CH 15

(Toma-kun…)

The next day, Mio arrived at the Reijo Nursing University and sat at her desk while playing with her smartphone… or rather, she was staring at her smartphone as if she were captivated by beautiful scenery.

“Thank you for yesterday, Mio-san. You helped me with my problem.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for taking me home.”

“No, it’s the least I could do.”

“If there’s anything else you need, please let me know.”

“Yes, I’m always waiting for your message. Goodnight, Mio-san.”

“Goodnight, Toma-kun.”

Their messages were formal and work-related, and they had only exchanged a few messages, but for Mio, they were enough to make her happy just by looking at them.

They had exchanged contact information. They had become a little closer by going home together. And she had also found out that Toma didn’t have a girlfriend. This was a harvest beyond her expectations.

“Hehe…”

Mio unconsciously smiled happily. Her classmates happened to notice her expression.

“Hey, hey… look at Mio-san just now.”

“Wow, it’s true. She looks so happy…”

“She must have something to be happy about.”

“I wonder what it is.”

“Oh, good morning, Nanami-chan.”

“Good morning!”

Mio was so absorbed in her smartphone that she didn’t notice. At that moment, Nanami, the only one who could tease Mio, arrived at the school at the perfect timing?

Without hesitation, Nanami approached confidently.

“Mio-chan!”

“Eek!?”

She hit the desk with a loud thud, forcing Mio to pay attention. Nanami was already grinning from ear to ear. She looked like she was about to make a joke, and it wouldn’t have been surprising for Mio to interject with a snarky comment.

“What is it, Nanami? You scared me…”

“Hehe, I’m just really excited.”

Nanami placed her hand on the back of her head and sat down in the seat next to Mio. And then it began: Nanami’s barrage of jokes.

“Oh no, the horse (Uma) got buried! … … “

“…”

Mio didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary at this point, even though she had just arrived at school.

“Oops, the horse (Uma) fell off! … …”

“…”

“Oh,Whoa, that’s soy bean sauce (‘Touma’anjiang​)…!”

[TL Note: Doubanjiang (Chinese broad bean chili paste)​]

“…”

Mio started to feel uneasy at this point, even though she wasn’t feeling sick.

“Mio-chan! Mio-chan! Don’t you think soy bean sauce (‘Touma’anjiang​) goes well with fried rice?”

“That’s… Toubanjiang​…”

“I see! Toma…huh?!”

“Touma…njiang… “

Mio was now completely certain. Nanami knew about that person’s existence. That’s why she had that grin on her face.

If she knew, then that meant…

“Rook on is Touma~n!”

And then, imitating a certain bookstore’s commercial featuring a famous child actor, Nanami delivered the fatal blow with a “poke”.

If you’re pressed like this, anyone would know… Nanami knows about that person’s existence.

And that’s why she had that smug smile on her face.

“Why do you know, Nanami? About Toma-kun… Tell me!”

“Well, coincidentally my little brother is friends with Toma-kun. I was able to hear a little bit about it.”

“What, what kind of coincidence…? Just knowing that much is not enough!!”

This was the thing that Mio least wanted to be known for, especially by Nanami.

Mio’s face instantly turned bright red up to her neck.

“I see, that could be true. But don’t worry, I haven’t told anyone about it.”

“If you did, I’d have to twist and tear off your tongue, Nanami.”

“Oh my… that attack is too much. The angel of nursing has turned into a demon… scary, scary.”

“Nanami… please don’t tell anyone about this, I’m begging you.”

Mio, who had been strong-willed just a moment ago, now turned to Nanae with a weak plea. Though her face was partially obscured by her long hair, her well-shaped ears were visible and had a color reminiscent of a ripe watermelon.

“I know, I know. If someone found out, it would be more than just a love affair. If the rumor spread that Mio, the famous ‘Nursing’s Angel,’ had a crush on someone, it would be all over in an instant.”

It was common knowledge that Mio didn’t have a boyfriend, but Nanami was the only one who knew the reason why: Mio was in love with someone.

“Don’t worry, Mio-chan. I’m in a position where I want to help you! And I intend to!”

“Th-thank you…”

“However, there is one problem. I can’t create opportunities for you to meet with Toma-kun if I don’t meet him myself.”

Nanami sent a meaningful glance while raising her eyebrows. Mio wasn’t naive enough to miss the hint.

