[Vol 1] The Secret Life Of An Honor Student Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – The Honor Student’s Secret Account

 

What I—Aisaka Akito—saw when I went back to the classroom to pick up something I’d forgotten, was a girl in her winter uniform taking selfies by the window with the autumn evening sky as her backdrop.

She wore her blazer loosely over her shoulders, and with the second button of her shirt undone, her chest was left largely exposed as she gazed into her phone’s screen.

She kept shifting the phone in her hand, probably trying to find the right angle.

Of course, I knew her. She was my classmate—Mamiya Yuu, the honor student who sat next to me, famous for her top grades, beautiful looks, and impeccable behavior.

With her refined face and figure, if you asked the boys in class whether she was cute or not, eight or nine out of ten would instantly say 'cute.' She had long hair, a somewhat mature air, and yet treated everyone without putting up walls—something worth admiring.

Despite her looks, Mamiya didn’t seem interested in romance at all, and I’d never heard a single rumor about her. It wouldn’t be strange if she had a boyfriend, but at school there was never the slightest hint of it.

That’s why I doubted my own eyes. I rubbed them and looked again, but Mamiya hadn’t changed at all. Curiosity and suspicion began to well up inside me, along with a growing sense of caution.

Why would Mamiya—the perfect honor student who’s always polite and helpful—be doing something like this…?

Lost in thought, I kept peeking my head in to watch, when Mamiya, who I thought was focused on taking pictures, suddenly met my gaze.

Ah, she saw me.

By the time I realized it, it was too late. She was looking straight at me—and a shiver ran down my back. I wanted to run, but my legs were frozen, like a frog caught in a snake’s stare.

A hint of surprise flickered in her eyes, framed by her long lashes.

“...Why are you here, Aisaka-kun?”

She tilted her head slightly as she asked.

“Ah, well… I came to get something I forgot.”

“Hmm…”

With a faint smile, Mamiya began walking toward me.

Because she hadn’t fixed her shirt buttons, the cleavage that was usually hidden—and her white underwear—were visible. My eyes and thoughts were drawn in before I hurriedly looked away.

But Mamiya must have noticed my gaze. She covered her mouth with her hand, narrowing her eyes slightly as she gave a modest smile.

“I won’t get mad if you look, you know? You’re a boy, after all… it can’t be helped.”

That was when I first noticed that Mamiya’s tone and attitude had shifted into something far more casual than usual. It made her easier to talk to, sure, but ever since earlier, there had been a strange tension lingering in the classroom.

“...Then cover yourself up. It’s too much for my eyes.”

“I don’t think I can do that. After all, you interrupted me.”

“What were you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious? A selfie.”

She lifted the phone in her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world, but there was no way I could just accept that.

What kind of reason could possibly justify unbuttoning her uniform in the classroom just to take selfies? There’s no way a top student like her would be some kind of exhibitionist… right?

“Well, you see, I actually do have a reason. But before I explain—”

Mamiya suddenly grabbed my right wrist.

And then—

“—Now you won’t be able to go against me.”

With that gentle smile still on her face, she pressed my hand against her chest.

Through the thin fabric of her shirt, I felt a soft sensation fill my palm. Only my fingertips touched her bare skin directly, sinking slowly into her with the push of Mamiya’s hand guiding mine.

The faint warmth of her body. Not understanding what was happening, my mind went completely blank.

What pulled me back from my broken thoughts was the sound of a shutter—kasha.

“Mm, that came out nicely. Your face is in the shot too, Aisaka-kun. Though, you look a bit stiff.”

“See?” she said, showing me her phone. On the screen was a photo of me, clearly touching Mamiya’s chest.

There was no room for excuses. As far as incriminating evidence went, this was as solid as it could get.

A strange feeling washed over me, like something was draining out of my body, leaving me unable to say a single word.

“...Oh? Did I scare you too much? Sorry, sorry, you don’t have to be that afraid. If you keep this a secret, I’ll keep it a secret too.”

Unreasonable. All I did was come back to pick up something I’d forgotten… so why was I the one being threatened? And on top of that, she even had undeniable evidence against me, leaving me no way to resist.

The girl in front of me… I couldn’t help but wonder if she was really the same Mamiya Yuu I knew. If anything, I almost wished she wasn’t.

“I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong though.”

“Touching a girl’s chest isn’t wrong?”

“You were the one who let me touch it, weren’t you?”

“Ah, your voice is too loud. If you keep making such a fuss, someone might come.”

“—!”

