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 31: Distance and the Two

Chapter 31: Distance and the Two

“……The time with Senpai has decreased?”

At a certain family restaurant.

Amane, who had been dragged in by Rinne and entered reluctantly while on the verge of tears, gave a wry smile upon seeing Rinne nod with a sour face. Rinne’s expression, which seemed more serious than expected, indicated the gravity of the matter to her.

“……There’s a ball game tournament coming up soon, right? Because of that, practices have been scheduled, so basically the time we go home after school gets shifted, and even lunch breaks keep us apart for training. The only time we spend together is when we’re in the classroom……”

“No, if we’re together in the classroom, isn’t that fine?”

“Time for just the two of us is precious! This is a matter of life and death!”

Amane sipped her melon soda while letting Rinne’s gaze slide off her as Rinne appealed her case, banging on the table.

On one hand, Amane regretted getting caught by such a troublesome person, but on the other, she sensed that dragging it out would lead to even more complications.

(She makes time for me, and she’s probably worrying about something again…… Should I probe a bit later? Maybe ask Alice-chan to help……)

“Kuuu…… It’s not enough…… I need more Hyuganiam……”

“What is that fictional element……? It’s fine, isn’t it? We’re not like we hardly meet at all.”

“I want to breathe the same air as Renji-kun for every minute, every second, every decimal point! And I want to inhale every bit of the air he exhales!! At the same time, I can’t forgive any other female breathing the same air as Renji-kun while I’m not there!!!”

“Your voice is so loud……”

Amane let out an involuntary sigh at Rinne’s fierce, almost demonic intensity.

Amane, who usually worried about Renji’s mental strain, did not particularly welcome this additional concern.

“Haa…… I’m sorry, but talking to me won’t change anything. Even I don’t know everything about Senpai. There must be relationships I don’t know about, and worries too. Trying to know everything about a person is as foolish as strangling them to death……”

“You’re troubled too, aren’t you! About the decrease in time with Renji-kun!”

“I’m usually going to his place anyway, so it hasn’t really decreased for me……”

In that instant, Amane realized her blunder.

Rinne, who had been so disheveled up until moments ago that one might wonder where her usual dignity had gone, suddenly quieted down primly.

After a few seconds of silence, Rinne arrived at a solution.

“……That’s it.”

“Hey, wait a minute, what are you thinking! Senpai’s house won’t let you anywhere near, not even a step!”

“Make hay while the sun shines! Pay the bill with this and keep the change as a tip.”

“Uwaa, a ten-thousand-yen bill!? Hey, wait, I said!”

Amane’s shout fell on deaf ears as Rinne’s engine roared to full throttle.

Rinne was not the type to stop with a few words. The love-madness that drove her was something no one could halt.

▼▽

(I’m tired……)

Having finished the ball game tournament practice and the study session in the remaining time, Renji climbed the apartment stairs in a state of utter exhaustion.

His fatigue-laden legs felt as heavy as lead and refused to move as he wished. A heavy, unpleasant sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time escaped from Renji’s mouth as a sigh.

(I don’t feel like doing anything anymore…… I want to go to sleep without even eating……)

Finally reaching his destination, Renji felt a question arise at the sight of the door standing ajar for some reason.

Today was not a day Amane would come. He hadn’t received any contact from her either.

(Which means, did someone come without permission again……?)

When Renji opened the door, his eyes fell on a pair of loafers that were familiar yet an odd size.

Soon after, accompanied by the pattering sound of slippers slapping the floor, Rinne appeared.

“Welcome home, Renji-kun. Dinner? Bath? Or perhaps me?”

“……Um, why are you here……?”

“……Dinner? Bath? Or perhaps me?”

“……Bath.”

“……Dinner s ‘Got it, got it! ……I’ll go with Rinne.”

Resigning himself and choosing Rinne, he found her in an apron clinging to him gently. He accepted her without resistance.

