Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051597934651646/episodes/2912051598686809904
It was early morning in the classroom. There was still plenty of time before classes began.
In the quiet, empty room, Houtarou sat at his desk, spreading out his textbooks and notebooks.
For him—who lived alone due to his parents’ circumstances—preparing for and reviewing his lessons in the morning classroom had become a daily morning routine where he could work undisturbed.
Amid the silence, the only sound was the pleasant scratching of his mechanical pencil against the paper.
The front door of the classroom swung open, and his childhood friend, Shiojiri Misao, walked in with her bag slung over her shoulder.
She walked straight over to Houtarou’s desk without hesitation and plopped a small bag down on the edge of it.
“Hey. You’re early again today.”
Misao. Houtarou’s childhood friend and classmate.
“Misao, huh? What’s this?”
“Here, take this. It’s new merchandise from the VTuber ‘Wine’s Big Brother.’ I got a sample.”
When Houtarou replied matter-of-factly, Misao shrugged her shoulders with a wry smile.
“It’s in lieu of that part-time job from the other day.”
“But I told you I don’t want it.”
“Papa insisted. He asked for your feedback, too. He said your objective opinions are a huge help. Mama trusts you, too.”
“I see. I’ll gratefully accept it then.”
Just as he was about to put the contents of the bag into his backpack, Houtarou’s smartphone, which had been sitting on the desk, vibrated briefly.
A notification from a messaging app popped up on the screen.
The sender was Seika. It was a follow-up to that mysterious call from earlier, when she’d panicked all on her own.
Misao, who had been peeking at the screen, snorted.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. Just realized you’re still in touch with Hirugami san.”
“Yeah.”
Since there was no need to hide it, Houtarou gave a brief nod of confirmation.
Misao shot Houtarou a somewhat meaningful look and leaned forward over the desk.
“It’s fine, I guess. But are you two going to end up dating?”
“Here we go again. Why do you always jump to such extreme conclusions?”
As Houtarou let out a small sigh of exasperation, Misao’s expression turned serious.
“Friendship between a guy and a girl just doesn’t work, does it? In the end, it always boils down to whether you’re dating or not.”
“That’s an extreme view.”
Houtarou shook his head slightly at the trend among people his age to try to fit all human relationships into the framework of romance.
Faced with Houtarou’s cold response, Misao softened her expression just a little and muttered softly.
“Hey. It’s okay. You can come over to my place like you used to. Dad and Mom don’t mind at all.”
Her voice was tinged with pure concern for her childhood friend.
It was probably her own clumsy way of trying to fill the loneliness of living alone.
“Eating alone is lonely, isn’t it?”
“No, not really anymore.”
Houtarou looked up from the notebook in his hands and met Misao’s gaze with calm eyes.
At his straightforward denial, Misao caught her breath slightly.
After a brief silence, she asked in a probing tone.
“…Is that thanks to her, Hirugami-san?”
“I suppose so.”
Ever since Seika had forced her way into his life and started serving him home-cooked meals, his days of eating nothing but jelly drinks alone had come to an end.
Houtarou’s daily life—forced to live alone due to his parents’ circumstances, simply passing the time in a room that was far too quiet—had changed completely from that day on.
She’d barge in, take over the kitchen, cook delicious meals, and laugh boisterously as she got excited or upset over trivial things.
A noisy, slightly clumsy, and overly caring classmate.
It was true that her presence brought a definite warmth to Houtarou’s life now.
“In a way, that cheerfulness saves me.”
Misao’s eyes widened at the honest words that slipped from Houtarou’s mouth.
It was surprising that this childhood friend, who was usually indifferent to others, was positively acknowledging someone’s influence.
“Besides, watching her… is kind of fun.”
Houtarou was a little surprised himself by the words that had suddenly slipped out.
But it was undeniably what he truly felt.
Watching her—whether she was blowing things out of proportion and shooting herself in the foot, or proclaiming some mysterious confidence like “530,000 IQ” only to repeat her clumsy failures—never got old.
She always stirred up little ripples in Houtarou’s emotions, which had been as flat as a calm water surface.
That commotion felt incredibly comforting to Houtarou right now.
“……Hmm.”
Misao looked away and muttered briefly.
Her profile, gazing out the window, was a mixture of relief and a hint of loneliness.
“I’m glad that worked out.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
After Houtarou offered a brief word of thanks, Misao waved her hand lightly and walked back to her seat.
Left alone, Houtarou looked down at his smartphone once more.
Thinking of his neighbor, who was probably scratching her head in frustration on the other side of the screen right now, a faint, gentle smile appeared on his lips.
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