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 26-27

Chapter 26: Betrayal and End

It was a clear, cloudless day.

A certain rumor had spread through Amanogawa Academy.

A mysterious audio file had suddenly circulated among the students. It recorded the entire exchange of a certain man’s words and actions.

“I’m just gonna toss her aside when I get bored. There are as many women in the world as there are stars, after all.”

“I hate clingy girls. Just lend me your body, and that’s all I need.”

A series of audio clips that went against any sense of ethics. No one was named specifically, but when students saw the photos that accompanied the audio—decisive evidence of drinking and smoking—they figured out who the culprit was: the blond guy in the pictures.

And the man in question, Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki, had grabbed his delinquent friend by the collar behind the school building.

“Hey! What the hell is this!?”

“What what? Oh dear, so this has been circulating, huh?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. Only a few people could pull this off… It was you, wasn’t it!”

Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki shook his collar violently. But his delinquent friend just taunted him with a mocking look.

That only rubbed Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki the wrong way, and a vein bulged on his forehead. Yes, Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki had been set up.

“Ah~ Ah, that’s why I told you so many times to just behave yourself…”

“You bastard…!!”

“Ah, hold on there. You trying to rack up more charges? If you keep this up, your standing at the academy will only get worse… Well, not that you need to worry about it anymore.”

Even with Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki raising his fist, his delinquent friend showed no sign of panic. On the contrary, he dug even deeper into Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki’s heart.

“After all this, you probably can’t stay at this academy anymore, right, Ryoutarou… It seems evil needs to be punished. You’ve had your fun, haven’t you? Looks like today is that day.”

“It was supposed to be a secret!”

“Hmm? Oh, I forgot about that old story. …This week’s been full of drama. Nonoka Hoshiumi got herself in trouble with the police, and now there’s an expulsion.”

His delinquent friend flashed a sleazy, spiteful grin. This situation, which could only be called self-inflicted, only grew worse.

“I hear Nonoka Hoshiumi’s isolated in her class now. If word gets out that she was involved with you, she’ll be even more shunned…”

“What the hell are you trying to say…”

“Girls in an unstable state want someone to lean on. They’re creatures who can’t live without support. Nonoka Hoshiumi’s pretty cute, so maybe I should take her off your hands.”

“Don’t screw around! What does that have to do with me!?”

“You’re in the way.”

The smile vanished from his delinquent friend’s face. His voice turned icy cold, stabbing flatly at Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki, pushing him away.

“You’ve been doing whatever the hell you want. I’ve been doing everything I can just to cover for you. As long as it benefits you, anything goes, right? You think of us as nothing more than grunts.”

“What’s wrong with that! It’s your fault for letting yourselves get used!”

“Ah, ah, so arrogant… Barking now won’t change anything. Your audio and photos are a scar that’ll never fade. Getting expelled from a prestigious school like Amanogawa Academy for bad behavior. How many companies do you think will hire someone like that…”

Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki’s momentum gradually faded. He paled as he imagined the future laid out so matter-of-factly.

He had gotten too cocky at Amanogawa Academy, a place he had entered with a burst of determination. It was obvious to anyone; his behavior had become too much to ignore. And this was the result.

His selfish actions and arrogance had undermined his own footing.

“I recall your family isn’t all that well-off. This will be a real blow to them too… Want me to hook you up with a job? With you, host would be a perfect fit, don’t you think?”

“You… screw you!”

“Is that all you can say? …Whatever. Just take the punishment you deserve. There’s nothing more I or you can do about it. Bye.”

His delinquent friend walked off with a cheerful smile. All that remained was a chain of cold, hard facts.

Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki could only stand there, unable to come to terms with his current reality.

Selfish behavior would eventually come back to bite you. Ryoutarou Kamitsubaki felt that deeply.

—

Chapter 27: Events and Conflict

A few days had passed since my cold fully healed. The students at the academy went about their school lives as if the uproar over Kamitsubaki’s expulsion had never happened.

Even after all that chaos, people forgot about it quickly in the end. From the academy’s perspective, the fitting punishment was probably a welcome development for its reputation.

For me, I could not forget about that guy. Beyond the reason that he was a hated enemy, Nonoka Hoshiumi’s situation played a role too.

A few days before Kamitsubaki’s scandal, I heard the rumor that Nonoka Hoshiumi had gotten herself in trouble with the police. Apparently, she had been carrying a blade.

Who had she planned to use that blade on? …Just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine.

Fortunately, she had been caught by a patrolling officer who received the report, but the thought of her reaching us made my blood run cold.

She was currently in a state of absenteeism. If possible, I wished she would vanish from the academy and from my memory altogether.

After such a dark incident, the academy was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere… or so one might think.

My class showed tremendous excitement even during lessons.

Because…

“All right, let’s decide the sports for the ball games tournament!!!”

“”””Woooohoooooo!!!!””””

The ball games tournament. One of the three major events at our Amanogawa Academy.

Among the three major events, the ball games tournament came first, and its results could determine the class’s unity for the rest of the year. It was that important.

They said that winning this tournament guaranteed a smooth year ahead.

After all that drama, everyone probably craved some positive news.

In our class, with Toru Amasaki at the center, the boys and girls split up to decide their events.

As usual, soccer and basketball drew huge crowds at this tournament. In fact, we second-years were said to have the biggest advantage.

Many second-years were active in club activities. In contrast, third-years had mostly retired and focused on exam studies, so they could not put much effort into practice. That was why second-years held both physical and mental edges.

If we aimed to win, this year offered the highest chance. As a result, the class’s energy seemed even hotter than last year’s.

