───● The Childhood Friend College Girl Is Shocked ●○●
Waking up in the winter is absolute agony.
The obnoxious, loud electronic beeping forcibly yanked my consciousness back from my dreams.
“Mnnmgh…” I groaned into my pillow.
The January chill was more than enough to turn anyone into a total addict to their futon.
It wasn’t until the alarm snoozed for the third time that I finally managed to drag my body up out of bed.
With the hand I used to turn off the alarm, I unlocked my smartphone.
January 7th—that was what the lock screen displayed.
University lectures were starting back up today.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I headed over to wash my face.
Having spent the New Year’s holidays back at my family home, I had returned to my apartment just in time for the start of the second week of January.
I ended up just slacking off through the whole holiday season…
I mean, why wouldn’t I? Dinner was made for me without me lifting a finger, my laundry was taken care of—it was total luxury.
Living on my own really made me realize just how much I took my parents’ home for granted.
After eating a light breakfast, I put on my makeup.
I didn’t have any classes with Masato today, so I wasn’t even sure if I’d run into him.
Even so, I always wanted to look as cute as humanly possible, just in case.
…Masato said he would give us his answer by March.
I can’t even imagine a life without him in it anymore… which is honestly terrifying.
Still, all I can do right now is give everything I’ve got, right?
“Alright, time to get going!” I declared to myself.
Finished with my final checks in the mirror, I stepped out the front door.
Seeing the New Year’s ornament hanging on my neighbor’s door truly brought home the realization that a brand-new year had begun.
“Yaho~! Koumi!”
“Morning, Mizuho~!” I greeted back.
The first friend I ran into upon arriving at campus was, naturally, our resident spark of energy, Mizuho.
From high school straight through to college, I feel like there are fewer moments when I’m not with her than when I am.
Today, though, several of our friends from the university club were hanging around as well.
“Happy New Year, Koumi~!” one girl called out.
“Yep! Happy New Year~! How’s everyone doing?” I replied cheerily.
“Oh, hanging in there~” another laughed.
About six of us gathered together in the classroom, chatting away.
Since we still had plenty of time before lecture started, we settled in to idle away the minutes shooting the breeze.
Without anyone ever deciding on it, we just hung out near the back of the room and talked about nothing in particular. This was the everyday rhythm of our campus life.
“Huh? Where’s your shared boyfriend today? No Masato-kun in sight?” one friend teased.
“I don’t think he has any classes this morning,” I explained. “If he comes at all today, it probably won’t be until fourth period~”
By now, everyone in our circle knew full well that Mizuho and I were attached to Masato at the hip.
And honestly, how could they not? We had even dropped some of the classes we used to take with them just to sit through lectures with Masato.
Besides, having five or six girls surrounding Masato all at once would’ve been downright overwhelming for him… Not that I disliked my friends, but that was part of the reason we took separate classes.
“Ugh, you and Mizuho are with your boyfriend twenty-four-seven now, so we never get to talk to you! It feels like forever since we last caught up~” another girl pouted playfully.
“Ahaha… Sorry about that~” I apologized sheepishly.
“Now hold on, Koumi,” Mizuho interjected, raising a finger. “In Mizuho-chan’s humble opinion, shouldn’t we first clarify that he isn’t actually our boyfriend yet~?”
Seeing me answer as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Mizuho jumped in to set the record straight.
Her dramatic interjection sent a burst of laughter rippling through the group.
“What are you talking about, Mizuho? You gotta lay the groundwork early and claim your territory!” I shot back defensively.
“Well, I get what you’re trying to say, but still…” Mizuho chuckled with a grin.
“Though I notice Mizuho slyly emphasized the word ‘yet’,” another friend pointed out, giggling. “You two aren’t slipping up for a second, are you~?”
“Busted! Ehe-pero!” Mizuho winked playfully, giving her head a cute little tap.
She really doesn’t miss a beat, I thought with a wry smile at Mizuho’s shrewdness.
When push came to shove, Mizuho was as fierce a competitor as any.
“Good luck to both of you~ Word around the department is that he’s low-key gorgeous, so I can totally see why you two fell head over heels for him~”
“Excuse me, there is nothing ‘low-key’ about his looks, okay???” I snapped playfully.
“Ooh, scary, scary…” she giggled, holding up her hands in mock surrender.
I mean, seriously, Masato’s handsomeness isn’t hidden in the slightest, okay?!
My instant, fierce defense provoked another round of laughter from everyone.
“I honestly wished he’d entered the campus Mr. Contest~ I feel like he’d easily win top prize!”
“Totally~! Once he officially becomes your boyfriend, you two should push him to enter next year!”
“Well, we could certainly try suggesting it,” Mizuho mused, tapping her chin, “but Mizuho-chan has a feeling Masato-dono isn’t really the type who enjoys standing out in beauty pageants~…”
Seeing how Mizuho answered with absolute confidence that Masato would eventually become our boyfriend brought a warm smile to my face.
We’re definitely going to make Masato our boyfriend together, no matter what.
Before we knew it, the preliminary chime signaling the start of class reverberated through the hall, prompting everyone to head to their respective seats.
Even though winter break had only been about two weeks long, being back in class felt strangely nostalgic.
When fourth period finally came to an end, my classes for the day were officially over.
In the end, Masato never ended up showing up on campus today.
“You got work today, Mizuho?” I asked as we packed our bags.
“Yup! I do, but Mizuho-chan still has a bit of time to kill before her shift starts,” she replied, stretching her arms.
“Want to head over to the cafeteria and hang out until then?”
“That would be a lifesaver, de gozaru!” Mizuho beamed, giving a playful salute.
