Mizuha had already settled into her new school, but when the break bell rang, she looked around for Shimizu.
It would be nice if Shimizu joined us. We could all get to know each other better.
But when she looked around, she saw Shimizu quickly leaving the classroom with a book and some supplies.
Shimizu moved in a hurry, nearly bumping into other students.
Later, as Mizuha sat down to eat, Hikaru joined her and Zul.
Hikaru noticed Mizuha seemed a little off.
"Is something wrong, Yuki-san? You seem worried about something."
Mizuha shook her head, forcing a smile.
"It’s nothing, really. Don’t worry about me."
After they finished eating, there was still plenty of time before the next class began. Hikaru had already gone back to his own class, so Mizuha decided to explore the school a bit more.
I’ve always wondered what the rooftop looks like.
It might be a nice place to relax and see the school from a different perspective.
She made her way up and opened the door. The campus below was impressive, buildings and greenery arranged in neat rows.
The spring wind blew her hair back as she stepped outside. This breeze feels so refreshing.
She closed her eyes for a moment. It’s like the perfect place to clear my mind.
With a deep breath, she let the peaceful atmosphere surround her.
I should come up here more often. It’s such a perfect spot to relax.
As she enjoyed the view, she heard someone mumbling.
Is somebody else here?
She walked toward the sound.
Shimizu? What is she doing there? Is she writing something?
Mizuha slowly approached Shimizu.
"Shimizu, what are you doing?"
"Nothing, just writing... Hmm— Uwah! Mizuha? What are you doing here? I thought you were eating in the classroom."
"Yes, I'm done already. I'm just taking a walk here."
"So, what are you writing?"
Shimizu hid the book, embarrassed. "Don’t look at it."
Mizuha blinked. She hadn’t meant to intrude, but her curiosity grew.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude."
"It’s okay if you don’t want to show me."
Shimizu's face was still red as she clutched the book to her chest.
"It’s... it’s nothing important."
Mizuha smiled at Shimizu's shyness.
"It’s okay. You don’t have to show me if you don’t want to. I just didn’t expect to find anyone else up here."
Shimizu relaxed a little. She stayed quiet for a moment.
She sighed. "Alright... Since you're my friend, I'll show you."
"Really!? Thank you."
Mizuha took the book and began reading. The words on the page immediately captivated her.
As she read, she was touched by the depth of the story. "Wow, Shimizu, this story is really amazing."
"It nearly moved me to tears, and I only read a little."
"Why don’t you publish it? I think it could be a hit!"
Shimizu blushed at the praise, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Well, actually, I've already released my first chapter. This is the manuscript for the next chapter."
"Eh? You've already debuted your own novel? Congratulations!" Mizuha grabbed Shimizu's hands. "That's incredible!"
Shimizu smiled. "Thanks. I’ll work hard to make it even better."
Then, her expression turned serious. "But Mizuha, can you keep this a secret? I don’t want others to know about it just yet."
Mizuha nodded. "Of course, I won't tell anyone. It'll be our secret."
She held out her pinky. "Yeah, I promise."
Shimizu linked her pinky with Mizuha’s, sealing their pact.
"This is our promise!" they declared together.
With the wind still blowing, Mizuha closed her eyes slightly.
"This breeze feels very comfortable and relaxing."
"Right!? That’s why I chose this place to find inspiration for my novel."
Mizuha’s eyes lit up. "Ah, I’ve got an idea."
"From tomorrow, why don’t we eat lunch here? It’s such a nice place to relax and enjoy our food."
"Oh, that’s a great idea, Mizuha! It must feel good eating lunch here."
The two girls laughed together before the school bell interrupted, signaling the end of break time.
As they were leaving the rooftop, someone bumped into Mizuha from behind in the corridor.
The person fell backward, landing hard on the floor.
Mizuha reached out. "Hey, are you okay? Let me help you."
The girl on the floor looked up, nervous. "I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going," she said, accepting Mizuha’s hand.
As Mizuha helped her up, Shimizu stepped forward.
"Oh, it’s you, Sakamoto-san."
"What’s wrong? Your uniform looks soaked. Are you okay?"
The girl, Sakamoto Eri, was surprised by Shimizu’s approach.
"Erk—I’m sorry!!" The girl flinched, then turned and hurried away.
Shimizu sighed. "Ah... she ran away from me again."
"Do you know her?"
"She's a very shy girl, and I've noticed she's always alone at school. I've tried to befriend her before, but... it never works, haha. She seems scared of me."
Mizuha frowned slightly.
As they continued walking to the classroom, she couldn't help but wonder why Eri's uniform was soaked — and why she always seemed so frightened.
The next day, Shimizu went to the school rooftop so they could eat together as they had promised.
She found a spot and set up her lunch, feeling excited about their new lunchtime routine.
Meanwhile, Mizuha had to stop by the cafeteria to buy her food. As she waited in line, she glanced at the time and realized she might be late.
After buying her food, Mizuha hurried to the rooftop. She arrived slightly out of breath and apologized to Shimizu for being late.
Shimizu said it was okay and told Mizuha not to worry about it.
Just then, Shimizu noticed Hikaru and Zul standing behind Mizuha, holding their own lunches. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Hey, why did you bring these two guys along too?"
Mizuha turned to Shimizu, scratching her head sheepishly.
"Well, Takamiya-kun and Zul saw me heading up here and asked where I was going. I told them about our new lunch spot, and they wanted to join us. I hope you don’t mind."
Hikaru stepped forward, grinning.
"Yeah, we thought it would be fun to have lunch together. The more, the merrier, right?"
Shimizu blinked in surprise at the unexpected addition to their lunch group.
She sighed. "Well, I guess it's fine. The more, the merrier, like that guy said — Takamiya, right?"
"Oh, you know about me already?"
"Of course. The famous guy every girl talks about... I’ve heard them talk about you so many times."
Zul smiled. "Just like before, huh, Hikaru?"
"But… are you two okay with eating with me here? You know how people treat me because of my appearance."
"I’m okay with it. I don’t trust rumors or anything like that."
Mizuha nodded. "He's right. Who cares what they say? Appearances don't tell you everything about a person."
Shimizu felt thankful for their words. "You two, thanks for saying that."
Feeling motivated by this, she suddenly stood up.
"From today, this is our lunch spot. We’ll eat here every day if the weather is good. Who agrees with me? Raise your hand!"
They all laughed as they raised their hands in agreement. Even Zul, the quietest among them, raised his hand.
As they settled into their lunch, chatting about classes and upcoming events, Zul spotted movement below.
Huh? Is that Eri? Zul thought.
Where is she going? Why does she always leave during break without telling me anything? This is strange…
ns216.73.216.48da2
and then Add to home screen.