Her whispered warning made me hastily check the hallway, but there weren’t any footsteps. I let out a sigh of relief—No, wait, that’s not the point. I turned back toward Mamiya.

“It’s about time you let go of my hand.”

“Oh? You don’t want to keep touching?”

“………………That’s not it.”

“Ah, such a struggle.”

“That’s not it either. I just can’t stop sweating like crazy.”

“You’re holding yourself back, huh? Good boy, good boy.”

That’s not what I wanted to say at all.

For a high school boy in the middle of puberty, missing a chance like this would be unthinkable. Most would probably want to enjoy it as much as possible… but this situation was all wrong. Both mentally and physically.

Besides, to even think of doing something like that right after being blackmailed by Mamiya… only someone with nerves of steel could pull that off.

When Mamiya finally released my wrist, I quickly pulled my hand back and took two steps away to put some distance between us.

I forced myself to breathe deeply, steadying my rhythm, and pressed my lips together.

“Being cautious won’t help, you know? I already took the pictures.”

“…That’s true.”

“So yeah, why don’t we have a little chat? Don’t you want to know why I did all this…?”

She sat down at a nearby desk and gestured for me to sit. I dragged a chair from another spot and sat across from her.

In that short time, Mamiya buttoned up the shirt she had undone earlier and slipped her arms back into her blazer.

The neat, perfectly dressed honor student Mamiya was sitting right there. Finally, her appearance and aura matched the memory I had of her.

“…So you really are the same person.”

“You were doubting me?”

“If anything, I’d have preferred you were someone else. A dream would’ve been even better. Your tone and atmosphere were completely different.”

“Unfortunately, this is reality. My tone and attitude—I just change them for school. But wow, you touched my chest and still say you wish it were a dream. You’re unbelievable.”

“…That’s beside the point. So? What’s the reason you were taking pictures dressed like that?”

I dodged her jab and asked the question that had been bugging me. Mamiya showed me the screen of her smartphone.

What was displayed there was an SNS account. The icon was just the default one, but the posts were all provocative, borderline indecent photos. Some even showed underwear. I didn’t really want to stare at them, so I quickly shifted my eyes back to Mamiya.

Her face wasn’t in them, but I already had a good idea what kind of account she meant.

With a faint, almost shadowy smile that couldn’t be called bright, she said—

“I’m what they call an ura-aka girl.”

TL Note:
“裏アカ (ura-aka)” literally means “secret account.” In Japanese internet slang, it usually refers to a private or secondary social media account. These accounts are often used to post things people don’t want associated with their public image, such as rants, venting, or in some cases, risqué (provocative or sexual) content.

Mamiya Yuu, the honor student of our class, revealed her secret.

“An ura-aka girl… as in those erotic SNS accounts?”

“Well, there are a lot of ways people describe it, but yeah, that’s close enough. In my case, it’s not like I'm showing anything directly. I just post pictures. So don’t get the wrong idea, okay?”

She added words to fill in the gaps of my understanding.

But still… Mamiya, the model honor student, an ura-aka girl? No matter how I looked at it, I just couldn’t put the two images together.

“Why me? That’s what you were thinking, right? I won’t answer that. Everyone has their own reasons and secrets. Isn’t that so?”

“…Well, yeah.”

Secrets.

Hearing it put that way, I didn’t feel like prying any further. And if the situation were reversed, I wouldn’t want anyone prying into mine either.

At the very least, it’s not something you tell someone you barely have any connection with.

I’ve got things I don’t want to talk about too.

Mamiya nodded with a small smile.

“I’m glad you understand. The only thing I can answer is why I was taking pictures. I think you can guess by now, but I was taking them to post on that ura-aka account.”

“And then I just happened to see it.”

“So I had no choice but to threaten you to keep you quiet… and that’s how it goes. The end.”

“There’s nothing ‘happily ever after’ about this…”

Don’t try to wrap it up like a good story. I feel like I’m the only one who got the short end of the stick here. Which, well, is true. It’s so absurd I don’t even have the energy to be mad anymore.

Sure, Mamiya probably never expected me to find out either, so in that sense maybe it’s even. But still… I don’t want to hear that from a pervert who was unbuttoning her shirt and taking selfies in the classroom.

Sooner or later, this would’ve happened with someone else anyway. Basically, I was just the unlucky guy who drew the losing ticket. Talk about rotten luck.

“You do realize, right? If you tell anyone I’m an ura-aka girl, I’ll spill that you groped my chest.”

“I get it already… More importantly, don’t go unbuttoning your shirt and taking selfies in the classroom.”

