The next morning, Mizuha was walking on the first floor after arriving at school. As she made her way to her class, she felt something was wrong upon noticing students whispering and pointing at her.
"Look, it's her, right?"
"Yes, the one who cheated on our exam recently. No wonder she got first place in our entire year."
"Yeah, I also heard she's dating multiple guys."
"I heard that too. She's not only making a move on Hikaru—she's also two-timing him with Takeru."
"Someone saw them together yesterday, right?"
Are they talking about me? Mizuha wondered, feeling uncomfortable as people stared and whispered about her.
When Mizuha arrived at her classroom, she greeted her classmates, but no one replied except Eri and Shimizu. Huh, why didn't they reply to my greeting? thought Mizuha.
Both Eri and Shimizu approached her with worried expressions.
"What's wrong with you two? Why do you look so sad this morning?"
"Mizuha-chan, this is bad. The rumors about you are spreading around the first years, and they've gotten worse."
"Yeah, they keep talking badly about you. I couldn't prevent it like yesterday. Today's rumors are even worse than before."
"Worse than yesterday? What happened?"
"Actually..."
As Eri started to explain, the same girl from yesterday, Kurumi, approached with her gang and interrupted their conversation.
She sneered. "Oh, look who's finally here—our main character, Yuki."
Shimizu immediately went in front of Mizuha to protect her. "Hey you, what do you want?"
Mizuha held Shimizu back. "Shimizu, stop. Let me handle this."
"Why are you here? Do you have any business with me?"
Kurumi grinned. "Nothing really. I just want to confirm—are you two-timing Hikaru and going out with Takeru from Class 1B?"
"What are you talking about? Don't speak nonsense."
Kurumi held up her smartphone, showing yesterday's photo of Mizuha and Takeru.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tWVpkKPLz
"You still deny it? Then look at this photo. You were together, right?"
"I can't believe you're cheating on Hikaru with Takeru. You're such a player, Yuki."
"So you assume I'm dating him just because you saw us together? That's ridiculous. How did you even get this photo? Were you stalking us?"
"I wasn't the one stalking you—I got it from a trusted source."
"So you're going to trust what they said even if it's false?"
"Yes, I am. You can deny it all you want, but do you think anyone's going to trust you now with all these rumors? That's impossible!"
"Why don't you break up with Hikaru and go out with Takeru instead? That would be better."
"That way, I can go out with Hikaru myself."
"Wait, Kurumi, you like Hikaru?"
"Yeah, I've liked him since the beginning. But since you came here, I haven't had a chance to get close to him."
"And it's not just me who likes Hikaru. Some girls from other classes like him too. So be prepared to get more hate from them too."
"Come on, guys, let's get away from this loser."
As they left, Shimizu turned to Mizuha.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nbonVEIjd
"Tch, these girls are still causing trouble for you from yesterday."
Shimizu clenched her fists. "Mizuha, do you want me to teach these girls a lesson?"
"No, it's not necessary, Shimizu. Just let them say what they want, okay?"
"But Mizuha-chan, if you don't resolve this, things might get worse."
"I know, but there’s nothing we can do right now. To clean up this mess, we need to find out who actually started this rumor."
Did she mention someone was following me yesterday? Mizuha thought.
That means she's not the one who started the rumor. This must be someone else. If someone really followed me yesterday, I'm sure Takeru would also be caught in this mess too.
Meanwhile, in Class 1B, as Takeru arrived and set his bag on his desk, he was quickly approached by a group of curious classmates.
"Takeru-kun, good morning."
"Oh, you guys, good morning."
One of them grinned. "Hey, Takeru-kun, is it true? You're going out with Yuki from Class 1F?"
"Out of all the girls, you chose that honor student? Not bad, Takeru-kun!"
"Yeah, isn’t she close to Hikaru-kun? But somehow, you managed to win her over."
Takeru blinked in confusion, looking between them.435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaHO9qm1h9
"Wait, you guys… what are you even talking about? Me? Dating Mizuha? Are you kidding me?"
He laughed, shaking his head. "Hikaru-kun would kill me for that, you know."
"Come on, don’t play dumb. Someone saw you two together yesterday, and you looked pretty cozy. Here’s the proof."
One of his classmates held up their phone. On the screen was a photo of Takeru and Mizuha, taken from a distance.
Takeru leaned in for a closer look. The image clearly showed him and Mizuha walking side by side near the school gates. He was gesturing with his hands while she appeared to be listening intently. From the angle, it could indeed be misinterpreted as something more than a casual conversation.
"Seriously? This is what you’re basing your rumors on? We were just talking. Does that make us a couple now?" His tone was half amused, half exasperated.
"But it looked like more than that! You two aren't just friends, are you?"
