A week passed, and as spring arrived, the Sakura trees were blooming. I was now in my second year of junior high.
I was walking to school as usual, entered the school grounds, and immediately went to the information board.
Many students had gathered there to find out which class they were in.
When I arrived there, I looked for my name.
Minato Akemi!? Where's my name?
"There it is…" I found my name listed in Class 2A.
Suddenly someone touched my back and said, "Akemi-chan." I turned to them and found my classmates from last year. They asked me which class I was in. I told them that I was in class 2A.
They said with disappointment, "I see, so you're not in the same class as us anymore," as they were in Class 2B.
"But we'll still be friends, right, like before?"
"Yes, of course we're still friends."
Then one of them said, "Wait, did you say Class 2A?"
"Yes."
Their tone confused me. "That means you're in the same class as Hikaru-kun. Oh, I'm so envious of you."
I was surprised to hear that. "Wait, what? You're kidding, right?" I said, still not believing it.
"No, it's real. Look at the list for Class 2A, Number 17. It shows Hikaru-kun's name."
I turned back to the board and saw Hikaru-kun's name on the list.
"Yes, you're right, he's in the same class as me."
Well, what did it matter if he was in the same class as me? He already has that girl. It was pointless to me.
After finishing our conversation, I headed to my classroom, Class 2A.
I entered my classroom, found my seat, and sat down. I scanned the classroom and thought, Most of them are new faces to me—they weren't in my class last year.
Then someone called out to me, "Minato-san." I turned and saw it was my class rep from last year.
She approached me and said, "Great, I thought I was the only one from our class in here. Thank god you're here too. I was worried I wouldn't know anyone."
"Ah, it's you, class rep. You're here too?"
"Please don't call me that. I'm not class rep anymore."
"Sorry, I got used to calling you that last year, haha."
"So, we're in the same class this year too."
"Yes, it looks like it. So, for this year, let's get along like before, okay?"
"Yes, let's get along, Minami-san."
"No need for honorifics, just call me Minami. I'll call you Akemi-chan, okay?"
"Yes, Minami-chan."
Then some of my new classmates approached us. "By the way, are you Minato-san, the one who got 1st place overall last year?"
"Yes, she is," Minami explained to them.
"You're quite famous, I heard."
A crowd gathered around me.
This was completely different from last year when no one gathered around me like this. I talked to them and enjoyed the conversation.
Suddenly someone sat in the seat beside me and put down his bag.
The person asked, "Wow, why is everyone gathered around here? Is something interesting going on?"
"Oh, look, he's here..."
"Another famous one."
When he spoke, I recognized his voice. "Wait, this voice, is it...?" When I looked at him, I was surprised it was Hikaru-kun.
"Wait, Hikaru-kun!?" I said loudly, standing up to look at him.
I was surprised Hikaru-kun was sitting beside me.
"Wait, you, where did we meet...?" Hikaru-kun said, pausing to think.
"Ah, it's you. We used to meet at the school garden last year, right?"
I nodded and said, "Yes, that's right, it was me."
Ah, Hikaru-kun still remembers it. I felt relieved.
"Oh, we're in the same class this year, huh!? You…"
He chuckled. "Ummm…sorry, what's your name!?"
Oh right, I never told him my name last year.
I told him my name. "It's Akemi, Minato Akemi."
Hikaru-kun smiled at me. "I hope we get along, Akemi."
"Yes, I hope so too, Hikaru-kun."
Then one of the classmates who had gathered earlier looked confused and said, "Huh, do you guys know each other?"
"Yeah, we met once last year."
"I see, that must be fate for you guys, huh?"
"Please don't say that, you guys, it's nothing special between us. Also, Hikaru-kun already has his girlfriend."
"Yes, that's right, and that would be me," someone said, putting her bag on her desk in the seat beside Hikaru.
"He is mine, so you guys don't try making a move on him, okay?"
I turned toward the voice and was surprised to see the face I disliked: Hikaru-kun's girlfriend from last year, Misaka.
Wait, why is she here too? Is she also in my class?
