---

Click-clack. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk. Click-clack. Ka-thunk. Ka-thunk.

With each turning of the wheels, the unfamiliar skyline of Kitaguchi faded into the distance behind her, and the half-remembered silhouettes of buildings she had passed beneath countless times before took its place. Kumoriyama City's center spread out below her, haloed in the golden light of the rising sun that was now floating above the water's surface. Its shimmering rays cut cleanly through the thinning veil of mist overhead, bridging ground and sky like pillars to heaven. Along the mountainside, the sakura blossoms were already in full bloom, their white and pink petals catching the light like fairies' wings as they fluttered into and out of the light, drifting wheresoever the wind would take them.

It had been raining last night when Suzuka had moved in. She had traveled light, but had sorely regretted leaving her heavy coat behind at her grandma's house in Hakodate. The fierce wind had been biting on the ferry, and by the time she had walked all the way from the docks to the cafe that was to be her new home, she had been dripping wet despite her umbrella, and her face and hands had been red.

Today was different, though. Despite the morning fog's best attempts to hide it, the sky overhead was clear and blue, and although the wind blowing upward along the shoreline was brisk, the patch of sunshine filtering through the window of the train car was warm enough to make her eyelids feel heavy.

She brushed one hand across the window glass, wiping away the condensation that had begun to obscure her view, before brushing the sleep from her eyes with the other. Try though she might to stay awake, her mind still felt half-asleep. Just a few weeks prior, she had been walking to school down unpaved roads blanketed with snow. Now, here she was, doing her best not to drowse off in the sunlight as dreamlike scenery from her childhood flowed by, block by block, before her doubting eyes.

It felt wrong to say she was "home." The word itself just didn't seem to fit her, like two pieces taken from different puzzles. Spring had come, but the winter in her heart would take a while longer to thaw. The storm had passed, but the blue it left behind was meant for somebody else. Her "blue" was somewhere else -- somewhere too transient to return to, and too distant to be reached. Even if this place had remained the same, Suzuka herself had changed. And even if she had remained the same, this place would have changed, too. Best not to hope for too much only to be disappointed, even if it was only those hopes that had brought her back here in the first place.

She could save her dreams for when she was asleep. Thumbing idly through the open binder on her lap, she reviewed the schedule again. Arrive early enough to report to her homeroom teacher's office, then introduce herself to the class. Stand, self-introduce, write her name, bow, sit down. Smiling would be the hard part, but she'd manage somehow. So long as she made quick work of it, people probably wouldn't bother her afterward with too many questions that would be hard to answer. It wasn't even like she'd come from anywhere particularly interesting, anyway. Maybe if she'd been living in Tokyo her transfer would turn some heads, but Hokkaido? Right, they'd probably leave her alone after that.

Stand, self-introduce, write her name, bow, sit down. She repeated those steps in her mind, reassuring herself that that would be all there was to it. There'd be no unexpected surprises or disturbances. I mean, even if anybody who knew her back then somehow made it to this school, they'd probably have forgotten all about her... though that was distressing in its own way, but she didn't want to think about that. Stand, self-introduce, write her name, bow, sit down. Nobody would make fun of her for just doing that much.

Somewhere amidst her worrying, her ears must have heard the intercom calling her station, her feet must have taken the initiative to disembark, and her hands must have gathered up her things as she made her way out of the south Kumoriyama station and up the winding hillside road. Her eyes were probably still too dazzled by the sakura blossoms to remember to check her own appearance and confirm her fears that the uniform she wore didn't suit her nearly as well as the other girls walking the same path, but her own anxiety had helpfully reminded her of that in advance. The ribbon was too big and girly for someone who was such a mess, the blouse too tight for someone with such wide shoulders, the skirt too short for her long legs -- it looked like she was trying way too hard, didn't it? Those two third-years up ahead were giggling about something. They hadn't looked her way first, had they? Maybe she should have worn tights instead of spats. Would that have fit in better? No, that might just have the opposite effect...

Deep breath. Stand, self-introduce, write her name, bow, sit down. Somehow, the door to the classroom was right in front of her now, and she could hear the homeroom teacher, whose name Suzuka had already forgotten, talking on the other side, going through what should have been routine re-introductions, while out the window she saw the staff moving chairs out of the gymnasium after the entrance ceremony. She had missed it herself, on account of oversleeping and then subsequently having to go to the teacher's office, but that might have been a blessing in disguise, she supposed. Having to scoot her way into the second years' seating area and sit together with a class she hadn't even met before would have been insanely awkward.

Yet at the same time, it felt like she missed something important. Well, okay, she had missed a lot of things that were important. They all had been classmates for a whole year, right? Some speeches by the faculty and singing together to welcome the new students were only the tip of the iceberg. Wouldn't that mean they all already had their own friend groups? Forget the entrance ceremony, finding a place to sit anywhere was only going to make her stick out like a sore thumb. And in a few minutes, she was going to have to do just that! Ah, maybe she should have just called in sick this morning... No, no, no, that would just mean she'd have to do the same thing tomorrow!

Ah. The gym. Right. It was a very big building, and seemed well-maintained. Maybe they even had a basketball team. It had been a while since she had played, so she was a little out of practice, but that might be fun, if they'd have her. But knowing her luck they wouldn't have any spots on the team, or she wouldn't be good enough, or -- Anyway, she couldn't focus on that now, though, because the teacher's voice was still ringing in her ears and every moment she expected her name to be called.

How was everyone's break? Such-and-so went to Tokyo Disneyland, wasn't that nice? Apparently Yurika-chan from Class 2-C went on an overseas vacation to Hawaii. That sounded a bit intense for a simple spring break, but good for her, Suzuka supposed. Anyway, today would only be a self-study day with a few basic handouts to get everyone acquainted with the material for all their upcoming courses, so class would be dismissed early after that. But first, there was one other important bit of housekeeping. Ah. And there it was. That was her, right? Kubo-sensei -- right, that was her name -- was looking through the door right at her.

Suzuka took a deep breath, and gathered her composure. She'd been preparing for this moment all morning. She opened the door and stepped up to the front of the class, keeping her gaze on the teacher to avoid meeting the confused and curious stares of the other students, whose ranks she was about to join.

"This year, we have a new transfer student who will be joining us."

That was her cue. Somehow, despite fretting over the steps ever since the moment she had woken up, when the time came to actually perform them, she did it almost without thinking. She strode up to the blackboard, firmly grasped the chalk, and, in 33 decisive strokes, silently inscribed her name for all to see. Only when she was done did she set down the chalk, clap her hands together to brush its residue from her fingertips, and turn to face the class. Her cold blue-gray eyes panning slowly across the room, unable to focus long enough on any one individual to commit any details of their person to memory, but long enough to at least look like she was trying as she at last found the right words, and spoke.

"My name is written like 'Nagauchi,' but pronounced Osanai. Osanai Suzuka." Her voice was measured, calm, and low, as she exercised every single ounce of her self-discipline not to let any of the anxiety she felt creep into her voice. "I've recently moved here from Hakodate for personal reasons, and I'll be attending school here for the next two years. My interests are..." That was probably too much. Who even asked what her interests were anyway? It's not like she was an elementary school student anymore. It would only sound self-absorbed if she kept wasting their time going on about herself like this, so might as well just cut it short and save everyone involved the trouble.

