Hello everyone! It's me, Tachibana Himari.
I'm just a normal high school girl you see everywhere… okay, I admit I'm wealthier than most people.
But aside from that, I'm just a girl who dreams of working as an artist in the future and marrying a wonderful man.
Mom encouraged me to enroll in Sakurazai Academy, since there would definitely be a man who would be a gentleman and, of course, handsome. Who am I to say no?
The only sad part is that the friends I made in junior school decided to enroll in another school, and some of them even went to another country. I'm gonna miss them.
But it's okay, I'm confident I'll make new friends and have a wonderful encounter just like in romance movies and anime.
...
And so, I prepared myself.
♦♦♦
Today is the first day of school. I'm really surprised how big the school is… or rather… how all the facilities from high school to university campuses belong to Sakurazai Academy.
I must thank Mom later.
And when I arrived in the classroom, I was just astonished.
First is the presence of Edomae's president's daughter, Edomae Ayame. Mom says the president's daughter sometimes accompanies her mother to learn how to interact with people, not to mention the number of times she's had meetings with boys for marriage purposes. But even so, she turned all of them down…
Yes, can you believe it? It's already hard to meet a guy who is willing to talk with us and also be handsome. I don't know what more she expects from a man, but if she continues like that, I think she'll end up being the last of her family lineage.
And the second one is the presence of a boy who is, with all respect, super hot. That's Sakurazai for you.
There's another boy too. To be honest, he's not that cool but rather… kind of plain if you ask me.
"Eh!? Glad to meet... why?" — Suddenly Edomae-san said.
"I mean... I kinda felt bad about what happened last time." — the boy who was plain commented.
Wait a minute, is she really the Edomae's daughter Mom talked about? It's clear she has a crush on him.
Well, that means I should aim for the cool boy, I guess~
…
But in the end, it was a disaster.
I shouldn't have asked if Satou-kun… no, Satou-san had a girlfriend. Why did I make such a silly mistake?
Being assertive is important, but too much only troubles the other party.
I couldn't hold my tears at that moment, and I wasn't in the state to hear the next student introduction.
...
I wonder what would've happened if I had listened to him and asked whether he had a girlfriend at that moment.
♦♦♦
I managed to make friends after a few days, and what's shocking is how they talked well about Morikawa-san rather than Satou-san.
"… unlike Satou-san, he's more approachable, polite, friendly, and if you look closely, he's handsome too!" — my friend said.
"You think so? But even if that's true, it's clear that Edomae-san likes him. If someone like her couldn't make him fall for her, imagine me." — I said.
"Don't be like that. He's the only guy who allows girls to call him by his first name. Can you imagine another man doing that?"
"If you think that's interesting, why don't you try talking to him?"
"I'd rather be on Edomae-san's side than be Morikawa-san's girlfriend."
Understandable…
Well, the girl who was excited to meet the man of her life is finally gone, and now I should focus on my studies and my dream.
...
However.
♦♦♦
Everything changed after hearing the discussion in the auditorium between Morikawa-san and the student council president, Shirakawa-san.
"Morikawa Tomoki, maybe he´s a divine being who come´s to guide us." — one of my schoolmates said.
Yeah, I agree with you. And now I can see why Edomae-san is interested in him.
What I learned from him is that despite our worries or concerns, we need to voice them. Which means courage.
Sorry Edomae-san, but now I'm interested in him too.
...
So I decided to approach him.
♦♦♦
"Whoa! I didn´t know you were into this!"
"Glad you like it. Wanna see more?"
"Yes, absolutely!"
Seeing how excited he was to see my drawings, I couldn't stop grinning to myself.
Tomoki-san, I fell in love with you, and I don't think I'd ever meet someone who would enjoy what I do. Because this is something that's better not to expect from a man.
Like my friend said, I should try to confess before it's too late. After all, Tomoki seems to be a man who doesn't like polygamous relationships. And not because he feels uncomfortable, but because he thinks it's not right — not fair for us.
I wouldn't mind, you know. If it were you, I know you'd try your best to make us happy — so much that we'd be worried if you were overdoing it…
But since you're the type who sticks to your beliefs, that means I need to confess my feelings as soon as possible. I'd feel even worse if another girl stole you before I could tell you how I feel.
With the power of destiny somehow pairing us up, I shouldn't waste this opportunity.
