A Story About a Handsome Girl Having Her First Kiss Stolen by an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 61

October 20 (Thursday)

He slid into the breakfast area with heavy footsteps.

“That was close! We were almost late!”

“You stayed up too late last night.”

“Well, Masuda’s story just never seems to finish.”

Mizuhara sat diagonally across from Wakamatsu.

Compact salads, ham sandwiches, spinach omelets, and corn soup – all are Mizuhara’s favorites.

“Hehe, what were you talking about?”

Wakumura watches Mizuhara and the others interact with a smile.

“We’re talking about love! School trips are all about love!”

“Oh yeah, Shizuku-chan too?”

Mizuhara nodded her head, pursing her lips as the salad tasted more sour than she’d imagined.

“But Mizuhara-san says there’s no one she’s interested in.”

Masuda cut in from the side.

“That’s a lie. There’s someone in Mizuhara who’s thinking about it right now.”

“Just shut up.”

“What is it, just be honest.”

As Wakamatsu laughed out loud, he forgot that there was a third person present and just jumped in. Wakumura just smiled calmly, but Masuda and Ariyoshi stared at Mizuhara with wide eyes.

“I’m looking forward to today’s group activities.”

Sensing the mood, Wakumura brought up a different topic. Mizuhara bowed his head inwardly and resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened.

On the second day of the school trip, we will be divided into groups.

Each group will be able to explore their designated area and play for as long as they like.

Yesterday’s schedule was set up as a “learning opportunity,” but today it’s purely a “play opportunity.”

“Let’s leave early!”

Masuda bit into the sandwich and flashed a big smile.

Her excitement was at its peak, and she felt like she wanted to run out of the venue at any moment. But there was still time before the bus that would take the three groups to the downtown area was leaving. Mizuhara elegantly sipped her hot corn soup.

We arrived at a large parking area for our first toilet break.

There were several shops lined up, including food stalls selling local cuisine. In the observation area, there was a photogenic spot set up. The five of us took our places, and Wakamatsu, who was in the middle, held up his smartphone and took several photos.

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

“Ah, okay.”

I took a photo with her, shoulder to shoulder.

Seeing myself placed in the same frame as Wakamatsu Hanaede, with her eye-catching features, I somehow felt uncomfortable.

“Super cute. I’ll make it a memory for the rest of my life.”

“Enough about that already.”

The bus arrived in the downtown area, and Mizuhara and the rest of Team 7 headed straight for a Chinese lunch.

Masuda went to a popular restaurant he had found with great effort and ordered something random. He ended up sitting opposite Wakamatsu and, for some reason, remembered a holiday date he had with her.

“What is your favorite food, Mizuhara?”

“Um, well… something like omurice.”

“Hey, let’s go eat omurice next time.”

Both Wakamatsu and Masuda are very good at choosing restaurants. I felt the difference between me and them when I saw them effortlessly accomplishing a feat that Mizuhara could not.

“Oh no, we need to get going soon, or we’ll miss the boat.”

“Hanakaede, hurry up and eat!”

“You guys have the nerve to make me eat leftovers!”

Wakamatsu, hastily munching on the xiaolongbao, looked like a small animal and was so cute that Mizuhara laughed, hiding her mouth.

“There are some in Suwon, too.”

While I was on a small boat sightseeing around the town, someone suddenly called out to me.

“Eh, what…?”

“I’m on your side. I told you yesterday.”

Masuda narrows his eyes and smiles.

I know what she intends.

I know who my allies are.

After getting off the boat, the group headed to a cafe while caring for Masuda, who was feeling seasick.

The stylish, old-fashioned coffee shop was run by a single, cool-looking owner, and I loved Suwon because I could feel the warmth of the town.

“Ah! What?”

ToneSobiHe climbed to the top floor of the tower and looked down at the bustling downtown area lit up by the setting sun. In the distance, he could see the vast ocean, and his mind was drawn to it.

As you open the heavy door and head to the observation deck, you’ll be greeted by a refreshing autumn breeze.

“Hey, why don’t you two go back inside?”

