Chapter 99: Starting school and the beginning

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Translator: Soafp

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[Momo PoV]

Mid-week.

The alarm woke me up at 5:30 in the morning.

Groggily, I headed to the sink and brushed my teeth, washed my face, spending a bit more time on it than usual.

Still feeling a bit sleepy, I filled a cup with water, warmed it up in the microwave, then stirred in some soup mix.

“Phew…”

It got a little too hot, so I cooled it down on the spoon before taking small sips. The corn soup tasted sweeter than usual.

“…”

I glanced at the corkboard sitting on the table. Pinned there was a photo booth picture of the basketball team. In the picture, I was crouching, trying hard to bend my knees to lower my height.

Otherwise, I wouldn't fit in the frame. Maybe I was overthinking it, but I still felt a sense of discomfort.

“Haa…”

Height matters. Back in middle school, I used to check my height every day, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I'd shrink a little overnight.

But in the end, I grew tall, and here I am. Looking back, joining the basketball team made me care less about my height.

In that sense, I guess I should be grateful to the team.

But still…

At certain moments, it comes back to me.

Whether I'm at school or just hanging out with friends.

Especially on normal school days, when there's no morning practice.

Those stares.

The eyes of “normal” people.

“…”

I stared at the now-empty mug, muttering to myself. Pushing the bubbling insecurities aside, I placed the cup in the sink.

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[Toumachi pov]

‘Cooh-coo-coo-coo… cooh-coo-coo-coo…’

“…”

Wednesday, 7:30 AM.

I listened to the cooing of a pigeon perched on a telephone pole.

Even on a weekday morning, the bird seemed to be having fun… (a guy envious of a bird).

‘Coo… (sudden silence)’

Oh, did it die? No, it didn't. Why does it always stop cooing at the exact same spot? What a strange habit.

…Thanks to that, I felt my nervousness ease a bit. Thanks, pigeon. Your puffed-out chest is impressive (that's totally not inappropriate).

“…Oh.”

And then, I heard it—the sound of someone running down the stairs of an apartment building, not mine but someone else's.

Thump, thump.

For some reason, the sound made my heartbeat quicken as well.

It's my first time walking to school with a friend—an exciting moment.

“Sorry to keep you waiting~”

“Oh, good morning…”

There she was, Hatsune-san. Her expression seemed a bit tired, maybe because she just woke up.

Alright.

The plan was to meet at her place first, then walk to the station, take the train, and then walk to school from the nearest station.

…I was the one who suggested walking to school together, but now I'm getting nervous.

I mean, it was a long time ago when I first brought it up.

“Huh? You're not going? The train's gonna leave~.”

“Oh, yeah… (a Homo sapiens who momentarily forgot how to walk)”

Awkwardly, I moved to walk beside her.

…In moments like this, it's said that a guy should walk on the side closest to the road. At least, that's what the guys on the “How to Be Popular” thread said (forum mindset).

“So, what time do you usually leave when you have morning practice?”

“Around 6 AM, usually.”

“Wow… that sounds tough.”

“I'm used to it.”

“Haha.”

We talked as we walked across the crosswalk, stepping only on the white parts.

By now, I don't even need to look—I just know where to step (enlightened being). By the way, if I step on the black parts, I'll probably fall into the depths of the earth. Only me, though.

Incidentally, Kanon-chan apparently prefers stepping only on the black parts. Maybe because she’s an angel, her feet never touch the ground (awe).

“Oh, this is where Ayanon said you can see cat gatherings.”

“There's no one here…”

“Maybe it's over.”

“Yeah, maybe—oh, by the way, what about Kisaragi-san?”

“Ayanon's probably still asleep~.”

“She didn't wake up early for the cat gathering?”

“Haha, she's a one-day wonder~.”

People really aren't always what they seem.

…Suddenly, I started wondering. How does she see me?

How does she view the attention I get from others?

It's so late to be thinking about this, but…

Especially my hair. I like it, but on the train, it draws even more attention than usual.

As she casually walked beside me, I couldn't help but worry that she might be putting up with it.

With those thoughts still lingering in my mind, we made our way to the station.

---

“—So, so, it turns out the enemy was actually her cross-dressing lover! What a shock, right?”

“Haha… Looking back, they did have the same eye color and mole.”

