A Pretty Girl Has Her First Kiss Stolen By an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 4.12

Thursday, October 20

I rushed into the breakfast hall, my footsteps loud and fast.

“Whew! That was close! Almost late!”

“We stayed up way too late last night.”

“Well, Masuda just wouldn’t stop talking.”

Mizuhara sat down diagonally across from Wakamatsu.

A small salad, a sandwich with ham, a spinach omelet, and corn soup—everything Mizuhara liked was on the table.

“Hehe, what were you talking about?”

Wakumura smiled gently as she watched Mizuhara and the others chat.

“It was love talk! That’s what school trips are for, right?”

“Really? Even you, Shizuku?”

Mizuhara nodded. The salad was more sour than expected, and she puckered her lips.

“But Mizuhara said she doesn’t have anyone she likes—”

Masuda jumped into the conversation from the side.

“That’s a lie. Mizuhara does have someone on her mind.”

“Stop it.”

“Come on, just be honest!”

Mizuhara snapped back without thinking, forgetting they weren’t alone. Wakumura kept smiling calmly, but Masuda and Ariyoshi looked surprised and stared at Mizuhara with wide eyes.

“I’m looking forward to our group activities today!”

Maybe sensing the mood, Wakumura changed the subject. Mizuhara silently thanked her and rejoined the conversation like nothing happened.

The second day of the school trip was for group activities.

Each group could explore a certain area freely and have as much fun as they wanted.

Yesterday’s schedule was for “learning,” but today was all about “having fun.”

“Let’s just head out quickly!”

Masuda bit into her sandwich and smiled brightly.

She looked so excited, it seemed like she might run off right away. But the bus to take Class 3 to the shopping district hadn’t arrived yet. Mizuhara calmly sipped her warm corn soup.

They stopped at a large rest area for their first bathroom break.

There were several shops and food stalls selling local dishes. The viewing area even had a photo spot set up. The five of them stood in random positions while Wakamatsu, in the center, held up her phone and took a bunch of pictures.

“Mizuhara, want to take a picture with me?”

“Oh, um, sure.”

They took a photo side by side.

Being in the same frame as Kaede Wakamatsu, whose beauty drew attention, made Mizuhara feel a little awkward.

“You’re so cute. I’ll keep this as a memory forever.”

“Jeez, stop saying that.”

When the bus arrived at the shopping district, Mizuhara’s Group 7 went straight for Chinese food.

They visited a popular restaurant that Masuda had found with all her energy, and ordered some random dishes. Mizuhara ended up sitting across from Wakamatsu by chance, and it made her remember their weekend date.

“What’s your favorite food, Mizuhara?”

“Uh, maybe… omelet rice.”

“Really? Let’s get omelet rice together sometime.”

Both Wakamatsu and Masuda were great at choosing restaurants. Mizuhara felt a difference between herself and them, something she couldn’t quite match.

“Oh no, we have to leave soon or we’ll miss the boat!”

“Hurry up and eat, Kaede!”

“You’re the ones who made me eat all the leftovers!”

Wakamatsu stuffing soup dumplings in a rush looked like a cute little animal, and Mizuhara smiled while covering her mouth.

“You do like someone, don’t you, Mizuhara?”

While touring the city in a small boat, a voice suddenly spoke up.

“Huh? What…?”

“I’m on your side, remember? We talked about this yesterday.”

Masuda smiled with narrowed eyes.

Mizuhara understood what she meant.

She knew who was on her side. That much was clear.

After getting off the boat, Masuda felt seasick, so the group headed to a café while helping her.

The stylish, old-fashioned coffee shop was run by a single, serious-looking owner.

Mizuhara liked it—it felt warm and cozy.

“Ah! Look at that!”

They went up to the top floor of a tall tower and looked out over the shopping district glowing in the sunset. In the distance, they could see the big ocean, and Mizuhara’s heart was drawn that way.

They moved to the observation deck, opening the heavy door and stepping into the refreshing autumn breeze.

