Chapter 5: Since the Day We First Met—

​───● The Energetic JD’s Feelings Are No Lie ●○●

​I used to admire the concept of love.

​The “romance” you see in dramas and movies was so wonderful.

​I strongly felt that I wanted to experience a love like that too.

​…But, ​‘I like you! Please go out with me!’

​Back when I was in middle or high school.

​Every time I bowed my head and spoke those feelings…

​To be honest, I wondered if what I was doing was really the romance I had admired back then.

​Like? …Hmm, I think I like them.

​I’m sure I’ll come to love them if we start dating.

​That was the kind of thing I told myself.

​I was just lining up false emotions.

​…Looking back now, I must have been a real nuisance. ​It was only natural that I got rejected. They were shallow, hollow words born of nothing but ulterior motives.

​But you see. That’s why… that’s why I can say this with confidence now.

​Listen, Masato. ​This feeling of mine, this emotion that overflows from me and won’t stop—

​■

​The first thing I did when I got home was take a shower.

​I washed away the rain that had soaked my body.

​As the water poured over my head, I thought back on what had happened today.

​‘Is it something you aren’t allowed to tell anyone? I-If so, I’ll keep it a secret! I’ll keep it hidden, so please… just say ‘that’s right’…’

​‘…’

​‘That’s all I need. Just a ‘yeah’ or ‘we met again’… just that…’

​”…”

​The fact that I had met Koumi before was probably an undeniable truth.

​I certainly used to have a girl I played catch with a lot.

​She’d talked to me without a hint of hesitation back when I was in the children’s home, and we’d become close.

​Playing catch in the park together became a daily routine.

​I didn’t have many friends my own age back then. In that sense, her presence was something I was grateful for and made me happy.

​I turned off the shower. ​Water dripped from my wet hair, obscuring my vision.

​…But. But still.

​”That probably… wasn’t ‘me’…”

​Or rather, I should say it wasn’t the Katasato Masato currently standing here.

​I’ve had the awareness of having been reincarnated into this world since just before starting university…

​While I obviously have memories of meeting Koumi in my youth, those are from the previous world. In this world I’m currently living in, we were undoubtedly meeting for the first time.

​Maybe my memories and Koumi’s are slightly different.

​And more than anything, I struggled with the conflict of whether it was right for me—who wasn’t the Katasato Masato who actually met her back then—to take away Koumi’s precious memories.

​In that situation, I couldn’t come up with an answer immediately.

​‘—Why are you lying?’

​Koumi’s expression from that moment was burned into the back of my mind.

​An expression as if she were seeing something unbelievable.

​It was painful; I couldn’t bear to look at it. ​I got out of the shower and lay down on my bed.

​As I circled through my thoughts for a while, my phone let out a ping notification.

​mizuho: ‘Anyway! I’m going!’

​mizuho: ‘I’ve talked to Koumi, too.’

​mizuho: ‘Koumi might not be able to come, but if you don’t mind, Masato, I want you to come.’

​Tomorrow, I was supposed to go to the theme park with Koumi and Mizuho.

​However, after what happened today, I felt it would be awkward to go, so I’d messaged Mizuho.

​I see… so Koumi really isn’t coming. ​I truly did something terrible to her.

​But I think I have to come up with my own answer. It was also true that I needed time for that.

​I didn’t know what kind of face to make if I met her tomorrow…​I set my alarm and closed my phone.

​A lot had happened, and I was apparently mentally exhausted.

​I have things to do tomorrow, so I should sleep early today. ​With that thought, I turned off the lights.

​…But in the end, I couldn’t get Koumi out of my head. ​It was the first time in my life it took me so long to fall asleep.

​The next day.

​Under a clear sky that made last night’s rain feel like a lie, Mizuho and I were walking through the theme park.

​It’d been a while since I’d been to a place like this, and it wasn’t half bad.

​With that thought, I took a bite of the churro I’d bought with Mizuho.

​Mizuho, walking beside me, had been smiling all day.

​Of course, she’s always a good kid who’s full of smiles, but today they were even more radiant than usual.

​I’m sure she’s trying her best to keep me from worrying about what happened yesterday.

​Truly, Mizuho is such a good girl.

