Vol. 1 Chapter 11 – Epilogue

After Hominato Academy’s new students’ welcome sports tournament ended, the next event awaiting us was the midterm exams at the end of May.

Since our school claims to be a college-prep school, the level of its classes is reasonably high. Naturally, the studying required for tests is also pretty harsh.

So the serious students were probably already steadily moving forward with their exam preparations, and in fact, I’m sure students like that made up the majority. As expected from a school with so many high-consciousness, sparkling boys and girls enrolled.

However, even among them, there were naturally also unserious students who were doing absolutely nothing that could be called studying for exams.

For example, yes, the male student currently sitting on a bench on the roof of the main school building during this lunch break, spacing out as he looked up at the sky. He would be a good example.

…Actually, I’m getting pretty tired of this monologue too. After all, it’s all me anyway.

“Phew…”

Tuesday afternoon.

I didn’t have a library committee shift and I wasn’t in the mood to eat in the noisy cafeteria either, so with bread and milk I had bought from the school shop in hand, I came up to the roof of the main school building.

Maybe because the sunlight was strong today as well, continuing from yesterday, there was no one else on the roof besides me.

The damp, early-summer air that seemed to cling to my skin slowly made sweat seep across my forehead.

“…Be prepared, huh.”

After finishing off my bread and milk, I lay down on the bench and thought back to yesterday’s amusement park date.

Maybe Mizushima really was right. In many ways, yesterday’s date had become a memory I probably wouldn’t be able to forget so easily.

And it wasn’t only yesterday. I’m sure I would no longer forget these two weeks I had spent with her either.

During this short period of time, I had come to know many different sides of Mizushima.

Mizushima, the cool beauty, handsome pretty girl, charismatic high school girl model.

Mizushima, the aloof vixen who always spoke and acted as if she were playing people in the palm of her hand.

On the other hand, Mizushima, the girl her age who showed a side like a『maiden in love』that you would never imagine from her usual self.

And Mizushima, who sometimes risked herself to try to save someone, almost like a hero.

At first, she should have been nothing more than『the worst girl who stole my girlfriend』but before I knew it, that was no longer all she was.

“Because I love you, Souta.”

For these two weeks, she had said those words so persistently it was almost annoying, but I felt like I could no longer dismiss them as『ridiculous』or『stupid』.

Because even after knowing she might die, she still tried to save me.

If even that action had been nothing more than groundwork to mock me while I was heartbroken after being dumped by Ena-chan, if it had all been an act so that once I seriously opened my heart to Mizushima, she could pull out a『Prank Successful』sign and laugh at me from the bottom of her stomach, then I seriously think she’d be better off becoming an actress or a con artist.

But that probably wasn’t it. Mizushima back then had been completely serious.

She had seriously tried to protect me.

And if the reason for that was… because she really, truly loved me?

I still had absolutely no idea why she would come to like me that much.

But just as Mizushima once said, if she had been serious from the very beginning…

Then from here on out, what kind of face was I supposed to make when facing this『match』with her?

“…I don’t get ittttt!”

Looking up at the sky while lying on my back, I couldn’t help shouting that.

What Mizushima truly, honestly thought of me.

What kind of ending awaited us beyond this『match』of ours.

The answer that I had clearly understood until just recently… no, the answer I had thought I understood, had now become completely unclear.

But there were still things I knew for certain.

That I still loved Ena-chan. That I couldn’t forget Ena-chan.

In that case, what I had to do hadn’t changed.

Just as originally planned, I would take Mizushima’s 『match』head-on, and then reject her second confession. That was all, and that was enough.

Because as long as Mizushima was dating Ena-chan, then no matter how generously anyone looked at it, Mizushima and I dating would be complete “cheating』. As long as all three of us were going to the same school like this, there was no way we could hide it forever, and if we got caught, there was no telling how much it would hurt Ena-chan.

That alone was absolutely no good. I didn’t intend to act like her boyfriend at this point, but I didn’t want to do anything that would make Ena-chan sad.

And more than anything, I didn’t like Mizushima or anything like that.

“Mizushima, of all people…”

Just as I muttered that without really thinking…

For some reason, what came to the back of my mind was Mizushima’s smile, shining like a jewel, which I had seen in that gondola at sunset.

‘…Stop it. Stop, stop! Don’t think about it anymore.’

If I kept remembering that smile any longer, I felt like it would burn itself into my mind for the rest of my life and never leave, so reflexively, I covered my field of vision with my right arm as if blindfolding myself.

“The one I love is… Ena-chan…”

Maybe because my stomach was full and I had tired myself out by thinking too much, I suddenly started getting drowsy.

Crap, if I fall asleep now, I’ll definitely be late for fifth period… but I really wanna just nap like this…

Lying on the bench, I was just about to slip halfway into a dream.

Click.

But then, the sound of someone opening the door to the rooftop reached my ears.

‘What… is my private time over?’

Even so, getting up was too much of a hassle, so I tried to ignore it and return to my dozing.

“…Souta-kun?”

‘Nnngh!?’

At that sudden voice, my heart jumped so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.

