For as long as I can remember, I've always been called cute by the people around me. Even in kindergarten, parents of other children often approached me with comments like "My, you are so cute!"
When I entered elementary school, boys would frequently tease and bother me. Looking back now, I think those actions were actually a reflection of the boys' underlying affection for me. The pranks and annoyances from those boys decreased as time went by. By the time I reached middle school, they had almost disappeared.
Instead, what increased were confessions.
During the span of a month, I was confessed to by boys multiple times. At times, I was even confessed to every day for a week.
The first time a boy confessed to me, the overwhelming feeling that surged in my heart was confusion.
After all, if boys who had been mean and bothersome to me suddenly said, "I like you," it's only natural to be bewildered. Moreover, ever since then, I've avoided boys, thinking of them as those who would tease me, so I didn't have any male friends to play or talk with.
I naturally rejected all the confessions I received from the boys.
I couldn't consider dating someone I didn't even know well. Growing up, I was always told by my parents that "it's the character that matters, not the appearance," which made it even more relevant.
First, we would exchange greetings and casual conversations. Then, we'd become friends, gradually getting to know each other and getting attracted to one another. Eventually, as feelings develop, one of us would confess their affection.
If things were to unfold like this, I might be open to accepting it.
However, all the boys who confessed to me said the same thing: "I fell in love with you at first sight!"
It's not that I completely deny the concept of love at first sight, but I just can't understand it. So, I rejected all the boys who kept confessing to me one after another.
Amidst all this, an incident occurred. Suddenly, a friend I had been getting along well with came to me in tears, pleading, "Please don't steal the person I like!"
For a moment, I couldn't comprehend what she was saying.
At that time, and even now, all my friends are girls. Besides, I had been avoiding boys, so I never initiated conversations with them. There was no way I could take someone's crush under those circumstances.
Thinking that my friend must be misunderstanding something, I managed to get her to explain while she was crying.
According to her, among the boys who had confessed to me, there was someone who she had feelings for.
What was I supposed to do? It was them who confessed to me on their own, not me.
I had absolutely no connection with that friend's crush. In fact, I had never even exchanged a word with him.
In the end, I drifted apart from that friend until we graduated from middle school.
After that incident, I no longer had anything to do with boys anymore. Also, there was another reason I started avoiding boys around the latter half of middle school.
Their gazes.
Starting around my second year of middle school, my chest started growing, and with that, I began to feel the gazes of boys more than before. Most of the time, they would just glance at me sideways, but some would blatantly stare at me.
I found those lingering and intense stares to be unsettling, so by the time I reached high school, I had developed slight trust issues with boys.
Even in high school, the confessions didn't stop. However, I had learned from the incident in middle school, and I thoroughly emphasized to my friends, "I have absolutely no interest in boys or romance." Thanks to that, my social relationships have been smooth even now, as a second-year high school student.
Well, even though I'm in the prime of my youth as a high school girl, the fact that all my friends are girls and that I have no experience with love might raise some doubts.
But boys are nothing but trouble for me now.
The most significant event happened right before the start of this summer vacation.
After the closing ceremony, my friends and I were chatting about our plans for the summer vacation. Just as we were about to leave, I was suddenly called over by the school's PA system.
While I stood there bewildered, the other girls around me were giggling and getting excited.
It seemed that a senior from the third year had called for me.
His name was, I think… Gotou, or maybe it was Saitou.
Either way, because of him using the PA system, I found myself in a situation where I had to go along with the call. Well, I guess that was probably his intention.
In the still-bustling school after classes, I made my way to the courtyard, enduring the embarrassment. There, I saw the main cause, Saitou... or was it Andou-senpai? Anyways, he was standing there.
And then, for some reason, he took out a ring and proposed to me out of the blue.
As the students who had been watching the confession from various parts of the school building erupted in cheers, I couldn't help but feel extremely embarrassed. In a state of slight panic, I just said, "I'm not interested," and quickly left the scene.
My memories from that point on were hazy. I realized I had returned home and was diving onto my bed.
The image of that peculiar behavior of Itou-senpai was still vivid in my mind.
I was sure this incident would become a topic of conversation after summer vacation. What's more, Itou-senpai, who confessed to me this time, was apparently quite famous and popular among the girls. I had no idea why he was famous or why girls liked him so much, but there was one thing I knew for sure: being confessed to by someone like him would lead to resentment from a certain number of girls.
Feeling depressed about what might happen after summer vacation, I lay on my bed and picked up my smartphone. I opened the messaging app and selected the chat with Aizawa Saki, and without hesitation, I pressed the call button.
After a moment of ringing, the call connected.
[Sup~ I knew you'd call.]
"Sakiii~ I can't take it anymore~ I don't want to go to school anymoreee~"
[Well, summer vacation starts tomorrow.]
"I wish summer vacation could last forever~"
I was in tears, confiding with my best friend who I've been friends with since elementary school.
"What's up with that Endou-senpai? Calling me over the PA like that, is he out of his mind!?"
[Ahaha, using the school's PA system was really cringe. I seriously pity my Ayaka for going through that.]
"I'll probably glare at Endou-senpai if I see him next time at school... out of resentment..."
[He might actually be happy if you did that. Also, it's not Endou, it's Kaitou-senpai. The one who did the PA confession.]
"Was it? I can't even remember his name... I was so embarrassed that I didn't hear a word he said..."
In response to my words, I could hear Saki's laughter through the call.
[Heh, I pity Kaitou-senpai. He confessed so earnestly, yet his feelings didn't even reach Ayaka at all. Hahaha.]
