After I Picked up a Notebook Filled With Intense Emotions, the Girls Started Acting Strange - Chapter 46

The afternoon sun poured down, making it a warm and pleasant day.

Normally, I would have been full from lunch and nodding off. I’d be fighting sleep while sitting at my desk and letting the teacher’s sleepy voice lull me toward dreams.

Yeah. It felt just like I was already in a dream.

I walked through a field of flowers, a gentle wind brushing my hair.

Next to me, the girl was shyly holding her hair back from the wind.

Bathed in sunlight, she looked almost divine while smiling softly and kindly.

“Here we are again.”

“Yeah. Yuki-chan was with us earlier, but I wanted to walk around with you, too.”

“I see.”

Mizuki and I had come to the flower field we had passed at the checkpoint earlier.

In the afternoon light, the flowers looked softer than they had in the morning. Blue and white swayed in the breeze, creating a dreamlike scene.

Compared to the morning, there were fewer tourists. The quiet made Mizuki’s face stand out even more.

Earlier, we hadn’t stayed long because it was almost lunchtime. But now, seeing it with Mizuki alone felt strangely different.

I felt more nervous than usual.

It was because of the “Ethics” notebook I had found in my backpack earlier. Why was it there? I thought I had lost it. Someone must have put it in my bag.

─Was there some other reason for it?

A conversation with Kazuma flashed through my mind.

“This is the nemophila field, but there are lots of other flowers over there. Let’s go check them out!”

“…Yeah.”

I was lost in thought, so I gave a short and careless answer. But Mizuki didn’t mind. She just smiled and gently pulled me along by the arm.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

“Um… Mizuki-san?”

Click. Click. Click.

“Oh, what is it? Yuu-kun. Ah, that angle is really good too.”

Click. Click. Click.

“How long do I have to keep posing…?”

Click. Click. Click.

“Just a little longer. I want to save my favorite Yuu-kun in my camera roll!”

Click. Click. Click.

For several minutes, I became her model. She took picture after picture while trying different angles, flowers, and poses.

The last time I had been photographed this much must have been when I was a kid or some event like that. Or maybe at a recital or sports day.

It felt nostalgic, like my parents were taking pictures of me on a special day.

“When we get home, I have to move all these to my hard drive!”

“Well, I’m glad you’re satisfied…”

I was a little tired. We sat on a bench in the shade beside the flowerbeds to take a short break.

“Here, mint tea.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Before I knew it, Mizuki had poured tea from her flask and handed it to me. Steam rose from the cup. I had to admit, modern thermoses were amazing.

It tasted a little unusual, but the refreshing aroma and flavor quenched my thirst.

“I’m sorry. This must have been tiring.”

“It’s not too bad.”

“I’ve always been like this. I can’t stop once I start. Yuu-kun even told me not to overdo it, but I keep forgetting.”

“You remembered that advice?”

“Yeah. Of course I did!!”

Good answer!

Though it wasn’t very useful, was it?

“Here, let’s take another photo.”

“Eh.”

Suddenly, Mizuki raised her phone again for a selfie. The sunlight made her squint with one eye closed as the shutter clicked. Then she relaxed her face and scrolled through her photo album.

“…Whoa.”

I accidentally saw her phone. It was filled with pictures of me. So many. My face, my back… I didn’t even know when she had taken most of them.

I could accept being criticized for peeking at someone else’s phone, but I want credit for not making a weird sound when I saw it.

“…Ah. You saw them?”

“N-no…”

“You don’t have to lie. You did, right?”

Stop dropping your voice like that. It’s scary.

“I saw them.”

“Hehe. It’s so embarrassing.”

Honestly, I was the one who felt embarrassed. There was even a photo of my face from the front. One I didn’t remember being taken at all.

“Because. I just want to keep looking at Yuu-kun. And with photos, no one can bother us. I can just watch you all by myself, right?”

When it’s just the two of us, she shows a slightly crazy side. Lately, it seemed like she had been keeping it under control, but the cold light in her eyes made my body shiver.

“…Why does Mizuki go this far for me?”

I didn’t know why I asked it now, but I couldn’t help myself.

“…You really don’t remember.”

“Huh?”

She whispered something so softly I could barely hear it.

“I, I admire heroes.”

…What was she talking about?

“Even if no one notices them, they keep working harder than anyone else. I admire that kind of hero. And I love them. Yuu-kun is my hero.”

“Me…?”

What part of me was heroic? Has I ever shown anything like that since she transferred here?

“That’s why I don’t want my hero to be sad. I want him to stay strong.”

“…”

“I’m the heroine who gets saved by that hero… no, maybe I help him too. But I can’t forgive the bad guys. Ever since that sad day, I can’t forgive anyone who hurts the hero.”

Hero, me?

And the bad guy?

The day I was sad?

My head was about to explode with all this information at once.

Mizuki’s eyes had no light.

What was this about…?

“Soon. Very soon…”

“Mi-Mizuki?”

“…I’m just kidding!”

“…Huh?”

“Did I scare you? A little? Hehe. That was all a joke. I just wanted to tease Yuu-kun a bit.”

“Tease…?”

I couldn’t help but ask, my voice sounding dumb and relieved after the heavy tension.

“Because Yuu-kun is slow.”

“…I really am?”

“Pretty much. Do you want me to tell you why I’m with you?”

“…Yeah.”

My throat tightened. Her mood had completely changed, now cheerful instead of tense.

“That day. I saw you. When you were warning Shindou in the classroom.”

“…Eeh!?”

Mizuki was probably talking about the day Shindou said something about keeping her as if she were just someone to hold onto.

She had seen the moment I had boldly spoken up to Shindou that day?

My face instantly felt hot.

So embarrassing…

“That day, when Yuu-kun spoke so firmly to Shindou. You were so cool. Ever since then, I’ve been watching you with my eyes.”

“R-Really…? I see…”

Just remembering it made my face feel like it was on fire.

“See. Now that you know the answer, you can relax, right? It’s almost time for you to be with Yuki-chan. Go on, I’ll be fine!”

“Huh? Ah. Yeah.”

With Mizuki’s gentle push on my back, I started walking back toward the path to the observation deck.

Finally, I understood why Mizuki had been feeling the way she did toward me. That thought gave me a small sense of relief.

“…”