As I looked at her face, my fist clenched tightly and I felt irritated. "Misaka…!!!"
"Hikaru-kun!!" she called out, approaching before clinging onto Hikaru-kun's arm.
"Oh, you, Misaka, you here too, huh!?"
"Yes, of course we're in the same class. This is our fate together as a couple."
"Here she is acting lovey-dovey with Hikaru-kun again," I heard some classmates who had shared a class with them last year whisper.
"Is she like that since last year?"
"Yes, as you can see now."
I see, she really acts like that, but never mind. They're already a couple. It's not my business anymore.
Then another person entered the classroom. "It's them, huh?"
"I heard they've been always together since last year."
I looked at the people they were talking about—it was the blonde-haired girl, and the foreign-looking guy who had gotten into a fight alongside Hikaru-kun with the senior last time.
They're in the same class as me too?
I overheard some of my male classmates talking among themselves.
"Wow, look at her. What a cute girl."
"Yeah, especially with that blonde hair."
"Hey, do you think she'd give me her number if I asked?" "No way. You won't get it."
"What do you mean?" "Didn't you see the guy standing next to her like he's her bodyguard?"
"Oh, that foreign-looking guy?" "He's her childhood friend. I'm pretty sure he's also her boyfriend now."
Their assigned seats placed them beside each other. As they took their seats, Hikaru-kun approached them and called out. "Zul!! Sakamoto-san!!"
Of course, Hikaru-kun went to them. He had been friends with them since then, right?
Misaka leaned in. "Wait, Hikaru-kun, don't leave me here alone, geez..."
Then I said bluntly to Misaka, "Well, Hikaru needs his time with other people... you see."
Then Misaka turned to me and said, "You... didn't we used to meet before?"
Huh? Did she forget we used to meet twice last year? This girl...
I lied to her with a fake smile. "No, it was the first time we met, actually... haha," I said, trying to act friendly.
"Haven't you heard about her, Misaka? She was Minato-san, the one who got first place overall in the final exam in our entire year last year," some of my classmates said.
"No, I haven't heard about that... Also, it's just an exam—not important to me after all."
Huh, what was this girl's problem? 'Not important,' she said? Then why did she even go to school?
Enough, I didn't have the energy to be upset with someone like her. I gave up and sighed.
After that, the teacher entered the classroom for homeroom, and we had an introduction as usual for the first day.
Then the teacher asked us to appoint a class rep for this year. My classmate said, "Sensei, I'd like to suggest nominating Minato-san to become our class rep."
Wait, why are they suggesting me?
Then another said, "Why not? She had better grades last year."
"Yes, she's quite popular too."
Stop it, you guys, it's so embarrassing.
"So, you guys agree that Minato-san should become class rep?"
"Agree!" All of them agreed, as there was no other suggestion after that.
"Are you okay with that, Minato-san?"
I paused for a while, looked at the people around me, then at Hikaru-kun beside me, who smiled and nodded at me. Looking at him gave me the determination to accept.
"Understood. I accept."
"Then, it's decided—Minato-san is the class rep," the teacher said. My classmates gave me applause for that.
Just like that I became class rep. Well, as they nominated me, I'll just do my best.
The teacher then said, "How about vice class rep, are there any suggestions?"
Hikaru-kun suddenly stood up. "Sensei, I nominate myself for vice class rep."
"Wait, Hikaru-kun?" Misaka beside him was surprised by his nomination of himself. I was also surprised by his decision.
"Wow, Hikaru-kun wants to become vice class rep?" "He's quite famous too, right? It fits with him."
"So, Takamiya-kun, huh? Are there any other suggestions?"
"No, Sensei, we're all okay with him becoming vice class rep."
"No other suggestions. Then, Takamiya-kun, you're the vice class rep from now."
The classmates applauded him too.
"So, Minato-san and Takamiya-kun, both of you are class rep and vice class rep from today. Please do your work properly."
"Yes," Hikaru-kun and I said in unison.
"Let's do our best, Akemi."
"Yes, I will too, Hikaru-kun."
