In a world where a single glance can condemn you and a kind heart is easily mistaken for a threat, Gouda Takeo has long accepted his fate. Two meters tall and built like a fortress, he's used to the fearful stares, the empty seats, and the children who cry at the sight of him. But when he saves a delicate girl from a molester on a packed train—only to flee before she can even learn his name—Takeo's life is set on a collision course with a misunderstanding of epic proportions.
Because the girl h
My Love Story!! Beyond the Misunderstanding - Gorilla Receives Cookies Behind the School Building
After school at Shuei High, in the second-year Class 3 classroom.
The April sunlight slanting through the windows had already begun to take on the colors of evening. The class schedule taped above the blackboard flapped in the breeze from a window someone had opened. The students on cleaning duty moved desks around half-heartedly, brooms in hand.
Gouda Takeo sat at his desk in the very back of the room, stuffing textbooks into his bag.
Two meters tall, 120 kilograms. Even in a custom-made 4L navy blazer, his body made the chair creak and groan. A short buzz cut, small black eyes with double eyelids, a heavy gorilla-like face with thick lips. He stood out like a sore thumb even in a classroom full of people.
(Well, I made it through another day.)
Takeo let out a small sigh in his heart. He wasn't good at studying. During class, his hand kept stopping mid-note, and he'd stare out the window at the cherry blossoms. That day—it had already been a week since he'd saved Yamato Rinko on the train.
(I wonder if Yamato's doing okay.)
Suddenly, that chestnut hair floated into his mind. Those big, bright brown eyes. That tiny figure, all tear-streaked, bowing over and over.
*Thump.*
Something pulsed deep in his chest.
(Stop it. What am I even thinking?)
Takeo shook his head. That day, she'd sent him a message. *"Thank you so much for helping me earlier. I'm Yamato Rinko."* And then: *"You're Takeo-kun, right?"*
(How did she even know my name? I never gave her my contact info.)
In the end, Takeo never replied to that message. He'd clutched his phone and stared at the screen for a full hour, and still couldn't type out even a single "thank you."
(Because what am I supposed to say back?)
He was so pathetic for giving up on replying that he'd tossed and turned in his futon all night.
"Hey, Gouda, you heading home or what?"
One of his classmates called out to him. Takeo snapped his head up.
"O-oh. Yeah, coming."
He was about to stand up—and that was when it happened.
The classroom door slid open with a clatter.
"Um... excuse me."
A soft, small voice echoed through the room.
Every gaze in the class snapped to the entrance at once.
Standing there was a high school girl in a Koizumi Girls' Academy uniform. Soft chestnut hair that fell to her shoulders, the fluffy ends swaying in the breeze from the window. Her big, bright brown eyes darted around the classroom.
"Whoa, who's that?" "Isn't that the Koizumi Girls' uniform?" "She's crazy cute."
The boys started murmuring. The girls were whispering among themselves too.
The moment Takeo saw her, his body went rigid.
(Yamato—?!)
No mistaking it. It was Yamato Rinko—the girl he'd saved on the train.
Her big eyes locked onto Takeo sitting at the back of the room. In that instant, her expression lit up.
"Takeo-kun!"
She called his name in a bright, bouncing voice and came running into the classroom, her small frame moving fast, her skirt fluttering.
Takeo felt his heart leap.
(Oh no. Yamato's—here—)
Every eye in the room skewered Takeo and Rinko. The boys' murmuring grew louder.
"Wait, Gouda knows her?" "Seriously? A girl that cute?" "How does a gorilla rate?"
The voices were deliberately loud enough to be heard. But none of it reached Takeo's ears right now.
Rinko stood in front of his desk. She was holding a small paper bag against her chest with both hands. A white bag tied with a pale pink ribbon.
"Thank you so much for the other day."
Rinko bowed deeply. Her chestnut hair cascaded forward.
"O-oh... no, don't mention it."
Takeo's eyes darted everywhere. He was embarrassed to have his gorilla face seen this close. He couldn't bring himself to meet her direct gaze.
(She's cute. Up close, even cuter.)
