Volume 1 - CH 1.6

Chapter 1

Translated by Sphagnum

Edited by Sphagnum

Miyajima Shiho met Kimioka Misono two days before the university’s entrance ceremony at a pre-entrance event.

It was after they had moved from the Student Hall, where they had first gathered for the orientation, to the second student cafeteria, where Shiho and the other students from the Faculty of Humanities were separated by department, that she spotted a classmate who caught her eye.

Shiho was also confident in her looks, but that classmate was of a different caliber. To put it in a bad way, she was a mockingly cute type who seemed to be well-liked by men. Her darkly dyed hair was long to just below her shoulders, curled slightly at the ends, and she wore light makeup that looked natural and let her beauty shine through.

It didn’t matter to Shiho, who already had a boyfriend, but it seemed like she would be the target of jealousy from the girls who would have to contend with that one.

When Shiho was thinking about it, Misono suddenly started to look around. Shiho wondered if she was looking for a classmate from high school, but her eyes were mainly on a group of enrolled students who were preparing for the event, is she looking for a senior?

Several men approached her. Shiho remembered her boyfriend saying with a laugh, “Be careful of the guys in humanities because they are flirtatious.”

(A girl of that type should be used to dealing with men, right?)

How would she treat them, or would she add them to her keep list? As Shiho looked at her with such a bad gaze, she began to act flustered, which was quite different from Shiho’s expectation.

If that was an act, it was amazing. Shiho’s body was moving at the same time she thought so.

“Hey. Let’s sit together over there.”

“Eh, umm.”

Shiho heard the guys behind her complaining, but ignoring all of it, she returned to her former seat. Pulling one girl’s hand. If Shiho was a boy, she would have thought it was a scene out of a classic romantic drama.

“Um. Thank you very much.”

Shiho realized that she was still holding on to her hand and immediately let it go, as she expressed her thanks in a timid manner.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m Miyajima Shiho. From the sociology department.”

“I’m Kimioka Misono. I’m also from the sociology department.”

“You can call me Shiho. Can I call you Misono, too?”

“Yes. Shiho-san.”

After a brief conversation, she learned that Kimioka Misono is from a neighboring prefecture and currently lives alone. She had never worn makeup until high school, and when she entered college, she changed her glasses to contacts, dyed her hair, and learned about fashion from her elder sister.

“Why did you decide to make your college debut?”

Although she asked, Shiho didn’t look for a definite answer. She was just asking the question, hoping it could keep the conversation alive. She was just asking her a question to get her talking, but…

“College debut. My elder sister told me the same thing. Um…I want to change myself.”

I want to change myself. Although that itself was almost exactly the answer Shiho had expected, the lack of clarity she somehow felt brought to mind the idea that it was probably not the only reason. When combined with the way she was looking for a senior, Shiho could understand the answer.

“Are you chasing a senior?”

“How do you know?”

“A woman’s intuition.”

Fufu, Shiho sniffed and made a proud expression on her face. Shiho has always wanted to say that line, and she has never been more excited about it, so it feels good. Misono is looking at Shiho with deep admiration.

“But that person wasn’t there?”

“Yeah……I knew he wouldn’t be there, but.”

“Is that person from the humanities? If wasn’t, that person wouldn’t be here.”

The pre-entrance event is organized by the New Student Welcoming Committee. And since this is a venue for the Faculty of Humanities, the welcoming committee is made up of only students from the Faculty of Humanities. When she explained this, Misono smiled in disappointment.

“I didn’t know about that person’s department. But if it’s organized by the New Student Welcoming Committee, I think there’s no reason for that person to be here…”

Hearing the way Misono said it, a question mark appeared in Shiho’s mind. She thought for sure that she was following a senior from her high school, but if so, it is strange that she does not even know that person’s department. Even so, Misono thinks there is no way that person could be on the New Student Welcoming Committee.

“You mean that person isn’t a senior in your high school?”

“Yeah…I met that person at the cultural festival last year, one of the executive committee members.”

“I see. So Misono will join The Cultural Committee?”

“Yes.”

Shiho neither likes nor dislikes the word “Fate,” but this seems to be a moderately fateful encounter. Especially for Misono, she thinks it will be.

