The string of balls -

Episode 3: First Contact

—It was about two weeks after I entered high school.

Since Fumie and I were in different classes, I naturally started spending more time alone.

Books were my friends, so I didn’t mind. But Fumie often showed up in my classroom anyway.

He stood out so much that we jokingly considered issuing a restraining order. Instead of coming inside, he’d pop his head through the window.

Doing that made it obvious we were close, so people would approach me just to talk about him. After all, we still walked to and from school together.

I was used to this from middle school, so it didn’t bother me.

In the midst of all that, someone called out to me.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

The first time I saw Kotone, I couldn’t believe someone like her existed in real life.

Tall and slender, with sleek black hair down to her waist, she looked like the embodiment of a traditional Japanese beauty. Like a character straight out of a novel.

“Beautiful…”

“Fufu, thank you.”

“Uh, well, um… is there something I can do for you?”

“It’s a bit awkward here… Could you come with me?”

A beautiful girl standing next to a gloomy guy with glasses? We stood out in the hallway.

Kotone glanced around, smiled, and began walking ahead of me.

“Um, where are we going…?”

“There’s an unused classroom we can use. I already asked the teacher.”

She stuck her tongue out playfully and smiled like a mischievous angel.

I never thought I’d end up spending my breaks in an empty classroom like this.

Now, I sneak in there every lunch without anyone noticing. Hehe.

“Well, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”“Um… What is it?”

Even though I could talk to Fumie, I was still a gloomy, socially awkward person.

Even now, it surprises me that I became such good friends with Kotone…

“Your… Sorry, can I ask your name? Oh no, that was rude.”

She turned to me and introduced herself.

“I’m Kawasaki Kotone. What’s your name?”

“H-Honda… Kotonoha.”

Although she looked completely feminine, there was something princely about her too.

“Kotonoha… Nice to meet you. Kotonoha.”

“N-Nice to meet you too, Kawasaki-san.”

“You can call me Kotone. I’d be happy if you did.”

“Ko-Kotone…san.”

I thought, “There’s no way I can just casually call her by her first name!” But somehow, she swept me into her pace, and I found myself saying it naturally. I couldn’t believe it.

Kotone had called me by name from the start. She felt like someone from a whole different world, but somehow, her presence didn’t feel distant at all.

“Anyway, to get to the point, Kotonoha…”

At first, I didn’t think she was talking to me. When I realized she was, I felt a strange sense of disappointment. If people want to talk to Fumie, they should speak to her directly…

“Is it Hayama-san? The person you like?”

I froze.

I thought I had hidden it well. No one was supposed to know.

How did a stranger figure it out?

Did other people know too? Could Fumie have noticed?

“Uh, why…?”

I was flustered and couldn’t hide it. She waved her hands in front of her and tried to calm me down with wide gestures.

“No! I’m sorry! I’m not going to tell anyone or blackmail you or anything! I’m the only one who noticed, I swear!”

“What do you mean?”

I kept pressing her, trying to understand how she knew. After a few deep breaths, she confessed something that must have taken a lot of courage.

“I’m just like you.”

“Just like…?”

“I like girls, too.”

She said it clearly, without looking away.

After all the time I’d spent feeling alone, her words felt like a ray of light.

I wasn’t the only one. There were others like me. Thanks to Kotone’s honesty, I found the courage to face myself.

“Maybe it was just a misunderstanding?”

“M-Me too! I’m the same…”

“I see. Haha… That’s a relief.”

When I saw Kotone’s relieved smile, I instantly trusted her, even though we’d just met. She was scared, too, but she still reached out to me. Even though I hadn’t even told my own family.

“Um… would you be my friend? It’s kind of pathetic, but I’ve been so sad not having anyone to talk to.”“I-I’d love that. We’re the same, after all…”

Looking back, I guess I’m just bad at socializing!

I could count my friends on one hand…

From then on, we ate lunch together, talking about silly things.

We shared stories about crushes, preferences, hobbies—all the little things normal friends talk about.

Fumie had invited me too, but I turned her down. I didn’t want her to lose her connections just because she was always with someone from another class. I wanted to be with her, but I didn’t want to be a burden.

Still, she kept peeking in through the window.

—And now, after all that, I was being kissed by the person I thought was my best friend.

“I know you like Hayama-san… but, is it no good if it’s me?”

“Kotone… Didn’t you say you liked someone else?”

Wasn’t her type “older women”? Was that a lie?

“That was my first love. And it’s still my type. But the one I like now… is you.”“Wait… What? I… Huh?”

Just because I’m a lesbian doesn’t mean I fall for every girl I meet. I just happened to fall for Fumie. I’m sure it’s the same for Kotone.

And besides, I never did anything to make Kotone like me. I can’t believe she even does…

Maybe she’s just trying to comfort me? She’s kind like that…

“Thanks, but I’m okay now.”“Kotonoha… What are you talking about?”

“I’m feeling a lot better, so you don’t have to go that far. It was your first kiss, right? It’d be a waste to give it to someone like me…”

I feel bad for her future girlfriend. I mean, seriously—how did I end up with someone like her first kiss?

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I like you.”

“Uhh?!”

Why did I make that noise? That wasn’t a word—that was a squeak.

“Kotonoha, please go out with me.”

“Eh, uh… what? But, I… I’m…”

“I know. But you know too, don’t you, Kotonoha?”

I couldn’t find the words.

No matter how much I loved Fumie, I was just hurting myself.

Fumie was straight. She would never return my feelings.

And this morning, she’d told me: “I have a boyfriend now.”

So…

“I’m happy about Kotone’s feelings.”

“I see! Then—”

“But I’m sorry. I still like her.”

I interrupted Kotone’s brightening smile and gave her the dumbest answer.

I knew my feelings wouldn’t be returned. But I couldn’t erase them.

Even if it hurt, just being near her made me happy. Just thinking about her smile made my heart tremble.

“That’s fine. I already knew. You love Hayama-san.”“I… I don’t understand your feelings, Kotone…”

“Kotonoha, can I ask you something?”

“Wh-what…?”

She suddenly changed her tone…

I had just turned her down, but surely we were still friends, right?

“You didn’t hate it when I kissed you, did you? You didn’t flinch when I said it was my first kiss.”

“That was… It just happened so suddenly, I didn’t have time to react.”

Oh no. Why is Kotone smiling like that?

“You looked like you were enjoying it, Kotonoha.”

“I-I wasn’t!”

“You like Hayama-san, but… I think you like me too, don’t you?”

“That’s because… you’re my friend…”

“But just kissing a friend made your face melt like that?”

“I-I didn’t melt! That’s just your imagination!”

Why is she only sharp when it comes to this stuff?!

Okay, sure, it felt