Chapter 198: The Confession's Whereabouts
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 198: The Confession's Whereabouts
"Hey, Ryu-chan, will you go out with me?"
For Rika, this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime confession.
She’d had countless chances before, but every time, she had just laughed it off herself.
"......"
That made it all the more difficult to bring myself to refuse.
Of course, accepting her confession here wasn't an option.
Doing so would be a betrayal of the President's trust.
But I didn't want to hurt Rika, either.
It was a classic dilemma.
My lips parted, and I barely managed to speak.
"Rika, can I ask you one thing?"
"What is it?"
"Why did you start to like me?"
I'd always wondered.
Why Rika, Karen, and Sasha liked someone like me, who wasn't particularly charming.
In the original work, Scramble Love, the three of them appear as heroines who are in love with Ryuji.
If they had naturally fallen for Ryuji, I would have understood completely.
Like any manga protagonist, Ryuji was a great guy, full of charm in many ways, even from my perspective as a man.
But the one they had chosen now wasn't Ryuji, but me.
That's why I wanted to know the reason.
What series of events had led them to like me?
"Well..."
The question must have been unexpected, as Rika was momentarily at a loss for words.
But soon, as if her thoughts had settled, she looked straight at me and spoke.
"Ryu-chan, you're an incredibly good person. Kind enough to give directions to a complete stranger who talks to you. To be honest, I didn't think of you as a potential partner from the start. But beneath your stiff way of speaking, I saw a kindness that was always considerate of others, and for some reason, I found my eyes drawn to you. And we have similar interests, and you didn't think my hobbies were weird when you heard about them... That's why I came to like you."
"...."
It was a much more normal reason than I had expected.
I never imagined Rika thought of me that way.
To be honest, I was a little happy.
I now knew that the person who liked me for who I am now didn't like me simply because of something like the laws of the manga world.
Maybe I'd been thinking too negatively all this time.
I couldn't easily trust people's goodwill and had been constantly doubting it.
"Hoo—"
I took a small, deep breath.
Now that I had heard Rika's honest feelings, it was my turn to answer.
After making up my mind, I faced Rika with a serious expression.
"First, I want to say thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?"
"If you hadn't approached me at the beginning of the semester, I'd probably still be living like a shadow at school. The reason I have so many friends now is all thanks to you, Rika. The me I am today exists because of you."
At first, it was just a coincidence.
A small act of kindness anyone could offer.
I had only told her the subway route, but from the very next day, Rika started acknowledging me.
From that point on, my world changed.
Every single day was fun.
After I got bigger, most people felt uncomfortable talking to me, but after Rika started the conversation, she acted as a buffer, allowing other kids to approach me without feeling intimidated.
Of course, there are still people who are afraid of me, but at least I'm not treated as untouchable like I was in my first year.
The fact that I could have such a fulfilling school life was all thanks to Rika being the starting point.
That's why I was grateful to her.
If I hadn't met the President before I met Rika, I would have accepted her confession.
But—
"I can't accept your feelings. There's already someone I like."
Thinking of the President waiting for me at home, I squeezed my eyes shut and rejected her confession.
"...Someone you like?"
Rika muttered, a blank expression on her face after hearing my answer.
"Yeah. It's someone you know, too. You know the Student Council President, right?"
"...."
Rika's expression darkened rapidly.
I had expected it, but it was painful to watch.
She was one of my closest friends, after all.
In the uncomfortable silence, Rika finally managed to speak.
"Since when... have you liked her...?"
"It's the same as with you. There wasn't any special trigger, but as we spent a long time together, I naturally came to like her. We've known each other since our first year, one way or another."
Silence fell again.
"I... see..."
Drip.
A single tear rolled down Rika's face as she forced out each word.
"Huh...? Why am I crying...?"
Rika mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her forearm.
But her tears wouldn't stop.
"Haha... this is weird... I'm not even sad, but the tears keep coming..."
Rika said, forcing a smile.
But her face was already contorted in pain.
She tried her best to act like she was okay, but it seemed she couldn't hold it in any longer and began to cry her heart out like a small child.
"Waaaaaaaaaah!"
Faced with her tears, I couldn't say a single word.
