The Delinquent Shimizu-san Sitting Next to Me Has Dyed Her Hair Black-Volume 1 Epilogue - Shimizu-san and I
Epilogue – Shimizu-san and I
“Let’s go back to the classroom too.”
A few minutes after the Senpai left, Shimizu-san and I were still at the back of the gymnasium.
“Why are you acting like nothing happened after saying something like that? And how did you even know I was here in the first place?”
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I don’t understand what Shimizu-san means by “something like that,” but I can answer the latter question.
“To be honest, I didn’t know you were here. But if it was a confession, it would likely happen in a place where no one else would come, so I checked various places where people wouldn’t usually go. Then when I came near here, I heard a scream, and I thought it might be you, so I came to check.”
“…I didn’t tell you about the confession.”
“I heard it from Ai-san. Ai-san was really worried about you, Shimizu-san.”
I report to Ai-san that I found Shimizu-san and that everything is okay. Ai-san quickly replied with relief, saying that she had read the message.
“Ai… got it, but why did you come looking for me? You could have just waited in the classroom.”
“I was worried about you.”
“About what? “
“I thought Shimizu-san might be in danger.”
Although I only heard bits and pieces from Ai-san, it seemed that there was a real possibility of harm coming to Shimizu-san.
“You shouldn’t have bothered with that. Even if something happened, it would have been my responsibility.”
“I couldn’t just leave that alone.”
“Why not?”
Why do you ask such an obvious question?
I feel like I need to clearly express my feelings to Shimizu-san here.
“Maybe more than you think, Shimizu-san, I care about you. If something were to happen to you and you got hurt, I would definitely regret it.”
“Ughh…”
Shimizu-san’s face turns redder than before.
“Wh-what are you talking about so suddenly!”
“I mean, you’re an important person for me…”
“What do you mean by that?!”
For some reason, Shimizu-san seemed excited.
“When Senpai asked me, I’ve been thinking about it again. What exactly is our relationship? We’re classmates, but it’s more than that. But maybe Shimizu-san doesn’t think of us as friends. So when I thought about how I feel about Shimizu-san, the phrase ‘important person’ just felt right.”
I finished my answer, but Shimizu-san did not reply.
“Um… Shimizu-san?”
“How about as a member of the opposite sex…”
Shimizu-san’s voice is barely audible, and she seems a little disappointed.
“Sorry. Can you say that again?”
“Don’t worry, I was talking to myself.”
“Uh, okay. I understand.”
To be honest, I’m quite curious about this, but it’s kind of hard to ask Shimizu-san, whose tension is visibly lowered.
“I see, I understand now why you came here. If things were going to turn out like this, I shouldn’t have dyed my hair back to its original color.”
Shimizu-san laughed self-deprecatingly.
“Did you dye your hair blonde because you didn’t want to be confessed to?”
“Did I not mention that?”
“No, you didn’t. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.”
Shimizu-san thinks for a moment.
“I guess it’s okay if it’s you. You might find it surprising, but I used to be quite popular until junior high school.”
“You’re beautiful, Shimizu-san, and it’s fun to be with you, so it’s not surprising.”
I was not shocked because I had heard a little about her from Ai-san as well.
“…Don’t interrupt the story.”
Although Shimizu-san is giving me a piercing glare, I don’t feel as intimidated as usual.
This may have something to do with the fact that her face is tinged with vermilion. She looks a little embarrassed rather than angry.
“Well, anyway, I asked everyone about the reason for confessing every time, and they all said it was love at first sight or that they liked my appearance. That means they’re judging me solely based on my looks, right?”
Shimizu-san had an indescribable expression on his face.
“Shimizu-san… “
“That’s why I changed my hair color to blonde in high school because I didn’t want to be confessed to by people who judge solely based on my looks.”
“Shimizu-san, didn’t you always have golden hair? “
I can’t hide my surprise at her shocking revelation.
“No. I had black hair until junior high school.
I imagine Shimizu-san during our middle school days.
There’s a strange sense of familiarity when I picture her wearing the uniform of the middle school I attended.
“Oh? “
What’s wrong?”
Why do I feel like I’ve seen Shimizu-san wearing our middle school uniform somewhere before?
“Did Shimizu-san go to the same junior high school as me?”
“That’s sudden. I’ve already told you before.”
“Is that so?”
“I’m not sure if we talked about it before or not. Honestly, I don’t remember.”
“I don’t know if that’s why. I thought I had met Shimizu-san in junior high school. “
“Did you remember?”
Shimizu-san grabbed my shoulders and leaned closer to my face.
“Wait, you’re a little too close, Shimizu-san! Remembered what? “
When Shimizu-san hears my words, she releases her hand from my shoulder.
“No, if you don’t remember, it’s fine. We went to the same middle school, so we might have met somewhere in junior high school.”
Shimizu-san’s face when she said that looked somewhat lonely. I couldn’t find the right words to say, but I didn’t want Shimizu-san to have that expression.
I slapped my face with both hands.
“What are you doing?”
Shimizu-san looked at me curiously.
