Chapter 1: Love and Lies That Fell From the Sky

「What kind of relationship does Honoka have with Tsukishiro-kun?」

On my way to the main entrance, I, Tsukishiro Kanato, overheard a certain conversation.

I instinctively hide behind a door and peer into the empty classroom. There was my childhood friend, Shinozaki Honoka.

She's beautiful and academically excellent, plus she has a friendly personality with everyone, the kind of person everyone admires and respects.

I'm her only childhood friend. At least, I'm closer to her than the other guys.

「Eh, why are you asking about Kanato...?」

「Well, you're childhood friends with Tsukishiro-kun, right? So I was wondering how things are.」

In the empty classroom are Honoka and several other girls. All of them are the type classified as "first-string" in the classroom hierarchy.

If Honoka is a flower blooming in the sunlight, then I'm a weed living quietly in the shadows. I'd be classified as the complete opposite, someone from the shadow side.

Despite that, Honoka continues to be friendly with me. Sometimes I get resentful looks for being next to her, but Honoka protects and helps me.

『No matter what everyone else says, Kanato is my childhood friend.』

Those words she said have always been my support.

It's very helpful that someone needs even someone like me, boosting my self-esteem, but lately I've been feeling distance between us.

The cause is our different positions. Honoka is the center of the class, while I'm just a loner. Being in completely opposite positions, we often don't see eye to eye.

I was starting to think that maybe being around someone like me isn't fun for her, so her response was extremely interesting to me.

(…I wonder what she thinks of me.)

I listen carefully to Honoka's response. I was anxiously watching her troubled expression when that moment came suddenly.

「I don't think anything in particular about him. He's gloomy, timid, and not cool at all... Don't lump me in with someone like that.」

It felt like being slashed with a blade.

Honoka's words, spoken without hesitation, didn't seem like lies. She probably really thought talking to someone like me was a hassle.

Deep down, I think I already knew. There's nothing good that comes from a bland person like me being involved with an honor student like Honoka. It was better for both of us to stay apart.

「Ehh? Even though you're childhood friends? I totally thought you had feelings for him...」

「Generally speaking, I wouldn't be interested in someone who's usually sloppy and won't even try to fix it.」

Like shattering glass, all my memories with Honoka crumble to pieces. The time we'd built up together collapsed in that fleeting moment.

(...Ahh, I knew it.)

I speak to my brain that refuses to understand. This is reality. Until now, Honoka was just pitying me and playing the role of a kind childhood friend.

I left before the wound could spread any further.

「...?」

「Honokaー? What's wrong?」

「No, I just thought someone was there...」

▼▽

I hate lies.

People always tell lies. Friendships, shared memories, they're all built on convenient little lies.

Lies exist everywhere. There's no human in this world who only speaks the truth.

I hate this lie-filled world even more.

After leaving school, I take a different route than usual.

On days when something unpleasant happens, I take detours like this. It's a change of pace, and it feels better than curling up alone in my room.

I knew it, but I'm not someone who matches Honoka. I don't have any special talents, I'm not particularly good-looking. I'm not an interesting conversationalist, I'm just another loner.

Perhaps this is how it should have been from the beginning. I should have kept my distance from Honoka, who lives in a world completely opposite to mine.

「Still though...」

Even I can't help feeling down. A childhood friend I've known for over ten years just completely tore me apart like that. There's no human who wouldn't be hurt by that.

「...Huh?」

When I felt something cold hit my hand and looked up at the sky, gray clouds were beginning to cover it.

Gradually, raindrops start falling. I hurried down to the nearby riverbank and took shelter under Nagumo Bridge.

(Crap, I didn't bring a folding umbrella...)

Judging by how the rain was picking up, it wouldn't stop anytime soon.

「Kyah!」

「...Eh?」

As I was at a complete loss.

When I looked up at the short scream, I saw white panties.

No, "I saw a girl in white panties slip and fall", would be more correct.

A skirt fluttering like scattered flower petals. Pure white panties peeking through here and there.

「...Oi, seriously?!」

My body moved on instinct. I throw my bag aside, quickly move to where the girl would fall, and spread both arms to catch her.

What the hell is this, an accident? Suicide? Or,

「Uwah!?」

A few seconds later, I somehow managed to catch the girl with the impact.

It wasn't exactly graceful since I fell on my butt, but the girl didn't seem to be injured.

「Ow, that hurt... Eh, Shigure Ren...!?」

I was shocked when I saw the girl's face.

Beautiful navy-blue hair cut to shoulder length. Sharp, amethyst-colored eyes reminiscent of jewels. An enchanting figure that captivates anyone who sees her. The beautiful aura she radiated seemed to shine even in the rain.

Faced with that unmistakable beauty, I froze up again.

Shigure Ren. A beautiful girl that no one at our Shinshin Academy doesn't know about.

「Ow ow... Ah, a-are you okay!?」

「Eh? Ahh, well, somehow...」

「I'm glad... I thought I was going to die.」

「...They're white.」

「Eh?」

「Your panties are white.」

Several seconds of silence passed. I realized I'd said something terrible only a few seconds after Shigure turned red.

「Haaaaaah!? W-What are you looking at!!!」

「No, it was unavoidable! Unavoidable!」

「Just because I fell from above doesn't mean you can look!」

「But I couldn't help but see them...」

「That doesn't mean you had to say it out loud. Ahh, geez...」

Shigure, who was arguing with me while still on top of me, put her hand to her forehead in exasperation.

Then, as if noticing something, she stares intently at my face and starts patting it. While my brain was frozen from the rapid developments, Shigure said.

「You're going to be my boyfriend. ...I need one right now.」

「...Excuse me?」