"Well, I like sports, I guess. Anyway, I'll be in your care."

It was a bit rough around the edges, Suzuka supposed, taking a curt, sharp bow. And Kubo-sensei looked a little shocked, now that she looked at her again. Was it because she'd written out her name entirely before even speaking at all? Or maybe because she just didn't have much to say? She hadn't come off as rude, had she?

Either way, the teacher quickly cleared her throat and mastered both the situation and herself.

"Right. Well, anyway, if that's all you wanted to say, you can have a seat. Is the back alright?"

"No problem. I can see just fine from anywhere."

"Right. Then, in the back row, second from the end, next to Fuji-kun over there." Kubo-sensei motioned to an empty desk close to the window, the sort of place you'd see the protagonist sitting in a shounen manga, kicking up his feet without a care or staring out the window dramatically, acting all cool and disinterested. Well, rather than a spiky-haired main-character, though, the boy sitting there looked pretty laid-back. He had an all-too-neat bowl cut and plain black hair, and a friendly-looking face -- the kind that feels like somebody you've known your whole life. Well, it was a little early to guess at whether they'd get along or not, but right now that she was done with the talking part, she felt so relieved that it seemed like too much effort to worry about anything like that.

Sitting next to Fuji-kun, huh? It would be just like in... elementary... school...

Wait.

Waitwaitwaitwaitwait.

She stopped short before ever reaching her own desk. Leaning forward, she squinted her eyes and furrowed her brows, staring her seatmate down with all the intensity of a police detective identifying a suspect. It felt like her heart had skipped a beat just now, and for a moment, she had even forgotten to breathe.

The person sitting in front of her was... different from how she remembered. Taller, obviously, but his hair had been messier back then, too. And yet... and yet...! Those slim, sharp brows, those shifty-looking eyes, that ink-black hair, that name... It could only be...!

"...Oi. You're Ei-kun from Minamikawa, aren'tcha?"

Too surprised to remember how to make an expression, her nerves too worked up not to fall back on habit and play it cool, Osanai Suzuka gave perhaps the single most understated declaration of her entire life. But even as her frozen face scrambled to find the appropriate expression for her sheer bewilderment, and eventually had to settle for a look of casual surprise as the next-best alternative, somewhere out the window, the morning fog had lifted, and a clear and brilliant blue had taken its place.

Spring had come.

---

"Eikichi! You're going to be late if you don't move that slow butt of yours out the door!"

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!"

Raised voices, slamming doors and feet stomping down stairs: just a normal morning in the Fuji household.

The two-story house sitting in the most historic neighborhood of Minamikawa has seen its fair share of wear and tear over the years. From toddlers with access to permanent markers to middle schoolers playing baseball inside the house to teenagers performing over-eager kitchen experiments, there has been no shortage of excitement and chaos since the Fujis moved in. But, despite the noise and the occasional visit from the fire department, the neighbors all agree: life would be a lot more dull without the family's cheerful and vigorous presence in the neighborhood.

Coming down the stairs with minutes to spare is Eikichi Fuji, the middle child, handsomest child, and—as of today—second-year high school student. The reason for his lateness? Parting and styling his thick mop of black hair into something that says "I know how to have fun" instead of "I know how to study and not much else." Fingers careful not to touch a single strand lest he mess up all his hard work, Eikichi arranges the asymmetrical safety pin earrings that dangle from his ears. His shirt is, of course, artfully unbuttoned, and his black slacks are made flashier by the addition of a simple silver belt chain. All in all, everything is perfect for his first day.

"I swear, if you didn't spend so much time on your hair, you wouldn't be in such a rush to catch the train," says resident timekeeper and dear mother Fuji Anju, who stands at the bottom of the stairs with her hands on her hips. She huffs, hands already dangerously close to the hair Eikichi has just spent the last half-hour styling. He swats her away, moving out of range of her menacing mom-hands.

"Mom, it's fine. You know the train always leaves a few minutes late. Did you make me a lunchbox?"

"Ingrateful son of mine…" Mrs. Fuji sighs and points to the counter. "Yes, of course I did. Take something for breakfast, too. At least a piece of toast."

"Kay." Eikichi moves through the kitchen with seasoned ease, maneuvering around:
1) his mother, whose mom-hands cannot be stopped from patting him on the cheek, although she restrains herself from further damage;
2) the dining room table, where Takeru is finishing his breakfast. Eikichi stops to ruffle Takeru's hair, because it makes him mad and that's funny, before moving on to
3) his older sister, standing in front of the open fridge, who elbows him in the side, which means he must elbow back. The resulting elbow war ends in a tie and leads him to the
4) snack cabinet, where he grabs some fruit snacks and a granola bar, raising them out of reach of Rei, who makes various snatching movements. Being the tallest in the Fuji household has many advantages.

"Okay, I'm out," he calls, mostly for his mother's sake. She gives him a wave. Rei sticks her tongue out, which is about all the sibling affection Eikichi can expect from her.

Getting to the train station isn't too terribly hard, although Eikichi has to admit, he did cut it close this time. It's because he couldn't decide what earrings to wear. Gotta make a good impression—although, it's a lot easier than last year. Last year, he had to basically build himself from the ground up. All the people who called him plain in middle school, all the kids who clocked him as good for a laugh, all the teachers who expected him to lay low—he had to flip all their expectations upside-down and show them what he's really made of, who he really wants to be.

Who he is, now.

Eikichi pops in his earbuds and watches Minamikawa fade away as he munches on his breakfast. Second year shouldn't be so hard, right? As long as he gets in a class with a few people he knows. And even if he doesn't, it's not so hard to win people over. Not after you get to know them a bit. He's pretty good at that—figuring people out, sniffing out their secrets. Hey, maybe he should become a private detective in the future!

His mind glazes over the entrance ceremony and announcements, more excited to see who's in his class this year (and if he's got a nice seat). Thankfully, everything seems to be in order in Eikichi's little world: Haru's here, and he's the sort of guy Eikichi can always count on to be honest and well-meaning. There are no hidden messages or whispering rumors with Haru; maybe that's why they hung out a lot last year. If pressed, Eikichi might even say he likes the guy! And the rest of the class isn't bad, either—they even have a transfer student. Which is always… interesting.

Wrapped up in such trivial thoughts, Eikichi is not prepared for the face that steps through the door.

The messy black hair. The stone-cold, disinterested gaze. It's a face he hasn't seen in years — and yet, it's a face he could never forget.

Eikichi has always prided himself on being hard to ruffle; he's perfected his poker face, an easy smile that doesn't give too much away. But, all his efforts are nothing against the sheer astonishment, the sheer amazement, at seeing Suzuka introduce herself to the class. If he wasn't so shellshocked, he might have laughed at the way she robotically wrote out her name, or smiled at her monotone introduction. As it is, shock does not cover the range of emotions that rush through his mind at seeing her, and his pencil slips through his fingers to bounce uselessly on the floor.

