A month passed as spring continued and the Sakura trees still blossomed. Today was the first day I entered my high school. After waking up and stretching my body a bit, I changed into my school uniform.
After getting dressed, I went downstairs where my sister was preparing breakfast. She started attending college today.
"Good morning, onee-chan," I greeted her. "Good morning, Akemi-chan," she replied.
"You're up early today, huh?" she said.
"Well, it's my first day in high school. I just can't wait to see how the environment is there. I also need to prepare myself for 'that.'"
"That? Oh, you mean the entrance ceremony speech you mentioned earlier," she said.
"Yes, that's it. For some reason, it makes me a bit nervous... giving a speech in front of unfamiliar faces for the first time. But I'll give it my best," I said.
A few days ago, I got a call from my high school asking me to give the entrance ceremony speech since I was chosen as the new student representative for scoring the highest mark on the entrance exam.
"That's the spirit, Akemi-chan! Keep it up!" my sister replied while taking a cooked meal to the table to join me for breakfast.
After finishing breakfast with her, I stepped out through my house's entrance, putting on my school shoes. Then I looked at my late mother's photo displayed there and said, "Mom, I'll be going now."
I then called out to my big sister: "Onee-chan, I'm going now!!"
"Have a good day!!!" she called out from the living room.
After that, I made my way to school.
As I arrived in front of my school grounds, I thought: This is it. My high school life is starting today. I hope my high school life is better than my junior high was.
Then, I walked into the school area and went to the information board area where many first-year students had gathered. I pushed into the crowd to find my class.
I searched for my name in the list and found it in class 1B. Then I noticed Hikaru-kun's name below my name in the list.
Yes, he's in the same class as me! I was thrilled to be in the same class as Hikaru-kun again.
After that, I left and headed toward the school building. Before going to my classroom, I stopped at the Student Council office first to discuss my speech for today's ceremony. After done, I walked to my classroom.
As I neared my classroom, I bumped into someone in the first-year corridor. The impact sent both of us to the ground. The cookies I was holding fell.
"I'm so sorry!" I apologized.
He picked up the cookies and handed them to me: "Don't worry about it. Here, your cookies."
"Thank you," I replied, inspecting the pack. I felt relieved that they didn't break.
"Then, please excuse me," I said, bowing to him before leaving for my classroom. Ah, this is so embarrassing…
As I entered the classroom, it was already buzzing with activity. Most of the students were seated, chatting with each other. I sat at my seat place and turned my sight toward the window, and found out Hikaru-kun was sitting at his seat place beside the window while talking with the guy who had bumped into me earlier.
Then, I heard my female classmates chatting excitedly about Hikaru-kun.
Is he already famous? From what I could see, none of these girls were from my previous school.39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ocUhHZYXM
Has Hikaru-kun's fame reached other schools too? I thought as I saw the girls keep waving and greeting him enthusiastically.
Geez, these girls. I can't let them get close to him. I'll deal with them later, I thought, a bad intention emerging as I felt envy toward them.
After that, I approached Hikaru-kun and struck up a conversation, then gave Hikaru-kun the cookies I'd brought.
"Wow, these are so delicious! Looks like you've really improved since last year," Hikaru-kun said after tasting one.
"Hehe, thanks for saying that! I've been practicing to make them even better," I replied with a pleased smile.
Suddenly, an announcement came over the speakers:
"To all first-year students, please gather in the school gymnasium for the entrance ceremony."
It's time already. I'd better prepare myself, I thought.
All the first-year students headed to the school gymnasium. The gymnasium was packed with fresh faces, none of whom I recognized. Giving a speech in front of so many people made me a bit nervous.
The ceremony began with the MC starting the proceedings, followed by a speech from the student council president:
"I hope the next three years of your high school lives will be fulfilling. This is your student council president, Hikawa Nana." The student council president ended her speech.
The MC continued, "And now, a speech from the first-year student representative, Minato Akemi."
"Yes," I replied. It's my turn now, I thought as I walked to the stage. Keep calm, Akemi. Everyone is watching you—Hikaru-kun too. Don't make any mistakes.
