• Side: Toru Takahashi 

“Shizuka Tsukihara was my ex-girlfriend.”

I faced the nurse’s surprised and confused face, slightly blushing in spite of myself. She asked.

“Eh?

“Yes…”

“Really?”

“Why would I joke about that?”

The nurse replaced her surprise look with one akin to a curious one. Her eyes were sparkling and wide opened, eager to learn about the story.

“How did the two of you meet?”

“...we were both introverts, so….”

“Ah, that type.”

“...”

She kept on asking unnecessary questions. Such as…

“Have you kissed?”

“Well, yeah…”

“How many times.”

“...about five times?”

“What?!? So little, are you two really a couple?”

“No, we were.”

“Ah yes, why did you break up with someone like Tsukihara-san?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I understand.”

With that, she sent me off with a wink and a smile.

“Remember to go pick her up today! You don’t want other students seeing her with amnesia, right?”

“...yes.”

I ran upstairs back to my classroom just in time for the start of a new session of classes. The teacher explained that Tsukihara had a fever and was currently in the infirmary, and had forbidden anyone from entering her room. 

The power of the principal’s daughter is invincible…

“Hey, you took Tsukihara-san to the infirmary, right? You were like whoosh and bam when you dodge those attacks and glares aimed at you!!!!”

“What’s up with that?”

“You’re my idol now!!”

“I don’t want a fan like you.”

“Tch. Lucky you, getting to spend time with her highness, yeah?”

I remembered the scene in the infirmary, about her calling my old nickname and showing me that nostalgic cute side of her.

“So something really did happen.”

Eiji studies me up close and whispers, probably trying to pry secrets out of me. 

“Nothing happened.”

“Really?”

“Yes, sheesh. You’re as persistent as that school nurse.”

I tidied my school bag and strolled over to the infirmary. Blocking my way was a man with pretty looks and girls surrounding him. It was, without a doubt, Rei Katamura.

In short, one of Shizuka’s deadbrained fans.

“Hey punk, come here.”

He grabbed me by the shirt collar, the girls scampered away, afraid of trouble.

“Stay away from Shizuka-chan.”

“...Why?”

“She’s mine!”

“I’m not ignoring her, but you can take her if you want.”

I didn’t care who Shizuka would want to date, but I also didn’t want him to date Shizuka, considering his attitude. As her ex-boyfriend, I would rather her choose a good husband than a flirtatious one.

Rei was enraged by my words and attitude, he raised a fist and aimed it at my face, I closed my eyes for the impact.

Actually, this wasn’t the first time I had received a threat like this, as Shizuka got popular over time, and the popular guys would beat me up.

I let them go all out on me, and when Shizuka asked about my wounds, I would make some sort of excuse.

This is going to hurt…

“Stop! Drop my Nakamura-kun this instant!”

I heard a feminine voice down the corridor, running towards us was a slender figure, it was Shizuka Tsukihara, the hero of all times.

“Shizuka-chan? Don’t misunderstand! I was just teaching this guy a lesson.”

“A lesson? Looks to me that you were going to beat him up!”

“That...was just a threat, I wouldn’t actually beat him up. Don’t be mad, okay? Shizuka-Chan?”

Rei gave her his dazzling smile, but Shizuka was not the least bit fazed by this. Instead, she got even more protective.

“Don’t call me Shizuka-Chan! Do we even know each other?”

“Eh?”

I quickly put my left arm over Shizuka’s shoulder and drove her out of the corridor, scared that Rei would find out about her amnesia.

“Hey, Naka-baka. Is that why you always got wounds covered all over your body?”

“...No, it was really an accident that happened before.”

“You can’t lie to me, you know.”

“Sorry, I’m really fine now.”

“...if you say so.”

We walked together towards the same direction, Shizuka didn’t notice that they had walked out of a high school since I tried my best to divert her attention.

“I want to go to your house, Naka-baka.”

“Eh?”

I flinched. Remembering how messy my house was, and how she had almost tripped over my clothes that were scattered on the floor.

“No…let’s go to...a restaurant to eat some snacks first, right?”

“Hmm? Okay!”

We stopped by a hamburger place and ordered two dishes of hamburger for both of us, though Shizuka insisted on eating one together.

The waitress asked Shizuka for her autograph. Shizuka was at first surprised by this, as her memory only allowed her to remember the first month of entering the company she was now working for.

But she smiled nevertheless, and gave her an autograph on a piece of paper. The waitress walked back to her post, muttering about ‘family heirloom’.

“Naka-baka, why do you look so sullen?”

I hadn’t realised my face was cringing, this scene of people wanting her autographs when we were on dates stimulated my memories, and I frowned.

“You’re acting weird today, did something happen?”

“No, nothing.”

I replied to her, and unfortunately, heard some whispers on the table next to us.

“Hey, that’s Shizuka Tsukihara, right?”

“No way, someone like her wouldn’t spend time with a gloomy kid like that.”

“Maybe he’s her brother?”

“Or a terrorist threatening her? He looks like one.”

Shizuka didn’t seem to have heard their conversation, and ripped prices off the bread, stuffing them into my mouth. I was more than happy to accept it, and merely enjoyed this moment of warmth.

Suddenly, Shizuka stopped in her tracks, and a surprised look replaced her content face. She immediately retracted her hand, and put the price of bread crumbs into her mouth instead.

She then gagged and choked, hitting her chest at the same time as she took a sip of water.

“W-What happened?”

“Um...I have to find a place for you since you wanted to go to my house.”

“Why would I do that?”

Apparently, she had just regained her consciousness just a minute ago, unlike me, who was able to watch the whole progression of me fawning over her.

Instead of doting on me with a content face, hers was now replaced with a wary glare. The difference was like day and night, I almost suspect that she has multi personalities.

“You got short term amnesia.”

“...Oh.”

Shizuka had amnesia, and wasn’t surprised by what happened earlier now. She would’ve immediately connected the dots and got to the point that she had acted like she was my girlfriend back then.

“I’m sorry you caught my cold.”

“Ah, it’s nothing alright.”

“Don’t worry, this is my treat.”

Then, we finished the hamburgers in silence, eventually going back home together.

.

Merely an embarrassing and dramatic incident. 

Rei Katamura is what you called a mob character, obviously Shizuka won’t go out with him.