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The next morning, Mizuha was walking on the first floor after arriving at the school. As she made her way to her class, she felt something was wrong when she noticed students whispering and pointing at her.
"Look, it's her, right?" one student whispered.
"Yes, the one who cheated on our exam recently." “No wonder she got first place in our entire year.”
"Yeah, I also heard she's dating multiple guys."
"I heard that too. She's not only making a move on Hikaru, she's also two-timing him with Takeru."
"Someone saw them together yesterday, right?"
"Is it just me, or are they talking about me?" Mizuha wondered, feeling uncomfortable as people stared and whispered about her.
When Mizuha arrived at her classroom, she greeted her classmates, but no one replied except Elly and Shimizu. “Huh, why didn’t they reply to my greeting earlier?” thought Mizuha,
Both Elly and Shimizu approached her with concerned, worried expressions after that.
“What’s wrong with you two? Why are you looking down this morning?” said Mizuha to both them.
"Mizuha-chan, this is bad. The rumors about you are spreading around the first years, and they've gotten worse," Elly said.
"Yeah, they keep talking badly about you. I couldn't prevent it like yesterday. Today's rumors are even worse than before," Shimizu added.
"Worse than yesterday? What happened?" Mizuha asked.
"Actually..." As Elly started to explain, the same girl from yesterday, Kurumi, approached and interrupted their conversation with her gang.
"Oh, look who's finally here—our main cast, Yuki," she said with a sneer.
"Hey you, What do you want?" Shimizu asked, upset.
"Shimizu, stop. Let me handle this," Mizuha said, holding her friend back.
"Why are you here? Do you have any business with me?" Mizuha asked, her face serious but her tone calm.
"Nothing really. I just want to confirm—are you two-timing Hikaru and going out with Takeru from Class 1B?" the girl asked with a grin.
"What are you talking about? Don't speak nonsense," Mizuha said.
"You still deny it? Then look at this photo. You were together, right?" The girl held up her smartphone, showing a photo of Mizuha and Takeru from yesterday.
"I can't believe you're cheating on Hikaru with Takeru. You're such a player, Yuki," she and her friends mocked.
"So you assume I'm dating him just because you saw us together? That's ridiculous," Mizuha said. “How did you get this photo? Were you stalking us yesterday?”
"I wasn't the one stalking you. I got it from my trusted sources—they're the ones who told me about this," the girl replied.
"So you're going to trust what they said even if it's not accurate or false?" Mizuha asked.
"Yes, I am. You can deny it all you want, but do you think anyone's going to trust you now with all these rumors? That's impossible!" The girl laughed. "Why don't you break up with Hikaru and go out with Takeru instead? That would be better."
"That way I can go out with Hikaru myself," Kurumi added.
"Wait, Kurumi, you like Hikaru?" Mizuha asked.
"Yeah, I've liked him since the beginning, but since you came here, I haven't had a chance to get close to him," Kurumi said.
"Compared to her, you really don't fit Hikaru at all," her friend agreed.
"And it's not just me who likes Hikaru. Some girls from other classes like him too," the girl added. "So be prepared to get more hate from them too," Kurumi chuckled.
"Come on, guys, let's get away from this loser," said Kurumi to her friends.
As they left, Shimizu turned to Mizuha and said, "Tch, these girls are still causing trouble for you from yesterday."
"Mizuha, do you want me to teach these girls a lesson?" Shimizu asked, ready to confront them.
"No, it's not necessary, Shimizu. Just let them say what they want, okay?" Mizuha replied.
"But Mizuha-chan, if you don't resolve this, things might get worse," Elly said with concern.
"I know, but there's nothing we can do right now. To clean up this mess, we need to find out who actually spread this rumor," said Mizuha.
"Did she mention someone was following me yesterday?" Mizuha thought to herself.That means she's not the one who started the rumor. This must be the work of another party.
"If someone really followed me yesterday, I'm sure Takeru would also be caught in this mess too," she added as another thought.
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Meanwhile, in Class 1B, as Takeru arrived and set his bag on his desk, he was quickly approached by a group of curious classmates.
"Takeru-kun, good morning," they greeted Takeru.
"Oh, good morning, you guys," he replied.