As I reached the podium, I opened my speech paper and took a breath before beginning:
"Fellow freshmen, today marks the beginning of our high school journey here.
I continued giving my speech based on what I had written on my speech paper, with the confidence I had.
………."And last but not least, to the teachers and seniors, we hope you will watch over and guide us new students. Thank you."
"First-year representative, Minato Akemi."
As I ended my speech, I received applause from the audience as my speech went well without any mistakes. After that, I returned to my seat, I looked at Hikaru-kun, and he gave me a big smile. I smiled back and nodded.
After the ceremony, we returned to our classroom. Some of my classmates approached me and complimented me on my speech.
"Nice speech, Minato-san!" "Yeah, you looked great and very confident!"
"So expected from our representative!" "If it was me, I’m not sure I’d do well like you!"
"Haha, thank you guys. It was just a speech—nothing that big of a deal," I replied.
Then Hikaru-kun entered the classroom. I called him and made him stop at my seat.
"Hey Hikaru-kun, how was my speech?"
"It was great, really wonderful. So unexpected from you, Akemi," Hikaru-kun said.
"Hehe, thanks, Hikaru-kun!" I said, clinging to his arm suddenly.
"Hey, stop it! Everyone is watching!" Hikaru-kun said, trying to pull away. I just laughed playfully. I want to show them Hikaru-kun is mine.
"Wait, you two know each other?" one of them asked.
"Yeah, we went to the same junior high and she was my classmate for the last two years too," Hikaru-kun explained.
"I see, that’s why you two seem so close," they said.
As days passed, I got used to my new school. My classmates chose me as class representative since they saw me as an honor student due to my entrance exam results. I also managed to get along with everyone and make close friends. All of them were nice—no one had a bad attitude like Misaka back then.
Besides that, my relationship with Hikaru-kun stayed the same. We acted like before, even after my failed confession months ago. If some girl tried to make a move on Hikaru-kun, I quietly sabotaged them without they notice.
Everything ran smoothly… but my happiness didn't last long as I expected….
A month passed and May arrived; a week had passed since Golden Week. I was walking alone to school as usual.
On the way, I thought about giving him the new cookies I had just learned to make yesterday from the book I bought. I wondered if Hikaru-kun would like them. As I reached the school entrance, I saw Hikaru-kun talking with someone.
I immediately hid behind the nearest tree and thought, Hikaru-kun is talking with someone?
"Who is that?" I tried looking at the girl talking to Hikaru-kun.
Hmm, that long black hair looks familiar.
Wait a minute, is that Misaka? Why is she here? I thought she went to another school? I was shocked to see that girl here.
No, no way Misaka is here... also Hikaru-kun is smiling at her. No way Hikaru-kun forgave Misaka already…
I moved closer to get a better look at her, and it turned out the girl wasn't Misaka but someone else.
Fuh, I thought she was her. Looks like I misidentified that girl as Misaka. It really surprised me. Is it just me or does that girl resemble Misaka?
But who is she? I've never seen that girl here before. Is she a transfer student? I thought.
"Oh, that girl is leaving. Hikaru-kun is alone now—this is my chance to ask about her!" I approached Hikaru-kun and greeting him. "Hikaru-kun, good morning!"
"Oh, Akemi, good morning," he replied.
"Who was that girl you were talking with earlier?" I asked.
"Oh, you saw us? She's a transfer student who started today. She got lost, so I showed her the way. That's all," Hikaru-kun explained.
I see, just a lost student. I thought she was trying to make a move on Hikaru-kun. I let out a sigh of relief.
"But her appearance really resembles hers, right?" Hikaru-kun said.
Wait, Hikaru-kun thinks the same? That girl does look a little like Misaka.
"You mean Misaka?" I asked. Hikaru-kun nodded.
"But from what I saw, this girl looks better than her," Hikaru-kun added, blushing.
"Ah, forget what I said! Let’s go to class," he said before walking with me.
As we walked, I thought: Hikaru-kun blushed earlier… Is he falling for that girl?
After I entered my class and took my seat, I heard some male classmates talking:
"Hey, did you hear about that new girl who just transferred here today?"
