As the group parted ways and walked homeward, Saki moved with an uncharacteristic lightness, smiling softly and humming a gentle tune. Passers-by once again taunted her—"Hey, curse, where's your little bodyguard today, huh?"—but she paid them no mind. Their surprise was evident; usually she kept her head lowered and avoided eye contact, yet today she continued on with quiet composure, her smile undisturbed.
Upon reaching her small apartment, Saki began packing her clothes and essentials in preparation for the following morning's field trip.
A sudden clatter startled her: a stone had been thrown through the broken window, accompanied by a folded note. Tense, Saki approached cautiously, picked up the stone, and unfolded the paper. In messy handwriting were the words: "Watching you closely"
Her fingers trembled slightly around the stone and note. At that moment, her phone buzzed with a message from Michi. She opened the chat and replied: "Just packing for tomorrow 🙂"
Michi responded almost immediately: "Can you send pics of the dresses you're packing, please!! 🥹"
Saki selected a few photographs of the outfits she had chosen and sent them. Moments later, Michi replied: "They're gorgeous and so pretty!"
She followed with pictures of her own dresses. Saki reacted with heart emojis and typed: "Bye!!"
Michi sent a heart emoji in return and went offline.
Saki resumed packing. Shortly afterward, Dave messaged Michi: "Hey, packed your stuff?"
Michi came online and replied: "Yeah!"
Dave responded: "I'm not picking up your luggage, princess 😏"
Michi typed quickly: "I said stop calling me that over and over. And I can carry my own things, stupid 😤"
She went offline again. Dave sighed to himself and murmured, "You're cute when you're angry, princess."
Night gradually fell. Saki finished packing her suitcase, prepared a simple bowl of ramen for dinner, and ate quietly. Her thoughts drifted to a hazy, half-remembered scene—herself enjoying ramen alongside a boy whose face remained indistinct. After finishing her meal, she tidied the small space, disposed of the garbage, checked all the locks, switched off the lights, and set her alarm for 5:30 a.m. before going to sleep.
A cold breeze slipped through the broken window, and pale moonlight rested gently across her cheeks.
At dawn, the alarm rang sharply. Saki stirred slowly, stretched, and rose. She bathed, the sound of running water filling the otherwise silent apartment. Emerging refreshed, she dressed in a violet T-shirt and blue jeans, prepared a small stack of pancakes, and ate them quickly. The clock read 5:42 a.m. She gathered her luggage, locked the apartment door behind her, and slipped the keys into her satchel.
She walked briskly toward the school gate. From behind, Michi tapped her shoulder. Saki turned with a smile. "Good morning."
Michi returned the greeting warmly. Moments later, Dave leaned close to Michi's ear and whispered, "Did princess sleep well?"
Michi gave him a light smack on the head and continued walking. Dave rubbed the spot with an amused grin.
The students gathered on the school grounds to await their class teacher and the bus. Soon Mr. Hoshino arrived with his own luggage. The students greeted him respectfully. He glanced at his watch and frowned. "It's already 6:55 a.m. Where is the bus?"
A few students sighed; others remained silent. Shortly afterward, the bus pulled up. Everyone began boarding.
Michi and the others claimed the rear seats. Dave sat beside Michi, while Hensudo took the seat next to Saki. As Yudashi attempted to sit, the bus lurched slightly; he lost his balance and briefly landed in Saki's lap. Flustered, he stood up at once, ears turning faintly red, and quickly settled beside Hensudo instead.
Hensudo nudged him, clearly relishing the moment, and whispered, "What was that, huh?"
Yudashi shot him a sideways glare.
Hensudo leaned closer. "This time directly on her lap, huh?"
"Shut up," Yudashi muttered. "It's nothing like that."
Hensudo grinned and whispered again, just loud enough for Yudashi to hear: "Yeah, yeah—keep telling yourself that."
Saki looked mildly confused, unsure what Hensudo's remarks implied. Michi, noticing, gave her a gentle, teasing nudge. Yudashi's cheeks flushed once more.
-------------------------XOXO-------------------------