Take care of her? There’s no cause for concern when it comes to Fujiwara. She’s the class leader. He’s more of a worrywart than I thought. For how flippant he acts, he’s actually the devoted type.
Hino wasn’t the only former classmate to stop me; several others also called out to me. After we verified each other’s classes and had a quick chat, I broke away from the bulletin board and returned to the others.
Heh heh heh! I have a place to return to—what a joyful thing. I never had anything like that in the past.
“Heeey, Natsuki-kun. Did you get a look?” Hikari asked.
She, Uta, Nanase, Tatsuya, and Reita were waiting for me. Serika and Miori had joined up with other kids formerly from class 1-1—namely Hasegawa’s clique—and were chatting.
Hasegawa was hugging Miori as she said something like “I’m sooo gonna miss you!”
Huh? Why are they so close? Miori, that’s the girl who threw water on you in the middle of winter, remember? I struggle to understand their relationship, but I guess a lot happened in class one. After the Reita incident settled down, I saw them together often.
“We’re second-years now, huh,” Tatsuya said in a profound tone.
“Right? It was just yesterday when we enrolled,” Hikari said.
“Now that’s just not true, Hikari,” Nanase retorted.
“You perceive time just like a granny!” Uta’s expression was pure and innocent, but her riposte was as brutal as if she’d just stabbed her friend.
“What?! I’m a high school girl full of beans, though!” Hikari replied.
I joined in. “Full of beans? It’s been years since I heard someone say that.”
“Jeez, not you too, Natsuki-kun!”
It was our usual mundane banter, but there was a certain loneliness in the air that felt different than usual.
The six of us won’t spend time in the same classroom together anymore. I knew this would happen when we had to choose between humanities and STEM, but it’s finally hitting me now that we’re actually second-years. This doesn’t mean farewell, though. We still have two more years of high school life. And we’ll hang out many times after that too. That’s why there’s no need to be sad!
I put on a smile and suggested, “Let’s still hang out as a group every once in a while even though we’re in different classes. We can get together during lunch break or something.”
“Hard agree!” Uta’s hand instantly shot up, but then she tilted her head to the side. “But where should we meet up?”
“If we gather during lunch, then the cafeteria should be reliable,” I said.
“Some of us might need to buy lunch too,” Nanase added.
“We eat in the cafeteria anyway, so swing by whenever you feel like it,” Tatsuya said as he scratched his head.
“Us guys are in the same class, so we’ll be just like before,” Reita said in agreement.
“In that case, I just need to link up with Uta-chan and Yuino-chan and head to the cafeteria!” Hikari said, a bright smile blooming across her face.
It made me happy that everyone else wanted to gather just like I did. I had formed irreplaceable bonds that I hadn’t managed to in my first round.
“How should we contact each other?”
“Let’s just keep using our RINE group, Natsuki’s Fam.”
We continued jabbering away as we headed for the school entrance. The bulletin board was wide, and the first-year classes were also posted next to the second-years’ listing. New students wearing brand-new uniforms were lumped around it. It’s kind of heartwarming to see them like that. We must’ve looked just like that last year too.
“Heyo, senpai! I enrolled, no sweat!” Yamano came running up to me from the throng of first-years.
“Morning, Yamano. Congrats on making it,” I told her.
Yamano was in the same band as me. Starting today, she was also a first-year student at Ryomei.
“What d’ya think? Behold, Saya-chan’s new uniform! How do I look?!” She twirled in front of me to show off her brand-new uniform.
It’s a little baggy, but that’s probably in anticipation of any growth spurts. “It looks good on you,” I complimented her candidly.
She burst into a smile. “Heh heh! Thank you very much!”
She’s as hyper as always. Well, she is a high schooler starting today, after all.
“And good morning to all of you too!” Yamano bowed to my friends behind me.
“Huh? Yamano, do you know them all?” I asked.
“Yup! We chatted back when Miori-senpai was missing.”
Ohhh. That makes sense. That happened when Reita and I went to search for Miori.
Hikari was watching me with a small frown as I conversed with Yamano.
“Wh-What is it?” I asked.
She turned away. “Nothing. I was just thinking that you two are very close. That’s all.”
Welp, looks like I’ll need to cheer her up later!
“Saaaya! Congrats on making it in!” Uta exclaimed.
“Awww! Thanks a ton! I’m pumped!”
Meanwhile, Yamano and Uta excitedly celebrated our underclassman’s success. At some point, Uta had given her a nickname.
“I can’t wait to be a high schooler!” Yamano said.
“It’s not going to be all fun, though. You have to study suuuper hard here!” Uta warned.
“Why’re you killing my vibe all of a sudden?!”
“It’s a senpai’s duty to break it to you.”
It’s sorta funny to see Uta acting like an upperclassman when she’s smaller than Yamano.
“Natsu? Were you thinking something rude just now?” Uta asked.
“Nope, uh-uh. What makes you think that?” I replied.
“It’s written all over your face that you think it’s hilarious that I’m acting like an upperclassman!”
“Did you read my mind?!”
“I knew it! Just as I suspected!” She glared at me.
Reita laughed blithely. “Natsuki, your face is always such an open book.”
And yet, I can’t tell what other people are thinking no matter how hard I examine their faces. What an unfair world!
A warm smile spread across Yamano’s face as she beheld our boisterous banter. “It’s a little reassuring to see all your faces.”
Reassuring? I thought she was acting sorta different than usual... “Don’t tell me, are you nervous?”
“Of course I am! I don’t have any friends here. How could I not be nervous?” she pouted.
Hikari blinked at her in surprise. “Huh? Really? No one from your middle school is here?”
“Not a single one. At least, none of the first-years,” Yamano replied.
“Yamano’s from Mizumi just like me. It’s a long way from Ryomei,” I explained.
“Oh, that’s right,” Hikari said.
Miori and I were the only ones from Mizumi in our year, so it was no surprise Yamano was the only one in hers.
“Saaaya, it’s you we’re talking about! I know you’ll be A-OK!” Uta gave Yamano an encouraging slap on the back.
“I’m pumped! Thank you very much.” The corners of Yamano’s eyes softened.
Huh, she really is fifteen. Yamano tends to say some pretty mature things, so sometimes I forget she’s so young.
“Senpai? Wh-What’s up with you?”
She’s pretty philosophical, and she can even be strangely cold at times. But now she’s a true-to-life high school student, getting nervous and uneasy like everyone else.
While such thoughts were running through my mind, Yamano studied me closely. “Oh no, did I sweep you off your feet?” she teased me with a giant smirk. “But, senpai, you mustn’t fall for me! You’ve already got Hoshimiya-senpai, remember?”