Ayumi blinked in confusion. "Eh? Why are you all looking at me…?"
Then, after a beat of stunned silence, she realized just how bad that slip had sounded—especially in front of Shouko and Miyamura.
"S-Shouko-chan, listen to me!" She quickly grabbed Shouko's hand in panic. "I didn't mean anything weird about Miyamura!"
Shouko simply watched her quietly. She wanted to believe her but still waited for Ayumi to explain.
"Really! You have to believe me!" Ayumi stammered. Her face flushed, and she rushed out more words. "I don't just know Miyamura's birthday—I know Nishikata's too, and yours, and Takagi-chan's!"
Before Shouko could stop her, Ayumi rattled off birthdays one by one.
"Wait, wait!" Shouko covered her mouth in embarrassment, cutting her off. "I believe you already, Ayumi-chan! So—let's just go pay together, okay?"
Without giving her time to protest, Shouko tugged her hand and dragged her toward the counter.
Nishikata let out a low whistle as he watched them leave. "Wow. I didn't expect the class rep to be hiding so much. She even knew mine."
Akira nodded. "Seriously. She must've been really idle these past three years."
Indeed, who memorized everyone's birthdays for no reason? Maybe being class monitor had left her with too much time on her hands.
Takagi, sitting beside them, said nothing. She just gave Nishikata a small glance before calmly continuing with her dessert.
When the two girls returned, Ayumi had already regained her cheerful smile, laughing as if nothing had happened.
Akira only gave them a glance before pulling out his phone, losing interest in the whole fuss.
The outing lasted until late afternoon. After lunch, they wandered around Futaba Department Store, shopping a little, eating more sweets, and deciding to leave diet worries for another day. It was a day to enjoy.
The next morning, sunlight spilled through Akira's window, landing squarely across his face.
"Ring… ring… ring!"
The alarm's shrill tone forced him awake. He groaned, fumbling to shut it off, then lay back, a wave of drowsiness washing over him. Today was the first day of high school—no chance of crawling back into bed.
At least he'd given himself the morning off from running. A small gift to celebrate the start of a new chapter.
He pulled his new uniform from the closet: a deep navy gakuran-style jacket, close to black, paired with straight-leg pants. Beneath it, a crisp white shirt and a dark red tie with a simple pattern. It was still chilly in early April, so he slipped on the jacket, even if he suspected he'd get hot later. Well, I can always ask Shouko to hold it for me.
The gold school emblem gleamed against his chest. Checking his reflection, he gave a small smirk. "Not bad. With this face, the uniform looks pretty good."
Downstairs, Shizuka was already waiting.
"Well, don't you look handsome," she said, for once without a hint of teasing.
Akira blinked at the unexpected sincerity, mumbled something back, and quickly ducked into the washroom. When he returned, breakfast was set. His father, Daiki, lowered the paper.
"The class lists weren't posted yesterday, right?"
"Yeah," Akira said, sitting down. "They'll be up today."
"It doesn't matter. You and Shouko will be in the same class anyway," Shizuka said with a knowing smile as she poured him milk.
They ate with casual conversation until the front door clicked open.
"Ohayo, Akira!"
Shouko stepped inside in her new uniform: a short navy blazer over a white shirt, tied with a red ribbon. Her pleated skirt fell just above her knees, black over-the-knee socks completing the look.
"Cute as always," Shizuka said warmly.
Akira silently agreed, though in his mind he added, She'd be cute in anything… or nothing at all.
Shouko's eyes flicked toward him, quietly appraising his outfit too. Both secretly gave each other a mental thumbs-up.
Handsome as always.
Adorable as always.
"You two, stop staring already," Shizuka sighed. "If you don't leave soon, you'll be late."
They hurried their goodbyes, grabbed their backpacks, and slipped into their shoes. At the door, Shouko's hand slid into his.
"I'm leaving!"
"Take care, you two!"
The door closed behind them.
"Shouko," Akira teased after a few steps, "you didn't wash your hands after changing shoes. How can you just grab mine?"
"Hmph." She gave him a small shoulder bump in reply.
The April air was still crisp, but cherry blossoms were in full bloom. At the crowded intersection, streams of uniformed students collided with the tide of office workers under the green light.
When they reached the school gate, the guard no longer stopped students for registration. He simply watched them file in, smiling faintly at their laughter.
"I wonder if Takagi-chan and the others are already here," Shouko said, scanning the crowd.
"Probably." Akira's eyes shifted to the packed notice board ahead, a swarm of students pressing in around it. His shoulders slumped slightly. He wasn't exactly looking forward to fighting through that crowd.
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A/N: My internet was down because I missed a payment, so I haven't been able to update. My apologies.