I never expected this—me becoming class rep and Hikaru-kun becoming my vice.
After homeroom ended, Misaka turned to Hikaru-kun beside her and gave him a pouting face. "Hmm…Umm…"
Hikaru-kun turned to her and chuckled. "What's wrong, Misaka, making a pouting face like that?"
"Geez, if I had known you were going to become vice class rep, I should have nominated myself to become class rep earlier."
"Wait, is that what's bothering you?"
"Of course, it would be better if we did it together."
Too bad, Misaka, I already got that position instead of you.
"Oh, never mind, it's nothing special to me…"
The following weeks passed quickly as I settled into my new role as class representative.
At first, I tried to handle all the responsibilities by myself—organizing class activities, collecting homework, and coordinating with teachers.
One afternoon after class ended, I was organizing the handouts for tomorrow's lessons and sorting through some paperwork.
Hikaru-kun suddenly approached me. "Akemi, let me help you with those."
Wait, Hikaru-kun? Why is he here?
"It's okay, I can handle it myself."
He immediately took half of the papers from me. "Come on, I'm the vice class rep. This is part of my job too."
Hikaru-kun was always kind to everyone, I thought as we worked together.
"You know, Akemi, you're really dedicated to this class rep thing. You always make sure everything is organized perfectly."
I felt pleased that he had noticed my efforts. "Well, everyone trusted me with this position, so I want to do my best."
We continued working in comfortable silence, organizing the papers and preparing materials for the next day. I found myself glancing at him as we worked side by side.
"Hikaru-kun! There you are," Misaka's voice suddenly called from the classroom entrance.
"Oh, Misaka, why haven't you gone home yet?"
"I was waiting for you, obviously. I want you to accompany me somewhere."
"Sorry, but I can't right now. I need to finish this work with Akemi first."
"If you really want me to come with you, please wait until we finish this."
"Ugh, fine. Let me just join you guys then so we can finish faster," Misaka said, grabbing some papers off the desk.
"It's okay if I join you guys, right?"
I turned to her. "Ye…yeah…go ahead."
As we worked sorting the papers, Misaka suddenly turned to me. "Hey, class rep, your name is Akemi, right? I heard you're quite smart and famous. You seem interesting to me—how about being friends with me?"
I felt confused. Huh? Wait, what's wrong with this girl? She wants to be friends with me all of a sudden?
"Okay, it's fine with me. Let's become friends. I hope we can get along, Misaka."
"Is it okay with you, Akemi, being friends with her?"
"I hope you two get along."
What should I do? Should I trust her? Also, Hikaru-kun seemed to encourage me to be friends with her too. I was confused about what to do next.
Wait a moment—if I'm friends with her, maybe I can get close to Hikaru-kun too. Even though I don't have feelings for him anymore, we could get close as friends. I think this is my chance.
"Hey, do you want to be friends with me or not? If not, I'll leave you now."
Okay, it's fine with me. Let's become friends. I hope we can get along, Misaka,"
We both smiled together.
Well, I'll just act friendly with her from now on. Actually, I didn't intend to be friends with her; I just wanted to get closer to Hikaru-kun.
After we finished organizing the papers, Hikaru-kun turned to Misaka. "So, where did you want to go?"
"I want you to buy me some drawing equipment for my upcoming drawing competition."
That's right, Misaka was really great at drawing. I remembered from what I'd heard people talking about before.
I acted surprised. "Oh, you're good at drawing, Misaka? I didn't know that."
"Of course I'm great at drawing," Misaka said proudly.
"I keep winning competitions. I'm obviously better than all those other idiots who compete."
"That's amazing," I said, pretending to be impressed.
Hikaru leaned in. "Hey Akemi, do you want to come with us? We could all go to the art store together."
"Sure, I'd like that," I agreed, thinking this would be another chance to spend time with Hikaru-kun.
Misaka protested. "Geez, why did you invite her? I just wanted it to be the two of us."
"Why not? More people, more fun, right?"
"Well, if you said so, it can't be helped."
After submitting the paperwork to the teacher's office, the three of us headed to the art supply shop together.
