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 33: Wolf and Cat

“Ready…!”

During lunch break in the gymnasium, Kira and Sendou showed each other their test papers at the same time as the shout.

The scores were nothing to brag about, but they had succeeded in barely avoiding failing marks.

The gloomy expressions on the two of them suddenly brightened up.

“Whoooooo! We dodged the failing mark! We did it, Kira!”

“That’s great… We can all participate in the ball sports tournament!”

“Hehe, that’s good for both of you. It was worth cramming so hard until the day before.”

“Now there are no worries left. All that’s left is to win the real thing.”

Leaving the two of them frolicking all over the gymnasium behind, I went out to buy juice with Nekomiya.

Even while whining weakly until the day before the exam, the two of them had kept studying. Their determination was just what you’d expect from athletes.

“…They were both really happy, huh. How did you do, Hinate-kun?”

“So-so, I guess. Nekomiya… you look like you had nothing to worry about.”

“I’m the same, nothing special. …All that’s left is to win the ball sports tournament and deliver the victory to Kisaragi-san.”

“Why does Kisaragi’s name come up there…?”

“…? Because you want to show her your cool side, right?”

“No, it’s not like that for me…”

“Isn’t it normal to want to act cool in front of the person you like?”

Hearing that, I felt like I’d been doused with cold water.

When I thought about it, Nekomiya had mentioned before that he had a girlfriend. Even Nekomiya, who usually seemed so quiet, might want to act cool in front of her. I assumed on my own that those were words born from such experience.

(What is Nekomiya like in front of his girlfriend… I wonder.)

“My middle school had a pretty strong volleyball club. When I was feeling down, seeing them made me think I should try hard too. I even got a bit into volleyball… In my mind, they’re heroes.”

“Huh… So that’s why you’re good at volleyball.”

Perhaps he didn’t like my response, because Nekomiya shot me a slightly sullen glance.

When I looked puzzled without understanding why, Nekomiya quickly turned his gaze back to the vending machine.

“…Since we’re here, should we buy something for everyone too?”

“Hey.”

Just as we were pondering what to buy for everyone, a voice called out from behind.

When I turned around, there stood a familiar silver-haired, red-eyed girl.

Seeing the wolf cut that brought back unpleasant memories, I remembered. The bitter memory of unfounded rumors being spread and getting scolded by Hoshiumi’s friend.

“Ah, you’re the one from that time…!”

“Wha, you’re…!?”

I instinctively stepped forward to shield Nekomiya. And I glared at the wolf-cut girl as if to warn her off.

Seeing me like that, she seemed to remember too, and she sharpened her red eyes.

A few seconds of glaring continued. Just as a tense atmosphere began to drift, Nekomiya jumped in front of me.

“Stop, stop. It’s okay. She’s not an enemy. …Right, Nanami?”

“Nanami…?”

“Nanami Rousaki. She’s my girlfriend.”

“…Eeeeeh!?!?”

The moment Nekomiya introduced her, Rousaki blushed bashfully.

Where had that earlier intensity gone? With her maidenly expression, Rousaki grabbed the sleeve of Nekomiya’s uniform. She looked less like a wolf and more like a puppy.

“H-Hey, Shou…”

“Nanami’s my childhood friend, and we’ve been dating since middle school. I guess I caused you trouble the other day, but please forgive her. She just cares too much about her friends…”

“…Huh, a girlfriend.”

I looked back and forth between Nekomiya and Rousaki’s faces.

Nekomiya directed a gentle smile at me, but Rousaki awkwardly twisted her mouth.

After all, it had ended with her being chased off by Kisaragi following that argument. The memory with me probably wasn’t a pleasant aftertaste for Rousaki either.

“…Nanami, did you still not apologize?”

“N-No, that’s not…”

“…Hinate-kun?”

“…Well, I don’t remember getting an apology.”

“…Nanami, apologize.”

Nekomiya’s sharp gaze pierced Rousaki. The usual relaxed atmosphere flipped in an instant, stirring a creepy terror in Rousaki that made her spine shiver.

