Please Tell Me How to Remember Love - Chapter 1 Part 1

Chapter 1 – Burnt Bacon and Egg

Part 1

 

“Let’s go already!~ Hurry up!~”

“Don’t get too close to me. It won’t look good to other people.”

 

One of Aoi’s classmates, Satou Takayuki, was about to enter a hotel with a young woman in a business suit. Seeing this, she was confused on how to react to the situation.

 

“Is this what you’d call compensated dating? …No, no, even so, it’s still a little…”

 

Aoi hid her boast-worthy body behind a pole, her eyes focused on the two people in front of her as she looked for an answer that she failed to find. She wanted to think that it was all her misunderstanding and pretend to not have seen them, but her own beliefs made her unable to do so.

 

Because this action wasn’t ‘right.’ The heroes that Aoi looked up to wouldn’t turn a blind eye to this kind of thing.

 

“Good grief… Seriously, how did I find myself in this kind of situation?”

 

 Despite showing a cramped smile, Aoi still tried to judge the situation rationally.

 

She tried to recall what happened up to this point.

 

“Even though I don’t have time for this…”

 

So, how did Aoi manage to witness this scene?

 

To find out about the cause, we have to go back a few hours prior.

 

*   *   *

 

Miyama Aoi was in her first year of high school.

 

Long, raven-colored hair. Mature-looking, dignified beauty. A tall height, even taller than the average boys. Slender arms and legs, all the curves in her body were in the right places. The mole under her left eyes, along with her bewitching smile would capture the heart of anyone who laid their eyes on her.

 

On top of that, her appearance wasn’t her only charm.

 

“Aoi-chan, Aoi-chan, I don’t understand this problem, can you help me?…”

“Which one? Ah, that one. I get you, it’s a hard one for me too. What I did to solve it was to use the same method as the previous problem and go from there…”

 

In line with her intelligent-look, she was also good at studying. Moreover, she was good at teaching others. Her classmates would always thank her for her easy-to-understand explanation that they received whenever they came to ask her questions about their studies.

 

“Woah, that’s a first year? She doesn’t look like an amateur at all!”

“She’s so tall… Taller than the rest of us… The basketball and volleyball club will go to war to get her on their side…”

 

Her excellence wasn’t limited to her studies as she was as accomplished in sports. She was so talented that she managed to catch the eyes of all the sports clubs the moment she entered the school.

 

Above all, there was a certain incident that boosted her popularity to sky high.

 

“Miyama-san, help! Satou got into a conflict with the senpais! They’re still staring at each other, but they could start a fistfight at any moment!”

“Got it. You should call the teachers first, I’ll try to calm them down in the meantime.”

 

In the early school year, one of her classmates, Satou Takayuki, had a standoff with a group of second years. It was Aoi’s resolute attitude that prevented the incident from turning into a massive brawl between the two sides.

 

“Yes, I’ll try to tell them as quickly as possible! But, Miyama-san, why are you carrying that bucket? Wait, was that water from the toilet?!”

 

The method she used to resolve the incident was a rather forceful one though.

 

“…Hm? What is it, Miss Honor Student? You should get away from here, it’s danger—”

 

Firstly, she dumped the bucket of water on Takayuki to calm him down.

 

“Please forgive him, senpais!”

“““Y-Yes…”””

 

Then, without a pause, she bowed her head toward the second years who had been staring daggers at Takayuki. Seeing her actions, the venom in their eyes were instantly gone and they seemed ready to let him off with this.

 

With this incident resolved, Aoi’s presence became more well-known throughout the school.

 

As a result, she managed to become the central figure for the freshmen in a span of a single month.

 

“Miyama-san, Miyama-san! Are you free today? If so, can you go to the art club with me? My senpai asked me to bring you there with me!”

“No can do. Miyama said that she can’t do club activities because she has to help out at home. So, until you’re needed, Miyama, how about we go karaoke?”

“Eh? Karaoke with Miyama? Can the boys join too?~ If so, can I go with you guys?~”

“Aren’t you in the soccer club? Your senpai will chew on your a** if you miss out on the first day of club, you know?”

 

Since she became a popular girl, naturally, her classmates started to try to hang out with her. They’d inquire about her schedule and send out various invitations to spend more time with her.

 

“Karaoke, huh? …Hm, that’s a good idea. A good way to get to know each other better…”

“Right?! Then, let’s go~”

“On one condition, though. Rope Satou in too, let’s make it a class event.”

