───● The JK Co-ed Falls into the Swamp ●○●

“…saki~ Is Tonosaki not here?”

Feeling like my name was being called, my vague consciousness surfaced little by little.

“Mizuho, you’re being called, Mizuho?”

“…Honya…?”

Shaken by the shoulder by the friend next to me, I was finally able to remember what time it was.

“If not here, then next~”

“Ah, ahh I’m here! Tonosaki Mizuho is super here!”

“What was that, answer quickly. Okay next~”

I managed to push away the sleepiness and attend 1st period, thinking I’d sleep until the next 2nd period… but it seemed 2nd period had already started.

“Mizuho, a-are you okay? For about the last month, you’ve looked constantly sleepy…”

“Hm? Ah, hehe, I’m okay, I’m okay. When winter comes I get sleepy, you see, I used to hibernate in the past!”

“Were you a bear or something in the past???”

While deceiving my friend who is in the same circle with a random excuse, I took out my textbook.

University has also entered the second semester, and the timetable changed a little. I made it the same class as Koumi and Masato as much as possible, but of course, there are times like this where the classes are different.

I don’t really want Masato to see me sleeping, so I have to sleep when Masato isn’t around…

I started getting put on the closing shift until 23:00 for the part-time job that used to end at 21:00 every day. Combined with the fact that there is some distance from my workplace to my home, my arrival home goes past 24:00. Doing that, inevitably on nights before 1st period, my sleeping time gets cut quite short but… it can’t be helped.

It’s been about a month since I started going to the bar where Masato works.

Masato hesitates, but pushing that aside, I order expensive drinks. …Even so, surely it doesn’t reach Seira-san’s level.

But if I don’t do at least that much, surely I will never become number one inside Masato.

Then, I have no choice but to do everything I can do.

Yes, even if I decide that in my heart and get motivated, the body is honest. With the professor’s monotone voice as BGM, I decided to entrust my body to the drowsiness.

Classes until 3rd period ended safely, and my registered classes for today are over.

Since there is a little time until my part-time job, I decided to rest a bit in the place that serves as our circle’s clubroom.

In the end, I slept quite a bit in today’s class too… well, worst case, if I ask a friend to teach me the test range, I’ll manage, right?

“Ah, there she is! Mizuho!”

“Nya?”

Just as I sat on a chair trying to sleep, the clubroom door opened, and the one who entered was Koumi.

“Huh? Koumi, you had a 4th period class, right?”

“That’s right but! I heard from Rie-chan? Apparently, Mizuho has been sleeping all through class lately.”

“Uge.”

Rie-chan is my friend who was taking the class with me just now. Of course, she is a friend of Koumi’s too.

True, when in the same class as Rie-chan, I might be sleeping every time.

Koumi sat down next to me.

“Hey, Mizuho. …Are you pushing yourself, somehow?”

Worriedly, Koumi peered into my face.

Features in good order, wide-open eyes, and long eyelashes. I’ve thought this ever since high school. Igarashi Koumi is a truly cute girl.

…Much more than me.

Gyuu, my chest hurts.

“E-Ehh?! Not at all, you know? It’s just that Mizuho-chan is a hibernating creature~ so in winter I just get sleeeepy.”

“Hibernating… You’re working long shifts, aren’t you?”

“Eh, why do you know that…”

“I happened to see Mizuho when I peeked into the shop just before closing the other day. You said you wouldn’t work until last because it gets late at night, right?”

“A-Achaa~ call out to me, geez~ it’s embarrassing~”

My part-time job is at a restaurant. Often friends, including Koumi, come to visit but… I never thought I’d be seen working until the end.

Koumi, straightening her posture toward me again, looked at me directly from the front.

“…Look, you’re taking on the burden of Masato’s bar, aren’t you, Mizuho? So, I wondered if that’s making you push yourself.”

“T-That’s not true?”

Feeling the conversation was heading in a bad direction for me, cold sweat flowed.

“Mizuho says that but… if it’s okay, I can also go to Masato’s bar togeth──”

“I’m fine!”

After letting out my voice, I realized. It was loud enough that even I understood. Koumi is surprised, too.

“I’m fine, nyahaha, I’m okay. …I’m okay, so.”

“Mizuho…”

“L-Look, Koumi, 4th period is the same class as Masato, right? Go, go! You can’t keep the Prince waiting, just kidding.”

I don’t really understand my own feelings well. Right now, I just want to be alone. Normally it would be absolutely impossible, but right now, I couldn’t look Koumi in the eye.

“That’s, right. Then, I’ll leave it to you. But, really! Don’t push yourself. I’ll listen anytime, okay?”

…Really, Koumi is a gentle girl through and through.

