43 A bud starts to bloom

It was impossible for every day to be filled with an event. 

Even the protagonist finds it impossible to face trouble every time, and naturally, they have an ordinary day without any particular event, only a normal routine, just like any other day of the extra. 

It had been almost a week since Mizuto became a high school student, and he found out that his life was more colorful than he had thought. It wasn't that these colors were all vibrant since many of them were grey and even dark, but even so, his focus was on the weekend that was about to arrive. 

Watching Ootake Nami, his homeroom teacher, who taught history, no one would think that this strict teacher would be such a lustful woman. 

Frankly, usually, he would avoid such a woman since he didn't want to get sick, but with the "Identify" skill, he knew that Nami was all healthy, and besides her husband, she hadn't done it with anyone. 

However, it also made him confused as to why she became so bold and molested him on the train before. Moreover, instead of begging or avoiding him as he might threaten her, considering her status as his teacher, she decided to charge forward and seduce him. 

While he admitted that she was smart for being able to think such a countermeasure toward the consequences that might appear in the case, he reported her; he wondered whether her relationship with her husband was so unsatisfying that she sought excitement from him. Yet, he had to say, this woman was so popular. 

Even though a history subject might be boring, not a single guy in the classroom closed their eyes as they listened to Nami with all of their focus as their eyes were on the board. 

No, it should be on her boobs. 

Still, unlike him, who felt complicated, those guys must be happy if they were molested by Nami-sensei.

*Bang!*

"....." 

Feeling his chair moved slightly due to a sudden impact from behind, Mizuto felt a little helpless. 

---

"I am sorry, but I don't plan to date anyone now." 

Mizuto apologized after he rejected a confession from another girl. He wasn't sure how many girls had confessed to him as he didn't bother to count them anymore. Still, probably since Yume, Akatsuki, and Reina knew that he would reject the confession, they didn't bother to follow him again. 

Reina aside, Yume and Akatsuki had confidence that he wouldn't do something inappropriate, at least in public. 

"I-I see... thank you for answering my confession, Irido-kun." 

Still, unlike the previous girl, who asked for a kiss, this girl was reasonable and just bowed her head before she left. 

However, Mizuto didn't leave immediately and said, "Who is there?" He felt that someone was watching him even though the place where the confession happened was quite discreet. 

"Ah, um, sorry, Mizuto." 

A familiar petite girl with paradise peach hair color came out of her hiding place awkwardly. 

"Yuu?" He was speechless and thought that it had been while he had seen her. No, they often met each other, but as they were in different classes and he often stayed in his classroom instead of going out, they hardly talked to each other. Moreover, it also had been a while since he had visited her bookstore. 

He smiled and said, "I don't know you have a voyeur as a hobby, Yuu." 

"I-I am not! I don't have such a hobby!" Yuu refuted his slander with a flush of embarrassment. "I-I just happened to see you, but I didn't expect that you would be confessed to." She knew that this guy must be popular, especially when he was so handsome, but it hadn't been a week since school started, yet someone couldn't wait to convey their love to him, which made her dumbfounded. 

"This is a rare case, though." 

Even though someone often sent him love letters, there were only a few who came to his class to call him and confess to him directly. 

"I have heard that you get a lot of love letters every day," Yuu asked curiously. 

Due to his popularity, whether as the most handsome or the best student in the first grade, he often became the talk of everyone, including her class.

Yet, Yuu couldn't understand that feeling, the feeling of falling, then confessing to the person they had fallen. However, she also wasn't surprised by his popularity, especially when he was so handsome. 

The world was like this, after all.

Even though it was quite hard to accept and even cruel, the world was kinder to those who were good-looking. 

If he gave an example, even if a beautiful woman told you to die, you would get hard instead of hatred, right?

That's how unreasonable a good appearance was. 

"I do." 

Hearing his short answer, Yuu was a bit speechless, but she couldn't help but tease him. "Look, who is popular now? But I have to say that girl is quite cute, you know? Haven't you thought about accepting her confession? It won't hurt to date for a while, right?" 

