CH 14

[Shiraki PoV]

Not much time has passed since I dumped Shinzaki-kun.

Lately, Shinzaki-kun has been hanging out a lot with a girl with braids who wears glasses.

She is a gloomy girl whose name I don’t even know.

Why am I not next to Shinzaki-kun?

The reason is simple and obvious.

As I said at the beginning, it is because I dumped Shinzaki-kun.

But that was not my fault.

It was the fault of those two who told me to dump Shinzaki-kun.

Every time I see the look of disdain in Shinzaki-kun’s eyes, my hatred for those two people grows.

I didn’t want them to hate me so much, but now I really don’t care about them.

Then I realized.

All I need is Shinzaki-kun.

That’s why I can’t tolerate that woman who is always with Shinzaki-kun.

I am the only one who is allowed to talk to Shinzaki-kun.

I can’t stand the fact that Shinzaki-kun is talking happily with someone else.

If that woman and Shinzaki-kun were dating, I really don’t know what I would do.

That’s how much I love Shinzaki-kun.

I want to talk to Shinzaki-kun, have dinner with him, and go home with him.

And yet, and yet, and yet.

That woman is always there.

When he is with that woman, he seems to be smiling happily.

Why is that?

Why not me?

I’ve never seen Shinzaki-kun smile like that, not even while we were dating.

What makes me inferior to her?

No, there is nothing inferior about me.

I’m sure Shinzaki-kun is being deceived by that woman.

I have to protect him.

The next day.

I hid that woman’s shoes.

I also put a letter in her shoe box telling her to come to the rooftop after school today.

If I harassed her, she would leave Shinzaki-kun alone.

I thought so and held back my laughter.

After school, I came to the rooftop.

Of course, I was there to talk to the woman I had called.

A few minutes after I came to the rooftop, she came.

She came up to me.

“What do you want?”

She said.

“Let me get straight to the point. Are you dating Shinzaki-kun?”

When I said this, she sniffed derisively and said

“Me and Shinzaki-kun? Of course not.”

What’s with that attitude?

I tried to suppress my irritation as I spoke to her.

“I saee. Then could you please stop being involved with Shinzaki-kun?”

“Why?”

“Because I love Shinzaki-kun.”

The woman looked truly disgusted.

“I thought you dumped Shinzaki-kun?”

I had no choice.

“I didn’t really dump him.”

The woman in front of me let out a deep sigh.

What is her problem?

“So what is it about? But I don’t think Shinzaki-kun will take you seriously.”

What is it?

What does she know about Shinzaki-kun?

“Haa? What are you talking like you know!”

“No, I think anyone would probably think so.”

There’s no way that’s true.

If I told him how I really feel, I’m sure he would understand.

That kind and cool Shinzaki-kun.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking right now.”

The woman in front of me opened her mouth to speak to me.

“Why don’t you stop imposing your ideals on Shinzaki-kun?”

Imposing ideals?

What are you talking about?

Shinzaki-kun is kind and cool, there is nothing mistaken about that.

If you call it an ideal, it’s not right.

“I’m not imposing any ideals on him. I’m just saying that the usual Shinzaki-kun should be able to accept me.”

“Haa, how can you not see that you’re just pushing your ideals on jim? He suffered from having his ideals imposed on him by everyone, you know?”

“That can’t be true. Shinzaki-kun is a really kind-hearted person who takes the initiative to do things that everyone else doesn’t want to do. Isn’t that true?”

Yes, it must be true.

“…Well, good luck with that.”

I couldn’t take it anymore.

“What the hell is wrong with you!”

Saying that, I pushed her slender body away.

“Ouch!”

The woman fell on her bottom miserably.

My emotions did not stop there.

” Enough is enough!”

I shouted and tried to hit the fallen woman.

At that moment, the door to the rooftop opened with a bang.

There he was, the man I had been thinking about.

“Eh, Shinzaki-kun? Why are you here?”