I strain my brain and try to recall my memories.
Even though the present Shimizu-san looks slightly different in appearance and atmosphere, if I had met Shimizu-san in the past, I shouldn’t have completely forgotten.
“Why are you staring at me with such serious eyes?”
“Ah, sorry.”
I seemed to have unconsciously been staring at Shimizu-san’s face.
“Anyway, even if you worry about me, If you’re not careful, you’ll be in danger too… “
“I think someone said that to me before… “
[If you’re not careful, you’ll be in danger too]
I hear a voice echoes in my head.
That’s right. I remember having a memory of someone worrying about me, just like Shimizu-san now.
When was that? I think it was still in middle school…
“Hondō?”
Right, it was when I was in the third year of middle school.
The memories from the past suddenly come back vividly.
“Hey, Hondō, can’t you hear me? “
I snap out of it. I was so absorbed in remembering that I didn’t respond to Shimizu-san’s voice.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought. Anyway, by the way, do you think we might have met in our third year of middle school, Shimizu-san?”
“You remember that time? “
“I actually just remembered it.”
When we first met in middle school, her way of speaking and atmosphere was different.
Even though we had been together for over a year, I honestly didn’t realize it.
It’s possible that it’s partly because her hair color was different until recently too.
“…It’s a little late to notice it.”
“But why didn’t you tell me that we had met in middle school? You remembered me, right, Shimizu-san?”
“Because that would have been embarrassing… “
“Embarrassing? “
I wonder what was embarrassing about it. Looking back, I don’t think Shimizu-san in middle school was that much different in her overall appearance or personality.
“That only I still remember that I was helped by Hondō, it’s like I’m one-sidedly concerned about you…”
“I don’t think that’s the case. Besides, even if I helped you, it wasn’t anything significant at that time…”
“That’s not true!”
Shimizu-san shouted loudly.
“That’s not true! Even back then and this time, you saved me. If you hadn’t come both times, it could have been a serious situation. I couldn’t say it back then… um… that…”
The next words couldn’t come out. I intended to wait until Shimizu-san finished speaking. And the moment I was waiting for came sooner than I thought.
” … Thank you.”
It wasn’t a loud voice, but I heard it clearly.
Those simple words of gratitude surprisingly shook my heart.
I don’t know what this feeling is. It’s frustrating because I can’t express it well. It is something that has never occurred to me before.
” … Say something.”
While I was trying to sort out my feelings, Shimizu-san looked at me anxiously. I had to say something quickly, even if it was awkward.
“I’m really glad.”
“What for?”
“For being able to help you, Shimizu-san. The things I’ve done so far have been purely self-satisfaction, so I haven’t really cared about how the other person felt. But if what I’ve done so far has been of even a little help, then I’m glad. Thank you, Shimizu-san.”
“Fufu, what are you thanking me for?”
Shimizu-san gives me a soft smile. It might be the first time I’ve seen Shimizu-san smile like that.
“Could it be that Shimizu-san is actually cute?”
“W-what’s the matter with you all of a sudden? And why the question mark?!”
I blurted out words that I myself didn’t understand why they came out. What is wrong with me?
The smile from a moment ago has disappeared. Shimizu-san’s face is now turning bright red, whether from anger or embarrassment.
“Calm down, Shimizu-san.”
“You think I can calm down? You suddenly say I’m cute, are you making fun of me?”
“I’m not making fun of you. I just let slip what I had thought for a moment… Well, anyway, I wouldn’t say something like ‘cute’ as a joke at a time like this.”
” …Muu, did you mean it when you said I’m cute?”
“Yes. I genuinely thought Shimizu-san was cute, so I said it.”
“Uuu…”
Having come this far, there’s no turning back. I can only hope that Shimizu-san believes that I said it genuinely.
Shimizu-san’s face is still dyed vermilion as he stares at me.
Shimizu-san’s face, staring at me intently, remains stained vermillion.
” … If you insist, I got it.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“All right, this is the end of this conversation.”
“Okay.”
I don’t know how things ended up like this, but our argument has come to a safe conclusion.
“Well, shall we go back to the classroom soon?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
I wonder how much time has passed since we came to the back of the gymnasium. We’ve been here for quite a while, so Toshiya might be a little worried about me.
Just as I was about to leave, I remembered that there was still a question I hadn’t asked.
“By the way, can I ask you something that has been bothering me? “
“What is it?”
“Why did you dye your hair black again, even though you had it dyed blonde?”
I asked that question once before when she dyed your hair black, but I remember not receiving an answer at that time. But now, perhaps Shimizu-san will tell me the reason.
“That’s… “
“That’s?”
She hesitates. So there is a meaning behind returning the hair to black.
“…I’ll tell you when the time comes.”
“When will that ‘time’ be when you’ll tell me?”
“…That time is when that time comes!”
With those words, Shimizu-san suddenly started running away.
“Wait a minute, Shimizu-san! “
I started running after Shimizu-san, and we ended up running all the way back to the classroom.
*****
TN: To be continued in Volume 2.
