I was Rejected 10,000 times by My Childhood Friend, but After I Gave Up, I Suddenly Started Getting Popular? - Ch. 1 - Episode 1 p12

I’m suddenly starting to get popular!

I didn’t think Karen would chase me all the way here… I thought she was too docile to do that, but that was what ended up happening. But why did she even bother to come after me?

Though I didn’t know why, I should deal with the shuraba-like atmosphere that was about to unfold before me, at least for now.

“What kind of relationship does… Ritsu have with you? You two even promised to go to school together in the morning, right?”

“…It’s a special relationship, there’s no doubt about that. It’s more than Momiji-senpai’s.”

“A-A special relationship?! I-Is that like… dating or…?”

“…Not yet. Not yet, but…”

Oh god, women are scary.

Wait, why is Karen so pissed off about it? In fact, something about this situation makes me feel like two beautiful girls are competing for my attention, right?

Have I finally become the protagonist of a romantic comedy? Not like this! I just want a normal romantic comedy! (You’re not normal when you confess 10,000 times.)

“Well, don’t argue with each other. Let’s just go to school, okay?”

“” Shut up for a second.””

“…Let’s just be good friends…”

What’s with this shuraba? The “Who owns Ritsu” issue has been the main topic of the argument since a while ago, but I’m mine, you know? Why are you guys fighting over me?

I could feel the envious and disgusted stares from all around me. Obviously, we were the center of attention now.

And unfortunately, the fire of the argument was finally passed to me.

“Which one do you want to go on a date with, senpai?! It’s me, right? The gold medal winner in the cute junior category!”

Don’t make up random categories as you go along!

I really didn’t want to be forced to participate in this incomprehensible battle.

“R-Ritsu! T-This time, I’ll go on a d-da-dat—I-I’ll do something special for you, so choose me!”

You didn’t even finish saying the word “date”! How can it be called one, then?!

I mean, why are they both suddenly so uptight? If I could, I would’ve said no to both of you in this situation already…

“N-No… that… to me…”

I tried to play it off, but they sensed it and glared at me.

I couldn’t say anything for a while and awkwardly laughed, “Ahaha,” which caused them to start to argue on their own again.

Why do these two people have such a bad relationship…?

“The person with the longer r-relationship with Ritsu… is me! I’ve played with Ritsu since we were small…”

“I’m a few steps ahead of you when it comes to aggressiveness, though. I deliver my love to my senpai every day, you know? What about you, Momiji-senpai? Do you even have love in the first place?”

“…Gununu…”

If one were to listen to the arguments, it would seem that Lala had a slight edge.

Are you two ever going to stop? I’ll start thinking that maybe you both like me. I’ll become a man with misunderstandings all around me!

The battle between the two of them began to attract a bunch of spectators.

That’s right. These two are the most beautiful girls in the school, and their popularity is unfathomable. When two such girls are unusually involved, and now there’s a guy between them, it’s natural to wonder, “What’s going on?”

This is what I wanted to avoid… Why can’t I avoid this?

The gods of romantic comedy have been loving me too much lately. I don’t need this kind of love…

I knew this was beyond my control. That’s why I SOS’d to someone who can silence this situation.

I think I’m going to scream “HELP ME!!!!”

Just then, my savior? She appeared.

“Good morning, Kaminoki-san. What’s the matter? You look so troubled.”

“…Shirahata-san?”

When I turned around, Shirahata-san was standing there with her usual angelic face.

The spectators were even more excited by Shirahata-san’s appearance. Crap, all the beautiful girls from my high school were gathered here.

She wasn’t my savior at all.

“Yes! I’m Niina Shirahata.”

“I k-know who you are…”

“Oh, by the way, would you like to go to a diner after school today? I wanted to talk to you about what happened the other day.”

The moment Shirahata-san said that, the two who had been arguing earlier suddenly turned toward us, their eyes filled with murderous intent.

“What is it, senpai? Do you have a relationship with Shirahata-senpai? You’re a complete cheater!”

“I’m not dating anyone! You all have the wrong idea!”

Meanwhile, in the spectators.

“Oh, he’s the worst.”

“He’s a jerk!” “He’s going to get his life ended by getting stabbed by someone for cheating on that beautiful girl…!”

The crowd was boiling.

Strange rumors were spreading without my knowledge… This isn’t good.

“Ah, this is Momiji-san. I’m not going to let you beat me in the next test!”

“That’s not important right now! What’s your relationship with Ritsu?”

“What kind of relationship do Ritsu and I have? Let’s call it… a special relationship.”

“Don’t say the same thing as them! You’ll cause misunderstandings!”

Ah, how did this happen? My high school life.

From an outsider’s point of view, it totally looks like I’ve suddenly become popular!

But, this is too much of a hassle!

The fire of the shuraba is burning up…

(TL: Shuraba. Go look it up, there’s like 5 different definitions I’m too lazy to explain here. I’ll leave it to my editor if he decides to put it in.)

(ED: Imagine me knowing what Japanese words mean lol. Pretty sure I read somewhere it refers to a war of love or something like that… Don’t trust me though…)