A flicker of anxiety crossed his mind about whether the smell of sweat was okay, but Renji felt a pleasant comfort in the warmth of Rinne transmitted through their skin and ended up indulging in it.

“……Suuu.”

“Rinne, I think you smell a bit sweaty right now……”

“Is it okay to do this for free……? Won’t they think it’s blasphemy……?”

“Rinne-saaan???”

“Hau…… I’m sorry, I lost myself a little.”

Rinne pulled away abruptly and cleared her throat as if regaining her composure.

Renji had various things he wanted to ask, but he decided to start with the most pressing one.

“……Rinne, I’m pretty careful about locking up.”

“……”

“……How did you get in?”

“……?”

Even when asked, all that returned was a fabricated smile. Renji realized that pressing further would likely yield the same response.

“……For now, let me take a quick shower. In this state, it’s sticky and unbearable.”

“Yes. Then I’ll wait in the living room.”

Rinne, smiling gently, returned to the living room.

(……How did she get in?)

For the time being, to calm down once, Renji headed to the bathroom.

▼▽

《Renji side》

After finishing his shower and heading to the living room, an appetite-stimulating aroma assaulted his nostrils.

On the table were arranged fried chicken and a side salad, along with wakame miso soup. The meaty scent that whetted the appetite carried a sense of nostalgia somewhere. Mom’s specialty had been fried chicken too.

“Good work, Renji-kun. Lately, we’ve had less time together, so I took the liberty of making this.”

“Is it okay to have so much……? I was just exhausted, so it helps.”

“Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

With hands clasped together, they started with the fried chicken.

The crispy coating with a good texture and the soy sauce-based ginger underseasoning hit hard.

Even though it was just deep-fried in oil, why did humans find it so appetizing? When he was little, he used to get excited when this smell wafted in the evening.

Driven by a wave of nostalgia, tears welled up in his eyes. He wiped them away discreetly so Rinne wouldn’t notice.

“Is it delicious?”

“Yeah. It’s delicious. Rinne will surely make a great wife.”

“I need to get picked up by a good husband soon. ……How have things been lately? Is the ball game tournament practice going well?”

“Yeah. Everyone’s motivated, and their skills match up, so we should go far this year.”

The trivial exchange with Rinne brought peace to his heart.

Irreplaceable time with Rinne. Because it was precious, he wanted to keep it at a distance, yet he couldn’t help craving it. The lighthearted chat with Rinne while harboring that contradiction stung his heart a little.

“……Sorry for always troubling you, Rinne.”

“What is it all of a sudden? I’m not doing anything that warrants thanks.”

“No, you’ve helped me so much, Rinne. During the issue with Hoshiumi too, and now as well. Without you, I might have fallen apart.”

Rinne gently took the hand of the slightly sentimental him.

The warmth of Rinne enveloping him kindly healed the wounds in his heart.

“That’s not true. Didn’t you help me, Renji-kun? Surely you’re saving even more people in places I don’t know about. Compared to that, what I’ve done is tiny.”

“……Is that so?”

“Yes. There’s no need to lose confidence. ……I still haven’t repaid you fully. This is repayment. Being repaid means you’ve saved others. Saving someone is easy to say, but not easy to do. So, take pride in yourself.”

Rinne’s words were powerful, yet brimming with warm kindness.

The persuasive force of words from her, who always strove hard, was tremendous.

If he kept looking down forever, he wouldn’t advance anywhere. Even with a past he couldn’t take pride in, perhaps he had to face forward.

“……Yeah. I guess I need to try holding some confidence.”

“Yes. There’s no need to feel anxious. You’re the man I fell for, after all.”

He was still very immature. That’s why he probably had to keep facing forward.

Rinne encouraged him out of care for him. That smile of hers was a little dazzling.

The larger the light grew, the longer the shadows stretched.

He hated how he grew more self-deprecating the more he was exposed to Rinne’s dazzling light.