Takeru crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. "She was asking me something important, that’s all. What, should I start avoiding every girl I talk to now just because you guys like to jump to conclusions?"
Another classmate grinned mischievously. "Come on, Takeru-kun, admit it. You don't need to hide it."
"Oh, shut up, you guys. She's with Hikaru. Why would I interrupt their relationship?"
"But I heard a rumor about her cheating on the midterm exam."
"Yeah, another rumor said she's just using that Shimizu-san to get close to Hikaru-kun."
"I thought she was a nice girl, but with all those rumors, I guess she's not what I expected."
"Better find another girl, Takeru. That girl's not worth it at all."
Hearing that, Takeru snapped. He immediately stood and grabbed the guy's collar. "What did you say? Are you talking bad about her?"
"Better watch your mouth and take back what you said!"
Another classmate tried to calm him down. "What's wrong, Takeru? Why are you so upset? We're just repeating rumors."
"Even if they're just rumors, I can't stand people talking badly about Mizuha. She's my precious childhood friend. Say it again, and I'll beat you up," Takeru said, then released the guy’s collar.
"What's your problem, dude? No need to get so angry, geez."
"Let's go." "Yeah."
They then agreed to leave Takeru alone.
As they left, Takeru sighed and looked outside the window.
"Ah, rumors, rumors, rumors. Why do they trust them so easily?"
Damn, you guys don't know anything about her, how she's struggled and suffered because of all these rumors. Don't talk like you know her well! Takeru thought, clenching his fist. I don't want her to suffer anymore because of this...!!
Takeru sat at his seat and glanced at Hikaru's empty seat at the back of his seat. Is he still not here? Or taking the day off? he wondered.
As Akemi passed by, Takeru called out to her. "Hey, Akemi, is Hikaru-kun absent today?"
"Yeah, he's taking the day off—probably tomorrow too. His cold got worse since yesterday. That's what the homeroom teacher told me earlier in the teacher's lounge."
Takeru frowned. "Oh, I see..."
Of all times for him to be sick. Mizuha-chan's in trouble, and now he's not here to help. What bad timing, he thought.
Akemi sighed. "Ugh, it's so boring without Hikaru-kun here."
"The class feels different without him around. I thought he'd be better by now, but I guess not. I really wanted to hang out with him more."
Takeru chuckled. "Hey, instead of waiting for Hikaru-kun, how about hanging out with me today?"
"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I'm more interested in spending time with Hikaru-kun."
Takeru laughed after hearing Akemi’s words. "Wow, straight-up rejected, huh?"
After a moment, his tone turned more serious. "By the way, have you heard the rumors about Mizuha and me?"
"Yeah, of course I've heard them. Poor Mizuha-chan. I never thought people would spread such nasty rumors about her... and even drag you into it."
Takeru nodded. "I'm trying to figure out who's behind this. From what I remember, Mizuha hasn't had any arguments or problems with anyone in school. Whoever it is must have a personal grudge against her."
"Yeah, that's possible. Someone might have something against Mizuha-chan, but I can't imagine what."
"By the way, Akemi, actually, I need your help with something."
Akemi tilted her head. "Huh? What is it?"
Back in Mizuha's classroom, the situation remained tense. She decided to approach her classmates to address the rumors.
"Um... excuse me? Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Her classmate, focused on chatting with friends, ignored her. Mizuha paused but tried again.
"I've noticed things feel different lately. I wanted to ask if I did something's wrong."
One of the students gave her a quick look before turning away. "I don't have time for this."
Mizuha let out a small sigh. It's pointless... No one wants to hear me, she thought.
When lunch break arrived, after eating with her friends, Mizuha went to the rooftop alone to think about the troubles surrounding her.
"Ah, what's happening to me right now? Rumors and trouble have been following me these past two days," Mizuha said to herself. "Did I do something wrong to make them hate me so much?"
"I must do something to clear my name and solve this problem."
Suddenly, someone approached her from behind. "What are you doing here, just spacing out?"
Mizuha turned around to see Akemi approaching. "Oh, it's you, Akemi-chan."
"Cheer up. It's not like you to look so down."
She tossed a green tea bottle to Mizuha. "Here, drink this. It's my treat."
“Oh, thank you”
Mizuha took a drink. "Why are you here, Akemi-chan?"
"I was looking for you and happened to see you here," Akemi said. "Also, it's a request from Takeru-kun. He asked me to talk to you."
"Takeru did that?" Mizuha asked.
"Yes," Akemi replied. "First, I'm sorry about earlier—about getting cold with you after our midterm exam. I couldn't control myself that day."
"It's okay. I don't care about it anymore. Just forget it," Mizuha said.
“Hey, we’re still friends, right?” said Akemi.
“Yes, of course, you’re my friend, Akemi-chan,” replied Mizuha.
