Chapter 1: The Day I Lost Everything

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

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The setting sun reflected off the window glass, dyeing the classroom in shades of red.

Despite the cold air, my palms were sweaty.

“Miyabi!”

Summoning my resolve, I called out her name.

Miyabi, who was about to leave the classroom with her bag slung over her shoulder, stopped and slowly turned around.

“…What?”

Her voice was as cold as ice, as if she had no interest in me at all.

She was wearing a pure white long coat, and as she brushed back her long, jet-black hair, her sharp, almond-shaped eyes pierced into me. That alone made me feel as if I couldn't breathe.

“I have something important to tell you!”

I forced out the words with a trembling voice.

Miyabi’s brow twitched slightly.

Was she intrigued, or had I just annoyed her?

“Something important? From you, Hajime, to me?”

Her tone was indifferent.

Even so, I nodded.

“Then get on with it. I don't have much time. I need to give him an answer.”

“…Him?”

Who could she mean?

Miyabi didn't have a boyfriend. At least, I'd never heard of her dating anyone.

“Wh-who do you mean by ‘him'?”

A sense of unease stirred in my chest.

Miyabi let out a deep sigh and for just a moment, her expression clouded. But she quickly smiled, coldly.

“Yuji Godai, a third-year. I've decided to start dating him.”

Yuji Godai—known among the girls as a handsome guy, popular for his looks. He was smart, athletic, and practically the ideal person.

“Dating…?”

The words didn't register properly in my mind.

My head was going blank.

“He's been confessing his feelings to me since the time we entered school. I kept turning him down, but this time, he said it to me again.”

Miyabi lowered her eyes slightly.

“He said he'd make me the protagonist of his story.”

For a moment, my mind went completely white.

“…That means…”

“Yeah, you remember, right? You promised me the same thing. I never thought someone else would come along and say the same thing to me.”

“Then… you remembered! I've been trying to fulfill that promise…!”

“Fulfill?”

Miyabi's eyes grew sharp.

“Do you really think that?”

“O-of course! That's why, I just need you to wait a little longer!”

“Wait? How long is ‘a little'? A year? Two years? Three?”

Her voice grew stronger.

“How long do you think I've been waiting?”

My chest tightened painfully.

“I’ve been waiting all this time…! But you, Hajime, always looked so awkward, kept sneaking away, and in the end, you did nothing—didn't deliver any results… You didn't keep a single part of your promise!”

“T-That's not true…! I…!”

“In the end, it was all just words, wasn't it? I’m not someone who's going to just wait around.”

Her quietly spoken words pierced deep into my heart.

“Godai-senpai really made me the protagonist of his story. The novel he wrote won a newcomer's prize.”

“…What?”

“It's amazing, right? To go that far for me. People say he's a flirt, but I realized that's not who he is.”

Miyabi smiled softly.

It was a gentle smile, the kind I longed for, more than anything.

“Do you like Godai-senpai?”

I asked, clinging to my last shred of hope.

Miyabi paused for a moment, then quietly answered.

“…More than you, I guess.”

At that moment, something inside me broke.

Without another word, Miyabi turned away and left the classroom without looking back.

I collapsed to my knees, trembling, tears flowing like a dam had burst. I curled up on the floor.

Her words echoed in my head over and over.

“…More than you.”

That was Miyabi's answer.

I didn't know if she truly loved Godai-senpai.

But more than me—no, compared to me, she clearly liked him far more.

“…What the hell…”

I couldn't stop sobbing.

I thought that if I wrote a novel and won an award, I could fulfill my promise to Miyabi.

But when I looked around, I realized Miyabi had already become someone else's “heroine.”