“I can understand how you feel, Nanami, but I don’t want to introduce you to him…”

“Huh!? Why not!?”

“Well… if you start to like Toma-kun, it could cause problems…”

Mio trembled slightly as she spoke, her small and shapely mouth slightly pursed in a worried expression. Although she was usually very confident, Mio was the most worrisome person you could ever meet. It was a side of her that was very surprising.

“No, no, even if you say you might like him, I already have a boyfriend, you know!?”

Nanami stammered in response to the unexpected answer.

“Well, just because you have a boyfriend doesn’t mean you won’t fall in love with Toma-kun, right…? I mean, that’s possible, isn’t it?”

“Um… Mio-chan, you might be worrying too much. I don’t mean to boast, but I’m not that kind of girl who’s easy to fall for someone,” Nanami replied.

“But… still, Toma-kun is so cool, and that’s why I’m worried…” Mio’s face was colored with a girlish blush. Her worries and anxieties had mixed together, leading to this state of mind.

“Well, I certainly don’t deny that he’s cool… But I hope you trust me enough to know that I won’t do anything stupid,” Nanami replied with a sigh.

“……….!!”

At Nanami’s words, Mio’s eyes widened like saucers. There was a certain word in Nanami’s statement that she just couldn’t ignore…

“Why do you know that Toma-kun is cool, Nanami?!”

“Because I have a picture of him, see?”

Nanami took out her smartphone from her pocket and showed Mio a photo of Haru and Toma smiling while holding shaved ice, with a sign reading “Cultural Festival” in the background.

“Why do you have it?!! I don’t have a single photo of Toma-kun!”

“I told you, my younger brother is friends with Toma. This is a photo that Haru sent me a while ago.”

Nanami was grinning smugly, while Mio looked at her enviously.

“Do you want it, Mio-chan? This photo?”

After a moment of silence, Mio nodded her head, and Nanami continued teasing her.

“But I can’t just give it to you for free, you know. I knew you’d say that, so I waited a bit before showing it to you.”

“That’s not fair, Nanami… Of course I want it. That photo…”

Mio’s eyes were fixed on Nanami’s smartphone.

“To make a pseudo-confession, what would be a good line for someone who competed with Touma-kun in grades? That’s so unfair!”

“Ugh… Alright, I understand. What is your purpose, Nanami?”

“I was waiting for those words! I have two promises for you! First, don’t upload this photo on SNS. And second, definitely make Toma-kun fall for you! That’s it!!”

“Huh…”

If you post images or videos of someone on the internet without their permission, it can become a violation of their portrait rights.

A violation of portrait rights refers to the “right not to have one’s appearance, etc. photographed indiscriminately and made public.”

In addition, there is also the problem of “photograph harassment,” abbreviated as “photohara,” which refers to the act of secretly taking photos of others with a smartphone without their permission, or posting such photos on SNS without their consent, causing the other person psychological distress.

However, this is just a common sense warning, and Nanami’s main goal is not this. She wants to make Touma fall for her and promises to do so.

“I can promise not to post it on SNS, but making Touma-kun fall for me is not something I can promise…”

“Ugh! What is the angel of nursing saying? If you promise, I will give you this photo!”

“I want it… I really want it, but I can’t promise something I’m not sure of…”

“Alright, promise is a promise, don’t break it!!”

“Like I said…”

It was too late when Mio tried to negotiate.

“Notification”

Mio’s phone lightly vibrated and a notification sound rang out. On the lock screen, there was a message that read, “A photo has been sent from Nanami.”

“Well then, do your best, Mio-chan. I’m going to buy some drinks,” said Nanami, and quickly left the classroom.

(……)

Mio looked around and confirmed that no one was looking before opening the notification and viewing the photo.

“Ah…!!”

At that moment, Mio couldn’t hold back a small voice.

The photo that was sent showed only Toma, as it had been cropped to exclude Nanami’s younger brother, Haru.

(Nanami, she’s already… enough…)

Since showing Toma a photo of him and Haru together, Nanami hadn’t shown any signs of playing with her phone. In other words, she had already trimmed the photo and intended to send it from the beginning.

“I’m not going to thank you or anything…”

Mio muttered in a small voice before moving her slender white fingers to the “save” button, and slowly pressing it.