The Most Beautiful Girl in the School Asked Me to Act as Her Boyfriend, So I Accepted, But Gradually

Chapter 61

I'm sorry, Karin!

Translated by Dawn

I’m sorry, Karin!

The next day at noon, I received a phone call.

I picked up the receiver and introduced myself, saying, “Hello, this is Aizawa speaking.”

“I’m Kano, the homeroom teacher of Class A in Kamiyugi High School. Sorry to disrupt you.”

Kano-chan’s voice sounded more formal than usual.

“Oh, Kano-sensei.”

“Oh, it’s you, Aizawa-kun. Long time no see. How have you been?”

“Well, so-so. But why did you call me teacher?”

“Well, you see…”

The teacher seemed hesitant to say something.

I urged her to continue in silence, and she eventually got to the point.

“Is Mizutani-san at your house right now? I just received a call from Mizutani-san’s mother saying that she ran away from home, and it’s highly likely that Mizutani-san is at your place.”

“…I see.”

I thought to myself, “So it’s finally happening.” In fact, I expected it to happen sooner, so it was rather surprising that Mizutani’s mother hadn’t made any moves so far. There might have been a reason why she couldn’t make a move.

I turned to Mizutani.

She seemed to understand the content of the phone call and nodded lightly.

I handed the receiver to Mizutani, and she started talking to Kano-chan with a serious expression.

After a while, Mizutani put down the receiver.

Since she had her back turned to me, I couldn’t tell what expression she was making.

“What did Kano-chan say?”

“She said my mother is looking for me. She’s worried and wants me to come home.”

“…I see.”

Well, as Kano-chan, the class teacher, that was the only thing she could say.

But that person was going through a tough time too. She was caught in the middle because of a runaway incident that had nothing to do with her. And it was happening during the summer vacation. I definitely didn’t want to be a teacher, I thought once again.

“So, what are you planning to do, Mizutani?”

“I’m going back home. And then I’ll talk to my mother.”

“Are you sure…?”

I asked, expressing my concern, and Mizutani turned to face me.

She had a smile on her face.

“Yeah. I’m not scared anymore.”

Seeing that expression, I thought, “Ah, she’ll be fine.”

It seemed like she had made up her mind not to back down, even against her mother.

But honestly, I felt a bit lonely.

Mizutani had undoubtedly grown mentally since before.

If Mizutani, who was already overflowing with various talents, continued to grow… I might be left behind. That anxiety inevitably crossed my mind.

The same went for the matter of studying in France.

This time it was just a trip, so Mizutani decided not to go to France at the last minute.

But there was a good chance that Mizutani might decide to study abroad on her own accord.

What would I do then?

If I didn’t have any growth of my own, it was impossible for me to walk the same path as her.

…No, for now, let’s just celebrate Mizutani’s growth.

I didn’t want to be someone who couldn’t celebrate the growth of others.

“Well then, do you want me to walk you home?”

I asked with faint hope, and Mizutani nodded happily.

***

While I was taking Mizutani home, we didn’t talk much.

But there wasn’t the same tension as when we first walked home from school together.

Neither Mizutani nor I felt the need to fill the silence with words.

After walking for a while, we reached the residential area where Mizutani’s house was located.

I started to feel nervous as it was finally time.

I glanced at Mizutani, wondering if she would be okay.

She seemed even calmer than me, which made me a bit down.

Eventually, Mizutani’s house came into view. She opened the black gate without hesitation and went inside. I stopped in front of the gate, thinking that this was probably as far as I could go. Mizutani, who had already reached the front door, turned back with a puzzled look.

“What’s wrong? Aizawa, come in too.”

“Well, but…”

“There’s no need to hesitate now. Aizawa, you clearly picked a fight with my mother at the airport.”

“That wasn’t me, it was Mizutani—”

I started saying that, but I stopped myself.

From Mizutani’s mother’s perspective, I was like an enemy. So even if I tried to explain now, it wouldn’t change anything.

“…Well, maybe so.”

I decided to let go of my reservations and followed after Mizutani.

