Stringed (Nino Nakano x Male Reader)

(I) Chapter 13 - Good News

[Nino's POV]

"Huh? Wait, yeah, I was about to go home. How about you? I didn't see you in school. Did something happen?"

"Hmm? It's... It's nothing really!" She gave me her cheerful smile again.

"I see, okay."

"Alrighty then!"

"Wait, I'm hungry, I wanna eat first before I go home. Want to join me?"

"Hmm? No, it's fine!"

"Come on, I insist." I grabbed her hand and brought her to a family restaurant.

After we both took a seat, I noticed that she was still wearing her hoodie. She seemed uneasy about the situation.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah..." She let out an awkward chuckle.

"Something's definitely not right..."

"Alright, you know, I don't usually put my nose where it doesn't belong. And obviously, you can't just tell me what's going on all of sudden."

"Yeah..."

"You like Takeji, right?"

She wasn't able to reply right away. Her face might be fully exposed due to the hoodie she's wearing but I can see her all red.

"Yes... I like him..."

"I like him too..."

"I know..."

"But that doesn't mean we have to be enemies though..."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can see that you just want to take care of Takeji. I want that too. If I'm being honest, I want him to myself. But obviously, it's still his decision to make, don't you think?"

She just nodded at me.

"You can consider me as a rival when it comes to Takeji. But I can also be your friend." I smiled at her so I can at least make her feel that I'm not just all about Takeji.

"You're very kind Nino-chan..."

"W-What? N-No I'm not! I'm just...! I don't want my Rival to be in the dumps! That's not gonna be good for my image! I want this to be a fair fight is all I want to say!"

We then both let out a chuckle and I was able to see a genuine smile on her face.

"So, you can pick whatever you want. It's my treat since I dragged you all the way here."

"You don't have to Nino-chan, I can pay."

"It's alright, you can just treat me next time."

"Okay then, it's a deal."

"What were you doing anyway? If you don't mind me asking."

"I..."

"Alright, it's okay if you don-"

"I'm looking for a part-time job..."

"Oh, I see... Any luck?"

"Well, I tried several shops around here but none of them were hiring."

"Hmm... How about this? I'll ask my manager if we have an opening in our shop. It's a Pastry shop. I'll let you know right away. Here, let me have your number." I handed my phone to her.

"Thanks, Nino-chan."

"Don't mention it. But this doesn't mean I'm letting you have Takeji. Don't forget that."