Epilogue – Shimizu-san and I
“Let’s go back to the classroom too.”
A few minutes after the Senpai left, Shimizu-san and I were still at the back of the gymnasium.
“Why are you acting like nothing happened after saying sothing like that? And how did you even know I was here in the first place?”
I don’t understand what Shimizu-san ans by “sothing like that,” but I can answer the latter question.
“To be honest, I didn’t know you were here. But if it was a confession, it would likely happen in a place where no one else would co, so I checked various places where people wouldn’t usually go. Then when I ca near here, I heard a scream, and I thought it might be you, so I ca to check.”
“…I didn’t tell you about the confession.”
“I heard it from Ai-san. Ai-san was really worried about you, Shimizu-san.”
I report to Ai-san that I found Shimizu-san and that everything is okay. Ai-san quickly replied with relief, saying that she had read the ssage.
“Ai… got it, but why did you co looking for ? You could have just waited in the classroom.”
“I was worried about you.”
“About what? “
“I thought Shimizu-san might be in danger.”
Although I only heard bits and pieces from Ai-san, it seed that there was a real possibility of harm coming to Shimizu-san.
“You shouldn’t have bothered with that. Even if sothing happened, it would have been my responsibility.”
“I couldn’t just leave that alone.”
“Why not?”
Why do you ask such an obvious question?
I feel like I need to clearly express my feelings to Shimizu-san here.
“Maybe more than you think, Shimizu-san, I care about you. If sothing were to happen to you and you got hurt, I would definitely regret it.”
“Ughh…”
Shimizu-san’s face turns redder than before.
“Wh-what are you talking about so suddenly!”
“I an, you’re an important person for …”
“What do you an by that?!”
For so reason, Shimizu-san seed excited.
“When Senpai asked , I’ve been thinking about it again. What exactly is our relationship? We’re classmates, but it’s more than that. But maybe Shimizu-san doesn’t think of us as friends. So when I thought about how I feel about Shimizu-san, the phrase ‘important person’ just felt right.”
I finished my answer, but Shimizu-san did not reply.
“Um… Shimizu-san?”
“How about as a mber of the opposite sex…”
Shimizu-san’s voice is barely audible, and she seems a little disappointed.
“Sorry. Can you say that again?”
“Don’t worry, I was talking to myself.”
“Uh, okay. I understand.”
To be honest, I’m quite curious about this, but it’s kind of hard to ask Shimizu-san, whose tension is visibly lowered.
“I see, I understand now why you ca here. If things were going to turn out like this, I shouldn’t have dyed my hair back to its original color.”
Shimizu-san laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Did you dye your hair blonde because you didn’t want to be confessed to?”
“Did I not ntion that?”
“No, you didn’t. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.”
Shimizu-san thinks for a mont.
“I guess it’s okay if it’s you. You might find it surprising, but I used to be quite popular until junior high school.”
“You’re beautiful, Shimizu-san, and it’s fun to be with you, so it’s not surprising.”
I was not shocked because I had heard a little about her from Ai-san as well.
“…Don’t interrupt the story.”
Although Shimizu-san is giving a piercing glare, I don’t feel as intimidated as usual.
This may have sothing to do with the fact that her face is tinged with vermilion. She looks a little embarrassed rather than angry.
“Well, anyway, I asked everyone about the reason for confessing every ti, and they all said it was love at first sight or that they liked my appearance. That ans they’re judging solely based on my looks, right?”
Shimizu-san had an indescribable expression on his face.
“Shimizu-san… “
“That’s why I changed my hair color to blonde in high school because I didn’t want to be confessed to by people who judge solely based on my looks.”
“Shimizu-san, didn’t you always have golden hair? “
I can’t hide my surprise at her shocking revelation.
“No. I had black hair until junior high school.
I imagine Shimizu-san during our middle school days.
There’s a strange sense of familiarity when I picture her wearing the uniform of the middle school I attended.
“Oh? “
What’s wrong?”
Why do I feel like I’ve seen Shimizu-san wearing our middle school uniform sowhere before?
“Did Shimizu-san go to the sa junior high school as ?”
“That’s sudden. I’ve already told you before.”
“Is that so?”
“I’m not sure if we talked about it before or not. Honestly, I don’t rember.”
“I don’t know if that’s why. I thought I had t Shimizu-san in junior high school. “
“Did you rember?”
Shimizu-san grabbed my shoulders and leaned closer to my face.
“Wait, you’re a little too close, Shimizu-san! Rembered what? “
When Shimizu-san hears my words, she releases her hand from my shoulder.
“No, if you don’t rember, it’s fine. We went to the sa middle school, so we might have t sowhere in junior high school.”
Shimizu-san’s face when she said that looked sowhat lonely. I couldn’t find the right words to say, but I didn’t want Shimizu-san to have that expression.
I slapped my face with both hands.
“What are you doing?”
Shimizu-san looked at curiously.
I strain my brain and try to recall my mories.
