Underneath the rows of trees lining the school path, near the shoe lockers, along the corridors… No matter where I walked, classmates glanced at Soejima-kun, murmuring among themselves. Today, more so than usual, Soejima-kun seemed to be the center of attention.
Walking by his side, I could sense an unusual atmosphere in the school. Even Soejima-kun, who was accustomed to being stared at, appeared to have noticed the classmates’ increased attention.
Upon reaching a hidden corner of the corridor, he looked at me, silently mouthing, “Could it be… they can see you?” with an oddly puzzled expression.
Of course, that wasn’t possible. The person they were focusing on was Soejima-kun.
Maintaining his uncomfortable expression under the piercing gazes, Soejima-kun started toward the classroom. From behind him came the hurried, flapping sound of approaching footsteps. As Yousuke-kun tried to jump at him, Soejima-kun swiftly dodged, leaving the boy to stumble forward with his momentum.
“What are you doing?” Soejima-kun asked in a cool tone. His face tensed up as Yousuke-kun, who had regained his balance, grinned and nodded repeatedly, looking at Soejima-kun with an oddly smiling gaze.
“What is it?” Soejima-kun asked, drawing back slightly, only for Yousuke-kun to enthusiastically hug him.
“I’m glad for you. I’ve been hoping it would happen,” Yousuke-kun said.
“Huh?” Soejima-kun tilted his head, attempting to peel off the clinging boy.
“You’re dating Kusunoki, right?”
“Huh?”
“It’s the talk of the school.”
“Rumors…” Soejima-kun exhaled in seeming comprehension of the attention he had received up until we reached the classroom. “Anything involving Kusunoki turns into gossip.”
“It’s you, though,” Yousuke-kun retorted, an exasperated expression crossing Soejima-kun’s face. “You were the one who followed Kusunoki when she was taken away and returned home with her that day. That’s what stood out.”
Yousuke-kun grinned, his delight apparent. “Still, good for you.”
Contrasting with the boy’s smile, Soejima-kun’s expression darkened. A fleeting glance in my direction caused his expression to harden further.
“Hajime?” Yousuke-kun’s smile faded as Soejima-kun fell abruptly silent.
Noticing his concern, Soejima-kun forced a laugh and said, “It’s nothing… I’m just happy,” as if to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.
Last night, Soejima-kun had suggested that we spent our limited time re-examining the accident instead of going to school. However, I had expressed my desire to attend.
When asked for a reason, I replied, “I think it would be better for you to spend as much time as possible with Kusunoki-san to strengthen your bond.”
Before a discontented Soejima-kun could protest, I continued, “Besides… I feel there’s something that can be done in the school where I’ve recovered some of my past memories.”
To my assertive statement, Soejima-kun silently acquiesced with a reluctant nod. Seeing his agreement, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I wasn’t lying.
The image of Kusunoki-san in the art preparation room, seeming to avoid people’s gazes, was fresh in my mind. It had been bothering me for a while.
What was Kusunoki-san doing in the art preparation room?
On that pale, transparent night, I resolved to do everything in my power once again.
I decided to investigate Kusunoki-san’s strange behavior. The fact that the next day was a Thursday seemed to reinforce my decision. However, I couldn’t tell Soejima-kun about this.
After all, Kusunoki-san’s unusual actions might have absolutely no connection to the fact that I hadn’t changed. I didn’t want to fuel Soejima-kun’s worries—that my continued existence might mean the bond he had formed was a mistake.
When the first period started, I slipped out of the classroom where Soejima-kun was and walked down the now deserted hallway. I walked along the covered walkway and climbed the staircase at the end, which led to a hallway lined with special classrooms. I looked up at the sign reading “Art Preparation Room.”
It was Thursday. What was Kusunoki-san doing in the art preparation room?
I passed through the door and approached the window where Kusunoki-san had been the previous Thursday. I planned to wait for her there.
She might not come today. The class had just started, so she wouldn’t come there immediately—I had let my guard down with that thought.
That was why I was genuinely surprised when I heard the sound of the door opening behind me just as I was standing by the window.
