Source
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5544is/6/
“It’s beautiful.”
As he stepped out of the school gate, the city was lit up by an orange glow of the sunset.
The light was truly beautiful, so much so that it made him sleepy if he kept looking at it.
It was a turbulent day, even though it was his first day at his new school.
He introduced himself and found that he had three ex-girlfriends in the same class.
These ex-girlfriends had become the three most beautiful girls in the grade.
Just when he thought he wouldn’t get involved, he was told by Onodera Himari that she still like him.
Anyway, it was his first day and he was so tired that he was overwhelmed.
The sunset that shines on it looks many times more beautiful when combined with such a thing.
“…… Fuaaa.”
From mental exhaustion, Aoto lets out a loud yawn as he walks.
He then briefly reflected on the day.
“At least I made two friends, so that’s good.”
Yamashita Karin and Mamiya Kakeru.
Karin was the girl sitting next to him, and she was the kind girl who taught Aoto a lot of things when he didn’t know what to do.
As for Kakeru, at first he was mistaken for a guy who “pees standing up” against a monument stone, but he understood him when he told him, so that’s good.
It was also Kakeru who gave him the information that his ex-girlfriends is the prettiest girls in the grade.
Kakeru seems to like Karin.
Well, it’s not confirmed yet, but it’s almost certain since he was blatantly jealous when he told him about Karin
–And above all, it is Onodera Himari.
She is one of the three most beautiful girls in the school year and Aoto’s ex-girlfriend.
She told him, “I still love you,” in a space just the two of them.
There are no feelings of “discomfort” or “dislike”.
The only thing he feels is confusion.
He didn’t know what to do, that was all.
With these thoughts in his head, he was on his way home alone.
“….Hnn”
From somewhere, an inaudible voice comes from somewhere.
It was a girl’s voice.
“……-kun.”
Obviously, she is getting closer.
There was a possibility that it was the wrong person, but he couldn’t rule out the possibility that it was calling for Aoto, so Aoto decided to look behind him in the direction of the voice.
Then, that person was standing behind Aoto, as if checking the answers.
“Aoto-kun, right?”
It was Yozakura Kohari who called Aoto in a thin, beautiful voice.
The sunset glow added to her neat face and well-proportioned style, making her a “beauty” in her own right.
–And above all, she is Aoto’s ex-girlfriend.
“Y-Yes, that’s right.”
“Are you alone now?”
“Yes, my friend has club activities.”
“I see, I’m glad to hear that.”
When Aoto said that, Koharu patted her chest in relief, softening her hard expression and smiling.
Then, Koharu slowly approached Aoto, stopped in front of him, and opened her mouth.
“Can I go home with you?”
“I don’t mind, but I’m already close”
It’s only about three minutes to the house.
Even if they say they will go home together, that time will end soon.
“Well, if you don’t mind.”
Koharu, who looked like she wanted to say something, looked away and said with a slight blush on her cheeks.
“—Would you like to take a detour? I’d like to talk.”
Perhaps it was the setting sun, or perhaps it was Koharu herself.
Koharu’s cheeks are so red that it is hard to believe that she is a girl who usually displays a perfect figure.
Aoto was tired after a turbulent day, but it was not a good enough reason to refuse, so he said, “Okay”.
The two then started walking in a different direction from the route to the house.
“I see you already have a friend, Aoto-kun”
“Well, yes. I’m just grateful that he talked to me.”
“No, no. I think it’s a great character to attract people to you.”
The two of them talked as they walked slowly.
Koharu has a gentle smile on her face.
“Koharu is amazing. Even during recess, everyone went to Koharu’s place.”
“Fufu, thank you very much. But everyone is just being nice to me.”
“I think it’s because of your personality.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
A beautiful, dainty, perfect looking girl is not conceited no matter how much she is praised.
This had not changed since elementary school.
“……It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, and I’m tremendously happy to see you.”
After a short silence, Koharu said shyly.
he doesn’t usually interact with the opposite gender, so he doesn’t feel like he’s used to it.
“I was surprised too, seriously.”
“I know, I think Noa-chan and Himari-chan were surprised too.”
“I-I see.”
The three of them call each other by name, but in fact, they do not get along well with each other.
This is a fact that cannot be imagined from Koharu’s words.
“Did you talk to those two?”
Koharu’s voice was filled with a little bit of anxiety as she asked the question.
“I’ve talked to Himari, but not yet with Noa”
“Ah, I see.”
”Did she say anything? Himari.”
“No, nothing in particular. I don’t know. We don’t talk.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Aoto, who had completely forgotten that the three of them were not on good terms because of Koharu’s overly kind tone and words, muttered “Oh no” in his mind.
The evening sun was about to set.
A short walk brought them to a park, where they sat down on a bench.
Koharu, illuminated by the street lights, had a different beauty than the setting sun.
“…… how many years has it been since we’ve talked in earnest like this?”
“I don’t know, we weren’t in the same class in middle school, so I haven’t seen you since …… elementary school?”
“That’s about it. I miss it.”
When he was in elementary school, Koharu and he were dating.
And it wasn’t a half-hearted thing; they exchanged intentions with each other and officially went out.
