Volume 5 Chapter 14 The Love Letter and the Unwanted Prince
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Akira-sama! Good morning!” a girl chirped.
”Good morning. Thank you for your hard work, even this early,” Suruga Akira replied, his voice gentle and sincere.
”N-no way…! I woke up early because I wanted to watch Akira-sama practice!” she stammered.
”I see. That makes me happy, it really does.”
”Yessssss!”
It was the morning practice for the track and field club, and the so-called Prince, Akira Suruga, had come for his run.
Even before seven o’clock, the female students who had gathered just for a single glimpse of Akira never seemed to thin out.
”Phew… over twenty people today, huh… I feel bad for them, coming out just for someone like me,” Akira murmured to himself.
Akira possessed a bright, earnest, and kind personality, but it wasn’t rooted in high self-esteem. Completely contrary to her own wishes, she had been somehow elevated and worshipped as the “Prince.” Deep down, she really wanted to practice alone and in silence. But since things were this way, there was nothing for it. Akira had to continue her training without breaking her pace, even under constant observation.
After changing into her training wear in the locker room and stepping onto the track, someone who was already there called out to her with a familiar, casual tone.
”Hey there, Akira! Your fan club is huge again this morning, aren’t they?”
”Wakana, good morning. They are, and it’s a kind gesture, considering they all have their own time to manage,” Akira acknowledged.
”You’d rather be all alone, though, wouldn’t ya?” Wakana teased.
”Well…”
The one who approached with such a relaxed attitude was her classmate and fellow track team member, Honjou Wakana. A long-jump specialist, she was a vibrant, healthy girl with bright red hair tied up in a ponytail.
The two continued their conversation while doing their warm-up stretches.
”…Wakana, you have quite a large chest, don’t you?” Akira asked suddenly.
”Oh, now what’s this all about? You’re noticing my chest now, Akira?” Wakana shot back, amused.
”Just curious. Have you ever felt it gets in the way?”
”Sure, I have. I sometimes wonder if guys wouldn’t stare at me so much if I didn’t have it, or if I could jump a little farther… things like that. But I’m not as big as you are, so I don’t exactly hate it.”
It was true. Wakana’s chest was considerable, too. The tight-fitting athletic top clung close, pushing her form up and making the shape clearly visible. Still, Akira’s chest was even larger than hers.
”I see. Right.”
”What’s up, that’s unusual for you.”
”Fufu, thank you always. I’m glad I have you, Wakana,” Akira smiled.
”Is that a confession? Is it a confession, huh?!” Wakana gasped playfully.
”Of course not. Come on, let’s separate for our individual training now.”
”Okay, okay!”
Shaking off Wakana’s jest with a light laugh, Akira stepped onto the lane marked with white lines.
First up was a light striding run. She fixed her feet into the starting block, took a crouching start position, and—whoosh—darted out.
Immediately, shrill cheers erupted from the side of the track. Some students were holding up their phones, filming Akira’s sprint. While it was clearly unauthorized filming, Akira chose to ignore it and carry on, as she didn’t want to make a big scene.
Her one simple countermeasure against the noise was to either use earplugs or play music through Bluetooth earphones to block out the surrounding voices.
”Haaah… that was a good sweat.”
* * *
After morning practice, Akira was washing off in the communal shower room. Of course, the one who came in was none other than—Wakana.
”Good job, big chest!”
”Kyaaaahhh!?”
Wakana had quietly sneaked up behind her and, without warning, roughly grabbed Akira’s extra-large chest in her hands, squeezing tight. Akira, who was usually so dignified in her speech, flushed completely red and let out a very feminine shriek.
”You naughty, naughty girl! You chest alien, you!” Wakana exclaimed with a laugh.
”S-stop it! Not the tips, don’t touch the tips! Because… you idiot!”
”Ouch!?”
Akira, in her fury over Wakana’s persistent mischief, finally smacked her friend’s hand away and gave her a sharp chop on the head. They were tangled up, still unclothed.
”I told you to stop doing that when I’m vulnerable!” Akira scolded.