Th-This voice, could it be… Ena-chan!?

At the arrival of a visitor who was far too unexpected, I was shaken and completely missed the timing to get up.

Wh-Why is Ena-chan in a place like this? No, it’s not like Ena-chan isn’t free to appear wherever she wants inside the school. Even so, what business could she possibly have on the rooftop?

“…Souta-kun? A-Are you… sleeping?”

Without understanding what was going on, I ended up pretending to be asleep for the time being, and Ena-chan continued calling out to me while, for some reason, walking straight over with quick, firm steps.

‘Hieee!? Wh-What!? Why are you coming closer, Ena-chan!?’

So that she wouldn’t sense my inner confusion, I carried out my fake sleep with every fiber of my being.

O-Or rather, Ena-chan, just now, she called me 『Souta-kun』…?

“…Y-You’re asleep, right? It’s okay, right?”

I was extremely worried about whether my acting would work, but apparently Ena-chan judged that it had.

After murmuring several times as if confirming that I had indeed fallen asleep, Ena-chan fell completely silent for a while.

Since my right arm was covering my vision, I couldn’t see Ena-chan, but I could sense that she was apparently standing right beside the bench where I was lying.

Wh-What is this? Why is Ena-chan silently staring at me while I’m sleeping?

Does she have some business with me, but since she feels bad waking me up, she’s waiting for me to wake up naturally or something?

If that’s the case, I can’t exactly keep pretending to sleep like this. It might be some urgent errand a teacher asked her to handle.

‘This is a little awkward, but I guess I have no choice..’

Just as I thought that and started planning how to act out waking up naturally…

Chu.

‘…………………………..Huh?’

Something was gently pressed against my mouth as I let out fake sleeping breaths.

It was as brief as a blink, as modest as poking a baby’s cheek with a pinky, yet it carried a definite warmth, softness, and the faintest dampness. This sensation was… c-could it be…!?

While I continued pretending to be asleep with desperate resolve, my heart pounding so violently it almost hurt…

Ena-chan, who had just pressed『something』against my lips, whispered in a gentle yet somehow determined voice.

“Souta-kun. I-I believe in you.”

Leaving behind only those words, I heard the sound of Ena-chan quickly returning into the school building.

Eventually, when I heard the rough iron rooftop door close with a gachan…

I had finally reached the limit of my endurance.

As if I had been struck directly by lightning, I shot upright and sprang up from the bench. The next instant, I practically slammed myself against the rooftop fence with enough force to break through it, my face bright red like a boiled octopus.

Toward the clear mid-May sky, when the footsteps of the rainy season were just beginning to approach…

“────What the heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell was thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!?”

I couldn’t help but scream.

Afterword

Nice to meet you, I’m Fukuda Shuuto. Thank you so very much for picking up For Some Reason, the Handsome Pretty Girl Who Stole My Girlfriend Is Coming After Me Too. No, words cannot express my gratitude. Actually, they can. Thank you very much.

Now then, this work was fortunate enough to receive the Special Prize in the Romantic Comedy category of the 8th Kakuyomu Contest, and thanks to that, it has happily been able to make its way into the world as a published book.

To the selection committee members and everyone in the editorial department who were involved in the judging process, and above all, to all the readers who supported this work, thank you so very much.

That said, if I kept lining up words of gratitude like this, even cutting down every tree in the world wouldn’t provide enough paper, so for now, let me talk a little about the secret story behind how this work was born.

This work is a story about boys and girls that begins from a slightly strange situation: a boy whose girlfriend was stolen and the girl who was the very person responsible for stealing that girlfriend. It is also the first work I ever wrote specifically『for web novels』.

“Boyish girls… are great, aren’t they?”

To be honest, this work is like a runaway locomotive that started moving after I threw nothing but that personal hobby fuel of mine into its boiler. At first, I was also anxious about whether a story like this, which was just me writing out my own fantasies, would really be accepted.

But lo and behold. Once the lid was opened, the result far exceeded my expectations, and thanks to many reader-passengers jumping aboard while saying,『I don’t care, do it』and『Don’t you dare stop』I was able to reach one major destination:『publication as a book』. So everyone likes it too after all! Joy.

Now that things have come this far, there’s nothing to fear anymore. I believe I wrote something where I can proudly say that the heroine’s cuteness and the story’s entertainment value are『the best』so if reading this work has left even the slightest impression in your hearts, nothing would make me happier.

I intend to keep giving it my all so that the heroine who is ideal to me can also become the ideal heroine for all of you. I hope you will continue to support Handsome Pretty Girl from here on as well.

Now then, from here, once again, my acknowledgments.

First, to Kakuyomu-sama, thank you once again for providing the place that gave this work the chance to enter the world. I will continue to be in your care from here on as well.

To my editor, S-sama, I sincerely thank you for finding this work among so many others, and for carefully and kindly supporting me through the path to publication, when I didn’t know left from right. Your many pieces of advice and suggestions have always been a tremendous help.

To Sanada Keisui-sama, who handled the illustrations, thank you for turning the characters who had existed only inside my head into illustrations even more wonderful than I had imagined. Every time the character designs or rough illustrations were sent to me, I got excited like a child.