​My eyes fell on the headband she was wearing. ​Right after we arrived at the theme park.

​We ended up buying these matching headbands.

​‘We’re matching!’

​As she said that and happily put it on…

​Mizuho had let down the hair she usually kept in twin-tails.

​That hairstyle felt strangely familiar… for some reason, it felt like it had left a strong impression on me.

​”…? Masato, is something wrong?”

​”Ah, no, it’s nothing!”

​”Could it be you’ve been captivated by Mizuho-chan~?”

​”Ahaha, maybe I have.”

​It was true that Mizuho looked cute with her hair down.

​But that aside, what was that sensation I felt just now…?

​”…Y-You aren’t supposed to say yes to that…”

​”Eh?”

​”It’s nothing! Oh! That! Let’s ride that one!”

​”Oh~! That’s the new one everyone’s talking about.”

​Mizuho pointed toward an attraction with a sci-fi exterior. As I was looking at it, my hand was suddenly yanked, and I stumbled forward.

​”Come on, come on! We’re losing time just standing here!”

​”Don’t pull me so suddenly… you’re surprisingly strong?!”

​I thought this with Yuka, too, but are the girls in this world all super strong?!

​I scrambled to move my legs, but since Mizuho, running ahead, had such a dazzling smile…

​Well, as long as she’s having fun, it’s fine, I thought.

​”Let’s ride that.”

​A while later.

​Mizuho had gotten a bit motion sick, so we’d taken a short break.

​Sitting across from me, she pointed behind me as she spoke. ​Turning around, I saw the largest Ferris wheel in the park.

​”The Ferris wheel? Sure, let’s do it.”

​”Ah, but not right now! A little later… okay?”

​”…? Sure, that’s fine.”

​Mizuho’s smile remained. But for some reason, the quality of that smile seemed to have changed slightly… and my heart skipped a beat.

​”Alright! Let’s go for one last burst before the sun goes down!”

​”Are you feeling okay now?”

​”Yeah! Thanks!”

​I stood up with Mizuho, whose complexion looked much better.

​”Woooo! I’m gonna play until the very end!”

​”Isn’t your recovery rate a little too high?!”

​I could only give a wry smile at her powerful movements, which showed no trace of the struggle she’d just been having.

​We went on two more attractions after that.

​By then, the sun was starting to sink.

​As promised, for our final ride of the day, Mizuho and I were standing in line for the Ferris wheel.

​”Man, that was fun~! Did you have fun too, Masato?”

​”Yeah! It’s been a while since I came to a place like this… but thanks to you, Mizuho, I had a blast.”

​”Hehehe, glad to hear it!”

​The way she laughed so innocently was cute.

​She’s a girl who really suits a smile.

​Koumi also suits an impish smile, but it’s a bit different from Mizuho’s.

​It’s not a matter of which is better, but both have their own charms and are wonderful.

​…I wonder if Koumi is okay.

​Precisely because I said something so painful to her, I couldn’t help but be concerned.

​”…Hey, Masato.”

​”Yeah?”

​Before I realized it, Mizuho was gripping the sleeve of my jacket.

​I looked down to see her peering up at me.

​”You’re kind, Masato, so I’m sure you were worrying about Koumi every now and then today, weren’t you?”

​”…”

​To be honest, she hit the nail on the head.

​I don’t think it’s because I’m “kind,” though.

​If I were kind, I surely wouldn’t have hurt Koumi like that… ​As if to cut off my thoughts, she gave my sleeve another tug.

​”Hey, I have just one… just one really big favor to ask.”

​The look in her upturned eyes was more serious than I had ever seen before.

​I couldn’t help but catch my breath.

​”While we’re on this Ferris wheel… I want you to look only at me.”

​My heart gave a loud thump.

​Her expression was so far removed from the Mizuho I usually saw. ​I found myself thinking how attractive she was.

​”…Sorry. I understand.”

​”Mm. I’m happy.”

​Before we knew it, we were at the front of the line.

​Maybe because my mind was racing, time had passed faster than it felt.

​”Next two, please~”

​The staff member gestured for us to come forward.

​”Koumi, I’m sorry.”

​Mizuho whispered those words.

​Just what kind of apology was that for?

