Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051603008595869
Starting the morning after we exchanged contact information, my school life became noticeably more chaotic.
“Good morning. How are you feeling today?”
“Are you awake? I’m at morning practice!”
“You only got up to page 32 last night, didn’t you?”
6:20 a.m.
Staring at the messages that arrived almost simultaneously from all three of them, I tilted my head while still under the covers.
Himuro aside, I understood why Natsume was awake—she had morning practice.
But how did Shiina know my reading progress?
It was true that I’d reported reading up to page 32 last night, but I hadn’t told her I’d fallen asleep right after that.
“I’ll read the rest today.”
As soon as I sent that reply, it was marked as read.
“I’d like you to reach page fifty by the end of the school day.”
She was starting to sound just like an editor.
I closed my smartphone, got ready, and left the house.
As I approached the usual intersection, I spotted Kotonoha a little way ahead.
Next to her was Ren Takamiya.
The two of them were walking side by side at the same pace, chatting happily.
Kotonoha noticed me and waved her hand vigorously.
“Yuto, good morning!”
“Good morning.”
“Can we walk together today?”
For just a moment, I hesitated before answering.
I could come up with plenty of excuses to turn her down.
Class monitor duty, something I’d forgotten, a call from a teacher.
But if I kept running away every time, Kotonoha would eventually start to think something was off.
“Sure.”
“That’s great. Lately, you’ve been the only one who’s been leaving ahead of us a lot.”
When I stepped up to stand next to the two of them, Ren gave an apologetic smile.
“Sorry about that, Yuto. Am I making you feel uncomfortable or something?”
“Not really. I’m just sleep-deprived because my part-time job’s been busy.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then it’s fine.”
My best friend was a good guy.
That’s exactly why I can’t hold a grudge against him.
It might have been easier if I could just think of it as having Kotoha taken away from me. But Ren didn’t take anything from me—he just expressed his feelings.
I did nothing, so I just lost on my own.
“Speaking of which, Yuto,”
Kotonoha peered over at me.
“You’ve been getting along well with Himuro and the others lately, haven’t you?”
“They just come by my part-time job.”
“Natsume and Shiina too?”
“It’s just a coincidence.”
“All three of them just happen to end up at the same place?”
Kotonoha’s smile was the same as always.
But I sensed a slight catch in her voice.
“We’re all people who’ve had our hearts broken, so we have a lot in common.”
As soon as I said it, I knew I’d messed up.
“Heartbreak?”
Kotonoha stopped in her tracks.
Ren and I stopped too, following her lead.
“Yuto, did you used to like someone?”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Who?”
“I’m not telling.”
“Is it someone I know?”
“You’re asking a lot of questions this early in the morning.”
I gave a half-hearted laugh and started walking again.
Kotonoha still looked like she wanted to say something, but Ren changed the subject for me.
While I was relieved, there was a tiny part of me that had gotten my hopes up just a little.
I wondered if Kotonoha had been shaken up by the fact that I’d once liked someone.
That couldn’t be true.
As just a childhood friend, she was probably just surprised to learn there was a side of me she didn’t know about.
I know that.
Still, five years was a little too long to give up completely.
When I entered the classroom, Himuro was already at her desk, reading some materials.
The moment she spotted me, she closed the materials and stood up.
“Good morning, Kasugai-kun.”
“Good morning.”
“I didn’t receive a reply to my message this morning.”
“I was feeling fine.”
“If you’re fine, just say you’re fine. You made me worry for no reason.”
“You’re starting to sound like my mom.”
“Were you walking to school with Mizuse-san, so you couldn’t reply?”
“How did you know?”
“I saw you from the window.”
Himuro’s desk is by the window, but she’d have to lean out quite a bit to see the path to school.
I wonder why she’d go to such lengths to look outside.
“Did you two talk about anything?”
“Just casual small talk.”
“Casual, huh?”
Himuro stared intently at my face, then narrowed her eyes slightly.
“You should try to break the habit of forcing a smile.”
“Do I have a habit like that?”
“Yes. At least when you’re talking about Mizuse.”
Caught red-handed, I was at a loss for words.
Himuro didn’t press the issue any further and placed a piece of paper on my desk.
“Please come to the student council room after school.”
“I’m not on the student council, though.”
“I’d like you to assist the Cultural Festival Executive Committee.”
“I didn’t hear about that.”
“I just told you.”
“That’s not a request—it’s a decision, right?”
“President Kuze instructed me to bring one trustworthy student since we’re short-handed.”
