I Got Rejected! (Yukiya’s Perspective)
On the walk home from high school.
I decided it was finally time to confess the feelings I’d carried for years to my childhood friend, Kanae.
In other words, the classic love confession.
“Uh, h-hey… Kanae—”
“Hm? What is it?”
Kanae turned to me with a soft, warm smile in response to my sudden voice.
That smile was so adorable I nearly blurted it out, but I bit back the urge just in time and steered myself back on course.
“W-We’ve, uh, been together for a pretty long time now, haven’t we?”
“That’s true. I’ve known Yuki-kun since kindergarten. We were together in middle school, high school… maybe even college at this rate.”
Kanae answered with a gentle, unhurried smile that felt like it could melt away the day.
Her easygoing response was soothing, but to hear it framed as mere coincidence stung a little.
The only reason we ended up at the same high school was because I—an idiot, really—worked hard to match her top choice.
I knew she had no idea about that, and yet, I still felt a childish wave of sulkiness threaten to rise.
Damn it… I’m already losing my cool, and I haven’t even confessed yet.
Part of me wanted to chicken out, to just skip the confession entirely—but if I let this chance slip, who knows when we’ll get to walk home together again.
So come on, show some backbone, me!
“U-Uh… so, like… um…”
But when I tried to speak, my brain completely shut down. My mind went blank, and the only thing I could clearly feel was how hot my face had gotten.
Seeing me freeze up, Kanae tilted her head slightly. “Hm?”
I had to say it. Now. Before I lost the nerve—
“I-I just… I mean, from now on too… I want to keep being with you, Kanae…”
After that much, even someone as dense as Kanae must’ve figured it out.
I couldn’t bring myself to look at her face, so I closed my eyes and bowed my head, forcing the words out.
“I-I like you, Kanae… I really, really like you…!”
My voice trembled and stuttered all over the place—it couldn’t have sounded less cool.
But if nothing else, I wanted to make sure she heard me clearly at the end.
“P-Please… G-Go out with me!”
I bowed even lower, practically pleading.
“Ah, ye—…”
From above me, I felt Kanae inhale sharply. That faint breath could’ve been the start of a response—or maybe just an exhale. I couldn’t tell.
And then silence fell between us. Honestly, I felt like I might die.
At last, Kanae spoke.
“I-I… um… I was just… really surprised…”
The way her voice shook made it clear—my confession had caught her completely off guard.
From my perspective, I thought I’d been making my feelings pretty obvious. When she changed her hairstyle or dressed up, I always noticed first and complimented her. I went all out for her birthday and Christmas gifts, and White Day? Triple return, minimum. I helped her whenever she struggled and always tried to be there for her.
I studied harder, joined a club, even changed up my style—all to get closer to her. I went from flunking tests in middle school to being good enough to tutor her in some subjects. I stuck with soccer because she once told me it looked cool, and I earned a regular spot on the team in high school. I tailored my clothes and hair to her tastes.
But despite all that, the fact that none of it had gotten through… hit me harder than I expected.
No, it’s not like she had to notice. Everything I did was one-sided. She wasn’t obligated to realize how I felt…
Still, I couldn’t stop this hollow ache from settling in my chest, a mix of regret and helplessness pressing down on me.
And then, with her next words, Kanae gave her final answer.
“Um… I-I’m sorry…”
Her voice was strained, like even saying that much was painful.
“It’s just… I’ve always had someone else I, um… liked…”
Hearing that, I almost let out a sigh. I’d had a bad feeling… and it turned out to be right.
I had a pretty strong guess who her ‘someone else’ might be.
Ironically, he was also her childhood friend—just like me—but unlike me, he was the one she had feelings for.
“I… I like Souta-kun.”
Yep. Just as I’d feared—Kanae’s heart belonged to our mutual childhood friend, Souta.
And if my read on things was right, Souta probably didn’t dislike her either.
That vague sense of urgency I’d felt lately… that’s what drove me to finally confess today.
And yet, this is the result.
My heart felt raw, like it was being picked apart, and a surge of ugly emotions started to spill over.
The sting of rejection, jealousy toward Souta, this creeping sense of inferiority… even irrational anger. But no way I was letting any of that show in front of the girl I loved.
I drew in a deep, quiet breath—over and over—then slowly lifted my head.
“So… um… that’s why I…”
In front of me stood Kanae, her shoulders trembling, head bowed.
Because I confessed purely for my own sake, I’d ended up making things painfully awkward for her.
“Hey, Kanae?”
My voice cracked a little, but at least it didn’t come out gloomy or heavy.
“Y-Yeah…”
She answered with a voice tight as a drawn string.
I couldn’t see her face, hidden as it was beneath her bangs, but the tips of her ears—peeking out from her sleek black hair—were bright red, like they might start steaming.
She was probably embarrassed about admitting her feelings for Souta. From where I stood, that just made her look even more dazzling—and, honestly, made me jealous as hell.
Even as the weight of it all threatened to knock me to my knees, I forced myself to smile and speak in a cheerful voice.
“Aha, haha! S-Sorry about that—guess I made things kinda weird, huh?”
To be honest, I didn’t even have the emotional energy to be considerate right now. But that too was on me—my selfishness, my mess. The least I could do was try to clean up after myself.
“Right… got it. That’s your answer. Thanks for hearing me out.”
Kanae remained silent, still looking down. I couldn’t read a thing from her.
“W-Well, uh… see you around—”
In the end, I couldn’t take it anymore. I ran away. Kanae said nothing. The atmosphere I’d shattered stayed broken.
Maybe… maybe I won’t even be able to stay by her side as a childhood friend anymore.
As the bitter aftermath settled in, regret started flooding in fast.
I resisted the urge to break into a run, settling for walking away as fast as I could.
I didn’t want to show her any more of this pathetic side of me. I didn’t look back. Didn’t have the courage. But I felt like she was still standing there.
We still had a ways to go before either of us got home—but my heart wasn’t strong enough to walk the rest of the way with her. And I doubted she’d want to walk with the guy she just turned down.
I kept walking, aimless and numb, heading toward home alone.
I couldn’t even muster the will to check, but the only footsteps I could hear were mine. Of course. There was no way Kanae would follow me. No way she’d chase after me.
“Ugh… I’m so pathetic.”
Even now, some tiny part of me still hoped—just maybe—she’d come running after me. I hated that part of me.
“I really messed things up for Kanae too…”
She’d gone out of her way to be gentle with me. I could tell.
What am I supposed to do around her now… starting tomorrow?