The day after spring break began—
“That should be everything….”
Yuzuru packed the last of his belongings into a cardboard box and let out a relieved sigh.
Then he looked around at his fiancée and friends who had helped him move.
“Thanks. That really helped.”
“Of course. I’ll consider this a favour you owe me.”
Tenka Nagiri said with a smile.
When Yuzuru nodded as if accepting it, she looked slightly confused.
…Apparently, she had meant it as a joke.
“I was expecting at least a couple of those kinds of books, you know.”
“What a shame.”
“I don’t own anything like that.”
Ayaka Tachibana and Chiharu Uenishi, who seemed to have helped for rather impure reasons, said so.
Yuzuru immediately denied it—glancing at Arisa as if to defend himself.
“Of course you don’t.”
Arisa nodded with a bright smile.
“Still, it was a convenient place for the guys to hang out.”
“Seriously.”
Soichiro Satake and Hijiri Ryozenji said in agreement.
They had practically lived at Yuzuru’s place—second only to Arisa.
Yuzuru smiled wryly at their honesty.
“Sorry about that. …We’ll find another spot.”
He checked the time.
Just past 2 PM.
They had been working since morning without eating, and he was starting to feel hungry.
His friends probably were too.
“How about we order something? My treat.”
“Wow, pizza! It’s been a while!!”
Arisa’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the delivered pizza.
It was already past 3 PM—
Too late for lunch, too early for dinner.
“Alright, Yuzuru, you’re the host. Say something.”
“That’s a bit much… but sure. Uh… thanks for helping today. …Cheers!”
““Cheers!””
All six raised their paper cups.
After a sip of juice, they started dividing and eating the pizza.
“By the way… when are you all planning to start studying for entrance exams? …Or have you already started?”
Arisa casually brought it up.
A few people—especially Chiharu and Hijiri—visibly grimaced.
“T-that’s a harsh question… at a time like this.”
“Seriously…”
“S-sorry…”
Realising it might not have been the best topic, Arisa looked apologetic.
But Yuzuru shook his head.
“No, it’s important. Especially for people like you two. If you don’t start now, it might be too late.”
He knew their grades didn’t match their target schools.
But instead of listening, they covered their ears in exaggerated refusal.
…Which was exactly why they were in that situation.
“What about you, Arisa?”
Tenka asked.
“I’m planning to attend a prep school’s spring course. …Yuzuru is too.”
Yuzuru nodded.
“Oh, really? Same here… though I’m not planning to go all in just yet.”
“Me too. …Actually, I’m thinking of enrolling properly. School alone doesn’t feel like enough.”
Tenka and Soichiro answered.
Their approaches differed slightly, but having friends going together was reassuring.
As Yuzuru and Arisa quietly felt relieved—
Ayaka cut in.
“Wow, you guys are serious. It’s still spring, you know? I’ll start in summer.”
Yuzuru gave a wry smile.
He couldn’t really argue.
Ayaka was the naturally gifted type—
The kind who could get results with minimal effort.
“Right!?”
“Exactly! It’s too early!”
“You two sound like the type who’ll say ‘maybe when it cools down’ once summer comes.”
Yuzuru warned them.
“I’ll do it tomorrow” is the fool’s motto, after all.
“Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? Worst case… you could always take a gap year.”
Tenka said lightly.
But in reality, that wasn’t a joke.
At their school, taking a gap year wasn’t uncommon.
In fact, the odds of all of them passing on their first try were probably low.
“…I absolutely don’t want to study for another year.”
“Same here.”
“Then would you compromise and go to a lower-ranked school?”
Arisa asked.
The value of academic prestige differed for everyone.
Whether it was worth sacrificing a year—or more—also differed.
Chiharu and Hijiri both looked away.
It seemed they had standards they weren’t willing to compromise.
“In that case, you should at least start now. You don’t have to go all in yet—but having a head start helps.”
“…You might be right. Can you send me info about the spring courses?”
“…Me too.”
They said reluctantly.
It seemed six of them—excluding Ayaka—would attend.
“Wait, everyone’s going? …Then I’ll go too! I don’t want to be left out!!”
Correction.
All seven.