​At that moment, I had no idea.

​”Whoa—!! It’s so beautiful! Look, Masato! The night view is insane!!”

​”You’re right… it really is beautiful.”

​As soon as we got on the Ferris wheel, Mizuho started geeking out with her usual high energy, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

​As she asked, for this time, I would think only of Mizuho.

​I decided to just enjoy this moment.

​”Man~! I heard the view from this Ferris wheel was amazing, so I really wanted to ride it! I’m so glad I could ride it with you, Masato!”

​Mizuho happily kicked her feet back and forth.

​Just as she said, the night view stretching out into the distance was so beautiful it left me speechless.

​For a while, the two of us just stared at the stunning sight.

​”Can I… sit over there?”

​”? Yeah, sure.”

​We’d been sitting opposite each other, and she made the request.

​Did she want to see the view from this side too?

​I had no reason to refuse, so I slid over to make room beside me.

​Just then.

​Clunk! A loud sound rang out, and the gondola gave a big lurch.

​”Whoa?!”

​”Mizuho?!”

​Since she was just about to stand up, she lost her balance.

​”Are you okay…? Wait.”

​As I reached out to her while she was on the floor, it happened.

​Maybe because of the jolt, her headband had fallen off.

​And there sat a single girl on the floor. ​I know I’m using a strange expression.

​But for some reason.

​This scene gave me such an intense sense of déjà vu that I lost my words.

​”…Hehehe… this is kind of like that time, isn’t it?”

​”…Eh?”

​It only took a second for the meaning of those words to sink in.

​I looked at Mizuho as she raised her face.

​—It connected.

​The scenery overlapped with that moment.

​‘Ah, you don’t need to return this handkerchief. Bye!’

​‘…Eh, a-ah, wait a second, please!!’

​I know this girl.

​Eyes swollen from crying.

​I know the girl who called out to me at the very end.

​”…I found out a little while ago. That the person who saved me back then… was you, Masato.”

​From her pouch, she pulled out… a single handkerchief.

​I remember giving it to her.

​”Finally… I can finally tell you.”

​Her voice was strained and trembling.

​”Hey, Masato. …No, my destined person.”

​Mizuho gave a small smile, and tears overflowed from her eyes.

​But those tears weren’t sorrowful like they were back then.

​”Thank you for saving me. I’ve wanted to tell you for so, so long. Thank you for rescuing me.”

​She handed the handkerchief back, and I took it without thinking.

​All the while, I remained stunned.

​”And, there’s one more thing I have to tell you.”

​She gently pushed my shoulders from the front, and I finally realized I was still standing.

​As prompted, I sat back down.

​I looked Mizuho straight in the face.

​Her eyes—cute, pure, and straightforward—were sparkling.

​”I love you. Ever since that day… Katasato Masato-kun, I’ve loved you so much.”

​”…!”

​A pure, direct emotion directed right at me.

​It felt like time had stopped; my head wouldn’t work.

​”You know, I never used to understand what ‘love’ felt like. I’ve told so many lies until now. I’m really a terrible person, aren’t I?”

​”But… now I can say it with confidence.”

​”This feeling—only this feeling—is not a lie.”

​Mizuho’s right hand pressed against my cheek.

​The next instant, I felt a sensation on my lips.

​”…Hehehe…”

​”Mizu…ho…”

​The only word I could squeeze out was her name.

​That was all I could manage.

​That was how much I could only think about Mizuho right now.

​”Masato, look.”

​I looked around as she told me to.

​I only just realized we were at the highest point.

​In other words, we were at the very top.

​Just as we reached the halfway point.

​Just as my vision cleared, Mizuho pressed her hands against both my cheeks.

​Once again, she stole my lips.

​Easily, effortlessly.

​A passionate kiss, as if she were carving the very existence of Tonosaki Mizuho into my body.

​”…Haa“

​She took her time before finally letting me go.

​By then, her cheeks were flushed.

​As she licked her lips, she looked almost seductive.

​”Now, until we get down…”

​Mizuho slipped off her gown.

​”You aren’t allowed to think about anyone but me, okay?”

​As I was slowly enveloped by the sensation of Mizuho—

​I realized I had no way to resist her.