However, she didn't receive her answer as he stopped and stared at her. 

"Wh-What?" 

"I never expected that you would be interested in this topic." 

Yuu pouted and complained. "I am a girl, you know? Of course, I am interested!" 

"Well, to be honest, we don't know each other, but I just can't feel a chemistry or love might be born between me and that girl." 

However, Mizuto didn't deny that lust might be born from him. Still, if he really made such a relationship, he didn't want to do it with someone in his school since it might affect his school life—even though he didn't care much. 

As someone who was fated to stand at the top of many, the view of others on him wasn't something that he paid attention to. 

"Really?" Yuu asked.

However, he felt like Yuu became strange somehow when she heard his answer. Her voice seemed to be that of anticipation, as if she had found a kindred spirit. "What's wrong?" 

"Wh-What do you mean?" 

"Did you get to confess to or something?" 

"..." 

"...am I right?" 

"..." 

Yuu lowered her head, feeling a little embarrassed and also complex. 

It felt so weird that so many emotions could be born from a confession, Mizuto thought. 

"Say, Mizuto, can I talk with you?" 

"About your confession?" 

"Um." 

Usually, he would put a joke or two to smooth the situation, but he could tell that she was really troubled by something, so he knew that this wasn't something that he could take lightly. 

The problem was like this. 

In the eyes of others, it might be something insignificant that one didn't need to pay attention to, but in the eyes of others, it was something significant that could affect their life. 

Somehow, his words might seem like an exaggeration, but everyone was different, and something that was usually unthinkable, irrational, and even crazy that one never thought of could happen in reality. 

If he gave an example, it was like how Akatsuki did yesterday. 

"Let's see... how about I visit your house on Sunday evening? Is that okay with you?" 

"I don't mind, but why in the evening?" 

"I have just joined a driving class. I need to go spend the entire day there." 

"Huh? Why didn't you tell me?" 

Because he didn't need to, right?

However, if he said that, it felt like Yuu was a stranger to him. "Didn't I tell you just now?' 

"....." Yuu. 

"Sorry, I forgot." He apologized in a light manner. 

"Geez." You looked at him helplessly, then thought of their time during middle school. "Still, it seems like you have become quite busy after high school." She remembered that Mizuto often visited her family bookstore after school a lot of the time to read a book for free. However, she also understood that many things also happened to him, from having his father remarried, having a stepsister, becoming a high school student, and many other things. 

He also joined a driving school, which took most of his time after school and on weekends. 

"Did you miss me?" 

Watching his narcissistic smile, Yuu was helpless and complained, "Just because you are handsome, smart, and good at making money, it doesn't mean that everyone will fall for you!" 

"...." 

Only Mizuto fell in silence.

Did you praise me or mock me?

Nevertheless, that was his unexciting day with his friend from middle school. 

Friend. 

This was probably how to describe their relationship. 

Mizuto thought so, but Yuu started to think of another possibility. 

At her graduation, she was confessed to by a close friend, and before being confessed, she thought that love would be so dazzling and shiny like in shoujo manga and love songs, yet the reality?

It was dull and bland, and even she felt like nothing. 

Was it like this with everyone?

She didn't know, and she didn't dare to ask her friends about this problem. 

But—

"By the way, Yuu." 

"Hmm?" 

"Can you get me a French book? Like a novel and a learning book. Give me the most popular one." 

"...what's wrong so suddenly? Do you want to go to France or countries where the French language is used?" 

"As a man who is fated to achieve a great thing, I plan to learn the French language." 

"..."

Yuu let out a long, helpless sigh before every moment was never boring when he was by her side. "Okay, okay. I will get them for you." 

"I love you, Yuu!" 

"...." 

Yuu stopped her steps and then looked at Mizuto in a daze.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" 

Watching his smile, she wasn't sure, but she felt her chest was stuffy.