A Pretty Girl Has Her First Kiss Stolen By an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 4.7

Friday, September 30

Without even taking off her uniform properly, Shizuku Mizuhara crawled under the covers.

Her period had finally come after being late, which was a relief, but her body felt heavy and sluggish. Her head was cloudy, and she didn’t have the energy to think clearly.

“Ah… my stomach hurts… this is the worst.”

In her foggy mind, she started thinking about Kaede Wakamatsu.

She had known for a while that she needed to end things with Wakamatsu.

After her sister disappeared and she shut herself off, she had the idea that maybe she could find “something” or “someone” to replace her. Normally, that wasn’t the kind of thing Mizuhara would ever think. But back then, clinging to something silly like that was all she could do.

Someone special, like her sister. Someone she could talk to freely like family. Someone who would treat Mizuhara as someone special.

“To be the special one of someone special.”

That was the silly idea she came up with in her messed-up head.

“Ugh… I’m the worst.”

She whispered bitterly to the ceiling of her familiar room.

The reason she broke up with Kaede Wakamatsu could be summed up in one word: guilt. That much was clear.

Guilt toward Wakamatsu. Guilt about forgetting her sister. And then—one more kind of guilt.

The doorbell rang.

Maybe it was a delivery. It should’ve been set to leave-at-door. Lifting her heavy body, Mizuhara walked from the corner room to the intercom in the living room. Before the bell rang again, she pressed the button marked “Talk.”

“Ah! Mizuhara!”

A cheerful, excited voice rang out. She knew who it was. Kaede Wakamatsu.

“Huh? Why…?”

The words slipped out before she could hide her surprise.

Why was her classmate here? This scene reminded her of the days when Wakamatsu used to bring her homework.

“You weren’t eating anything, so I brought food.”

“…Why all of a sudden?”

“Because if I don’t barge in, you’ll definitely say no.”

She had said something like that before.

But she never thought Wakamatsu would actually bring food and show up at her house.

“At least show me your face. If you don’t, I’ll stay here forever.”

Pressed by her voice, Mizuhara unlocked the entrance door.

“I’m so glad I made it up here.”

As they met face-to-face at the door, Wakamatsu put a hand to her chest and said, “I feel better now.” Mizuhara tilted her head at those words.

“Because sometimes you come down to the entrance to meet me, right?”

“Ah…”

Oh, right. She’d forgotten she could’ve done that.

Without realizing it, letting Wakamatsu into her home had become normal. She thought about shutting the door, but Wakamatsu’s hand was already on it.

“You really don’t look good. Seriously, please eat, Mizuhara.”

“I mean… I was planning to…”

“Haha, no excuses!”

Her lower belly had been aching from before her period started, and she truly had no appetite.

She had been distracted by Wakamatsu’s surprise visit, but the pain returned again. When she frowned, her classmate immediately noticed something was wrong.

“Stomachache?”

“…Yeah. That’s why I’m not hungry.”

“I see… sorry for coming over all of a sudden.”

Wakamatsu apologized weakly and looked down.

Mizuhara didn’t expect her to look so down, and started feeling a little bad about it.

“Then take this. I’ll go home for today.”

“…What if I wasn’t home?”

“Because it’s Friday afternoon, of course.”

Wakamatsu laughed lightly.

Right, it’s Friday after school. Remembering the days she spent with Wakamatsu made Mizuhara’s chest hurt again.

“…Wanna come in?”

Before she realized it, she had invited her inside.

Wakamatsu’s eyes lit up, and she happily accepted. Trying to calm her very excited classmate, Mizuhara led her to her room. Opening the door, she suddenly remembered—her uniform was still lying on the floor.

“Ah!”

“Huh? What?”

Wakamatsu turned around when Mizuhara shouted.

“Let me clean up first.”

“It’s fine. Your room’s always clean anyway.”

But Wakamatsu stepped right in.

“Ah,” she said, surprised.

Maybe she was shocked by how messy Mizuhara actually was?

“You still have the clock up!”

She pointed at the simple desk clock, sounding happy. It was a gift from their first date on a weekend. In Mizuhara’s house, it was the only thing that kept ticking forward.

“You still have the candle too!”

“Well… I couldn’t throw it out.”

Wakamatsu picked up the strangely colored candle and laughed. Embarrassed, Mizuhara replied bluntly.

“You don’t want to erase it either, do you?”

“….”

“Haha, Mizuhara, you’re more stubborn than you look.”

She thought about saying “how rude,” but couldn’t deny that she hadn’t thrown away the memories either. Without replying, Mizuhara reached for the foldable table she kept stored away.

“I’m a pain to deal with, so you should just forget me.”

“Well, I like that about you too.”

“….”

Mizuhara went quiet, with nothing left to say. She set up the table and gestured for Wakamatsu to put the food down.

“Your stomach okay now?”

“I’m just waiting for the medicine to kick in.”

“I see. As long as you’re okay.”

From the convenience store bag, Wakamatsu pulled out a sandwich, salad, and a drinkable yogurt. Mizuhara tried to pay her, but was stopped. She felt even more guilty for how much Wakamatsu was doing for her.

“Is it good?”

“It’s good… thank you.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Wakamatsu smiled, munching on some chips.

It was a peaceful Friday afternoon the two of them spent together for the first time in a while.