I Was Possessed By An Unknown Manga

Chapter 198

“Um, Ryu-chan, would you like to go out with me?”

For Rika, this must be a once-in-a-lifetime confession.

There had been several opportunities until now, but she had always laughed it off.

“……”

That’s why it was even more difficult to utter words of rejection.

Of course, accepting her confession here was not an option.

That would betray the President’s trust.

But I didn’t want to hurt Rika either.

It was truly a dilemma.

“Rika, can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Why did you start liking me?”

I was always curious.

Why Rika, Karen, or Sasha liked me, who wasn’t particularly attractive.

In the original work “Scramble Love,” all three were heroines who liked Ryuji.

If they had naturally liked Ryuji, it would be understandable.

Ryuji, as the protagonist of a manga, was a great guy with many charms, even from a guy’s perspective.

But now, they had chosen me instead of Ryuji.

That’s why I wanted to know the reason.

How they came to like me.

“Well…”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Rika was momentarily at a loss for words.

But soon, she seemed to collect her thoughts and looked straight at me.

“Ryu-chan, you’re an incredibly good person. Even when a stranger asks for directions, you’re kind enough to help. Honestly, I didn’t think of you as a romantic interest from the beginning. But I found your kindness, always considering those around you despite your stern way of speaking. And since we have similar interests, and you didn’t think my hobbies were weird…that’s why I started liking you.”

“…”

It was a much more normal reason than I had expected.

I didn’t know Rika had such thoughts about me.

To be honest, I was a little happy.

Knowing that the person who liked me wasn’t just doing so because of some rule in the manga world.

Maybe I had been thinking too negatively all this time.

Because I couldn’t easily trust people’s kindness and had been constantly suspicious.

“Whew.”

I took a small, deep breath.

Since I had heard Rika’s honest feelings, it was my turn to answer.

After making up my mind, I looked at Rika with a serious expression.

“First of all, I want to say thank you.”

“What are you thankful for?”

“If you hadn’t approached me first at the beginning of the semester, I would still be living like a shadow at school. It’s all thanks to you that I have so many friends now. Because of you, I can be who I am today.”

At first, it was just a coincidence.

A small kindness anyone could give.

I just told her the subway route, but Rika acknowledged me the next day.

Since then, the environment around me changed.

Every day was enjoyable.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

After I grew bigger, most people were uncomfortable talking to me, but after Rika started talking to me first, acting as a buffer, other kids began approaching me without hesitation.

Of course, there were still people who feared me, but at least I wasn’t treated as untouchable like in the first year.

Rika was essentially the starting point that allowed me to have such a fulfilling school life.

That’s why I was grateful to Rika.

If I hadn’t met the President before Rika, I would have accepted Rika’s confession.

But…

“I can’t accept your feelings. I already like someone else.”

Thinking of the President waiting at home, I closed my eyes tightly and rejected her confession.

“…Someone you like?”

Rika muttered with a dazed expression upon hearing my answer.

“Yes. You know her too. The Student Council President, right?”

“…”

Rika’s expression darkened rapidly.

It was expected, but it was still painful to see.

She was one of my closest friends.

In the uncomfortable silence, Rika barely opened her mouth.

“Since when… did you like her…?”

“Like you, there wasn’t a special reason. Being together for a long time, I naturally came to like her. After all, we’ve known each other since the first year.”

Silence visited us again.

“I see..”

Tears trickled down her face.

As she struggled to respond, a single tear streamed down Rika’s face.

“Huh..? Why am I crying..?”

Rika mumbled and rubbed her eyes with her arm.

But her tears didn’t stop.

“Haha… It’s weird… I’m not even sad, but the tears keep coming…”

Rika said that and forced a smile.

But her face was already contorted.

She tried to act like she was okay, but soon, as if she couldn’t hold it in any longer, she started crying loudly like a child.

“Waaah!”

I couldn’t say anything in front of her.

After the 15 minutes passed, we got off the Ferris wheel.

Rika’s crying had stopped midway, but we sat in awkward silence afterward.

That was natural, as the person who had just confessed and the person who had rejected the confession were in the same place.

On the way back home.

Walking down the darkened street, Rika suddenly spoke.

“I’m frustrated.”

“…About what?”

“That I lost you to someone I barely know, not to Karen or Sasha.”

I couldn’t say anything.

It was an ambiguous situation where I couldn’t take sides between my girlfriend and my friend.

And Rika, not expecting an answer, continued talking by herself.

“Honestly, I think it’s unfair that just meeting you first made her your girlfriend.”

It was a side of her I had never seen before.

Rika, who was always cheerful and well-liked by everyone, had never shown this side.

Seeing her angry was surprisingly refreshing.

After walking for a while, we stopped in front of the subway station.

Rika, who had been grumbling with an angry face, turned around and asked.

“Ryu-chan, can I ask you just one thing?”

“What?”

“If that President didn’t exist, would you have accepted my confession?”

Having already rejected her confession, such a hypothetical question was meaningless.

But Rika still seemed to want to know.

How I felt about her.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Probably, yes.”

“…That’s enough.”

Rika said that with a sad smile.

Then she ran down the stairs, saying.

“I’ll go ahead today. See you at school next week, Ryu-chan.”

“Okay. Take care.”

Usually, we would have taken the same subway back.

But thinking she couldn’t bear it, Rika said that and left first on the subway.

Left alone on the platform, I lowered my waving hand and sat on a nearby bench.

And then I stretched out my arms and legs.

‘I’m tired.’

Until the next train comes, I should take a short nap.

By the time I took the next train and came home, it was already past 8 PM.

“I’m home.”

It seemed like they closed early today because my parents were sitting in the living room when I entered.

“Did you eat?”

“Yes, I did.”

In fact, I hadn’t eaten, but if I said that, my mom would insist on making food, so I lied and went straight to my room.

In the dark room.

I lay down on the floor without even turning on the light.

The unmade bed from my rushed morning departure enveloped me comfortably.

I closed my eyes and thought.

‘Did I do the right thing?’

In fact, unless I wanted to two-time, rejecting Rika’s confession was the right move.

But whether my way of rejecting was the best, I couldn’t be sure.

There might have been a better way.

Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw Rika’s crying face.

Guilt naturally crept in.

I’d see her again at school next week, but how should I face her then?

While I was agonizing alone.

Knock, knock!

Someone suddenly knocked on the door.

“Yu-seong.”

“President?”

I jumped up.

“Can I come in for a moment?”

“Ah, yes. Come in.”

With my permission, the President carefully opened the door and entered.

I looked past her in the living room and asked.

“What about my parents?”

“They’ve already gone to bed. It’s quite late.”

It seemed a lot of time passed while I was lying down.

I made room for the President and asked.

“What brings you here suddenly?”

“You seemed different from usual, and I was curious about how your date went.”

I gave a bitter smile at her words.

“You were right. In the end, I made her cry.”

“That was inevitable. You planned to reject the confession from the start.”

The President said that and held my hands tightly.

“Yu-seong, thank you for choosing me. I’ll make sure to be worth it.”

“President…”

Our gazes met.

As a strange atmosphere filled the room, she looked at me with moist eyes.

“Call me Kumiko now.”

“Senior Kumiko..”

Since I rarely called her by her name, it felt oddly embarrassing.

But the President seemed satisfied with that, smiling contentedly and kissed me.

Then she pulled back and whispered.

“If something bothers you, tell me everything. That’s what a girlfriend is for.”