Chapter 13 – But the Past Cannot Be Erased, Watson-kun

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As a university student, it’s not unusual to walk around campus arm in arm with someone. So, those jealous glances I’ve been feeling might just be all in my head, yeah.

Yeah, Kimura-san is cute, and she’s got the biggest boobs among the ones I’ve pulled from the girlfriend gacha. I mean, they were already big back in elementary school.

She must’ve been an early bloomer, like one of those foreign racehorses, you know, like “Arazi.”

But you know, if she was like a horse, having a wild sex life from elementary to high school, she could have been a monster in her prime for those three years, like Glass-chan, or she might’ve been dizzy-headed from the start.

It is hard to say without any evidence to go on.

Kimura-san, who probably doesn’t know I’m thinking anything particularly rude about her, suddenly broke the silence and spoke to me.

“You know Kurabayashi Mii-san? The girl from the same department?”

“….”

“I heard she got taken to the hospital in an ambulance yesterday and is now admitted to our university’s affiliated hospital. Did you know?”

“Nah, I didn’t.”

…Nope.”

Man, rumors spread fast. It’s only a matter of time before they become widespread, especially with how quickly they’re spreading. It’s like an STD-level infection rate.

But our university’s affiliated hospital, huh? Those places are usually pretty exclusive, to the point where regular folks can’t even get admitted. I wonder if being a student here gets you special treatment.

“Oh, really? Hey, um, if you’re up for it, would you want to visit her together?”

“…Huh?”

“What do you mean ‘huh’? Come on, we’re in the same department now.”

“…But what if she’s in bad shape? We might just be a nuisance.”

“I heard she’s just suffering from dehydration. So, she should be okay, right? This could be a good opportunity for us to get to know each other better.”

Nah, getting along better? How’s that going to work?

Kimura-san, Kurabayashi-san, and I were all part of the same junior high. Don’t they recognize each other? Wait, does Kimura even remembered that?

…

Oh, I see. So, Kimura-san was the one who took off on a stolen bike back in middle school. No wonder they don’t know each other; she dropped out of school, after all.

“Oh, by the way, about Kimura-san—”

“Seriously, stop with this, Kimura-san?! Drop the formalities and call me Airi like you used to, okay?”

“What were you up to after middle school?”

“…Huh?”

“You didn’t even show up to the graduation ceremony, right? And there wasn’t anyone around who knew the details.”

“…Ahaha…”

With an awkward laugh, Kimura-san quickly pulled away from my arm, creating some distance between us.

There’s definitely something fishy going on here.

“Um, well, actually, after middle school graduation, I moved to the area near this university. So, that’s why I chose to come here.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Yeah, um, so, you know, Yuuta-kun, it would be really helpful if you could keep it a secret that I skipped middle school… Just in case…”

“…”

“Okay?”

Well, skipping school wasn’t just about staying home; it was about diving headfirst into delinquent and troublemaker territory.

Nah, skipping school doesn’t automatically mean she’s a shut-in or anything. She was more into delinquent stuff—hanging out with the DQN crowd, you know? I don’t want to get dragged into any trouble, so even though I won’t tell anyone, I’ll keep it in mind.

“Well, that’s fine. But Kurebayashi-san might actually know about Kimura-san.”

“Huh? …Huh? What do you mean?”

“Kurebayashi-san went to our junior high too, you know.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah, Seriously.”

Kimura-san went quiet. Her face turned pale, and her hands started shaking like she was having a panic attack.

“No kidding.”

“No, really?”

“Yeah, really. I’m dead serious.”

“What? You’re not doing some petal fortune-telling, are you!? Which one is it!?”

“It’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask Kurebayashi-san directly.”

I couldn’t help but think that Kimura-san might be more into paper fortune-telling than flower petals. It just seemed more fitting for her.

“Um, hey Yuuta-kun, I just remembered I have something to do, so let’s postpone visiting Kurebayashi-san for another time, okay?”

“Uh, sure?”

Well, I wasn’t really keen on going anyway.

Kimura-san, Are you really that scared of having your past exposed? Why’s that?

“Oh, and! Do you remember our promise from earlier? You better not break it, got it?! If you lie, I’ll… I’ll! So, remember that!”

“…I’m not planning on telling anyone.”

“Really? You’re putting your pride on the line? If you’re lying, I’ll sentence you to the slammer!”

“Don’t just suddenly say something crazy!”

“Okay, I got your word. Well, then, I have something I have to do. See you later!”

With a flurry of skirts that I didn’t even pay attention to, Kimura-san hurried off.

I’m still trying to process what just happened.

Honestly, I couldn’t be bothered with all this drama I just wanted to focus on drawing the next girlfriend gacha, but it seemed like I was getting dragged into something complicated whether I liked it or not.

Besides, even if I don’t spill the beans, Kurebayashi-san might spill the tea about Kimura-san’s past. There is no need to silence her.

…

Yeah, I guess getting involved would just be asking for trouble.

I can’t help but wonder what all this was about, though. Well, it’s none of my business, right?

With that mantra in mind, I arrived at the faculty building alone and peered into the office located just to the right.

“Um, excuse me. I’m Kamimura Yuuta, the guy who submitted the withdrawal form yesterday.”

But there was no one at the counter. Not even staff. But instead, a woman in her forties was standing nearby.

“…Kamimura Yuuta, right? That’s you?”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t help but give her a double take, feeling like I’ve seen her somewhere before. What’s with that?

“Uh, sorry to interrupt. I’m Kurebayashi Mii’s mother. I figured I’d catch you here if I waited…”

“Huh?”

“Um, excuse me for being forward. Kamimura Yuuta-sama, we need to talk.”

Whoa!

Looks like I’ve stumbled into another s**t I didn’t sign up for!