Chapter 40: Humiliation
Ryouta was just heading out, minding his own business, when he saw them. Azame. And Haruto. Walking together. Not just walking, but, like, really close. Too close for comfort. His gut twisted into a knot, a sour, bitter feeling bubbling up. Not because he was, like, in love with Azame or anything sappy like that. Nah. This was different. This was pure, unadulterated annoyance.
His brain started doing acrobatics, jumping through all the worst-case scenarios. If Azame was actually, seriously into Haruto, what did that make him? Some kind of second-rate loser? A reject who couldn’t even hold a candle to that guy? The thought alone made his teeth clench. And then there was the other, even more infuriating, problem. Azame was his fiancée. Yeah, yeah, it was an arranged thing, totally old-school and annoying, but still! She was betrothed to him. And here she was, practically holding hands with some other dude. If anyone saw them, if word got out, it wouldn’t just be his reputation that took a hit. It would be his family’s too. The thought of the whispers, the sideways glances, the sheer disgrace of it all made his stomach churn. He could practically feel the hot flush of shame already creeping up his neck.
Just as he was spiraling into a pit of self-pity and simmering rage, a voice cut through his thoughts, sharp and annoyingly familiar.
"Ryouta! Woah, what happened to you?!"
He flinched, his head snapping up. Standing there, grinning like a Cheshire cat, was Kazuma. And of course, Kazuma’s eyes immediately latched onto the bandage peeking out from under Ryouta’s sleeve, the faint bruise around his temple. Typical.
Kazuma’s grin widened into a full-blown, triumphant smirk. "Let me guess," he drawled, taking a step closer, "This is the aftermath, isn’t it? That little... ’discussion’ with Haruto?" He let out a loud, obnoxious laugh, the kind that grated on Ryouta’s nerves even on a good day. Then, before Ryouta could even formulate a coherent retort, Kazuma clapped him hard on the back, a little too hard. "Serves you right for getting into a stupid brawl, man! Though, honestly, I’m kind of impressed you even lasted that long."
Ryouta bit back a groan. Of course. Of course Kazuma would show up now, of all times. In his current, less-than-stellar state. He was already fuming about Azame and Haruto, and now he had to deal with this smug idiot rubbing salt in the wound. His face probably looked like a thundercloud, but he couldn’t help it.
"What are you even doing here, Kazuma?" Ryouta managed to grit out, his voice rougher than he intended. He tried to shrug off Kazuma’s hand, but the guy was surprisingly tenacious.
Kazuma just kept on chuckling, completely oblivious or just choosing to ignore Ryouta’s obvious irritation. "Just left school. Saw you standing here looking like you just wrestled a bear and lost. Couldn’t resist saying hi. You look... well, you look like crap, honestly."