“Eh?”

 

However, just because she was popular, that didn’t mean Aoi would let everyone lead her by the nose. Aoi was the type of a person who’d state out her intention clearly. She was also good at controlling the conversation so that she didn’t get swept by the other party’s momentum.

 

“S-Satou is a little… You know… Ahaha…”

“So lame. This guy is obviously scared of Satou.”

“If you’re that scared, just go to your club already, Suzuki!”

 

Perhaps due to the well-known delinquent’s name being mentioned, the boy’s momentum quietened down considerably. Seeing this, the girls immediately pounced on him. But, Aoi didn’t pay any heed to that scene.

 

“Satou-kun.”

“…Hm?”

 

After school, by herself, Aoi approached the isolated delinquent. Said delinquent was Takayuki, the boy who almost got into a fight with a group of second years not long after the school started. There was a rumor that he did it because he was protecting a girl that was being harassed by the second years, but the rumor didn’t stop him from being isolated by the rest of the class. At best, the rumor only made people stop treating him like a delinquent.

 

“Do you want to go karaoke with us?”

 

Miyama Aoi was the only person who was able to send out such an invitation to someone like him. The act left the other classmates surrounding her dumbfounded.

 

Of course, Aoi wasn’t a saint. She could express her likes and dislikes clearly and Takayuki was definitely someone she disliked. However, despite her personal feelings, it was clearly against her sense of justice that someone who wasn’t even a real delinquent was being isolated like this. Hence, she tried to change the boy’s situation.

 

“I’m flattered by that invitation, but dear Miss Honor Student, sadly I’m born with the skill called ‘reading the air’, you see?”

“Oh my, I’m surprised. I called out to you because I thought you’re unable to do exactly that.”

“I mean, their faces are clearly screaming for me to not come with them, it isn’t hard to figure that out.”

 

After being called out, Takayuki didn’t even try to look at Aoi’s direction as he continued fiddling with his phone. After he said his piece, he stood up and moved his gaze around.

 

Seeing that, the students around him who were expressing their displeasure, immediately jolted in surprise. Their shoulders shook at the sight of him. However, Aoi didn’t even flinch. Wearing her beautiful smile, she confronted Takayuki once more.

 

“In any case, keep your meddling in moderation, please, Miss Honor Student.”

“That’s for me to decide, Satou-kun.”

“I see.”

 

Without any hesitation, Takayuki sent her a fearless grin, turned his back on her and left the classroom.

 

Aoi just saw him off until his back left her sight before turning around to her classmates. With a shrug, she said,

 

“Too bad, I got dumped.”

 

There was a reason why her classmates put complete faith in her. She wasn’t just a pretty face or a brainless leader that could only say pretty things. She was a real leader with an unshakeable will.

 

This rooted from her self-confidence.

 

“Ah, that scared me… Miyama-san, you got guts, seriously!”

“I know right? Unlike that Suzuki guy.”

“Why are you bringing me to this?!”

 

A month after the school year started, she already showed enough achievements that she could be proud of. Everyone could safely depend on her. Her school life started off well.

 

“Ah, sorry! Aoi, I want to ask you something, can you come with me for a second?”

 

That was the case, until this moment came.

 

*   *   *

 

“You need a love advice? From me?”

 

Aoi slipped out of the classroom with the person who asked for her help and went to the back of the school building.

 

“Mhm. Please help me, you’re the only one I can count on…”

 

The other person was Ukai Tomoe. Aoi and her had been friends since middle school.

 

Although her classmates were inviting her to karaoke, Aoi herself liked Tomoe quite a lot and Tomoe was someone who’d prefer to get things done by herself rather than asking for help. Situations where she’d come out to ask for Aoi’s help like this were rare, so it was only natural that Aoi would prioritize helping her out.

 

“Hm, fine. Ever since my first love was broken, I hated all kinds of love stories, but for you, I’ll be your love counselor.”

“Huh? Wait, did I ask the wrong person for help?”

 

To those words, Aoi showed Tomoe a fearless grin, an expression that she’d never show to her classmates. In response, Tomoe’s tense body relaxed a little as she showed a smile.

 

“Just kidding, but are you sure you want to ask me for love advice, Tomoe? I only ever confessed to someone once and honestly it was a sh**ty confession.”

“Sh**ty confession?”

