CH 1

A white painted school building that resembled a high-rise hotel. The entire building was covered with glass windows, and the schoolyard, with its vast area and blooming flowers, was impressive. The distance from the main gate to the school building was about 100 meters, and the magnificent gate exuded an overwhelming atmosphere that was unbeatable.

There was not a single piece of garbage on the campus, and a large decorative fountain serves as a symbol of the school, which boasts the highest admission ratio and popularity in its specialized field nationwide. The four-year Reijo Nursing University has a deviation value of 69, and its popularity has exploded due to its cleanliness and the fact that tution was relatively low thanks to a donation from a certain plutocrat.

The current time was 8:15 in the morning. Sasaki Mio, a third-year student at Reijo Nursing University, had just finished some business and was returning to her classroom. However, when she tried to sit down at her seat, she was interrupted by someone.

“What… Nanami. Why are you grinning like that…?”

“I just thought, ‘As expected of Mio-chan.’ You’ve had 38 consecutive victories since entering this nursing university… Your opponent was called the Prince of South University, and he was so cool, why did you turn him down? It’s such a waste, really.”

Sighing, Sasaki Mio narrowed her round black eyes. She has a youthful appearance with silky black hair, and despite being noisy, she is also a reliable person. Nanami is Mio’s friend since she entered this nursing university and is someone who can be called a close friend. Their seats were next to each other.

“I don’t care about peeking into the confession, Nanami. But, where were you watching me from?”

“I was called to the main gate, so I went to peek.”

“Come on, make an effort not to peek… It’s not something to be proud of.”

“Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I’ll be more careful next time!”

“I can’t see any trace of regret in you…”

Mio stared at Nanami, who was holding her fists to her head, with a sharp look in her eyes. As Mio said, Nanami probably didn’t regret it. After all, Mio has warned her dozens of times.

“But, you know, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now… It would be better if you confessed to me, right?”

“W-what do you mean by that…?”

“I’m not sure if I should say this to you, Mio-chan, but… why don’t you date someone? The guy you turned down earlier doesn’t seem like a bad match for you, and if you have a boyfriend, you’ll be less likely to be confessed to, don’t you think?”

“Well… I don’t want to date someone I don’t like. I want to date someone I like.”

“I understand that feeling, but from my standpoint, it would be better to start dating someone you have a crush on rather than being stuck in a one-sided crush situation, don’t you think?”

Values are different for each person. Some people want to start dating only after becoming mutual, while others may date based on the idea that they may start liking the other person after getting to know them.

Mio supports the former while Nanami supports the latter. The proportion of “real couples” in Mio’s class is very high, around 60%. This may be due to the fact that many of them attend the Reijo Nursing University, which is known for producing such couples.

Nanami, who is Mio’s best friend, also has a boyfriend.

“Why do you always try to set me up with someone, Nanami?”

“Well, Mio-chan, it’s not like you’re not interested in love, right? You seem very interested when I talk about my boyfriend.”

“That’s because you always say ‘tell me, tell me’.”

“But still, you always ask ‘what happened next?!’ and urge me on with your arms!”

“I-I’ve never done that before! I admit that I might have urged you on, but…”

Blushing, Mio lowered her beautiful cat-like eyes and twiddled her index fingers together.

“In other words, you do want a boyfriend, right?”

“Y-yeah… that’s right…”

“Then you should take action right away! ‘Nursing’s Angel’ is your nickname, Mio-chan. and it’s well-known even among other universities, so you should be able to get a boyfriend quickly!”

“What nickname… I’ve never heard of it before… Nursing’s Angel? Me?”

Mio, who had no idea about her nickname, pointed to herself in surprise.

“Why doesn’t the person herself know about her nickname…? Well, that’s just like you, Mio-chan…”

“Like me…?”

“I don’t know who gave you that nickname, but it’s accurate. You’re at the top of the top in terms of grades, you’re beautiful, and you seem like you’d be kind and take good care of others… Right, Angel-chan?”

After finishing her words, Nanami approached Mio with a mischievous grin. The distance between them was as close as nose-to-nose.

“Look, your hair is shiny brown all the way to the tips! Your eyebrows are long and thin! Your eyes are big and cat-like! Your small lips are pink! Your face is symmetrical on both sides! Your slender body is estimated to be 160 cm tall with D-cups!”

“S-Stop it… If you continue, I’ll pinch your nose and make you unable to breathe.”

“Nh…!”

Mio shut Nanami’s mouth with a force so precise and agile that she could kill a mosquito with a hundred shots. Nanami had no choice but to surrender to the weight of Mio’s arm as she covered her mouth.

As a nursing university, there were no male students in their class, and the fact that 90% of the students were female meant that even if their figures were revealed, they wouldn’t be embarrassed enough to want to crawl into a hole.

“I… m… zorry…”

“Really… I’m worried about your future as a nurse with that attitude, Nanami…”

And then, it was the moment when Mio opened her mouth in exasperation.

“That’s not something someone who tried to make me unable to breathe should say…”

“Oh, do you want me to do it again?”

Mio countered with a meaningful expression. Her eyes weren’t smiling.

“That’s not what I meant! It was just a misunderstanding!”

“I’ll let it slide… this time.”

Mio put on a mature front, forcing herself to stay calm. But her eyes softened with kindness when she looked at Nanami. Her reaction was due to her understanding of Nanami’s personality and her good points.

“Ah, if you get a boyfriend, Mio-chan, I bet you’ll treat him the same way you do to us. I might be a little lonely.”

“Huh…?”

“Mio-chan, you are the type to give everything to the person you love. Of course, in a good way.”

Nanami, Mio’s best friend, understands Mio’s personality and inner self. Her opinion was based on her understanding of Mio’s feelings and how she had responded earlier.

“Of course, if you like someone, you would do that naturally… Nanami, you do the same thing for your boyfriend, right?”

“Hahaha, that’s true, but…”

While scratching her cheek with a laugh, Nanami suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, “Oh!”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t asked you yet, Mio-chan. Do you have anyone you like? If you do, I’ll help you out!”

“I…I don’t have anyone like that.”

It was a question that could be called a standard move. Mio thought she had answered calmly, but her eyes wandered around, and she stumbled over her words. If you looked closely, you could see that both of her ears had turned red.

“Huh!? Y-Your reaction just now was weird! Is there someone you like!?”

“I said there isn’t anyone like that!”

“I wonder if that’s true…”

Suspicious eyes.

“If I happen to like someone, I’ll consult with you, Nanami… Is that okay?”

“Sure! I’ll be happy to help you out!”

“…”

Mio avoided the question of who she liked by throwing the bait of “consultation.” Only a small number of people would notice that the topic had been deflected so skillfully.

(That’s right… I don’t like that person. I’m just teasing him because he gives me interesting reactions… that’s all…)

Mio muttered to herself, her inner thoughts unnoticed by anyone.