Shinzaki-kun was approaching me.

But his eyes were only on the fallen woman.

“Seo, are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

Why are you worried about this woman?

No, now is not the time to be talking about that.

I have to explain this situation to Shinzaki-kun.

While I was pondering, the two of them seemed to be talking about something, but what they were saying did not come through to my ears.

“Shinzaki-kun, um, you’re misunderstanding!”

I try to tell Shinzaki-kun what I think.

“What am I misunderstanding?”

I tell Shinzaki-kun after a short pause.

“Uhm, yes! This woman is manipulating you!”

Yes, Shinzaki-kun is probably just being manipulated.

“Be more clear”

Why are you not getting the message?

“I-I’m telling you! Shinzaki-kun, you’re just being played by this woman’s mouthpiece!”

Shinzaki-kun looks at me as if he is truly dumbfounded.

Stop it! Don’t look at me like that!

“I’m trying to protect you, Shinzaki-kun!”

I want to protect you. I really do.

“Who do you think you are”

“Eh?”

But Shinzaki-kun stared at me and said that.

“I don’t want you to protect me. If you speak ill of Seo, I will not tolerate you. Besides, Seo’s shoes were missing today. You did that, didn’t you?”

“Eh, how did you know…ah”

“So it was you after all.”

Crap.

I dug my own grave.

But more importantly, why are you protecting this woman, Shinzaki-kun?

Why are you directing your hostility toward me?

I harassed that woman in order to help you, Shinzaki-kun!

“Wait, you got it wrong! Listen to me! I really wanted to protect you, Shinzaki, so I did stuff to make this woman uncomfortable!”

Because you’re being manipulated.

“Haa….what are you saying….I don’t get it…”

The expression on Shinzaki-kun’s face was mixed with some fatigue.

I saw his expression and couldn’t say anything.

“There is no reason for you to protect me.”

There is. It’s because I love Shinzaki-kun.

“Because you have broken my heart.”

Shinzaki-kun glares at me.

No! I really had no choice then!

It was the fault of those two!

I told myself and opened my mouth to Shinzaki-kun.

“C-calm down, okay? I, you know? I like you, Shinzaki-kun.”

I did it! I finally said it!

“You still haven’t learned your lesson yet, have you?”

But what came back to me from him were words that made me doubt myself.

“No! These are my true feelings!”

I said desperately.

“Then why did you dump me?”

I told him the truth as it was.

“That’s because those two girls told me to dump Shinzaki-kun!”

“Is that why you dumped me?”

“I had no choice!”

Yes, I really had no choice.

“But the fact is, you dumped me, right? That’s all you had feelings for me after all.”

That’s not true. Because right now, Shinzaki-kun has become a really, really lovely person in my heart.

“No! No! No! I really like you, Shinzaki! I love you and I can’t help it!”

As I said this, Shinzaki-kun quietly approached me.

Then he opens his mouth.

“Hey, Shiraki. Can you honestly believe it when someone who has lied to you says she likes you again?”

Hey, Shiraki-kun. Can you honestly believe it when the one who has lied to you says he likes you again?

There is no way I could believe it.

But I still acted impulsively because of my feelings for Shinzaki-kun.

This is the result.

But my feelings for Shinzaki-kun are genuine.

“B-But! My feelings for Shinzaki-kun are true!”

I said desperately.

Shinzaki-kun let out a sigh.

“Shiraki, I will never trust you again.”

He said that.

I don’t want to.

I don’t want Shinzaki-kun to hate me.

I don’t want you to hate me, I don’t want you to hate me, I don’t want you to hate me

After saying this, Shinzaki-kun left the rooftop.

“Wait…”

Tears naturally spilled from my eyes.

I was not able to get any strength in my legs and feet, so I slumped down on the spot.

Why?

Why didn’t my feelings get through to Shinzaki-kun?

I don’t know.

I really don’t know.

The girl is still unable to realize her mistake.