Chapter 40 The Delusional Guy's Sense of Duty

The Delusional Guy’s Sense of Duty

Yuya’s PoV

The sports festival had ended.

On my way home, I walked, wrestling with my thoughts alone.

“Why… why did it have to come to this…?”

My mind was consumed by one thing—Akari.

Akari and I have been childhood friends for over ten years.

Until just recently, we were even dating.

The unshakable bond we once shared is now on the verge of breaking apart.

That’s why I invited Akari to be my pair partner, hoping to repair our relationship…

“…I never imagined Akari would turn me down for the pair dance.”

It completely blindsided me.

I thought Akari was looking for a partner.

And yet, she chose that guy, rejecting me…

It’s unbelievable.

Why would Akari pair up with someone like him?

To make matters worse, today, during the incident with the stolen belongings, Akari pushed me away.

All I did was state the facts. It wasn’t baseless speculation.

I mean, anyone would have thought the same, right?

If Kyogoku was at the scene of the theft at the time it happened, anyone would…

“I didn’t do anything wrong.”

I’m not wrong. I know I’m not wrong.

All I did was mention that I saw Kyogoku.

I thought it might help solve the incident.

That’s all there was to it…

Akari’s the one acting strange.

She’s defending Kyogoku way too much.

I don’t know what’s going on between Akari and Kyogoku, but it’s not normal.

I mean, this is Kyogoku we’re talking about.

The guy everyone in school hates, with a face like a villain’s.

He never talks to anyone and is always alone.

You can’t even tell what he’s thinking.

For Akari to side with someone so obviously “dangerous”… I’m giving her advice for her own good.

She seriously needs to wake up.

…Sure, Kyogoku saved Akari.

And yes, I lied about it. That’s true.

But that’s all there is to it.

How does that make Kyogoku’s reputation skyrocket while mine plummets? It’s insane.

“What the hell is going on…?”

Am I really the one at fault here?

There’s no way that’s true.

There’s no way acting out of concern for Akari could be wrong.

I’m doing this for her.

As her childhood friend, as her ex-boyfriend.

“I mean, those two winning the Best Pair Award? Seriously?”

In the end, they went and won the Best Pair Award.

What the hell is happening here?

I was supposed to be the one standing next to Akari.

“Don’t tell me Akari… likes Kyogoku…”

There’s a jinx associated with the Best Pair Award.

They say the couple who wins it will be bound together forever.

Honestly, I couldn’t care less whether that’s true or not.

The problem is that it’ll make them aware of each other.

If that happens, they’ll start seeing each other differently.

And then Akari might… start looking at Kyogoku in that way…

“No, no way. No way in hell. Hahaha… hahaha…”

Even if she’s defending him this much, it’s still Kyogoku.

Someone like Akari, who has so many options, would never choose Kyogoku.

Especially with those eyes of his.

It’s fine. Yeah, it’s fine.

I definitely don’t need to worry about that.

“Honestly, I don’t like the idea of Akari dating anyone else anyway.”

Maybe it’s selfish, but I want Akari to be mine and mine alone.

She’s only ever been with me until now, so it’s only natural for it to stay that way.

Yeah, no doubt about it.

I understand Akari better than anyone else.

If someone like me thinks so, then Akari is definitely mine alone.

That said, I can’t let my guard down.

Kyogoku is absolutely dangerous.

He’s the guy who hurled insults at me, and you never know what he might do.

Akari is my childhood friend, someone who’s practically family.

Even if our relationship is strained right now, I’ll take it upon myself to protect Akari.

From a “monster” like Kyogoku.

“Kyogoku… If you make Akari cry, I will never forgive you.”

I’m the one who will protect her.

Akari… the Akari who’s still helpless without me!

“Nakano-kun!”

“Ah! Manami-chan!”

Manami-chan was walking toward me from the opposite direction.

I instinctively ran up to her and hugged her tightly.

“Nakano-kun? What’s wrong?”

“Manami-chan, you’ll believe me, won’t you? You’ll stay on my side, right?”

“Geez, what are you saying? Of course I will. I’ve always been on your side, Nakano-kun.”

“Manami-chan…!!!”

I hugged Manami-chan even tighter.

Manami-chan and I are connected not just physically but emotionally too.

Her sexy body, everything about her, belongs to me alone.

“You were taking so long, so I came to get you. Come on, let’s go~.”

“Yeah!!!”

With Manami-chan clinging to my arm, we headed to the hotel.

In the end, the only one I can truly love is Manami-chan…

Manami’s PoV

Nakano-kun was out of breath.

He lay exhausted on the bed, counting the stains on the ceiling.

“You were amazing again today, Manami-chan…”

“Hehe, I’m glad~.”

Suddenly, the phone on the bedside table vibrated.

“Hold on a sec, okay?”

I slipped out of bed and answered the call.

“…Yeah, got it. I’ll be there later. Okay, see you.”

After hanging up, Nakano-kun, his face still flushed, asked me without looking my way.

“Who was that?”

“My mom. She was asking about dinner~…”

I smiled to cover it up.

He doesn’t know anything.

Really…

“…It’s about time, I guess.”

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“Nope, nothing at all.”