A few days had passed since I went on something like an after-school date to buy Kaori’s birthday present.
Today was Monday, April 16th—Kaori’s actual birthday—but outside, it was pouring rain. The cherry blossom petals had fallen to the ground.
Since that day, things with Kiritsuki had settled into a normal classmate-like relationship, chatting during class or breaks.
That was only natural since Kaori, our common topic, was in the same class. Sitting next to each other meant we never ran out of things to talk about.
The untouchable, high-and-mighty distance I used to feel from her had lessened a bit, and now she treated me with a familiarity closer to how she’d act with a same-sex friend.
“Oh, so you didn’t give it to her this morning, then?”
I barely make it to school on time, so I don’t have much chance to talk in the mornings.
During lunch break, she drags her chair right in front of me, casually eating something from the school store while striking up a conversation.
That’s our daily routine now.
“Wouldn’t that mean we’d end up walking to school together?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
No way. I’m not about to deal with all those stares while walking to school.
I’ve been avoiding that kind of thing normally, so there’s no way I’d go out of my way to do it on a slightly special day like a birthday.
“What about you? What’s your plan?”
“I was thinking of giving it to her after school. No club today, anyway.”
Our high school designates every Monday as a no-club-activities day, though you still see some people doing independent practice.
Kiritsuki is in the track team, apparently excelling in long-distance running, but according to Tomiya, she’s a bit of a delinquent ghost member.
Seems she has a habit of skipping practice. Even on the day we went shopping for Kaori’s birthday present, the track team had regular practice.
Tomiya’s baseball team just finished the spring tournament, and they recently reset their jersey numbers to start fresh with training.
They’re probably building up their strength for the summer Koshien.
By the way, Tomiya had given Kaori a stylish wristband as a present first thing this morning.
I don’t usually picture high school baseball players wearing wristbands, but as a gift from an athlete, it made sense and felt fitting.
I didn’t think it was something worth hiding from me until the day of, but Tomiya told me to “just chalk it up to the spur of the moment,” so I’ll leave it at that.
I was curious about what Kiritsuki, who’d been agonizing over her choice, ended up picking, but I’m not interested enough in other people’s lives to care too much about what someone’s giving someone else. Part of me feels it doesn’t really matter.
Suddenly, Kaori and Miyajima, who’d been making a commotion at the front of the classroom, pushed through the crowd and rushed over to our seats.
“Kana-chan!”
“Whoa—”
Kiritsuki responded to Kaori, who’d hugged her from behind, with the most deadpan tone imaginable.
Beside her, Miyajima gave a wry smile, and our eyes met for a split second, but she quickly looked away for some reason.
I haven’t spoken to her at all since showing her around the school, so I have no idea what she thinks of me. The one thing I can tell is that she probably doesn’t have a good impression of me.
“After homeroom, we’re deciding the events for the sports festival, so don’t just leave right after school, okay?”
“Ugh… Oh, right, it’s right after Golden Week, isn’t it?”
“Ao-kun… I mean, Himura-kun, I’m talking to you too, got it?”
You didn’t need to correct yourself—it just makes it weirder. Still, I decided to change the subject just in case.
“Miyajima-san, you got a handle on the events?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m good.”
Is she avoiding me or something? She’s blatantly not meeting my eyes.
The first time we met was probably when we had the best impression of each other. Unless it’s my imagination, she’s definitely keeping her distance.
Did I mess up somehow? I was starting to feel anxious when my gaze shifted and met Kaori’s.
“You two have been getting along pretty well lately, huh?”
Something about Kaori’s vibe felt a little dark, so I decided to tease her lightly.
“Yeah, every day Kiritsuki and I bond over how you’re way more of a klutz than people think.”
“What?! You’re talking about stuff like that?!”
As Kaori’s shocked expression registered, Kiritsuki flashed a mischievous grin.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s not like we’re badmouthing you or anything.”
“I kinda wanted you to deny it outright…”
Denying it would be impossible.
Even Miyajima, who hasn’t known her long, is visibly holding back a laugh.
If you ask me, just watching Kaori’s usual behavior makes it hard to understand how she’s got above-average grades and athletic ability.
“I’m pretty serious, you know?”