”So, it’s okay if you’re not vulnerable?” Wakana retorted, ever the tease.
”I hate when you twist my words like that.”
”Moo… don’t be mad, Akira~”
Akira pouted and fumed for a while over Wakana’s antics.
* * *
When it was finally time for classes, the two walked to the main school building together. Reaching for the shoe locker, Akira—stopped her hand.
”—Ah… this…”
”A love letter!” Wakana exclaimed, eyes widening.
Opening the pink envelope, a single sheet of paper appeared. The two moved to a quiet corner near the entrance, and Akira read the contents aloud.
”To my beloved Prince, Akira Suruga-sama—My heart has been stolen since I first saw you a year ago. I will be waiting for you on the rooftop after school today, just for one minute before your club practice starts.”
”‘-sama,’ huh. It’s a girl, I guess?” Wakana mused.
”It must be. I’ve never been confessed to by a boy before,” Akira confirmed.
”Are you going to go?”
”I can’t just ignore it.”
”You’re such a kind person~”
As always, Akira intended to go to the meeting spot. She had accepted similar confessions before, and she had rejected every single one.
—This time, it should have been the same.
* * *
After school arrived. Akira walked alone through the quiet school building and headed toward the rooftop.
She had made sure to tell Wakana not to come under any circumstances. Therefore, the only person waiting for her should be—the sender of the letter. Thinking this, she ascended the final flight of stairs.
Creak. She pushed open the heavy steel door, and a pleasant spring breeze gently caressed her cheek. The rooftop, bathed in soft pre-evening light with white clouds drifting overhead, felt calm. Despite the tranquility outside, a slight unease stirred deep within Akira’s chest.
She turned her gaze toward the center of the roof, where—the letter’s sender stood.
He was smaller than Akira, with a cute, younger-looking face. He exuded a somewhat timid aura, but the resolute determination of having summoned his courage to come here was palpable in his stance.
However, for Akira, this was a completely unexpected person—
”…A boy?” she let slip, the word catching in her throat. The one who waited for Akira was not a girl but a cute-faced boy.
A delicate, beautiful young man so androgynous he’d look perfect in cosplay. Any girl who liked younger boys would instantly fall for him. Akira even recognized his face. Although she didn’t know his name if he was in the same grade, she had certainly seen him around.
”P-Prince! Thank you so much for coming!”
The beautiful boy bowed his head vigorously, then took a step closer to Akira, his cheeks flushed as he continued.
”…My name is Kimoto Kakeru.”
”Yes… I’ve seen you before,” Akira acknowledged, managing to receive his words despite her confusion.
”Thank you! You remember me…! When I first enrolled in this school, I happened to see you on the track—and I fell in love at first sight watching the Prince run. Since then, I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you!”
”…I see. That makes me happy,” Akira replied, touched by his sincerity.
His gaze was bright and full of intense passion. It was a look she sometimes received from boys, but far rarer than the girls’ stares.
”A year has passed now… I’m not in your fan club, and I don’t follow your practice every day. But just seeing the Prince walk by makes my heart pound… I can’t help it!”
(…So he’s not in the fan club. That makes me a little happy, at least.)
”There were always girls around, so I couldn’t get close. But… I’ve always held you in my heart, Prince!”
Kakeru held his breath, stammering and hesitating. His face was scarlet, and finally, he summoned all his courage.
”Also… Prince… about… um…”
”Hm, what is it?”
”Well… I know that you are… that you are worried about your chest…!”
”…Huh?” Akira’s eyes widened in surprise.
”You might not realize it, but you sometimes look down at your chest and sigh softly. It’s grown so suddenly this past year… you’ve started to hide it… and I knew you were worried about it even more.”
”I was… that obvious?”
”I’ve been watching you all this time…”
Akira was genuinely impressed. While she couldn’t say his feelings were entirely free of lust, she sensed a genuine purity from the Kakeru standing before her. Having endured so many different kinds of gazes, Akira understood the difference.
—However.
”And so… I… I!” Kakeru shouted, his face fiery red.