President Kuze.
The one who rejected Himuro.
“Are you sure this is okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Working with the president?”
“I’m not a child who mixes business with personal feelings.”
Himuro replied calmly.
However, there was a slight tension in the fingertips holding the documents.
“Alright. I’ll go.”
“Thank you.”
“But just for an hour. I have a part-time job today.”
“I’m aware. Kasugai-kun, your shift starts at 5:00 p.m. today, right?”
“How do you know my shift by heart?”
“It’s necessary information.”
She didn’t tell me what it was necessary for.
Lunchtime.
After buying some bread at the school store, I returned to the classroom to find my seat surrounded by three girls.
Himuro was sitting directly across from me.
Natsume was at the desk next to mine.
Shiina was sitting in my chair, reading a novel.
“That’s my seat, by the way.”
“You’re late, Kasugai!”
“I was just at the school store.”
“Let’s eat on the rooftop today.”
“It’s too cold, so no way.”
“Then let’s eat in the student council room.”
“Don’t keep me stuck in the student council room until break.”
Shiina looked up from her book.
“The library is quiet.”
“Food and drinks aren’t allowed there, are they?”
“Kasugai-kun’s classroom… I just can’t relax there.”
“That’s because the three of you are hanging out together.”
They were clearly being stared at with curiosity by those around them.
Three girls who’d just had their hearts broken were gathering at one boy’s desk every day.
To anyone unaware of the situation, it probably wouldn’t look like heartbroken girls comforting each other—it would just seem like I was strangely popular.
“Kasugai-kun.”
An unfamiliar voice came from the classroom entrance.
When I turned around, a female student I didn’t recognize was standing there.
She wore a ribbon in the color designated for first-year students.
Her glossy chestnut-brown hair was cut even at shoulder length, and a gentle smile played on her well-defined features.
“Do you have a moment?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I’m Maho Shirazaki, the Student Council Secretary.”
Himuro reacted.
“Shirazaki. What are you doing in the second-year classroom?”
“President Kuze asked me to escort you, Kasugai-senpai, to the student council room.”
“Wasn’t that supposed to be after school?”
“He said he’d like to give you a preliminary briefing during lunch break as well.”
As she answered, Shirazaki kept her gaze fixed directly on me.
Even though this was our first meeting, her gaze felt strangely intimate.
“In that case, I’ll come along too.”
Himuro stood up.
“Vice President, you still have to check the financial records, don’t you?”
“……I’ll do it later.”
“The deadline is today, right?”
Shirasaki’s smile didn’t waver.
Himuro’s expression remained calm as well.
Yet, for some reason, the atmosphere between the two of them had suddenly grown tense.
“Can I come too?”
“Outsiders are not allowed.”
“Then Kasugai is an outsider too, isn’t he?”
“Kasugai-senpai is an exception.”
Shirazaki naturally tugged at my sleeve.
“Let’s go, senpai.”
“I know where it is even without directions.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Then why did you come to pick me up?”
Shirazaki lowered her eyes slightly and smiled, looking somewhat pleased.
“Because I wanted to walk with you, Senpai.”
The classroom fell silent.
Natsume froze with her mouth agape, and Shiina stared at Shirazaki from behind her book.
Only Himuro remained calm.
At least, on the surface.
“Shirazaki-san.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t approve of mixing personal feelings with official duties.”
“Is that coming from the vice president?”
Their smiles deepened ever so slightly.
Still clueless about what was going on, I was led out of the classroom by Shirazaki.
“Have we met before?”
“You don’t remember, do you?”
“Sorry.”
“No, it’s very much like you, Kasugai-senpai.”
Shirazaki didn’t let go of my sleeve as we walked down the hallway.
“Last year, you picked up my student ID that I’d dropped in front of the library.”
“Is that all?”
“For me, it’s not just that.”
Shirazaki’s voice was a little softer than before.
“Even if you don’t remember, I’ve always remembered it.”
Before I could ask what she meant, we arrived at the student council room.
When I opened the door, several officers, including President Kuze, were spread out with documents.
Shirazaki finally let go of my sleeve.
“Welcome, Kasugai-senpai.”
Then, from an angle where no one else could see, she smiled just at me.
“We’ll have plenty of time to talk from now on, won’t we?”
It was different from the three of them right after their heartbreak.
It was the smile of someone who had been looking only at me from the very beginning.
Of course, at that point, I hadn’t noticed Shirazaki’s feelings.
I just thought there was a junior in the student council who was strangely close to me.
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