Volume 1 - CH 4.4

Shimizu Sisters’ Love Talk 4

One day after school, during my first year of high school, I went back to the classroom to retrieve something I had forgotten.

I thought there would be hardly anyone left in the classroom by the time I arrived, considering some time had passed since I left the school.

“By the way, Toshiya, are you free today? “

I stopped opening the door and instinctively bent down as I heard a familiar voice.

“Yeah, I’m off from club activities today, so it’s no problem.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

（Why are those two left of all people? Now, it’s hard for me to enter the classroom.)

From the voices coming from inside, it seems that Hondō and Matsuoka are the only two who are still in the classroom. They did not seem to notice me outside the classroom.

When I entered high school, I was placed in the same class as Hondō, and since I had not had a chance to talk with Hondō since junior high school, I only found out for the first time during the entrance ceremony that we had entered the same high school.

At first, we were seated far apart and did not interact with each other, but after a few seat changes, I coincidentally ended up sitting next to Hondo. What I realized through our conversations was that Hondo thought he was meeting me for the first time in high school.

It’s either he had forgotten the incident in junior high school, or he thought I was a different person now that I had dyed my hair. Somewhat frustrated, I did not tell him that we had met in junior high school.

But Hondō talked to me every day, even though my classmates were afraid of me and kept their distance. I always wondered what Hondō thought of me.

“I’ve been wondering, Daiki, aren’t you afraid of Shimizu-san?”

“Afraid of Shimizu-san? Why is that?”

“Because she dyed her hair gold even though school rules forbid it, and she stares at me when we make eye contact, it’s scary. Besides, I’ve heard many rumors that she’s doing something bad.”

(Matsuoka, you have the audacity to say whatever you want to Hondō just because I’m not around…)

Though the first two statements are true, so I can’t argue with that.

I was fine with Matsuoka saying whatever he wanted, but I didn’t want to hear the same kind of comments from Hondō, so I turned my back to the classroom door to leave.

“I don’t think Shimizu-san is scary.”

Hondō’s words stopped me in my tracks.

“Why do you think so? “

“Shimizu-san is a bit difficult to understand, but I think she’s a kind person.”

“Is that so? “

Matsuoka seems to be genuinely doubtful from the bottom of his heart.

“Yeah. Whenever I talk to Shimizu-san, she always responds properly to me. Despite her appearance being a bit flashy, she’s a good person once you get to know her.”

“Maybe it’s just because Daiki thinks everyone is a good person?”

Hondō’s comment didn’t seem to alleviate Matsuoka’s wariness toward me.

“It’s not like that. Toshiya doesn’t know this, but Shimizu-san always helps me when I’m cleaning in class. I think Shimizu-san cares about others.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“It’s just a bad rumor that’s spreading on its own, but if you talk to Shimizu-san, she’s much kinder and funnier than people think.”:

I had no idea that Hondō felt that way about me. I had thought that he would smile and talk to me on the outside, but behind my back, he would be afraid of me like the rest of our classmates.

But I was wrong. Hondō did not judge me only by my appearance or my atmosphere, but he tried to look at me from the inside.

“If Daiki says so, it might be true. Still, I don’t agree with you she’s that interesting.”

“Toshiya should talk to Shimizu-san and you will understand. Besides, Shimizu-san is―”

――My face suddenly grew warm.

――I could feel my heartbeat quickening.

I felt like I shouldn’t stay here any longer… Forgetting why I came back here, I dashed into the hallway.

* * * *

“…And that is why I became interested in Hondō.”

Ai, who had been listening silently, suddenly started clapping her hands. It’s eerie, like a doll had suddenly come to life.

“Bravo! I’m glad, it was really wonderful! He doesn’t judge you only by your looks but by what’s inside of you. True Love! This made all of America shed tears.”

(TN: The phrase “これは全米が涙しましたわ” is a Japanese expression often used humorously to exaggerate the emotional impact of a situation. It translates to “This made all of America shed tears.” It’s not meant to be taken literally but rather as a playful and exaggerated statement.)

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Sorry-sorry. But I really thought Daiki-kun was a good boy. To be honest, the blonde Kei-chan before was indeed a bit hard for other people to approach. As a big sister, I’m quite happy to know that there was someone who looked at Kei seriously.”

“Don’t be so serious all of a sudden.”

“You’re being unreasonable! “

I thought the same, but whenever my usually carefree sister said something sensible, it threw me off.

“Anyway, we talked a lot about Hondō, so you must be satisfied.”

“Yes. Kei’s youthful, naked love talk rejuvenated my heart.”

“That’s good to hear. Now go back.”

“What?! Why are you suddenly being cold? It’s so cold I think I’m going to catch a cold. Achoo――”

“Shut up. You’ve already accomplished your purpose.”

In the first place, Ai came to my room to ask about Hondō. Now that she has achieved her goal, she no longer needs to be here. The clock had already struck eleven, and it was about time to sleep.

“I want to hear more sweet stories, like if Daiki-kun surprised you recently or if you felt uneasy when you saw Daiki-kun talking to another girl. I want to talk more about love with Kei.”

“Don’t arbitrarily assume I’ll be easily surprised or feel uneasy. Leave.”

“No-no. I don’t want to go back to my room. I want to hear more about Kei. Maybe something like the memories you have with Daiki-kun. I still want to talk about love with Kei!”

At the age of seventeen, Ai still seems to be going through her rebellious phase. I can’t help it. It seems like the time to unleash the secret weapon has come .

“Love talk isn’t something that only one person does, right? I want to hear how far you and Yosuke have progressed, what you like about him, when you became aware of him as a member of the opposite sex, and so on. You’ll tell me, too, right? “

Ai’s gaze wanders around.

“Oops, I forgot that I have an assignment to finish by tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is Saturday.”

” …Oops, this is no good. I’m getting sleepy all of a sudden. It’s a real shame, but let’s save the love talk for another time.”

“Are you trying to escape?”

“Escape sounds bad; let’s call this a strategic retreat. I’ve done what I set out to do. Well then, Adieu.”

With that, Ai returned to her own room.

“You always come and go like a storm.”

In the quiet room, I muttered to myself.