What is she doing here? She's joining the class? She's back? She's back. To stay? She's not leaving? She's back, she's staying, she's not leaving, she's here, she's here again—

Eikichi's mind spins and spins and spins until Suzuka finishes her introduction. His eyes stayed glued to her as she walks back to his row, and it's only in the seconds before she recognizes him that he regains some semblance of sanity. There's just—so much to notice. So much that's different, and so much that's the same! She's gotten a whole lot taller, and a whole lot bigger, too. Eikichi hadn't really been aware of the fact that Suzuka was a girl back then—too focused on the important stuff, like lunch and playtime and dinner—but now it's a fact that's impossible to ignore. But never mind that! He has so much to tell her.

It's with all of these emotions swirling in his chest and coalescing into something warm and fuzzy that may be called relief or joy or elation that Eikichi makes his high school debut:

"And you're Suzu-chan, aren't you? Boy, long time no see! Did you get a bit girly during your time away~?"

He tilts his head back, unable to stop the large grin currently spreading across his face. Her way of speaking is still so adorably direct, and her expressions are still so funny. His year has already been made. From here on, it's nothing but roses.

He's so, so glad she's back.

一 色 み か こ - I S S H I K I M I K A K O
一 色 み か こ - I S S H I K I M I K A K O

---

"Alright, up and at 'em!"

Mikako's voice resounded throughout the second floor of the two-story house, prompting a variety of reactions from the hallway of doors.

The first was hung with a placard in the shape of a maple leaf that read 'Kaede' in a single elaborate kanji. She'd had one in hiragana until recently, but she insisted now that only children used hiragana for their names--an insistence that made Mikako chuckle every time she thought about it. From that door came a long, low, muffled groan, and she grinned. The eldest of her siblings would have just woken up at her call, would really, really not want to stay woken up, and would subsequently be pressing to her pillow to her face and lamenting the fact that morning had come. She was starting to stay up a bit later than was probably healthy, but she was still getting roughly seven or eight hours a night; so until her sleep started to get interrupted, Mikako felt no need to step in. She was a teenager now, if only just; best to give her a bit of space.

The second door had a fairly typical deep blue name placard on it, nothing in any shape, written with a simple hiragana 'Rin.' Mikako had always thought a nice green would be better for her, her name was written as 'jade' after all, but navy blue was her favorite, and it was what she'd chosen. There was a faint scuffling from her room; Mikako knew that if she pressed her ear to it, she'd hear zippers, clips, sighs...Rin always woke up earlier than the others, and by the time Mikako called them all down for breakfast at 6:45 she was already awake, putting on her uniform--she was so proud of her seifuku now that she was going into middle school, it was adorable--and packing her bag. She'd always given Mikako the least trouble, which was nice now that Kaede was starting to be a little more of a handful.

The first door on the left, unlike the rest, was absent of anything showing a name. It was utterly silent; because, of course, it was her room, which she left before the sun each morning to get up, wash up, eat one of her hidden stash of granola bars that she had to keep moving around because Rin had a bloodhound's nose for snacks and loved the same bars that Mikako did, make sure to get her hair nicely done--she had a lot of hair--pack her own bag, make a quartet of bentos for the family, and then finally to start on breakfast. She wondered sometimes if she should get up even earlier to have a bit more time to herself in the mornings, but then always came to the conclusion that if she did she'd need to go to bed at like, nine PM, and that was just a little too early for her. She had homework to do, friends to talk to, and manga to read, after all.

Finally, the second door on the left burst into a flurry of sound as Hiro jumped awake. He'd wanted a horse as his name placard, and a horse he'd gotten, rich brown with a bright red mane and tail the same color as his hair that Mikako had painted herself in secret. He didn't wake up early on his own like Rin did, but he was still a little kid, third year in elementary school, and they had a criminal amount of energy. Rin had been like that when she was little too, she remembered, though it hadn't been her waking them up then. It was only a countdown of seconds now until he burst out of the door, prompting another, louder groan from Kaede, and rampaged down the stairs to annihilate his serving of whatever Mikako had made for breakfast. So it would be meet, she thought as she started hopping down the stairs herself, if she was down there before he was and could make sure she gave him breakfast so he wouldn't knock a whole pan of food off the stove. Again.

She'd barely managed to get the first plate set up with a slice of pan-seared fish (mackerel this morning, salmon was always the favorite but she'd used the last of it last night), a helping of rice (praise whatever was up there for rice cookers so she didn't need to spend precious minutes watching the pot to make sure it wasn't overdone), and a bowl of miso soup (with dashi proudly made from scratch every morning!) before Hiro basically teleported into his seat and started scarfing it down. His table manners were...

Well, they were getting better?

Mikako had never been a huge stickler about such things, her own weren't anything to write home about, but his used to be so bad he used to spill rice all over the table, and it was always such a pain to clean. It was nice that he was starting to move past that.

Next came Rin, a few minutes later. Mikako turned her head from the kitchen as she sat at the dining table across from her brother, smiling. "Hey, you're already dressed. Careful you don't spill any, there's no time to wash it right now, okay?" She hadn't needed to rush to fix up a plate this time, since Rin was always way more patient than Hiro, even when she'd been the same age. So it was with a much more leisurely pace that Mikako placed the food down in front of her with one more slice of fish that Hiro's, along with a few of her favorite honey-pickled plums plopped generously down on the rice.

Her reply was a silent yawn and a nod. "Yes, aneue."

"You're weird, Rin-nee," chimed in Hiro, sticking his tongue out at her. "Nobody says aneue! It sounds dumb!" Ah, good, the perennial argument. She would bet money Hiro was the only one at the the Kumoriyama elementary school who heard that term on a regular basis, or even at all; he'd used it to describe Kaede to friends once before he'd really understood the context, and it had taken him a month and a half to forgive Rin for the ribbing and mocking that he'd subsequently received.

And then Rin would reply with an eye roll and something like--"coming from the one who calls her okaa-nee like she's our mom or something!" The bickering went back and forth between the two as Mikako looked at the clock. Time was ticking, and the oldest still wasn't down. She let out an infinitesimal sigh. Well, this happened pretty often. She made her way upstairs again and gently opened Kaede's door, and peeked around the frame. Well, at least the girl was awake, sometimes that was up in the air. It was just...very obvious that she really didn't want to be.

She jerked as Mikako's gentle voice pierced the quiet in her room. "Kaede. You really do need to get up or you're going to be late on your first day back." There was something comforting about talking to Kaede. The other two were still young, and as much as Rin protested, she really was almost like a substitute mom for them; by the time Rin was old enough to know what was going on she was nine or ten years old and starting to help around the house already, to say nothing of Hiro, who'd basically only known her as a teenager. But Kaede was old enough that to her, Mikako was always just 'nee-chan.' And that was kind of nice.

At last, she pulled her pillow from her face and opened her gummy eyes. "Ughhhhh. FINE. Why do we have to wake up so early anyway? You're lucky, nee-chan, high school starts like, way later. Getting there before eight? It's cruel and unusual punishment!"

