Chapter 292

Students wearing the Yeboni Academy uniform were visible everywhere. Some ran as if rushing to meet someone, two strolled down the sidewalk chatting amiably, another smiled brightly while on the phone... Seeing them give off such a fresh, youthful vibe made my own heart race.

I had taken public transit instead of a car to get into the spirit of things, and I felt I'd made the right choice. Walking up to the school gates where countless students were pouring in, I spotted Miyuki wearing an armband that read 'Public Morals'.

She was scrutinizing the students' uniforms alongside a Student Council officer, but she soon noticed me and strode over.

"Good morning, Matsuda-kun."

"Good morning, Miyuki."

It was a simple greeting, but it felt refreshing. Miyuki must have thought the same, as her face broke into a wide smile.

"You wore your uniform properly?"

"Of course I did."

Miyuki's gaze dropped. She briefly inspected the hem of my pants beneath the sharp crease before speaking.

"Just checking if you hemmed your pants."

She had ironed them herself yesterday and even made me try them on, yet here she was finding weird faults. She just wanted to tease me. Catching on to her intent, I shrugged.

"Sadly, the surveillance was too strict, so I couldn't."

"Is that so? Then tell them to keep a close eye on you."

"I'll let them know tonight."

"Okay."

After exchanging those silly jokes, we burst into giggles at the exact same time. It was a light, utterly unfunny conversation, but maybe our feelings for each other were just that strong—the laughter came naturally.

"Head on in. You know you have to go to Class 2-A, right?"

"I didn't."

"I told you yesterday."

"I forgot. What about the seating arrangement? Do I just sit anywhere?"

"No. I also told you yesterday to sit in your exact same seat from your first year for now."

"You did?"

"I can't tell if you're pretending not to know or if you genuinely don't. And your bag... don't just sling it over one shoulder."

"Got it. Enough nagging..."

Prodded by Miyuki's urging, I slung my bag over both shoulders. She told me to hurry up and get going, giving my back a push, so I pretended to reluctantly move along. Stepping onto the school grounds, I changed into my newly bought indoor shoes. I breathed in the familiar scent as I walked toward the First-Year Hallway—then stopped in my tracks.

I was a second-year now. I had no idea what I was doing, especially after Miyuki had just told me where to go. Habits truly were terrifying things.

Scanning the empty hallway, I headed up the stairs and made my way to the second-year corridor, where a noisy clamor was echoing. Finding Class 2-A right off the hallway, I slid the door open.

Rattle.

Along with the distinct dissonance of wood scraping on wood, the classroom came into view. Familiar faces gathered in small groups, chatting, before turning their eyes toward me. Unlike the early days when their gazes were filled with contempt and fear, I now felt a normal, everyday goodwill.

"Morning, Matsuda-kun."

One of the girls even greeted me first. The problem was, I didn't know any of their names. Aside from Tetsuya, Bread Girl, and the Vice Representative, I couldn't remember a single one.

"Morning. How've you been?"

I returned their greetings and engaged in some perfunctory small talk before plopping down in the seat I'd occupied at the end of my first year. Then, I flashed a grin at Bread Girl, who was chewing on some bread while staring at me from the front.

"Hey, it's been a while."

"Cough."

"Right, right. You aren't sick anywhere?"

"Cough...!"

"Glad to hear it."

"...Gah...!"

"I'm good. You eat up."

Bread Girl, who had been holding out a soboro bread toward me, slowly nodded her head. Every time I saw her, she was stuffing baked goods into her mouth. Did she really love bread that much? It made me want to stick something else in there.

"You haven't changed at all. It's surprisingly nice to see you."

The greeting came from the Vice Representative sitting next to Bread Girl. I looked at her as she adjusted her round glasses and asked a question.

"Got new glasses?"

"Oh, you noticed?"

The Vice Representative used to favor square horn-rimmed glasses and rimless frames, but she had swapped them for thin-rimmed round ones. She was still plain, but her cuteness had definitely leveled up. They suited her.

"Of course I did. They look good on you. Your old ones sucked, so they annoyed me every time I saw— never mind."

"What's the point of saying 'never mind' after blurting it all out? Doesn't Miyuki get on your case about that?"

"I'm only saying it because she's not here."

"Then I'll have to tell her everything when she gets back."

"Don't do that."

"Since you complimented me, I'll let it slide this once."

This once? Let it slide? How dare she speak to me with such arrogance. Would she still have that attitude with a cock in her mouth?

"Come to think of it, you're a Kendo Club manager, right? Did you make a promotional poster?"

I tilted my head at her follow-up question.

"What poster?"

"The first-years are enrolling now. You have to make one to draw them into club activities. The more juniors you recruit, the better it feels, and the budget goes up too. Managers usually consider promotion extremely important... Do you not?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard anything about it. I'll have to ask today."

Was Chinami going to make the poster? I had a feeling she'd plaster it with peach characters, creating something completely unbefitting of a Kendo Club. Surprisingly, there might actually be some girls drawn in by how cute it looked...

"What club are you in, by the way? Didn't you say you joined the literature club last time?"

"What literature club? I'm in the Movie Club."

"Really? That suits you too. Bread Girl, what about you?"

I gestured with my chin toward Bread Girl, who was reaching for some milk while munching on her soboro bread. As usual, she choked.