(Stop it. For someone like me to think that—it's presumptuous.)
Two voices warred inside Takeo's heart.
Rinko lifted her head and smiled. That smile was softer and warmer than the evening sun spilling into the classroom.
"Um, here..."
She held out the paper bag with both hands.
"I like baking sweets, so... if you'd like, please have some."
For a moment, Takeo couldn't process what he'd just heard.
"Huh... these are for me?"
"Yes. A thank-you for the other day."
Rinko smiled shyly. Her cheeks were tinged faintly pink.
"I baked cookies. I really wanted to give them to you, Takeo-kun."
At those words, something squeezed tight deep in Takeo's chest.
*Thump. Thump. Thump.*
His heart was pounding hard enough to hurt. The beat echoed through his whole body.
(She wanted to give them to me—?)
(Why. To someone like me. I'm just a gorilla-faced—)
With trembling hands, Takeo accepted the paper bag.
"Th-thank you..."
His voice came out hoarse. His throat was dry, and the words wouldn't come out right.
His hands were shaking as he held the bag. A bag containing cookies she'd made herself. Careful not to drop it, he cradled it gently with both hands.
"Um, Takeo-kun."
Rinko looked up at him through her lashes.
"I really wanted to thank you properly, Takeo-kun... so I asked Makoto-kun. About which class you were in, and your contact info."
(Makoto-kun—?)
Takeo's heart jumped again—this time for a different reason.
"You asked Suna?"
"Yes. I asked around at my school about Shuei High, and someone told me that a boy named Sunakawa Makoto would know. So I looked up his contact info and asked him about you."
Rinko smiled, looking a little embarrassed.
"He's the one who told me your name, too."
(So that's how it was.)
The mystery of that day's message clicked into place, and Takeo's shoulders relaxed just a little.
(So Suna told her about me. Then the contact info must've come from Suna too—)
That thought brought his heart lurching again.
(Yamato reached out to Suna.)
(Which means Yamato talked to Suna.)
(Yamato and Suna—)
The boys in the classroom were still buzzing.
"Hey, apparently that girl's Yamato Rinko from Koizumi Girls'." "Seriously? *The* famous one?" "She's cute. But why Gouda?"
Listening to them, something spun round and round in Takeo's head.
(Right. There's no way someone like me could ever be a match for Yamato.)
(Yamato had business with Suna—she just came to me as a stop along the way.)
(That's gotta be it. Has to be.)
Takeo repeated it to himself like a mantra.
"Takeo-kun?"
Rinko peered at his face, worried.
"O-oh! It's nothing!"
Takeo shook his head frantically.
Just then, a familiar voice came from the classroom entrance.
"Takeo, what're you doing? Let's go."
Takeo's shoulders jerked at the sound.
Standing in the doorway was Sunakawa Makoto.
Smooth black hair with only the bangs lightly swept aside—a clean, refreshing style. Narrow, cool black eyes. Refined features. His tall, 178-centimeter frame was wrapped smartly in the Shuei High navy blazer. His usual single-lens reflex camera hung from his neck.
Every girl in the classroom turned to look at Makoto at once.
"Eek, it's Sunakawa-kun." "He's so cool today too..."
Seeing their reaction, Takeo felt a small prick of pain in his chest.
(Suna's always like this. Wherever he goes, he draws every girl's eyes.)
(Completely different from me.)
Makoto took in the scene in the classroom and raised an eyebrow for just a moment. Then, spotting Rinko, he let out a small breath.
"...Yamato, huh."
Rinko noticed Makoto and her expression brightened instantly.
"You're Sunakawa-kun, right?"
She gave him a polite bow.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yamato Rinko. Thank you for telling me all those things the other day."
Makoto raised a hand casually in response.
"Don't mention it. It was nothing."
Watching this exchange, something dropped heavily in Takeo's chest.
(There it is.)
(Of course. Yamato's feelings are for Suna—)
Rinko's smile. That soft expression directed at Makoto. The polite greeting. The words of thanks.
(She only came to me so she could see Suna.)
(The cookies are just something she handed off along the way.)