“…Nn. Thanks. I’ll rely on you without hesitation!”

When I answered with forced energy I somehow squeezed out, Koumi seemed convinced for now and left the clubroom.

After seeing her off, sitting in the same seat again.

Involuntarily, a sigh came out.

“I’m the worst.”

The chime signaling the start of 4th period rang out emptily.

■

Friday. After finishing my classes, I made my way toward the bar where Masato-kun worked.

​Even though I was about to see the person I loved most in the world, my feet felt strangely heavy. I suppose the exhaustion from my mountain of part-time jobs hadn’t quite faded yet. My head had been in the clouds all through my lectures today…

​But the desire to see Masato-kun was definitely there. When I’d whispered to him at the university that I’d be stopping by the bar tonight, my heart had soared. The fact that I knew a side of Masato-kun that the others didn’t was enough to fill the void in my soul.

​I was sure that once I saw him, these heavy feelings would—

​“Wait, you seriously dropped eighty thousand on champagne?!”

​A voice cut through the air.

​It came from a group of three office workers walking ahead of me. Given that we were already in the back alleys, they were likely headed to the same bar—or at least another one in the same vein.

​“Yeah. I mean, isn’t that normal? My fave said he wanted to be Number One! If anything, eighty thousand isn’t nearly enough.”

​“Whoa, damn. I don’t think I have that kind of resolve.”

​“Well, it’s true that the boys definitely prefer the customers who spend the big bucks, right?”

​…My feet came to a halt.

​How much money do I have right now?

​I pulled my wallet from my bag and peered inside. A single ten-thousand yen bill stared back at me.

​“…Maybe I should withdraw just a little bit more…”

​I turned on my heel and headed back toward the bank near the station.

​“Wait…”

​I checked my account balance at the ATM, but there was almost nothing left.

​Come to think of it, payday wasn’t until next Monday. The money I’d worked so hard for hadn’t hit my account yet.

​Does that mean… I can’t spend any money on Masato-kun today?

​I left the bank and let out a long, heavy sigh.

​The women from before were right. From a boy’s perspective, they obviously preferred the customers who opened their wallets.

​Seira-san had mentioned she usually dropped around fifty thousand.

​And what about me? Even when I went every week, I barely spent ten thousand. If that was the case, Masato-kun would obviously rather serve Seira-san. She was stylish, she had a great figure… He had no reason to choose me.

​Plunged into a dark, gloomy mood, I looked up at the sky.

​That was when I saw it. A sign on the building right in front of me. I recognized the company name.

​It was a place where you could take out a loan.

​I swallowed hard.

​I mean, I knew for a fact that my paycheck was coming in next Monday… so taking a little bit of an advance shouldn’t be a problem, right?

​I’d heard those places don’t contact your parents or anything…

​Slowly, I began to walk toward it.

​It’s fine. I’ll pay it back immediately… I could just go in and listen to what they have to say…

​I reached the automatic doors. I was terrified of going inside. But if I didn’t do at least this much—

​“Mizuho!”

​“Nyah?!”

​The moment I went to take that first step inside, a sudden voice made me jump out of my skin.

​I spun toward the source… and there stood Masato-kun, still wearing the same clothes he’d been wearing at the university.

​“…Where are you going?”

​“E-Err… No, no! I was just about to head to your shop, truly! In fact, you’re the one who’s late, Masato-kun! Shouldn’t your shift be starting any minute now?”

​My heart was pounding against my ribs. Ugh, I’m so pathetic. He was going to realize I was pushing myself too hard… I had to change the subject, fast.

​Or so I thought.

​Masato-kun stepped closer and grabbed both of my shoulders, facing me head-on.

​“Wh-What? Masato-kun, truly, you are… bold!”

​I couldn’t help but look him in the eye. The serious expression on the face of the man I loved pierced through me, feeling heavy and sinkingly deep.

​“Listen, Mizuho. Even when we aren’t at the bar… I really enjoy the time I spend with you, you know?”

​“Huh…?”

​The word ‘enjoy’—or rather, ‘like’—echoed through my heart. I should have been overjoyed, absolutely ecstatic… but Masato-kun’s expression remained dark and pained.

​Me? Am I the reason Masato-kun looks like he’s hurting so much?

​“I love seeing you full of energy. Seeing you push yourself so hard lately… it hurts to watch.”

​“……”

​“So, if you’re going to force yourself that much, you don’t even have to come to the bar, okay?”

​“—!”

​To the current me, those were the one set of words I couldn’t bear to hear.

​“I can’t do that! That’s… I can’t! Because this is the only thing I have!”

​Because this is the only place where I can be Number One in your heart.

​Of course, I couldn’t say those words out loud. My voice caught in my throat.