Even though the present Shimizu-san looks slightly different in appearance and atmosphere, if I had t Shimizu-san in the past, I shouldn’t have completely forgotten.
“Why are you staring at with such serious eyes?”
“Ah, sorry.”
I seed to have unconsciously been staring at Shimizu-san’s face.
“Anyway, even if you worry about , If you’re not careful, you’ll be in danger too… “
“I think soone said that to before… “
[If you’re not careful, you’ll be in danger too]
I hear a voice echoes in my head.
That’s right. I rember having a mory of soone worrying about , just like Shimizu-san now.
When was that? I think it was still in middle school…
“Hondō?”
Right, it was when I was in the third year of middle school.
The mories from the past suddenly co back vividly.
“Hey, Hondō, can’t you hear ? “
I snap out of it. I was so absorbed in rembering that I didn’t respond to Shimizu-san’s voice.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought. Anyway, by the way, do you think we might have t in our third year of middle school, Shimizu-san?”
“You rember that ti? “
“I actually just rembered it.”
When we first t in middle school, her way of speaking and atmosphere was different.
Even though we had been together for over a year, I honestly didn’t realize it.
It’s possible that it’s partly because her hair color was different until recently too.
“…It’s a little late to notice it.”
“But why didn’t you tell that we had t in middle school? You rembered , right, Shimizu-san?”
“Because that would have been embarrassing… “
“Embarrassing? “
I wonder what was embarrassing about it. Looking back, I don’t think Shimizu-san in middle school was that much different in her overall appearance or personality.
“That only I still rember that I was helped by Hondō, it’s like I’m one-sidedly concerned about you…”
“I don’t think that’s the case. Besides, even if I helped you, it wasn’t anything significant at that ti…”
“That’s not true!”
Shimizu-san shouted loudly.
“That’s not true! Even back then and this ti, you saved . If you hadn’t co both tis, it could have been a serious situation. I couldn’t say it back then… um… that…”
The next words couldn’t co out. I intended to wait until Shimizu-san finished speaking. And the mont I was waiting for ca sooner than I thought.
” … Thank you.”
It wasn’t a loud voice, but I heard it clearly.
Those simple words of gratitude surprisingly shook my heart.
I don’t know what this feeling is. It’s frustrating because I can’t express it well. It is sothing that has never occurred to before.
” … Say sothing.”
While I was trying to sort out my feelings, Shimizu-san looked at anxiously. I had to say sothing quickly, even if it was awkward.
“I’m really glad.”
“What for?”
“For being able to help you, Shimizu-san. The things I’ve done so far have been purely self-satisfaction, so I haven’t really cared about how the other person felt. But if what I’ve done so far has been of even a little help, then I’m glad. Thank you, Shimizu-san.”
“Fufu, what are you thanking for?”
Shimizu-san gives a soft smile. It might be the first ti I’ve seen Shimizu-san smile like that.
“Could it be that Shimizu-san is actually cute?”
“W-what’s the matter with you all of a sudden? And why the question mark?!”
I blurted out words that I myself didn’t understand why they ca out. What is wrong with ?
The smile from a mont ago has disappeared. Shimizu-san’s face is now turning bright red, whether from anger or embarrassnt.
“Calm down, Shimizu-san.”
“You think I can calm down? You suddenly say I’m cute, are you making fun of ?”
“I’m not making fun of you. I just let slip what I had thought for a mont… Well, anyway, I wouldn’t say sothing like ‘cute’ as a joke at a ti like this.”
” …Muu, did you an it when you said I’m cute?”
“Yes. I genuinely thought Shimizu-san was cute, so I said it.”
“Uuu…”
Having co this far, there’s no turning back. I can only hope that Shimizu-san believes that I said it genuinely.
Shimizu-san’s face is still dyed vermilion as he stares at .
Shimizu-san’s face, staring at intently, remains stained vermillion.
” … If you insist, I got it.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“All right, this is the end of this conversation.”
“Okay.”
I don’t know how things ended up like this, but our argunt has co to a safe conclusion.
“Well, shall we go back to the classroom soon?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
I wonder how much ti has passed since we ca to the back of the gymnasium. We’ve been here for quite a while, so Toshiya might be a little worried about .
Just as I was about to leave, I rembered that there was still a question I hadn’t asked.
“By the way, can I ask you sothing that has been bothering ? “
“What is it?”
“Why did you dye your hair black again, even though you had it dyed blonde?”
I asked that question once before when she dyed your hair black, but I rember not receiving an answer at that ti. But now, perhaps Shimizu-san will tell the reason.
“That’s… “
“That’s?”
She hesitates. So there is a aning behind returning the hair to black.
“…I’ll tell you when the ti cos.”
“When will that ‘ti’ be when you’ll tell ?”
“…That ti is when that ti cos!”
With those words, Shimizu-san suddenly started running away.
“Wait a minute, Shimizu-san! “
I started running after Shimizu-san, and we ended up running all the way back to the classroom.
*****
TN: To be continued in Volu 2.
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