"Are you feeling down because of the rumors surrounding you right now?" Akemi asked.
"Oh, you heard about that too?" Mizuha said.
"Of course," Akemi said. "They've spread throughout our entire year."
"Poor you, Mizuha-chan. How could they do this to my friend? It's unforgivable."
She paused. "Are you okay with these rumors surrounding you?"
"Thanks for your concern, Akemi-chan. I'm fine because there are friends who still trust me and take care of me, including you," Mizuha said.
"Really? Then that's good for you, Mizuha-chan," Akemi replied.
Mizuha took another sip of the green tea Akemi had given her. "By the way, do you know why Hikaru has been absent today? I haven’t been able to reach him since yesterday."
Akemi nodded, her expression softening. "From what I heard in the teacher's lounge earlier, Hikaru caught a bad cold yesterday, and it's gotten worse. The homeroom teacher said he might not be back until tomorrow."
"I see," Mizuha said, her voice filled with worry. "He really should take better care of himself."
Before Akemi could respond, a sudden downpour began.
Akemi glanced at the sky and then at Mizuha. "It's raining hard now. We should get back inside before we're completely soaked."
Mizuha nodded, and they made their way down the stairwell, entering the first-year corridor. As they walked together, chatting quietly, they encountered Takeru near one of the classrooms. He was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone but looked up when he saw them.
Takeru raised an eyebrow. "Well, this is rare—you two walking together. Did something special happen?"
Akemi crossed her arms. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Takeru-kun. I’m just doing what you asked me to do earlier.”
"Is that so?" Takeru replied. "Well, thanks for the help, Akemi."
Akemi's expression changed as though she had suddenly remembered something. She clapped her hands together and turned to Mizuha.
"Oh no! I forgot—I needed to check something back in the staff room. Sorry, Mizuha-chan, but I'll leave you in Takeru-kun's hands for now. You don't mind, do you?"
"Wait, Akemi-chan—" Mizuha started, but before she could finish, Akemi waved and hurried off, disappearing down the hallway.
Takeru looked at Mizuha. "Well, looks like it's just us. Come on, I'll walk you back to your classroom."
"You don't have to," Mizuha said. "What if the rumors get worse and involve more people?"
"It's no trouble," Takeru replied. "Besides, I'd rather keep you company than let you walk alone with everyone staring."
Mizuha hesitated but nodded. They began walking together, side by side, their footsteps echoing in the hallway.
As they passed groups of students, Mizuha noticed curious eyes and whispers following them. She looked down, feeling self-conscious, but Takeru remained casual.
"Just ignore them, Mizuha. They don't know the real story," Takeru said calmly.
"But—" Mizuha couldn't finish her words.
They arrived at Mizuha's classroom to find the same argument from yesterday repeating itself. Shimizu was once again in a heated exchange with a group of girls.
Shimizu protested. "Hey, I didn't do that! Don't accuse me without any proof!"
"No, you did it! We all saw what you did earlier, right, guys?" one of the girls insisted.
"No, you're all misunderstanding! It was already ruined when I found it on the floor! I just picked it up to save it!"
Mizuha asked Eri as she entered. "Eri-chan, what's going on here?"
"Oh, Mizuha-chan...you see. Someone ruined your belongings on your desk earlier."
"What do you mean?"
"Your notebook and homework from other subjects were torn to pieces. Someone did something really horrible to your things."
"Even your drawing from today was ripped in half. Shimizu-chan saw it all and tried to pick it up for you, but when everyone arrived, they accused her of being the one who did it."
Takeru frowned. "That's terrible. They've gone too far this time."
They must be the ones who did this... but I don't have proof to accuse them, Takeru thought.
Shimizu shouted angrily. "I've told you all, I didn't do it! You're all mistaken!"
"But we really saw you standing near Yuki's desk earlier, with those torn-up papers on the floor," one of the girls retorted, glaring at her.
"I already told you—I found them like that and just picked them up!"
Mizuha interjected. "Hey, stop this, everyone. Why do you all need to argue right now?"
"Oh, Mizuha, you're already here. You see..."
"No need, Shimizu. I already know. Eri-chan explained it to me earlier."
"There you go, Yuki-san," one of the girls chimed in. "Do you believe it? Your close friend Shimizu-san is the one who messed with your belongings. We all saw it happen."
Mizuha stared at the girl. "Do you have any proof that Shimizu did it?"
"Well..." The girl hesitated.
"Then, don't accuse someone without proof, okay?"
"Mizuha..." Shimizu murmured, touched by her defense.
"So, what? You don't believe us? Are you siding with Shimizu-san just because she's your close friend?"
"It's not like that. I just can't stand people accusing others without proof."
