Chapter 29: Rina Route Unlocked…

Akira’s phone buzzed loudly on the table, breaking the charged atmosphere. He grabbed it, glancing at the screen while Aoi tried to catch her breath beside him, still trembling from what had just happened.

Text from Rina: “Need to talk. It’s about Kenji. Can you meet me outside after school now? It’s important.”

Akira froze for a second, reading the message again. Damn it. Timing couldn’t be worse.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Aoi, rain check. Something came up.”

Her face fell immediately, showing a mix of disappointment and confusion, along with a hint of lingering arousal in her expression. She was still flushed, still shaky, her thighs pressed together as she tried to compose herself. “O-okay. But… soon?”

“Soon,” he promised, already gathering his things. “We’ll finish this conversation later. And the assignment.”

“The assignment,” she echoed weakly, clearly not thinking about literature at all. “Right. Of course.”

Akira stood, adjusting his uniform to hide his own erection… reaction to what had just transpired.

Behind the bookshelf, he felt Mia’s presence shift; she was following him, no question. He shot a quick glance in her direction, catching the faintest glimpse of her burning eyes before heading toward the exit.

He found Rina waiting outside the main building, leaning against the wall near the school gates. She was in her cheerleader uniform, the short pleated skirt and the tight top with the school colours, but something about how she wore it was different.

She had obviously put a lot of effort into how she looked: her makeup was perfect, her hair was styled nicely, and her posture was confident. However, her eyes told a different story. They were hard, filled with anger and pain.

“Thanks for coming,” Rina said, pushing off the wall. “I know it’s last-minute.”

“What’s going on?” Akira asked. “Your text said it was about Kenji.”

“Yeah.” Her jaw tightened. “He’s already replaced me. It’s just… just two days after we broke up, and he’s parading around some cheerleader like I never existed.”

“I heard about that. I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry. Be useful.” She cut him off sharply. “He’s been making jokes. Public jokes. About me being ’too vanilla’ and how his new girl is ’way more fun.’ Do you know how humiliating that is? The whole school is talking about it.”

Akira could see the rage simmering beneath her composed exterior. This wasn’t just heartbreak; this was wounded pride, public humiliation. He understood that feeling intimately.

“What do you want me to do about it?” he asked carefully.

Rina met his eyes directly. “I want you to be my boyfriend. Fake boyfriend,” she added quickly. “Just for a few days. Long enough to shatter his ego and show him I moved on, too. Better than he did.”

Akira blinked. “You want to use me to make him jealous.”

“Yes. Exactly.” She stepped closer. “Look, I know it’s messed up. I know I’m asking you to be part of some petty revenge scheme. But after what he did to me, after how he’s been talking… I need this, Akira. I need him to see that I don’t need him.”

The system flashed in his vision.

[CHOICE AVAILABLE]

[A: REFUSE – Stay out of drama, maintain distance. Reward: -5 Affinity (Rina), avoid complications]

[B: ACCEPT – High risk/reward, direct confrontation with Kenji. Reward: +60 PP, RINA ROUTE UNLOCKED]

Akira’s mind worked quickly.

Option A was safe and smart. Staying out of this kind of high school drama would keep him under the radar and avoid unnecessary conflict with Kenji and his crew.

But Option B…

60 PP. A full route unlock with Rina. And more than that, direct revenge on Kenji, the guy who’d been calling him “Creep King” for days, who’d just tried to humiliate him during the tug-of-war. The guy who represented everything Akira used to be afraid of.

His core desire was Revenge Domination. This was literally perfect.

“Alright,” Akira said. “I’m in.”

Rina’s eyes widened slightly, like she hadn’t actually expected him to agree. “Really? Just like that?”

“Just like that. Kenji’s been asking for it anyway. Might as well make it count.”

“Thank you.” Relief flooded her expression. “Okay, so here’s the plan. He usually hangs out near the vending machines after school. If we time it right…”

“No plan,” Akira interrupted. “We do it now. Right now.”

“Now? But…”

“Trust me.” He grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. “Where is he?”

Rina pointed toward the courtyard. “Last I saw, he was showing off near the fountain. With her.”

“Perfect. Let’s go.”

They walked across the campus, holding hands and immediately attracting a lot of attention. Students turned their heads, and whispers started to spread.

“Is that Kanzaki?”

“With Rina? Kenji’s ex?”

“No way. When did that happen?”

Rina squeezed his hand tighter, playing her part but also clearly nervous. “Akira, what exactly are you planning?”

“You’ll see. Just follow my lead.”

They rounded the corner to the courtyard fountain, and there he was. Kenji Takahara, basketball star and all-around asshole, with his arm around a pretty cheerleader, laughing loudly about something.

His usual crew surrounded them, hanging on his every word.

“…and I’m telling you, man, it’s like night and day,” Kenji was saying. “Finally got a girl who knows how to have fun. No more boring, vanilla…”

He stopped mid-sentence as he saw them approaching. His expression shifted from confident to confused to angry rapidly.

“Well, well,” Kenji said loudly, making sure everyone could hear. “Look who it is. My ex and the Creep King. What’s this, Rina? Feeling charitable?”

Before Akira could respond, Rina made her move. She grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him down into a sudden, deep, possessive kiss.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep