Some time later—
the first day of school after spring break.
“Good morning, Yuzuru-san.”
“Morning, Arisa.”
Arisa had come to pick him up at his flat building.
“Yuzuru-san… you’ve tanned a little, haven’t you?”
This was the first time they’d seen each other since he got back from the trip.
Yuzuru had sent her a few photos of himself, but it seemed they looked a bit different in person.
“Well… it was a tropical place.”
That said, it was only a slight change—just enough to notice.
It wasn’t like he’d come back heavily tanned.
“And that bag you’re holding… could it be…?”
“Yeah, souvenirs. I was planning to hand them out once we get to school. I’ll give you yours later too.”
Yuzuru lightly lifted the paper bag in his hand.
They were souvenirs from New Caledonia.
Incidentally, the gifts from the Takasegawa family had all been shipped to the people they were “indebted” to.
What Yuzuru carried were personal gifts for Ayaka and the others.
That aside—
Yuzuru smiled at Arisa once more.
“I’m really glad to see you. I’ve missed you.”
At his words, Arisa’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she lightly tapped his chest.
“Please don’t say things like that!”
“…You didn’t feel the same?”
Yuzuru asked teasingly.
Arisa lowered her gaze a little as she replied.
“That’s… w-well…”
And then she trailed off, unable to say it outright.
Seeing that, Yuzuru slowly spread his arms.
“Can I hug you?”
Arisa blinked her jade-green eyes a few times.
Then her fair skin turned a rosy pink.
Glancing around to make sure no one was watching—
“Yuzuru-san…”
She stepped forward into his arms.
Yuzuru wrapped her tightly in his embrace.
Her beautiful flaxen hair lightly brushed against his nose.
A faint scent of shampoo drifted from her.
Her body was soft—and warm.
“…I missed you.”
“I’m sorry.”
Despite having only been apart for a few weeks, their reunion felt like something out of a decades-long separation.
“From today, we’re second-years.”
“Yeah.”
Chatting about trivial things like that,
they walked to school hand in hand.
“I hope we end up in the same class.”
“Ah… right, there was a class reshuffle.”
At Arisa’s words, Yuzuru realised it.
With the new school year, classes would be reassigned—
which meant there was a good chance they could be separated.
“Did you forget?”
“Not exactly… I just wasn’t really thinking about it. Now I’m starting to feel a bit nervous.”
Though even if they were in different classes, it wasn’t as if they’d be torn apart forever.
It wasn’t like they could talk much during lessons anyway—
and during breaks, it wouldn’t matter much whether they were in the same class or not.
“If the prayer we made at New Year worked… then we’ll definitely be in the same class.”
“…Yeah. There were two of us wishing for it, after all.”
They both recalled the prayer they’d made at the shrine—
Please let us stay together this year, too.
Before long, they arrived at school.
Near the shoe lockers, they picked up the sheet listing the new class assignments.
It detailed which class each student had been placed in.
The result—
“Oh, we’re in the same class.”
“We are.”
A wave of relief washed over both of them.
“…Ayaka-san, Chiharu-san, and Tenka-san are in the same class too.”
“Soichiro and Hijiri as well…”
They looked through the list for their close friends—
and realised that all of them had ended up together.
“…Do you think it’s a coincidence?”
“Hard to say. Probably… but…”
It wasn’t impossible that it wasn’t entirely by chance.
Their school was private—
and the Takasegawa, Tachibana, Uenishi, and Satake families had all made considerable donations.
It was hard to imagine anyone pulling strings over something like this, but perhaps the administration had shown some consideration…
(No… that’s probably overthinking it.)
The school wasn’t run solely on donations from families like theirs.
Ordinary students were just as important “clients.”
There was no real reason to give Yuzuru special treatment.
So it was most likely just coincidence.
Though… it was entirely possible the teachers had simply grouped close friends together intentionally.
“Well, whatever the reason, it’s fine. Let’s go, Arisa.”
“Yes.”
The two of them started walking.
…Being on school grounds, they refrained from holding hands.
