The Nonfiction That Only You Know

Chapter 35

Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/06/27

Back when Mii attended Sakuragawa Academy, she was always together with her two closest friends.

Since they were a trio of best friends, most of Mii's memories from those days include those two.

Four years have passed since their graduation, but their friendship has not changed. Even now, they still see each other from time to time and laugh together as they did back then.

After finding the familiar face that she always saw back in her high school days, Mii waves her hand in the air.

Her friend, Nanase Saku, notices and waves back at her happily.

"Mii, it's been a while."
"Have you been well?"
"Of course. So you've changed your hair color again. It looks cute."
"It's truly tough being a hairstylist~... How are things going with your drawings?"

Mii has been friends with Saku since middle school and she is now attending a tough art university famous throughout even the nation.

She has a very cute face and a history as a former child actor.

Since she is short, Mii gets tempted to dote on her but in reality, Saku is a reliable person who's often the one looking after Mii.

"I want to see your drawings again."

She is really good at drawing and has an excellent artistic sense.

She apparently enters contests frequently and from the last drawing she showed Mii, she seems to have improved even more compared to her high school days.

"Is Ririna not here yet?"

Saku says that about five minutes past the meeting time.

Just as the two of them are about to contact her, they notice an expensive-looking luxury car entering the station roundabout.

The car stops right next to Saku and Mii.

A tall woman comes out of the car and opens the rear door.
Out of it appears a woman who looks rich at a glance, a genuine young mistress, Momomiya Ririna.

To Mii, she is a dear friend from her high school days.

"I'm sorry, did you two wait long? The traffic was congested..."

She is the only daughter of the president of a jewelry brand famous in Japan. After graduating from high school, she studied business administration at a university to prepare for the day she inherits her father's company.

In order to further develop the company, she's absorbing knowledge from various other fields, enthusiastic to apply it to what will eventually become her company.

"Seeing her like this, Ririna truly seems like a young mistress, doesn't she?"

Since they wore the same uniform in high school, Mii didn't really get that impression then, but she is once again reminded that Ririna is the daughter of a rich man.

Back then they were pure and knew nothing, so they were attracted to each other's personalities and became friends without worrying about things like that.

Also, the woman who got out of the car before Ririna has quite a pretty face when seen up close.

Her pantsuit matches her tall figure well. She's probably around the same age as Mii.

"I'll contact you when I'm done. You're free to do as you like until then, Anzu."
"Understood."

The woman bowing her head is probably either Ririna's bodyguard or secretary.

Since Ririna is a young mistress, Mii heard that she had someone like that around even back in high school.

"Sorry to keep you two waiting. Saku, Mii."
"Mii...?"

As if by reflex, the woman who had been called Anzu earlier repeats Mii's name.

Naturally, all three of them look at Anzu curiously.

"Ah, pardon my rudeness."
"Anzu, do you know Mii...?"
"No, that's the same name as my friend's friend... Now if you'll excuse me."

With the clicking of her pumps' heels, Anzu quickly returns to the car.
Her somewhat flustered attitude causes Ririna to wrinkle her eyebrows in suspicion.

"That's not like Anzu... is that a normal reaction to hearing a name that's the same as a friend of a friend's?"
"Indeed... that's quite a distant relationship. Anzu-san also graduated from our high school, didn't she? I've seen her with you sometimes, Ririna."　
"That's right. She was one year above us though so you two probably didn't have much contact with her."
"Then who's the friend that Mii and Anzu have in common?"

Mii and Ririna fall silent at Saku's question.
Back in school, Mii didn't belong to any clubs so she didn't have any friends in the years above.

From how Ririna spoke, it doesn't sound like Anzu had much contact with her juniors.

"I didn't have any friends outside of my classmates though..."

Suddenly, the image of a certain beloved girl surfaces in Mii's mind.

Mii didn't know her last name or her face.
There was one girl who Mii didn't know the class or school year of.

While thinking that couldn't be, her heart trembles with anticipation.

Hoping against hope, she asks Ririna a favor.

"Ririna, could you do something for me?"
"What is it?"
"I want you to ask Anzu-san if she knows anyone named Chiho."

Ririna tilts her head as if to signal she's getting even more confused.

Maybe this is just Mii's misunderstanding. Even so, she has no choice but to gamble on this possibility.

If she could get any information on the girl she completely lost contact with, she wants to believe in the chance no matter how slim.