Chapter 41: The Eternal Morning

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Translator: Soafp

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While putting on my shoes at the entrance, I stretched lightly.

It was a bit warmer than usual for February.

The clear blue sky stretched above, and the air had the kind of warmth that hinted at the arrival of spring. As I stepped outside, a comfortable breeze gently swayed my bangs.

Such a peaceful morning.

But the next moment, two unexpected figures appeared right before me.

“…Huh?”

Standing at the entrance were Miyabi and Aoi.

Both of them had somewhat awkward expressions on their faces. Seeing them together at this hour in this place made me feel like I was being ambushed.

“Uh, what are you two doing?”

I asked, still surprised, and Yasu slightly averted her gaze before speaking.

“I was thinking… maybe we could walk to school together today… if you don't mind, of course.”

Beside her, Aoi nodded eagerly.

Normally, these two wouldn't invite me this way, so I was wondering what had gotten into them.

—For a moment, I was hesitant.

Should I just say “yes” and go with it? Or should I say something else?

But before I could think further, the door behind me suddenly swung open with force.

“Hajime, don't leave me behind~!”

“Wait, Kagura!”

I turned around to see Kagura and Marin peeking out from the entrance.

…Crap.

I groaned in my head, thinking, “This is bad,” and glanced back at Miyabi and Aoi.

As expected, they looked shocked.

“Wait… Hajime? What's going on?”

Aoi stared at me in disbelief.

“Huh, wait, no way…”

Miyabi was at a loss for words.

Seeing their reactions, Kagura and Marin must have realized what was going on. They exchanged looks and quickly stood in front of Miyabi and Aoi, blocking their way.

“What are you two doing here?”

Kagura glared at Miyabi.

“Did you come here to bully Hajime?”

Marin said, placing her hands on her hips with a defiant tone.

No, wait, wait, wait.

Before I could deny it, Aoi spoke up, her tone full of disbelief.

“Seriously, why are you two coming out of Hajime's house?”

“W-what's going on?”

Miyabi couldn't hide her shock either.

—This is bad.

I panicked, trying to figure out how to explain, but Kagura grinned mischievously.

“Well, obviously, we stayed over, right?”

At those words, both Yasu and Aoi's faces turned bright red in an instant.

“W-wait!?”

Aoi, blushing furiously, pointed at Kagura and Marin.

“Yes… we stayed at Hajime's house overnight.”

Marin said, her cheeks pink, smiling shyly.

…It wasn't a lie, but that was a seriously misleading way to put it.

“Stop, stop, STOP! It's a misunderstanding!”

I waved my hands frantically to stop them.

“Eh~? It's not a misunderstanding, though~?”

Kagura looked up at me with a pout.

“Yeah, Hajime's mom was all for it too.”

Marin chimed in, adding fuel to the fire.

“No, no, it was because you two kept whining ‘I don't want to go home!’ last night! Sure, Mom was eager to bring blankets into my room, but…”

I began to explain.

“See? We were officially allowed by Hajime's mom to spend the night!”

Kagura said proudly.

“Well, I was a little unsure if it was too soon, but since Mom encouraged it…”

Marin said, fidgeting with her fingers, looking embarrassed.

Miyabi and Aoi were speechless, their mouths wide open.

“No, seriously!”

I yelled, finishing off the explanation.

“In the end, after the drunk Kyoko-nee came in and said, ‘You're a hundred years too early,’ she dragged both of you to her room, right?”

Kagura and Marin froze for a moment before awkwardly looking away.

Kagura lightly scratched her cheek with her finger, giving a somewhat embarrassed laugh.

“…Ahaha, well, these things happen, right?”

Marin, following suit, purposely cleared her throat.

“Yeah, well, these things happen…”

Miyabi placed her hand on her forehead and let out a deep sigh, looking exasperated. However, there was no anger on her face; instead, there was a sense of relief that seemed to linger.

During this exchange, I felt an odd sense of discomfort.

…Miyabi and Aoi's behavior is different from usual?

Normally, in this kind of situation, they would direct their anger at me, but now both of them seemed oddly calm, almost as though they were looking at me gently.

Aoi, too, glanced at my face while crossing her arms and then gave a small smile. That smile had a certain subtlety to it, with a softness I hadn't seen before.

Kagura seemed to notice it too, as she stared intently at Miyabi and Aoi.

“Hmm…”

As though reading the intent behind Kagura's gaze, Miyabi stepped forward.

“So, Hajime… Would it be alright if we went together? There's something I'd like to talk about…”

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

Just then, Kagura from behind let out a little chuckle.

“You said it yourself yesterday, right? You have to talk things out properly.”

She winked as she said it.

“Is… is that okay?”

Aoi asked apologetically.

“We have a transfer test and interview today, so it's fine if we leave a little later. We'll give you two some space,” Marin smiled.

“…I see. Thank you.”

Miyabi said, bowing sincerely.

As I watched this exchange, I finally made up my mind.

Maybe now, I can actually talk things through.

“…Let's go.”

And so, the three of us began walking together.

The feeling of walking side by side after so long. What once seemed like an ordinary part of our everyday lives now felt strangely tightening in my chest.

Memories of childhood resurfaced.

We used to walk down this path, laughing innocently in the morning sun. We didn't think about anything, just being together was enough to make us happy. But before long, we started drifting apart, keeping our distance from each other.

Miyabi glanced at me, and Aoi did the same.

There were no words. Just meeting each other's gaze made something well up deep inside my chest.

“Hey, Hajime.”

Miyabi murmured quietly.

“Yeah?”

“I guess… this feeling is kind of nostalgic.”

“Yeah…”

Before I knew it, Aoi was smiling.

“It's like we've gone back to being kids.”

Hearing Aoi's soft voice, I nodded quietly.

—It's different from those days. But still, we're walking together again.

A warmth spread in my chest, just a little bit.