"Really, what does she look like?" "She's such a beauty too."
"What class is she in?" "From what I heard, she’s in Class 1F."
"The same as Sakamoto-san, right?" "Also, Shimizu-san—we must be careful."
"Oh, you mean that delinquent girl?"
From their conversation, the new girl was in Class 1F, the same class as Sakamoto-san.
This is not good because Hikaru-kun sometimes goes there too, since his close friend Zul is there. I’d better keep a close eye on them later.
As lunch break started, I was having lunch with my close friend when I saw Hikaru-kun leave our classroom and go somewhere else.
At first, I just let him go since that was Hikaru-kun's business, but the more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt.
Getting curious about that, I quickly finished my lunch before I decided to go to Class 1F.
As I arrived at Class 1F, I hid behind the wall outside and watched from afar as Hikaru-kun and his friend Zul sat together with the transfer student. They were having a fun conversation together. Even Hikaru-kun was smiling while talking with her. It had been a while since I'd seen Hikaru-kun smile like that—the last time was when we were eating together with Misaka.
What is this? Just on her first day, she's already getting along with Hikaru-kun? Who does she think she is? I was shocked, then clenched my fist and gritted my teeth. A feeling of anger was about to explode inside me. While I kept watching them, someone suddenly spoke to me from behind.
"Do you need something here?" a voice said behind me. I turned around to face a girl who looked like a delinquent, with red hair.
I was shocked by her presence and thought, Erk, what's with this girl? She looks scary... Is this the delinquent Shimizu they were talking about earlier?
"Hey, do you want something in my class?" she asked again. Scared of her, I replied shakily, "Umm, the new... girl... who just transferred today... can you tell me her name...?"
"Oh, her? Her name is Mizuha. Do you need something from her? I can call her for you," she said, offering to help.
"No, it's nothing. Please excuse me," I said, then left the corridor and returned to my own classroom.
I see, so her name is Mizuha... I thought, getting furious about this girl.
Since that day, Hikaru-kun disappeared during lunch break to go to Class 1F every day, unlike before when he only went sometimes.
It left me with less time to talk and be around Hikaru-kun. This is so frustrating. What charm did she use to attract Hikaru-kun so much? What does that girl have that I don't? Sometimes I went to Class 1F during lunch break to watch their interactions, like when I used to stalk Hikaru-kun in junior high. It seemed I had returned to my old routine.
Recently, Mizuha and her friends started eating lunch on the rooftop, which made it harder for me to observe them as often as before. Mizuha’s circle also keep growing as more people joined her one by one.
Even that delinquent girl from before, Shimizu, the shy one like Sakamoto-san, and the quiet Zul joined them. I never expected they would get along. Is Mizuha a magnet for friendship?
One day, as I returned from the teacher's office after delivering exercises for my class as class rep, I found two girls collecting scattered papers from the floor in a panic.
As I approached them to help, I was shocked to see a familiar face. It was Sakamoto-san and that girl - Mizuha. After seeing her there, I didn't really want to help them, but my instincts kicked in and I had to.
I approached them and said, "Let me help you guys," I said and started collecting papers for them.
After gathering all the papers, I handed the stack to Mizuha, saying, "Here are your papers."
Mizuha bowed her head slightly, gratitude evident in her voice. "Thank you so much."
"It's no problem," I replied with a fake smile, then pretended to just notice Sakamoto-san.
"Eh, Sakamoto-san! It's been a while. Are you doing well?"
"Umm, I'm... okay... doing well... thank you," Sakamoto-san replied in her usual shy tone.
I chuckled softly. "You're still as shy as before, huh? Okay, I need to return to my class. Please be careful, you two," I said, preparing to leave.
Mizuha bowed her head once more. "Once again, thank you so much."
That was my first time meeting Mizuha and actually talking to her.
From what I could see, she spoke politely and had good manners—she somehow reminded me of how I used to be. But I still needed to know more about her.
I then talked to Hikaru-kun, who had run into Mizuha after that incident. Hikaru-kun thanked me for helping both of them earlier.
