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 38: Change and Mental Strain

Chapter 38: Change and Mental Strain

The ball sports tournament had ended, and only a few days remained until the closing ceremony.

The students’ eyes sparkled with excitement at the approaching summer vacation. As usual, Renji Hinate’s heart danced with anticipation, but Rinne Kisaragi’s did not.

“Summer vacation’s almost here, huh… Kisaragi?”

“…Huh? W-what?”

Even during their usual lunch in the empty classroom with Renji Hinate, Rinne Kisaragi remained absentminded.

The fact that even her beloved Renji Hinate’s voice passed right through her ears was abnormal for Rinne Kisaragi.

The words Renji Hinate had spoken the other day constantly disrupted her thoughts.

“I can’t date Kisaragi.”

That single line from his conversation with Nakiri had more than enough edge to leave a wound on Rinne Kisaragi’s heart.

Her anxiety grew so large within her that she wanted to redo all her past actions.

Though she wanted to know the truth, the current situation where she couldn’t bring herself to probe left her feeling itchy and frustrated, tormented by a sense of helplessness born from her own pitiable state.

“…Kisaragi, something happen?”

“…Huh?”

“You’ve got that face you make when you’re worrying. I saw it plenty back in middle school.”

Renji Hinate had spent enough time with her to notice even her subtle changes. He certainly wasn’t the type to overlook a shift in her mood.

Rinne Kisaragi felt shocked and afraid that Renji Hinate had seen through her inner turmoil.

She imagined what lay ahead if she delved deeper, and if the ruin she envisioned awaited her, then Rinne Kisaragi trembled in terror.

The choice that resulted from all this was to put on an act.

“…Sorry. I was just worrying a bit about summer vacation plans…”

“You got something you wanna do?”

“Your wedding to me.”

“You’re jumping the gun. You’re skipping way too many steps.”

For Rinne Kisaragi, who had spent her childhood watching her parents’ moods and pretending to be unassuming, faking herself and putting on an act was easy.

In this way, she deceived herself and postponed her worries. Rinne Kisaragi didn’t think this was one of her bad habits.

She suppressed the circular thoughts within her. As long as she could delay this relationship even a little longer, Rinne Kisaragi had concluded that would be fine.

One attendant watched over the two of them from outside the classroom.

▼▽

<<Amane side>>

“Hah!? You two are breaking up?”

“Yes… At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if they broke up.”

In a different empty classroom from the one where Rinne Kisaragi and Renji Hinate usually ate lunch, Amane Shinomiya’s voice—a mix of exasperation, shock, and multiple tangled emotions—echoed through the room.

Before Amane Shinomiya sat a white-haired girl wearing a hairband. She stated it flatly, in a tone without inflection that revealed no emotions.

“No way, Senpai and Kisaragi-senpai breaking up… Or well, to be precise, those two aren’t officially dating yet.”

“Is that so…? I had assumed that my master’s heart had already been stolen by the lord…”

“No, it’s strangely baffling to me too… Anyway, is that info solid, Alice-chan?”

“Yes. As my master’s faithful servant, I confirmed it with these unclouded eyes.”

(Hmm… Well, Alice-chan has no reason to lie, and she’s seemed troubled lately, so maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding…?)

“…What shall we do, Amane-sama? Should we take some measures…?”

“…Nah, let’s leave it alone.”

Amane Shinomiya stopped her thoughtful gesture and stated it decisively. Alice showed no change in expression, but her eyes betrayed her surprise.

“…Is that all right? The success of those two’s romance is your wish, is it not, Amane-sama…?”

“No, I hate to admit it, but yeah… But something like this, those two can handle on their own. If not, then he’s not worthy of Senpai.”

“But…!”

Alice tried to press further, but realizing it was overstepping, she swallowed the words that had risen to her throat.

“…That’s rare. You’re worried about Senpai?”

“…Yes. I don’t want my master to get hurt.”

“I get that. Me too. But you know, you can’t grow without pain. Pleasure gained without pain is just a fleeting success. …You’ll suffer more later.”

“Then what should I…?”

“Watch over them. …The Senpai I know isn’t so fragile that she’d break over something like this. Is the Senpai you think of such a weak person, Alice-chan?”