Mikako giggled softly. "Alright, drama queen, you know I'm up way earlier than any of you. If you want to get up at 4:30 too, be my guest." Kaede grumbled, but she finally peeled herself out of bed, yawned, and plodded over to her dresser, already lifting her pajamas over the top of her head.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thanks, I guess." Another grumble. "Now get out so I can change and brush my hair, I'll be down in a few."

And she was. Rin and Hiro were still arguing--they'd moved on now to Hiro saying that she wasn't going to make any friends because she was all quiet and weird and stuff--and adding the slightly incendiary Kaede to the mix talking about how Rin wasn't that quiet, Hiro was just way too loud, especially in the mornings, quite frankly did not help. As much as she tried to argue how mature she was now, it was still all too easy for her to get sucked into the squabbling. It was kind of cute.

Mikako stayed quiet as she served Kaede up and sat down to finally eat her own breakfast, watching in fascination as the argument bounced around like a three sided ping-pong table. Before too long, Kaede had snatched up her bento, rammed it into her bag, and practically dragged Rin out of the house alongside her. Evidently, she felt that she had lost the argument. Mikako chuckled. So proud, and too old to take the train with nee-chan now. They grow up so fast. She got Hiro all prepped and ready, straightened up the kitchen quickly, grabbed her own supplies (including the train-ready rinko bag containing her folded-up bike), grabbed her all-important hat, and bustled the two of them out the door. It was about 7:15, the Kumoriyama Elementary School (and the middle school) were close enough for Hiro to get there by foot with this much time, and there was plenty of time for her to get to the high school by bike. At least it was getting warmer now, even if it was still a little bit nippy. During the winter it was always such a pain.

By the time she got to to school, locked her bike to the rack, stuffed her coat and hat and shoes into her locker, and straightened her blazer into presentability, it wasn't long before the entrance ceremony would start. She slid into the gym with only a few minutes to spare, finding somewhere to sit and plopping herself down before allowing a long, slow yawn. Safe. It was a shame she couldn't go to Rin's first middle school opening ceremony, and their parents were somewhere in the Baltics right now, she thought. But that was just life.

The ceremony passed in short order, and back to the classroom she went. It'd be a pretty basic day, she thought. Get assigned seats--she was just in front of Eikichi--get textbooks, go over the class procedures, and so on, and so on, et cetera, et cet--

"This year, we have a new transfer student who will be joining us."

Oh! So maybe things would be slightly more exciting and not so basic! They didn't get many transfer students in Kumoriyama, so a new face was always nice to have, and Mikako was always looking to make new friends.

She couldn't help it, though. When the new student stepped through the door, Mikako frowned. Something about her was...weirdly familiar. Like she'd met her before or something. Something about the way her hair fell, and the expression on her face. Nothing concrete or anything, just a kind of gut intuition. But her intuition was clearly off base. If she was a transfer student, then of course she wouldn't have ever met her, and she was probably just confusing her with someone else she'd known--

"My name is written like 'Nagauchi,' but pronounced Osanai. Osanai Suzuka."

Buh?

No. That didn't make sense. That didn't make any sense! This had to be some other Osanai Suzuka, regardless of how uncommon the name was, and how her hair and eyes were the same color, and how she spoke in the same cadence and really did wear the same expression on her face. It simply couldn't be the same person. Suzuka had left years ago now to move to, god, where was it she'd said back then? Right, it was all the way up to--"I've recently moved here from Hakodate for personal reasons..."

...To Hakodate.

Oh my god. Oh my god. She was back? She was really...? Why? What had brought her back here? Personal reasons? What personal reasons?

She chanced a stealthy glance back at Eikichi, but upon seeing him, she was pretty sure she could stand there ringing a gong in his face and he wouldn't notice. She hadn't seen that look on his face in a long time. He just looked stunned. Beyond stunned, he looked like the world had just turned on its head without any notice. Which...for him, it kind of had? Mikako had been Suzuka's friend, and my god was she so happy to see her again! But Eikichi had been way closer to her. They'd spent almost every day together. The two of them were inseparable back then, and he'd been almost disconsolate once she'd left.

And then, because of course, she was sat right next to him. Really, what were the odds? What were the chances that the wonderful girl from back then would end up there again? What kind of cosmic coincidence had birthed this chance to see her closest elementary school friend after all this time? It seemed almost impossible; but clearly it wasn't, since, of course, it had actually happened! This was the kind of thing that only happened in the shoujo manga that she read whenever she got the chance! Something like this wasn't a thing that actually happened in real life!

Still, it was best to let Eikichi go first. Especially since Suzuka, you know, addressed him. Still, she could barely contain herself, and until the two of them had exchanged words, she was tapping her foot rapidly to stay calm. Then, when she could contain herself no longer, she whirled fully in her seat and let the expression of wonderment on her face plainly show.

"Suzucchiko? You're really back? For good?"

---

The night sky was still dark when Haruto woke up with his alarm. It was 6 in the morning, and he had to wake up to make breakfast for his siblings. His mother most likely just came in a few hours ago, so Haru was in charge of getting the morning routine started. He entered the twin room, seeing their trophies and soccer memorabilia. He remembered how they jumped in utter joy when they got a Messi jersey. Though, Makito tried to play it off cool, Haru could see the glint of happiness in his eye. He went over to Chiaki, and gently shook his shoulder.

"Wake Up Chiaki, school starts today.". While he was talking, he grabbed a spare pillow and threw it at Makito, hitting him square in the face. Haru got good enough to throw it without even looking. Makito leaped out of his bed, on full alert, and mumbled something completely incoherent, probably akin to the line of 'morning bro'. Chiaki's eyes fluttered open. "Morning Nii-Chan."

"Good Morning! Go make sure your brother doesn't fall out the window again, I'm gonna get Natsuki and Yuki up. Maki, you better get to the table on time, or else all the omelette rolls will be gone."

He then made his way to his little sisters. Natsuki was easier to wake up as she most likely woke up the earliest, but Yuki needed more time. He turned on the lamp, and stirred her, giving her time to wake up on her own. Natsuki's room was already lit, so he knocked before entering "Morning little sis. It's your turn to bring in the laundry. Natsuki looked up from her book. "Can we trade? I wanna make breakfast this time."

He laughed as the last time she tried to cook, the pan caught on fire, the rice didn't get seasoned until the end, and the fish shrunk in the heat. A true culinary marvel. "We don't want the fire again. Go get the laundry, I'll be making breakfast soon."

After all the kids were awake, he quickly headed to the kitchen and immediately . It was simple, but at least warm. He made omelettes, rice, Miso and some natto. They all got their food, and quickly ran to change to their uniforms. The twins were the first to leave as they had morning practice. He handed Natsuki her backpack and helped Yuki tie her shoes and off to school they went.

As they walked out, he grabbed his camera and looked at the sunset. He pulled out his camera and aimed it at the sky, looking at the purples, pinks, blues and golden rays peeking out from the horizon. The camera clicked and he looked at it, ensuring the settings were right. He snapped more photos after adjusting when Natsuki pouted and tapped her food impatiently. "Haru Niiiii! We're gonna be late!"

