Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330649941556887/episodes/16817330658346376709
Months passed. We became middle school students.
“H-how is it? Souta kun. D-do you find anything wrong?”
“I think it’s good. Very good.”
On the day of the entrance ceremony.
Nagi, who took the trouble to pick me up at my house, looked a little uneasy.
The school uniform was a sailor suit. A red ribbon was attached to the upper part of her chest.
“Is it cute?”
“I-I think…..it’s cute.”
I felt embarrassed and could not look at Nagi’s face.
This has been happening more and more often lately. I was able to talk to her properly not so long ago.
“Souta kun, too ! You look so cool !”
“T-thank you.”
I thanked Nagi for her words. I put on my shoes.
“Then, let’s go.”
“Yes !”
I opened the door and turned around. My father and mother were there. My father was holding a camera and taking some pictures.
Then he puts the camera down. He smiled cheerfully.
“Have a good day, you two.”
“Take care. Have a nice day.”
“We’re off.”
“W-we’re off !”
I answered my mother and father and then left the house.
Their eyes were warm. They looked at us and waved until we were out of sight.
“I’m a little nervous.”
“I guess so.”
I wonder if I can keep up with my studies. ….that will be fine. I studied a lot with Nagi during spring break.
The problem is human relations.
“E-even if you make friends, please don’t forget about me !”
“It’s not goodbye for now. I’m not going to forget you. …..Or rather, I’d like to go home with you. You don’t like it?”
“Are you sure !?”
I laugh at Nagi’s words. Even though I asked for it, Nagi’s eyes were shining.
“With all my heart.”
“T-then ! If we are in different classes, I will wait for you in front of the school gate !”
“Yeah. If I’m earlier than you, I’ll wait for you at the school gate.”
The best thing would be to be in the same class.
Although I knew it wouldn’t work out that way, I couldn’t help but wish for it.
◆◆◆
“We’re in…..different classes.”
I was in class 1. Nagi was in class 2. Nagi’s face turned pale with despair.
“Ugh.”
“Don’t be so downhearted. Our class is next to each other. You can go and play with me anytime you want.”
“……I’ll go there every time it’s recess.”
“Well, you’ve done it every time.”
Well, if it makes Nagi happy. It’s fine. Is it?
For both of us. It would be nice if I could make even one friend.
……But. I thought it would be lonely if I had less opportunities to talk to Nagi.
◆◆◆
The entrance ceremony ended without incident.
……More importantly, I didn’t expect Nagi to give a speech as the new student representative.
Then I entered the classroom and met my homeroom teacher.
“Nice to meet you.”
I sat down on the chair. A boy who was sitting in front of me suddenly spoke to me.
“Nice to meet you.”
I replied. The boy smiled brightly at me.
“My name is Makizaka Eiji. Nice to meet you !”
“L-likewise. I’m Minori Souta.”
He held out his hand and I shook it.
“Well, thank goodness, I’m glad that the person in the back seat is someone I can talk to.”
“Ah……well, I guess so.”
Here, I can’t say I’ve only ever had one friend. It is better not to say anything unnecessary. Probably.
“And Souta. Can I call you Souta?”
“Y-yeah.”
“Thank you. You can call me Eiji, too.”
“Okay, Eiji. ……So what is it?”
What was he going to say? Then Eiji said while grinning.
“I wanted to talk to [Ice Princess]’s boyfriend.”
“…… Ice Princess?”
“Hm? Don’t you know? That’s the girl who was giving the speech at the ceremony.”
“Yeah, Nagi…..wait. Eiji, what did you say?”
“I wanted to talk to [Ice Princess]’s boyfriend.”
“……Nagi’s boyfriend? Who?”
“You. Souta.”
My mind goes blank.
Nagi’s? B-boyfriend? That kind of thing is.
I shook my blank head and forced it to turn.
“W-wait, wait, wait. W-what do you mean boyfriend?”
“Hm? Is it wrong?”
“W-wrong.”
“Eh. When I was in elementary school, I heard you guys were known for flirting like crazy.”
“I-I never flirted.”
I shook my head again and this time told him in denial. Eiji tilted his head.
“Hm? Then that was a lie too?”
“……Hm?”
“I heard that you stroked [Ice Princess]’s head at school.”
“T-that’s……true.”
“Then how about going to and from school together?”
“That’s true.”
“And that you two spend all your free time together?”
“It’s true, although Nagi is limited to the days when she doesn’t have her lessons.”
“And the hug on field day in front of everyone?”
“…..That’s true.”
Eiji’s eyes became stiff.
I also awkwardly look away from him.
“That’s why you’re lying if you say you’re not dating.”
“I-I’m not lying.”
“No, you don’t have to hide it. I have a girlfriend too.”
Eiji’s words surprised me.
When I was in elementary school, I didn’t have any classmates who had girlfriends.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“Yeah. In class 2.”
Class 2, huh. …..That means.
“Same class as Nagi.”
