Chapter 63: I Want to Awaken an Other-Exclusion Talent — Side Story: I Love Tsundere ①

There are all kinds of dere in this world.

Tsundere, yandere, kuudere… each has its charms, and there are plenty of people out there who love each one.

But among them, there’s a dere that stands out, captivating people without end.

That is… tsundere.

Usually they’re prickly. They aren’t kind. They don’t show even a shred of “I like you.”

And then, if some trigger happens, they let a bit of warmth slip out and show a smile. But that warmth is fleeting—afterward, they get embarrassed about having shown it, and that’s the standard flow.

That gap between their usual prickliness and the rare sweetness is irresistible. It’s loved across generations, and since forever, tsundere have been cast as heroines—or the heroine’s rival.

The one who first captivated me was an anime heroine I watched when I was a kid.

Normally she’d throw harsh words at the protagonist, teasing him from above. I remember thinking, why is this girl popular? The heroine’s friend is kinder, her smile is cuter, she’s way more charming—right?

But I realize now: I was just a kid.

One day, she showed kindness. Then she got embarrassed at having shown it. And to cover that embarrassment, she attacked the protagonist.

Huh? What is this?

I was shocked.

I realized I’d only been seeing the surface this whole time. I hadn’t been thinking about the deeper psychology—why she couldn’t be honest with the protagonist, what was going on underneath.

And just thinking about that kind of background filled my head, until before I knew it… I’d become a prisoner of tsundere.

From that day on, I learned how important it is to look beyond the surface—to think about why they act the way they do, and what’s hidden behind those actions.

Because of that past, I’ve loved tsundere, and I’ve worked every day to become a man tsundere will love.

Of course I worked on studying and sports, but I also never neglected reading to deepen my understanding of tsundere, and improving my communication skills.

And then I entered high school with hope swelling in my chest. Ahh, I thought, I’m going to live a life full of promise, just like that anime.

So I got to high school… and I was shocked.

Huh? Isn’t high school supposed to be where you move forward through fights and romance alongside a tsundere heroine?

A whole month passed and there was nobody who felt tsundere-ish, and there wasn’t even a whiff of romance.

Why? That can’t be right. High school is supposed to be a place so drenched in romance that romance starts automatically.

But what was it really? Only a small portion of people were dating, and the rest didn’t seem interested in tsundere at all.

Huh? Weren’t you all supposed to love tsundere?

And then I realized. Ah—right!

I have to go find them myself.

Tsundere are treasure.

Before everyone else notices their charm.

From that day on, I searched and searched for tsundere.

Someone with that irresistible charm: always prickly, but sometimes blushing.

But because it’s treasure, it’s hard to find.

Which makes sense.

A lot of tsundere only show up after you get close, and if you only look at the surface, they can just look like a bad person—or even just a normal person at first glance.

Maybe there really aren’t any tsundere at this school.

It was right when I was starting to give up.

That was when he appeared in front of me.

Chapter 64: I Want to Awaken an Other-Exclusion Talent — Side Story: I Am One Who Loves Tsundere ②

I found someone who said things that made people dislike him, someone everyone avoided. And yet, I sensed something about him—like he wasn’t quite used to being honest with people.

His name was Wada Shuma.

I thought it was fate.

So they really do exist—tsundere.

It was already the fall of my first year, and I’d started thinking maybe I wouldn’t meet any during my first year at all, and then—this. What a miracle.

He’s probably just not used to being honest yet, and he’s going to become a much better tsundere from here.

If I get close to him, he’ll become a hilarious friend—70% tsun, 30% dere.

I did want a tsundere girlfriend, but at that point, I wasn’t someone who cared about gender anymore.

Gender doesn’t matter. Because tsundere is still tsundere.

Dividing up tsundere any further is both presumptuous—and stupid. Not to mention beneath me.

More than anything, I wanted to live my high school life with a tsundere. That’s the high schooler I admire. That’s what I long for.

From that day on, I observed Wada, waiting for the right timing to become friends.

Since I’m in a different class, if I suddenly talk to him it’ll freak him out, right? He doesn’t seem like he has many friends, so going through friends would be hard… Maybe I could ask him to teach me since he’s top-ranked… I came up with tons of plans.

But before I could put any of those plans into action, that guy appeared.

One day, Wada—who was always alone—wasn’t alone.

But I figured, that happens sometimes.

You know how some people are drawn to loners, right? So I didn’t worry about it. He’ll get bored and end up alone again—then I’ll be the one who becomes his friend. That’s what I thought.

But that guy never left. He kept hovering around Wada, talking to him, tailing him, and because of that, every plan I’d made became impossible to execute.

And on top of that, he started doing the things I wanted to do.

Inviting him to study (he got rejected, haha—serves you right). Greeting him every day and trying to get close (Wada ignored him, but lately he’s started responding, damn it). And in the end, even getting friendly with his family (I heard Wada’s mom is kind of scary, though)—that’s unforgivable.

Still, up to that point, I could endure it. Because I thought maybe that guy liked tsundere just like me—and that’s why he got close to Wada.

If so, I could become friends with that guy too, then become friends with Wada, and eventually we’d have a friendly circle of tsundere lovers.

But my ambition got smashed to pieces because of that guy’s tastes.

It happened when I decided to approach and talk to him.

“Just like I thought… that yandere talent…”

Huh? What? Did he just say “yandere”?

I thought I misheard, but he’d already walked past me.

Huh? Huh? Does that mean he isn’t a fellow tsundere lover—he’s a yandere-loving guy?

I couldn’t hide my confusion.

Because among all the dere in the world, there was one I simply could not bring myself to like.

That was yandere.

Using “being broken” as an excuse, doing whatever they want. From possessiveness to stalking, even escalating into confinement—it’s terrifying. And honestly, heavy people don’t think about anyone else.

They only think about themselves. Other people’s inconvenience doesn’t matter. Only them.

People like that have no business existing in reality.

So that’s it. He likes yandere, which is why he got close to Wada.

I’m not letting Wada go to someone like that.