Chapter 21: A Love Confession for You (Kanae’s Point of View)
I answered Yuki-kun’s call, and for a brief moment, I felt happy just hearing his voice so close to my ear. But before I knew it, I was forced to painfully realize what my current position really was.
“Uh… actually, today Souta said something to me. He told me that since Kanae has someone she likes, I shouldn’t stick around you so much…”
The instant I heard that, it felt like my entire body froze solid.
I’ve never told anyone about my true feelings for Yuki-kun, or about my misunderstanding toward Souta-kun up until now. And yet…
Ugh… just who is this “person I like” that Souta-kun is talking about…!?
Ever since this morning, things have ended up getting in the way, and resentment toward Souta-kun and an unreasonable anger bubbled up inside me.
No, but Souta-kun doesn’t know the situation, and I’m sure he said it thinking it was for my own good.
Besides, all I really need to do is properly tell Yuki-kun that I like him, say sorry for turning him down, and ask him to go out with me.
Even though in my head I’m already imagining a future where I marry Yuki-kun and even have kids, I’m disgusted with how completely spineless I am in reality.
And then, as if to deal me another blow…
“I’m really sorry about all this… in the first place, it’s my fault for doing something unnecessary like confessing to you, and now it’s turned into a situation where Souta has to warn me…”
His words were filled with pain he couldn’t completely hide, and hearing Yuki-kun’s voice as he tried to suppress his feelings and put on a brave front made my chest ache terribly. At the same time, I wanted to disappear from how pathetic I was for making the person I love say something like that.
In my head, which felt drained of all blood, an image of Yuki-kun covered in wounds and gritting his teeth surfaced, and before I knew it, tears were spilling out of my eyes.
I can’t do this anymore, I really can’t…
“Yuki-kun… I-I have something I want to tell you…”
Words with no thought behind them, driven purely by desperation.
“P-please, listen to me… I’m begging you…”
With a trembling voice and a pitiful plea, I decided to have him hear my feelings.
There isn’t a single moment to spare. I want to go to Yuki-kun right now. Yuki-kun, Yuki-kun, Yuki-kun…
I dashed out of the student council room and headed straight for Yuki-kun.
I even happened to run into Souta-kun along the way and got an incredible pep talk from him. Maybe he’d been pushing me forward from behind all morning.
Thank you, Souta-kun…
As I felt grateful toward my childhood friend who gave me such clumsy, hard-to-understand kindness, I called out the name of the person I love.
“Yuki-kun!”
When I saw Yuki-kun waiting just outside the school gate, I threw myself straight into his arms.
“Fwoah!? K-Kanae!?”
Yuki-kun tried to pull his body back in surprise, but there’s no way I’m letting him get away.
I pressed my whole body against him, wrapped my arms around him, and hugged him tight.
After doing something like this, not just my face and head but my whole body felt boiling hot, and my heart was pounding harder than it ever had before.
“Y-Yuki-kun… please listen to me…”
Still clinging to him, I tilted my face up and said it.
“I-I… I really… really love you, Yuki-kun…!”
My voice was shaking and I was stuttering. It was so uncool…
“Eh, huh…? B-but, Kanae, you and Souta… and Souta feels that way about you too…”
Yuki-kun muttered in confusion.
“Ugh… I-I’m sorry… after you confessed to me, I thought about it a lot… a-and I even talked with my mom… and then I understood how I really feel…”
Yuki-kun seemed to get hung up on the part about my mom, like, “Huh, your mom…?” but I was already giving everything I had just to get my feelings across…
“Even though I don’t feel anything toward Souta-kun… just seeing you talk with another girl makes me really jealous… and then I get scared that someone else might take you away…”
Then Yuki-kun spoke in a flustered voice.
“I-I won’t be taken away, I won’t! There’s no way!”
Thinking that wasn’t true, I continued with a bit of resentment in my heart.
“And you know, Souta-kun sent me off to come here… he told me I should just tell you my honest feelings, that you’d definitely respond, and that he’d guarantee it…”
That must’ve been unexpected for Yuki-kun, because he looked completely confused.
“I-is that so…? Um, sorry… I don’t really know what I should say…”
Even though I knew he didn’t mean it that way, the instant Yuki-kun said “sorry,” it felt like my vision was swallowed by pitch-black despair and my consciousness was drifting away.
My body trembling with the fear of being rejected, I desperately clung to Yuki-kun.
“Y-Yuki-kun… i-it’s too late now… for me to say something like this… y-you might hate me… but…”
My vision was shaking, my voice had completely turned nasal, and there’s no confession more pathetic than this…
“I… I love you… please, go out with me…!”
Since I was pressed up against him and couldn’t bow my head, I pressed my forehead against Yuki-kun’s chest.
Ugh… I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared… I was so scared of his answer that my arms hugging Yuki-kun tightened without me meaning to.
Yuki-kun did something this amazing for me, and he did it so earnestly…
Falling in love with Yuki-kun all over again in a situation like this… i-if he turns me down now, I’ll cry… I-I’ll die…
Then, from his breathing, I could tell Yuki-kun was about to speak.
“Ah, w-wait… n-no, don’t, please, Yuki-kun… d-don’t reject me… s-sorry, I’m sorry… forgive me, please forgive me… forgive me…”
Tears were pouring down my face, my nose was a mess, and what I was saying was so pathetic that anyone normal would probably be totally put off.
But Yuki-kun…
“N-no, no, no, no! T-there’s no way I’d reject you! I’ve always loved you, Kanae… even after you turned me down, I couldn’t give up and was actually aiming for a rematch… ah, no, forget that… a-anyway! I’m insanely happy!”
Then Yuki-kun said it properly.
“I-I love you too, Kanae! Please take care of me!”
When Yuki-kun bowed his head like that, the one hugging him, me, ended up bending backward.
Somehow it felt funny, and I started laughing while crying.
And then, the walk home alone together with Yuki-kun for the first time in two days. But compared to two days ago, the outcome and how I felt were completely different.
Just like Azaka-senpai, Rinka-chan, and Chris-chan did with Souta-kun every morning, I clung to Yuki-kun’s arm and hugged it close, leaning against him.
I couldn’t help being amazed at how simple I am, already feeling happy after such despair and a pathetic confession. Still, I wanted to believe that exposing myself to such a traumatic level of embarrassment was worth it.
“Hey, Kanae…”
Then Yuki-kun spoke in a low voice, with the most serious expression he’d had all day.
Hearing that low, restrained voice, my hips trembled on their own and warmth spread low in my belly. At the same time, I felt a backward-facing fear of what he might say.
“W-what is it?”
With a strange mix of tension and excitement, I asked back cautiously, and then…
“Um… how much did you talk to your mom about…?”
Huh, that?
After staring blankly for a moment, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“F-fufu, then let’s go ask her directly right now.”
I’ve got something I want to report too, to my mom, who pushed me and encouraged me so much.
I got a boyfriend today!
…And I’ll say it with a smug look on my face!