After school, I walked home with Hikaru-kun since he was walking alone today—not with Mizuha like usual. It had been a while since we'd walked together like this.
We were talking with each other before I accidentally slipped and mentioned Misaka, comparing Mizuha to her. Hikaru-kun's expression turned serious and he begged me not to bring up that name again. I apologized immediately.
Suddenly, my stomach growled, making me blush with embarrassment. This made Hikaru-kun laugh, and his serious expression from earlier faded away. He offered to treat me to a family restaurant like before, which I happily accepted.
The next day, as lunch break arrived and Hikaru-kun was about to leave for the rooftop, I approached him and asked if I could join them. In reality, I just wanted to get close to them to learn more about Mizuha. At first, he hesitated, feeling uneasy about bringing me along, but then he changed his mind and agreed.
As we headed to the rooftop, Hikaru-kun walked so fast that I struggled to keep up.
When we arrived, I called out, "Wait for me, Hikaru-kun! Why are you walking so fast?"
Mizuha and the others were already there, and Hikaru-kun was being scolded by Shimizu for being late.
As I appeared behind Hikaru-kun, Mizuha and the others stared in surprise. Shimizu asked about me. Hikaru-kun introduced me to both Shimizu and Mizuha, since Sakamoto-san and Zul already knew me. Mizuha recognized me from yesterday and thanked me again.
I started talking with them, but noticed both Sakamoto-san and Zul seemed uneasy with my presence. Mizuha first called me "Minato-san," but I said it was okay to call me "Akemi." Soon she was calling me Akemi-chan like my classmates, and I called her Mizuha-chan in return.
Then Mizuha offered everyone tamagoyaki she'd made after learning from Sakamoto-san. Everyone complimented it, including me.
Then something unexpected happened—Mizuha suddenly picked up a piece with her chopsticks and turned toward Hikaru-kun. Wait, is she going to feed him? I can't let this happen!
When Hikaru-kun hesitated but then leaned forward, I quickly snatched the tamagoyaki from Mizuha's chopsticks. "Mmm... so delicious!" I exclaimed, pretending to enjoy it.
Both froze, staring at me in shock. "Ah, sorry, was I interrupting something? Teehee," I said with a mischievous grin. See that, Mizuha? With me here, you won't get to feed him. That's my privilege.
After the awkward moment passed, we continued lunch. When we finished, I thanked them for including me. Mizuha then asked to be friends, and we exchanged contact information - though my agreement was completely fake.
One day, I walked around the school to find Hikaru-kun after he left suddenly when lunch break started. Where are you, Hikaru-kun? Today, I haven’t given you my cookies yet.
When I reached the school garden, I finally saw him standing there.
There you are, Hikaru-kun. Now I can give him these cookies.
Just as I was about to approach him, I noticed Hikaru walking toward someone sitting on the nearest bench.
"Oh, Mizuha, there you are. I was looking for you," Hikaru-kun said.
It was that girl again—Mizuha.
"Oh, it’s you, Hikaru," Mizuha replied.
"What are you doing here?" Hikaru-kun asked, then sat on the bench beside her.
"It’s nothing special. I just wanted to draw the nature here. It looks beautiful to me," Mizuha said.
"I see, you were drawing. Hey, can you show me what you’ve done so far? I’d like to see it," Hikaru-kun said.
"Well, it’s not finished yet… but if you want to see it…" Mizuha hesitated before showing him her sketchbook.
"Wow, this is amazing, Mizuha! Your drawing looks so lively and real. I’ve never seen anything like this," Hikaru complimented her.
"Haha, I’m glad you like it. It’s not done yet, though. I’ll show you again when I finish it," Mizuha replied.
"Can’t wait to see it," Hikaru-kun said.
I froze watching their close conversation. Wait, she got talent in drawing too? I notice from far how the drawing look. Not just she reminds me of Misaka from looks - now she got same talent too. Am I seeing another Misaka right now?
Her drawing… it’s overshadowing the cookies I brought today. The jealousy inside me kept rising. I keep losing Hikaru’s interest to a girl who just transferred here a month ago.
Unable to stand watching them any longer, turned away and headed back to class, my heart heavy with sadness and disappointment.
