I spent the next day browsing a website called “Tips for a Successful High School Debut” and buying school supplies. And so, the day of the entrance ceremony finally arrived.
The night before the ceremony, I’d been so nervous that I hadn’t gotten much sleep. I definitely could have done with some more rest, but I was wired and wide awake come morning.
You can’t blame me for being a bundle of nerves; it’s D-Day, after all. Yep, today’s the day I redo my youth! One month’s passed since the time leap—one month full of preparation. Remember the goal: I’m going to paint over my gray teen years with colorful, happy memories this time. And I doubt god will give me another chance if I mess this up; I can’t count on any third tries. It’s do or die! I gave myself a pep talk.
Ugh, my stomach kinda hurts. Oh no, my nerves are getting to me! Relax. My preparations were perfect, I thought, trying to take the pressure off. It’s only 6 a.m. I’m not falling asleep anytime soon so I guess I’ll go for a run.
I changed into workout clothes and left the house. The sky was a pleasant blue and the gentle spring breeze felt refreshing. I did some light warm-up exercises and then started running. In the beginning of my workout journey, I would run laps around my neighborhood, but now I could run a good distance away from home.
Of course, the entrance ceremony was today, so I only planned to run far enough to get rid of the nerves. Realistically, I could’ve run ten times farther than when I’d first started jogging and still probably been fine.
I listened to a new song from a band that I knew would become popular in the future while running. My neighborhood was a quiet one, with few cars and people in the streets. Well, the early hour probably contributed to the lack of activity, but it was a good area to jog in at any rate.
Once I’d finished running a lap around town, I stopped at the park in my neighborhood. I figured it was a good place to take a break, plus I wanted to admire the beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom. This park was kind of a best-kept secret among locals.
“Natsuki?” A voice called out while I was enjoying the flowers. I turned to see a beautiful, black-haired girl whose face I actually knew quite well.
“Hey, Miori! It’s been a while. Haven’t seen you since graduation.”
Her name was Motomiya Miori. We’d been schoolmates all the way back since kindergarten. I guess she was something like a childhood friend. She didn’t live next to me, though, nor were our families close. If I’d had the kind of childhood friend you see in anime, my teen years wouldn’t have been so drab.
Miori and I used to be friends in kindergarten and elementary school, but we’d stopped talking to each other in middle school. In my original time, I hadn’t even known what college she’d gone to, let alone what she was doing. That’s about how close we were.
“What the... You, uh, you look a lot different.” Miori rubbed her eyes and took another good look at me.
“I’m gonna look the same no matter how much you stare, you know.”