“So am I. My boyfriend is an OB of the Cultural Committee, want me to ask about that person?”

“Please!”

Shiho wryly smiled at the quickest response of the day from Misono. If possible, she would have liked a response to the “So am I” part.

“Hey, Kou-kun. Is there someone named Makimura in the Cultural Committee now?”

Before taking the bus home from the university after the new student event, Shiho visited her boyfriend’s apartment. The apartment of her boyfriend, Narushima Kouichi, who is two years older than Shiho and whom she has been dating since her first year of high school, is conveniently located just a two-minute walk from the bus stop in front of the university’s main gate.

Kouichi is a third-year student starting this spring. He retired last year, but he would have no problem knowing about the committee member Misono met at last year’s festival.

“Makki? He’s in there. He’s a second-year student this year.”

Kouichi’s answer, which he told her while saying, “What happened, so suddenly?” was, for Shiho at least, close to a perfect score. If Makimura is a second-year student who belongs to the Cultural Committee and not a retired third-year student, Misono will be able to work with him this year. Then, Shiho had one more important question to ask.

“What’s he like? Does he has a girlfriend?”

“I don’t think he had a girlfriend, what? You’re not cheating or something, are you?”

When Kouichi was flustered by his girlfriend’s continuous questions about another man, Shiho replied, “Of course not,” and rested her head on her boyfriend’s shoulder, who was sitting next to her. Kouichi patted her head and smiled reassuringly.

“I don’t understand, but if you want to see him, I’ll call him? We’re in the same apartment. It’s the one next door.”

From Shiho’s point of view, the result was more than the perfect score she had hoped for. Apparently, Misono is loved by fate.

“Makimura-san doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

In the previous session, she had sent a message to Misono informing her that Makimura was a second-year student and still belonged to the Cultural Committee. By the way, Misono sent a polite thank-you message. So this was the first thing she told her on the orientation day. She could have told her together at yesterday’s session, but she was defeated by the desire to tell her in person and see how she reacted.

“Thank you……I see. But it’s not like that.”

It is true that Misono has never stated that she has feelings for Makimura. However, it was clear from her speech and demeanor yesterday that she did, the way she almost thanked her with a broad smile on her face, and the fact that she’s now still showing a grin on her face that she can’t suppress, it was a fairly unreasonable excuse.

“Then I will approach Makimura-san—”

“No, you can’t!”

Misono, who was originally the center of attention because of her appearance, became the center of attention even more so because of her sudden outcry. Although she knew that Shiho had a boyfriend, she must have been so rushed that she let it slip from her mind.

“If you don’t want someone else to take him, you have to be proactive.”

“……Yeah.”

Misono, who had turned her head down due to the double embarrassment of being the center of attention and having her feelings for Makimura revealed – although it had been obvious, to begin with – replied in a small but surely strong tone.

“I heard about Makimura-san from my boyfriend, but where do you want to start?”

“Um……thank you. But I’ll ask you after I get to know him better myself.”

“I see.”

Shiho thinks it’s okay to be more cunning if you want to win in love, but this kind of earnestness or honesty must be one of the good things about Misono, and it made her feel even more inclined to support her.

Ten days have passed since the orientation, and the day of Misono’s long-awaited first meeting of the Cultural Festival Executive Committee – the explanatory meeting – has arrived.

Misono, whose name for Shiho had somehow changed to “Shi-chan,” was sending a sparkling gaze in one direction. It was as if the classmate boy who approached her was not in her line of sight, and Shiho felt sorry for those who had been ignored, so she brushed them off, saying, “This girl is sold out.”

When Shiho followed Misono’s gaze, she saw a boy who looked like a senior ahead of her. Her first impression was that he was plain. His height is a little taller than average, and although he has a good-looking face, his clothes and hairstyle are plain and unremarkable.

(Well, but. The competition doesn’t seem high, and if Misono goes proactively, she could easily make him fall in love with her.)

The maiden in love that Shiho decided to support was going to fulfill her feeling sooner than expected.

Shiho was still optimistic at this time.

End of Chapter 1