Liar's Lips Fall Apart in Love - Volume 1 Chapter 1.1

The Spring When I Met You 1

The day that greatly changed my university life was nothing special; just a very ordinary weekday.

After parking my bicycle in the bicycle parking area, I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the sleeve of my polo shirt.

The weather was nice today, and for mid-May, the temperature was quite high.

After pedaling my bike for thirty minutes, I was drenched in sweat. I’ve heard that the heat in Kyoto is quite harsh due to the high humidity. I can’t help but worry about whether I’ll be able to get through the summer without any trouble.

After the Golden Week holiday, the population on campus significantly decreases. It seems that the freshmen, who had been coming to university diligently since enrollment, gradually learn to skip classes.

There are also a few who catch the so-called May sickness and stop coming to university altogether.

Just as I started walking towards the school building, a loud “Gashan!” sound echoed from behind.

When I turned around, I saw a toppled bicycle and the figure of a female student.

It seemed that the contents of her bag, which she might have put in the bicycle’s basket, were scattered all over, and she was hurriedly picking them up.

Then, something rolled to my feet—a very small cylindrical object, probably a lipstick.

I picked it up and called out to her back

“Um, this…”

She looked up at me with a shock.

The moment I saw her face, I was stunned.

She had curly lashes, impressive double eyelids, large eyes that seemed to draw you in, skin so pale it seemed to stand out, and shiny, peach-colored lips.

She was a glittering beauty that one could inadvertently marvel at for a moment. Uh, I think she’s from the same seminar… What was her name again?

While I was trying to remember, she saw the lipstick in my hand and relaxed her cheeks in relief.

“Ah, that’s mine…!”

She took it from me with great care. Her slender white fingers, with pink nails adorned with tiny sparkling stones, were delicate.

“It’s something important to me. Thank you for picking it up, Sagara-kun.”

She said, smiling. I was surprised that the beauty of our seminar knew my name.

I thought she wouldn’t recognize a plain guy like me. I set her bicycle upright

“Well then,”

I said, and left the spot. I could hear someone saying “Thank you!” from behind, but I didn’t turn around. It’s better not to get involved with such a sparkling beauty.

Crossing the lawn square, I noticed a group of about four boys sitting and frolicking. One of them looked familiar, though I couldn’t remember his name. It seemed he noticed me too as our eyes met, but I just walked past. We weren’t exactly on greeting terms.

After all, I didn’t come to this university to exchange greetings.

When I entered the large lecture hall, I made my way straight to the center of the front row without hesitation.

The Wednesday third-period class is notorious among students as “nap time” because the professor’s voice is so soft and mumbled it’s hard to hear, plus the post-lunch condition doesn’t help.

At the back of the lecture hall, a flashy group of male and female students was talking loudly. From their conversation, they seemed to be from the Faculty of Sociology. Strangely enough, you can somewhat tell the different colors of the students by their faculty.

By the way, I’m from the Faculty of Economics.

Gradually, more and more people started coming in, and the seats began to fill up…”

I’ts about to start. There are five more minutes before the class begins.

“……Um. Is it okay if I sit here?”

I heard a whisper-like voice and lifted my face. Bright chestnut-colored long hair swayed smoothly before my eyes, and a sweet, floral scent wafted over, making me involuntarily swallow my saliva.

It was the sparkling beauty I had just picked up the lipstick for. I still couldn’t remember her name.

“Huh?, ah, yeah,”

My voice slightly cracking. Damn, why am I getting nervous, me.

“Excuse me then.”

She said with a smile and hesitantly took a seat next to me.

“Thank you for earlier, Sagara-kun. You’re taking this class too, huh?”

“……Ah.”

“This professor’s voice is really small, right? It’s hard to hear from the back. But the class is interesting, so I thought I’d sit in the front today and listen properly. Sorry for suddenly talking to you.”

“……No, it’s fine.”

I gave the bare minimum of responses to her monologue. I can’t come up with, nor do I intend to give, any clever replies.

It was then that I finally remembered her name. It must be ── Nanase Haruko.

I was dreading being chattered at like this for the duration of the class, but when the professor entered the lecture hall, Nanase closed her mouth and began to take notes with a serious expression. Her back was as straight as if she had a ruler stuck behind her.

Even though we’re from the same seminar, there was absolutely no interaction between Nanase and me. I knew nothing about her besides her name. Well, it doesn’t really matter to me anyway.

And yet, while thinking it doesn’t matter, I covertly observed Nanase out of the corner of my eye.

In our seminar ── no, even looking at the whole university ── I think she’s one of the top beauties. I can understand why the guys in the same seminar make a fuss about how cute she is. Her clothing is something I don’t quite understand, but she seems to dress stylishly. A plain type like me wouldn’t even be on her radar. I have no intention of getting close to her either.

Looking at her perfectly shaped face, earnestly listening to the professor, I felt a sense of nostalgia for some reason.

……This face, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before. I tried to think where I might have seen her, but no matter how much I searched my memory, I couldn’t recall ever gazing at such a beauty up close.

It must be my imagination, I thought, tearing my gaze away.

When the one hundred and twenty-minute class was over, I shoved my textbook and pencil case into my shoulder bag. That’s when a familiar girl ran up to Nanase.

“Haruko! You were sitting here!”

It was the Kansai dialect, something I’ve grown used to hearing since coming to Kyoto. I don’t know her name, but I think she was probably in the same seminar.

Her slanted eyes were striking, and she seemed like a strong-willed beauty. A friend of the dazzling beauty is dazzling too, I thought.

“Hey Haruko, are you free next Saturday? We’re thinking of having a barbecue with our club members, wanna come?”

“Ah, is that so? Um… I’ll check my schedule.”

“I’ve been told by a senior to bring the pretty girl that’s always with you. Please don’t hit on my Haruko! I told him that!”

“Seriously, Sacchan…”

Nanase chuckled, shaking her shoulders, and the gold earrings hanging from her ears sparkled.

“After class, come shopping with me. Let’s also go to the new donut shop.”

“Yeah! I’m going! I also want to buy the new eyeshadow.”

With no intention of eavesdropping on the girls’ conversation, I stood up early. My next language class is in Building Four. I’ll move quickly and do some prep.

“Ah, Sagara-kun. See you later.”

As I was about to walk away, Nanase called out and waved her hand. “See you,” she said. Surprised by her greeting, I silently gave a slight nod in response.

Just as I was exiting the lecture room, I overheard someone say,

“What’s with that guy? He’s so unfriendly.”

…She said “See you,” but I doubt I’ll have anything to do with Nanase in the future.

Since entering the university, I’ve made a conscious effort to minimize my interaction with others.

I have no interest in joining clubs or extracurricular activities.

After all, a student’s primary duty is to study, so I shouldn’t do anything extra and should focus on attending classes, taking exams, and earning credits.

I’ll engage in conversation if necessary, but I don’t have a single friend. A girlfriend is out of the question.

Some might mock me as a loner, but let them say whatever they want.

I can use my time solely for myself without being disturbed by troublesome social relationships. Being a loner is the best.

A university life of deliberately cutting down on interactions with others has been carefree and comfortable.

After finishing my fifth period class, the sun was already setting. I’ll go home, have dinner, and then it’s straight to my part-time job. The night shift pays well, so I’m grateful for it.