“Yeah. Basically, I just forced my ideal into that person and it was a huge mess. I don’t think you should use it as a reference.”

“T-That’s… But, you received a lot of confessions from boys, at least, right?”

“Yeah, but you know, most of them were just half-hearted confessions that everyone would forget in ten seconds. Honestly, I think you’d better ask someone other than me, or I’ll end up destroying your love life.”

“What, are you calling yourself the romcom destroyer now?”

 

At Aoi’s joke, Tomoe let out a giggle.

 

The girl had natural brown hair that was tied into a ponytail. Her wheat-colored skin looked healthy and smooth. She had a slender, yet trained body, courtesy of her being a member of the track team. Normally, there would be a cheerful smile decorating her cute face, but this time, her expression was grim.

 

“So, what do you want me to do? Yes, I advertise myself as an omnipotent beauty, but there are also things that I can’t do.”

“Hahaha, yes, yes, I can’t even call you a narcissist because you’re just that capable, but has anyone ever told you that your personality is rotten? Anyway, you should be able to help me, it isn’t a big problem or anything… Um… I just want you to introduce me to a certain senpai in the art club…”

 

Tomoe just brushed off Aoi’s arrogant and prideful words and stated her business.

 

“Hmm… I guess I can do that much… What’s his name?”

“Um… It was…”

 

The name that came out of Tomoe’s mouth was the name of a second year student from the art club. But the name sounded feminine for some reason.

 

“…Tomoe, I’ll help you out to the best of my abilities if things come down to it, but this love consultation isn’t for you, isn’t it?”

“Ahaha… You know…”

“I thought you’re going to confess to your childhood friend.”

 

Hearing Aoi’s words, Tomoe’s face turned ugly, like a child that was about to cry. But it only persisted for a moment before she wore a cheerful smile. She made her voice a tone higher, trying to hide her true feelings about the matter.

 

“I’m not! Jeez, I told you that Nao and I are just childhood friends, nothing more!”

“Tomoe, you…”

“B-Besides!”

 

After stumbling on her words for a moment, Tomoe forced herself to speak in an upbeat and cheerful tone.

 

“Nao found someone that he likes! Not me, but a senpai from the art club! She seems to be mature, kind and smart too!”

 

Those words were enough for Aoi to fully grasp the situation.

 

Tomoe was walking on the path of unrequited love.

 

“Since I’m his childhood friend, I have to help him out, right? That guy is hopeless at everything other than baseball. He’s especially hopeless about love!”

“…Right.”

 

To Tomoe, who was forcing herself to act cheerfully, Aoi let out a sigh.

 

“I agree with you. Your childhood friend is hopeless.”

 

“Good grief…” Aoi said as she grabbed Tomoe’s hands.

 

“Eh? Aoi?”

“If you keep acting like this, you’ll be a bother to your clubmates, so come with me.”

 

She dragged her puzzled friend by the hand and moved out to a different location to find out more about the situation.

 

*   *   *

 

As far as Aoi knew, Tomoe was especially close to her childhood friend, Mihara Naotsugu.

 

Their relationship went as well as your typical childhood friend relationship that one would find in anime or manga. Their houses were next to each other, they knew each other for so long that one wouldn’t be surprised if they said that they introduced themselves to each other the moment they came out from their mothers’ wombs. They went to the same school from preschool to high school. Oftentimes, people around them would call them ‘married couple’ or ‘siblings’, but whichever it was, it was a general consensus that they were meant for each other.

 

So, why did Naotsugu fall in love with another girl?

 

“Eh, no, no, that’s not it, Aoi! Nao and I are like siblings! Family! We’re too close to each other to consider each other as a romantic interest!”

 

The answer came out of Tomoe’s mouth along with a painful smile.

 

In her normal state, Tomoe would act as a mood-maker by utilizing her cheerful smile to brighten the atmosphere around her. But in her current state, the same cheerful smile looked painfully awkward. This state of hers was enough to convince her clubmates that she wasn’t in the situation where she could afford to attend her club activities.

 

“…*Sigh*. Look here, Tomoe, I really don’t care about which girl that childhood friend of yours ended up with. I don’t mind introducing that senpai to him, not at all. Just stop forcing yourself to smile, okay?”

“A-Ahaha… But, Aoi—”

“Tell me everything. That’s my condition before I start helping you.”

“…You’re so mean, Aoi.”