”—I completely love the Prince’s chest!”
”……Huh?”
Akira questioned him, momentarily stunned. Kakeru pressed his advantage, throwing out his next words.
”Even the thing that worries you, I will embrace and accept it! If you’re suffering because of your chest, I will support you completely! I will do my best to cheer the Prince up!”
The words targeted Akira’s biggest complex head-on. Her rapidly growing chest was a topic even among her fans. Kakeru was declaring he would accept all of it.
”I can love everything about the Prince! —So, would you please go out with me?!”
He bowed deeply and extended his right hand. This was Kimoto Kakeru’s absolute, all-in confession.
—However.
Akira’s heart remained unmoved. Instead, a cold, clear answer formed in the depths of her mind. Her chest was something unwanted, something she wished she could just get rid of. All that Akira needed right now was—only to run faster and stronger.
In the end, Kakeru was only looking at Akira’s appearance. He didn’t know the real Akira, the one who had dedicated her entire being to track and field, that steadfast back of hers.
”—I’m sorry. I don’t think I can go out with you.”
Akira stated quietly and turned on her heel. With Kakeru sinking to his knees behind her, Akira left the rooftop.
* * *
Arriving at the club room, Wakana was waiting for her.
”Oh, Akira! How’d it go?”
”…The person was a boy.”
”What?!” Wakana gasped.
”Kimoto Kakeru-kun.”
”Huh, the cute-faced one?!”
”—But I turned him down.”
”…Even though it was the first time a guy confessed?”
”Yep. …He said he loves my chest. That he’d accept everything about it.”
”…Ahhhhhhh, I see what happened now.”
Wakana immediately understood. Having been by her side for so long, she knew what Akira wanted and what she didn’t need right now.
”Well, that’s just how it goes sometimes. The person who really understands you, Akira, must be out there somewhere.”
”What are you even talking about? I don’t need a guy right now, do I?”
Smack! Akira slapped her own cheek to steel her resolve, then headed off for practice.
* * *
Saturday.
On this day, Akira visited a large sporting goods store by herself. It was late afternoon. She had finished her club activities, gone home, changed, and then made the trip.
The reason was simple: the soles of her spikes were worn down, and it was time for a replacement. She always kept spares ready for competitions, but regularly visiting the sports store was part of Akira’s routine.
She was heading toward the track spikes corner, as usual—when she suddenly stopped.
Walking toward her was a group of three. The moment she saw the person in the center, Akira froze in her tracks.
”…Hirose-senpai?”
It was none other than the guy Hibiki had introduced to her just the other day—the charisma boy, Takanashi Hirose. He was walking confidently, looking smug (?), with two girls flanking him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
—
Summary:
Morning practice for the unwilling Prince Akira means dodging fans and dealing with the cheerful, chaotic teasing of her best friend, Wakana. The shower scene highlights their intimate, rough-and-tumble friendship, a safe space where Akira’s biggest insecurity about her growing chest is openly addressed.
The big moment comes with the love letter, which leads to a surprising confession from the cute boy, Kakeru. His sincere adoration, however, is based on the very thing Akira despises—her chest—leading to a cold, firm rejection that reinforces Akira’s absolute commitment to her running goals. Her dedication is tested by an abrupt encounter with the charismatic Hirose, setting the stage for the next chapter’s conflict.
Notes:
• Suruga Akira – She used to be the junior high Prince of Track and Field, the kind of runner everyone expected to win before the race even started. Tall and slender with a quietly strong, athletic build, I-cup, short nearly-blonde hair, and a sweet, androgynous face that often had people mistaking her for a boy, she gathered admirers without trying—especially among the girls.
• Honjou Wakana – Akira’s fellow track team member and best friend, specializing in the long jump. She is very close to Akira, often teasing her physically. Have bright red hair in ponytail, athletic build, and has a large chest (H-Cup).
• Kakeru – A cute, androgynous boy, a classmate who has been silently infatuated with Akira for a year. His confession is deeply sincere, but it focuses on Akira’s physical features (specifically her chest) as a key element of his adoration.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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