“I didn’t take it all off, okay? I just undid a couple buttons so the neckline would show.”

“That’s basically the same thing.”

“Not at all. Oh, wait… could it be you actually want me to take it all off? Sorry, but that might be asking too much. You already got to touch my boobs today, that should be enough, don’t you think?”

“…I’m getting a headache.”

Wait, what? This is the real Mamiya? Who the hell called her an honor student… she’s just a pervert!

If only I could go back a few minutes and stop myself from entering the classroom. But it’s impossible. Yeah, I know—this is just wishful thinking.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. The only reason I undid the buttons for the photo was because it gets better reactions that way.”

“…Yeah, makes sense. Guys are simple creatures. They’d rather see than not.”

“You make it sound so general. Doesn’t it make you happy, Aisaka-kun?”

“…That’s a tough question.”

“You could just be honest and say it makes you happy.”

Seriously, quit it with that sly smile.

For me, it’s more guilt and personal baggage that makes me recoil. And yet, being a guy, I can’t help but look anyway. People aren’t wired to be that simple.

Just looking is one thing, but actually touching? No way. Especially with someone like Mamiya, who looks cute on the outside. Earlier I was too shocked to think clearly, but if I had, things could’ve gone really wrong.

If something like that happens again… who knows what’ll happen.

“So yeah. I’d appreciate it if you kept this a secret.”

“Even if you didn’t say it, I wouldn’t go blabbing. Not like I can, with those photos hanging over me.”

“Sorry, okay? But if you keep quiet, I won’t do anything with those pictures either.”

She shook her head gently, then leaned in closer.

Mamiya’s face drew near. She stopped right at my ear, her long hair brushing against my cheek.

“If you keep my secret—then I’ll make sure you get something nice in return.”

“—!”

A breathy whisper, sweet and close. As she pulled away, her breath grazed my earlobe. A shiver shot down my back, my shoulders jumped, and a strangled cry escaped my throat before I could stop it.

My face flushed hot. A dizzy spell, almost like vertigo, hit me. The air in the classroom felt icy cold against my skin.

“You’re overreacting, Akito-kun.”

Ignoring how I felt, Mamiya laughed softly as she called me by name.

That smile—one that could make anyone misunderstand—now I knew it had something dangerous behind it.

They say beautiful flowers have poison… but the poison Mamiya carries goes way beyond lethal.

Once you touch it, you’ll never be free. Not for the rest of your life.

“…You say that, but you never had any intention of letting me go, did you?”

“Ahaha, so you noticed?”

“You didn’t even try to hide it.”

“I’ll apologize for that. Sorry. Having a maiden’s secret exposed really startled me, you know. Besides, I told you, didn’t I? If you keep my secret, I’ll make sure you get something nice in return.”

She repeated those words as if to convince me they weren’t a lie. And really, they probably weren’t. There was no trace of a joke in Mamiya’s eyes.

Not that it made the situation any less of a bad joke.

“Right, let’s exchange contacts.”

“I guess that’s fine…”

“Then it’s decided!”

Taking out my phone, I exchanged contact info with Mamiya. Her name, Mamiya Yuu, appeared in my list, and right away a new notification popped up.

The sender was Mamiya Yuu. With a bad feeling in my chest, I opened the chat. Sure enough, what she’d sent was the picture where it looked like I was groping her chest.

“Pretty perfect as a first message, don’t you think?”

“Now I can’t open this in front of anyone.”

“That’s how it should be. This is—our little secret, just between you and me.”

Her red tongue slid across her lips, leaving a faint shine.

A secret between the two of us.

To some people, words like that might sound like the beginning of a sweet, youthful memory. But in this situation, there was nothing sweet about it—only the weight of anxiety. No, calling it ominous would probably be more accurate.

“...Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Honestly, no one would believe Mamiya would do something like this anyway.”

“True. Everyone’s only ever seen the honor student side of me. Which means, starting today, Aisaka-kun—you’re under my command.”

“There are better ways to phrase that.”

“...Servant?”

“Go back and redo compulsory education.”

I buried my face in my hands at her overly blunt choice of words, while Mamiya just chuckled happily. I had plenty of thoughts about it, but saying them out loud would be useless, so I swallowed them down with a sigh.

Aisaka Akito, sixteen years old, a first-year in high school.

By pure chance, I stumbled upon a girl unbuttoning her uniform to take selfies, got blackmailed over it, and thus began a strange relationship with Mamiya Yuu—the class honor student and ura-aka girl.