Inside my class the cookies I hold dropped from my hands onto the floor. I decided to ignore it as I accept my defeat today. Then suddenly my classmate Takeru-kun picked them up before calling me out: "Hey Akemi-chan, you dropped your cookies, here I pick them for you."
I turned facing him and said: "Oh that? You can take it or throw into rubbish bin, I no need them anymore."
"Akemi-chan..." He looked worried about me. "No, I will eating this instead. I never throw it... thanks for this," he said.
"Ah, whatever you want," I said before returning to my seat place.
Then I avoided Hikaru for the rest of the day.
So, I lost to her today, but I still am not giving up yet just because of that.
Time passed, and then it was the last day before summer break. Today, we received our midterm exam results.
As expected, I got first place in my class. Most of my classmates congratulated me for it. Then my homeroom teacher said the overall rankings for the entire year were posted on the hallway information board.
My close friend asked me to stop there before we went to the cafeteria for lunch. When I arrived, many students were looking at the overall results.
I scanned the list intently. "Okay, let's see my rank for the first-year overall." My face suddenly fell. "What? I only got fourth place...?" I said, turning pale.
Then… who got first place? I quickly found the top name. Mizuha? I thought, confused.
No way, out of everyone, I lost to her...!?
Why... why did it have to be her and not me!!!
Then I heard nearby students talking about Mizuha, praising her for doing well on the midterm exam.
Damn, Mizuha! Not only did you try to take Hikaru-kun from me, you also stole my place as honor student! I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist.
Later, I went to the cafeteria with my friends. They offered to treat me for getting first place in class. As I lined up to buy a meal, Mizuha approached me and asked how I did on the exam.
I was upset by her question, especially after she'd taken my place earlier. Without looking at her, I replied coldly, "Why are you here? Is it important to you?"
Mizuha said, "But I... just wanted to ask you about it..."
"Enough!! Please get out of my sight now. I don’t want to talk to you," I replied.
Mizuha smiled sadly. "I see. That’s okay, I’m sorry for asking. Please excuse me." She left.
Take that! That’s what you get for messing with me, I thought as she walked away.
Summer break passed quickly after that. With just a few days left before returning for our second term, I reflected on how I’d spent most of my summer break at cram school.
Today, I went to a fireworks festival in our neighborhood with my big sister. It had been a while since we’d gone out together, as she was now busy with college. We both wore our yukatas for the occasion.
"Woah, so many people here today," my sister said.
"Yeah, you’re right. It’s so hard walking in this crowd," I replied.
"Okay, choose anything you want. I’ll treat you today," she offered.
"Really? Thanks, onee-chan!!" I replied.
As we walked, I spotted an apple candy stall. "That looks delicious," I said. "Onee-chan, over there! I want that apple candy!"
"No problem, anything for my little sister," she said before we went to buy it.
"It’s delicious, and so sweet," I said while tasting it. "Want to try some?" I offered some to my sister.
"Yeah, you’re right. It really is sweet," she agreed.
Then, my sister noticed the takoyaki stall. "Hmm, that takoyaki looks good. Many people are lining up to buy it. I should get some for Dad and Big Brother," she said.
"Akemi-chan, can you wait here? I want to buy takoyaki over there," she said.
"Sure, I’ll wait for you at that bench over there," I said, pointing to the nearest bench. My sister then joined the line at the takoyaki stall while I went to wait on the bench.
As I sat, my thoughts wandered: So many people here today… I can see some girls with their boyfriends… It would have been nice if Hikaru-kun was here too…
Suddenly, I noticed someone familiar. "Wait, is that... Hikaru-kun?" I murmured.
Is he alone? I wondered.Hikaru-kun looked uneasy, like he was looking for someone.
This is my chance... I should approach him now!
I grabbed his arm and said, "Found you, Hikaru-kun!"
"Akemi? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.
"Why am I here? Of course, to enjoy the festival! What’s wrong? Can’t I be here? It’s not just for you, you know," I replied.
"That’s not what I meant..." he said.
"Since you’re here, let’s play a game!" I said, clinging to his arm and pulling him toward a nearby shooting stall.
