A Story About a Handsome Girl Having Her First Kiss Stolen by an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 6

December 24 (Friday)

I felt nervous as I pressed the bell to room 605 for the first time.

The phone rang twice, and Mizuhara’s confused voice said, “Huh?” when the call was connected.

What would Mizuhara think of Wakamatsu suddenly showing up?

“Mizuhara, I brought the printout.”

Feeling a little awkward, I called out over the intercom.

“Why did you come again?”

“…Because I want to talk to Mizuhara.”

To be honest, the ability to digest the deeper meaning of Professor Yamabe’s words was beyond Wakamatsu’s reach.

Despite this, the reason he went to Mizuhara’s apartment was because Wakamatsu interpreted his teacher as having judged that at least “the relationship between Wakamatsu and Mizuhara could be repaired.”

As I waited at the entrance, the central door opened, and Mizuhara Shizuku appeared.

Wakamatsu simply said, “Good job on the test,” and handed over the handout he had taken out. Mizuhara Shizuku accepted it while saying thank you, but she didn’t look “apologetic” like Yamabe had said. Was that a lie from the teacher after all?

Then suddenly, Mizuhara Shizuku began, “The other day…”

“I’m sorry for having such high expectations and disappointing you.”

Mizuhara Shizuku apologized in a strained voice.

Without showing any sign of listening to what Wakamatsu was saying, he turned around to return to the elevator lobby.

Mizuhara Shizuku always wants to go home right away and only talks to the bare minimum. She doesn’t show the friendliness or amiability she showed in the classroom. Is being with Wakamatsu that painful for her?

“Shall I deliver it to you, Komazawa-san, or Yamaguchi-san?”

Before he knew it, he was calling out to Mizuhara. The classmates stopped in their tracks.

“There’s no need to think about what is the best way to do things, or what is desirable.”

The words that Professor Yamabe must have said had vanished from my mind.

“I don’t like that, I don’t like that…”

Mizuhara turns towards me with a look of genuine disgust on her face.

Perhaps it was my misjudgment that caused things not to go well with Komazawa and Yamaguchi.

Perhaps sensing Wakamatsu’s doubts, Mizuhara continued speaking.

“It’s really hard for me to interact with people.”

“Picture?”

“I try my best to talk to lots of different people to avoid being alone, and I pay close attention to what I say and do. Even though I’m not in the mood, I force myself to get excited and talk to my friends, and when I can’t fall asleep at night, I hold endless self-reflection meetings by myself.”

These matter-of-fact words seem to express Mizuhara’s true feelings. She speaks with a pained look on her face.

“Someone like Wakamatsu wouldn’t understand those kinds of people, would he?”

Indeed, Mizuhara Shizuku seems to have a different sense than I do.

For Wakamatsu, meeting and talking with people is refreshing. He has never experienced the “tiredness of meeting people” that Mizuhara mentioned.

“School isn’t fun?”

“It’s fun, being with friends is fun, but it’s exhausting. I just can’t stand the exhaustion.”

She says after a pause.

“See, you don’t understand.”

It was annoying to admit that I didn’t know, but what I don’t know, I don’t know.

Seeing Wakamatsu’s reaction, she ended the conversation.

I wonder if this time spent with me is nothing but painful for this classmate.

Is that why you always leave so quickly?

I thought I wouldn’t understand unless I talked to him, but even after he told me, I still don’t understand.

“Ahh,” Mizuhara Shizuku said, looking up to the sky. Though she was just inside the building, just inside the entrance, she could see the white cloud of her breath.

“So no Komazawa or Yamaguchi.”

Mizuhara glared at me and walked away.

He had stepped on a landmine, and the relationship had broken down for the second time. Maybe it would be better if he didn’t go to Shizuku Mizuhara’s house again. He didn’t understand Mizuhara’s feelings. This was a bad choice for the person.