Shimizu Sisters’ Love Talk 4
One day after school, during my first year of high school, I went back to the classroom to retrieve sothing I had forgotten.
I thought there would be hardly anyone left in the classroom by the ti I arrived, considering so ti had passed since I left the school.
“By the way, Toshiya, are you free today? “
I stopped opening the door and instinctively bent down as I heard a familiar voice.
“Yeah, I’m off from club activities today, so it’s no problem.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
（Why are those two left of all people? Now, it’s hard for to enter the classroom.)
From the voices coming from inside, it seems that Hondō and Matsuoka are the only two who are still in the classroom. They did not seem to notice outside the classroom.
When I entered high school, I was placed in the sa class as Hondō, and since I had not had a chance to talk with Hondō since junior high school, I only found out for the first ti during the entrance ceremony that we had entered the sa high school.
At first, we were seated far apart and did not interact with each other, but after a few seat changes, I coincidentally ended up sitting next to Hondo. What I realized through our conversations was that Hondo thought he was eting for the first ti in high school.
It’s either he had forgotten the incident in junior high school, or he thought I was a different person now that I had dyed my hair. Sowhat frustrated, I did not tell him that we had t in junior high school.
But Hondō talked to every day, even though my classmates were afraid of and kept their distance. I always wondered what Hondō thought of .
“I’ve been wondering, Daiki, aren’t you afraid of Shimizu-san?”
“Afraid of Shimizu-san? Why is that?”
“Because she dyed her hair gold even though school rules forbid it, and she stares at when we make eye contact, it’s scary. Besides, I’ve heard many rumors that she’s doing sothing bad.”
(Matsuoka, you have the audacity to say whatever you want to Hondō just because I’m not around…)
Though the first two statents are true, so I can’t argue with that.
I was fine with Matsuoka saying whatever he wanted, but I didn’t want to hear the sa kind of comnts from Hondō, so I turned my back to the classroom door to leave.
“I don’t think Shimizu-san is scary.”
Hondō’s words stopped in my tracks.
“Why do you think so? “
“Shimizu-san is a bit difficult to understand, but I think she’s a kind person.”
“Is that so? “
Matsuoka seems to be genuinely doubtful from the bottom of his heart.
“Yeah. Whenever I talk to Shimizu-san, she always responds properly to . Despite her appearance being a bit flashy, she’s a good person once you get to know her.”
“Maybe it’s just because Daiki thinks everyone is a good person?”
Hondō’s comnt didn’t seem to alleviate Matsuoka’s wariness toward .
“It’s not like that. Toshiya doesn’t know this, but Shimizu-san always helps when I’m cleaning in class. I think Shimizu-san cares about others.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“It’s just a bad rumor that’s spreading on its own, but if you talk to Shimizu-san, she’s much kinder and funnier than people think.”:
I had no idea that Hondō felt that way about . I had thought that he would smile and talk to on the outside, but behind my back, he would be afraid of like the rest of our classmates.
But I was wrong. Hondō did not judge only by my appearance or my atmosphere, but he tried to look at from the inside.
“If Daiki says so, it might be true. Still, I don’t agree with you she’s that interesting.”
“Toshiya should talk to Shimizu-san and you will understand. Besides, Shimizu-san is―”
――My face suddenly grew warm.
――I could feel my heartbeat quickening.
I felt like I shouldn’t stay here any longer… Forgetting why I ca back here, I dashed into the hallway.
* * * *
“…And that is why I beca interested in Hondō.”
Ai, who had been listening silently, suddenly started clapping her hands. It’s eerie, like a doll had suddenly co to life.
“Bravo! I’m glad, it was really wonderful! He doesn’t judge you only by your looks but by what’s inside of you. True Love! This made all of Arica shed tears.”
(TN: The phrase “これは全米が涙しましたわ” is a Japanese expression often used humorously to exaggerate the emotional impact of a situation. It translates to “This made all of Arica shed tears.” It’s not ant to be taken literally but rather as a playful and exaggerated statent.)
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Sorry-sorry. But I really thought Daiki-kun was a good boy. To be honest, the blonde Kei-chan before was indeed a bit hard for other people to approach. As a big sister, I’m quite happy to know that there was soone who looked at Kei seriously.”
“Don’t be so serious all of a sudden.”
“You’re being unreasonable! “
I thought the sa, but whenever my usually carefree sister said sothing sensible, it threw off.
“Anyway, we talked a lot about Hondō, so you must be satisfied.”
“Yes. Kei’s youthful, naked love talk rejuvenated my heart.”
“That’s good to hear. Now go back.”
“What?! Why are you suddenly being cold? It’s so cold I think I’m going to catch a cold. Achoo――”
“Shut up. You’ve already accomplished your purpose.”
In the first place, Ai ca to my room to ask about Hondō. Now that she has achieved her goal, she no longer needs to be here. The clock had already struck eleven, and it was about ti to sleep.
“I want to hear more sweet stories, like if Daiki-kun surprised you recently or if you felt uneasy when you saw Daiki-kun talking to another girl. I want to talk more about love with Kei.”
“Don’t arbitrarily assu I’ll be easily surprised or feel uneasy. Leave.”
“No-no. I don’t want to go back to my room. I want to hear more about Kei. Maybe sothing like the mories you have with Daiki-kun. I still want to talk about love with Kei!”
At the age of seventeen, Ai still seems to be going through her rebellious phase. I can’t help it. It seems like the ti to unleash the secret weapon has co .
“Love talk isn’t sothing that only one person does, right? I want to hear how far you and Yosuke have progressed, what you like about him, when you beca aware of him as a mber of the opposite sex, and so on. You’ll tell , too, right? “
Ai’s gaze wanders around.
“Oops, I forgot that I have an assignnt to finish by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow is Saturday.”
” …Oops, this is no good. I’m getting sleepy all of a sudden. It’s a real sha, but let’s save the love talk for another ti.”
“Are you trying to escape?”
“Escape sounds bad; let’s call this a strategic retreat. I’ve done what I set out to do. Well then, Adieu.”
With that, Ai returned to her own room.
“You always co and go like a storm.”
In the quiet room, I muttered to myself.
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