I am also grateful to everyone else who was involved in the publication of this book. Thank you very much.

I do not know what kind of place this locomotive will ultimately reach, but I hope it can keep running for as long and as far as possible.

Excelsior!

November 2023 Fukuda Shuuto

Bonus Chapter:

First Love Story

“It seems my daughter has caused you quite a lot of trouble… Thank you so very much!”

“No, please, it was nothing… We didn’t do anything that big.”

The woman bowed so deeply that I was the one who felt embarrassed, and I hurriedly waved my hands.

“Come on, Maina too! Say『thank you』properly to the older boy and girls.”

Beside her was a girl with twin tails, about third or fourth grade in elementary school.

The girl called Maina followed after her mother and awkwardly spoke her words of gratitude.

“Um… Onii-chan, Onee-chan, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you managed to meet your mother safely.”

“Don’t get lost again, okay?”

It had all started when we were walking around town after school as usual.

This girl, Maina-chan, had gotten separated from her mother at Yamashita Park by the sea. After running into her, we protected her and brought her to the park management office.

“Honestly, this child… the moment I take my eyes off her for even a little bit, she wanders off somewhere… I’m sure it must have been difficult even on the way here, wasn’t it?”

Indeed, bringing Maina-chan to the office had been pretty difficult.

Maybe because she was so curious, before we knew it, she kept starting to take detours here and there, and on top of that, the balloon she was holding got caught in trees five times. Of course her mother would be worried.

“Thank you so very much… Now, Maina, let’s go home. Say bye-bye to the older boy and girls.”

But when her mother said that and tried to take her hand…

“Huh?”

Maina-chan smoothly dodged it, then trotted over to me and suddenly grabbed the hem of my clothes tightly.

“…Maina still wants to stay with Onii-chan.”

“Huh?”

“Oh my. Looks like she’s completely attached to you, Souta.”

Beside her confused mother, Mizushima said that in a teasing tone.

“Well, you did all sorts of things for Maina-chan on the way here. Climbing a tree to get her balloon for her, catching her right away when she almost fell. Right, Maina-chan? Onii-chan was like a hero, wasn’t he~?”

At Mizushima’s words, Maina-chan, still holding onto my clothes, nodded over and over.

Somehow my back started feeling itchy from embarrassment and I scratched my head to cover it up.

Damn you, Mizushima. Saying unnecessary things like that…

“I see…But you can’t, Maina-chan. Onii-chan and the others have things to do too. Come on, say bye-bye and let’s go home. Okay?”

“No. I’m not going home. Maina already decided.”

“Decided…? Decided what?”

“Um, Maina is going to become Onii-chan’s 『girlfriend』.”

At that overly bold declaration, her mother and I both widened our eyes without thinking.

Mizushima, on the other hand, kept her calm smile on her face, but one of her eyebrows twitched.

“I-I’m so sorry! My daughter is saying something strange… She’s just a child, so please don’t pay it any mind.”

“I’m not wrong! Maina is serious!”

This time, instead of the hem of my clothes, Maina-chan hugged my arm.

The instant I felt a chill and turned around, I saw Mizushima smiling brightly at me.

However, there was already no light in her eyes and she wasn’t smiling at all. It was seriously scary.

“…That’s what she says. So, what are you going to do, Souta?”

Her tone was almost like an interrogation. It was as if she were saying that depending on my answer, she wouldn’t let me off easily.

After thinking it over, I sighed and bent down.

I brought my eyes level with Maina-chan’s and cleared my throat with a kohon.

“Umm… Maina-chan, I’m happy about how you feel. Thank you.”

“Really? Then will you make Maina your girlfriend?”

“W-Well, let’s see… Yeah. Then let’s do this. If, ten years from now, your feelings still haven’t changed, then at that time, tell me those same words one more time.”

“…Really? After ten years pass, you’ll make me your girlfriend?”

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

“…Okay. It’s a promise, okay, Onii-chan?”

Apparently, that was enough to somehow satisfy her. Though reluctantly, Maina-chan let go of my arm, then went home together with her mother while looking back at me again and again.

“Phew, I guess that finally settles things… Wait, what’s with those eyes that look like you want to say something?”

As I rotated my shoulders and muttered that, Mizushima glared at me with a flat, reproachful stare.

“Nothing? I was just thinking that I never expected you to be this sinful, Souta. Honestly… I don’t think it’s very good to do things that might mess up a little kid’s life.”

“You’re exaggerating. That was just a kid trying to act grown-up.”

“You don’t know that. What are you going to do if, ten years from now, that girl really comes to you?”

“There’s no way that’ll happen. I’m sure after a week, she won’t even remember my face.”

Or so I said with an extremely casual feeling, but…

“She won’t forget. Absolutely not.”

“Huh? Why can you say that so confidently?”

“Because.”

For some reason, Mizushima’s eyes when she said that had this pressure that allowed no argument, or rather, it felt like they were strangely filled with real conviction.

Wh-What the hell? What is that supposed to mean…?