…
But in the end, I was already late.
♦♦♦
Worst day of my life. Not only is my heart torn into pieces, but it also seems everyone knows about my failed confession the very next day.
That means only one thing.
"Hey, everyone seems to be talking about me. Is there something you all want to say?"
"Tachibana, relax! Don't mind what they're saying, they'll forget anyway." — one of my friends told me… if I can call them friends.
"Maybe they will, but I won't. Girls, don't try to hide it from me — I know you told someone about me. And don't even try to say that Tomo— Morikawa-san was the one who did it."
"Tachibana-san, calm down. We apologize, we made a silly mistake. I'm sorry." — another one said.
"Okay… good. Then if you'll excuse me, I want to be alone for a while."
Not only did I lose the chance to be with the man of my life, but I lost my friends too.
And it seems everyone couldn't help spreading more about what happened between me and Morikawa-san.
Hehe… I wonder what Mom would say if I told her I don't want to come here anymore.
...
But it took only one word to change my life.
♦♦♦
"Don't mind then!"
Hearing this from him again in the auditorium was completely different from hearing it from my so-called friends.
Everyone thinking badly about me? Who cares!
I'm the clown who was disliked by two boys from the same classroom? Who cares!
When Morika— Tomoki-san continued his speech, I couldn't stop laughing at how life could be simpler and easier.
But there's one thing I didn't like… the fact that I became even more conscious of him.
Edomae-san, you're really lucky. It seems the world hands everything to you on a silver plate… how unfair.
...
How... unfair.
♦♦♦
Today is a new day, and I need to help Mom with her work. Sure, I can't take pharmaceuticals lightly, but with instructions, I can at least help everyone restock the store and do some odd jobs like cleaning and helping some clients to some extent.
And I kind of feel ashamed about being jealous of Edomae-san. If Tomoki-san fell for her, it's because she did something memorable to him.
Besides, it's not like the world revolves only around Tomoki-san. I'm sure there's another man who could be even better than him!
…Sorry Tomoki-san, but I really need to think this way.
"Excuse me, miss. My therapist prescribed this medicine. Do you know where I can find it?" — a boy suddenly asked me.
"Yes, let me guide you to the shelf where it is."
"Thank you."
I'm kind of surprised to find another man who can speak so clearly. But I don't think I'll see him again — otherwise I'd try talking to him more.
Sigh~ it would be too wonderful if he actually studied at the same school as me.
...
And it seems luck was finally on my side.
♦♦♦
"Hey! Aren't you the miss who helped me that day?" — speaking of luck.
"Yeah! Who knew we studied at the same school!" — I couldn't contain my excitement.
"By the way… could you keep between us what I bought that day?"
"Of course. I would never share my clients' information. Be reassured."
"Thank you again, miss."
Take courage, myself!
"Tachibana Himari — this is my name."
Then I learned he was actually my senpai and part of the baseball club.
Today we talked a lot about how the world is small, what kind of food would be available in the cafeteria, and other silly things that kept the conversation going.
Who would've thought I'd be blessed with this encounter...
Hehe… it's a shame my first confession was a failure, but this time I think everything will end well.
"Senpai!" — suddenly two girls called him.
"Hey, girls!"
"Hmm… Senpai? Who is she?" — the tomboy girl asked Senpai.
"I don't think it's appropriate to ask that in front of her. Sorry for my friend's rudeness." — the girl with glasses said.
"Don't worry, I don't mind. My name is Tachibana Himari."
"Oh right! Tachibana-san, let me introduce them to you. They are my girlfriends!" — Senpai said.
Usually, I wouldn't be surprised — I'd actually think this is natural. But for some reason, the first thought I had at that moment was about the person I look up to.
[... I don't know if I'd personally engage in a polygamous relationship. Honestly, I think it's unfair that only men have the right to have multiple partners. I know I wouldn't like it if the girl I loved had other boyfriends.]
Yeah… Tomoki-san really knows what we go through… and ironically, because he thinks like this, I wouldn't mind if he had more than one girlfriend.
No, Himari! Stop thinking about him!
There's only one way to forget him — and that is to move on!
…
That moment, I decided to get closer to Senpai even though he had girlfriends.
And yes, even though his girlfriends were friendly with me, I noticed they were annoyed by my presence since I was stealing Senpai's attention.
Sigh~
I regret thinking it would be easy for me…