"Wait, Akemi, I need to—" he started, but I didn't let him finish and pulled him along.
At the stall, I asked, "What prize do you want? I’ll win it for you."
"Anything is fine," Hikaru said, but he seemed to be looking around, not focused on me.
"Then I’ll aim for that candy box," I said, taking the toy gun. I must win this game and give that to Hikaru-kun.
I focused on my target and fired. I missed my first shot, then tried the second and third shots.
Unfortunately, I didn't hit anything. I gave up on this game and decided to try another stall.
"This game is hard. Let’s try another one… Hikaru-kun?" I said, turning around.
I turned around to see Hikaru-kun was no longer there. "Hikaru-kun, where are you going?" I called out, scanning the area. Wait, you can’t just leave me like that! I thought.
Confused and frustrated, I began looking for Hikaru in the surrounding area but couldn’t find him.
I then returned to the bench, and my sister was there looking for me. It looked like she had finished buying the takoyaki.
"There you are, Akemi-chan. Geez, where did you go? I was looking all over for you," she said.
"Sorry for making you worry. I just went to the bathroom earlier," I lied.
"I see. I thought you had already left for home," she said with a laugh.
"No way I’d do that to you, geez," I replied.
"Sorry, sorry, I was just kidding," she replied.
Suddenly, the fireworks began.
"Akemi-chan, look at the fireworks! They’re starting!" she said, pointing at the sky.
I looked at the sky, amazed by the fireworks. "It’s so pretty…."
The fireworks launched, making the sky turn bright with a colorful flash.
Even though I was disappointed that Hikaru-kun had left, watching the fireworks with my big sister made me feel a bit better.
As the fireworks ended, my sister said, "It’s already over… huh."
"Yeah, it went by so quickly, but I really enjoyed it, I guess," I replied.
"Then, I think it’s time for us to go home… let’s go, Akemi-chan," my sister suggested.
"Yes, let’s go," I replied.
After that, we returned home together, and I went straight to my room. I lay on my bed, still excited after enjoying the festival with my sister. I hope we can do this again next year.
Then I checked my phone and found a message from my friend.
"Akemi-chan, did you enjoy the festival with your big sister?" she texted. "Yes, I really enjoyed it," I replied.
"I'm sorry I couldn't go with you today," she texted. "Don't worry about it, we can go again next year," I replied.
"Oh, one more thing. I actually saw Hikaru-kun earlier when I went to the convenience store."
"Also, do you want to see something interesting?" she texted.
"Yes, what is it?" I replied.
"Here," she replied, sending me a photo of Hikaru-kun carrying Mizuha piggyback.
What is this? Why is he carrying her on his back like this?
I see... The reason Hikaru-kun was looking around and left me earlier was this girl’s fault...
Why… Why must it be her, not me, Hikaru-kun…?
I… I can’t hold back my anger anymore… I won’t let her steal Hikaru-kun from me….
Looking at that photo made me extremely upset. My thoughts turned dark.
This girl again… Why she always gets in my way… I can’t accept this anymore.
I must do something when we return to school later. Time for a counterattack…
Just wait, Mizuha… I thought, smirking.
Three days later, when the rainy season started, we went back to school for the second term.
In the morning, I went to the bathroom before first period started. In the bathroom, I thought about my plan to sabotage Mizuha and make her stay away from Hikaru-kun.
Okay, first I need to break Mizuha's spirit by spreading bad rumors about her, but I have to protect my own reputation too—I can't spread them myself.
Then, I heard some students discussing something they were upset about.
I peeked at them and found it was this girl Kurumi and her friends. They were in the same class as Mizuha, Class 1F.
From what I heard, they also hate Mizuha because lately Hikaru-kun keeps hanging out with her so much that they can't get close to him.
I smirked before thinking, Wait a minute, I can use this girl to do the dirty work for me—make them spread bad rumors about Mizuha without getting my hands dirty. Okay, let's do this.
I approached them, and they looked surprised by my presence.
"Wait, you're Minato Akemi, right? From Class 1B, the one who gave the speech during our entrance ceremony. I've heard quite a bit about you."
