“‘—Since there were still plenty of days before school classes started, I was in a position where I could stay in Kamakura or return home as I pleased, so I resolved to remain at my usual lodging for the time being—’”
Right after the sports festival, June arrives.
In the classroom during a lesson, the windows are flung open, and the sound of textbooks being flipped by the sunny breeze echoes from all corners.
Kiritsuki, with a gentle tone and no trace of nervousness, was reading aloud from Soseki Natsume’s Kokoro.
The lesson takes place in the early afternoon, and her calm voice is so soothing it could lull you to sleep.
In fact, you can spot a few students here and there who’ve already dozed off.
After the seating change, I ended up in the very back seat by the corridor. Kiritsuki, as always, is in the seat next to mine, her clear voice resonating pleasantly through the classroom.
Despite that, Kiritsuki isn’t wearing her white blazer, just a short-sleeved dress shirt and the school’s designated tie.
Her usual gray skirt has been swapped for a white checkered one, giving her an even more refined impression.
When her ponytail sways in the breeze, a faint citrus scent tickles my nose.
With the change to summer uniforms, the boys in the school seem to be collectively more energized.
By the way, the boys’ black slacks have been replaced with a light gray, giving a cooler vibe.
To be honest, I’ve never really paid attention to that before.
And this year, I doubt I’ll start caring either.
Or rather, right now, I’m in no position to be worrying about such things.
“‘—I had, by chance, grown accustomed to visiting that one house. They had a grand villa near Hase—’”
For the past few weeks, because of my leg injury, I’ve been sitting out of PE classes, spending my days quietly.
As a result, I haven’t been able to practice for the kagura dance, and I haven’t seen Hino Hana since the day after the sports festival when she left me with those shocking words. I haven’t been able to contact her either.
No matter where I go or what I do, I can’t get her out of my head.
Hino Hana’s eccentric behavior already sticks in my mind, so I really wish she hadn’t said something so unnecessary.
The day after the sports festival, she suddenly closed the distance between us.
Last year, by sharing snacks with our classmates, she made it known that there was “a thoughtful guy” close to me, subtly marking her territory against someone—though I’m not sure who.
This year, she went even further and said that.
If what she said wasn’t a lie or a misunderstanding, she probably felt some kind of urgency.
Until now, she’d never shown any signs of that, which means she must’ve thought there was no issue before.
What did she see at the sports festival, what did she feel, that made her decide to speak so clearly?
And above all, why did she say it and then vanish?
Letting out a quiet sigh at the pointless questions lingering in my mind, I shift my gaze toward the window.
There, I catch sight of Kaori, who moved to the front seat by the window. She’s listening to Kiritsuki’s reading with a look of contentment.
Even Kaori looks sleepy, so I doubt anyone’s actually absorbing the content.
With June here and midterms approaching, I haven’t been able to focus on studying at all.
Suddenly, Kiritsuki finishes her reading and returns to her seat. The modern literature teacher praises her performance and continues the lesson.
“Whoa, like half the class is asleep.”
“About forty percent of that is because of your reading, you know.”
“Huh? Me? Why?”
“Your voice is too soothing.”
Smirking at Kiritsuki’s puzzled expression as she tilts her head, I turn back to the front when I hear the sound of chalk scraping against the blackboard.
Then, I feel a gaze from the side.
It’s not just my imagination—Kiritsuki, sitting next to me, keeps sneaking glances my way.
I think this started after the sports festival.
At least, that’s when I noticed it.
My plain face can’t be that interesting to look at. What’s Kiritsuki so curious about that she’s glancing at me so often during class?
It reminds me of how Kaori used to act back in middle school, and that thought drags up some unpleasant memories, dampening my mood.
The class ends with the day leader’s command, and I stretch slowly, letting out a breath.
The homeroom that follows is brief, just a reminder about the midterms happening in mid-June.
Once the farewell greetings are done, the school fills with the usual clamor.
“Kiritsuki, you free after this?”
“…Yeah, I’m free.”
When I look at her, Kiritsuki briefly turns away, feigning indifference.
Too lazy to call her out on it, I pretend not to notice and keep talking.
