Prologue

For as long as I can remember, I have loved talking about love talk. I loved fictional romances in dramas and manga, and I loved listening to people talk about their real-life crushes just as much.

Back in middle school, hearing my classmates’ love stories was my favorite treat. I doubt there are many girls out there who hate love talk, though.

And of course, I yearned for romance myself. I wanted to fall in love with someone, and I wanted someone to fall in love with me. That’s why I put so much effort into looking cute.

I made sure to live a beauty-conscious lifestyle, took meticulous care of my hair, and chose fashion that incorporated the latest trends while highlighting my best features… Since I loved cute things anyway, it never felt like a chore.

“So, who do you like, Mizuho?”

“Eeeh?! Well, I think the class rep from Class B is pretty cool. I might be interested!”

“Huh? Didn’t you say it was that guy from Class C just the other day?”

“Aww, that didn’t work out! So, onto the next!”

“Mizuho, you really do fall in love easily, don’t you?”

Confessing and getting rejected was totally normal. Sure, I admired dramatic romances in fiction, but I knew better than to expect that in reality.

Student romance is just a cycle of confessing and getting dumped. Even if we started dating, somewhere in my heart, I took it lightly enough to think, We’ll probably break up eventually anyway.

Honestly, even if I thought someone was just “okay,” I figured things might change if we started dating.

Maybe the feeling of I want to experience romance! was the only thing driving me forward.

Perhaps that is why.

“Tonosaki confessed to me… Man, she’s seriously frivolous.”

“She’s fine with any guy, right? It’s just like… it all feels fake.”

I overheard boys talking like that.

Fake? What do they mean, fake?

I thought I liked them, so I confessed, hoping they’d go out with me. But it didn’t work out…

I know I love romance. I never once thought that my feelings of “like” were a lie…

…But now I understand. It was all my fault.

I went through high school without dating anyone, and then I became a university student.

And then, I met my destiny.

“Are you okay? It’s a contact lens, right? I’ll help you look.”

The first time we met, my soul trembled.

“You don’t need to push yourself when it hurts. There isn’t a person alive who wouldn’t be hurt after being told something like that.”

My heart pounded, but it also felt so warm. I realized then—this is what it means to truly love someone.

Because I understood that, I knew this love—different from all the others—was the one I absolutely had to make come true. I want Masato to fall in love with me, no matter what!

…But Koumi, my best friend, also loves Masato.

Koumi liked him first. And Koumi was the one who forgave me for trying to steal a march on her.

That’s why I have to be patient. I have to be second in line, after Koumi.

Or so I thought.

“There’s no deep meaning, you know? Just that after you go home, I thought I’d have Masato pamper me, that’s all.”

It was obvious, really. There was no way only the two of us were gunning for Masato.

Maybe Seira-san has already crossed the line with Masato… Just thinking about it made my chest tighten. It made me so sad.

Holding back tears, I walked briskly through the nightlife district.

Just to see the person I love.

Even then like Round and round, thoughts swirled in my head.

What number am I to Masato?

Does he even see me as a romantic partner in the first place?

I wiped my tears and looked forward.

…I can’t stay like this.

I didn’t understand it in high school, but I understand it now.

Falling in love makes you happy, it makes things fun, and it changes the way the scenery looks.

…And at the same time… it hurts this much.