"The one who's pitiful is me! He's quite popular, isn't he? I'm definitely going to get lots of resentment..."
[They might forget all about it during summer vacation, you know?]
"Do you think so? Didn't his confession leave quite an impact? I mean, he proposed! With a ring, too!"
[Ah~ well, I guess.]
Even though we were still high school students. I can't believe he just skipped the whole dating phase and went straight to proposing, it's really beyond my comprehension.
"Ah~ah, maybe I should've gone to an all-girls school..."
[If you did that, we'd be separated, you know.]
"I don't want that~"
My current call partner, Aizawa Saki, has been my friend since the first grade of elementary school. We've shared all the joyful and tough moments together.
Even now, she's the one and only person I can freely talk about things like this with. I can't imagine going to different schools from her.
"Hey, Saki. How about transferring to an all-girls' school with me?"
[Stop talking nonsense.]
As I received an immediate response, I pouted my lips slightly. Naturally, I was just joking, so if she were to take it seriously, that would be a bit troublesome. Nevertheless, I decided to voice my protest for now.
"Saki, you meanie."
[You know, I've already said this before, but Ayaka, why not try getting a boyfriend?]
My best friend said, bringing back a memory of something she had mentioned back then.
It was when I had just entered high school and was feeling fed up after receiving three consecutive confessions from guys.
Saki had proposed, "Why not get a boyfriend to keep guys away?" But if it were that easy to just get a boyfriend, I wouldn't be struggling with all these confessions in the first place.
Back then, I had rejected Saki's proposal.
"That's impossible. And besides, dating someone just to avoid being confessed to, isn't that dishonest?"
[Is it? But you know, isn't creating a fake relationship with a guy you met by chance to avoid getting confessed to a bit too much like a romance manga? Isn't that something you like, Ayaka?]
"That's true, but…"
As I gave a vague answer to Saki's words, I shifted my gaze to the bookshelf in my room. It was filled to the brim with romance manga. The recoil from not being able to experience romance in reality led to the action of consuming a large number of romance manga.
My stance of not being interested in guys or romance was merely a defense mechanism to maintain good friendships. After all, I'm also a normal high school girl, so I have the desire to experience romance just like everyone else.
[Hey now, isn't it nice? At first, you were just fake lovers, but before both of you knew it, you started becoming conscious of each other, and eventually, became real lovers... Kyahaha! That would be awesome!]
"Hey, don't get all excited by yourself."
[So, that's why I think Ayaka has to create a fake boyfriend!]
"I'm telling you it's impossible~ Besides, who would even want to play the role of my fake boyfriend?"
It's not like I'm overly self-conscious, but I am aware of how my actions might affect the school, especially the guys. If I were to enter into a romantic relationship, even a fake one, with someone, I might end up causing that person a great deal of trouble.
[Hmm~ I think someone like Ootsuki-kun from our class would be a good fit for you, Ayaka.]
"Ootsuki-kun? You mean... Oh, the guy who's always ranked first in our exams?"
As Saki brought up the topic, I managed to recall the name of the person she was referring to from the corner of my mind.
Even though I was avoiding guys, I still made an effort to remember the names of my classmates, at least.
[Yeah, him. I think Ootsuki-kun and Ayaka suit each other well.]
"Ehh~? Why?"
[Well, you know, compared to other guys, Ootsuki-kun has a calm and collected vibe. He doesn't come on too strong, and he seems kind of gentlemanly.]
"Is that… so?"
Since I usually only interact with girls at school, I hardly knew what the guys in my class were like.
"But if he's really smart, won't he be popular with girls too?"
Ever since the incident in middle school, I had a strong aversion to popular guys who could make me easily earn the dislike of my female friends.
[Ah~ well, he's quite popular, I guess? He's one of the top two in terms of popularity with the girls in our class.]
"And who's the other one?"
[A guy named Akagi-kun.]
"Ah, the one with the light-colored hair and piercings?"
[Correct!]
"I'm not quite comfortable with him."
The Akagi-kun guy that Saki was talking about seems to have a slightly playboy-ish aura and comes across as quite assertive, which might make me uncomfortable.
"But I don't think I'd get along with Ootsuki-kun either. I mean, being too popular with girls could lead to all sorts of complications."
[Oh, come on~ I think you two would be a good match, you know?]
"Why is Saki so insistent on pairing me up with Ootsuki-kun?"
[Well, I heard a rumor... Apparently, Ootsuki-kun practices karate at a dojo. So, he might be able to protect you if you're by his side, right? As your best friend, I'd feel relieved if that happened.]
I had experienced some light stalking incidents before. Saki must be worried about that.
"But doesn't that make him more like a bodyguard than a boyfriend?"
[True.]
"Geez! Stop fooling around with me~"
Even as I protested, a smile formed on my lips.
Talking to Saki always had a way of lightening my mood, even if something bothersome had happened.
"Hey, how about we go to a cafe together tomorrow?"
[Oh? Sounds good. Which cafe are we going to? Since it's summer vacation anyways, why don't we try going to newly opened ones?]
"Good point, that could work."
As we excitedly discussed our plans for the cafe tomorrow, I heard my mother's voice coming from downstairs.
"Ayaka! I have something to talk to you about, so come downstairs!"
"Coming! Sorry, Saki, my mom called me for something."
[Alrighty. Then, let's talk about our plans for tomorrow later.]
"Sure, talk to you later."
Ending the call, I left my room and headed downstairs to the living room.
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Ayaka's Impression of Haruto: Just a classmate
