Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093075629868223/episodes/16818093076213005511
(*Shiori’s point of view)
I used to try to be perfect.
[Shiori, what was your score on the last test?]
[A perfect score, Dad.]
It wasn’t that I had to get good grades in everything to take over the company …….
But it seems that his father always wanted my father to always be the best, and I think it was natural for him to raise his children in the same way.
It’s hard for me to say it myself, but this is a family that has built a company in two generations that is even called a big company.
They have always had a high level of awareness, and I was influenced by the same.
Is that why?
When I’m not good at something, I try to overcome it as much as possible.
“…… Okay.”
A large swimming pool spreads out in front of me.
The size of the public swimming pool near my home is really big. The facilities are well heated so that you can swim all year round.
However, the season is a bit off or …… there were not many people at this time of year when the cherry blossoms are about to bloom.
─ ─ I am not a good swimmer.
I don’t know how to catch my breath and for some reason I can’t float.
I found this out in swimming lessons last year. I studied swimming in my spare time for a whole year and finally decided to practise it when there were not many people around.
(If I don’t learn to swim, I’ll never learn to swim ……)
Because I want and am expected to be perfect, I don’t want to show the parts I can’t do.
That is why I came alone in this way.
But what happens when a child who can’t swim tries to swim alone …… is something that can be predicted.
“!?”
—I drowned.
Unfortunately, I didn’t do my preparation exercises properly, and I even got a cramp in my leg. In addition, when I drowned, I was just wondering if I could swim a bit. I was trying to get to the edge without a beat board.
(I couldn’t …… breathe!)
I struggled and struggled, but my body just sank.
Normally, if there is someone drowning, you would try to rush to them immediately, but because there was no one around, the commotion didn’t reach my ears at all.
(S-someone….!)
That’s what I thought, and that’s when I reached out to struggle…
(……Eh?)
A little boy appeared in front of me.
That boy pulled my hand and held my body as it was.
“Buha!”
“Haaa….. ggehok gehok ……!”
When I got to the surface of the water, there was a beat board nearby.
The boy offers it to me quickly and I catch myself on it.
“G-good …… slow deep breaths, …… don’t worry, just hold on to this and you’ll be fine …….”
Breathing hard, the boy pushed me back and took me to the poolside.
I finally felt grounded and secure.
The moment I climbed the ladder and slumped down – I couldn’t help but cry.
“Whee…… hee…….”
“Y-you’re crying?! Eh, it’s my fault for touching you! No, um, ……!”
Seeing me start to cry, the boys start to cringe.
He then stroked my head to somehow stop me crying.
“It’s okay ……, it’s okay now, okay? I don’t like people’s crying faces too much. ……”
But my tears did not stop.
It was definitely a relief.
But I’m sure it was also due to the fact that I tried to be …… perfect and showed my pathetic appearance in this way.
“I-I …… couldn’t swim, I should …… be able to swim ……!’
Because I have to be perfect.
I have to be better than everyone else…
“Eh, why?”
But he looks nonplussed.
“I can understand if you want to be able to swim, but I don’t think you have to be able to swim ……?”
The boy looks into my face and says straight out.
“I don’t know what your circumstances are, but just because you can’t swim doesn’t make you any less attractive, does it? If you can’t, it doesn’t mean you’re going to die.”
“B-but …… I have to be perfect…”
“I’m not saying you have to be perfect!”
His eyes are too strong to be directed at a stranger.
It’s as if he’s saying this for his friend, in a kind voice.
“It’s nice to work on your flaws, but not the kind of thing you do to cry about it. It’s cool to try to be perfect, I like that, but if you’re going to go for it, you can just say, [Yes, I did it!] and laugh”
By the way, I used to hate green peppers, he said
The boy laughed and told me.
It was supposed to be my fault, but when I told him about it, he seemed to enjoy it.
—I was somewhat dazzled by that.
I thought that there was another way of life, and that this way of life was also good.
I remember that I also laughed along with him.
“Look, you should smile after all! You’re so cute!”
And I …… could never forget the look on the prince’s face as he laughed happily at that moment.
So when I first met him in the corridor, I recognised him at first sight.
Although we had never spoken before, it was in the form of a conviction.
At first, I went to see him because I was curious about what kind of person Yuzuha’s prince was. …… I’m really glad I went to visit him.
So I can’t help but want to see him again.
After all, he’s the prince who taught me how to live a fun life where the only reason I want perfection now is to laugh at myself, right? I’m also tempted to make up reasons to get involved by putting on my senior airs. I’m the only one in a different grade.
But when I met him on the rooftop and saw him…
♦️♦️♦️
(…It’s not like I’m running around, Yuzuha-san)
The last class towards the end of the school day.
As the teacher’s voice reached my ears, I smiled as I was strangely reminded of the old days.
(Indeed, I have adored him since that time.)
With him, I have a date with him after school.
I know that he is Yuzuha-san’s prince. It’s thinly disguised, but perhaps Kurusu-san’s prince is also him.
Without telling the two of them, the two of us go on a date. From the perspective of the two of them, it may be a bit of a rush.
It would be a lie to say that I don’t have ulterior motives, but …… at least, I won’t tell him about these feelings yet.
After all…
(It wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t fight on the same playing field.)
So let’s move to make sure he is aware of me.
But I really want to help him.
Yuzuha told me that he doesn’t want us to feel indebted to him…
(…… This is not indebtedness, Irie-san.)
But if today I can return even a little of what he gave me back then, I would be …… happy.
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This would be a fun carnage~
But there would be 2 losing heroines again(sadge)~
This is also one of the reasons why I like harem end: so the other heroines won’t have heartbreaks, only constant competition on who’s the top from them, lol~
I wanted another injury but at least author didn’t drag it a long and immediately made it conclusive. It did not seem like she showed a reaction though on their first meeting….