After Becoming a Counselor for Girls, I Ended Up Producing a Lot of Potential Girlfriends Who Became Mentally Ill - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Memory of My First Kiss

I’ve known Shizuku for a long time.

That said, it’s been about four years, including our time in middle school. It’s too short to call her a childhood friend.

As we deepened our bond, it was natural that we also ran into many troubles.

Shizuku is the type to push forward without compromising. It’s not unusual for us to argue over a difference of opinion.

And sometimes, even other kinds of small incidents occurred.

For example—

I once kissed Shizuku.

* * *

I think it was back in my second year of middle school.

“Today is November 11th! Do you know what day it is?”

That’s how Shizuku started. Because this day is the anniversary of those thin chocolate snacks, she suggested we play a certain game.

“Both ends of the candy will be held by you and me. When the game starts, whoever eats the most wins.”

It’s a well-known game, infamous as a punishment game at parties. Shizuku wouldn’t back down, saying she wanted to play.

“You could’ve just done this with another girl.”

“They all turned me down. Besides, doing it with boys is basically out of the question—it could cause misunderstandings.”

“So you picked me. You thought that even if you invited me, no one would misunderstand, and we could just do it naturally.”

“As expected of Seii-kun! You understand perfectly!”

That’s how it happened.

Being seen as the “convenient partner” for this game bugged me a little, but when it comes to requests, I, Seiichiro Yasuda, try my best to comply.

“I’ll start right away, but won’t this end in an instant?”

“No problem. I never said it’s a one-round game. We’ll play until we finish the entire box—that’s two packs. That way, it removes any luck and becomes a true test of skill.”

“Did you tell the other kids you’d play so many rounds?”

“Of course! I’m ready to put my life on the line for this game!”

“This isn’t some life-or-death battle. No wonder they all turned you down.”

I didn’t think it was worth getting so serious, but we began the game.

“All right, first match! A fair duel begins!”

We held the Pocky between us and waited for the signal.

It took some effort to get started. Shizuku and I have a height difference, so I had to bend down awkwardly. Even so, the candy still slanted toward me.

“Ready… gwa-oh!”

Because she had the candy in her mouth, Shizuku’s start signal sounded a little funny. It was clear this game wasn’t ideal for two people playing seriously. The person calling the start would obviously have the advantage.

Shizuku began eating at high speed, and I was completely left behind. In no time, she had eaten more than half.

I tried to catch up, but seeing how I was already going to lose, I gave up halfway.

Shizuku stopped eating, and the first round was over.

“What was that? All you did was watch me eat. Let’s really clash with all we’ve got, Seii-kun.”

“I was just shocked. I didn’t expect you to go at it like a squirrel devouring an acorn.”

“You’re comparing me to a squirrel? Was I really that cute?”

“No, it’s because you were eating purely on instinct.”

I clearly remember her sulking and complaining, “Why won’t you just call me cute?”

“All right, next round will be an intense battle. Come on, Seii-kun! Keep up with me!”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Don’t just answer lazily! If this were Lady Yuria’s realm, you’d be banished by now! Probably!”

“You don’t sound very confident.”

And so, we moved on to the second round.

The result? Another defeat. Shizuku showed no mercy, giving me no chance to win.

Before I knew it, we finished one pack. I had zero wins.

“This is weird. At this rate, I just ate an entire pack of snacks. Chocolate is bad for my skin. What are you going to do about it!?”

“That’s some pretty unfair blame.”

“My plan was for us to have a close, heated battle!”

It was a shame her plan failed so badly. I thought I’d put up more of a fight…

And so, we started the second pack.

The incident happened at the very end.

“In the end, I’ve basically eaten the whole box. Something’s not right.”

“I thought I’d improved a little, though.”

“‘A little’ isn’t good enough! I want a visible result—victory!”

“Let’s calm down. There’s one piece left. I’ll pour all my strength into this one and win at least once.”

“Then let’s get started!”

The final battle began.

To give myself an advantage, I got to call the start signal this time.

With the freedom to start whenever I wanted, I could get a head start on Shizuku. This time, I might actually win.

—Start.

It sounded more like a vague vowel, but that couldn’t be helped since my mouth couldn’t move properly.

I bit into the chocolate candy in front of me. Even though she started later, Shizuku quickly picked up speed.

By the time we reached the halfway point, Shizuku had caught up. At this rate, I wouldn’t know who would win.

I just wanted to win this one time. That childish desire pushed me forward, and I went straight for the middle of the stick.

But that was a mistake.

Shizuku, who was also refusing to back down, got closer. The chocolate stick disappeared into our mouths in an instant.

When we reached the center, what we were holding wasn’t the candy anymore—it was each other’s lips.

Because we were still eating intensely, we unintentionally locked lips firmly.

“…”

“…”

We stared at each other, frozen, unsure what to do.

It took us some time to process what was happening and pull away.

“…Hey, Seii-kun. This wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Well, you’re the one who told me to take it seriously.”

“Still! I didn’t expect you to steal my first kiss like this! Even I knew this game was practically an excuse to kiss. But if this was an accident, it’s a huge one. Ah, I’ll never get married now. Seii-kun, can you take responsibility for this!?”

She rattled on quickly.

It was far too big to call a simple accident. At that moment, guilt and panic hit me harder than anything else.

“I’m sorry. I know I’ve done something awful to you. I can’t undo it, but let’s just forget this ever happened.”

“No. We can’t forget. I’ll never bring this incident up again. But in return, you can never forget. Every detail of what happened today—you must remember forever. That’s your lifetime penance to me. Got it?”

I remember feeling shaken by how big the incident turned out to be.

That was the end of it. We decided it wasn’t good to stay in the same room any longer.

* * *

Since then, things were a bit awkward for a while, but somehow, we managed to keep our relationship going.

Now that Shizuku has confessed her feelings to me, will I ever get the chance to ask what she really thought about that day? I have no idea.

What could Shizuku have been feeling in her heart?