He grinned at her, putting away his camera for the moment. "Coming! I just had to snap a pic of the sunrise." He quickly picked up Yuki as they started walking together to school. She was still sleepy and usually woke up when the sun rays hit her eyes, and that's when Haru would let her walk. "You always take a pic of the sunrise. How many of the same pictures can you have?"

"Hey! I don't ask you why you have so many Pom pom Purin stickers and dolls." He stuck his tongue out at her while she gasped.

"It's different ok!" She crossed her arms, puffed out her cheeks and kept marching forward. She didn't really mean it, but Haru knew the two were playing around.

"Ah yes, silly me. How dare I completely forget that Purin is King in this household."

They continued walking to school mostly in the quiet. The early mornings and the twilight were always Haru's favorite time of the day. The beautiful still, the calming quiet, and the amazing pictures he's gotten from those times of days. His goal is to one day capture that feeling in one of his photos. Once Yuki fully woke up, she got down to walk fully on her own. She reached for Haru's hand and kept up with his pace, while he made sure to slow down for her.

As they were walking to Kumoriyama Elementary school, there were a bunch of people of different age ranges, from fellow high school classmates, to adults working at local shops to even pre-school kids, all of them greeted Haru. He beamed at all of them with a smile that matched the sunlight.

Once they arrived to the elementary school, he pat the two of their heads, like he did last year. Natsuki waved "Bye Haru Nii!" She then grabbed Yuki's hand to wave at him as well. Yuki spoke up, "Bye bye." He waved at the two of them before heading off to the Kumoriyama High School.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He just made it on time for school. He probably could have made it here earlier if he didn't talk to some of the people on his way here and snapped more photos for them, but they were such good conversations. He also wished he could have gone to Yuki's entrance ceremony since it was her first day at the elementary school, but alas, he also had school. Maybe Mom will have some time to go. He took out his camera to snap a photo of the entrance, the clouds behind the school looked gorgeous and the garden at the center of the school was just in view at the corner. Students walking around campus framing the school nicely. It would definitely be a good shot for the newsletter.

He didn't even make it thirty seconds before he heard his name called, turning around to see a friend come up. The two were in the same class last year but not this year. The two started chatting, catching up on things that happened over the break before school started. His back was turned to the entrance, leaving him unintentionally vulnerable to any sneak attacks hugs.

Arashiyama Junko
Arashiyama Junko

She breathed in, then out, and with explosive strength, exerted herself to her fullest. Quads straining, back tightening, abs hardened beneath the layers of fat that masked them. A vein bulged over her temple, teeth clenched into a grimace of a smile. For a moment, the bar, cold and unyielding, pressed against her chest, as if to squash her flat. But it was simply a pause, before she thrust it up upwards, held it up, then allowed it to drop down upon the floor once more. Even through the cushioning, the floor shook, plates clattering together as she drew in a deep, long breath.

Mornings were no longer spent in the mountains, for her obligations were too many to enable her to go on such flights of fancy to Minamikawa, but the heiress didn’t mind too much either. The estate’s personal gym had been unused until she occupied it, upgraded it, made it her own space. And now once more, she squatted deep, knuckles crackling as she gripped the bar.

Click, clack.

But it was not the dozen cast iron plates that made that sound.

…

She took tea, her mother took coffee. Outside, cherry blossom buds formed a shade that brought up the bright sunlight that filtered in through the glass wall. Hosakono, the housekeeper, had made the meal, of course, a Japanese affair that nevertheless also including a heaping pile of eggs, sausage, and bacon to support the young lady’s growth, but her mother always took it upon herself to brew something to drink. Sure, her daughter still took a tall glass of milk alongside classier beverages, but breakfast was perhaps the only meal the two still shared with each other. Lunch was separate, while dinners were taken at separate times, what with the dance studio’s hours and Junko’s own extracurriculars.

It was a precious thing. A time to hear about each other’s yesterdays, a time for mother to remind the daughter of her manners, to bask in sunlight before their paths diverged.

Click, clack.

But it was not a teacup set against a delicate saucer that made that sound.

…

Acquaintances and followers gravitated towards her as the tram made its way through the city. Some sat in silence, basking in her presence. Others spoke with each other, about the various efforts they’ve made to obtain their own goal, whether it be in their hobbies, their future professions, their physical milestones, or their love lives. Still more greeted her directly, seeking validation through her responses. So of course, she obliged. The book she read was a notebook, matching names with faces, people with their constituent hobbies, and her voice rumbled with a severe weight. Some, she praised. Others, she criticized. Still more, she questioned.

Was that their best foot forward? Was that what they truly needed? Far too many in this world lacked the ability to be self-aware, to reflect upon their own actions, especially during the tumultuous times of adolescence. The tram continued to rock, the people continued to sway. Junko remained stalwart, stable. A cairn dressed in a high school student’s uniform.

Click, clack.

But it was not the sound of wheels crossing metal rails that made that sound.

…

The first day of the third year.

The last first day she’ll have in Kumoriyama Private High.

The last festivals, the last celebrations, the last exams, the last chances.

Junko placed a hand over her heart, feeling the slow, steady, powerful throbbing within her chest. Good. There were no regrets, no anxiety. Only the recognition that this would be the last time she viewed these blossoms from this angle, the last time she could stand amongst these budding sprouts as a peer.

She would make it count.

The next generation of leaders will be raised in the Judo Club, and her fellow third years will put on a performance that would surpass their accomplishments last year. She would sharpen her academic performance such that she would earn a full scholarship from Tokyo University into their Sports Science department. She would make sure that every one she leaves behind in Kumoriyama would be in a better place than they were the year before.

Heavy, purposeful strides brought her to the final classroom she’d be sitting in, to faces that she had become familiar with over the course of the last three years.

Junko smiled, the morning light glinting prismatically over the lens of her glasses, a spring breeze from the open window playing with a strand of silver hair.

“Rise! Stand! Bow! Sit!”

Like echoes off the mountainside. Like a lightning strike to shake off the lethargy of Spring Break. Like Arashiyama Junko, who had made this call without fail for every day of her student life.

Click-Clack.

It was the sound of the gears of fate turning, promising a year like no other.

But Junko simply thought it was a student closing the window before spring allergies swept in and triggered a cacophony of sneezes unbecoming of this solemn last, first day.

Shinomiya Koharu 四宮心春
Shinomiya Koharu 四宮心春

"Hey, get out of the bathroom already, you're going to make me late for work!"

"Hah! So~~rry ojisan, but I'm getting ready for the first day of school. Got to be presentable, y'know? Or are you just trying to get this super cute JK to stumble out of the bathroom all flustered and half-dressed so you can catch an eyeful, hmmmmmm?"

Koharu stuck out her tongue at the closed door as she listened to Ogata-san huff on the other side. She knew she was being a pain but he was such a creep and she really didn't care if she made him late. Maybe if he were nicer she'd bother being a little more polite, but meh. He could go explain to his boss.

