deal…?”

“What’s *your* deal, coming out of nowhere? Hinate-kun, threatening someone? He’d never do that.”

“But Nonoka said so!”

“And her words are absolute truth? Can you say for sure Hinate-kun did it? You didn’t even see it happen.”

The wolf-haired girl faltered, at a loss for words. Seizing the moment, Rinne pressed on.

“…Hinate-kun is a person with a strong sense of justice. Just yesterday, he helped me when I was being harassed by some guys. Someone like that wouldn’t threaten a girl. Think before you act.”

“…Tch, whatever!”

The wolf-haired girl stormed out of the classroom. The guys who’d been teasing me scattered after seeing Rinne.

“…Looks like I’m the one who got saved this time. Thanks.”

“It’s fine. It’s nothing much. After all…”

Rinne paused before continuing.

“Hinate-kun is someone important to me.”

“…Huh!?”

With a faint smile, Rinne returned to her seat. The bombshell she dropped exploded across the entire classroom.

“Hey, wait, what was that…?”

“Renji and Kisaragi-san…!? What’s going on!?”

For a while, I was left to deal with the stares of my classmates.

▼▽

“…”

“…”

“…Um.”

“What?”

“…Why are you following me?”

Freed from the confines of classes, I walked home, with Rinne by my side.

Usually, we leave the classroom at different times and meet at the station platform. But today, she’d been walking next to me since we left the classroom.

“We’re going the same way, so what’s strange about it?”

“Is that really the issue…?”

Still unconvinced, I passed through the ticket gate and headed to the usual platform.

As I sat on a bench, Rinne sat next to me, closer than usual.

“Oh, here.”

Rinne pulled an envelope from her bag and handed it to me. The front was neatly inscribed with “To Hinate-kun” in beautiful handwriting.

“Don’t burn it, okay?”

“…What’s this?”

“A love letter.”

“…Huh?”

Love letter… love letter… *love* letter…

My brain couldn’t keep up. Rinne, giving *me* a love letter?

“Read it now.”

“…Does it have to be now?”

“Yes.”

Confused by her lack of hesitation, I opened the envelope.

Inside was a single sheet of paper with a short, beautifully written word.

‘Love’

“…Simple~”

I muttered at the straightforward message. Beside me, Rinne let out a relieved sigh.

“So, that’s how it is.”

“No, wait, what’s that supposed to mean…?”

“That I like you.”

Her direct, unashamed words made my cheeks flush.

I was finally starting to process it, but I was too stunned to speak. As if to stitch up the silence, a loud rumble echoed. With a tremor, the train Rinne was taking arrived.

Leaving me in my confusion, Rinne stood up gracefully.

“I really like you, Hinate-kun. It’s not a lie.”

With that, she walked away.

I couldn’t see her expression as she turned her back, but her ears were bright red.

The train roared to life, shrinking into the distance with the vibrations.

“…What just happened?”

Still reeling from the whirlwind of events, I stared blankly at the two characters written on the love letter in my hand.