My childhood friends reign at the top of the school caste.

Side Story – Shiraishi Sayuri’s Side

“A lot has happened, huh.”

After my bath, I jump into bed and reflect on the events of the day.

“But still, it was so cool…”

I closed my eyes and thought of that person standing in front of me, protecting me.

Sayuri is my girlfriend…he said… fufufu. and something like she’s cute…he said…ehehe.

I don’t want to imagine it, but I feel like I’m grinning so much right now that it’s making me uncomfortable.

…I’m not a pervert.

Even if he said it as a boyfriend role, I’m really happy. That’s how much I-

I vividly remember the first time he told me I was pretty. That was when I had just started junior high school. At that time, I was just a plain girl who didn’t know how to dress up, unlike now. When I entered junior high school, I felt that the people around me were becoming a little more mature, and I began to worry about my appearance. However, I didn’t know what to do about it and was troubled. I didn’t have confidence in myself, and I began to hate myself more and more.

One day, the usual six of us were gathered around a magazine. The magazine had the gravures of popular idol groups at the time, and we were looking at them and talking. Some boys would ask, “Which girl do you like? “Some of the boys would ask, “Which girl do you like?” and they would answer, “I like this girl.” At that scene girls would say, “Uwaa, filthy.”

I couldn’t get into the conversation because I was having trouble with my appearance. As I smiled at them, I looked down at the magazine and blurted out my true feelings.

“I wish I could look like that..”

“You can.”

“Eh?”

I froze as I received an unexpected response to something I was muttering to myself.

“If it’s Sayuri, you can be like them.”

“I can’t…I’m ugly… I can’t be like them.”

“What are you saying? Sayuri is cute.”

I was shaken since this was the first time someone called me cute.

“Cute? Me? You’re lying… Don’t tease me.”

“It’s not a lie. Sayuri is cute. If you paid more attention to your appearance-“

“What are the two of you talking about?”

The topic ended with a break in the conversation because someone else interrupted it. At that time, he remained silent about my mumbling and muddled through with another topic.

Now that I think about it, maybe this is when I started to become conscious of him. Not just about his looks, but about him.

Later, I gathered up my courage and talked to him again. He didn’t make fun of me and listened to me seriously. From that point on, we started researching fashion together. We studied trendy clothes, hair styles, makeup, and so on. He was not a fashion expert either, but I was touched by his efforts to help me.

My persistent efforts eventually bore fruit, and by the time the school year was over, I was being recognized by the people around me. In particular, the boys changed their attitudes and the number of confessions increased. However, I never took any such confessions to heart. My purpose had changed from what it was in the beginning.

At first it was something I started to do because I was worried about what the people around me would think, but halfway through I kept improving myself because I wanted to be told that I was pretty by someone. The praise I received from others gave me confidence. I thought, “Now I can get more compliments from “that person” too.” but-

The more the people around me talked about it, the less often “that person” said it.

Then and now, the person who wants to be called cute remains the same. That’s why I haven’t neglected to improve myself even now. I’ve long been aware of what this feeling is. I’ve tried to tell him several times, but I always hesitate. I can’t take one more step without thinking that it might destroy our relationship.

He sometimes lowers himself when he talks to me, but I don’t really like it. It’s hard to find someone who can do so much and be so kind to you. On top of that, he’s cool, or at least I think he’s the coolest guy in the world. There are other people who think so too, but that makes me feel complicated. When I see him talking to other girls, it hurts my heart.

We were lucky that we were able to go to the same high school, although it was a miscalculation that five out of six of us went to the same high school.

I’m determined. I’m determined, to convey this feeling firmly.

Yes. I, Shiraishi Sayuri am in love with Ninomiya Etsuji.