Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330653421290617/episodes/16817330655476007877
After school.
I was at a fashionable coffee shop with Himekane. The reason was about Sumeragi
“I’ve never been to a place like this before.”
“Really?”
“That’s it, isn’t it When you order, you have to order a drink with a name like a magic spell, right? Like a Chichin-Pui Frappuccino.”
“There’s a lot of prejudice”
I pick up the drink I ordered at the counter and sit down at an empty table in the restaurant. The one I ordered was the same as the Himekane, but with a longer name like a spell.
I told the waitress that I didn’t know how to order properly, so I told her that I wanted the same thing as hers. ……
“We’re offering a couple’s discount on this item right now, …….”
It was a strange misunderstanding, but it was an interesting aside.
“S-so,……about Sumeragi kun….how is it..?”
“Hmmm……zuzuzuzu.”
“No, don’t waste time drinking your drink, tell me already.”
“Do you need a drumroll?”
“Why do you think I need it?”
“So you’ll be prepared.”
“….. I-It’s all right. Say it.”
“You’re really covering your ears while you’re saying it.”
Himekane covered her ears with both hands and muttered, ‘I’m ready’. Either there is a pulse or there is no pulse – just like the nervousness of announcing the results of an entrance exam.
“……, no pulse.”
“……”
Himekane stopped all movement and lowered her blocked hand without effort, as if she had heard it even though she had covered her ears.
“I-I see. …… no pulse. ……”
“At any rate, the chances of you going out with Sumeragi seem pretty slim.”
“Gusagusagusagusa.” *Sfx receiving a blow to the heart
“You’ve just stabbed yourself in the mental side.”
“Y-you …..Isn’t there a little bit of care involved……?”
“I’d rather not get my hopes up. I’m not trying to be a nice person. I don’t care if you hate me.”
What is more important than that is keeping the promise to Sumeragi. To this end, I want to eliminate uncertainties as much as possible.
Himekane silently turns her head and sips her drink. I asked her, who must have been depressed, “Are you all right?” A moment later, she looked up with a start.
“Tazuna-kun!”
“Yes, I’m Tazuna.”
“Cooperate with me!”
“Cooperate? Cooperate with what?”
“You’re not very perceptive. I’m asking you to help me so that he and I can be together.”
“……”
I was taken aback.
“Aren’t you going to give up?”
“Hm~n, there’s no way I’m giving up just because of this!”
Saying that, Himekane smiled with the edges of her mouth lifted.
“…That’s surprising. I thought you would cry if you found out he had no pulse.”
“Me?”
“I was going to give you the handkerchief I used in the bathroom to comfort you.”
“I don’t want it!”
“I never thought you’d be able to laugh, let alone cry. It’s really surprising.”
When I praised her honestly, she smiled self-deprecatingly, “I don’t have any room for it.”
“I’m just sad to know that there’s no pulse. There are times when I feel like I’m going to get teary-eyed…but I won’t cry.”
“Why is that?”
“Because crying doesn’t mean you’ve lost. I hate losing, you know?”
“You mean you hate to lose?”
“….There was once a boy who was very mean to me.”
“……?”
Himekane suddenly started talking about the old days. I thought it was uncivil to interrupt, so I grabbed a drink and listened to her storytelling.
Himekane must have sensed my intention, because she continued, “Hehehe, thank you.”
“It was in kindergarten, when we had to put on a play for the school arts festival. I had to play the role of a princess.”
“Well, that’s a good role for you. Himekane is a beautiful girl.”
“When I was in kindergarten, there was no such thing as a pretty girl.”
“But you must have been very pretty.”
“What? Are you hitting on me? But I’m sorry. I like Sumeragi kun.”
“So?”
When I urged her to continue, she cowered her shoulders and said, “You’re so dry, Tazuna-kun.”
“Well, that’s why I skipped the rehearsal for the play.”
“Why did you do it again?”
“I didn’t want to play the role of the princess. I felt like I couldn’t play the role of a princess because it requires the most lines and the most attention, and I felt like I couldn’t do it. So I ran away from the role at the first rehearsal.”
“Zuzuzuzu.”
“In short, I didn’t have confidence. My friends encouraged me, telling me I could do it.”
“You have good friends.”
“On the surface, yes. But in reality, it’s not so.”
“What do you mean?”
“The role of the princess in the play was forced on me. It’s a role that no one wants to play. It’s a role that is so obvious that it’s embarrassing. If I were to step down from the role of princess, someone else would have to take my place. I think that’s why everyone was so kind and encouraging on the surface.”
I’d hate to think such a black-hearted thing in kindergarten. ……, I thought.
“Well, as someone who was forced into it, I can’t help it. So I ran away. I hid in an unpopular place. Everyone came looking for me because the teacher told them to, but I hid my breath so they wouldn’t find me.”
“Zuzuzuzu.”
“Then a boy found me.”
“I have a feeling that love is about to begin.”
“You’re right. This boy is my first love.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, this time it was different. The boy who found me didn’t call out to anyone, he just stared at me. He was a bit of a strange kid to begin with, but this time… he didn’t say anything, just looked at me, so it was kind of creepy.”
How did that first impression lead to love?
“I asked him, ‘Why didn’t you say anything? And he asked me, ‘Why did you run away from practice?’ So I told him the same reason I had given earlier. And guess what he said?”
“Well?”
“He said, ‘Well, you can’t do it, can you?’ Do you usually say that to a girl who doesn’t want to do something and is crying on her knees?”
“That boy looks so cocky.”
“Well, you look a little like him, too, Tazuna kun”
“Eh? Me?”
“You just stabbed me in the back.”
“……”
The situation was different from this one, wasn’t it? I looked up at the ceiling.
“After that, the boy was not only nice to me, but also told me that sometimes it is important to give up. In the end, he said something like, “You’re not as pretty as a princess,” and I got all upset. In the end, I was so upset that I was like, ‘I’m going to do something to make this guy go away!’ So I decided to play the role of a princess.”
“Hmm.”
“I guess it was after that. I started getting interested in fashion… I wanted that boy to think I was cute, so I worked hard on clothes and all sorts of other things. But one day, all of a sudden… that boy disappeared.”
“Why?”
“He said he had moved away. Then, when he was gone, I realized for the first time, ‘Oh, I guess I loved him.’”
“……”
“My first love was already out of reach. But my current love is within my reach. I’m not going to give up now. If I give up now, that boy will make fun of me again.”
“……I see. But it’s a love that won’t come true.”
“You won’t know until you try, right? When I tried playing the role of a princess, I was pretty good at it. If I decide from the beginning that it’s impossible, I’ll be destroying my potential. So… My philosophy is to try it first.”
I see, that’s a very noble attitude, but that’s not what this time was about.
“Tazuna kun, please. Please cooperate with me.”
I was about to say, “But I refuse”. But I held my tongue just before I said it.
Her resolve was firm. Even if I refused, she would still approach Sumeragi on her own. If that were to happen, the risk of her secret being discovered would increase.
Rather than leaving her in the dark, wouldn’t it be safer to cooperate with her? After that, I can consult with Sumeragi and decide what to do about her – I have settled on a policy.
“I understand. I will cooperate with you.”
“R-Really?! Are you sure?!”
“But don’t get your hopes up.”
“Yahooo~! Yes~!”
Himekane, don’t be so happy. I’m fully willing to betray you.
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My guess: that boy could be the Prince’s brother
my guess its the mc cliche i know but like its just so him
also they were both in the same year as kids and the dead brother is older right?