“…No. My master is strong. My master is absolute.”

Amane Shinomiya smiled at Alice, who thrust her fist high into the air.

Because Amane Shinomiya had once seen Renji Hinate hurt and on the verge of breaking, she strongly believed that the current him would not falter.

At the same time, if things turned to the worst possible outcome, she harbored a dark emotion in her heart: she would never forgive that woman, Rinne Kisaragi.

(…No, no. It’s no good to keep thinking about the worst. Senpai’s trying to move forward, so I have to look ahead too.)

“…Um, Amane-sama.”

“What?”

“…Your expression doesn’t look very bright.”

“…Well, ’cause honestly, I wanna marry Senpai~! Wake up to Senpai’s kiss in the morning, eat breakfast while we flirt, and though we’d be apart for work during the day… At night, we’d just fool around together, soothe the day’s fatigue as we slip into bed, make love until the clock strikes midnight… And fall asleep in each other’s arms~!”

By the time Amane Shinomiya finished spilling her desires like that, Alice was already gone.

Her silent departure resembled that of an assassin. Left alone in the empty classroom,悩みng over love, Amane Shinomiya felt somehow empty.

“She sensed the troublesome vibe and bolted… Damn it, couldn’t she indulge my selfishness just a little…!”

Amane Shinomiya’s mutter fell on empty air, and time slipped away.

▼▽

<<Kisaragi side>>

“…I’m home.”

Rinne Kisaragi’s murmur echoed emptily in the unnecessarily spacious house.

She always felt lonely in this vast home. Today, it felt wider than ever.

Though Rinne Kisaragi, who had been taken in by her mother’s family, called this house her home, she held no particular attachment to it.

She usually spent time alone here, and this place where she passed lonely hours was more like a solitary cell than a home.

A housekeeper came a few times a week, but only during the daytime when Rinne Kisaragi was at school. They had met faces only a handful of times.

“I’m tired…”

She tossed her bag aside and flopped onto the sofa. She traced the dark circles under her eyes, hidden by makeup, and let out a single sigh.

Even in a moment like this, what dominated her mind was her beloved Renji Hinate.

“I can’t date Kisaragi.”

The words she had overheard a few days ago clung to her heart like a curse.

Renji Hinate had saved Rinne Kisaragi from her loneliness. Losing her connection to him would mean a return to isolation. That was the one thing Rinne Kisaragi absolutely wanted to avoid, so she had been pretending she hadn’t heard… but…

(I can’t just pretend I didn’t hear that… after all.)

She imagined the worst and cried out inwardly at the ruin that existed in her heart. Turning a blind eye was something she couldn’t do.

From the start, Rinne Kisaragi had feared approaching Renji Hinate because she dreaded that ruin.

Having witnessed her parents’ downfall and feared loneliness, Rinne Kisaragi had been afraid to confess her feelings to him. The result of letting it smolder until it exploded was the current her.

“…Huh.”

She sat up, trying to switch her thoughts, and noticed a bag placed on the kitchen table.

When she stood and picked it up, inside was an expensive-looking bento. It was probably something her mother had left behind.

Rinne Kisaragi’s mother returned home a few times a month and left bentos like this. She never spoke to her daughter about anything; she just came and went. There was no love in it.

Normally, she would have thrown it into the trash with resentment, but this time was different.

She sought a little warmth, just this once.

She warmed it in the microwave, opened the lid, and ate. The contents were a shumai bento.

The warm bento contrasted with her cold family. Rinne Kisaragi’s heart, fearing loneliness, swelled, and her body grew heavy.

The affection she had directed at him until now terrified her to the point where her heart wavered.

“Hah…”

It was then, as another sigh escaped her.

Rinne Kisaragi’s smartphone on the table vibrated. When she picked it up and looked, it showed a message from Renji Hinate. The content was an invitation to do their summer homework together.

The more Rinne Kisaragi yearned for Renji Hinate, the more her love swelled, and at the same time, her desire to make him hers overflowed.

Contact from him in the midst of her torment over loneliness. Rinne Kisaragi knew exactly what she had to do.

“Come over to my place?”