Kururi Kurumizawa gave the following assessment of Shiho and Iās romantic comedy:
āItās almost stretching it.ā
I couldnāt argue with that statement.
Deep down inside, I thought that might be true.
But Shiho is different.
Unlike me, she has a strong will. She has absolute confidence.
She would never doubt herself like I do.
And she trusts me more than I trust her.
āYou know, Kotaro-kun, you love me, donāt you? Maybe you donāt realize it? Iām so lucky to be loved like this⦠Itās so wonderful that you look so pained just because another girl touched you. Really, I canāt help but love you.ā
Shiho is good at detecting things Iām not aware of.
Like now, she can read my mind from my simple actions.
I wonder if she is smart even though her grades are bad. Sometimes, she makes a pointed remark that makes my heart skip a beat.
āBut, Kotaro-kun, you are not kind to yourself because you always want⦠to be perfect, and even now you are not satisfied with yourself, right? So, like this, you canāt forgive yourself.ā
ā⦠I guess so.ā
Shiho explained my mental situation, which I had not been able to verbalize, to me instead.
When she said it, I recognized a side of myself that I did not know was there, that I might indeed be like that.
Maybe Iām quite a perfectionist.
No, technically speaking, I am too much in pursuit of my ideal self.
Thatās why I get frustrated with myself when I fall short of the ideal.
I deny that I am such a fool.
Shiho saw that part of myself as dangerous.
āIf you donāt learn to love yourself a little more, it wonāt work out even if you become my lover. Because you make it so hard on you, it will surely fall apart at some point. Kotaro-kun will get angry at his unworthy self and wonāt be able to stand being around me.ā
āI imagined.
Letās say I was dating Shiho in this state.
My great girlfriend and me standing side by side ⦠Oh, so thatās what itās all about.
I mean, one day Iām going to think like this.
<āKotaro Nakayama is not the right person for Shiho Shimotsuki.ā>
Once we start dating, those feelings will be more apparent.
Shiho thought that far⦠and may have sensed that it would happen, rather than just saying itā¦
So I didnāt rush.
Slowly, she was going to wait until I matured and learned to love myself.
(She wasnāt stretching it outā¦, after all.)
Understanding this, I was ashamed of myself for doubting it.
Shiho Shimotsuki sees much further into the future than I do.
I live in the present with the goal of being happy at that moment.
It seems like she is living momentarily, but she is not.
Shiho was very serious about love.
āBut Iām sorry, okay? I was supposed to be there to watch over you until then⦠I got sick. They took advantage of my absence and hurt you.ā
Then Shiho showed a rare display of anger.
āI will never, ever, ever allow anyone to tarnish my treasuresā¦ā
She bit her lower lip in frustration.
In her eyes, a fire of fighting spirit, which did not suit Shiho, was burning.