I didn’t have any other plans for the rest of the day anyway.
So, we decided to kill time together at the cafe attached to the campus until it was time for her shift.
“Alright, I gotta head off to my sports club!” one of our friends called out.
“And I’ve got club meetings! See you guys tomorrow~” another added.
“Yep! See you tomorrow!” I waved them off.
The rest of our friend group scattered off to attend to their own individual schedules.
The ones in varsity sports clubs had apparently been coming to campus since January 3rd.
While the campus cafeteria had a fair number of patrons, there were plenty of two-seater tables available for Mizuho and me.
I ordered a hot cafe au lait while Mizuho got a cafe mocha, and we settled into our seats.
“Masato-dono didn’t end up showing up today after all, huh~?” Mizuho sighed, taking a sip of her drink.
“He actually texted me earlier!” I told her. “Said he’ll be back on campus starting tomorrow!”
Taking a sip of my warm cafe au lait, I glanced out the window and noticed the evening sun beginning its slow descent below the horizon.
It wasn’t even that late yet, but the early sunset was a stark reminder of midwinter.
“It feels kind of strange being at university without Masato-dono around, doesn’t it~?” Mizuho remarked, resting her chin on her hand.
“Yeah, it really does…” I agreed, before giving her a suspicious look. “Though wait, didn’t you see Masato just two days ago?”
“W-Well, yes, that is technically true, de gozaru,” she admitted with an awkward chuckle.
“Must be nice~! I miss him so much, I want to see him right now~!” I whined playfully.
Apparently, Mizuho had gone on a date with Masato right after the New Year.
Ugh, I’m so jealous!
“So, what did you guys do this time?” I asked, leaning in closer.
“Uhh, well~ we grabbed some lunch, did a bit of shopping… and, um, went to ka-karaoke, I guess! Yep!”
“…Hold on. Why did you stumble at the end there?” I probed, narrowing my eyes.
“Phew-phew~” Mizuho whistled terribly out of tune, avoiding eye contact.
I had never heard Mizuho whistle so atrociously in my entire life.
Karaoke, karaoke, huh…?
“…You guys made out, didn’t you?” I accused, leaning across the table.
“Th-Th-Th-This humble servant believes that is a terribly indecent way to phrase it, de gozaru~!” she stammered, her face turning bright red.
“What did you two do?! You made out again, didn’t you!” I demanded, gripping my cup.
Even though I haven’t gotten to do anything affectionate with him yet this year! (Well, obviously, since it’s only the 7th!)
“B-But Koumi, you got to flirt and cuddle with him all through Christmas~!” Mizuho protested, fanning her burning cheeks.
“That was once! You’ve already gotten two turns with him!”
“W-Well, when you put it like that…?” she squeaked softly.
Ugh~ I’m so jealous, I could burst!
Looking at Mizuho blushing crimson as she reminisced about their date, I envied her from the bottom of my heart.
“I mean… to be totally honest, it really is incredible, isn’t it…?” I mumbled softly, my own face suddenly feeling hot.
“Y-Yeah… it really is…” Mizuho agreed, lowering her head in embarrassment.
Honestly, the sheer, intoxicating euphoria of flirting and cuddling with Masato was out of this world.
It was a feeling so priceless, nothing else in the world could ever replace it.
I swear, whenever we do that, my brain must be secreting some kind of dangerous bliss chemicals…
It was right in the middle of our embarrassing confession.
“Koumi! Mizuho!” a voice suddenly called out.
“Y-Yes?!” I squeaked, my voice jumping an octave.
Given the scandalous nature of what we were just talking about, I couldn’t help but shriek in surprise.
The person who had approached us was one of our friends we had been taking classes with earlier.
“Whoa, what’s with the extreme reaction…?” our friend asked, looking at us bewildered.
“Oh, no, it’s nothing! Ahaha…” I laughed nervously, quickly trying to compose myself. “Anyway, what’s up?”
“Ah, right! Well, you see, that girl over there…”
She gestured over her shoulder, turning around.
Following her gaze toward the cafeteria entrance, I spotted a young woman standing there.
“I was on my way to my sports club when she stopped me,” my friend explained.
The girl had a neat black bob cut and looked to be right around our age.
As I took in her appearance, the words that dropped from my friend’s mouth were more than enough to send a shockwave through both Mizuho and me.
“She asked if I knew where she could find Katasato Masato-kun. And since he’s basically your guy, I figured I’d bring her over to you two!”
“…Huh?”
The perplexed gasp escaped Mizuho’s lips before I could even make a sound.
Business… with Masato?
“Anyway, that’s the situation, so you can ask these two the rest!” our friend said, turning back to the girl before waving to us. “Catch you guys later, I’m off to club!”
“A-Ah, okay! Thank you so much,” the short-haired girl bowed politely.
With that, our friend hurried away, leaving us behind.
The only ones remaining were me, Mizuho, and this mysterious girl.
After an awkward beat of silence, the girl took a few tentative steps toward our table.
“U-Umm… so, did you have some kind of business with Masato-dono…?” Mizuho ventured hesitantly.
“Ah, yes. I’m looking for him,” the girl replied gently.
She answered Mizuho’s hesitant question with a calm, polite tone.
I wanted to find an opening to get the conversation flowing, but at the same time…
…there was one single question I needed answered before anything else.
“Um… if you don’t mind me asking, what is your relationship with Masato…?” I inquired, my voice tighter than I intended.
At my question, a troubled, slightly conflicted look washed over the girl’s face.
“Well… I’m Masato-kun’s ex-girlfriend.”
“…What?”
Was it because the sun had finally slipped completely below the horizon?
It felt as though the entire cafe had suddenly plunged into darkness.