*
After the full 15 minutes had passed, we got off the Ferris wheel.
Rika's crying had stopped midway, but we had no choice but to sit in an awkward atmosphere for the rest of the ride.
It was only natural, given that the person who had just confessed and the person who had just rejected them were stuck in the same place.
On the way home.
As we walked down the darkened street, Rika blurted out.
"I'm so frustrated."
"...About what?"
"That I lost you to someone I barely know, not to Karen or Sasha."
I couldn't say anything.
I was in an ambiguous position where I couldn't side with either my girlfriend or my friend.
And it didn't seem like Rika was expecting an answer anyway, as she continued speaking, fuming to herself.
"To think she became your girlfriend just because she met you first, honestly, I think that's unfair."
This was a side of her I'd never seen before.
This was Rika, who was good with people, always had a smile on her face, and was loved by everyone.
Seeing her angry was, in a way, refreshing.
After walking for a while, we stopped in front of the subway station.
Rika, who had been grumbling with an angry face the whole way, turned around and asked.
"Ryu-chan, can I ask just one more thing?"
"What is it?"
"If that President person didn't exist, would you have accepted my confession?"
I had already rejected her, so a 'what if' like that was meaningless now.
But it seemed Rika still wanted to know.
How I thought of her.
I thought for a moment before opening my mouth.
"Probably, yes."
"...That's all I needed to know."
Rika said with a sorrowful smile.
Then, as she practically ran down the stairs, she said.
"I'm going to head home first today. See you at school next week, Ryu-chan."
"Yeah. Get home safe."
Normally, we would have taken the same subway home.
But perhaps thinking that would be too much to bear, Rika said her goodbyes and left on the train ahead of me.
Left alone on the platform, I lowered the hand I had been waving vigorously and sat down on a nearby bench.
Then, I let my arms and legs go limp.
I'm exhausted.
I'll just rest my eyes for a bit, until the next train comes.
*
By the time I took the next train and got home, it was already past 8 p.m.
"I'm home."
It seemed they had closed up early today, as my parents were sitting in the living room when I entered.
"Have you eaten?"
"Yes, I have."
I actually hadn't, but if I told the truth, my mother would surely insist on making me dinner, so I gave a vague answer and went straight to my room.
Inside the dark room.
Without turning on the lights, I immediately lay down on the floor.
The bedding I hadn't had time to put away in my rush this morning wrapped around me softly.
I closed my eyes and thought.
Did I do the right thing?
Realistically, unless I was going to two-time her, rejecting Rika's confession was the only logical step.
But whether the way I rejected her was the best way... I couldn't be sure about that.
There might have been a better way.
When I closed my eyes, Rika's crying face appeared.
A sense of guilt naturally began to creep in.
I have to see her again at school next week. What kind of face am I supposed to make then?
I was agonizing over this alone when it happened.
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, someone knocked on my door.
"Yoo-Sung-kun."
"President?"
I shot up from my spot.
"May I come in for a moment?"
"Ah, yes. Please, come in."
Once I gave my permission, the President carefully opened the door and stepped inside.
I glanced past her toward the living room and asked.
"What about my parents?"
"They've already gone to their bedroom. It's quite late, after all."
It seemed a lot of time had passed while I was lying down.
I offered the President a place to sit and asked.
"What brings you here all of a sudden?"
"You seemed different from usual, Yoo-Sung-kun. And I was also curious about how your date went."
Hearing her words, I gave a bitter smile.
"You were right, President. In the end, I made her cry."
"That couldn't be helped. You were planning to reject her confession from the start."
The President said, squeezing both of my hands tightly.
"Yoo-Sung-kun, thank you for choosing me. I'll do my best to make up for that girl's share of happiness."
"President..."
My gaze met the President's.
As a strange atmosphere filled the room, the President looked at me with moist eyes.
"Call me Kumiko right now."
"Kumiko-senpai..."
I rarely ever called her by her first name, so it felt strangely embarrassing.
But the President seemed satisfied with that, as she gave a contented smile and pressed her lips against mine.
Then, she pulled her face away and whispered.
"If something is upsetting you, tell me everything. That's what a girlfriend is for."