[Vol 2] The Secret Life Of An Honor Student Prologue

Prologue

 

"──It's already December, huh. Time flies."

"Yeah, it really does."

After school in the classroom.

As the red and yellow leaves were falling from the row of trees outside, making the scenery look lonelier, I spoke while staring out the window. Mamiya Yu, sitting beside me, responded reflexively with a short reply. I had gotten used to the unique quietness of after school and the tense feeling that came from sitting next to the honor student Mamiya Yu. It was starting to feel normal.

It's already been over a month since that autumn day when I went back to the classroom after school to pick up something I’d forgotten and happened to run into Mamiya—who was taking a selfie with her clothes halfway undone.

That day, she had taken a photo that made it look like I was touching her chest, and then she had practically forced herself to confess the truth: she had been taking photos to upload to her ura-aka account.

And with that photo used as blackmail material, my relationship with Mamiya began.

What she demanded from me was to take photos of her after school for her ura-aka account. Naturally, the photos were extreme, because they were meant to be used that way. Mamiya was an honor student with excellent grades, impeccable looks, and strong trust from everyone around her. I never would’ve imagined she did things like that. At first, I wanted to believe she was lying, but as we spent more time together, I gradually accepted her dual nature.

An honor student and a ura-aka girl.

Two elements that seemed completely at odds.

And yet, both were sides of the same person: Mamiya Yu.

"It's only going to get colder from here."

"It might even snow."

"I need to switch to thicker tights soon. The sheer look won’t show as much."

"…I see."

I responded coldly and let out a sigh, wondering why she acted like this only in front of me. I wanted her to stay an honor student in front of me too. It was inevitable—we had spent enough time together and gone through enough shocking experiences that she naturally showed her true self around me. But even so, I couldn’t help but feel a strange tension.

After all──she had just confessed her love to me the other day.

If it had been a joke, I wouldn’t be this troubled. But Mamiya’s confession was genuine—there wasn’t even a sliver of falsehood. The atmosphere, the emotion in her words… it was clear she meant it.

I stole a glance at Mamiya’s back as she narrowed her eyes at the scenery outside, while I pretended to work on my assignment.

For a girl, her height was slightly on the tall side, and her uniform wrapped around her body as if tailored to fit her perfectly. Her silhouette was well-balanced. Her long hair had a soft shine, reflecting the faint light spilling through the clouds.

Looking at her like this, I could feel a little of her cuteness—but only in the general sense of the word.

Mamiya seemed to grow tired of the scenery and slowly turned back toward me.

Her face had a soft, feminine roundness. Her features were beautiful enough that anyone could objectively call her cute, and her gentle smile came into view. Her eyes softened slightly as she said,

"…Hey, if you stare at me that much, of course I'll notice. Well, if it's Aisaka-kun, I don't mind."

"Don’t say things that make it hard to respond."

"But you responded anyway."

Moments like this—when she casually let her “I like you” seep into her words—made me completely unsure how I was supposed to face her.

──I had rejected Mamiya’s confession.

I told her I couldn’t return her feelings, yet I also said I’d be happy if we could still be friends… a reply far too convenient for me.

Even so, she stayed by my side. And that made me feel both grateful and guilty. Even if I had trust issues with girls because of past trauma, it didn’t change the fact that I was being dishonest.

I know I need to give her a real answer someday… but I have no idea when that will be.

"You don’t have to decide right away. I’ll wait until you can answer with your true feelings, Aisaka-kun."

I gave a small nod to Mamiya’s words.

──With only my true feelings, huh.

If only I could do that.

"Anyway… shall we head home?"

"Yeah. It’ll be dangerous once it gets dark."

I put my study supplies into my bag and got ready to leave. Winter was approaching, so I slipped on my coat for warmth. It was still only mildly chilly, though.

"That’s the coat you bought that time, right?"

"Yep. Looks good on me, right?"

"Well, I picked one that suits you."

The coat Mamiya wore was the black one she bought when she dragged me out for shopping the other day. She proudly twirled around to show it off, and when I gave her my honest impression, she softened her cheeks with a pleased smile.

…This kind of thing, really.

When she showed this innocent, adorable side, it became impossible to truly dislike her. And I knew that if we didn’t have this blackmail-based relationship—this so-called “mutual secret” —I would never have seen this expression.

Maybe that’s why, whenever I saw her smile, some unnameable emotion swirled in my chest. Not something bad… more like a strange discomfort I couldn’t look away from.

I shook the thoughts from my head and walked out of the classroom beside her. We walked down the hallway toward the entrance.

The air was cold enough to announce the arrival of winter, and I instinctively rubbed my hands together for warmth.

"Before it gets seriously cold, let’s go out again at least once more."

"You want me to be your pack mule again?"

"C’mon. You get to walk with a cute high school girl, you know?"

"…It’s frustrating that I can’t deny at least the looks part."

After taking my shoes from the locker and switching them out, I glanced at Mamiya—and for some reason, she was staring at me with a complicated expression.

"What’s wrong?"

"…See? That’s exactly what I mean."

"What did you say?"

"Nothiiing."

Turning away with a tiny huff, she changed her shoes. When she opened the entrance door, her long hair fluttered with the wind.

"Come on, let’s go home."

Then, without thinking much of it, she held out her hand.

I wasn’t ready to take it yet. My feelings weren’t sorted out enough.

So I walked past her instead, and when I turned back toward where she’d stopped and asked, "You coming or not?" she frowned in mild irritation but still hurried to walk beside me.