I Was Unreasonably Dumped By My Girlfriend And Had My Heart Broken. When I Rescued A Beautiful Girl Who Was My Former Classmate And Idol In My Class From A Group Of Yarisa, My Gray College Life Started To Shine - Chapter 58
Episode 58: All Of It.
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And then came the next day.
I left home just in the nick of time.
The reason wasn’t that I almost overslept like yesterday. It took longer than expected to choose my clothes, and I wasn’t satisfied with my hair, which resulted in me barely making it on time.
Unable to run to maintain my neat appearance, I walked briskly and somehow arrived at the meeting spot in front of our middle school’s main gate just in time.
There was Hikari Aoba, already waiting.
However, she was so absorbed in fixing her bangs with a handheld mirror that she didn’t notice me.
Waving my hand in front of her face, Aoba jumped like a startled pigeon.
“K-K-Keito-kun! You’re here!”
Her face was already bright red.
She was wearing a vivid white knit sweater that made her redness stand out even more, like cherry blossoms.
But still, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Even though I had put a lot of effort into my outfit, my favorite oversized hoodie from high school seemed dull in comparison to her.
As the saying goes, a name reflects the person. She was shining brightly again today.
Her light green lace skirt and demure pumps created a refined impression… Wait a minute.
“Hikari, those clothes… We’re climbing a mountain, right?”
“……Oh.”
Oh, she said, this girl.
“Those shoes aren’t suitable for mountain climbing.”
“…But.”
But, she says.
“But, I wanted to look cute for you! I thought it would increase my chances. Is that bad?”
Aoba pouted and glared at me.
And above all, that line.
Its impact was too much for someone with low romantic defense like me.
If there were a scouter here, it would have exploded from the reading at that moment.
Perhaps her confession had released something within her.
“It’s not bad.”
I found myself saying.
“It’s okay. There are proper paths and stairs.”
Following Aoba’s lead, we headed to the mountain entrance.
As it was part of a hiking trail, the path was well maintained.
Though there were plenty of fallen leaves from winter, the footing was clear.
“See, it’s fine.”
This was my first time here, but Aoba seemed familiar with it.
She led the way enthusiastically, sometimes walking a few steps ahead of me, but then she slipped.
Seeing this, I quickly moved to support her by the waist.
“Haha… These shoes really aren’t suitable, huh?”
“Of course not.”
I paused for a moment.
“And there’s no need to rush. I’ll say it soon.”
Unsure whether to say it or not, I decided to voice my feelings.
After I finished, a wave of embarrassment washed over me.
What was that line? It’s only acceptable for handsome guys to say that, isn’t it? Doesn’t it come off as condescending?
I tried to dismiss my words…
“Y-Yeah, right! Thanks.”
Aoba didn’t seem to mind.
We continued up the mountain at a slower pace, the two of us together.
We didn’t talk much.
I was nervous about the impending moment, and Aoba probably felt the same.
As we approached the summit, my heart began to race.
I clutched a small box hidden in my pocket to steady myself.
And then, the moment arrived.
Reaching the top of the stairs, the view opened up dramatically.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
Standing beside me with her hands on her hips, Aoba exuded pride, and I nodded.
No wonder it was a popular confession spot.
The expansive view was indeed beautiful.
Since the middle school was already on a hill, coming up even higher offered a breathtaking panorama of the town.
Landmarks like the opera house by the river, the historic hotel, and the slowly flowing Mukogawa River were all visible.
The view was captivating.
For a while, we just stood there, gazing at the scenery.
As we did, my feelings solidified into certainty.
I felt genuinely happy at that moment.
I wanted to stay like this forever.
“Hey.”
I called her out.
Then, in a straightforward, casual manner, I said.
“I like you too.”
I looked at Aoba.
“…Huh?”
She widened her already large eyes even further, looking taken aback.
“Sorry, was my response too sudden?”
She shook her head vigorously.
“Then, what is it?”
“…It didn’t seem to be like that at all!”
“Sorry about that. But you confessed to me, so what’s the problem?”
“Because… Is it really true? You’re not just being considerate?”
“Not at all.”
Really, not at all.
“I’ve been trying not to think about you like that.”
“…Why?”
“Because I enjoyed our relationship and didn’t want to lose it. So, I acted like I didn’t care.”
It was a kind of defense mechanism for me.
No matter how much Aoba shook my heart, I didn’t want to disrupt what we had.
So, I built walls with excuses like “we’re not a good match,” “we’re just good friends,” or “I just broke up with my ex”.
These walls were sturdy, built with large, solid blocks and reinforced with concrete.
They were not something easily broken, and they had withstood everything so far.
But Aoba’s confession yesterday shattered those walls easily.
All pretense vanished, and thinking simply, the answer was clear.
I like Hikari Aoba.
Not just for her exceptional beauty, but for her strong spirit, her clumsy moments, her many vulnerabilities, her messy room, and even her habit of leaving her underwear scattered around. All of it.