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 9: Letters and Conflicts

“Hinate-kun, I have a small favor to ask…”

In the hallway, as Renji was heading to the bathroom, a voice stopped him. He turned to see who it was.

Standing there was Toru Amasaki, the class representative.

“What’s up, Amasaki? You needing me for something is pretty rare.”

“Well, it’s kind of… this.”

Renji glanced at the envelope Toru held out and immediately understood the situation.

It was a letter. And since it was being handed to Renji, the recipient was already clear.

“I know I should probably deliver it myself, but… Kisaragi-san’s kind of intimidating.”

“I’m used to this routine by now… Still, I didn’t peg you as the type to be into this stuff, Amasaki.”

“I have romantic feelings like anyone else. Humans are human, no matter how you look at it.”

Toru said this with a gentle smile.

Toru was a serious guy. He followed rules to the letter and mediated disputes.

He excelled in academics and was decent at sports. His classmates trusted him deeply.

That’s why Renji found it odd. Toru, who carried himself with pride, wasn’t going after this himself.

Renji didn’t voice it—it felt tactless to ask—but Toru’s forced smile sparked a hint of suspicion in him.

“…If it doesn’t work out, just let it be, okay?”

“Sure thing. You’ve got a lot of competition, though.”

“I’ll just have to trust the luck that got me into this academy…”

Toru scratched his cheek with a smile, and Renji smiled back.

Renji believed the odds of someone catching Rinne’s eye were astronomical. Though it wasn’t his doing, he silently prayed for Toru, having seen countless guys’ romantic hopes crushed by Rinne.

▼▽

That was the conversation during break time.

Now in gym class, standing on the court, Renji’s mind was elsewhere, barely registering the ongoing volleyball rally.

(…Now that I think about it, isn’t it kind of messed up to pass on another guy’s love letter when Kisaragi’s already told me she likes me…? But I can’t just toss the letter Toru wrote…)

Normally, he’d hand the letter to Rinne at the station platform, smiling at her tired expression.

But now, with her feelings so openly directed at him, what kind of face would she make if she learned the letter was from another guy?

“Hey, left, left!”

“Got it, here we go… Slam it!”

(What if Kisaragi gets tired of me and accepts the confession…?)

Renji knew deep down that would never happen. Rinne, who craved him like water quenches thirst, wasn’t likely to turn her attention to another guy.

Still, imagining Rinne smiling next to someone else filled Renji’s heart with an uneasy haze.

(…Hold on, we’re not even dating yet. Talk about jumping to conclusions…)

“Ora!!”

“Hinate! It’s coming your way!”

“Huh? Wha—”

It was too late when he noticed.

Staring at the ball hurtling toward him, Renji realized—It’s over.

“Gah…!?”

A dull pain hit as the ball bounced off him. By sheer luck, it landed in the opponent’s court, earning his team a point.

“Renji!? You okay!? Sorry, my killer spike got you…”

“I’m fine… I was spacing out a bit.”

“Renji, you’re bleeding from your nose. Maybe you should hit the nurse’s office?”

“Ugh… yeah, I’ll step out for a bit.”

Clutching a borrowed tissue to his nose, Renji left the gym.

…

Rinne didn’t miss his retreating figure.

▼▽

“Here. That should do it for now. Keep using this until the bleeding stops. I’ve got something to do in the staff room, so feel free to stay here.”

“Thanks…”

Renji sat on the infirmary bed, pressing the tissue to his nose.

It had been a while since he’d been to the nurse’s office, so even the smell of disinfectant felt oddly fresh.

(That wrapped up quicker than I thought… Maybe I could’ve stayed in class.)

“Excuse me.”

(Oh crap, someone’s here… and the nurse is gone.)

Renji’s shoulders jumped as he turned. Rinne stepped through the door.

Seeing his face, she let out a relieved sigh.

“You okay, Hinate-kun? I got worried and came to check.”

“It’s just a nosebleed, I’m fine. …Is it okay for you to skip out like this?”

“I said I wasn’t feeling well.”

“You sure it’s fine to fake being sick?”

“I’m usually diligent, so a little slacking should be fine. …Besides, isn’t it natural to worry when someone you like gets hurt?”

The emphasis on “someone you like” left Renji at a loss for words.

Her affection made him anxious when it wasn’t there, but being so boldly directed at him was its own kind of trouble.

“…Also, I thought something was off.”

“Off…?”

“Yeah. You were in the volleyball club in middle school, right? A spike like that shouldn’t have fazed you. But you took it right to the face. …Is something bothering you?”

Rinne had already picked up on his change in mood.

Renji’s attempt to hide it failed almost instantly.

(How does she know…? Is this that “woman’s intuition” Amane was talking about?)

“If something’s troubling you, I want you to tell me. I think I can help, even just a little.”

With Rinne’s gentle touch on his hand, Renji could no longer keep it in and reluctantly spoke up.

“…So, someone gave me a love letter.”

“…What?”

Rinne’s voice dropped to a chilling low.

Her dark, piercing gaze made Renji freeze.

“Who?”

“Huh?”

“Who’s it from?”

“Uh, I can’t really—”

Apparently unhappy with his vague response, Rinne’s eyes sharpened like blades.

She leaned in, her presence almost threatening.

“Who gave it to you? Tell me. I’ll go intimidate her right now.”

“Her…? No, wait, it’s not like that! The love letter’s for you!”

Realizing the misunderstanding, Renji quickly corrected himself. Rinne’s darkened eyes gradually softened.

“Oh, it’s for me. …And that’s a problem because…?”

“Well, it’s just… you’ve told me you like me, so passing on a love letter from another guy feels kind of wrong… And…”

“And…?”

“…I kinda don’t want to give it to you.”

Renji wasn’t sure if he meant the letter or Rinne herself.

“Hehe… haha!”

Rinne suddenly burst into laughter, as if something she’d been holding back had spilled over. Her laughter grew low and heavy.

“Hehe… ugh, why do you always say things that make me so happy, Hinate-kun? Here!”

“Whoa, Kisaragi!?”

Rinne pushed Renji down onto the bed, leaning over him.

Her long hair curtained them, creating a world for just the two of them. Her moon-like eyes curved seductively.

“I’m in so much pain right now. My chest is so full of feelings for you, it’s about to burst. And then you say you ‘don’t want to give it to me’… I’ve been holding back, but you’re making me want to devour you.”

Rinne’s glossy lips drew closer.

Their breaths mingled in the intimate space, their gazes locked.

“Hey, is that okay? Not that I’ll stop if you say no.”

Renji’s back sank into the bed, his limbs pinned.

He could have overpowered her, but the charged atmosphere dulled his senses.

Their lips were mere centimeters apart. In that short yet eternal distance, Renji could only wait.

Five centimeters, three, one. And then—

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you two doing~? Can you save that for the nighttime~?”

“Ah…!”

The nurse’s languid voice cut through as she glared at them.

“I’ll keep quiet about this, so both of you get back to class.”

“Sorry…”