"What do you want? Did you hear what we were talking about?" Kurumi asked.
"Yes, that's right, I heard everything you said earlier," I replied.
"Then what do you want? Are you gonna tell on us?" Kurumi asked, slowly approaching me.
"Not at all. How about I help you take her down so you can get Hikaru-kun?" I said.
"Wait, are you sure? You want to help us?" she asked.
"Of course, I'm always happy to help students with their problems. Besides, for some reason, I don't like that Yuki girl either," I said.
"What do you think? Do you want to work with me?" I asked, extending my hand.
She shook my hand. "Alright, I accept it..."
She asked about the plan and I whispered it to her. She smirked.
"Good, really good... You're so smart, Akemi... you've really helped us out... that's why you were the top student," she said with a chuckle.
"Okay, guys, let's do this during lunch break…" Kurumi suggested to her friends before they left to return to their classroom.
What idiots, they don't know that I'm actually using them… well, let's see if she can do her job or not… haha, I thought while smirking.
I returned to my classroom after that, and school continued.
When lunch break came, I noticed Hikaru-kun eating alone at his seat. Huh, that's weird. Why isn't he eating with his usual group? His face looks red too. I went over to find out.
"Hikaru-kun," I called out.
"Oh, it's you, Akemi," he replied.
"It's so rare to see you not eating with Mizuha-chan and her group. Are you fighting?" I asked.
"No, we're not. I'm just not feeling well today," he said.
"Oh, that explains why your face is red. You must have a cold," I said.
"A cold? No way, I'm fine," Hikaru insisted—then started coughing.
"See? You should go to the nurse's office. I'll tell the teachers," I said.
"Thanks, Akemi. I'll go now," Hikaru-kun said, heading out. Ah, I wanted to hang out, but he's sick, I thought.
As he left, I overheard classmates talking:
"Hey, did you hear? Yuki-san from Class 1F cheated on the midterm!"
"Really? Is that why she got first place?"
People started badmouthing Mizuha. I smirked. Good. Kurumi and her friends did well. Look like they suitable for doing this job for me. This was just the beginning of Mizuha's downfall as the rumor began to spread. I also heard that Kurumi argued with Shimizu and Zul right now—they defended Mizuha. Still, it wasn't enough; Mizuha still had her friends' support.
After school ended, I saw Mizuha walking with Takeru-kun while I was on my way home. Unaware of them, I silently followed them from behind and managed to take a photo of both of them together, Good, this might work. I chuckled before sending it to Kurumi for our next plan.
The next day, I met Kurumi and suggested a new rumor: that Mizuha was playing both Hikaru-kun and Takeru-kun—that Hikaru-kun wasn't enough for her, so she made a move on Takeru-kun too.
I also made Kurumi spread another rumor: that Mizuha was using Shimizu to force Hikaru-kun to get along with them.
It worked perfectly. The girls who liked Hikaru started avoiding Mizuha, ruining her reputation.
To avoid any suspicion, I pretended to support Mizuha. I met her and we talked—since Takeru-kun had begged me to.
When school ended, I happened to see Mizuha and Zul walking somewhere together. Just like yesterday, I managed to snap a photo of them while thinking of another way to spread more rumors about them.
The chaos continued the next day when Mizuha found out about Kurumi's plan to target her friend. They confronted each other in the bathroom, drawing a crowd.
I happened to be there watching. Then Shimizu, Zul, Takeru-kun, and Sakamoto-san showed up after hearing about it. I played innocent and explained the situation. Upset, Shimizu dragged Sakamoto-san and rushed into the toilet, pushing through the crowd.
To my shock, Hikaru-kun appeared—he was supposed to be absent with a cold. About ten minutes later, Kurumi and her friends left the toilet looking irritated, thanks to Shimizu’s interference. Once Kurumi was gone, I excused myself, saying I needed to see a teacher.
I was furious when I heard that Hikaru-kun and Takeru-kun had cleared up all the rumors right after I left. Thanks to them, the students now believed that the bad rumors surrounding Mizuha were fake.