(The one she really wanted to give them to was Suna—)
Takeo's chest grew heavy.
(I knew it. I knew it from the start.)
(Every girl I fall for ends up falling for Suna.)
(Sato-san, Tanaka-san, Suzuki-san. All of them, same story.)
(Yamato too.)
Takeo tightened his grip slightly on the paper bag.
(But Yamato gave me cookies.)
(That alone is enough. More than I deserve.)
Makoto noticed the shift in Takeo's expression. He'd already realized, long before, that Rinko's gaze had been fixed on Takeo the entire time—during the greeting, during the conversation.
(Yamato's looking at Takeo.)
(Those eyes aren't just saying thank you.)
Makoto was certain of it. But he couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
(Even if I told him, Takeo wouldn't believe it.)
(This guy doesn't think for a second that anyone could like him.)
(Besides, if I say anything, it'll just make things more complicated.)
Makoto said nothing and stood beside Takeo.
Takeo looked back and forth between Makoto and Rinko, then pressed his lips firmly together.
(There's only one thing I need to do.)
(I need to give Suna a push.)
(Wishing for my best friend's happiness—that's my role.)
Takeo set the paper bag on the desk and pushed Makoto's back.
"Suna, Yamato's got business with you, right? Go on."
Makoto turned back with a puzzled look.
"Huh? What are you—"
"Just go. Talk to her, the two of you."
Takeo pushed harder on Makoto's back. The force coming from that two-meter frame made Makoto stumble forward.
Rinko watched the two of them, bewildered.
"Um, wait, I came to see Takeo-kun—"
"Yamato, sorry to stick you with this guy. But he's a good person. Give him a chance."
Having said that to Rinko, Takeo grabbed Makoto by the shoulders and shoved him out of the classroom.
"Hey, Takeo, what the hell are you doing?"
Makoto protested, but Takeo wasn't listening.
"Please. Suna. Don't worry about me."
Takeo whispered quietly into Makoto's ear.
"Yamato likes you."
Makoto froze.
"...Are you serious right now?"
"Dead serious. I know how this works. Every girl I like ends up liking you. It's a done deal."
Takeo's voice was somehow lonely.
"So, Yamato is yours to—"
"Takeo."
Makoto cut him off.
"You're doing this again."
Makoto's voice was quiet. But his eyes were dead serious.
"I don't have any business with Yamato. The one she has business with is you."
"...Huh?"
"Yamato came to see you. She came to give *you* cookies. Can't you see that?"
For a moment, Takeo was speechless.
But he shook his head immediately.
"No way. Yamato wanted to see you. I'm just the excuse. There's no way someone like me could be liked by Yamato."
"You..."
Makoto let out a deep sigh.
(Of course. Here we go again.)
(Takeo doesn't believe in himself. Not for a second does he think anyone could like him.)
(So he blames it all on me. Even though it's not my fault.)
Makoto let go of Takeo's shoulder.
"...Fine. I'll go talk to Yamato."
"Yeah. Please do."
Takeo watched Makoto's back with a look of relief—and, somewhere in it, sadness.
(This is right. This is my role.)
(I'm the one who makes Suna look good. That's fine.)
(If Yamato can be happy with Suna, then—)
Takeo returned to the classroom and picked up the paper bag from the desk.
(But these cookies—they're mine.)
(Yamato gave them to me.)
(That alone makes today a good day.)
He cradled the bag gently against his chest. A faint, sweet fragrance drifted up.
Evening sunlight poured through the classroom windows. Cherry blossom petals danced in the air.
Out in the hallway, Makoto and Rinko stood facing each other.
Makoto had his arms crossed, looking steadily at Rinko.
Rinko looked up at him, a little nervous.
"Um, Sunakawa-kun. I—about Takeo-kun—"
Rinko opened her mouth as if she'd made up her mind.
But Makoto cut her off with a short reply.
"I know."
Rinko blinked at him.
"Huh...?"
"Why you came to see Takeo. Why you gave him cookies. I know all of it."
Makoto spoke quietly.
"So you don't need to tiptoe around me."
Rinko tilted her head, unsure what he mean
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