“It seems so. Kirika said she wanted to talk to [Ice Princess] too. ……So? How’s it going?”
“W-we’re not dating.”
Eiji looked at me suspiciously and looked away again.
At that moment a male teacher walked in and the exchange was interrupted.
◆◆◆
I saw Nagi standing in the hallway outside the classroom. I thought she said she was waiting for me at the school gate.
I wonder if she couldn’t wait any longer. I think I would have gone in front of Nagi’s class if I had finished early.
“Well then, everyone, I look forward to working with you. Don’t make any detours on your way home. Well then, good bye.”
At the teacher’s words, everyone said [good-bye] and one after another, they ran out of the classroom. The students who just left probably have good friends in other classes.
I put my bag on my back. And headed out of the classroom. Eiji followed behind me.
“Oh, you’re Nagirin’s rumored boyfriend, aren’t you?”
“L-like I said. I think it’s a misunderstanding…….”
Next to Nagi, there was a female student with brown hair.
and. I somehow expected it.
“Yo, Kirika. I knew you two had become friends.”
“Hi Eiji. You too.”
It was exactly as I thought.
“Let me introduce myself. I’m Makizaka Eiji. I’m Souta’s best friend.”
“Eh, ……eh !?”
“Today is the first time we’ve met and you’ve got a lot of guts to call yourself my best friend.”
“Haha. I think it suits us.”
“Oh, that’s unusual for Eiji to say something like that.”
And next, a female student, called Kirika, looked at me.
She was quite cheerful, as was her hair color.
“I’m Nishizawa Kirika, Nagirin’s best friend.”
“Y-yeah. Nice to meet you.”
I wonder if it’s okay to say that they’re a couple of like-minded people. The atmosphere felt the same as Eiji. To be more specific, they seem to have a high level of communicative ability.
“I’m next. I’m Minori Souta. Eiji and I just talked earlier.”
“Let’s just say we’re best friends there !”
Eiji’s words made my cheeks scrunch up.
Nishizawa smiled happily. From the other side, it must be the usual thing.
“The last one is me. I’m Shinonome Nagi. Nice to meet you.”
Nagi bowed her head.
“Actually, there was one more person there. Her name is Hikarun. She said she was going to have dinner with her family.”
“Hee. I didn’t know that.”
Eiji said in response to Nishizawa’s words. I looked at Nagi once and she nodded.
……So she made friends already.
That makes me happy and I smile a little.
Nagi lifted the edge of her mouth and came next to me.
“That was very fluid, wasn’t it?”
“It’s the first time we’ve met today, but it feels really good.”
The two of them looked at me and Nagi and said so. I don’t know what’s going on since it’s always the same for us.
Nishizawa smiles.
“And then? What’s the story of how you two got together? Nagirin and…..Minorin !”
“M-Minorin……”
“That’s good, isn’t it? I like to put nicknames on people I want to be friends with.”
Minorin…..well, that’s okay. I don’t really mind.
“I mean, I didn’t even get used to it.”
“R-right.”
Nagi looked at me and gave a wry smile.
“Ah, that’s right. Do you two have any free time after school? And do you have a phone?”
“After school? I’m free.”
“Erm, I’m….all right. I don’t have any practice today.”
Nagi is learning Japanese dance, tea ceremony, and so on. She’s learning a lot of things. I feel like we’re pretty much together. To tell the truth, Nagi is busy with her practice more than half of the week.
Today is her day off because of the entrance ceremony.
“Also, both Nagi and I have smartphones.”
“I’ll call you for an hour or so before I go to sleep.”
Just as Nagi said, I received a call before going to bed. It’s around 8:30.
Then I keep calling until Nagi falls asleep.
It started a little after Nagi arrived here…..and has continued uninterruptedly every day since then.
“……What do you think? Kirika.”
“They look more like a couple than us.”
I coughed at their words.
“Oh, and you know what, why don’t we get together for a bit today? Let’s exchange contact information.”
“Contacts, huh.”
It was my first time, and I couldn’t help but ask. Until now, the only contacts I had registered were my family and Nagi.
Nishizawa smiled, gave me a nice smile and nodded repeatedly.
“Right ! I want to be friends with Nagirin too !”
“I want to be friends with Minorin, too.”
“I get goosebumps when you call me that. Stop it.”
“Tch.”
He pouted, but it’s not like he’s really depressed.
……Yeah. This is the kind of distance a friend is supposed to have. I’d be scared to death if I had the wrong sense of distance.
I’ll keep that in mind as I watch Eiji.
With that.
“I’d like to ask for your contact as well.”
“M-me too !”
“Oh, good, good. I like it. Let’s go on a double date.”
“Sounds fun. Let’s do it.”
Their words made my cheeks tightened.
I don’t think they’ll listen to anything I have to say on the matter anymore.
“Oh yeah. I’ll ask Hikarun soon. I’d like to introduce her to Eiji and the others.”
“Oh, please.”
And so it went. The first day of middle school got off to a great start for us.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate 🙂 Thank you in advance !