A Story About a Handsome Girl Having Her First Kiss Stolen by an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 4

December 10 (Friday)

“Sorry! I can’t go next week.”

The first thing Wakamatsu Kaede says is to apologize.

After school, when I went to the staff room to pick up some handouts to give to Mizuhara, Mr. Yamabe told me, “You’ll be fine during test week.”

“It’s just final exam week.”

“I know, good luck on your test.”

Mizuhara Shizuku looks uninterested as she skims through the stack of handouts she has received. Even Mizuhara, who is not attending school, has been given handouts detailing the test scope and test schedule for each subject.

Suddenly, a question came to Wakamatsu’s mind.

“Will I still get credits if I don’t go to school?”

“That has nothing to do with you, Wakamatsu-san.”

“Haa,” Mizuhara let out a short sigh.

“So, what about the test?”

“The test will be in the nurse’s office.”

“Oh, I see.”

This was the first time I’d heard that you could take the exam in the nurse’s office.

In that case, he would need papers on the test topics and the test schedule. He also understood why Mr. Yamabe had said he would hand the papers directly to Mizuhara next week.

“Hey, if you’re going to come to school, you can just take the test in the classroom.”

“That kind of thing is annoying.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Mizuhara’s face twisted in displeasure. Her words revealed the discomfort she felt about the conversation. Wakamatsu didn’t know what it was that made her feel uncomfortable, but he immediately apologized.

Does Mizuhara Shizuku have a special reason for not wanting to set foot in the classroom?

“Did something happen in class?”

“Hey, please stop irritating me!”

Mizuhara Shizuku’s voice echoed through the entrance space.

Wakamatsu stiffens in surprise at the sudden voice. If you ever need advice, you should tell me if there’s something you don’t like. The words that come from such feelings somehow irritate Mizuhara Shizuku.

“I guess we just can’t understand each other,” Mizuhara Shizuku muttered.

Mizuhara crumples up the print he is holding and inserts the meeting key into the intercom at the entrance.

“I’m sorry. But I want to understand, Mizuhara.”

“Shut up, you’ve been doing that for a while now. Stop saying things that make you tired.”

Without even a moment’s hesitation, he cut me off. It was the first time in my 16 years of life that I had been cut off from a conversation. Mizuhara didn’t take his eyes off the key.

“I told you I don’t know, Wakamatsu-san.”

“But you could tell me a little bit.”

“Tell me? What? How do I feel?”

“Haha,” Mizuhara Shizuku laughs dryly. Her cold voice, devoid of any emotion, strikes Wakamatsu’s ears with a sharp edge. Even though Mizuhara is facing him, he doesn’t make eye contact with her.

“If you had told me, I would have said this…”

“What? You mean you understand? That’s condescending and shameless.”

“I don’t mean to be condescending.”

“Things like trying to help or understand are just Wakamatsu-san’s ego, aren’t they?”

My body stiffens.

I wonder if those were the feelings I had when interacting with Mizuhara Shizuku during the month I spent visiting her.

“Please don’t just force your ego on me.”

Saying that, Mizuhara turned the key that had been inserted.

“I thought Wakamatsu-san was different from other people, but he’s not different at all.”

Mizuhara entered the lobby through the unlocked door and disappeared into the elevator hall. The lukewarm air that blew in from the lobby was extremely unpleasant. Wakamatsu was at a loss and couldn’t move for a while.

“…Don’t get your hopes up…”

Being rejected by Mizuhara Shizuku, and above all, the fact that the egoism deep inside him is brought out, comes as a huge shock to him.

Why did I make the effort to come here every week?

I was simply not aware of it, but I cannot say for sure that I did not have the egoism that Mizuhara spoke of. What was I trying to achieve by listening to Mizuhara’s story? I no longer understood myself.