A Story About a Handsome Girl Having Her First Kiss Stolen by an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 46

Wednesday, August 31

–Wakamatsu Hanae closes her eyes.

As the sun shone down on me, I sat down firmly on a bench under the eaves.

The sounds of cicadas and waves. The sounds of children squealing and laughing happily. Listening to these sounds, I ate the ice cream I bought at the convenience store.

That was the sea in February.

The day Mizuhara Shizuku confessed her love to me. My mind went blank and I barely remember anything from that day. Before I knew it, I had accepted her confession, interacted with her, and spent more time with her, becoming more and more involved.

“Because Wakamatsu is just the right size and I’m cunning.”

“I thought it would be good to be special to a special person.”

“I’m looking for someone to fill the hole in my heart.”

Those words. Her motives are probably genuine.

She probably didn’t want to hear that from the dull Wakamatsu to begin with, but when Mizuhara Shizuku first started delivering the prints, she couldn’t sense any sympathy from him.

There’s no doubt that she was searching for something, someone to fill the hole in her heart that had been left by her sister.

“If something is born from a lie, do those feelings also become lies?”

It’s not a lie.

It would mean that all the time they’d spent together up until now had never happened, and that couldn’t happen.

Before I knew it, drops of melted ice cream were running down my fingers and falling to the floor.

Wakamatsu quietly watches the water droplets, which dry up and disappear in an instant in the sunlight.

–But what about the days they built together?

It couldn’t have disappeared so easily.

The time we spent, the things we shared, are not lies.

The same can be said for Mizuhara, who was with Wakamatsu.

“Shizuku-chan is said to be a serious and kind person.”

Even Wakamatsu knows it.

Mizuhara Shizuku is an earnest and kind-hearted person.

She had repeatedly apologized to someone. Who was she apologizing to, and what was she apologizing for?

Drink a cold drink of water.

Still, the heat in his body did not subside, and sweat gushed out of every pore in his body. The hair sticking to his forehead became annoying, so Wakamatsu carelessly pushed it back.

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

When did the change in Mizuhara Shizuku’s attitude begin to appear?

The first time I said “I’m sorry” was on our holiday date.

Mizuhara is sensitive to other people’s feelings, so it would not be surprising if he noticed Wakamatsu’s feelings before Wakamatsu did.

“…Am I okay?”

“People with kind hearts can feel guilty about things like that.”

Guilt.

Indeed, those words may have revealed his guilt towards Wakamatsu.

But surely there was more to it than that.

“If reality doesn’t change, I’ll have to worry about it for the rest of my life.”

“Well, it’s normal to forget a little bit. After all, you’re living every day.”

“No matter how painful something is, there are times when you forget it while you’re alive.”

Perhaps Mizuhara Shizuku is beginning to be able to fill the hole in her heart.

Of course, only a sister can replace a sister. Wakamatsu can never be her sister. Still, as she spends time with Wakamatsu and their relationship deepens, something must have changed in her feelings.

“…I forgot, I was like this.”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s something I can forget about in an instant like this.”

“I guess it wasn’t a big deal…”

Spending more time with Wakamatsu gives her more time to forget about her sister’s disappearance.

It was painful, I felt sorry, and I felt like a heartless person.

It seems that such feelings were building up within Mizuhara.

“…I know. It’s about time we put a stop to it.”

“But it feels good…. I…”

–That’s right.

Mizuhara Shizuku must have enjoyed her time with Wakamatsu.

An ambiguous relationship that had been dragging on for months. I knew I had to end it, but I still couldn’t let it go. I must have finally mustered the words to say that day.

The quickest way to get away from Wakamatsu is to make him dislike you.

Just speculation. Wishful thinking.

Still, Wakamatsu found his way of compromising.

“…It’s okay, Mizuhara.”

Look up.

“No matter what the trigger was, what we’ve built up is not a lie.”

“You know what, it’s okay to forget about your sister, at least for a little while.”

Looking up at the sky, I saw thick, dark clouds covering the whole sky. The weather forecaster said it would rain today. It looked like that forecast was right.

Wakamatsu Hanae starts walking along the embankment.

Last day of summer vacation.

The sports day is fast approaching at Sakugaoka High School.

Whether the second semester starts or not, Wakamatsu’s life will remain the same. The only thing that will change is that regular classes will start, and he will meet Mizuhara Shizuku.

The second semester is fast approaching.

Mizuhara will have to face Wakamatsu whether he likes it or not.

Surely she has something on her mind. Surely she is worried. If so, then she too–

A familiar figure stood near the stairs.

“So you were here after all.”

Take a breath and speak.

She must have realized it was Wakamatsu when she heard his voice. Without turning to face him, she began to speak.

“…Why are you here?”

“Today’s steering committee meeting ended in the morning.”

“…What is that?”

“I thought maybe you’d come here after school. I kind of thought.”

Wakamatsu offered her his hand as she sat down.