Chapter 2 The Cutest Girl in School

The Cutest Girl in School

The two of us sat on the swings, staring up at the sky.

Thankfully, there were no children at the park, so we could use the swings in our own way without bothering anyone.

I rolled a plastic bottle across my palm.

“Thanks. You even treated me to a drink.”

“No, it’s no big deal…”

Irara popped the tab on her can and took a big swig.

But still…

“Oshiruko, huh.”

“…Yeah. Crying drains your sugar levels, you know.”

If anything, wouldn’t it be salt?

No, not even that.

Irara drank her oshiruko and let out a sigh.

Nervously, I broke the silence.

“Um, so… I’m sorry.”

“Huh? For what?”

“It’s just… you must hate being approached by someone like me at a time like this.”

I regretted calling out to Irara.

She’s the kind of person who’s always considerate of others.

She’s probably just being polite, but deep down, she’d rather be alone right now.

Even if she wanted someone by her side, it definitely wouldn’t be someone like me—a guy labeled as a murderer.

And yet, I’d forced her to put up with me. What the hell was I doing?

I’m so pathetic.

“I’ll head out. See you—”

I stood up and started walking out of the park.

“Wait!”

Suddenly, Irara grabbed my sleeve and stopped me.

“I don’t mind being approached by you, Kyogoku-kun.”

“Huh?”

“If anything, I should be the one apologizing. Crying in front of someone like this… you were just being thoughtful, weren’t you?”

“Well… yeah, but, you know… there are rumors about me, right? Like that I’m a murderer or whatever…”

“But I’ve never seen any proof of those rumors myself. Why would I believe them?”

“…!!!”

“Besides, anyone who pays attention to you can tell. You don’t bother anyone, you’re quiet, and when you saw me crying, you couldn’t just leave me alone. You gave me tissues and even treated me to a drink. There’s no way someone like that could hurt anyone.”

Irara’s words left me speechless.

No one had ever said something like that to me before.

Everyone else just imposed their assumptions on me, deciding who I was without even knowing me.

But Irara… she…

“Hehe, I only believe what I see with my own eyes!”

Irara’s smile was just like the sun.

She looked more dazzling to me than ever before.

“Wait… Ehhhhh?!”

Irara’s voice echoed through the empty park.

“So Kyogoku-kun was there back then… You saw me in such an embarrassing situation… Ugh.”

“I didn’t mean to watch. It was really just a coincidence…”

“So you know, don’t you? That Yuya was cheating on me… and that I broke up with him.”

“…Yeah.”

Irara lowered her gaze.

“This is something I can only talk to you about, Kyogoku-kun… Can I tell you?”

“Sure.”

When I nodded, Irara began to speak hesitantly.

“The truth is, I’d been feeling like something was off with Yuya lately. He kept saying he was going out with friends, staying out late, and even his attitude seemed a bit more careless than usual… And he was always staring at his phone. I had a bad feeling. You know, that kind of thing girls call intuition.”

Looking up at the sky, Irara continued.

“And then one day, I happened to see him in town. He was with a girl. I followed them… and they went into a love hotel. But I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it. I told myself I must have been mistaken. So today, I decided to follow him again to confirm. And then…”

“You saw them trying to go into another love hotel together.”

“…Yeah. That’s what happened.”

Irara’s expression darkened.

She looked like she was about to cry again.

“I can’t believe Yuya would do something like that with another girl… It was such a shock. I kept wondering if I wasn’t enough for him. And most of all… being betrayed by someone I trusted hurt so much.”

Betrayed by someone you trusted…

I knew exactly how that felt. I knew how much it could hurt.

Irara started to cry softly again.

“It’s so cruel… After all this time, after everything we’ve been through as childhood friends. And there was this one time Yuya saved me. When a truck with a driver who’d fallen asleep at the wheel came barreling toward us, he risked his life for me.”

“What?! A truck with a sleeping driver?”

I couldn’t help but speak up.

No way… but could it be?

“Yeah. He shielded me from the truck at the very last second and even treated my injuries. When I came to, I was in an ambulance, and Yuya was right there watching over me.”

“…Hey, uh, that…”

Tears welling up in her eyes, Irara turned to look at me.

“…Actually, never mind. Go on with your story.”

It couldn’t possibly be. And this wasn’t the time to ask.

It must be a different story entirely. Thinking it was anything else would just be my pathetic, delusional misunderstanding.

“O-Okay. So anyway, after that, I started seeing Yuya differently… and we began dating. We were about to reach our first anniversary, but… this is how it ends. It’s just awful, isn’t it?”

All I could do was nod.

Then, Irara gripped the swing’s chains tightly and began crying even harder.

“I loved Yuya so much… How could he cheat on me?!”

I stayed silent, watching as she cried.

Right now, the best thing she could do was let it all out.

Tears exist to dilute sadness, after all.

And so, Irara cried her heart out.

She cried until she had no tears left…

Some time later, Irara stood up, her eyes red and swollen.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this! Ugh, I can’t believe I cried so much in front of someone… It’s so embarrassing…”

“D-Don’t worry. I’ll forget about it by the time I get home.”

“Wait, can you really do that? How? Tell me! Please!”

“Uh… I can’t actually do that.”

I felt incredibly bad for saying it.

“Oh… That’s too bad.”

Looking a little dejected, Irara turned her gaze toward me.

“Thanks, Kyogoku-kun.”

“No, it’s… nothing.”

I stood up too, scratching my head to hide my embarrassment.

Then, Irara stood in front of me, looking at me with her tear-streaked face.

“Ehehe. Kyogoku-kun, you’re such a good person!”

Her words hit me right in the chest.

“N-No, I’m not…”

Turning away, I tried to brush off the strange, ticklish feeling in my heart.

That day, I connected with Irara Akari, the girl known as the cutest in school, if only just a little.

Little did I know, this moment would completely change my high school life.

Yuya’s PoV

Lying side by side with Manami on the bed, I stared up at the ceiling.

“That felt so good today, Nakano-kun~.”

“Haha, me too.”

As I replied, Manami snuggled closer to me.

“But are you sure this is okay? Breaking up with your girlfriend… And isn’t it kind of bad that she found out you were cheating? Like, what if rumors start spreading at school?”

“It’ll be fine. It’s Akari, after all.”

“Oh? If you say so.”

“Well, it’s a shame we broke up, but… if that’s what Akari wanted, I’ll respect her decision. I genuinely wish for her happiness.”

“Hehe~, Nakano-kun, you’re so kind.”

“Not at all. I hurt Akari after all.”

As I said that, I climbed on top of Manami.

She tilted her head adorably and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Do you want to go again?”

I nodded and pressed my lips against the nape of her neck.