“Hey, Takeru-kun, is it true? You’re going out with Yuki from Class 1F?” one of them asked with a smirk.5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhteZoHHYYQ
“Out of all the girls, you chose that honor student? Not bad, Takeru-kun!” added another, nudging him playfully.
“Yeah, isn’t she close to Hikaru-kun? But somehow, you managed to win her over,” a third chimed in, chuckling.
Takeru blinked in confusion, looking between them. “Wait, you guys… what are you even talking about?” he asked, furrowing his brow. “Me? Dating Mizuha? Are you kidding me?” He laughed, shaking his head. “Hikaru-kun would kill me for that, you know,” he added with a carefree grin.
“Come on, don’t play dumb. Someone saw you two together yesterday, and you looked pretty cozy. Here’s the proof,” one of his classmates said, holding up their phone. On the screen was a photo of Takeru and Mizuha, taken from a distance.
Takeru leaned in for a closer look. The image clearly showed him and Mizuha walking side by side near the school gates. He was gesturing with his hands while she appeared to be listening intently. From the angle, it could indeed be misinterpreted as something more than a casual conversation.
“Seriously? This is what you’re basing your rumors on?” Takeru said with a scoff. “We were just talking. Does that make us a couple now?” His tone was half amused, half exasperated.
“But it looked more than that! You’re not just friends, are you?” one of them pressed, leaning forward eagerly.
Takeru crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. “She was asking me something important, that’s all. What, should I start avoiding every girl I talk to now just because you guys like to jump to conclusions?”
Another classmate grinned mischievously. “Come on, Takeru-kun, admit it. You don't need to hide it,” he said.
"Oh, shut up, you guys. She was with Hikaru. Why would I interrupt their relationship?" replied Takeru.
"But I heard a rumor about her cheating on our midterm exam back then," said one of them.
"Yeah, another rumor said she's just using Toyama to get close to Hikaru-kun."
"I thought she was a nice girl, but with all those rumors, I guess she's not what I expected, haha."
"Better find another girl, Takeru. That girl's not worth it at all," they said.
Hearing that, Takeru snapped. He immediately stood and grabbed the guy's collar. "What did you say? Are you talking bad about her?" Takeru glared at him.
"What's wrong, Takeru? Why are you so upset? We're just repeating what we heard from rumors," said another classmate, trying to calm him down.
"Even if they're just rumors, I can't stand people who talk badly about Mizuha. She's my precious childhood friend. Say it again, and I'll beat you up," Takeru said, releasing the guy.
"What's your problem, dude? No need to get so angry, geez."
"Let's go." "Yeah," they said, leaving Takeru alone.
As they left, Takeru sighed. "Ah, rumors, rumors, rumors. Why do they trust them so easily?" he muttered and looking outside the window.
"Looks like the rumors about Mizuha-chan still haven't died down. They're even worse than yesterday."
Takeru glanced at Hikaru's seat at the back of the classroom, noticing it was still empty.
"Is he still not here yet? Or is he taking the day off?" he wondered.
As Akemi passed by his desk, Takeru decided to call out to her. "Hey, Akemi, is Hikaru-kun absent today?"
"Yeah, he's taking the day off—probably tomorrow too," Akemi replied. "His cold got worse since yesterday. That's what the homeroom teacher told me earlier in the teacher's lounge."
"I see..." Takeru muttered, frowning slightly. Of all times for him to be sick. Mizuha-chan's in trouble, and now he's not here to help. What bad timing, he thought.
Akemi sighed. " Ugh, it's so boring without Hikaru here," she paused. "The class feels different without him around. I thought he'd be better by now, but I guess not. I really wanted to hang out with him more."
Takeru chuckled. "Hey, instead of waiting for Hikaru-kun, how about hanging out with me today?"
"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I'm more interested in spending time with Hikaru-kun," Akemi replied bluntly.
"Wow, straight-up rejected, huh?" Takeru said, laughing.
After a moment, his tone turned more serious. "By the way, have you heard the rumors about Mizuha and me?"
"Yeah, of course I've heard them," Akemi replied, her expression clouding with concern. "Poor Mizuha-chan. I never thought people would spread such nasty rumors about her—and even drag you into it too."
