1
It was just when I was about to leave for school the next morning.
The doorbell rang.
At this early hour, there was only one person I could think of who might come visit. It definitely wasn’t a delivery. The only relief was that the bell wasn’t being mashed repeatedly—just a normal ring.
“Yeah?”
Clinging to a faint hope, I answered through the intercom. But the moment the monitor lit up, the person I saw was exactly who I’d expected.
“Ah, good, you’re still here. It’s me!”
“…”
She didn’t even bother saying her name—probably assuming I could see her on the screen.
“...Wait there.”
I hung up and stepped outside.
Standing there was Minase Mishio, wearing our school uniform in a way that somehow made it look cuter than usual. She was holding her school bag too, so it seemed she’d stopped by before heading to school.
“What’s up?”
Was she here to complain about something again?
“Ah, well, I thought we could go to school together.”
“I’d rather not.”
“That was fast!?”
She blinked in surprise, like she hadn’t even considered the possibility I’d say no. I guess it’s true—there probably aren’t many guys who’d turn down walking to school with a cute girl like her.
“Come on, don’t be like that. We’re neighbors, aren’t we?”
She recovered quickly and pressed her case again.
“Neighbors, huh… But seriously, don’t you think it’s kind of creepy? Having a guy from your class living right next door?”
Maybe it was just a guy’s perspective, but I couldn’t help thinking it’d be unsettling for her. In a way, it might even be scarier than a total stranger. That’s why I figured it was best if we both just pretended not to know.
“Hmm? I wonder.”
Minase tilted her head, thinking it over.
“If it was some boy who had a crush on me, and I didn’t feel the same way, then yeah, that’d be creepy. But you’re not like that, right, Aoi-kun?”
“...Yeah, guess not.”
I gave her a vague answer.
Agreeing outright would basically be saying I didn’t see her that way, and that felt a little rude. So I kept it ambiguous.
“See? Thought so.”
Minase didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.
“So, you’ve been considerate all this time—that’s why you kept quiet about living here, right? I like that kind of thoughtfulness.”
She smiled as she said that—an innocent, dazzling smile—and for a moment, my heart skipped a beat.
“So anyway, let’s go together?”
Minase asked again, her expression open and cheerful.
“What do you mean ‘so anyway’? That doesn’t even connect to what we were talking about.”
“Oh, come on, it’s fine! We’re neighbors, right?”
“Just neighbors,” I corrected her.
At that, she puffed up her cheeks slightly and gave me a half-lidded glare.
“...You’re one to talk. You were the one holding my bra.”
“Hey, don’t use that as your scale for measuring relationships! That was an accident!”
It wasn’t like I’d enjoyed picking it up. I just wanted to resolve the situation as fast as possible—for both our sakes.
“If that’s not enough for you, I can always toss down something else next time.”
“Stop. What kind of threat is that?”
Just the thought of her doing that *on purpose* was terrifying. But before I could react further, she dropped the half-lidded glare and smiled again like nothing had happened. Her expressions really did change fast.
“Well, I was half joking. But you know, going to school together with someone feels kind of nice. It used to be normal back in elementary and middle school, but now it hardly ever happens. Oh, I wonder if we’ll run into anyone along the way.”
Given how popular she was, if anyone saw her walking with me, we’d definitely draw attention.
Then it hit me—maybe she was lonely.
She probably quit the drama club around spring break. That means she lost one of her main social circles.
I could relate. After I quit soccer, I felt the same emptiness. The guys I used to practice with stopped contacting me, and since my days had always revolved around training, I didn’t even know how to spend my afternoons anymore. Maybe, without realizing it, Minase was feeling something similar right now.
“Well… I guess it’s fine.”
I found myself saying it before I even noticed.
“Really!? Yay! Are you ready now, or should I come back later?”
“I’m ready. Just give me a minute.”
“Okay, I’ll wait!”
Minase beamed, looking genuinely happy.
Seeing that expression made it impossible to feel bad about saying yes. With her smiling at me like that, I turned around and went back inside to grab my school bag.
2
I walked to the station together with Minase Mishio.
Kazamigaoka High School, the school we attended, was about three stops away by train. Fortunately, both our home and the school were within walking distance of their respective stations, so the train was the only transportation we needed.
Minase walked beside me, her steps light and bouncy.
“Hey, Aoi-kun—what was your given name again?”
She turned her body toward me as she asked, and I couldn’t help worrying she might trip if she kept walking like that.
“Sakura.”
“Oh, Sakura, huh.”
Minase nodded, as if something had just clicked for her.
“You know, Sakura—”
“You’re dropping the honorifics already?”
What’s with her sense of personal space?
“Then you shall address me with respect—call me Lady Minase.”
“...My bad. You can call me Sakura.”
Now that I thought about it, I had been calling her by her last name too.
“Then I’ll go with Mishio. Using first names feels kind of nice, doesn’t it?”
“I’ll pass.”
Apparently, her sense of distance was going to stay weird no matter what.