I'm so upset—why is he defending her too? Why isn't this working like I planned?! This can't be happening; I won't allow this. Time for plan B.
Later, I met Kurumi on the rooftop to plan our next move. Unknown to us, someone overheard.
The next day, something I never expected happened—Kurumi suddenly apologized to Mizuha, looking completely shaken. What is that girl doing? Why is she giving up? She was supposed to carry out today’s plan!
Furious, I texted her: Meet me in the bathroom at lunch. We need to talk.
During lunch break, when I demanded to know why she quit, she said some unknown person had threatened her to stop—or she'd be their next target. I was confused and asked who it was, but Kurumi didn't seem to know.
I told Kurumi not to give up yet and said I had another plan, but she decided to quit and thanked me for helping before leaving.
Upset with Kurumi's decision, I gritted my teeth and kicked the bathroom door.
"Damn it! Why isn't my plan working?!" I seethed. "Too many people interfering... and Kurumi was useless. Just one warning and she already gave up? What a coward."
Taking a deep breath, I smirked.
"I need to come up with a new plan. Just wait, Mizuha... This isn't over. I'll make sure I take Hikaru-kun back from you," I chuckled darkly before leaving.
That evening, after school ended, I got a text from Shimizu telling me to meet her on the rooftop. It was rare for her to text me; I wondered what it was. I took my bag before moving to the rooftop to meet her as promised.
When I got there, I was surprised to see Zul instead of Shimizu. I asked him why he was there. Then he revealed that I was the one behind all the rumors and drama surrounding Mizuha this past week. I defended myself and said Zul was just making stuff up, but then Shimizu appeared and played a recording of my conversation on her phone.
My face turn pale heard that.
Tch, these two set me up, I thought.
Shimizu then forced me to confess since they had proof. Realizing I was trapped and couldn't do anything, I confessed everything. I showed them who I really was and dropped my nice act, but then Mizuha unexpectedly showed up with Sakamoto-san.
Mizuha asked me why I did all that, saying we were supposed to be friends. I told her that my friendliness was all fake—that I'd just been pretending. I also told her I did all this because she stole Hikaru-kun and my top student position from me, which made me hate her so much—especially since she looks like Hikaru-kun's ex, Misaka.
Shimizu then threatened to tell Hikaru-kun about this, but I didn't care anymore and told them to go ahead. But Mizuha stopped them. I didn't get why.
After everything I said to her, she still called me a friend. But I kept rejecting her and started crying from anger.
Then Mizuha told me how she felt—and said that we both had the same feelings for Hikaru-kun. I didn’t agree with her. I didn't agree with her. Upset, I told her not to compare herself to me because we're not the same—she had no idea how I really felt.
Annoyed by how naive she was acting, I got ready to leave, declared her my rival, and said, "Don't think this is over. I haven't given up on Hikaru-kun—not until I confess my feelings to him," I said before grabbing my bag and leaving. Mizuha tried to stop me to talk more, but I ignored her and headed straight home.
At home, lying on my bed, I thought back to my confrontation with Mizuha after declaring her my rival. Ugh, why was I crying over stupid stuff and talking like that? I probably looked like an idiot earlier. It was so embarrassing, I thought.
But I guess it was good since I got to tell her all my real feelings about Hikaru-kun. Somehow, I feel more relieved now.
I still haven't told him my true feelings. Even if he didn't accept them before, this time I'll make sure he gives me a real answer. Just you wait and see.
Back to the present,
A week had passed since then. We all acted normal, like nothing happened, since Mizuha kept her promise not to tell Hikaru-kun anything about what I did. But our relationship became cold since then.
When the last bell rang and I was cleaning up to go home, I saw Mizuha, Hikaru-kun, and their usual group standing there at corridor. Mizuha then stopped me suddenly and asked if I wanted to join them for karaoke.
What's with this girl? After everything I did to her last week, she still thinks I want to be friends with her? Why is she so naive? I thought, feeling uneasy about her invitation.
I was about to say no, but seeing Hikaru-kun there—and it looked like he wanted me to come—made me change my mind, so I accepted their invitation.
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To be continued…Amemonogatari XIV
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