The Most Beautiful Girl in School Has Become a Mother

After Imiya-san disappeared beyond the door, I was just overwhelmed by feelings of self-loathing.

The request I made casually was a very cruel one for Imiya-san. There is nothing more painful than being asked to do something she can’t.

Moreover, I think she truly wanted to help Shuri. That’s why she explained the reasons she couldn’t. She felt sorry for not being able to meet those expectations.

Of course, there was no way for me to avoid it since I didn’t know the circumstances. Who could have imagined that the popular and beloved Imiya Miori had such a painful past?

However, just because I didn’t know doesn’t mean I’m innocent. I think I must have hurt her.

“I’m sorry, I’m the worst. I messed up.”

I turned to Shinya and Sumomo and apologized to the two who had set up this place.

I feel sorry not only for Imiya-san but also for them. Even though they kindly gave me the opportunity to explain myself, I ended up hurting Imiya-san because of it, and on top of that, I made the two of them feel heavy-hearted.

I’ve completely messed up. I couldn’t even apologize properly.

“Sumomo… if you knew too, you should have said something. I had already roughly told you about Isaki’s mistake, right?”

When Shinya scratched his head with an embarrassed look on his face, he glanced at Sumomo as if to reproach her slightly.

If he had known the circumstances beforehand, he might be saying that this situation could have been prevented.

“I knew, but I can’t say it. After all, I’m probably the only one in high school who knows about her parents. And besides, it’s not something I should just casually talk about, right?”

“There’s such a thing as privacy, you know,” Sumomo added with an exasperated tone.

“After hearing Sanada’s story, what Mi-chan thinks is up to Mi-chan. If Mi-chan decides that it’s better to talk about it there, then I have no choice but to follow that. Mi-chan could have also chosen to downplay the reason there. Isn’t it Mi-chan’s own way of wanting to properly convey her feelings towards Sanada?”

“Well, I guess that’s true…”

Shinya agrees with Sumomo’s words.

I understand his point, but in this case, Sumomo is right. Because it’s a delicate matter, whether to talk about it or not is up to the person involved, and it’s not something she should discuss without permission just because she’s friends.

“But, well… I thought Sanada did a good job.”

Sumomo turned towards me and smiled.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Words I never expected were thrown at me.

Since it’s her personality, I thought she would scold me more.

“The fact that Mi-chan talked about her family on her own, I don’t think it’s such a bad thing. I thought so when I saw her reaction earlier, but it was the first time I saw Mi-chan like that.”

Not understanding what she was saying, I tilted my head in confusion, and Shinya and Sumomo exchanged wry smiles as if to say, “This is no good.”

“Well… I’ve known Mi-chan since middle school, but you know how she gets all the attention yet still rejects boys? I think it might have something to do with her parents.”

According to Sumomo, Imiya Miori’s incredible popularity and charm have been the same since middle school. It seems she was just as popular with her classmates and senpais back then as she is now.

However, they say that Imiya-san had the same stance in middle school as she does now. In other words, just like now, she only mingled with girls and did not actively try to build friendly relationships with boys. Even back in middle school, just like now, boys would only end up getting crushed.

“I was wondering why that was. There were some pretty good guys in there, but she just cut them off with a ‘I’m sorry.’ But maybe… in Mi-chan’s mind, what happened earlier is connected.”

“About her parents?”

“Yeah. I think she probably doesn’t have a good image of things like romance or relationships between men and women. Even when asked if she wanted a boyfriend, she always answered that she didn’t.”

The theory about Sumomo was convincing.

Her parents, who entered into marriage almost as if eloping, their divorce, and then her mother’s death… For her, the relationship between a man and a woman might be synonymous with the loneliness it brought her. And considering her past, it seemed only natural for her to think that way.

But, Sumomo continued.

“I think it really means something that Mi-chan talked about various things on her own this time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe Sanada noticed, but actually, since the day before yesterday, Mi-chan has been really conscious of Sanada. Even just now, I think it was a decision made after a lot of deliberation. To me, it seemed like she was making excuses to herself for not doing it.”

Excuses for not doing something—by the way, she just said, “If I can help, I want to.”

She wants to do it, but she can’t, or maybe she’s scared to do it. Perhaps she had such a conflict within her.

“I don’t really have any right to say anything, but I feel like Mi-chan is missing out on a lot of things. She has been thinking for a while that it would be nice if there was some kind of opportunity for change, even just a little.”

Sumomo stretched out towards the sunset and let out a satisfied “Mmm!”

The next time she looked this way, it was her characteristic smile.

“From Sanada’s perspective, it might be a desperate situation, but I think there’s quite a possibility. I’ll support Sanada no matter what.”

The girl with the short bob said playfully, “Well, good luck,” and lightly nudged my shoulder.

And then, she runs towards the school building’s door, following Imiya-san.

“What do you mean by possibility… what kind of possibility?”

Since the words were still incomprehensible to me, I turned to my best friend and asked. He let out a big sigh, as if exasperated.

“Seriously? I thought Sumomo was giving quite a few hints.”

“Huh!? What do you mean!?”

“Good grief… Shouldn’t you wear those glasses you use when looking at your sister when you’re looking at other people too?”

Shinya shrugged his shoulders, let out another sigh, and then headed back to the school building.

“I don’t usually wear glasses, though…”