Takeru nodded. "I'm trying to figure out who's behind this. From what I remember, Mizuha hasn't had any arguments or problems with anyone in school. Whoever it is must have a personal grudge against her."
"Yeah, that's possible. Someone might have something against Mizuha-chan, but I can't imagine what," Akemi said thoughtfully.
"Akemi, I need your help with something," Takeru said.
"Huh? What is it?" Akemi asked, tilting her head.
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Back in Mizuha's classroom, the situation remained tense. She decided to approach her classmates to address the rumors.
"Um... excuse me? Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked nervously, her voice unsteady.
Her classmate, focused on chatting with friends, ignored her. Mizuha paused but tried again.
"I've noticed things feel different lately," she said quietly. "I wanted to ask if I did something's wrong."
One of the students gave her a quick look before turning away. "I don't have time for this," they said dismissively.
Mizuha let out a small sigh. "It’s pointless... No one wants to hear me," she thought, feeling bit sad with what happened.
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When lunch break arrived, after eating with her friends, Mizuha went to the rooftop alone to think about the troubles surrounding her.
"Ah, what's happening to me right now? Rumors and trouble have been following me these past two days," Mizuha said to herself. "Did I do something wrong to make them hate me so much?"
"I must do something to clear my name and solve this problem," she added.
Suddenly, someone approached her from behind. "What are you doing here, just spacing out like that?"
Mizuha turned around to see Akemi approaching. "Oh, it's you, Akemi-chan."
"Cheer up. It's not like you to look so down. Usually, you're cheerful," Akemi said. "Here, drink this. It's my treat." She tossed a green tea bottle to Mizuha.
“Oh, thank you” replied Mizuha.
Mizuha took a drink and thanked Akemi. "Why are you here, Akemi-chan?"
"I was looking for you and happened to see you here," Akemi said. "Also, it's a request from Takeru-kun. He asked me to talk to you."
"Takeru did that?" Mizuha asked.
"Yes," Akemi replied. "First, I'm sorry about earlier—about getting cold with you after our midterm exam. I couldn't control myself that day."
"It's okay. I don't care about it anymore. Just forget it," Mizuha said.
“Hey, we’re still friends, right?” said Akemi.
“Yes, of course, you’re my friend, Akemi-chan,” replied Mizuha.
"Are you feeling down because of the rumors surrounding you right now?" Akemi asked.
"Oh, you heard about them too?"
"Of course I have, the rumors have already spread throughout our entire year, you knows" Akemi said.
"Poor you, Mizuha-chan. "How could they do this to my friend? It’s unforgivable." She paused. "Are you okay with these rumors surrounding you?"
"Thanks for your concern, Akemi-chan. I'm fine because there are friends who still trust me and take care of me, including you who still supports me," Mizuha said.
"Really? Then that's good for you, Mizuha-chan," Akemi replied.
Mizuha took another sip of the green tea Akemi had given her. "By the way, do you know why Hikaru has been absent today? I haven’t been able to reach him since yesterday."
Akemi nodded, her expression softening. "From what I heard in the teacher's lounge earlier, Hikaru caught a bad cold yesterday, and it's gotten worse. The homeroom teacher said he might not be back until tomorrow."
"I see," Mizuha said, her voice filled with worry. "He really should take better care of himself."
Before Akemi could respond, a sudden downpour began, with rain echoing across the rooftop. Akemi glanced at the sky and then at Mizuha. "It's raining hard now. We should get back inside before we're completely soaked."
Mizuha nodded, and they made their way down the stairwell, entering the first-year corridor. As they walked together, chatting quietly, they encountered Takeru near one of the classrooms. He was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone but looked up when he saw them.
Takeru raised an eyebrow. "Well, this is rare. You two walking together. Did something special happen?"
Akemi crossed her arms. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Takeru-kun. I’m just doing what you asked me to do earlier.”
"Is that so?" Takeru replied. "Well, thanks for the help, Akemi."
Akemi's expression changed as though she had suddenly remembered something. She clapped her hands together and turned to Mizuha.
"Oh no! I forgot—I needed to check something back in the staff room. Sorry, Mizuha-chan, but I'll leave you in Takeru-kun's hands for now. You don't mind, do you?"