“This year, we’ve got the talented Rinne on our side. Let’s go for the win!”

Of course, Rinne, with her exceptional athleticism, was expected to shine again this year. I looked forward to her performance already.

“Yes, leave it to me… I swear on Renji’s smile that I’ll lead this class to victory…!”

(You should swear on the class instead.)

“All right, then we’ll practice by event. Take breaks as needed.”

Thanks to Toru Amasaki’s swift and courteous facilitation, the events were decided smoothly.

The event I entered was volleyball. I joined to fill in the numbers since we were short on people.

…Honestly, I had more bitter memories than good ones with volleyball. If asked if I felt confident, the answer was no.

“The volleyball guys…”

“Oh! Renji, over here, over here!”

I spotted a big blond brute waving his arms wildly. Apparently, I was on the same team as that guy.

“Yo, Kira. You doing volleyball?”

“Yeah! Looking forward to it!”

He flashed a refreshing smile. He was Rintarou Kira, a handsome guy active in the basketball club. His looks were top-tier, but since he was an extreme basketball nut, few saw him as romantic potential.

Everyone called him Kirarin. This was the jerk who had smacked a ball into my face the other day.

“Yo, Renji. Looks like we’re together, huh.”

“Takaya. You’re doing volleyball too.”

This black-haired, red-eyed delinquent was Takaya Sendou. He was our class’s ace in the soccer club, a soccer maniac on par with Kira.

“You guys… aren’t doing soccer or basketball?”

“It’s about spreading out the talent, I guess? The number of experienced players we can field is limited anyway.”

“I’m too dumb to get it, but winning everything would make us happy, right~?”

“What a bunch of idiots… Anyone else?”

“Toru Amasaki, Homare Ryuusaki, and Shou Nekomiya, apparently. They went ahead to the gym.”

“Kira, Ryuusaki… they might not mesh well…”

“Let’s go too!”

With Kira and Takaya, I headed to the gym. We joined Toru Amasaki and the others who had arrived first.

“Toru Amasaki! I brought two idiots!”

“Good work. We’ve prepped, so let’s start right away.”

After warm-ups with the three idiots, we joined the practice.

While we’re at it, let me introduce the other two.

The red-haired spiky short was Homare Ryuusaki. A natural cool type from the track club.

The other, with silver-haired moppy hair, was Shou Nekomiya. He was a commuter like me, no club.

“Renren, please treat me well.”

“Having Ryuusaki around is reassuring. …You too, Nekomiya.”

“…Likewise.”

I spoke to him with a smile, but Nekomiya turned away curtly.

I aimed for shallow, wide friendships. Thanks to that, I knew a lot of faces around the academy.

However, some students I barely interacted with. Nekomiya was one of them.

Nekomiya had a mysterious aura, a quiet personality, and no club involvement, which made him full of enigmas. I hoped this chance would let us talk a bit more.

With that unease in mind, practice began. Centered on Toru Amasaki from the active volleyball club, we ran through drills.

Volleyball was tough for beginners. You could not let the ball touch the floor once; you had to pass it to teammates and return it to opponents. In this tournament, the number of experienced players made all the difference.

As for our class’s skill level…

“Take this!”

“Takayan, nice one! Better than your soccer!”

“That’s going too far…”

“Yo.”

“…Kira-kun, your sets are good.”

“Yeah! I learned from Haikyuu and Olympic matches!”

Surprisingly, they showed real talent.

Kira functioned as a setter with his keen observation and physicality, while Ryuusaki unleashed powerful spikes with the leg strength from triple jump training.

Takaya demonstrated a practiced jump serve, and Nekomiya raised it with cat-like quickness.

“Everyone’s good. We might aim for the win this year.”

“We’re still rough as a team, but this is a group of pure talent…”

“…Renji-kun, you’re pretty good too. Were you in a sports club?”

“Ah, well, kinda.”

I had been in the volleyball club back in middle school. I had not told anyone around here. No need, and if everyone else shone, I would just fill the gaps.

(Everyone’s motivated… There’s a prize for the winner this year, so that might be fueling it.)

“…Renji-kun.”

A sudden voice from behind made me turn. Nekomiya stood there, his green eyes gleaming.

This was our first one-on-one talk. A bit tense, I asked back.

“What’s up, Nekomiya? Need something?”

“I’m bad at overhand serves… Could you teach me a bit?”

“Sure. For overhand, use your thumb, index, and middle fingers softly…”

“Like… this?”

The ball floated up lightly from Nekomiya’s hands. Absorbing it this fast was pure talent.

“Yeah, that’s it. You pick it up quick, Nekomiya.”

“Thanks. You’re a good teacher too, Renji-kun.”

Nekomiya smiled gently, his eyes somehow nostalgic. The expression seemed less about the joy of achievement and more like the fulfillment of a long-craved desire.

“Toru Amasaki! Class Three wants to practice too!”

“Looks like we’re invited. You two, let’s go.”

Nekomiya jogged lightly toward the court. As I followed his back, a question bubbled up in my mind.

(…Huh? Why did Nekomiya ask me instead of Toru Amasaki? Normally, you’d go to the experienced guy, right?)

Toru Amasaki had been right there. For someone who seemed like a newbie like me, asking the active club member would be more effective. Nekomiya did not strike me as clueless about that.

He was someone I never really interacted with. No reason he would know about me.

“Re~n~ji~! Hurry up~!”

(…Whatever.)

Kira’s voice scattered my thoughts, and I shoved them to the back of my mind.

Despite a slight sense of unease, I focused on practice.