She finished her makeup routine with a lick of pale pink lipstick that matched her hair, then adjusted her uniform. It might be spring, there might still be a little chill in the air, but style didn't stop for comfort. She could throw on a cardigan for warmth, but the neckline just had to be open, and of course her skirt short enough to raise blood pressures among the school staff. She wasn't oldschool enough for loose socks, but she rocked the thigh-highs for some grade-A zettai ryōiki.

Koharu was well aware of the effect her style had on some people of the male persuasion, but unlike what some might think she didn't do it for the attention. This was just what made her feel good about herself, made her ready to face the day. Adjusting the elastics to sit just so was, for her, like a samurai tightening the strings on his helmet. Ugh - were they going to start on history today already? She couldn't remember and didn't feel like checking the timetable.

Whatever, she could just borrow Takaya's textbook. Unlike her, the studious guy would always have all his study materials ready - and he was always kind and generous about sharing. Not that he'd have much of a choice if the teacher told him to anyway, but still. He'd always been nice even as a little kid.

Breakfast was toast and jam; she didn't have time for a sit-down meal, not when she'd have to make it herself. At least Otonashi-san provided the fixings. The sharehouse was old and run-down, but the young manager did her best to make it comfortable for her tenants... which was a lot more than could be said for some of the said tenants. It hadn't been easy starting out here, but Koharu had already had a lot of experience dealing with drunk uncles - and it hadn't hurt that Junko-senpai @ERodehad helped her move in. Just the sight of her massive judoka friend had helped keep people in line.

Koharu washed her plate and teacup and set them to dry before grabbing her things to leave. Otonashi-san appreciated that she was clean and respectful, and she did try to help around when she had the time. The manager was a nice lady - such a pity that she'd been widowed at such a young age.

And then Koharu was off, rattling along the street on her old bike. It was fixed-gear and heavy and a pain to handle on slopes, but it was built like a tank and had served her well on newspaper routes and takeaway deliveries alike. On a fine day like this, there was no better way to get to school.



Haruto pitched forward as a great weight plummeted onto his back, almost sending him to his knees. As he regained his balance his nose was filled with a sweet familiar scent of vanilla and roses, a mixture of shampoo and body spray that was the signature of one girl in the school -

"Top of the morning, Hakkun!" Koharu's voice rang out in his ear. "Aah, so good to see you again!"

And if the truth be told, Haruto as a normal, healthy young man was not unaware of the pillowy feeling on his back. They'd all grown up a lot since middle school, but Koharu had grown....

@Nani

@Kensai
Haru was by no means a strong individual, but lady luck blessed him in that moment to catch himself before he fell with the both of them. Hearing the voice of someone he hasn't seen in a while, he turned his head and beamed. "Koharu! It's been a while, how have you been?"

Despite being a healthy, and more importantly teenage boy, he tried his best to not think about what was being pressed on his back. He occasionally had people jump on his back, mainly his little sisters, but this was a girl his age. He pushed the intrusive thoughts down and helped her off his back.

"Did you just get here? I haven't gotten the chance to see which room I'm in. Maybe we're in the same class!"

---

It was really him.

How? Why? What?

Suzuka's mind raced to grasp what should have been a simple fact. Sure, Ei-kun might have always lived in Minamikawa, but it wasn't like his grades had been terrible growing up or anything. He must have studied hard to get into a school like this, but it wasn't as if it was impossible or anything. Even an idiot like her had managed to do that much, so of course Ei-kun could have been able to do it, too.

But it was really him. Here. Right now, in front of her eyes. In the same class. Her seatmate.

"And you're Suzu-chan, aren't you? Boy, long time no see! Did you get a bit girly during your time away~?"

And he remembered her. Even after six years, he still --

And wait, what was that supposed to mean anyway? Girly? Her? He was looking at the same person she saw in the mirror that morning, right? No, wait, she'd been dozing off on the train ride over, so what if she was even more of a mess than usual? But how would that even make sense? Girly? Really? Could that adjective even be used like that?

No, wait, now that she thought about it, Ei-kun had always liked those kind of jokes. Right, he must have been poking fun at her for how awkward she must have looked during her introduction. After all, the cutesy sweater and short skirt she was wearing clearly weren't made for someone like her, and both of them knew it. But while the beleaguered staff of the small junior high school she had gone to up in Hakodate had been too small and lax to particularly care about her requests to wear a boy's uniform instead and spare herself both the frigid air of Hokkaido and the embarrassment of allowing it to pass freely beneath her, Kumoriyama Private High seemed to have prided itself on its traditional aesthetics and rigid adherence to discipline, and she had been too shy to even ask. Wouldn't she be seen as a bumpkin or a hooligan, insisting on something like that? What if they kicked her out?

Ah, but that gakuran uniform looked really nice. Not just on Ei-kun, that is, but in general. Although, he definitely seemed to have put a great deal more effort into his appearance than most of the other boys in the class. Were those earrings? The dress code hadn't said anything about piercings, she supposed, but something grown-up like that didn't seem to quite mesh with the Ei-kun in her mind, who was now undergoing six years of metamorphosis all at once to catch up with the reality before her eyes.

Piercings... really? Maybe the dress code was more lax than she had thought... Should she have asked for pants after all? She really should have asked for pants. But no matter how sorely she missed their absence, pants were the last issue to be concerned with here. More importantly, she really shouldn't be staring like this!

He'd greeted her back, right? So, unsure of how to take his... compliment? Teasing? Either way, she gave a noncommittal shrug and a slight shake of her head, and did her best to hide the amount of thoughts currently spiraling through her head at an unbelievable pace. This was their first meeting in years, and even Ei-kun was clearly noticing how uneasy she was. She had to get her act together, had to do this properly!

"...Nope. Not at all. I just got taller."

Trying her best to match what she perceived as sarcasm, she gave an unspeakably blunt answer fit for a manzai routine with a face as blank as her thoughts, then, in her thorough inspection of the boy sitting in front of her, realized something was out of place. Bending down, she scooped up a fallen pencil off the floor and methodically placed it on his desk.

"Here. You dropped this, right?"

Right. She was calm now. Her thoughts were in order. The cool air still felt almost uncomfortably warm, as if the sun beyond the window had suddenly increased its intensity threefold, but she did her best not to think about that, nor the lingering feeling that her heart had just skipped a beat. This miracle was beginning to settle into Suzuka's reality, and nothing would be able to surprise her anymo--

"Suzucchiko? You're really back? For good?"

"Haah?" Suzuka spun around, eyebrows raised. There was only one person who would call anyone -- let alone her -- by such a weirdly flowery nickname!

Blonde hair. Twintails. A familiar sunshine smile.

"Mika-chan, you're here too?" In her moment of surprise, she didn't even fully process the question she'd been asked, and instead of answering it, asked one of her own in return. Not just one of her dear friends, but two -- and the two who were dearest of all, no less. She had hoped a little, of course, then hesitated to hope at all, but now having this sprung on her so suddenly she could scarcely fathom how to react. She had really woken up this morning, right? She wasn't still sleeping in her bed or on the train?