"Wait, Akemi-chan—" Mizuha started, but before she could finish, Akemi waved and hurried off, disappearing down the hallway.
Takeru looked at Mizuha. "Well, looks like it's just us. Come on, I'll walk you back to your classroom."
"You don't have to," Mizuha said. "What if these rumors get worse and involve more people?"
"It's no trouble," Takeru replied. "Besides, I'd rather keep you company than let you walk alone with everyone staring."
Mizuha hesitated but nodded. They began walking together, side by side, their footsteps echoing in the hallway.
As they passed groups of students, Mizuha noticed curious eyes and whispers following them. She looked down, feeling self-conscious, but Takeru remained casual.
"Just ignore them, Mizuha. They don't know the real story," Takeru said calmly.
"But—" Mizuha couldn't finish her words.
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They arrived at Mizuha's classroom to find the same argument from yesterday repeating itself. Shimizu was once again in a heated exchange with a group of girls.
"Hey, I didn't do that! Don't accuse me without any proof!" Shimizu protested.
"No, you did it! We all saw what you did earlier, right, guys?" one of the girls insisted.
"No, you're all misunderstanding! It was already ruined when I found it on the floor! I just picked it up to save it!" Shimizu defended herself.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Mizuha asked as she entered the classroom, turning to Elly for an explanation.
"Oh, Mizuha-chan, you see..." Elly began.
"You see, someone ruined your belongings on your desk earlier, Mizuha-chan," she continued in a worried tone.
"What do you mean?" Mizuha asked, her expression showing confusion.
"Your notebook and homework from another subject were torn to pieces. Someone did something really horrible to your things," Elly explained. "Even your drawing from today was ripped in half. Shimizu-chan saw it all and tried to pick it up for you, but when everyone arrived, they accused her of being the one who did it."
"That's terrible. They've gone too far this time," Takeru said, frowning.
They must be the ones who did this... but I don't have proof to accuse them, Takeru thought.
"I've told you all, I didn't do it! You're all misleading yourselves!" Shimizu shouted angrily.
"But we really saw you standing near Mizuha's desk earlier, with those torn-up papers on the floor," one of the girls retorted, glaring at her.
"I already told you—I found them like that and just picked them up!" Shimizu shot back.
"Hey, stop this, everyone. Why do you all need to argue right now?" Mizuha interjected.
"Oh, Mizuha, you're already here. You see..." Shimizu tried to explain.
"No need, Shimizu. I already know. Elly-chan explained it to me earlier," Mizuha said firmly.
"Here you go, Yuki-san," one of the girls chimed in. "Do you believe it? Your close friend Toyama-san is the one messing with your belongings. We all saw it happen."
"Do you have any proof that Shimizu did it?" Mizuha asked calmly, staring at the girl.
"Well..." The girl hesitated.
"Don't accuse someone without proof," Mizuha said, her tone steady.
"Mizuha..." Shimizu murmured, touched by her defense.
"So, what? You don't believe us? Are you siding with Toyama-san just because she's your close friend?" another girl sneered.
"It's not like that. I just can't stand someone accusing another person without proof," Mizuha replied. "Also, I know you all hate me because of the rumors surrounding me right now, but don't involve my friend in my troubles."
"Tch, you hear that? We try to help her, and she says this to us. Let's go," one of the girls said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah," another agreed, and the group left them, muttering amongst themselves.
"Those girls—how dare they accuse me without any proof," Shimizu muttered.
"Anyway, thanks for believing in me, Mizuha," Shimizu added.
"It's okay, Shimizu. I know you wouldn't do that to me," Mizuha replied.
"It seems they're trying to pit us against each other now," Shimizu said.
"Yeah, that's right. We must prepare for what they might do next," Mizuha agreed.
"By the way, Mizuha, I managed to pick up all your belongings from the floor earlier, but I'm sorry about your drawing. I was too late to save it," Shimizu said. "Here's what's left of it."
"It's okay, Shimizu. It's just a drawing—I can make it again. Thank you for picking it up for me," Mizuha replied.
As Mizuha received the remains of her drawing, she said, "Ah, it's really ruined, haha. Looks like I need to draw it again, right?"
How can you stay calm and just laugh after all that happened? You're really tough, Mizuha, Shimizu thought.
