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My environment has changed since then.
Even people I had never talked to before started talking to me.
I feel like I’ve become a little distant from the kids I used to talk to.
Kijima-san has been staying close to me and talking to me every break, so I haven’t been able to read much lately.
She follows up right away when I can’t keep up with the conversation or when I look confused, but I’ve come to understand over the past month that she’s not doing it because she’s worried about me.
She said she wanted to produce.
She said she was going to dress someone up herself and have a good time.
That must be true. She’s building me up and putting me at the center of the group on the surface, but in reality, she’s the center of the group.
When it comes to going out somewhere, Kijima-san’s preferences take priority, and Kijima-san is the one who initiates the conversation.
I just give a random reply whenever I’m asked a question, and in reality, I’m pretty much like her puppet.
The only thing I’ve gotten better at over the past month is probably just my fake smile.
I wanted help.
I was already starting to get tired of putting on the mask of “me”.
The only person who wanted to see the beautiful “me” was that person, and even if other people praised me, it didn’t make me happy or anything.
I’m sick of being called beautiful or cute.
You guys never even looked at the plain me, and only looked at the slightly made-up “me”.
As if “me” were the real Misaka Mio.
From Noble mtl dot com
That’s not it.
I’m me. I’m Mio.
I’m Mio, the one with glasses, the one in pigtails, the one with the plain appearance.
Not the “me” who took off her glasses, let down her hair, and flashed a charming smile like an idol.
I wanted to shout that.
But I know that shouting wouldn’t do any good.
No, if I were to do something strange here, the worst possible thing would happen to me.
Without a doubt, Kishima-san would try to cut me off.
The method is simple.
–She’s suddenly gotten cuter, hasn’t she been acting a bit arrogant lately?
My position would crumble in an instant with just a word like that.
A girls’ community can easily change direction with the leader’s opinion.
If that happened, at best I’d be ignored. At worst, it could even escalate to bullying.
I only have a little bit of middle school left, but I absolutely hated the idea of that happening.
—That’s right, just a little more. I just have to get through a little more and it’ll be fine.
If I do that, Kou-kun and I will go to the same high school.
Then I can just ditch “me” and go back to my old self.
A late middle school debut, followed by a plain high school reverse debut, would probably be fine.
Yes, that’s good.
That’s fine.
That’s why I want the courage to get through it.
The courage to get through it while wearing the mask of “me”.
That’s what I wanted, so today, Misaka Mio is going on a date with Kou-kun as “me”.
(Kou-kun’s hand is warm…)
Kou-kun’s hand was bigger than mine as we walked side-by-side.
The hand of his that I’ve held so many times feels reassuring when I hold it.
—Hey Kou-kun. Don’t let go of my hand, okay?
In my heart, that’s all I wished for.