While walking there, Misaka kept talking to Hikaru-kun the entire time, not giving me a chance to talk to him. I stayed silent, just watching their conversation, knowing I was just a friend to them.
From that moment, I started being friends with Misaka, even though I was actually using her to get close to Hikaru-kun, knowing I couldn't make a romantic move on him with Misaka always clinging to him.
In the following weeks, I genuinely enjoyed Misaka's company. We had lunch together with Hikaru-kun and our other classmates.
I admired her confidence, though I reminded myself I was only befriending her to get closer to Hikaru-kun.
Sometimes Hikaru-kun would eat lunch with his other friends instead of joining our group. On those days, it was just Misaka and me, along with a few other classmates. I noticed how the group dynamic changed when Hikaru-kun wasn't around. I actually enjoyed our conversations.
As the month passed, Misaka's popularity increased significantly after she started hanging out with me. Other students began approaching her more often.
Meanwhile, I was getting closer to Hikaru-kun than I had ever been before, all thanks to being friends with his girlfriend.
Sometimes we would go to karaoke together after school—me, Misaka, Hikaru-kun, and a few other classmates. I genuinely enjoyed the time we spent together as a group.
Watching Hikaru-kun sing with such enthusiasm and seeing Misaka actually laugh and have fun with everyone, it felt like we had become a real friend group.
What surprised me most was how much I had started enjoying this friendship with Misaka. I looked forward to our lunch talks and group outings, not just to be near Hikaru-kun, but because I genuinely enjoyed her company and I had forgotten my original manipulative motive entirely.
However, Misaka's problematic attitude towards other classmates remained unchanged. She would still make dismissive comments about people she considered beneath her.
During group activities, she would roll her eyes when certain students spoke up, or she would completely ignore their suggestions. She continued looking down on classmates she deemed unworthy.
As class representative and vice class representative, Hikaru-kun and I had to work together on various class duties. This gave us legitimate opportunities to spend time together without anyone questioning our interactions.
We would stay after school to organize materials, coordinate with teachers about upcoming events, and plan class activities.
Even though I kept saying I didn't have any romantic feelings for Hikaru-kun anymore, the feelings kept returning whenever I was alone with him.
Whenever I felt brave enough to subtly hint at my feelings during our work sessions, Misaka would inevitably appear and interrupt us.
She had perfect timing, showing up just when the atmosphere between Hikaru-kun and me became more personal.
She would suddenly enter the classroom, asking Hikaru-kun about their plans or complaining about something that had happened during her day.
Despite our growing friendship, Misaka's blunt way of speaking never changed. She would still say exactly what was on her mind, regardless of how it might sound to others.
Her directness could be refreshing, but she would interrupt private moments without realizing it.
During this period, I maintained my position as the top student in our year. My exam scores continued to be the highest in our grade, and I took pride in this academic achievement.
Meanwhile, Misaka made her own mark by winning several drawing competitions. Her artistic talents gained recognition beyond our school, and she would casually mention her victories during our conversations, always with that characteristic confidence of hers.
I thought our friendship was solid, but it wasn't what I had expected..."
Time passed, and then one day, something went wrong between Hikaru and Misaka after they went on a date during Christmas. When we returned to school after the New Year's break, things had changed.
On our first day back, I noticed Misaka and Hikaru-kun weren't looking at each other as usual. They weren't interacting at all.
I saw him ignoring her, his expression downcast and disappointed.
What's wrong with them? Why have they been silent since arriving this morning?
Even today, Hikaru-kun stayed close to his friend Zul instead of joining us.
During lunch break, I approached Misaka to break the awkwardness and asked what had happened between her and Hikaru-kun.
"Misaka, is everything okay between you and Hikaru-kun?"
She looked up from her lunch with an expression I had never seen before—cold and dismissive.
"Oh, that? We broke up." She said it casually, like nothing had happened.
I was shocked by her words. "Wait, are you serious? But why?"
She grinned while beginning to eat her sandwich. "He wasn't worth my time anymore. I was done with him."
"But you two seemed so happy together. What happened?"