“Oh, I know you’re serious. You’re just a little… airheaded, that’s all.”
“That’s not true!”
“Says the girl who put clean, dry dishes back in the dishwasher.”
“W-Wait, that was—! It was, like, a misunderstanding or something!”
What kind of misunderstanding leads to that kind of behavior?
“Wait, what? That actually happened?”
“Pretty dumb, right?”
“You guys wash dishes together?”
“Don’t get hung up on that part. You already know about it.”
This is the same person who’s grilled me about going over to each other’s houses, and now she’s acting surprised about something as mundane as washing dishes together?
I let out a sigh and started packing up my empty lunchbox.
“By the way, can you even cook, Kaori?”
“I can if I follow a recipe!”
“Really? You don’t do it unless Himura-kun’s there, though, right?”
“Tch, that’s… not entirely wrong…”
Watching Kiritsuki tease Kaori with a smug grin, I couldn’t help but think how close they really are.
The way Kaori snuggled up to her, like a kitten cozying up to its mother, made it clear how much she adored her.
I knew Kaori was the clingy type, but seeing her stick this close in front of others wasn’t something you saw every day.
Kaori’s kind to everyone without discrimination and doesn’t change her attitude depending on the person, yet in just a year, she’s grown this attached and trusting.
Is their compatibility just that good, or is Kiritsuki’s personality just that amazing? I still don’t know.
Lately, I’d occasionally felt someone’s gaze on me, and when I realized it was Kaori, I had no idea what it meant. But looking at it now, there was no reason to wonder.
She was probably just feeling a little jealous, worried her best friend might get stolen.
For now, it doesn’t seem like our relationship will progress or regress beyond what it is, so there’s no need to worry.
Glancing at the two of them flirting at my desk, I suddenly noticed something.
“Wait, where’d Miyajima-san go?”
“Huh?”
“She went out into the hallway earlier. Kaori, didn’t you have something to talk to her about?”
“…Oh, right!”
I don’t know what happened, but Kaori hurriedly dashed out into the hallway.
Why’s she always in such a rush…?
After Kaori left, Kiritsuki was sniffing her own shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
“I don’t know if you’ll get it, but doesn’t Kaori smell kind of like a baby?”
“Oh… yeah.”
I totally get it. It’s not like I don’t notice the sweet scent typical of girls, but Kaori’s is more… baby-like, somehow.
“I don’t dislike it or anything, but when she clings to me, it rubs off. Like, during class, I’ll catch this sweet smell drifting around.”
She leaned her shoulder toward me, and though I wasn’t thrilled about it, I brought my face close to where Kaori had been clinging to her.
Sure enough, there was that sweet scent—something I’m used to from being around her so much, yet it never quite feels normal.
“…How long are you gonna keep sniffing…?”
“Oh, sorry. Do you use perfume, Kiritsuki?”
“What, no way, is yesterday’s still lingering?”
Mixed with the sweet scent was a hint of fabric softener and the familiar citrusy shampoo I always notice from sitting next to her. But there was something else, a faint unfamiliar note.
“Wait, you can tell?”
“Your shampoo’s citrusy, but there’s this herbal scent, so I figured maybe that’s it.”
“You can pick that out? What are you, a dog?”
“Well, also, I figured you might avoid floral scents since Kaori’s not a fan of them.”
By the way, isn’t it kind of creepy that I’m sniffing a girl’s scent, even if she told me to?
Seems fine for now, I guess.
“Didn’t know you used perfume, though… What were you up to yesterday?”
“I went out with some friends after club, but I didn’t have time to shower, so I used it to cover up any sweat.”
“With clubmates?”
“Y-Yeah, with a senior.”
She’s got a solid social circle, huh.
I don’t even have any senior or junior friends.
Come to think of it, I’ve often seen Kaori chatting with seniors and juniors I don’t know, both in middle and high school.
Middle school had mandatory clubs, sure, but she’s not in a club in high school, so where does she meet all these people?
☆Afterword──────────────────
I was just saying thanks for ☆100 in the last chapter, and now we’re already at ☆200. Thank you so much!
But this is still only the sixth chapter, so I’m hoping to take my time and let the story unfold slowly and steadily.
