[Yuri Novel] The Girl Next Door Knows My Secret <1> [Creative Awards 2025]
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<Epilogue>
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Chapter 1: Mika's Chapter -Heat in a Corner of My Heart-
1
“Ugh, it didn't work out again...”
“I see, that's a shame.”
I respond to her with feigned lightness as she slumps over the table at the izakaya, her shoulders dropping.
This restaurant is spacious, yet each table is partitioned, creating a semi-private feel. I don't have to worry about the sight or sound of other customers. At the same time, it has just the right amount of noise, making it one of the few places where she can lay her emotions bare.
That's why I always chose this place for the days she came to me for advice.
“That makes four losses in a row. Since I was a teenager, the fourth one... Even though I had a little bit of hope that this time, it would work out.”
Her beautiful black hair is damp with condensation from the beer mug. Compared to what happened to her today, she probably doesn't care about something like that.
She lifts her face and downs the rest of her beer, which was still more than half full, in one go.
I had already heard the general circumstances leading up to this. So, the fact that it “didn't work out”—in other words, that she had been rejected by the guy she had a crush on—was within the expected range.
Contrary to my feelings of concern, I notice a part of me feeling relieved, and a prick of guilt runs deep in my chest.
“How can I get the person I have feelings for to return those feelings...”
Holding the empty mug with both hands, she muttered to herself. It sounds like a line from a shoujo manga, but she is completely serious. That's because, despite her blessed appearance and abilities, she has never had a boyfriend in her twenty-six years of life.
At her characteristically analytical choice of words, I soften my expression slightly and reply with a hint of self-deprecation.
“Do you think I’d know the answer to that if you asked me?”
“...Right. Mika, you're in the same boat.”
She lets out a soft, airy laugh through her nose. The sound of being “in the same boat” stings my chest a little.
It's true that I’ve never been in a romantic relationship with anyone either. But the reason for that is a little different from hers.
That is something I haven't even told my parents, let alone her.
I met her—Nana Fukazuki—six years ago.
That day, in that university classroom, Nana was sitting in my “special seat” as if it were the most natural thing in the world. That encounter was a bit pushy, but for some reason, it still remains in my heart. She possessed a charm that captivated me, unlike anyone I had ever met before.
Since then, we haven't had a single fight worth mentioning, and before I knew it, we had become “irreplaceable friends” to each other.
Nana is a beauty who makes everyone turn their heads. Just walking down the street together, we immediately draw eyes.
...No, that's not right. Not “us,” but “her.”
Yet, she walks with her slender body facing straight ahead, as if she doesn't notice those gazes at all. For her, that is everyday life. As she walks briskly, her beautiful black hair fluttering, she appears to my eyes as an overwhelmingly dignified, cool woman.
That is not the only thing that makes her charming.
She is good at managing her distance from others. She doesn't just read the room; she subtly picks up on the tone of someone's voice, their gestures, and the tremors in their expressions, weaving those observations into her casual consideration.
She never acts arrogant. She treats everyone with politeness and gentleness, yet she never shows any openings.
She was perfectly, unfairly so.
However—what I was truly drawn to was not that “perfection.”
“Generally speaking, what kind of process do people go through to establish a ‘mutual love’...”
Having emptied her mug, she looks at me with a serious expression, her slightly flushed cheeks cupped in her hands.
“Is it most rational to adjust yourself to the other person's ideal image? ...Or is there some secret trick that everyone knows that I’m just unaware of?”
I almost burst out laughing at her slightly off-base words. But her expression is, as always, completely serious.
When Nana gets drunk, her true, adorable self begins to peek through little by little. She is a different “maiden” Nana from the rational, cool version of her I see every day.
However, she never shows that side of herself in front of “the person she likes.” She thinks she wants to show her perfect self to the person she likes. I think this adorable side is a charm that would make many people fall for her easily if she just showed it—but she herself is unaware of it.
But I have no intention of telling anyone else about her charm. In fact... I almost hope they never find out.
"Mutual love, huh. I've never experienced that either. Honestly, how does one even get there?"
As I laughed with a hint of resignation, Nana shook her head.
"I think you're fine just the way you are, Mika. You're plenty kind and charming. If there was someone who couldn't understand your worth, then that just means there was a problem with their own standards."
She said this with her lips pouted, looking a bit angry. It was almost calculatedly cute, but the fact that she wasn't even aware of it made her even more charming. ——Honestly, this cuteness is just unfair, I muttered to myself.
"If we're talking about that, then it's you, Nana."
When I said that, her expression brightened up instantly.
"Mika... you're the only one who would say something like that to me!" Nana grabbed my hand, which had been resting on the table, with both of hers and pressed it against her cheek as if to express her joy with her whole body. I felt her body heat transfer to my fingertips and felt my own heartbeat jump strongly. I should be used to this by now. Even though we've been together for six years... I'm disgusted with myself.
"Meeting you, Mika, is something I'm truly grateful for... Please keep taking care of me, Mika..."
Her speech slurred, and she slumped onto the table. As she closed her eyes, I could hear her quiet breathing almost immediately. She must have been tired. Maybe she hadn't been sleeping well lately. I noticed her hair was falling over her mouth, so I reached out my hand—but stopped just before touching her cheek.
...Is it okay to touch her?
I hesitated for a moment, then immediately pulled my hand back, telling myself no. It shouldn't be okay. I gripped the mug that was still filled to the brim. The coldness slowly seeped into my fingertips.
——Actually, I had known for a long time. That moment in the university classroom when she looked back from her prime seat. Her long, slightly melancholy eyes, her silky black hair, the casual intensity of her gaze. Everything about her was right in the 'dead center' of my heart.
Yes, that was the moment—I fell in love with her at first sight.
<Prologue> <1> <2> <3>
<4> <5> <6> <7> <8>
<9> <10> <11> <12> <13>
<14> <15> <16> <17> <18>
<Epilogue>