Suddenly, Mizuha had the same vision as yesterday. She held her head and thought, This vision again? Why is it happening now?
"Mizuha-chan, are you okay?" Elly asked with a worried look.
"I'm fine, just having a headache suddenly," Mizuha replied.
What is this? My sight is getting dimmer, Mizuha thought as she felt her head shaking.
She decided to return to her seat to rest for a while. As she stepped toward her seat, she lost control of her body and began collapsing backward.
"Oh no, not now!" Takeru exclaimed, noticing her faltering.
With quick reflexes, Takeru caught her body and prevented her from falling.
"Mizuha!" Takeru called out.
"Takeru, thanks..." Mizuha replied weakly.
"Hey, are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse's office?" he asked.
"No, thanks. I'm fine; just let me sit for a while. I must be too tired," Mizuha replied.
Both Shimizu and Elly looked at her with concern. Some of their classmates stared at Mizuha in shock.
Thank God she didn't pass out this time. I'm sure that shocking incident earlier must have triggered this, Takeru thought.
As Mizuha took her seat, both Shimizu and Elly approached her.
"Mizuha, are you sure you're okay?" Shimizu asked.
"Yeah, you almost collapsed earlier," Elly added.
"Don't worry, you two. I'm fine. Maybe I'm just too tired from everything that happened earlier. Just let me rest for a bit, okay?" Mizuha replied, not wanting to worry her friends.
"Alright, we'll go back to our seats for now. Please call us if you start feeling worse," Shimizu and Elly said before returning to their places.
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.
"Oh, it's time for me to head back to my class," Takeru said. "Mizuha, please try to calm down and don't push yourself too hard. Let your friends know if your condition gets worse, okay?"
"I understand. Thanks for earlier, Takeru," she replied.
"See you later," Takeru said as he left to return to his class.
As Takeru left, Zul entered the classroom, returning from somewhere.
"Hey, Zul, where did you go earlier after lunch break?" Shimizu asked suddenly.
"Just walking around the first years' floor. I was looking for the sources of Mizuha's rumors," he replied.
"Did you find anything?" asked Shimizu.
"No, I didn't find anything new, just the same rumors we heard before," Zul said.
"Oh, I see," replied Shimizu.
"You look down. What happened earlier?" Zul asked.
"Actually..." Shimizu began, and explained the earlier incident to him.
"All that happened earlier?" Zul asked for confirmation.
"Yeah, that's everything I told you," replied Shimizu.
"Damn, they're going too far now. We can't let them keep doing this," Zul said, feeling upset.
"Yeah, we have to stop these rumors from spreading," said Shimizu.
As Zul returned to his seat, he paused at Mizuha's desk and spoke to her.
"Mizuha, I heard everything from Shimizu earlier. Are you okay right now?" Zul asked.
"Yes, I feel a bit better now after calming down and getting some rest," Mizuha replied.
"Really? Thank goodness," he said.
"Hey, are you free after school today?" Zul asked.
"Yes, I'm free. But what for?" replied Mizuha.
"Well, I want you to accompany me somewhere. Would you like to join me?" Zul asked.
"Sure, I'll join you later," replied Mizuha.
"Okay, let's continue talking about this after school," Zul said as he returned to his seat.
"Is Yuki going to be okay?" one of Kurumi's friends said.
"Yeah, she almost collapsed earlier," another replied.
"Hey, Kurumi, don't you think we went too far earlier?" they asked.
"What's with you guys? Are you feeling sympathy for her now?" Akemi retorted.
"No, it's not like that. We just think our actions earlier might have been a bit too much," they replied.
"So what? Are you turning against me now?" Kurumi snapped.
"Do whatever you want. Leave me if you don't want to be involved in this anymore," Kurumi said coldly.
"I'm not giving up until she gives up on Hikaru," Kurumi added, her determination unwavering, while some of her friends started to feel guilty about what they were doing to Mizuha, and others still stood by Akemi.
What's going on over there? Are they arguing with each other? Zul thought.
I wonder where Zul wants to go since he asked me to accompany him after school today, Mizuha thought.
Shortly after, the teacher arrived, and the class resumed their lessons for the rest of the school day.
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To be continued…..Amemonogatari IV
ns 15.158.61.7da2