“You’re good at science subjects, right?”
Your reading earlier was great too, by the way.
“Well, decently enough.”
“Can you help me study for the midterms?”
When I say that, Kiritsuki turns back to me, looking a little surprised.
“There’s no club during the test period, so I don’t mind… but needing help for midterms? Isn’t that kinda bad?”
“That’s exactly why I’m asking.”
In the past, I didn’t worry about midterms. For the tougher finals, I always had Hino Hana to help me out.
She’s surprisingly good at studies, and from my experience learning instruments from her, I know she’s skilled at teaching others.
But this year, things feel awkward, and I can’t seem to find the right moment to meet or even contact her.
“…Kaori’s grades are better, though. Why not ask her?”
“Nah, she said she’s swamped with student council work for a while and can’t help.”
It’d been a while since I asked her for something like that, and she was pretty shocked. She apologized with a really guilty look.
“Temporary work, and she’s still so serious about it…”
That said, now that I’m a second-year, I can’t afford to let my grades slip—my parents would give me the cold shoulder for sure—so I need to do something.
“Is the material this time really that tough?”
“No, sorry, to be honest, I just haven’t been able to focus in class.”
“I haven’t been focusing much either. It’s been so hot lately.”
I doubt Kiritsuki’s lack of focus is because of the weather, but the fact that she’s still keeping up with classes shows how capable she is.
“Are you doing prep and review at home? I’m not, though.”
“…I’m not either.”
After finishing most of the housework, preparing dinner for my parents who come home at unpredictable hours, taking a bath, and retreating to my room—
Even if I have time, I don’t have the energy left to study.
And even if I try, nothing sticks in my head.
I don’t even feel like touching my phone or playing games, so I crawl into bed. I can fall asleep, but thanks to my body clock, I wake up at dawn or in the dead of night.
Lately, though, because of Hino Hana, I can’t even sleep when I want to.
“Hehe, well, if you can’t do it, no helping it, right? Big sis will take care of you!”
“…Shouldn’t you say ‘teacher’ there? And save the ‘big sis’ talk for the underclassmen.”
“Eh? When’s your birthday, Himura-kun?”
“March twentieth.”
“Mine’s this month, so I’m quite the older sister, huh?”
Hearing that casually, I pull out my smartphone.
“This month… which day?”
“Same as you, Himura-kun—the twentieth.”
I add a note to June twentieth in my calendar app and put my phone away.
“…I’ll remember that.”
“Oh? Guess I’ll look forward to it then.”
At least I won’t have to stress about her gift as much as I do with Kaori’s, so that’s a relief.
“Alright, let’s go. Where do you want to study?”
Grabbing my bag, I step into the hallway, bringing the conversation back to test prep.
“If you don’t have a preference, Himura-kun, I’d love to hit that café by the station. They’ve got a limited-time cake right now.”
It’s probably the place we went to before with Miyajima. I nod without objection.
“Since you’re helping me out, I’ll treat you.”
“Oh, that could count as my birthday present!”
“I’ll get you a proper gift, don’t worry. I don’t treat my friends that carelessly.”
“…Friends, huh?”
As Kiritsuki mutters that under her breath, I notice Kaori in the background, surrounded by a group of guys.
Among them are Tomiya, Kurusaki, and even Tsuse and Tsugiyama.
Kiritsuki, catching where my gaze went, turns around and tilts her head curiously.
“What’s going on over there?”
“No idea. It’s Kaori, so she’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
“I don’t get how ‘it’s Kaori’ makes it okay, but… whatever.”
I turn on my heel and head toward the stairs to the first floor, but after one step, I notice Kiritsuki’s still walking while looking back.
“Don’t walk backward, it’s dangerous.”
“Oh, it’s just… Kaori gave me this super intense look for a second, so I thought maybe she needed help… but she’s gone now.”
“Nah… she’s probably fine, I think. Kurusaki and Tomiya are there too.”
“…Yeah, true.”
Still, seriously, what’s going on over there?
She mentioned being busy, so maybe it’s something for the student council.
I decide to ask her about it later as I follow Kiritsuki, who’s somehow ended up walking ahead of me.