“Really surprising~.”

“You fell right off your chair, didn't you? (deadpan).”

Talking with Hatsune-san is always fun.

But still, we finally reached the station.

“…Ah.”

“Oh, the train's here! Right on time!”

Good or bad luck, as soon as we climbed the stairs and reached the platform, the train had arrived.

And just like that, we stepped inside.

The train swayed as I held onto the hand strap.

When I raised my gaze—here and there, I could see people wearing the same uniform.

—“And so, really—right?” “…!” “Oh—and then, that happened—”—

Inside the car.

Just like always, their eyes turned in our direction.

The conversations I couldn't quite catch—maybe they were talking about us.

…Please let me be overthinking this.

I was too scared to look at her face.

Normally, I don't care about other people's stares when I'm alone, but right now, they felt like needles piercing me.

“Hey~.”

“Wh-What?”

“Icchi, it's a little late to say this, but you really stand out, huh?”

I held my breath without realizing it.

I should've thought this through more.

If the stares from around us were making her uncomfortable…

“Well, I also stand out a bit~.”

“Huh?”

“Because of my height. I definitely notice it sometimes, especially when I'm next to smaller girls.”

“…I see.”

“Yeah. So I probably know exactly what you've been worrying about, Icchi.”

“!”

At that moment, I finally lifted my head.

Her expression—it was probably the same as mine had been just a moment ago.

“We're both standouts, huh?”

“Haha. I guess so?”

“You're like a mind-reader sometimes, Hatsune-san.”

“Maybe it's just that your face is easy to read, Icchi~.”

I glanced at her.

There she was, smiling like she always does.

…I wanted her to smile even more, I realized.

This precious friend of mine.

As long as she stayed by my side like this.

“But… with your height, you can really pull off stylish clothes.”

“Huh? Really? I always thought it was only useful for basketball…”

Unusual.

She averted her gaze from mine.

She probably doesn't get complimented about her height very often. She seemed unaccustomed to it… that's the feeling I got.

“You also look mature. In a good way, of course.”

“Eh? You're the only one who'd say something like that, Icchi~.”

“Is that so?”

How easy to read.

And for some reason, her reaction made me feel happy watching her.

“Come on… stop it already…”

Her cheeks turned slightly pink.

Her eyes glistened just a little.

Her lips curled up slightly into a shy smile.

It was that expression—the one I had seen just the night before—that slowly pulled out something lodged deep in my heart.

Truly, she is—

“…?”

“!? Ah, no, no, no, it's nothing! (rapid speech)”

That was close.

I almost said it out loud.

This is why awkward guys with no experience with girls are so hopeless (self-inflicted damage).

“You're acting weird, Icchi~.”

“…It's nothing, really.”

I quickly turned my gaze away.

“Hmm… but do I really look that mature? That's how you see me~.”

“Y-Yeah…”

Hatsune-san looked at me intensely.

Her smile now seemed brighter than it did this morning.

Too bright for me to face directly just yet.

“I'm happy, really happy~.”

“G-Glad to hear that.”

Being with a happy Hatsune-san naturally made me feel happy, too.

More so than when I finished my ship-in-a-bottle project… no, this is a tough call.

Maybe I'm still too self-centered after all.

—“We will soon arrive at Hoshigaoka Station, Hoshigaoka Station.”—

The announcement played. By now, I'd gotten used to the swaying train.

Just one more station to go until the nearest stop.

“Oh, I found your bedhead, Icchi~! It's curled up like a rainbow!”

“W-What? (embarrassed)”

So, just go ahead and look all you want (resigned).

I don't really mind at all—

“Oh, by the way, starting today in PE, it’s time for the second-year tradition, you know?”

“Tradition?”

“That thing—’Creative Dance’—ugh, I’m so bad at it…”

“…Oh, right. I totally forgot about it because of the tests.”

“Haha~ But you’re good at dancing, Icchi.”

“Eh? How do you know that?”

“The dance from last year’s sports festival! Your position was next to Ayanon, right, Icchi?”

“Ah… right.”

“Hmm?”

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

…For a moment, I thought she knew I've been going to clubs.

And I felt a bit relieved.

I'm not doing anything bad, but there's still a part of me that doesn't want people to know I go there.

“Creative dance, huh…”

I murmured.

It’s already that time of year again.