Side Story: Shion Saegusa drew on it.

Translator: Soafp

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[Shion PoV]

　My name is Shion Saegusa.

　I am currently attending a local high school.

　I used to be an idol until recently, but I have already retired from that idol activity, and now I am starting a new life as a normal girl as I go on to high school.

　Incidentally, the high school I am currently attending is far away from my hometown, so I moved to this town where my grandmother’s house is nearby, and I am somehow making my way to high school every day while trying to get used to living alone.

　But all this is necessary for an important purpose—–.

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　I am weak in the morning, and although I am not late today, I arrive at school just in time.

　Even so, when everyone in my class noticed that I had arrived at school, they would happily gather around me, greeting me in the morning.

I was happy to notice that, and I was grateful that everyone treated me this way, since I didn’t know anyone.

　–But even so, there is actually someone in this class that I would like to talk to more.

　Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but glance at him as he sat by the window again today, plopped down at his desk by himself.

　I wish I could talk with him more, but I am surrounded by everyone in the class today, so my wish is not granted.

　Then one day during homeroom.

The homeroom teacher says something I never thought I would hear.

All right, you guys should be getting used to your class by now, so let’s switch seats.

To my surprise, the homeroom teacher told us that we were going to change our seats.

　The current seating is in order of the student’s number on the roster, and although my current seat is not so bad, as I can watch his back from behind, unfortunately, I have never been able to get close to him in my current seat until today.

　So I should think of this as a chance to get closer to him now that we are in the same class.

　My heart is so excited at this sudden opportunity.

　If I were to sit next to him, what would happen to me?

　While I was fantasizing about this alone, the seat change had begun.

He went forward and drew lots, and to my surprise, he ended up in the very back seat by the window.

　In other words, a seat at the very end of the classroom.

　I quickly checked and groaned.

If I wasn’t at the end of the row, I would have had a wider range of options to go to the back, but at the end of the row, I could only get as close as the seat next to it or the seat in front of it.

　So I repeated over and over in my head the numbers “6” and “14,” the numbers of the seat in front of me and the seat next to me, as if I were casting a spell.

　As I was repeating the numbers over and over in my mind as if I was praying to God, my turn finally came.

“Yes, next, Saegusa!””

“Yes!”

Putting on my best face, I replied cheerfully as I stood up.

Despite my inevitable nervousness, I put my hand into the lottery box and pulled out a ticket.

　I open the lottery ticket with a trembling hand, almost swallowed up by the pounding of my heart—-

“Is it really ……?”

　I couldn’t help but utter these words when I saw the number written on the lottery ticket.

　Then, the teacher took the lottery ticket from my hand, which was frozen in surprise, and read it out.

“Yes, Saegusa is number 14. Next, Shimizu.”

With those words of Sensei, I reconfirmed that the miracle that had just happened to me was indeed a real event.

　–Number 14, I had indeed won the seat next to him!

　I return to my seat, trying desperately to hold back the joy that is surging up inside me.

　As I sat down, I looked over at his seat and noticed that he had noticed that I was now seated next to him, and that he was unusually looking in my direction.

That alone made me feel my face grow hotter and hotter.

I was so embarrassed that I could only look down, knowing that just a little eye contact would make me feel like this, and wondering what would happen in the future with me.

But just the thought that I might finally be able to talk again with him – no, with “Takkun,” my special and precious person makes me so happy that I can’t stand it. –I was so happy and couldn’t wait to talk to him again.

End of Volume 4

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TL: Thanks for reading. I’m sorry for the lack of updates. I’m focusing on my other projects. I will continue this novel when I’m done with my other projects.