“So, Sakura, why do you live alone? Is your family far away?”
“Yeah. Out in the countryside. Well, it’s technically a prefectural capital, so not too rural, but still. I don’t really wanna talk about why I came here.”
“I see.”
Minase didn’t press any further.
She lived alone too, so for a moment I thought about asking her the same question—but I swallowed it back. After quitting soccer, I hadn’t wanted to talk about my reasons either. Maybe she had her own situation she didn’t want to bring up—like trouble with her family or something.
“Still, I can’t believe we live in the same apartment building.”
That much, I could agree with. It was rare enough for high schoolers to live alone. The odds of another student in the same situation living right next door were almost impossible.
“Hey, can I come over sometime?”
“No. Like I said yesterday, you’re not coming in.”
Where did her sense of caution go? Do your job properly, brain.
“Whoa, so pervy! You’re totally thinking something weird.”
“I’m not! I’m saying *you* should be the one assuming that!”
I shot back at her teasing grin.
Of course, even if she did come over, I had no intention of doing anything. But that was *for now.* Just because I said so didn’t mean I trusted myself completely. If I were alone with a cute girl like her, it wasn’t impossible that I might lose my head. I didn’t have that much faith in my self-control.
“Your argument has been noted. But Sakura doesn’t plan to do anything weird. And neither do I. So, no problem.”
“Do whatever you want.”
If she ever actually came, I’d definitely kick her out. I made that silent vow to myself.
We reached school while chatting about pointless things like that.
Along the way, Minase got greeted by a lot of students in the same uniform, which showed just how popular she was. Naturally, some of them looked shocked to see me walking beside her—but that was only to be expected.
“Morning!”
As soon as Minase entered the classroom, she greeted everyone cheerfully, not to anyone in particular. A few classmates responded—mostly the girls. That was the usual morning scene here. Something I could never pull off myself.
When I followed her in, the classroom seemed to buzz for a second. I pretended not to notice.
“Morning.”
Just as I set my school bag down on my desk, someone greeted me.
When I turned around, I saw a tall guy with sharp features and skin lightly tanned from the sun—Kuki Shoma.
“Morning, Kuki.”
I returned his greeting and took my seat. Kuki plopped down in the desk in front of me, since the person assigned to it wasn’t there yet.
“You come with Minase?”
“We ran into each other on the way.”
Kuki knew I lived alone, but he didn’t know that Minase lived in the same building. Maybe I should tell him before he found out from someone else and got the wrong idea.
“Lucky you.”
He grinned at me with that mischievous look of his.
“Nothing happened. I’m not a lady-killer like you.”
“Oh, come on. You’re not bad yourself, Aoi.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment or a flex?”
Kuki was the definition of a handsome guy—athletic, confident, and popular with girls. So, when someone like him complimented you, it just sounded condescending. It was like he was saying, “You’re good—but not as good as me.” Not that Kuki was that kind of person, though.
“Want me to tell you the secret to being popular?”
“What?”
I didn’t really care, but I humored him anyway. Kuki leaned closer like he was about to share a secret.
“You just need to get back into soccer.”
“Oh, come on. That again?”
Regretting taking the bait, I sighed.
Kuki Shoma was still in the soccer club. Up until the summer of our first year, I used to train alongside him.
“Come back, Aoi.”
But now, I had already quit. Meanwhile, Kuki had become one of the team’s star players—already considered the next captain. That’s why he kept trying to convince me to return. If not for that, a wild, athletic guy like him probably wouldn’t bother worrying about me.
“Drop it already. I ran away, that’s all.”
“You’re not to blame, Aoi. With how things were, someone was bound to collapse sooner or later. It just happened to be you.”
He was probably right. With how brutally hot Japanese summers had become, the intensity of our training had gone far beyond reasonable limits. It was no surprise someone like me eventually passed out. Still, I couldn’t shake the guilt. In the end, all that remained was the fact that I’d quit soccer and run away.
“It’s been what, half a year? No, seven months. Even if I came back now, I’d never keep up. What, you want me to start over with the freshmen?”
Ever since that day, I hadn’t even played seriously in P.E. My body definitely wasn’t what it used to be. And honestly, the idea of starting from zero again like some newbie didn’t sit right with me. I’d devoted my entire childhood to soccer—led my middle school team to the national tournament. My pride wouldn’t allow it.
“You could still do it, Aoi.”
“I’ll think about it.”
That was my way of brushing off Kuki’s persistence. It was the same exchange every time—me pretending to consider it, him pretending not to notice I didn’t mean it. But that was Kuki for you. He’d bring it up again before long, without fail.
“I’ll be waiting for a good answer, then. See ya.”
“Yeah.”
I raised a hand in response as he stood up and walked away.
That was when I noticed her—Koreda Murasakiko. Our eyes met for a brief second before she looked away, almost as if she were avoiding me. Had she been watching me? …No way. But the thought lingered, because as much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t say I had no idea why she might be.
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