Kusunoki-san? I turned around and looked at the person who’d opened the door. The one who had entered wasn’t Kusunoki-san. The man who entered was thin and lanky, with a narrow chin and a somewhat timid appearance, dressed in a crumpled suit.
I remembered seeing him in the corridor in front of the art preparation room, stumbling and swaying. He was the young male teacher who had been the first to rush over when Kusunoki-san collapsed, cradling her and leaving the gym.
Soejima-kun and Kusunoki-san called him “Miyoshi-sensei.”
Upon entering the art preparation room, Miyoshi-sensei furrowed his brows as he looked my way. He stepped closer, one step at a time, without uttering a word.
Is he able to see me? My heartbeat escalated. As he reached my side, I held my breath in anticipation, but Miyoshi-sensei didn’t even glance at me. He simply closed the open window curtain.
Maybe the sunlight from the window was just too bright. Feeling relief, I released the breath I had been holding. Miyoshi-sensei pulled out an apron covered in paint from a shelf behind some specialized books, put it on, and then, without hesitation, grabbed a pen stand from the mess of things scattered about. He retrieved a canned coffee from a mini fridge hidden behind a plaster statue and plonked it onto the large table.
Clearly, he was the art teacher who owned this room. Whether he was here for class preparation or just to take a break, it seemed to have nothing to do with Kusunoki-san, and I felt disappointed.
Kusunoki-san had fled the classroom to hide when she sensed people outside the art preparation room. If someone was here, she might not come. The curtains had been drawn, and I couldn’t even check the outside situation.
There may be no point in staying here. As I was contemplating leaving and absent-mindedly watching Miyoshi-sensei, my train of thought halted in the next moment.
Miyoshi-sensei had moved away from the table, pulled a key from his pocket, and inserted it into a locker.
What? I remembered Kusunoki-san smiling as she locked up the locker. Miyoshi-sensei opened that same locker.
Miyoshi-sensei took a sketchbook from inside the locker, sat on a chair in front of the large table, and started drawing something.
A sense of unease welled up inside me. I walked toward the sitting Miyoshi-sensei and peeked at his sketchbook. The drawing there made me freeze. A meticulously drawn portrait of Kusunoki-san, as if he had copied it from a photo, was there.
The unease inside me burst. I couldn’t hear anything—the bell signaling the end of the first period, the sound of the pen running over the sketchbook, nothing.
Miyoshi-sensei stopped his hand as if he’d noticed something and turned toward the art preparation room’s door, gently smiling. Slowly, I turned my gaze toward the source of the smile too.
There, at the door of the art preparation room, stood Kusunoki-san.
“I figured you might be here since it’s Thursday and the curtains of the art preparation room were closed.”
Miyoshi-sensei tilted his head slightly.
“Haven’t you been avoiding me for a while?”
Upon entering the art preparation room, Kusunoki-san closed the door and turned to Miyoshi-sensei.
“That’s not the case anymore. I’ve dispelled the rumors about us.”
With light footsteps, she took a seat opposite Miyoshi-sensei at the table.
“Dispelled?” Miyoshi-sensei asked, tilting his head.
“Did you overwrite them by dating someone conspicuous?”
What?!
Watching the surprised Miyoshi-sensei, Kusunoki-san chuckled. “Strictly speaking, it was just a smokescreen to date you secretly.”
“Smokescreen…”
“Don’t worry. Even though I said we were dating, it’s just an extension of being friends. He can’t even touch girls.”
Miyoshi-sensei made a face as if he’d realized who she was talking about.
“Hajime-kun?”
“Yeah, he asked me to date him again.”
Peering into Miyoshi-sensei’s sketchbook, Kusunoki-san said, “Isn’t my face a bit too round in this drawing?” as she tapped her portrait with her finger.
After contemplating for a moment and taking a sip of his canned coffee, Miyoshi-sensei opened his mouth.
“Guess you’re happy now, aren’t you? Originally, I was just advising you about dating various people because you were unable to forget Hajime-kun…”
Kusunoki-san’s finger, which was tapping her portrait, stopped.
“Annoyed? I know you were called by the vice-principal because of the rumors about us meeting privately.”
“No, it’s not about that…”
Kusunoki-san looked straight at Miyoshi-sensei.