But her shock could only last a few seconds before she realized another important fact. Namely, that she was supposed to have sat down several seconds ago, and standing dumbfounded as she was -- as well as her little surprise reunion -- was starting to turn more than a few heads. Class was still in session, and she needed to sit down and stop making such a distraction of herself. It was still her very first day -- it wouldn't do at all to cause a disruption. So, hastily swinging her bag down from her shoulder, she hung its strap across the hook on her desk, gave a second bow from the back of the class that was even more awkward somehow than the one she had given moments prior from its front, and then quickly sank into her seat.

Ei-kun was here. Mika-chan was here. And now, she was here again, too.

---

Chihara Takaya
Chihara Takaya

---

The first of April, and the beginning of a new school year. Some students dreaded a return to school, some welcomed it; some were determined to make the year a good one while others fretted, nervous that it wouldn't be. From new debuts to final years, for students, there were only a few other days that could match the whirlpool of varied emotions of this one.

For Takaya, it was the start of his second year in Kumoriyama Private High School. He wasn't anxious at all, and in fact, his morning on this day was relatively unchanged from his usual. He woke up early, dressed (in a crisp new uniform for the year), got ready and double checked the bag he'd packed last night. He descended with it to the ground floor where his mother could be found in the kitchen, already setting dishes of rice, vegetables, and rolled omelettes onto the nearby table. In a few minutes his father would join them both for breakfast - a quiet event where greetings and well wishes for the day ahead were swapped. Purely casual chatter among the family normally didn't last long. Today, it was his mother that spoke up and steered towards more important things.

"Takaya, I put together a small gift for your homeroom teacher. It's in the entryway, be sure to take it with you."

"Thank you, I will."

"So it's the start of a new school year already, is it?" Takaya's father said, glancing up from his side of the table where both a newspaper and a tablet were spread out. There was an article about a local corporation displayed on the screen.

"It is."

"I trust you have everything you need. You're prepared, yes?"

"I am," Takaya responded with a small smile. Father seemed satisfied with the simple answer and turned back to reading.

There really wasn't much more that needed to be said. Takaya was prepared - his work load would increase again, but it was nothing he couldn't handle if it was similar to his first year. He'd kept the same sleep schedule throughout school breaks, and his self study had never stopped either, so he was well used to the routine. Even if the material was different, it would all just be more of the same. The same daily pattern throughout the week, the same pressure to make beneficial connections, the same drawn out effort to stay at the top of the class, the same responsibilities at home and at school...

Takaya lapsed into silence while his parents made quiet conversation; his father's work grievances, mostly. He politely excused himself once he was finished, then he met his mother at the kitchen counter so they could split the leftovers into two bentos. It wouldn't be a full day of courses until tomorrow, but Takaya wasn't going to go right home after dismissal - so taking lunch with him just made sense. Besides, it made his mother glad to see her family enjoying her food, even after all this time. That soft, joyful little twinkle in her eye was easy to spot when contrasted with her normally sober expression.

Brief goodbyes were exchanged as Takaya left the house first. He made his way to the nearest city bus stop, a route he was intimately familiar with by now. Sure the train was a little faster (and the station not that much further away), but he preferred the little bit of extra privacy of the bus when there was no worry about arriving late. Takaya placed a pair of buds into his ears and plugged the jack into his phone. Early morning fog made the light at this time of day still somewhat dim, and the screen reflected glaringly on his glasses' lens until he turned the brightness down. Unless one were to peek closely over his shoulder from the seat behind Takaya, the only thing they'd get a glimpse of playing on his phone were a lot of colors and movement. That, and text as he swapped back and forth between pages and apps, his fingers swiftly swiping and flicking at the screen, jabbing the submit icons before going back to a video and repeating the process. It was now, seated alone on the morning bus, that those various emotions most other students would be feeling flickered in Takaya's eyes.

There was time enough to claim some login bonuses as well before his stop. When he clicked his phone shut, stuffed the earbuds back into his knapsack, and exited the bus, though there were other early arrivals it was still before most other students would be getting to the high school. Once actually on campus he made his way to the gymnasium where the entrance and welcome ceremonies would be taking place.

The set up was nearly complete; a school banner and decorations were hung up around the stage, a small podium had been dragged out, and faculty were congregating to set up the remaining half of the temporary seating. Takaya took in a deep breath and walked over towards one of the more familiar faces. "Good morning sensei. Do you need any help getting things ready?"

"Oh, if it isn't Chihara-kun. We're almost done, but here - take these."

Before, he probably wouldn't have gone out of his way to help. He didn't feel any particular sense of fulfillment in helping out now either, but since there wouldn't be much to actually do today... plus, something his parents had advised him on the other day had stuck with him. The first year of high school was for adapting to everything new and setting a personal standard, the third year was for cementing that standard and ensuring that opportunities presented for the future didn't go to waste, essentially a whole lot more study and testing. The second year, however, would be best for relationships.

Professional ones, of course.

The time to really get into the teacher and staff's good graces, to secure recommendations from them on his behalf when applying to universities. To form bonds with influential peers on the off chance it could lead to an easier in for business even beyond further education.

He'd keep that in mind for times like these, when he was actually free. He didn't want to keep getting stuck doing errands... again... but a positive first impression on a first day was good. He made pleasant small talk with his old homeroom teacher and his new one (they'd known beforehand, but he'd give her the gift later) until everything was set out, at which point it wouldn't be long until the majority of the student body arrived.

The ceremony itself was standard. A few names of first years caught Takaya's ear as they were called out. Underclassmen from his middle school, the younger children of a neighbor or two, one that was strangely similar to an old playmate. The principal and a select few other teachers spoke, a short song was sung. People stood up after closing remarks and began to filter out towards their homerooms.

It was only the first day, sure, but so far everything was proceeding as expected. Takaya adjusted his glasses and got going himself.

---

Hilariously, Suzuka's blank expression becomes even blanker as Eikichi's words land. But he thinks he knows enough about his childhood friend to guess what's going on in her mind. It's nice, knowing she's as shocked to see him as he is to see her. He leans forward subtly, hoping for the words he's always wanted to hear: "Wow, Eikichi, you've become so cool!"

But although Suzuka seems to give him the ol' once-over, she says nothing about his earrings, or his new hairstyle, or anything, really. Instead, she seems content to play it safe and answer his question in the most boring manner possible:

"...Nope. Not at all. I just got taller."

Huh. Okay then.

To add insult to injury, she doesn't seem interested in chatting, and only affords him enough attention to pick up his pencil up off the floor and return it to him. Which, like, she noticed him dropping his pencil, but she's not gonna comment on his new look? What's that all about!?

Eikichi slumps back in his seat. He wouldn't tell, but he's a bit disappointed. It's not that he's fishing for compliments here! Heck, he'd be happy with any sort of acknowledgement of all the hard work he's done to reinvent himself. After all, it was Suzu—

Anyway. Not important anymore, he tells himself, turning his gaze out the window. It's a known fact that the Fujis can be very petty. If Suzuka doesn't want to talk, then he doesn't either. Of course, she's probably just overwhelmed and confused and yada yada—but wasn't Eikichi her best friend? Or was he just imagining things?

