A Pretty Girl Has Her First Kiss Stolen By an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 3.5

Kaede Wakamatsu indulged in laziness.

After being freed from being dragged around by Wakumura and the others, she focused on catching up on sleep.

On the day she slept for a full 24 hours, her panicked mother woke her up, deeply worried.

“I thought you were dead.”

“Haha, that’s a bit dramatic…”

During Obon, she had meals with relatives and visited her grandparents. On the other days, she went out with Masuda and Hasegawa to the shopping district, spending entire days playing.

After Obon ended, summer remedial classes and sports festival practice resumed.

Sweating and working together as a team, they pushed themselves. When she ran a relay race after a long time, her body felt surprisingly light. The cheers from those watching gave her courage, and she tried to keep her schedule packed. On holidays, she always invited someone out and roamed the city.

“Wakamatsu-senpai! Great job today!”

“Here, please take this.”

She accepted a cold sports drink and a pack of individually wrapped ice cream treats, smiling.

“Thanks, I’ll return the favor next time.”

The first-year student blushed and smiled back.

After finishing the day’s practice, she returned to the classroom and found Chisato Wakumura there. Wakumura greeted her with a gentle smile.

“Kaede-chan, how have you been?”

“Pretty good. I’ve been going out a lot, just like you told me to.”

She took a sip of the drink she had just received.

The cold liquid refreshed her, sending a pleasant chill through her body.

“But… I still think about it sometimes.”

Wakamatsu closed the bottle. Behind her eyelids, the image of Shizuku Mizuhara appeared.

“…Am I weak?”

The past two weeks.
The time she spent thinking about Shizuku Mizuhara had drastically decreased.

Or rather, she had been too busy to think about her at all.

She studied with others and watched videos until she fell asleep at night.

Even so—at unexpected moments, Shizuku popped into her mind. Just for a few seconds. But even a few seconds still mattered.

That was Wakamatsu’s only lingering concern.

“The hole in your heart left by Shizuku-chan can only be filled by Shizuku-chan.”

Wakumura said it so naturally.

“…Huh?”

For a moment, it felt like the world had gone silent.

“Wait, what? Why are you bringing up Mizuhara…?”

“I can tell, just by watching you.”

She softened her gaze, smiling gently.

The wind from the open window swayed her softly curled hair.

“Did you… say something to Mizuhara?”

“No, nothing. She’s been busy with event planning.”

“She’s organizing something? Mizuhara, huh.”

Now she understood why Shizuku hadn’t been at practice.

Wakamatsu felt relieved that she hadn’t become a shut-in again after that day.

“Was she… doing okay?”

“She seemed busy. But whether she’s doing okay or not, that’s hard to say from the outside.”

“She said the same thing before…”

Hearing Wakumura’s words, memories of Shizuku resurfaced.

Getting scolded, getting praised, the things she said she liked, the silly conversations.

“Ahh, damn it.”

“Hehe, what’s ‘damn it’ about?”

Wakamatsu groaned and crouched down, holding her head.

Wakumura crouched down beside her.

“I mean, when I think about Mizuhara…”

“Yeah?”

“Instead of remembering the bad times, I start thinking about the fun times.”

She felt warmth creeping into her cheeks.

Beside her, Wakumura rested half of her face on her arm, narrowing her eyes.

“I remember all the little things Mizuhara said, even the dumb ones.”

“Dumb ones?”

“Like, what she did the other day, what she enjoyed, what she couldn’t stand.”

Before she realized it, she was talking about Mizuhara again.

“You two must have been really close.”

“She acts distant when it’s just the two of us. But deep down, she’s kind.”

“I thought the same thing when we first ate together in the cafeteria.”

She remembered the day the three of them had lunch together.

“Shizuku-chan is serious and kind-hearted, isn’t she?”

Some of their male classmates returned to the classroom.

Wakamatsu and Wakumura stood up and sat on the shelves at the back of the room.

“Shizuku-chan is very sensitive to people’s feelings.”

“She was considerate of me. Saying things like, ‘You two should go together instead.'”

“And that ring you used to wear—Shizuku-chan told you to take it off, didn’t she?”

She remembered how Mizuhara had insisted she remove the ring.

“She made a complicated face while watching that first-year talk to you, you know.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Maybe she felt guilty—because she knew that person thought you two were together.”

Wakumura laughed.

One by one, little things Wakamatsu hadn’t even noticed came spilling from Wakumura’s lips.

“You’re amazing, Wakumura…”

Wakamatsu leaned back against the wall.

Wakumura remembered even the smallest details about her classmates, including Wakamatsu and Mizuhara.

She deeply respected someone who could be so perceptive.

“—Because I like you.”

A second moment of silence.

Chisato Wakumura traced her lips with her fingertip a few times, then looked straight at her.

From her large, round eyes, Wakamatsu felt a serious gaze piercing through.