63-<> Tomato Addict 2 next door (end)...




Unforgettable June 12.

Rumors of Hinoha are growing in number.
Numerous tongues and outbursts. There was even a small fan club that took note of them and made a list of them, and Hinata's popularity showed no signs of waning.
Alina Hiba is a good looking girl and her grades are always in the top 10. Despite these qualities, she refuses to interact with others as if she is trying to crush them, creating an invisible barrier.
The boys, however, still managed to talk to her, eager to get close to her. But heckling and scorn were the order of the day. So I don't think Nichiha has any friends.

'What's wrong?

Shirana spoke to me during a short break.

'I'm having a hard time.

I thought it was a cowardly thing to say. It sounded like he was insisting that we should care.

'...... you mean Alina?'
'!
'Oh, no, I just thought it was something like that, uh, ......'.
'It's okay. I'm aware of it too. ......'

I thought love at first sight is something that naturally recedes, but two months have passed and to this day, I still like Alina.
The most painful thing is that I can't even talk to the person I like. It's too hard to keep my feelings inside my heart in agony every day. I felt like I was being crushed.
Maybe I was close to my limit. It is cruel to think that this will continue for the rest of my life.

Can I help you ......?

However, we already know the solution. However, I already know the solution, but I could not make up my mind.

'I don't know if Shirana can do this once and for all. ......It's totally my problem. ......'
'I see. ...... Why don't you talk to Comet about it?'

He glances in the direction of the comet. They had changed seats and Comet had been relegated to the back row by the window. He seemed to be looking out the window with a glass of tomato juice in his hand.

'No, ...... it's all right.

Comet is a joking fellow, but he can be tricky because he sometimes gets to the heart of the matter. So I trust him. Even so, there is nothing Comet can do about it.

I should confess.
I know the result is obvious, but it's the only way I can make it go away. Don't stand still and dawdle forever.

All right! I've decided!
'What, what, what? What is it all of a sudden?

I stood up with a clatter and steeled myself.

I'm going to confess!

I had meant to say it loud enough for Shirana to hear, but it seemed to have echoed quite a bit, and several people in the class stared at me in shock.
Shirana's eyes were blinking and she didn't seem to grasp what was going on. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Comet grinning at me. He gave me a gut-punch and praised me. Looking back, I think he was just making fun of me.
I left the classroom, forgetting about the remaining recess time. Some of my classmates followed me like little birds chasing their parents, but I completely ignored them and walked quickly down the corridor.
I passed one classroom and went to the one where Hinoh was.
The door was fully opened, so I quickly entered and quickly found Hinoh. She was reading. She seemed to be quietly gliding her eyes over the text, paying no attention to me who had brought a flock of students with me.
I made a beeline for Hinoh in the shortest distance possible. With every step I took, the artistic beauty of Alina Hiba stood out. Every detail was beautiful. There was a beauty there as delicate and refined as glasswork.
I was somewhat in awe of this other-dimensional existence. I even felt like I was living in a different world. Untouchable, I guess you could say. I don't know, maybe I was influenced by the comet too much, but it made me say strange words.

Hinoh continues reading as if I'm not there. She seems to have shut herself off from the outside world.
I summoned all the courage I had ever had in my life and called out her name.

Mr. Hiu.

I wonder if I pronounced it correctly.
My heart began to beat wildly, and my ears began to burn.

With a slam, Hinoh closed the paperback with both hands and stared into my eyes with her jewel-like twin eyes. Let's be honest for the second time. I really like you.
Here I knew I had made a serious mistake. I had not thought of my confession. I came here on the spur of the moment, and it was my fault.

I don't think I've ever had my head on a swivel more than it was at this moment. I thought so hard that I lost all sense of time.
I wonder how many times I went through my entire vocabulary.
And then I opened my mouth.

I fell in love with you at first sight and I still love you. I've been waiting for the right moment to talk to you...'
'Oh, it's so long, so loud, I feel nauseous. Can you please get out of my classroom? I feel a leech crawling up my spine. I told you not to look at me. Disgusting. It's a sight for sore eyes, to say the least. Go away.

I heard a glass break.
I thought Comet had dropped the glass filled with tomato juice, but I had only seen him drinking from a carton and a can. That's the sound of my heart breaking.
I wonder if the metaphor "glass heart" is because the sound of a broken heart resembles the sound of broken glass. At least I was made of glass. I wandered out into the hallway and returned to my seat like a zombie.
I don't remember. The next time I came to, I was in class. I thought I was going back in time.

(Ugh, in death. ......)

It was real. The agony of having my heart clutched in my throat slowly tightened its grip on me.


With one eye on the comet, he raised his eyebrows and showed his teeth. With a thumbs-up.

Don't worry!

Maybe that's what he's trying to tell you.
I had no energy left to respond.


That same day, I took a day off from club activities. I left right after school because I was sick. When I crossed the kiosk, Comet was again being squeezed by a wave of female club members, trying to win a loaf of bread. At that time, I envied his easygoingness.




My heart was badly damaged (half destroyed), but I felt better as a result. I feel a sense of freedom as if a chain has been broken.
The confession ended in a grand failure. I'm sure my classmates saw it that way.
But in a way it was good for me. Because I am surrounded by a feeling of freedom that I did not have before June 12, when I fell in love with Alina at first sight and confessed my feelings to her. This was a great achievement.


After that, my love life did not move on and the first year ended.
During the class change, I was separated from Shirana and placed in the same class with Comet again. Comet said, 'Don't tell me you have a crush on me ......? I joked.
Even as a sophomore, Nippa's solitary idol status remains unchanged.
I'm not sure if it's an aftereffect of Alina's tongue, but I haven't found someone I like since then. I was worried that I might be sick, but I have been calming myself down by watching comets. Because all he thinks about is tomato juice. I don't have to think that I'm the only one who is in a peculiar psychological state. Sorry about the comet.

The change happened in the fall of my sophomore year.
There was a rumor that Comet Sakakiki and Arina Hiba had started dating. My head was filled with question marks and I couldn't sleep that night.

It seems that there are many kinds of tomato addicts.