Episode 3 – Reunion is at school

“Good morning. ……”

With a somewhat sleep-deprived head, I greet the PE teacher at the school gate with the large signboard of “Kirika Gakuen High School” by my side.
I’m not sure what the future holds for me if this is the way I’m going to start the new school year.

However, I couldn’t sleep because my mind was working strangely due to the sudden event last night, so it was inevitable.

“Ah, tomorrow’s luggage is finally here! Sorry, that’s all for today. You can eat all of it.”

My female friend, who is no longer …… the male friend who played a prank on me, answered the phone on her phone.
Just as I opened the front door, I heard the voice of the courier who often comes to my room as well.
That was it for yesterday.

But still, Ayado Saara, huh?
Thinking back, we played together so much that I wonder why I had forgotten about him until now.
I can’t remember any faces other than Ayado’s, and all I can remember is playing with Ayado.

It’s hard to say if I can call her a childhood friend, but she’s probably the only person I can call a childhood friend at this point.
Every time my grade changes, my friends leave my class and I lose touch with them, and I become friends with new friends.
Two years later, I was in a different class from him, and when I graduated from elementary school, all of my friends were gone.

Every year in junior high school, classes change …… and no, I don’t care about that

I went to bed, reflecting on the memories of the past that came back to me one after another with this sudden visit.
But every time I remember one thing, I see the face of the person I’m seeing now, and my head starts to clear with the emotions that are hard to put into words. ……

The first time I went to the bathroom after drinking all the barley tea she left for me, it was about one step beyond the midnight hour.

“Let me introduce you to our new student.”

My head, which had been propped up on the desk, was awakened at once by a face that appeared in the classroom with the homeroom teacher’s words.

“I’m Ayado Saara, and I’ll be joining this class today. I want you all to get along well with me.”

There she was, yesterday’s visitor who cannot be mistaken for anyone else!
She wrote her name in beautiful letters on the blackboard, bowed her head and greeted me cheerfully, leaving my inner thoughts aside.

“Pleased to meet you!”

Her hair flowed smoothly, causing not only the boys but also the girls to let out an exasperated sigh.

“Then, Ayado san, please take a seat there.”
“Yes.”

The teacher assigned her to the window seat at the very back of the room ……, which means next to me.

Her shoulder-length hair was shiny and silky, giving her a somewhat unrealistic impression.
Even under the eyes of the class, she looked magnificent.

The moment she sat down, she glanced at me and smiled, saying, “Nice to meet you.”
I feel the back of my head stinging from the boy next to me …….
I don’t want to show off too much, but I think it’s best to play it safe and say that it would be too much of an angle if I said that here.

“Nice to meet you”

I returned it lightly and looked back at her, and her attention to me dissipated as my homeroom teacher told me what she had planned for the day.

I can tell on my first day at the new school.
She is going to be the center of the classroom.

◇

The interest of the class was completely focused on the window seat.

“So, where did you come from, Ayado san?”
“What club do you join?”
“Hey, hey, we’re having a welcome party, why don’t you come?”

Oh, my quiet break time…….

I could hear the conversation next to me clearly, of course, and I could hear her reply, “It’s Okayama,” “I haven’t decided on club activities yet,” and “Sorry, I have things to do.”
The last one was so blatantly obvious that the other girls were getting thumped by the other girls.

The questioning continued until the first period chime.
Just before class started, Ayado looked at me as if she wanted to say something, but the teacher soon came over and corrected her posture.

This trend continued until lunchtime.
Ayado Saara, a transfer student, is very popular.

“Hey, Ayado san, would you like to have lunch with me?”

The girls in the class are aggressive and press Ayado into a conversation.
To be honest, I wish they wouldn’t do it in front of my seat. ……

(Well, I guess I’ll just have to slip out quietly then.)

“Ah, ……”

I got up from my uncomfortable seat, where all I could see was the girls’ backs, and quickly slipped out of the classroom with my lunch box.
Ayado would probably eat with the girls.
If that is the case, it is better to have an empty seat.

◇

There was a fresh breeze on the rooftop.
This season of spring, neither hot nor cold, is always so short. ……

Finally, it was quiet.

I take a deep breath in search of some solace from the noise and bustle I’ve experienced over the last year.
The sound of the kids playing in the schoolyard is far away, and the breeze feels good.

I’m surprised that she’s sitting next to me.

We were together every day when we were kids, and our parents also knew each other.
We were close like real siblings, and she’s a very important childhood friend of mine. ……

“I wonder what this feeling is.”

When I took the deli bread out of the bag, I was still puzzled by the unmatched “Ayato-Ayado” image.

“Ah, Sora kun, you’re here!”

Ayado appeared on the rooftop.

“Fufufu, I’ll sit next to you.”

She laughed the only laugh I can remember that matches mine, and she sat down so close to me that our skin was touching and leaned in close.
…… distance bug? Are you okay?