They played together, went to school together, and went home together, to the point where people said they were too cocky for elementary school students.
“Will you be my husband in the future?” he even promised her that he would be her husband in the future.
But then came the fifth grade, and they changed classes.
Koharu and Aoto, who had been together until then, were now in different classes.
Their classrooms were located in opposite places.
As a result, the number of times they talked and played together became fewer and fewer, and the number of days when they did not speak to each other even once increased.
In part because there were no communication tools at hand, it became the norm for them not to talk to each other.
And then – spontaneously disappeared.
“Aoto-kun, I wanted to check something: ……”
“Hm?”
Koharu’s eyes are filled with sadness as she asks the question.
“Are we already broken up?”
The words contain tenderness and sadness.
“…… yes.”
A girl in the same position as Himari asks the same contented question.
But it’s a question that shouldn’t be misinterpreted.
“I see, I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, I’m the one who should be sorry.”
“No, no, it’s okay. It was my question.”
Unlike Himari, Koharu does not make Aoto feel responsible rather than lighten the atmosphere.
That is Koharu’s character and the reason why she is so well-liked.
“…… Umm.”
When it was getting dark and night was beginning to fall, Koharu opened her mouth to get down to business.
“Aoto-kun, do you have a girlfriend?”
Koharu gathered her courage and turned her eyes to Aoto.
Aoto’s cheeks, illuminated by the streetlight instead of the setting sun, were still red.
“I don’t have”
Aoto says just one word, but it is the answer Koharu wanted to hear the most.
Koharu, not letting her expression show it so as not to let him know, gave a small gut-punch in a tone that was uncharacteristic of her.
“I see, I’m glad.”
“Hey, how can I make friends?”
“Friends ……? Why me?”
Koharu was a little puzzled by the sudden question.
“No, I’ve been looking at you all day and I’ve noticed that you have the most friends.”
“I see. I don’t mean friends, it’s just that everyone is being nice to me, really.”
“But it’s because Koharu is attractive, isn’t it? …”
“You’re as good at giving compliments as ever. It makes me feel embarrassed.”
“Well, I get that a lot. What’s more, is there anything you’re aware of?”
Koharu smiled gently at Aoto, who was getting a little carried away.
At the same time, Koharu was troubled by Aoto’s abrupt question.
Koharu herself was not acting as if she was trying to make friends, but rather, she was just being herself and naturally making more friends.
But that was enough of an answer.
“Aoto-kun, I think you should just be who you are. If you do that, I think you will naturally make more friends.”
No matter what the question, Koharu answered seriously.
After a short pause, she continued again.
“Aoto-kun is …… a wonderful person. Really.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So, I think you should just say what you think and do what you want without lying about your feelings.”
Koharu speaks her true feelings without any evil thoughts.
She doesn’t usually compliment people of the opposite gender, but Aoto is definitely different.
“Yeah, I understand. Thank you.”
“No, no, I’ll look forward to meeting with you tomorrow, too.”
“Then, let’s go home. It’s getting dark.”
“Yes, I guess so. Let’s do that.”
Koharu says this, suppressing her desire to still stay with him.
Aoto and Koharu then both get up from the bench.
Aoto walks forward.
But Koharu’s feet were not moving and she stood still in place.
Aoto, concerned, turned around and was about to call out to her.
“Aoto kun, please listen to me without turning around.”
Koharu remained standing still.
Aoto, not knowing what she was talking about, did as he was told and responded with a “yeah” without looking back.
Then, after just a few moments of silence, Koharu began to speak.
“–I’ve been feeling very, very strange ever since I found out that Aoto-kun would be in the same class with me today.”
“–“
“I’ve been nervous all day. To be honest, I’m still very nervous about it. I kept thinking, what if someone hears my heartbeat?
The reason for not letting her look back was obvious from the look on Koharu’s face.
She is trying her best to convey the message in a way she is not very familiar with.
The moon and the street lights illuminated her face, which was flushed red.
“–Just one thing, will you please listen to my feelings?”
Without waiting for Aoto’s reply, Koharu continued.
“I still love you, Aoto-kun.”
Aoto froze as he turned around at Koharu’s words.
He could not help but stand there under the darkened night sky as Koharu pointed at him.
“…… then, I’ll be going. Please be careful and go home!”
Koharu, having said all that, did not turn her head toward Aoto, but ran off in the direction of her home.
With a face that she would never normally show to others. No, with a blush on her face that she would never show.
The sound of Koharu’s footsteps moving further and further away.
“Which one of us is better at …… giving compliments?”
After-school youth, a little heavier than youth, falls on Aoto’s shoulders.
After Himari, Koharu told him that she likes him.
-but Aoto’s feelings are confused.
Aoto’s feelings were blurred, but Koharu saved him.
-I think you should say what you think and do what you think, without lying about your feelings.
He was saved by words that are typical of Koharu, words that only Koharu could have said.
The reason he is standing still is not because he is perplexed.
Aoto is standing still in order to resolve that from now on, he should be concerned about the people he is concerned about and like the people he likes, just as they are.
Under the dark night sky, a night breeze blew gently enveloping Aoto, as if to support him.
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