Date Her Instead Vol. 7 (Final Volume)

Chapter Thirteen: Annoying

"I plan on spending my life with the girl I love, and that's Haruna, not you."

Those were the last meaningful words Kanako had really spoken to Katsumi. Ever since then, she essentially had gotten the cold shoulder, with everything she tried being thoroughly rebuffed by both Kanako and her guard of Haruna and Chiyo. At this point, Katsumi was starting to consider taking extreme measures again. "I doubt I could do blackmail again. That definitely ended up hurting me more than Kana-chin's relationship... But what else can I do?"

In a sense, rejection was like a foreign concept to Katsumi. While she was no stranger to being the one doing the rejecting, being on the receiving end was another matter entirely. Between having never experienced it before, being so certain Kanako was going to accept her original confession, and her more narcissistic thought processes, Katsumi could hardly wrap her head around the idea of Kanako turning her down.

It was precisely because of this that Katsumi just simply didn't know how to give up on her feelings. She truly believed if she just kept trying, that maybe, somehow, Kanako would come to understand just how serious Katsumi was about her, cast aside Haruna, and come to her instead. That was Katsumi's biggest desire in life. It was what she had dreamt about ever since she had been separated from the girl she loved.

Being rejected also brought so many what ifs to Katsumi's mind. What if she hadn't moved? Would she and Kanako be together? What if she hadn't turned down so many of the other confessions that she had gotten over the years? Would one of those people been able to provide happiness for her? What if she had just stayed with Yumi? How would her life be if she had put more effort into that relationship rather than chasing after uncertain feelings?

"Why..." Katsumi muttered as she sat on a swing. She was currently at the same playground that she and Kanako had played together. "Why isn't it me? Aren't I clearly better?" It was the same sentiment that Katsumi kept repeating, but it was beginning to feel like the more she said it, the more hollow those words sounded.

It was... frustrating. Agonizing. Irritating. Confusing. The list of emotions that Katsumi felt about the situation went on and on. And yet... "I can't give up," she thought. "I have to keep trying. Otherwise... what was the point of all of this?"

Kanako was a girl who believed in love. She believed in the beauty of it, the ferocity of it, and the passion of it, among other qualities. She believed that with a strong enough love, anything was possible, because you'd have the person you love standing right beside you. Such a strong belief caused her problems at times, but ultimately, it was that belief that propelled her forward.

In much the same way, Katsumi's feelings were similar. However, unlike Kanako, the feelings Katsumi held were ones that had caused her to throw away all sorts of things. Friends, because they weren't like Kanako. Lovers, because they weren't Kanako. Years, because Katsumi was willing to spend all the time that it would take to one day be with Kanako. It was one, singular goal that Katsumi had chased after for so long. And now...

She was smart. Katsumi Ikehara was, in fact, one of the smartest high schoolers in Japan. She had high scores in every subject, and really, if she spent more time studying and less time thinking about Kanako, she'd probably rank number one in the country. So that being said, it wasn't as if no part of Katsumi understood what was happening. There was a logical side, a side capable of processing, that could tell her what, why and how. But... the rest of her drowned it out. The side that wanted Kanako didn't want to hear logic or reason. All it wanted to hear was that Kanako could be hers.

Being smart meant nothing in the face of love. Being good at sports meant nothing if it wasn't going to woo Kanako. Being pretty was nice, but who cared if the girl Katsumi loved wouldn't even look her way? "This sucks..." Katsumi muttered, dragging her feet in the dirt and she swayed back and forth. "I've loved you for years, Kana-chin. Years... Is it really so wrong of me to want to have that time rewarded? That loyalty? If you could just spare even a little time for me, then maybe you'd see..."