A Pretty Girl Has Her First Kiss Stolen By an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 3.3

Tuesday, August 9

“Oh, I can’t take this anymore.”

After finishing the morning summer classes, Wakamatsu collapsed onto her desk.

She was exhausted. Ever since she heard Masuda’s advice, she had been giving her all in summer classes. She listened carefully during lessons, and when she got home, she opened her notebook and focused on three subjects—Japanese, Math, and English. She studied classical and Chinese literature for Japanese, vocabulary and reading comprehension for English, and worked on problem sets for Math.

As long as she kept doing this, she had no time to think.

—But no matter what, Mizuhara Shizuku kept appearing in her mind.

“Wakamatsu, wanna go somewhere after school?”

“Ah, not today.”

“Haha, you’ve been saying that every day lately.”

Masuda laughed, patted Wakamatsu on the head, and left the classroom with Ariyoshi.
Even then, Wakamatsu couldn’t move.

She never knew her body could feel this heavy. She turned her head toward the window and closed her eyes.

“What am I supposed to do when the second semester starts…?”

Fortunately or unfortunately, Mizuhara had been absent from summer classes.

Wakamatsu was relieved that she didn’t have to see her in the classroom. But when the second semester began, she would have to face her again.

The loud cries of cicadas echoed outside, and sweat slowly seeped from her skin.

Just as that discomfort pulled her back to reality, she heard a voice above her.

“Kaede-chan, has something happened to you lately?”

“Akimura… You’re still here?”

“Hehe, I’ve been in the same classroom the whole time.”

As Wakamatsu started to open her eyes, a hand covered her vision.

She flinched at the unexpected touch, but Akimura’s voice reassured her.

“Relax, just try taking deep breaths. You looked like you were having a bad dream.”

Maybe she had been dreaming about Mizuhara.

Following Akimura’s instructions, Wakamatsu slowly breathed in and out, focusing on the movement of air.

But even as she inhaled the warm, humid air, her body didn’t feel any better.

“Breathing is important, you know. I get nervous really easily.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Before a badminton match, I feel like I might pass out.”

Wakamatsu was surprised.

She had always thought Akimura was calm and confident.

“Hey, did something happen? You’ve looked troubled since last week.”

“…Nothing happened.”

“Oh! Liar.”

Akimura playfully tapped her shoulder.

Unlike Masuda and Ariyoshi’s rough slaps, Akimura’s touch was gentle, making Wakamatsu smile.

There was something comforting about this atmosphere.

She found herself slowly matching Akimura’s pace as she spoke.

“I got rejected by someone I like.”

Akimura hesitated for a moment but then gently responded, “I see.”

“And it was awful. I was just a replacement for someone else.”

“A replacement?”

“…For the person they really cared about. From the start, I was just… nothing more than that.”

As she spoke, tears welled up again.

She quickly wiped them away with her arm, hoping Akimura wouldn’t notice.

“Kaede-chan, do you still like that person?”

“I don’t know.”

Akimura, who had placed a hand on Wakamatsu’s shoulder, now gently patted her head.

“Love is complicated,” she murmured.

“Speaking of which, what about you, Akimura?”

“Huh?”

“You said before, in the cafeteria, that there was someone you wanted to chase.”

When Wakamatsu looked up, her eyes met Akimura’s.

Her face was bright red.

“Was that person… someone you like?”

“Well, um… yeah.”

“I’m sure your feelings are much more genuine than mine.”

Wakamatsu let out a deep sigh.

She remembered the look Akimura had that day in the cafeteria—pure, lovestruck.

“There’s no such thing as better or worse feelings. Love isn’t something that can be ranked like that.”

Akimura’s voice was unusually firm.

“My love started with a lie. All of it.”

“But was your love itself a lie? If something starts from a lie, does that make your feelings fake too?”

“I don’t know.”

Wakamatsu held her head.

“If someone tells you something like that… it makes you wonder if your own feelings were fake too.”

“Your feelings aren’t lies. They belong to you.”

“But I don’t get it anymore.”

Her voice grew tense.

Something was pounding inside her head again.

“It’s normal to feel lost. But love is…”

“You should be the one who knows best who you love, right?”

Who I love.

Wakamatsu closed her eyes again.

Who would come to her mind?

Who was she—

No.

Every time she tried to think about her, those words would come back.

And the pain in her head would return.

“I can’t do this…”

As she raised her pale face, she met Akimura Chisato’s gaze.

Her hand was still on Wakamatsu’s shoulder.

“Alright, Kaede-chan!”

Akimura rolled up her sleeves and threw her arm around Wakamatsu’s neck.

Wakamatsu’s eyes widened.

She never expected Akimura to be this bold.

“I just came up with a really good idea!”

“Huh? What…?”

What she said next was completely unexpected.