“Hey, want to go back inside? Just the two of us?”

Wakamatsu followed right behind Mizuhara.

“No. If you want to go back, go by yourself.”

“What? Come on, you said we’d talk!”

“I like high places. You can go alone.”

“No way! I don’t want to be alone on a school trip!”

As Mizuhara tried to push the whining Wakamatsu back indoors, they suddenly heard a shutter click.

“Haha! I’ve been thinking this for a while—”

Masuda beamed brightly, outshining even the sun.

“Mizuhara, you’re cooler than I thought!”

Masuda laughed loudly. Her smile had a special power that made everyone around her smile too.

“Wha—uh…”

Mizuhara was flustered and started to reflect on her actions. During this trip, she had been drawn in by Kaede Wakamatsu, and before she knew it, she was being her true self with them.

“Oh… sorry.”

She had completely taken off the mask she wore to hide her real self—to avoid being disliked.

“Why are you saying sorry? I like the Mizuhara you are now.”

Masuda looked confused as Mizuhara apologized. The wind played with Masuda’s hair, and the sunlight made it shine.

“Well, um…”

“You don’t need to fake anything. There are people who like the real you.”

“Eh?”

“I do too. So you don’t need that fake mask anymore, right?”

Wakamatsu stood directly in front of Mizuhara, smiling warmly.

Mizuhara thought back to her past. She had tried too hard to make friends, ending up with lots of shallow ones.

“…Because I was scared.”

“Scared? Of what?”

“If I showed my true self and got rejected, it would feel like all of me was being rejected.”

Even if people didn’t like her fake self, it wouldn’t hurt as much. But if they rejected the real her, it would feel like they were rejecting her whole being.

“Don’t waste your time on people like that!”

Masuda shouted cheerfully with a huge smile.

“I love the Mizuhara you are right now!”

Someone like her—at the very top of the social ladder. Pretty, cheerful, and popular with the boys. Someone like her accepted Mizuhara. Mizuhara felt something warm rise from deep inside her.

“…Thank you.”

“Haha! What’s gotten into you?”

Even as Masuda smacked her back with excitement, Mizuhara was overwhelmed with emotion.

When had she started hiding her true self like this?

She remembered how she had always said she liked safe hobbies, safe celebrities, and safe music. She hadn’t told anyone what she really liked for years—except for Kaede Wakamatsu.

“No matter which Mizuhara you are, you’re still you.”

“Huh…?”

“The weak parts, the strong parts, and even the fake parts too.”

Wakamatsu said proudly.

“I’ve always loved the real, changing Mizuhara.”

Wakamatsu smiled from ear to ear.

Her words made Mizuhara’s heart beat loudly.

Wakumura, who knew what was going on, blushed. Masuda and Ariyoshi, who didn’t, nodded deeply and said, “Exactly!”

The setting sun was so bright that Mizuhara squinted her eyes.

—And what remained in her vision was Kaede Wakamatsu, proudly tilting her head.

While the three roommates were chatting, Mizuhara’s phone suddenly buzzed.

She checked it after excusing herself and saw a message from Chisato Wakumura: “Can you come to the room?”

“Sorry, I’ll be back in a bit.”

She called out to the two classmates in the room. Already done drying her hair, Mizuhara casually fixed her appearance and stepped into the hallway.

She knocked on the door to the room next to hers. Just as she reached for the bell, thinking the knock might not be heard through the thick door, it opened—and Wakamatsu peeked out. Her hair was already dry and neatly done.

“Sorry for calling you so suddenly, Mizuhara.”

“…Wait, where’s Chisato?”

Kaede Wakamatsu immediately grabbed Mizuhara’s right arm and pulled her inside.

“Eh—”

Mizuhara stumbled and was caught in Wakamatsu’s arms.

Wearing a gray sweatshirt fresh from the bath, Wakamatsu smelled different than usual.

“You said we’d talk, remember, Mizuhara?”

Wakamatsu slowly closed the door.