"Cough."

"Baking and Confectionery Club?"

"Ack!"

She nodded, sending her affirmation. She used to actually speak in the past, I thought... but not anymore. She must have gotten really comfortable around me.

Finishing my conversation with the girls, I looked over and saw Tetsuya drawing. Wondering if he was sketching Miyuki, I peeked over his shoulder and saw him inking the lines of a male character wearing boxing gloves.

The character had a quite masculine impression... and a well-muscled physique to match. Was Tetsuya projecting his desired future self onto the page? For that to be the case, the guy was way too handsome.

"Hey, Miura. What are you drawing?"

"..."

He didn't answer. I couldn't tell if he was deliberately ignoring me or if he was just too focused on the drawing to hear. I picked up my mechanical pencil, tapped the edge of his desk, and called out to him again. Only then did he turn to look at me.

"Did you call?"

"Yeah. Who's the character you're drawing right now? Someone from a comic book?"

"This? I just made him up."

"An original?"

"Yeah."

"You're good at drawing."

"...Thanks."

I hadn't expected a thank you. Was he grateful that I'd cheered him on during the kendo tournament?

Seeing things like this made it seem like Tetsuya was actually growing up, but right when I'd forget, he'd do something weird and blow that notion out of the water. I'd thought so before, but that guy was truly a mystery.

As I was passing the boring time, Miyuki entered the classroom. Having finished her gate inspections, she looked slightly tired. She exchanged greetings with our classmates as she walked over, then admired Tetsuya's drawing, marveling at how cool it was.

She flashed a bright smile at the embarrassed bastard, then took her seat by the window and started smoothing down my spiky, messy hair.

"You behaved yourself, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

Miyuki spread her thumb and index finger wide, grabbing my chin and shaking it side to side. She'd done this during the school trip too, but unlike back then when only Bread Girl and the Vice Representative were around, the classroom was completely packed right now.

It wasn't like every single eye was on us, but I was pleased that she was openly displaying her affection without a care for the dozens of students present. Was she outright hammering in the nail that I was hers? I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

"I have to step out for a bit after first period, okay? So pay attention in class. I'm going to quiz you at lunch."

I let out a sigh, putting on a fed-up expression at her words.

"What do you mean, quiz me... Give me a break, it's the first day. The teach—"

"-ers."

"Ah, right. The teachers are probably just going to tell us to rest instead of running class anyway."

"You never know. That goes for you too, Tetsuya-kun, so don't slack off just because it's the first day back. Got it?"

Miyuki leaned her upper body over the desk to look at him as she gave her warning. Tetsuya, whose expression had stiffened from Miyuki's physical affection toward me, forced a smile.

"Of course."

Beaming at his answer, Miyuki pulled her books and writing utensils out of her bag. I fiddled with her pencil case and asked a question.

"Why are you leaving again, anyway?"

"Ah... the incoming first-years are visiting today."

"It's the first day of school, so it must be busy. They're making them come already?"

"It's just to show them the Academy's atmosphere, introduce them to the school, things like that. They won't just be here today; they're coming at least three more times during the winter semester."

When I'd eavesdropped on Hiyori and her friend at the cafe, I was pretty sure they'd said they only needed to come for one day for orientation and locker assignments... They couldn't have misread the notice... maybe it meant they had to come for 'at least' one day.

Then could I possibly run into Hiyori today? No, if attendance wasn't mandatory, she'd probably be too busy hanging out with her friends to show up. Still, I ought to check it out. Who knew? I might run into her again, just like at the cafe or bookstore. Even if the chances were slim, putting in the legwork was the right thing to do.

"Are you doing the Academy introductions?"

"No. The other Student Council seniors will handle that separately. I'm just here to greet them."

"Then can't you just not go?"

"It's mandatory for the Student Council."

"They're just working you like a dog. How mean."

She patted my arm as I grumbled. The glossy nails at the tips of her slender, delicate fingers were charming. It was nice that she just applied a nail strengthener without painting them. It made me want to play with her fingers.

A short while later, a teacher I hadn't seen before walked in, introduced himself, and asked how we'd spent our break. Clucking his tongue at the students who weakly answered in unison and muttering that we'd gone soft, the old man started class the moment he finished roll call. However, he didn't keep at it for long before giving us a break.

It seemed he planned to cut us some slack, considering how exhausted the students were on the first day. Even so, Miyuki had copied down what little we'd learned into her notebook and was reviewing it over and over.

Thinking it felt like ages since I'd seen her act like such a model student, I spent first period taking notes right along with her. Afterward, Miyuki excused herself and left the classroom. I waited a beat before getting up from my seat and stepping out as well.

After stopping by the School Store to buy the snacks Bread Girl and the Vice Representative had asked for, I headed toward the athletic field. There, I saw Miyuki offering bright greetings to the incoming freshmen as they trickled through the school gates.

She was handing out pamphlets with a kind face; she was working so hard. Once she was done, I'd have to reward her for her efforts, my way.

I watched her from quite close by—though still out of her sight—thinking exactly that. As the break period neared its end, I turned to head back to the classroom. Just then, "Excuse me...! Student!"

"Yes?"

Hearing a familiar tone of voice from a girl answering Miyuki's urgent call, my ears perked up, and I whipped my head around.