It seemed she couldn’t stand up to her boyfriend, so Rousaki timidly stepped forward toward me and lowered her head with a reluctant expression.

“…I’m sorry. Back then, I thought my friend had been hurt, and my head got all hot. It had been bothering me the whole time, but I couldn’t muster the courage to bow my head. It’s way overdue, but please forgive me.”

“Come on. I’d like it if you forgave her.”

“Yeah. Well, back then the rumors had just started, and it was all so sudden. If the misunderstanding’s cleared up, that’s good enough.”

Rousaki awkwardly averted her gaze and hid in Nekomiya’s shadow.

I remembered Nekomiya saying before that his girlfriend was very loyal to her friends. It was surely his words, so there was no lie in it.

If she thought her friend had been hurt, maybe it was inevitable that she’d act like that. I couldn’t say for sure that I wouldn’t do the same if Kisaragi or Kira and the others got hurt.

“Now we’re on good terms again. …So, what is it, Nanami?”

“Yeah, um… Lately, I’ve been practicing really hard…”

“…You got lonely?”

Rousaki nodded with a small bob of her head, hiding her flushed cheeks.

Her atmosphere was softer than usual, her voice gentler. Seeing her relaxed expression made me feel somehow fluffy inside too. This was boyfriend Nekomiya…

“Why don’t you go to him? I’ll tell everyone for you.”

“You sure? Then I’ll take you up on that. Let’s go, Nanami.”

Nekomiya disappeared into the school building with Rousaki.

The two of them seemed like mismatched existences that absolutely wouldn’t mix. Yet, their figures were the very picture of a couple.

The Nekomiya who talked with Rousaki was not the Nekomiya I usually saw.

“Isn’t wanting to act cool in front of the person you like just normal?”

Nekomiya’s words flitted through my mind.

It probably wasn’t that he was trying to act cool. But his behavior had naturally changed. That was surely proof that, deep down, he couldn’t help seeking the other person.

Changing shape to match the other, thinking of each other as two. That might be the right form for a couple.

“What an unexpected couple those two are.”

“…Why does everyone sneak up behind me?”

“It’s your fault for showing an opening~? Hey, Ren-kun. How’s it going?”

Nana appeared out of nowhere and bumped her shoulder against mine with a laugh. She was frank with everyone, but she only did stuff like this to me.

“So-so. What about you?”

“I got yelled at by Sensei about my hair again today. …But I’m happy ’cause I got to see Ren-kun!”

“You shouldn’t say things like that to just anyone.”

“I’m not saying it to just anyone, and you know that best, right, Ren-kun?”

Nana grinned and clung to my arm.

I couldn’t help glancing around to see if Kisaragi was nearby, but I didn’t see her. For now, it seemed I didn’t need to forcibly peel her off.

“Sniff sniff… Ren-kun, you smell like a girl?”

“Then don’t sniff.”

“It’s a joke~! I’ll rub my scent on you too~♡”

“Hey, idiot, stop. You’ll get pinpointed by someone with a better nose than a dog.”

“…You mean Kisaragi-san?”

Her sudden question made me falter for words. What flashed through my mind was Kisaragi’s downcast gaze, the light gone from her eyes. A chill ran down my spine, making my shoulders tremble.

Seeing me like that, Nana snorted as if she’d seen right through my heart.

Then she let go of my arm and hugged me from the front instead.

“Ei!”

“Hey…”

“Pay some attention to me sometimes. Otherwise, my love for Ren-kun will smolder and explode.”

“Then just explode and vanish like that.”

“That’s so mean!! That’s what you get!”

Nana ground her head against my chest. It didn’t stop there; she nibbled at my fingers with little chomps.

Was it her perfume? A citrus scent tickled my nose, evoking faint memories. The scent of a blue spring.

“Seriously, do your best in the ball sports tournament!”

“Are you mad or cheering me on… which is it?”

“Both! See ya!”