 

Both of them had moved from the back of the school building to a restaurant located in front of the station.

 

Before Tomoe reported that she wanted to take a day off from her club activities, she texted one of her clubmates about it, stating that she didn’t feel that good and wanted to go home early. The reply to that text was, ‘I know it, you’ve been looking off all day,’ and she easily got the permission for it.

 

It was then when Aoi realized that her best friend was in a worse state than she imagined.

 

“Don’t worry, at this time of the day, barely anyone from our school comes here. Besides, I can see if someone familiar comes in from here, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Wow, you’re so thoughtful, Aoi. Amazing. The best. A perfect beauty.”

 

 

“I have to go this far if I want to make you talk.”

“I guess so, huh? Hahaha… I’m really no match for you, Aoi…”

 

Along with a dry laugh, Tomoe let out a big sigh before her face crumpled pitifully.

 

“You know… Like I said, there’s nothing going on between us. Nao and I are childhood friends. The feelings he has toward me is ‘love toward family members’ instead of ‘love toward the opposite s*x’. It’s not strange that Nao fell in love with someone else…”

“I’m asking this just to make sure. Are you sure that isn’t a misunderstanding on your part?”

“No, it isn’t a misunderstanding.”

 

Shaking her head slowly, Tomoe told Aoi that.

 

“It was Nao who told me about it first… He told me that he found someone that he loves…”

“…”

 

There was no room for misunderstanding based on his words.

 

Aoi’s eyes widened involuntarily. Her lips trembled for a moment before forming a cruel looking smile. Her smile still looked pretty, but it made everyone who saw it felt a chill running down their spines.

 

“Wait for me here, I’m going to break a motherf***er’s bones real quick.”

“Aoi?! Wait, calm down a little!”

“I’m calm. Calm enough to spare his dominant arm.”

“That isn’t the point! His future as a baseball player will be ruined if you break any of his bones!”

 

After a desperate persuasion from Tomoe, Aoi managed to suppress her anger. She was currently taking a few deep breaths while sitting down on her chair.

 

“…Phew. I calmed down. Now that I think about it, breaking his bone is a bad idea. If I want to deal with him, I have to do it in a way that doesn’t leave physical evidence.”

“You haven’t calmed down at all!”

“…Just kidding. I won’t actually do it, so calm down. Still, what he did was horrible. You like him, don’t you, Tomoe?”

“Um, that’s…”

“I may not know much about love talks, but there’s no way that I’ll ignore your situation. You’re my best friend. We’ve spent our middle school lives together. I won’t let your love life end this way.”

 

Tomoe’s shoulders shook as she heard Aoi’s words.

 

“Uh, really? Is it that obvious that I like him?”

“Well, whenever you’re talking with him, you always wear that ‘maiden-in-love’ look.”
“No way!”

“The only one who isn’t aware of your feelings toward him back in middle school is that dense idiot. Honestly, if we were to tell our friends from middle school about this, they’d be more than happy enough to finish him off.”

“U-Uuu…”

 

The girl was shocked to find out that more people knew about her feelings than she expected. But, after letting out a long groan, she seemed to be over it and moved on.

 

“B-But, Aoi… I’m happy for him.”

 

Her cheeks were tinted with shades of red as she confessed her feelings to Aoi.

 

“Nao has always been staying by my side, protecting me like I’m his real sister. If she could fall in love with someone without minding my presence, it would make me feel happy…”

 

Tomoe looked resolute and unwavering as she said that.

 

“…Tomoe.”

“Well, I said that, but I know that I’ll mess it up somehow, so please, Aoi, help me! I want to help him with his love!”

 

Seeing her best friend asking for help while disregarding her pain, Aoi couldn’t bear to reject her.

 

Even if it meant to send her off to a thorny path, she just couldn’t bring herself to deny Tomoe’s decision to walk on that path.

 

“Got it, I’ll see what I can do. But keep in mind that even if I managed to introduce that senpai to you, it doesn’t mean that everything will work out fine, okay?”

“Mm! Thank you, Aoi!”

 

Seeing the blossoming smile on her best friend’s face, Aoi’s heart ached.

 

“Don’t mind it. I’m only helping you for my own self-satisfaction, okay?”

 

Aoi was more than familiar with the pain that was hidden beneath her best friend’s pretty smile.

 

TL: Iyo

ED: Iyo

 

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