A Pretty Girl Has Her First Kiss Stolen By an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 3.10

My sister, Yuu Mizuhara, disappeared.

It happened so suddenly.

My mother and I were completely panicked. We contacted all of my sister’s friends and relatives, and we rushed to the police for help. We even reached out to my father, whom we hadn’t seen in years. We did everything we could, but after that, we were left with no idea what to do next.

Had she been caught up in an incident, or had she left on her own?

Until we knew the truth, I was terrified of watching the news. Every time the phone rang, my heart nearly stopped in fear.

One day, a letter arrived in the mailbox of our apartment.

I recognized the handwriting immediately.

It was from my sister.

“Don’t worry.”

That was all it said.

I desperately searched for a hidden message, but it was just a plain white letter with a few simple words. I realized then—there was no deeper meaning.

Even if it wasn’t a crime, our hearts wouldn’t be at ease.

Our family of three became a family of two. Watching my mother’s mental state deteriorate was painful. Even worse, I couldn’t tell anyone how much I was struggling.

“Shizuku, you won’t leave me too, right?”

My heart skipped a painful beat.

I never blamed my mother. She was a single mother working full-time. Raising two children must have been an unimaginable burden. And after all her effort, one of those children disappeared without even explaining why. Of course, it was eating away at her.

“It’s okay, Mom. One day, my sister will come back.”

“I’m sorry, Shizuku. I’m so sorry.”

For the first time in my life, I hugged my mother.

Left behind without answers—what were we supposed to do?

August 31 (Wednesday)

“I knew you’d be here.”

A familiar voice.

I didn’t have to turn around. I already knew—it was Kaede Wakamatsu.

Hearing her voice for the first time in a month warmed my heart.

“…Why are you here?”

“The student council meeting ended in the morning.”

“…So what?”

“I just had a feeling you’d come here after school.”

Was she able to read my actions so easily, or was she just lucky?

Either way, I stood up, eager to leave.

“You hate yourself for moving forward, don’t you?”

“You’ve been spending time with me and slowly forgetting about your sister, haven’t you?”

She saw right through me.

Kaede was quick to understand things. Maybe it was because she was sincere and hardworking. She absorbed what people said and accepted it without resistance. I envied how naturally she could do that.

“Since you started spending time with me, haven’t you changed?”

She was right. Being with Kaede had filled the emptiness in my heart.

“Shizuku Mizuhara is a serious and kind person.”

She had been the reason I approached her in the first place.

She must have known that.

So why would she call someone like me “kind”?

“Wait, Shizuku! Are you that scared of talking to me?!”

Yes, I was scared.

Because I wasn’t as strong or admirable as she was.

“It’s okay to move forward, even if it means leaving some things behind!”

“It’s okay if you think about her less over time!”

“You’ll never truly forget her!”

“That’s what it means to keep living!”

I knew that.

Waiting for my sister was painful. Watching my mother suffer was heartbreaking.

I didn’t want to go back to how I was before I met Kaede. But still—
I couldn’t be the only one moving forward in a family of two.

I couldn’t separate myself from my mother.

I couldn’t just lean on Kaede’s kindness and overcome this alone.

I wasn’t strong enough to make that choice.

“Because I love you!”

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before!”

I was a coward.

I didn’t deserve someone with such a pure heart.

I had no right to face her. I needed to let her go.

“Our relationship, my feelings, and even yours…”

I didn’t want to hear the rest of that sentence.

I wanted her to hate me.

If she did, then my feelings would disappear too.

The best thing for someone like me was to stay with my mother and live quietly.

Kaede’s soaking wet arm reached out.

Her hand touched my chest, slowly tracing over my heart.

My heartbeat. My unease.

I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

“So forget me.”

“My feelings aren’t something I can just forget, Shizuku.”

“Time will make you forget. You said so yourself.”

I forced the best smile I could manage.

Yet Kaede looked pained. Her touch was warm, and I almost clung to it.

Before I could be swayed, I turned away.

“I’ll always wait for you, Shizuku!”

“I’ll wait as long as it takes!”

Her voice echoed behind me.

You don’t have to wait for me.

And yet—I knew.

I wouldn’t be able to ignore her words.

Raindrops kept falling endlessly.

“Please… forget me, Kaede…”

Let the rain fall harder. Let it wash everything away.

Let it erase me from Kaede Wakamatsu’s heart.

Tears streamed down Shizuku Mizuhara’s face as she made that wish.

When she returned home, there was no one there.

Her mother had gone far away to visit relatives, still searching for Yuu.

This house was frozen in time since that day.

The calendar remained unchanged.

Her sister’s presence lingered everywhere.

The only thing that kept moving in this silent house—
Was the simple clock Kaede Wakamatsu had chosen for her.