◇ Mizushiro Hikari’s POV ◇
After Tomoe-chan casually dropped her verbal bomb, I instinctively turned to Yuuki for help (or to drag him into this). But at some point, he’d already put on his earphones and was focused on studying.
(You traitor…!)
I glanced back at Tomoe-chan. Her face was still beet red with embarrassment, but her eyes were sparkling.
(Yeah, no escape now…)
「Y-yeah, that’s right—we’re… a couple.」
It was embarrassing to say out loud since no one had directly asked before, but I managed to answer.
「Um, there’s something I wanted to ask… if that’s okay…」
Her voice was a little timid now, though her face remained red.
「Sure. What is it?」
「My parents set me up for an arranged marriage meeting… I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I just… don’t know what to do…」
「Ohh, so that’s what this is about. Hmm… well, I’ve never been in an arranged marriage either. Yuuki and I have just… always been together, since we were little. It kinda just felt natural. Like, if I was gonna marry someone, it could only be him.」
「W-wow… That’s such a strong decision… and really romantic…」
「Hmm… I guess there was one moment that made me really sure about my feelings, though.」
「If you don’t mind… I’d love to hear about it!」
Suddenly, Tomoe-chan was all fired up, practically leaning forward with excitement.
(Is she a fan of love stories? Well, I guess that’s pretty normal. Even in a prestigious girls’ school, people like the same things we do, huh…)
「So… this is kind of cliché, but… back in elementary school, I used to get teased a lot because I’m half-Japanese. Mostly by boys.」
「Ah! Like what you see in manga, right?」
「Exactly. That whole trope where boys tease the girl they like. But honestly, once someone starts bullying me, I’m not even gonna look at them romantically. Anyway, Yuuki always stood up for me. But then things got worse, and one day, he got pushed down the stairs.」
Tomoe-chan gasped. Her expression turned grim, probably from imagining someone she knows getting hurt—even if she didn’t know who did it.
「He was taken away in an ambulance. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything serious—just some scrapes and bruises. But I felt so guilty. I couldn’t face him. I started avoiding him, thinking he got hurt because of me… But Yuuki wouldn’t leave my side. No matter how much I tried to push him away or said mean things, he always told me: “Don’t worry about it, Hikari. I’m here because I want to be beside you.” …Isn’t that right, Yuuki?」
I gave a perfect killer pass to Yuuki, who’d been sneaking glances at us this whole time. But when I said that, he just shrugged and went:
「I don’t really remember that.」
Total lie.
So I leaned closer to Tomoe-chan and whispered,「He totally remembers, right?」
She replied just as quietly,「He absolutely does.」
Ahh, what a sweet kid. Cute.
「Anyway, ever since then, I’ve been totally head over heels for Yuuki.」
「By the way… what happened to that boy who pushed him?」
「Oh, that guy? He ran.」
「Huh? As in?」
「He transferred schools. His dad was a prefectural assemblyman. The whole thing got swept under the rug, and they paid Yuuki some hush money, then vanished. Fast.」
「That’s awful! What a terrible person!」
Tomoe-chan puffed up in indignation. So cute.
「Actually, there’s a bit more to the story…」
「Eh!? It doesn’t end there!?」
「Nope.」
「Wait, I don’t know about this part either?」
「Why wouldn’t you remember? It was him—the guy who confessed to me right after we transferred schools.」
「You got confessed to like every day back then… How would I remember…?」
「Hisazumi Kia.」
「……Wait, that guy!? Seriously!? But hold on, even if it’s him…?」
「Unbelievably, he didn’t remember anything. He just walked up to me all, ‘Nice to meet you~’ and started with a whole string of fake-sounding lines before confessing. I shot him down on the spot.」
Yuuki and Tomoe-chan both pulled faces like they’d just watched a tragedy unfold.
I felt that. I made the same face, I’m sure.
「He still tries to act overly familiar with me sometimes. Ugh. Just remembering that smug, fake smile gives me the creeps.」
I shuddered involuntarily at the thought.
Tomoe-chan must’ve sensed the mood, because she quickly tried to shift gears.
「But, still… that’s really romantic, you know? A love that bloomed from childhood and came true in the end…」
Poor girl. She was clearly trying to smooth things over, and I appreciated the effort.
「Yeah… Thanks. So, Tomoe-chan—what kind of person do you like?」
I tossed the question out casually, partly to change the topic and partly because I was curious.
Tomoe-chan paused to think, her expression a little serious.
「Well… someone like that guy you mentioned earlier? Definitely not my type.」
As she said that, I caught her glance fleetingly—just for a split second—at Yuuki.
Oh? Ohhh?
There’s a spark there. Maybe just a little, and maybe she hasn’t realized it herself yet, but… I see it.
「It’s okay, Tomoe-chan. You don’t have to overthink it too much.」
「No, but… I mean, it is a marriage meeting! I should at least figure out what kind of person I like!」
「Well, you haven’t even met the guy yet, right? If your image of an ideal partner is too rigid, it might just stress you out.」
「True… Maybe I’m overthinking it a little.」
「Just go meet him first. No pressure, okay?」
「Okay!」
After that, Tomoe-chan and I spent the rest of the time chatting happily until it was time for her ride to pick her up.
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