The creaking sound of the hinge reminded me of the events from a few days ago. Reading that letter now felt like a distant memory.

As I mentally prepared myself, Mizutani casually pressed the intercom button.

A slightly silly-sounding “ding-dong” echoed in the vicinity.

Soon, the door opened with a click. Mizutani’s mother appeared.

“””……..”””

The three of us remained silent for a while, exchanging glances.

…Well, it was not my fault, right? If someone like me, who was not even a family member, were to take the lead here, they would surely think I couldn’t read the atmosphere. I thought it was normal to wait for either Mizutani or her mother to start talking.

Carefully, I compared the faces of the two.

Mizutani remained silent, with her lips tightly sealed.

On the other hand, Mizutani’s mother trembled and stared at Mizutani, her lips quivering.

It seemed like she hadn’t even noticed my presence.

“I’m sorry, Karin!”

Suddenly, Mizutani’s mother hugged her tightly, her voice choked with tears.

“This… It’s all my fault. So please, come back home quickly! I’ll even forgive your relationship with Aizawa-kun!”

It seemed that despite the short two-day absence, Mizutani’s absence had been quite unbearable for her.

Mizutani’s mother seemed to have been controlling Mizutani, but perhaps she was simply dependent on her.

Through Mizutani’s mother’s embrace, Mizutani looked at me with a bewildered expression.

It seemed she was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

I could understand her feelings. Honestly, I had prepared myself for another twist.

I nodded at Mizutani, showing that I respected her decision, whether it was to forgive or distance herself. That was my intention.

After Mizutani lowered her head, she stretched out her hands towards her mother who was hugging her.

Just as I thought she would return the embrace, she grabbed her mother’s shoulders and pulled herself away. She looked into her mother’s eyes, her expression filled with sadness, and spoke.

“I’ll tell you this, I’m not the same as before. If Mother does the same thing again, I’ll run away from home once more. If you’re fine with that, then I’ll forgive this time.”

“Y-Yes. Of course, that’s fine. I won’t do the same thing again.”

Mizutani’s mother nodded vigorously, seemingly overwhelmed.

Mizutani let out a sigh.

“Then, it’s okay now.”

“…Really? Thank you, Karin!”

Her mother hugged Mizutani again.

Seeing her almost expressionless and allowing herself to be embraced, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Mizutani stared at me, and her mother turned her face toward me.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble, Aizawa-kun. I apologize once again.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay. Really, it’s not…”

I couldn’t help but feel awkward when an adult several years older than me apologized. As I hurriedly waved my hands, Mizutani’s mother added something.

“Oh, but. Please don’t do that thing to Karin, yet. If you do, I’ll ban you from seeing each other for real this time.”

That “that thing” was unclear to me; it seemed I wasn’t good at guessing things.

I nodded in a hurry, and then a low voice came from beside me.

“…Mother.”

When I looked, Mizutani blushed and stared at her mother.

“If you say unnecessary things like that, I might run away from home again.”

“Oh! S-Sorry, Karin! I got worried about you, and I just… I take it back, so please don’t run away! You can do whatever you want with Aizawa-kun!”

Mizutani’s mother said that and clung to Mizutani. Well, well, saying “You can do whatever you want” was quite strange. It seemed like Mizutani didn’t mean that kind of thing…

Mizutani sighed heavily as if thinking the same thing. When our eyes met, laughter escaped from both of us spontaneously.

It was all so ridiculous that it became funny.

Maybe Mizutani and her mother would never live together peacefully from now on. They would fight many times, and each time, Mizutani would run away from home. I could already imagine such scenes.

However, the power balance between the two had changed significantly. Mizutani now had an escape route and the courage to stand up against her mother. So it wouldn’t be as serious as before.

After seeing Mizutani off as she entered her house, I left the gate of Mizutani’s house.

It felt a bit lonely since she had been by my side for the past few days.

I wanted to be by Mizutani’s side.

That feeling grew stronger with each passing day.

…Right. Maybe I should stop by the bookstore for a bit.