Misaka put down her food and looked at me with a smirk that made me feel sick.
"Akemi, you're so naive. Did you really think I cared about that loser?"
"Loser? What are you talking about?"
"Hikaru-kun was just a source of pocket money for me. He would buy me things, take me places, pay for dates. But honestly, he was getting boring. I've already found another person who's better than him and more suitable for me."
I stared at her in disbelief. "Misaka, what are you saying? You dated him for money?"
She laughed coldly. "Of course. Why else would I date someone like him? And you know what was funny? You were just as easy to manipulate."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you really think I wanted to be your friend because I liked you? Didn't you think it was weird that I suddenly wanted to be friends with you?" she continued, her true nature finally showing.
"I only pretended to be friends with you because you were popular and smart. It made me look better being associated with you. You and Hikaru-kun were just tools for me to use."
I felt my hands clench into fists. "Tools? Misaka, I can't believe you're saying this. I thought we were real friends."
She scoffed. "Real friends? Please. I never liked you. You're just another boring honor student who thought she was better than everyone else because of her grades."
My heart was pounding with anger. "You're showing your true colors now, aren't you, Misaka?"
"You finally figured it out, huh?" she said, standing up from her seat.
"Well, since you're so smart, you can have Hikaru-kun. I don't need him anymore. He's all yours—if you can even get him to notice you."
I stood up suddenly. "You're going to regret this, Misaka. After everything we've been through, after I supported you and believed in you—this is how you really felt?"
"Regret? The only thing I regret is wasting so much time pretending to like both of you."
"Fine, since you don't want Hikaru-kun anymore, I'll take him. And I'll make sure he knows exactly what kind of person you really are."
Misaka shrugged. "Go ahead, see if I care. You two losers deserved each other."
As she walked away, I stood there, trembling with rage and hurt.
It felt like karma had hit me—because while I initially used her to get closer to Hikaru, it turned out she was using me all along to gain popularity.
I looked across the classroom at Hikaru-kun sitting alone at his desk. He had just returned from lunch with Zul and Sakamoto-san and looked sad and confused. My heart ached for him.
"Hikaru-kun..." I murmured, feeling worried about him.
Then Hikaru-kun turned to me. "Akemi, do you want to switch seats with me?" It was clear he didn't want to sit next to Misaka anymore.
"Don't worry, I'll tell Sensei about this later."
Then Misaka interrupted our conversation.
Misaka interrupted with a chuckle. "Hey, why do you want to change seats suddenly? Not feeling well after breaking up with me? What a loser."
"A perfect pair of losers."
"What did you say!? How dare you!" I shouted at her—I couldn't hold back my anger anymore. My shout caught our classmates' attention.
Hikaru-kun touched my shoulder and said, "It's okay, Akemi. It's not worth getting angry with a person like her."
"But, Hikaru-kun..."
"It's okay, I'm fine," he replied. His words calmed me down.
"Hey, what's your problem? Wasn't it enough that you looked down on others? You really are rotten, huh, Misaka?"
Hikaru-kun snapped. "I know you don't like me anymore, but don't drag Akemi and others into this too!"
"Huh, whatever, I don't care. You guys did a great job for me all this time."
"Tch, I can't believe I ever dated that girl back then."
After that, we switched seats as Hikaru-kun requested.
Since then, Hikaru-kun and I were no longer friends with Misaka after her betrayal. I also stopped talking to her, even though she still sits next to me.
A dark thought surfaced in my mind: Wait, since they're no longer together, it's my chance to make Hikaru-kun my boyfriend. I smirked.
I worked hard to get along with Hikaru-kun, mostly during our duties as class rep and vice class rep.
Sometimes Misaka tried to annoy us from her seat next to us, but it was no big deal. She was no longer an obstacle.
I should have thanked her for leaving Hikaru-kun, but I felt bad for him.
This time, I won't repeat the same mistake of losing him to someone like Misaka again. Never! My thoughts turned dark.
But how? Should I confess to him before it's too late? Well, that's another story…
To be continued...Amemonogatari XII