The Handsome Girl Who Stole My Girlfriend Seems to Be After Me Now - Chapter 6: The Second Time This Happened to Me in My Life

Chapter 6: The Second Time This Happened to Me in My Life

“Ah~, the breeze feels nice.”

I ended up having lunch with Mizushima, half by force, and we made our way to the rooftop of the main school building. 

The spacious rooftop, surrounded by a high fence, even has a small garden and some benches.

The weather is nice, and it seems we’re the only ones here. It’s definitely a perfect spot to enjoy a leisurely lunch. Though, I don’t plan on staying long.

“So, what’s this ‘continuation of the conversation’ about?”

I wanted to get straight to the point and head back, so I asked directly. 

Mizushima shrugged her shoulders, saying I was impatient, and casually brushed her hair that was fluttering in the wind.

She seemed unaware, but she looked like she could be on the cover of a fashion magazine. Seriously, her looks are incredibly good. I couldn’t help but be a bit mesmerized.

“Let me hear your answer.”

Instead of answering my question, Mizushima looked straight at me and said that.

“Answer? You mean about this morning?”

“Yeah, that.”

“That’s ridiculous. Who would believe such a lie?”

I said with a scoff, and Mizushima looked puzzled, tilting her head.

“A lie?”

“Yeah, you lied.”

I had a feeling about it. That it wasn’t Ena-chan she was after, but me, or that she wanted to date me. 

All that must be a joke, just to tease me for fun. I couldn’t think of any other reason why a high-level girl like Mizushima would bother with an unremarkable guy like me.

“It’s fine that you took my girlfriend… well, not really fine. But if Ena-chan has lost interest in me, it’s probably because I wasn’t good enough. That I wasn’t the right match for Ena-chan.”

From the way Ena-chan acted at the store, it was clear there was no place for me in her heart anymore. It’s none of my business who Ena-chan dates now.

“So, I won’t ask you to ‘give back Ena-chan’ anymore. Instead, just leave me alone. It can’t be fun to pick on a loser like me, right?”

After saying that, I bit into the special croquette bread Mizushima gave me, feeling somewhat desperate. The moist croquette and the tangy sauce soaked into the bread filled my mouth.

“…Pfft.”

Mizushima, who had been listening to me with a blank expression, eventually covered her mouth with her hand and started giggling.

“Hey, what’s so funny?”

I confronted her, annoyed. 

Was she still trying to make fun of me even now? 

My irritation was growing, but then Mizushima said something unexpected.

“Sorry, sorry. It just seemed like you were misunderstanding things in a really funny way.”

“Again with the misunderstanding?”

Now it was my turn to be puzzled. Mizushima relaxed her furrowed brows and spoke.

“I never intended to bully you.”

“Huh? Then why did you ask me to ‘go out’ with you…”

“It’s because I like you, Souta. Isn’t that obvious?”

Mizushima said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Her confession was so straightforward that I was momentarily speechless, frozen with a half-eaten croquette bread in hand.

“Hello? You okay?”

Her slender hand was waving up and down right in front of me. Snapping back to reality, I took a few steps back.

“W-what did you just say…?”

“Hm? I said I like you, Souta. As in, romantically.”

“WHAT!?”

No, no, no, this has to be some mistake. 

Mizushima, the school’s top beauty and a popular model, who could have her pick of anyone, likes me? A guy who’s practically just a background character?

Impossible. This was as shocking, if not more so, than when Ena confessed to me three months ago.

“…Still trying to make fun of me, are you?”

I couldn’t think of any other possibility. But when I looked at Mizushima with suspicion, she faced me with a serious expression.

“No, it’s not like that.”

“So… you’re serious?”

“I am. From the start.”

Honestly, I couldn’t fully believe her. 

She always seemed laid-back, and I couldn’t tell what was true and what wasn’t in what she said.

But I couldn’t outright say she was lying either. Her attitude seemed genuinely serious.

“So, date me, okay?”

She likes me. That’s why she wants to date me. It does make sense.

“Ena-chan moved on to someone else just three months after confessing to you, right? But I’m different. I really like you, Souta. I would never betray you.”

Even if it was partly my fault, it seemed like Ena-chan had indeed betrayed me.

“So, choose me, not someone flippant like her.”

Mizushima’s words had a tempting allure.

“No… It’s just not possible.”

But I firmly shook my head no.