The front door clicked shut behind them.
Akira stepped out into morning air that felt too clean to be real.
Aira walked beside him like she'd been doing it for years.
He kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Her hair caught the light. Her eyes were bright enough to look unnatural.
"You're acting weird," Aira said.
"Sorry," he said automatically.
Aira narrowed her eyes. "Don't 'sorry' me. It's the first day. You're supposed to be nervous, not... haunted."
Haunted. The word landed too perfectly.
They reached the crosswalk.
"So... why are we walking together?" Akira asked carefully.
Aira turned slowly. "Because we promised. At the park. The night you moved here."
The memory slid into place. The swing set. The cold air. The voice behind him.
"Why are you here so late?"
Aira continued casually, "You looked pathetic. So I told you I'd be your first friend."
They started walking again. Aira adjusted the strap of her bag. The hem of her skirt shifted slightly.
Akira's adult instincts reacted instantly. Too short.
His eyes dropped for half a second. Aira stopped walking.
"What," she said flatly.
Akira raised both hands. "No. I was thinking it's too short. Dangerous."
Aira laughed. "You sound like someone's dad. That's why you're walking me. To protect me from creeps."
"Yet you made me feel like I was the creep you needed protecting from" Akira replied.
They both stopped to chuckle at the interaction.
Finally, they reached the school gates. Fourteen again. First day.
The homeroom bell buzzed.
The teacher began calling names.
"Kisaragi Kana."
A girl near the window flinched and stood. She was small. Clean uniform, worn cuffs.
"Kisaragi Kana," she said softly.
"Orimoto Akira."
Akira stood.
"Partners will be assigned by me." the teacher continued. "Kisaragi Kana and Orimoto Akira."
Kana froze. Aira turned around with a grin.
Kana stood carefully to move desks. Halfway across the gap, the papers she was holding slipped.
They scattered.
Kana dropped to her knees instantly. "I'm sorry—"
Akira crouched down to help. "It's fine."
He handed the papers back. She accepted them like they were fragile.
She sat beside him.
"Kana, right?" Akira asked.
She nodded.
"I'm Akira."
"I know," she said softly.
A girl from the back approached.
"Kana," she said gently. "You forgot your pencil case."
"I'm Sato Mei," the girl said to Akira. "Kana and I went to the same middle school."
Mei gave a small acknowledging nod. There was something protective in the way she stood beside Kana.
"Kana gets nervous," Mei said matter-of-factly. "She's better once she gets used to people."
The bell rang.
At lunch, they sat on the concrete steps. Mei unpacked lunch. Kana opened a small container of plain rice.
Akira nudged a piece of his food toward Kana. "Trade."
Kana hesitated before accepting.
Aira leaned back on her hands. "The first day isn't so bad, right?"
Mei shrugged. "It's normal."
Akira looked between them. Just normal.
And for now that was enough.