Chapter 5:
Have We Met Somewhere Before?
“RENTARO-KUN IS LATE TODAY, ISN’T HE?”
The girls were on the rooftop, as usual, when Hakari made this observation. Everyone else had gotten into their spots long ago, but Rentaro was nowhere to be found. The Class 1-4 girls often went to the rooftop with him, but today he’d said, “I gotta go to the toilet,” and they’d parted ways in front of the classroom.
“Should I call him?” Karane already had her smartphone out and was dialing Rentaro’s number. “He’s not picking up.”
Unfortunately, no matter how long they waited, Rentaro never answered. Eventually, Karane frowned and ended the call.
“Time to look for him, aye!” Kusuri piped up.
“Rentaro-sama’s smartphone location indicates that he is in the 1-4 classroom,” said Mei.
“Why did you just nonchalantly dig up Rentaro-senpai’s smartphone location?” demanded Kurumi.
“Don’t you worry!” said Hahari. “The app required mutual consent!”
“Knowing Rentaro-kun, he might be helping a teacher out again,” Hakari remarked.
‹Then let us move to assist!›
“More people means more efficient searching,” Nano commented.
The girls exited the rooftop, chattering all the while. They headed to the 1-4 classroom where they found…
“Rentaro-kun?” Hakari asked hesitantly.
“What the heck are you doing?” Karane demanded.
Rentaro sat at his desk not doing much of anything, a dazed look on his face. At the sound of his girlfriends’ voices, he turned around to face them. For some reason, slight surprise flickered across his features before he broke out into an awkward smile.
“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “I’m certain that there was something I had to do, but I can’t remember for the life of me.”
His girlfriends tilted their heads in puzzlement at this rather abstract reply.
‹Was a favor asked of you?›
“Did you forget to wear a diaper?” asked Kusuri.
“I’d say wearing a diaper says more about what you’ve forgotten about living as a human being,” Kurumi said.
“Speculating is inefficient,” Nano said. “We ought to investigate things that are related to the matter at hand.”
“Indeed,” said Hahari. “Rentaro-chan, do you remember anything that could be relevant?”
“I shall transcribe every word without fail,” Mei said.
They all turned their gazes to Rentaro.
“Er, um, before that… Sorry, can I ask you something?” Rentaro raised a hand timidly, sweat dripping down his face. “Have we met somewhere before? I’m not familiar with any of you.”
The girls gasped in unison. “What?”
Tension filled the room.
“I mean,” he went on hastily, his smile slightly stiff. He must have noticed that the girls were highly weirded out. “I’m sure I would remember if I met anyone like you. I was just kind of wondering why, um, you all seemed to know me.”
“What the hell is this? Some kind of jo—?!”
Karane cut herself off before she even finished her sentence. She knew better than anyone that Rentaro would never joke about something like this. She bit down her words, gritted her teeth, and hung her head down.
This left only one possibility.
“Oh no!” Hakari trembled, her face pale. “Has Rentaro-kun…lost his memories?!”
“Are you saying I’ve got amnesia?!” Rentaro was sweating bullets, looking for all the world as if the possibility had never even occurred to him.
“Why are you the one not getting it?” Kurumi snapped back with her obligatory snark, although even she looked ill at ease.
Throughout all of this, Rentaro had given off the impression that he was dazed and out of sorts. Then, he seemed to collect his wits.
“Whoa?! Now that I think about it, I was just at my junior high school graduation ceremony. How am I suddenly in a high school classroom, wearing a high school uniform?!” Apparently, this was where his headspace was at. “But… Hmm… What could’ve given me amnesia?”
It was to be expected that Rentaro, having lost his memories, would fail to remember the trigger.
“When I came to, I realized that I was sleeping at this desk for some reason. There was this weird meteorite near my feet. Plus, there’s a dent on the side of my head. That’s all, but…”
Apparently, he did have an inkling.
Rentaro pulled out a fist-sized, meteorite-type object from his pocket, prompting finger-pointing from all directions.
“The evidence is staring you in the face!” everyone shouted.
“Egads! You have a point!” It appeared that Rentaro’s brain had finally started working again. He turned to the girls and bowed his head deeply in apology. “I’m so sorry! It looks like I’ve forgotten all about you!”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Rentaro-chan.” Hahari smiled. “It wasn’t your fault. Here, let me rub your boo-boo.” She gently stroked his head.
“But I’m just so surprised.” Rentaro surveyed the group once more. “I had no idea that I had so many cute and pretty acquaintances…”
“Bozo,” Karane muttered, her eyes still firmly trained on the floor.
“What? Sorry, what did you just say?” Rentaro asked, his expression very apologetic.
Karane lifted her head and glared right back at him. “We’re not just any old acquaintances, you bozo!” she yelled. The corners of her eyes were teary.
“What? Then why do you know m—?”
Me, he was probably about to say.
“Because I’m your girlfriend!” Karane shouted once more, holding a hand to her chest.
It was enough to dispel whatever he was previously trying to say. “Girlfriend…?” he parroted, almost as if he couldn’t wrap his head around the word. “Girlfriend?!”
A moment later, his eyes widened into saucers.
“Wh-whoa… Who would have thought I would be dating someone as wonderful as you?”
As he gazed at Karane, Rentaro scratched his slightly reddened cheeks. At that moment, however, Hakari cut in.
“I’m your girlfriend too, Rentaro-kun!”
“Say what?!” Rentaro’s eyes boggled further, setting a new record.