"Also, I know you all hate me because of the rumors surrounding me right now, but don't involve my friend in my troubles."
"Tch, you hear that? We tried to help her, and she says this to us. Let's go," one of the girls said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah," another agreed, and the group left them, muttering amongst themselves.
Shimizu muttered. "Those girls—how dare they accuse me without any proof."
"Anyway, thanks for believing in me, Mizuha."
"It's okay, Shimizu. I know you wouldn't do that to me."
"It seems they're trying to pit us against each other now."
"Yeah, that's right. We must prepare for what they might do next."
"By the way, Mizuha, I managed to pick up all your belongings from the floor earlier, but I'm sorry about your drawing. I was too late to save it. Here's what's left of it."
"It's okay, Shimizu. It's just a drawing—I can make it again. Thank you for picking it up for me."
As she received the remains of her drawing, Mizuha said, "Ah, it's really ruined, haha. Looks like I need to draw it again, right?"
How can you stay calm and just laugh after all that happened? You're really tough, Mizuha, Shimizu thought.
Suddenly, Mizuha had the same vision as yesterday. She held her head and thought, This vision again? Why is it happening now?
Eri turned to her. "Mizuha-chan, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just having a headache suddenly."
What is this? My sight is getting dimmer, Mizuha thought, feeling her head spin.
She decided to return to her seat to rest. As she stepped toward her seat, she lost her balance and began collapsing backward.
"Oh no, not now!" Takeru exclaimed, noticing her faltering.
With quick reflexes, Takeru caught her body and prevented her from falling.
"Mizuha!" Takeru shouted.
"Takeru, thanks..."
"Hey, are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse's office?"
"No, thanks. I'm fine; just let me sit for a while. I must be too tired."
Both Shimizu and Eri looked at her with concern. Some classmates stared at her in shock.
Thank God she didn't pass out this time, Takeru thought. That shocking incident must have triggered it.
As Mizuha took her seat, both Shimizu and Eri approached her.
"Hey, Mizuha, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, you almost collapsed earlier."
"Don't worry, you two. I'm fine. Maybe I'm just too tired from everything that happened earlier. Just let me rest for a bit, okay?" Mizuha said, not wanting to worry her friends.
"Alright, we'll go back to our seats for now. Please call us if you start feeling worse," Shimizu and Eri said before returning to their places.
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.
Takeru turned to her. "Oh, it's time for me to head back to my class. Mizuha, please try to calm down and don't push yourself too hard. Let your friends know if your condition gets worse, okay?"
"I understand. Thanks for earlier, Takeru."
"See you later," Takeru said as he left to return to his class.
As Takeru left, Zul entered the classroom.
Shimizu turned to him. "Hey, Zul, where did you go earlier after lunch break?"
"I was just walking around the first years' floor. I was looking for the sources of Mizuha's rumors."
"Did you find anything?"
"No, I didn't find anything new, just the same rumors we heard before."
"Oh, I see."
Zul was confused. "You guys look down. What happened earlier?"
"Actually..." Shimizu began, and explained the earlier incident to him.
"All that happened earlier?"
"Yeah, that's everything I told you."
Zul felt upset. "Damn, they're going too far now. We can't let them keep doing this."
"Yeah, we have to stop these before it gets worse."
As Zul returned to his seat, he paused at Mizuha's desk and spoke to her.
"Mizuha, I heard everything from Shimizu earlier. Are you okay right now?"
"Yes, I feel a bit better now after calming down and getting some rest."
"Really? Thank goodness."
"Hey, are you free after school today?"
"Yes, I'm free. But what for?"
"Well, I want you to accompany me somewhere. Would you like to join me?"
"Sure, I'll join you later."
"Okay, let's continue talking about this after school," Zul said as he returned to his seat.
I wonder where Zul wants to go since he asked me to accompany him after school today, Mizuha thought.
Meanwhile, Kurumi and her friends' group were glaring at them.
"Is Yuki going to be okay?"
"Yeah, she almost collapsed."
"Hey, Kurumi, don't you think we went too far?"
Kurumi retorted. "What's with you guys? Are you feeling sympathy for her now?"
"No, it's not like that. We just think our actions might have been a bit too much."
Kurumi snapped. "So what? Are you turning against me now?"
"Do whatever you want. Leave me if you don't want to be involved in this anymore."
"I'm not giving up until she gives up on Hikaru," Kurumi added, while some of her friends started to feel guilty about what they were doing to Mizuha, and others still stood by Kurumi.
What's going on over there? Are they arguing with each other? Zul thought, looking at Kurumi's group.
Shortly after, the teacher arrived, and lessons resumed for the rest of the day.
435Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslfMAJSQpK
To be continued…..Amemonogatari IV
ns216.73.216.13da2
and then Add to home screen.