Shimaura Hitomi's First Love, Buried Before It Even Began

The women's restroom at the end of the hallway.

The school building was quiet and peaceful during lunch break, with only a few groups of girls coming and going to use the restroom, chattering softly about gossip, punctuated by bursts of clear laughter.

Amidst this youthful atmosphere, the innermost stall was filled with a stifling tension.

Finally, the boundary between fantasy and reality drew to a close, the turmoil in her heart fully satisfied, yet accompanied by a lingering emptiness and melancholy.

"Hoo, hoo..."

Shimaura Hitomi, her body weak, sat on the toilet seat and pulled out a tissue to wipe her hands.

Her waist, back, and hips felt a little sweaty, quickly turning into the texture of cold sweat, making Shimaura Hitomi shiver—in these moments after, she always felt particularly pathetic.

When had she developed this dark habit?

Shimaura Hitomi was once a pure and ignorant girl.

In Japan, parents didn't interfere much with their children's romantic lives. Many girls who were awakening to love began dating in junior high, and some bold ones even went to their boyfriends' homes for more intimate encounters... All of this was irrelevant to Shimaura Hitomi. Her interests lay entirely in scientific knowledge, mathematics, physics, and nature, which most students found dry and boring...

Beyond that was her strong and deep friendship with her best friend, Chihaya Airi.

Shimaura Hitomi's world was small; one end was formulas and symbols, the other was the Young Lady.

She knew nothing about romance.

However, on the night she met Kiyoharu, Shimaura Hitomi dreamed of him, experiencing a dream of such unspeakable content for the first time in her life... No, it wasn't purely unspeakable, but a pleasure filled with guilt.

In the middle of the night, she woke up startled and secretly went to wash her undergarments.

With a scientific spirit, Shimaura Hitomi consulted resources and understood that she had romantic feelings for Kiyoharu. This fact shocked Shimaura Hitomi for a long time. After all, they had only met once and hadn't spoken much, yet she had already fallen for him. Was she really such a superficial girl?

To be honest, Shimaura Hitomi hadn't thought much about what kind of boy she wanted to date; it seemed too distant. But true love at first sight had struck so suddenly and unexpectedly.

At that time, Shimaura Hitomi was a first-year high school student at Chihaya Academy, and Kiyoharu was a second-year senior. It was almost unnecessary to inquire about him; her female classmates in class often talked about him.

Reason ultimately could not overcome emotion. For a while, Shimaura Hitomi felt as if she were floating. When she happened to see Kiyoharu on campus, she would stare at him for a long time, wishing she could imprint the handsome boy into her eyes.

She didn't know what to do, so she decided to discuss it with Airi, seeking help from her best friend.

What are best friends for if not to talk about these shy, girlish matters?

After classes ended one afternoon, neither Shimaura Hitomi nor Chihaya Airi had club activities. They walked together to the shopping street near the school, their feet treading on the old cobblestones. The scent of milk tea wafted through the air, and occasionally, a couple would walk by, hand in hand, laughing and chatting.

Perhaps inspired by these scenes, Shimaura Hitomi cleared her throat, preparing to ask Airi for advice. She had been afraid her best friend would laugh at her, but unexpectedly, she found the courage.

"Hey, Little Hitomi, what do you think of that Ito Kiyoharu?"

Airi's words, however, came out first. How much earlier? A second, or two? It didn't matter.

Swallowing the words that had risen to her lips, Shimaura Hitomi feigned ignorance: "Huh? Which Ito Kiyoharu?"

"The one from the sports festival, tsk, that guy is unbelievably arrogant. He said he'd knock me off the first-place throne in the next exam. Look how ridiculous!"

"Oh, so it's him... Huh... Did he say something like that that day?"

"No, I added his LINE. He said it when we were chatting online," Chihaya Airi waved her phone, tapping on Ito Kiyoharu's profile picture to show Shimaura Hitomi. "Look at his avatar, so old-fashioned. More dated than my dad."

When did Airi get Kiyoharu-kun's contact information?

Shimaura Hitomi hadn't added him yet.

She cleared her throat, feeling a strange sensation.

Airi, unaware of her best friend's unease, continued to speak on her own: "It's not just his avatar, the guy is mature in every way. I suspect he might be a middle-aged uncle who's been de-aged..."

"Airi, don't you dislike him?" Shimaura Hitomi suddenly interrupted.

"Hm?"

"Airi, you always dislike boys. You must feel the same about him... right?"

"That's the baffling part. When he touched me, I didn't feel that disgusting sensation at all!" Chihaya Airi licked her lips. "He feels like he could be a very high-quality toy..."

Airi's view of other men was practically equivalent to maggots. Clearly, "toy" was many levels above "maggot."

If another boy had messaged Airi on LINE, he would likely have been met with cold indifference or even blocked, but Airi was chatting enthusiastically with Kiyoharu.

Shimaura Hitomi felt something was wrong.

Even though she was often teased as a bookworm, Shimaura Hitomi was actually very sensitive to external emotional changes. She clearly sensed that Chihaya Airi was very interested in Ito Kiyoharu.

Of course, this interest was not yet romantic, but it completely extinguished Shimaura Hitomi's hopes.

The Young Lady's toys were not to be trifled with by others.

"Oh, right, Little Hitomi, you seemed to have something to tell me too, didn't you?"

"N-Nothing. Airi, let's go buy some cake."

"Mhm, okay. What flavor cake do you want, Little Hitomi? I'll treat you!"

The seemingly peaceful daily life continued, but Shimaura Hitomi had already silently buried her first love.

Her first love was buried before it even began.

Moreover, with the progression of Kiyoharu and Airi's relationship, it was dug up and desecrated time and time again.

The restroom.

Shimaura Hitomi adjusted her clothes, preparing to stand up and leave.

However, the discussion of several students outside made Shimaura Hitomi pause, her hand hovering over the stall door handle.

"Did you hear? The person who used to compete with Airi for Teacher Kiyoharu is transferring back to Chihaya Academy."

"Really? Wasn't she expelled from Tokyo by the Young Lady?"

"That's what they say, but the Takagi Family has made a fortune in South America and is now a force to be reckoned with in the Chihaya Conglomerate... With the fierce competition among the four major conglomerates, Gen'ichiro intends to win over the Takagi family as an ally, so he's agreed to their request to allow his daughter to return to the country to study... and in Teacher Kiyoharu's class, no less!"

"The 'Samba Fairy' Takagi Akane versus Tokyo's 'Demon' Chihaya Airi – this is going to be good!"

Hearing that name, Shimaura Hitomi couldn't help but recall the girl from three years ago, her face filled with humiliation and unwillingness.

She... had actually returned to Tokyo?

And now she was going to be Kiyoharu's student. Without a doubt, this was a declaration of war on Airi once again.

Thinking of the loving marriage of the Chihaya couple potentially being shaken by a third party, Shimaura Hitomi felt a strange sense of anticipation... Oh no, this is too wicked. As her best friend, I should be worried for Airi!

With that thought, Shimaura Hitomi quickly shook her head, grabbed her phone, and sent a message to Airi to pass on the information.

She wondered if Airi had already received the news from her father in advance.