Wakamatsu follows behind Mizuhara.

“No. If you’re going back, then only Wakamatsu should come back.”

“Why not? I told you we’d talk.”

“No, I like high places. I’ll come back by myself.”

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

As I was about to push Wakamatsu, who was throwing a tantrum in frustration, inside, I heard the click of a shutter.

“Ahaha! I’ve always thought that.”

Masuda flashed a bright smile that was just as bright as the sun.

“Mizuhara-san is cooler than I thought!”

Masuda laughed loudly. Her smile had a mysterious power to make those around her smile as well.

“air”

Mizuhara looked back on his actions in a state of panic. During the school trip, he felt like he had been drawn to Wakamatsu Kaede’s presence and, before he knew it, he had been interacting with the girls as if he were.

“Oh, sorry…”

She had completely taken off the veil that had covered her true self so as not to be disliked.

“Why are you apologizing? I like the way you are now.”

Masuda looks at Mizuhara suspiciously as he apologizes. Masuda’s hair, blown by the wind, is illuminated by the sunlight.

“Well, well…”

“There are people who will like you even if you don’t try to act cool.”

“picture”

“I feel the same way. I don’t think you need a veil anymore.”

When I looked, Wakamatsu was standing directly in front of me and smiled brightly.

Mizuhara reminisces about his past and realizes that he tried too hard to make friends and ended up making many superficial friends.

“…Because I was scared.”

“Are you scared? What?”

“If I speak honestly and am rejected, I feel like they are rejecting everything about me.”

Even if the person you are wearing a veil of exclusivity is rejected, the damage is minimal because it is just an exclusivity. But if you reveal your true self and it is rejected, you will feel as if everything about you has been rejected.

“It’s a waste of time to worry about those people!”

Masuda shouted with a big smile on his face.

“I like Mizuhara-san now!”

Someone who is at the top of the top caste.

She was a beautiful, cheerful, and energetic girl. She was also the most popular among the boys. Having someone like her affirm him, even though they were like heaven and earth, made something hot well up from the bottom of Mizuhara’s heart.

“……thank you”

“Ahaha! What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

Mizuhara was overcome with emotion even as he was being slapped hard on the back.

Since when have I been hiding behind a veil and avoiding honest interactions with people?

He listed safe things as his hobbies, said he liked safe entertainers and safe music. He remembered that he hadn’t revealed what he liked to anyone for the past few years. Except for one person, Wakamatsu Kaede, who was here.

“Any Suwon is still Suwon.”

“picture……”

“My weaknesses, my strengths, and the ways I patch them up.”

Wakamatsu speaks proudly.

“I’ve always loved the ever-changing Suwon.”

Wakamatsu burst out in a big laugh.

My heart pounded loudly at her confession.

Wakumura, who knew the situation, blushed at her confession, while Masuda and Ariyoshi, who knew nothing about it, nodded their heads in agreement, saying, “That’s right!”

The light of the setting sun was so dazzling that Mizuhara couldn’t help but squint his eyes.

–The image that remained in his mind was of Wakamatsu Hanae tilting her head proudly.

My three roommates and I were chatting when suddenly my smartphone started ringing.

When I declined and checked, I received a message from Wakumura Chisato asking, “Would you like to come to my room?”

“Sorry, I’ll be back in a bit.”

She called out to her two classmates who were in the same room. Mizuhara had already finished drying her hair, and after getting dressed, she stepped out into the hallway.

Mizuhara knocked on the door to the right. Just as he reached for the chime, thinking that the thick door would be too loud to hear, the door opened, and Wakamatsu appeared. His hair had already been dried and was neatly styled.

“Sorry for calling you out so suddenly, Mizuhara.”

“…Um, where’s Chisato?”

Wakamatsu Kaede immediately grabbed Mizuhara’s right arm and pulled him into the room.

“Huh?”

Mizuhara’s staggering body is held in place by Wakamatsu.

She was wearing a grey sweatshirt and had just taken a bath, and she smelled different from usual.

“I told you we’d talk, Mizuhara.”

Wakamatsu slowly closed the door.