"Akira, do you know that girl?"
As soon as Shouko recovered her composure, she immediately turned to question him.
Her thoughts, of course, had wandered somewhere completely different than Akira's. What stood out to her most was how pretty the girl was.
Akira looked at her in disbelief, reached out, and gently pinched her cheek.
"Besides sleeping at night, when have I ever been apart from you?"
Realizing she had just asked a pretty dumb question, Shouko accepted the cheek pinching as penance.
After a few moments, Akira released her cheeks—he'd noticed some passing students glancing over. But just then, Shouko's expression shifted. She stared up at him with sudden intensity.
"Wait! I remember now!" she said sharply.
"On August 23rd, I wasn't with you the whole day! Tell me—was that when you met her?!"
Akira lightly chopped her head, clearly exasperated by her imagination running wild.
"Where is this even coming from?"
Shouko pouted and rubbed her head. "Sorry... I shouldn't have doubted you."
"It's good that you know. And anyway, you were the one who didn't want me around that day." He sighed and ruffled her hair gently.
"Then… then…" Shouko's eyes darted, voice soft. "Then was that girl someone you actually met on August 23rd…?" This text is hosted at novｅlfire.net
Seeing her so jealous made Akira's expression soften. He explained patiently:
"I was with Shizuka-chin the entire day. You can ask her when we get home—she'll vouch for me."
He hated those cliché misunderstandings in melodramatic romance dramas. This wasn't one of them.
And besides, if Shouko was jealous… didn't that mean she liked him?
...Wait. That sounded a bit too smug.
Shouko smiled, the tension in her shoulders melting.
Still, she made a quiet note to herself: Ask Auntie later. Just in case.
Thanks to the little detour, the crowd in front of the class assignment lists had mostly dispersed by the time Akira looked again. He stood, turned to Shouko, and said,
"Come on. Let's see which class we're in."
She took his hand without hesitation, as naturally as breathing.
As they scanned the lists—
"Akira, look!" Shouko pointed excitedly at the Class 1-3 list. "Ueno Naoka and Kawai Miki are here too!"
"I see, I see… But can we find our own names first?"
While scanning Class 1-1, Akira had already spotted familiar names like Ishida Shouya, Hirose Keisuke, and Shimada Ikki. That old trio… all in the same class again. Fate sure had a strange sense of humor.
Then, their eyes landed on the Class 1-2 list.
Shouko spotted her name beneath Takagi Sana.
Akira found his below Nishikata Naoto.
"Welcome back," Miyamura Shizuka called from the sofa, still watching her afternoon drama.
She turned her head as the pair entered the living room. "Did you find out your class assignments?"
"Yes!" Shouko sat down at the coffee table and nodded, cheerful.
"Akira and I are both in Class 1-2!"
"Here, have some water," Akira said, sitting beside her. He picked up their personalized cups, filled them, and handed one to her.
"Thank you." She took a sip, then paused.
"Miyamura Auntie," she said casually—too casually.
Shouko glanced at Akira, then quickly away.
"…What were you and Akira doing on August 23rd?"
Miyamura Shizuka paused her show with the remote and thought for a moment.
"Oh right. You weren't with us that day. I made him carry my shopping bags the whole time."
"…What's this about?" she added, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing, nothing!" Shouko waved her hands quickly. "Just… curious!"
She sneaked a look at Akira, who was now peeling an orange. But he caught her in the act.
"If you want to look, just look," he said. "I won't say anything."
He'd known she was planning to ask—he could tell from her hesitation earlier.
"I really was just curious. You be—"
Akira gently popped half of the peeled orange into her mouth, cutting her off mid-sentence.
For a moment, Shouko couldn't tell what was sweeter: the fruit… or her heart.
Miyamura Shizuka watched the two of them, muttering under her breath, "Hopeless…"
She hit play and returned to her drama.
"Want to go buy some school supplies this afternoon?" Akira asked suddenly.
They'd forgotten to pick up a few essentials the other day.
"Sure!" Shouko beamed. As long as they were together, any plan sounded fun.
Miyamura Shizuka didn't look away from the TV but chimed in, "If you're short on money, let me know."
"We're fine, no need."
"I'm just worried you'll be too embarrassed to ask—and make Shouko pay!"
"I don't mind!" Shouko said, patting her chest proudly.
"…Speechless," Akira muttered.
As they left the bookstore, Shouko glanced at the eco-friendly bag Akira carried.
"Is this really enough?"
"These are just for practice. We'll get more difficult ones later, when you're ready," Akira replied, scanning the street casually.
He'd felt it since they left home—a gaze, sharp and deliberate.
It hadn't left them the entire time.
Their focus wasn't on him.
The man had been quiet ever since they returned from Osaka. Too quiet.
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