Hasumi Kana’s Side (3) (1)
“Sorry, Hasumin. Something important just came to mind—I have to go. I’m really sorry. I’ve gotta head out, right now. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Bye! See you tomorrow at school!”
On the way home after the sports festival, Shuhei-kun’s expression suddenly sharpened—and just like that, he said he had something important to take care of.
In the moment, I nodded without question.
But something about the way he acted wouldn’t leave me alone. Even though I knew it was wrong, I found myself secretly trailing after Shuhei-kun.
Ever since I realized how much I liked him, I’d felt this growing urge to understand him better.
But almost as soon as I started following him, I lost sight of him completely.
“Shuhei-kun, you’re seriously too fast! I mean, I already knew that after everything I saw today—but still!”
His overwhelming athletic ability—put on full display at the sports festival—was in a league of its own. For someone like me, just an ordinary high school girl, keeping up was hopeless.
By the time I turned the second corner, Shuhei-kun had already vanished from view.
“Nope. There’s just no way I can follow him…”
I gave up the chase and let out a long sigh.
Once again, I was reminded of how incredible Shuhei-kun really is—how completely different he is from someone like me.
We sit next to each other. He’s the class representative, I’m the vice representative.
Because we’re always close by, I find myself constantly comparing us. And lately, those comparisons only leave me feeling awed by him—and crushed by my own inadequacy.
That sense of inferiority… Realizing you’re not good enough, that you don’t measure up—it’s painful.
Even though I know I like Shuhei-kun, I’ve never been able to tell him. And it’s all because of this crushing inferiority I can’t shake.
I was afraid to take that first step.
I even had these pathetic little fantasies—hoping he’d fall for me first, that he’d be the one to confess.
Then I’d hate myself for relying on thoughts like that. For always hoping someone else would do the brave thing for me.
I’m stuck in a spiral of negativity. And honestly, it’s not even funny anymore.
“But heading straight home now feels kind of pointless… I’ve come this far—maybe I’ll look around a little longer.”
With that thought, I started wandering aimlessly through the streets.
I kept glancing around, hoping—maybe, just maybe—I’d catch a glimpse of Shuhei-kun. But of course, it wasn’t that easy.
Trying to find one specific person in a city this big is like searching for a meteorite shard in the middle of a desert.
It’s not something you can just decide to find.
As I drifted without aim, I must’ve taken a strange route—before I knew it, I’d wandered into the entertainment district.
And not just anywhere—I’d somehow ended up in the one place I definitely wasn’t supposed to be: the part lined with love hotels.
“Okay, no—this is seriously bad. I’m in my school uniform. This looks really sketchy. I’ll totally get picked up.”
A high school girl in uniform wandering around a love hotel district, glancing around like this—it’s basically asking the police to stop me.
To anyone watching, I probably looked like some girl trying to land a sugar daddy for easy money.
“Right now, I’m basically a duck showing up with the leek—an easy target just begging to be picked off.”
What was it called? The Juvenile Division?
They might report me to my school, and my parents could get called in.
I haven’t done anything wrong, but getting accused of compensated dating and having to explain that to my parents? That’s beyond ridiculous.
Worst of all, if a rumor like that spread—and Shuhei-kun started thinking I was some kind of sugar baby JK—I’d never recover.
“Avoid danger like a wise person, right? Time to head home—wait, what!?”
The moment I saw it.
I ducked into the shadows of a nearby building before I even realized I’d moved.
My breath hitched, and my heart started pounding like a drum in my chest.