​Slowly, Masato-kun released my shoulders. His pained expression shifted, melting into a gentle smile.

​“Mizuho… Like I said… I really, really like being with you.”

​“Eh…?”

​The impact of those words hit me like a physical force. It was something I’d never been told in my entire life… the words I wanted to hear more than anything else.

​“Just watching your expressions change every second is fun, and you listen to my boring stories with a smile, and you always have such exciting things to tell me yourself… And on top of that, you’re actually really considerate. You give me so much every day, Mizuho. That’s why I’m so glad we became friends.”

​He looked a little embarrassed. But his words were clear and unwavering.

​My emotions overflowed, and my eyes began to sting. That was right. He was that kind of person.

​Because Masato-kun was like that, I—

​“So… don’t ever say that ‘this is all you can do.’”

For the first time in my life, I had truly fallen in love.

​“…Waaaaahhh!”

​“Whoa, you surprised me!”

​The tears spilled over, and I couldn’t stop them.

​I should have known. It was Masato-kun, and no one else. I fell for him because he was this kind of person, yet I’d been making such a shameful, stupid mistake.

​Think he’d be happier if I paid him money?

​Do you think Koumi or Seira-san were cuter just because they had more to spend?

​Masato-kun wasn’t the kind of person who cared about things like that.

​He was kind to everyone, and he even called someone like me cute.

​Ever since the moment he saved me, I had loved him.

​“I’m sorry, Masato-kun! I was so wrong—!”

​“No, it’s okay, really! Man, you really are expressive, even at a time like this…!”

​It felt as though the heavy burden I’d been carrying was being washed away along with my tears.

​“What on earth are you two doing…?”

​As Masato-kun flusteredly tried to soothe my sobbing, a voice called out from behind us.

​“Seira-san?!”

​“Good evening… Now, would someone care to explain this situation?”

​There stood Seira-san, dressed in a beautiful suit, looking completely bewildered.

​“Ah—well—you see…”

​“Sigh… Whatever. More importantly, Masato, it’s past 6:30. Are you going to be okay?”

​“Oh, crap! Aika-san has been calling me…”

​“I’ll take care of things here. You get going.”

​“Wait, but…”

​Even after Seira-san told him to go, Masato-kun looked too worried about me to leave.

​Truly, he was kind to a fault.

​But since Seira-san was here, I had to snap out of it too.

​“I cried it all out, so I’m fine now! Shoo! Go!”

​“I-If you say so…”

​I wiped my tears with a handkerchief, which probably ruined whatever makeup I had left. I’d have to keep my face hidden for a bit…

​“Then, excuse me. See you later,” Masato-kun said to Seira-san before turning back to me one last time.

​“Mizuho… like I said, don’t push yourself. Just come by to play once in a while. That alone makes me really happy. You don’t need to spend money. Seriously!”

​“Hehehe… You don’t have to tell me twice!”

​It felt as if a weight had finally been lifted from my shoulders. It wasn’t that my desire to be Number One in his heart had vanished, but I realized that my love for him was what mattered most.

​After Masato-kun ran off, it was just me and Seira-san.

​“Well… I have a general idea of what happened…”

​Seira-san walked over to me, glanced at the building next door, and then looked down at me.

​“I should apologize too. I think I pushed you into a corner by bragging about spending fifty thousand.”

​“Ah, no… not at all… ahaha.”

​It was true that her spending habits had gotten into my head, but it wasn’t her fault, so I just laughed it off. I think I’ve gotten worse at faking smiles lately.

​“You probably realized it already, but… that boy really doesn’t care about the money. He doesn’t want you to spend, he just genuinely wants to be your friend. Is there anyone else like him?”

​“…No one.”

​“I thought so too.”

​As Seira-san gazed in the direction Masato-kun had run, her expression seemed almost enlightened.

​“He saved me too, you know. Probably in the same way he saved you.”

​“I see.”

​It made sense. Because he was Masato-kun. It felt perfectly natural.

​“That’s why… I want to be with him forever. I’m confident that I love him more than anyone else, but… I think the heavens wouldn’t forgive me if I tried to keep him all to myself.”

​“Ahaha… You might be right about that.”

​When Koumi suggested that the two of us should just ‘share’ Masato-kun, and when I met Seira-san, I thought I wanted to be his only one. I wanted to monopolize him.

​But I was right and wrong at the same time. My feelings for him were real, but what mattered was that I wanted to stay by his side forever.

​“So, if your feelings are the real deal, I suppose we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”

​With that, Seira-san held out her right hand. I reached out and squeezed it back.

​“Yes! My feelings are definitely the real deal!”

​For the first time in a while, I felt wonderful.

​No matter what, I was going to make my beloved Masato-kun fall for me!