I Planned My Escape Because I Knew Her Secret - Episode 1

When I entered high school, we were perfectly in the same class.

My name is Madoka Kojima.

With her straight black hair, sharp eyebrows, and striking gaze, she usually had a serious and very composed demeanor. However, her face would turn red when she was embarrassed, and her smile, with the corners of her eyes crinkling, was irresistibly charming.

In the classroom, I unconsciously found myself following her with my eyes.

Because I was always looking at her, we often made eye contact, and I think I was quite suspicious as I hurriedly looked away.

But it seems that my actions paid off, as during the LHR meeting where we decided on the committees for the year, she also ran for the beautification committee that I had nominated myself for.

And usually, I had never seen her talking much with boys in class, but during committee meetings and the once-a-week after-school activities, she started to converse with me frequently.

At first, we exchanged only a word or two, being polite to each other.

After a month or two, we started talking about things like studying, club activities, our middle school days, and hobbies, and gradually, he began greeting me in the morning and chatting with me in the classroom as well.

As summer vacation began, and after finishing the summer course (since it was a preparatory school, there were morning classes until the end of July, even during summer vacation), I was called to a stop by her as I was about to head home.

“I have something I’d like to talk to you about. Could you stay in the classroom for a little while?”

“Yeah, got it.”

At that time, I just lightly agreed, thinking that maybe there was something bothering him, like studies or relationships.

As I waited, watching the people walking in the schoolyard from the classroom window, all the other classmates left, and only the two of us remained.

When she came over to me, she started talking.

“I like you, Yamashiro-kun. Please go out with me.”

“Huh? What?!!!”

When I was so surprised that I couldn’t help but shout loudly, she turned bright red and looked down.

“Sorry! I was surprised! But that ‘sorry’ wasn’t for that!”

・・・・

“Um… nice to meet you,” *bows*

When I hurriedly replied with my consent, she looked up, placed her hands together on her chest, and murmured softly, “I’m glad.” Seeing her at that moment reminded me of her during the exam results announcement.

From this day on, my high school life was absolutely fantastic.

I was confessed to by a girl I fell in love with at first sight, and we became a couple, spending time together happily without hiding it from those around us.

Both she and I are each other’s first loves, and although we don’t openly flirt in the classroom because it’s embarrassing, we often communicate through eye contact and gestures. During these interactions, when she pretends to be angry and puffs out her cheeks, she’s irresistibly cute, and I sometimes tease her on purpose to see that reaction.

Usually, she has a calm demeanor, but when she occasionally becomes a bit spoiled or sulky, it’s so cute that I fall more and more for her. I, on my part, usually try to act cool and gentlemanly, but when it’s just the two of us, I sometimes let myself be a little spoiled too.

Even after being placed in different classes for two years, their relationship remained unchanged.

We were both inexperienced and a bit shy, but after dating for a year, we had gone through all the usual experiences. I started calling him Masaki-kun instead of Yamashiro-kun, and he started calling me Madoka instead of Kojima-san.

My parents also liked Madoka, and Madoka’s parents were also good to me.

When we reached our third year and started discussing our future paths, we agreed that we wanted to go to the same school, so we decided to apply to the same department at three private universities in our hometown.

In the third year, they were placed in the same class again, and most of the time they spent together was dedicated to studying, working together to prepare for their entrance exams.

I also went to the exam venue together.

After finishing the entrance exam for my first-choice university, I was on the train home, reminiscing about the high school entrance exam.

When I talked to Madoka about the high school entrance exam and the announcement of the results, Madoka didn’t remember the exam but did remember the announcement of the results.

“At that time, I went to see the results by myself, and a boy I didn’t know bowed to me and it felt like he was congratulating me on passing. I was really happy but also embarrassed.”

“I see. I was so happy to see her again, and I was thrilled that she passed and we could go to the same high school. And of course, she was so cute that I couldn’t help but stare. When our eyes met, I got embarrassed and, trying to hide my shyness, I instinctively bowed my head.”

“So you were celebrating my passing after all.”

“I wonder if that’s how it will be.”

“It would be great if we could both get accepted into the same university.”

“That’s right.”

In the end, both of them were able to pass all the universities they took the entrance exams for.

During the spring break between passing the entrance exam and starting school, we spent time together as if to release the stress we had held back during our studies.

Whether it was because of that or if it was just her nature, I think Madoka was quite proactive when it came to sex.

Usually, I act seriously and never show that kind of feeling, but she invites me every time.

When I thought that gap was something only I could see, I felt really happy and also excited.