Date Her Instead Vol. 7 (Final Volume)

Chapter Nineteen: Twisted

With the sports festival drawing near, Katsumi knew she had to take advantage of it somehow. After all, it's always a big event, so there was plenty of opportunity to be had. The question was, just what opportunity should she take?

Truthfully, a part of Katsumi knew it didn't matter. Kanako had outright rejected her. No matter what Katsumi did, it would have no effect on Kanako's heart. Whether she impressed with grades, took Kanako on a fancy date, or even just approached her casually, none of those actions could change the fact that Kanako had absolutely no romantic interest in Katsumi.

But, the bitter thing about long, unrequited love is that it can sit dormant for so long. Those feelings remain hidden in the heart until one day, one hopes, they get the chance to show the person they love how they feel. When put that way, it simply sounds like a tragic tale. However, when actually put into action, unrequited love can twist in unexpected ways.

Having sat on her feelings for as long as she had, Katsumi had whole-heartedly convinced herself that Kanako would be hers the moment they reunited. Now, even though she had been rejected multiple times, it was simply impossible to give up on those feelings. So, what happens when one has feelings they can't give up on, but also can't go toward the person they love?

In Katsumi's case, they began to turn into anger toward Haruna. While consciously Katsumi kept telling herself what she was doing was for Kanako, it had really become about hurting Haruna. How exactly she was going to hurt her, Katsumi wasn't sure, but she knew the Sports Festival would be the perfect time. With so many people out and about, competing in this and that, it would be perfectly reasonable for Haruna to get hurt either physically or emotionally and it not be obviously Katsumi's fault.

"There's gotta be something I can do," Katsumi thought one day in class. "Something that'll really make Endo-san look bad. Yamane-san told me Endo-san hurt her ankle, so I doubt she'll volunteer for any events. But if she doesn't do any, how am I supposed to be able to do something to her? There has to be some way to get Endo-san involved, but also prevent anyone from interfering..."

When the day of choosing who would do what event came around, Katsumi carefully watched to see who did what. She nearly raised her hand to be in the mile with Kanako, but she realized it wouldn't do her any good to beat the girl she likes. "She might end up really hating me if I did something like that," Katsumi thought.

Event after event went by, and soon enough, Katsumi noticed she hadn't volunteered for anything yet. "Damn it," she thought. "I should've been paying more attention. Now I'll probably end up in something stupid like that damn cosplay race I heard someone mention." But, just as she was thinking that, she heard those magic words.

"Who wants to do the scavenger hunt race?"

It only took Katsumi a second to understand the implications once it was explained. As soon as the teacher finished reading the rules, Katsumi's hand shot up like a rocket. This was exactly what she had been waiting for. If she got a favorable slip for the event, she could go grab Kanako. Maybe, just maybe, if she did things like that, doing her best to come off as nonchalant and gentle, it would help change her situation a little.

If she got something that wasn't so favorable, then Katsumi hoped that she'd be able to turn it around. Either that, or she could find some way to use it against Haruna. Maybe somehow force Haruna into competition. "Then again, it's not like an event like this is all that competitive for the people selected..." Katsumi thought.

Regardless, she still wanted to enter. Out of all of the options she had, the scavenger hunt race was the one that offered the best chances by far. It was irritating that Chiyo was also in it with her, but considering it wasn't an event that required any sense of teamwork, Katsumi figured she wouldn't have to worry much. "She might try to get in the way, but I bet she'll be more distracted with whatever she draws." Katsumi had already picked up on the "romantic-but-not-dating" nature of Chiyo and Michi's relationship, so she assumed that Chiyo would probably try to grab Michi in any way she could. "And while she's doing that, I'll make my move," Katsumi thought deviously.