Hearing her talk to Mikako doesn't help, although for the first time in a while, Eikichi reflects on the fact that he was close to Mikako, too, way back when. He glances over her way, and for the briefest of moments, feels a flash of guilt. But then it's gone, replaced with a growing sense of unease. Eikichi knows that it's uncool to get worked up over things, and that getting too attached is lame, but man, it sure is hard when Suzuka is involved. He doesn't really want to think about why that is.

Sighing, he looks back out the window, nervous energy still vibrating inside him. Maybe there will be time to talk to Suzuka later.

一 色 み か こ - I S S H I K I M I K A K O
一 色 み か こ - I S S H I K I M I K A K O

---

Mika-chan was, in fact, here too.

The instant she heard the nickname--in Suzucchiko's voice and cadence, no less--she was slapped upside the head by about fifty different breeds of nostalgia all at once, shooting her back in time to playing with her and Eikichi in elementary school, when she didn't have so much responsibility riding on her shoulders. And so she couldn't help the enormous smile that crossed her face. Class was about to start proper soon, so she didn't have much time to talk to her, but she resolved that at lunch she was going to have a mini freakout about her sudden reappearance for sure.

Though the majority of her attention is on Suzucchiko, she was paying enough attention--especially after the other girl slumped down--to note the change in Eikichi's bearing. She'd grown used to who he'd turned into by now; the fact that they would never again be close had snuck into her pre-sleep regret jitters on more than one occasion. They'd spent so much time together as kids, after all.

And by the way he'd just glanced at her, he was remembering it too.

Her smile went from bright to slightly clouded over. It was possible that with Suzuka here again, she might have the chance to reconcile with Eikichi and maybe try to bridge the chasm that now yawned between the two of them. But...did she want to now? It wasn't often that Mikako was anxious about social situations nowadays, but it had been so long since the two had been close, and he certainly wasn't the only one who'd changed a lot. Maybe the changes that she'd gone through were a bit less visible than his. She still looked, and on the surface even acted fairly similar to how she used to be. But she just had so much more to think about now, so much more that she was responsible for. Their worlds were just so far apart now; even if Suzuka brought them together again, would they still even be friends?

Well, at the very least it wasn't worth thinking about right then. Better to focus on the very real best friend that had just been forcibly reintroduced to her world. And while Suzuka did look similar in some very important ways, she'd also changed a lot; she looked a lot more grown up now. And so all that was to say that the first thing Mikako said to Suzuka after her acknowledgement was a barely concealed squeal of delight, followed by an almost parental:

"Look how grown-up you are now!"

---

"Girly." "Grown-up." Her? Really? She supposed she had gotten pretty big in a lot of ways since they had last seen her, so that second one sort of made sense... She was still trying to process the first. Wait, that wasn't also because she'd gotten "bigger," was it? Where had Ei-kun been looking when he had said -- no. No. Her old classmates might have teased her about... that, but Ei-kun would never stoop to making such a crass joke. No matter how much he had changed, she was sure of that.

That much aside, did Mika-chan always sound so much like her grandma? That was almost word-for-word what she'd been told just the other day when she was boarding the train from Hakodate. It was a little uncanny, but, well, it was probably just a coincidence.

A coincidence. How many coincidences had piled on top of each other this morning already? The same school. The same class. The same seats. Just like back then. As Kubo-sensei cleared her throat and continued with the morning announcements, Suzuka found her eyes wandering to her left once again. There he was, so different, yes -- but so familiar, too.

The messy mop of hair she so vividly remembered had given way to a neat and evenly-trimmed curtain. But if she just reached out and mussed it up a little bit, she was sure it would be right back to how it always used to be. ...That was kind of a weird thing to think about, though. Besides, it looked nice the way it was. She supposed it was good that at least one of them learned to look presentable. Although, she really shouldn't have been surprised by it, either. After all, he'd always been better at that sort of thing than her.

She couldn't see his face well. Something outside the window must have captivated his attention completely, as he seemed intent on looking at anything but her. Maybe she'd said something wrong... Had she misread his compliment? Or maybe he thought it was weird for her to try joking around right off the bat as though she'd never even left. Had he only greeted her that way to be polite? Maybe she wasn't supposed to answer.

But she wanted to answer. She wanted things to be like they were before. She couldn't pretend the last four years had never happened, but maybe she could at least try and start over again. Right, actually, now that she thought about it, there was something she'd forgotten to say. She'd been so busy recognizing her seatmate that she had never actually greeted him. At least, not properly. Not like she had used to whenever they ended up together before.

She tapped the corner of his desk. Leaning forward and stretching out across her own, she dipped below the crowd of students in front of her so as not to be seen by the teacher. Resting her cheek against the backs of her hands, she whispered just loudly enough to be heard.

"Psst. Ei-kun, Ei-kun."

A rare smile crossed her face, her stony expression changing to one far warmer so easily she herself almost didn't even realize it. She was just so happy right now -- how could she not smile?

"It looks like I'll be in your care again."

It'd rained last night.

It hadn't been a light drizzle either, nor the kind of short downpour that was so common on summer evenings — it was a few months too early for that, anyway. There'd been no thunder or lightning as was normal for an evening shower either, just... rain. Endless damn sheets of it.

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if Ryuu could've just holed himself up inside the house, played a game or two and raided Grandma's tea-cabinet for something warm. But no, the moment he'd realized how intense the rain would get, he'd been out the door and busy until early hours of the morning. The garden setup wasn't made to withstand a downpour like that, and Marumochi and Dangoshiri were scared shitless of the rain, so it wasn't like he could just leave them to their own devices for an entire night. Trouble was, finding the two dumbass cats in the middle of the night when they were trying to hide away in fear had been a little difficult. Getting them to trust him enough to carry them out of their steadily flooding hidey-holes even more so. And then, and then—

When Ryuu'd finally gotten back home, the horizon already alight with the promise of a soon-rising sun, he'd been soaked to the bone, and apparently coughing and sloshing so loudly in his shoes that he'd woken one of his neighbours, who'd nearly called the police on him for sneaking around at night (again). And yet, as he'd finally shed himself of his soaked clothes and collapsed into a bath, he couldn't have been happier, knowing the damn cats were alright now. Fed, sheltered, and dumb, as they should be. Man, what a life that must've been...

He nearly fell asleep in the tub, only startling awake when he inhaled a noseful of water.

It was morning now, and his good mood was all but gone.

Ryuu was stomping around with all the grace of a monkey scorned, cursing to himself as he stuck his face in every bush and trashcan he happened upon, looked around with ever increasing desperation, and moved on. Shit. Shit, shit, he knew he shouldn't have taken his cellphone with him last night! He swore, from now on he'd invest in one of those old-timey flashlights if he needed light during his nightly escapades. They were more difficult to lose, and much easier — and cheaper — to replace. Cause honestly? Even if he hadn't lost his damn phone, the rain might've done irreparable damage to it anyway, and he really didn't have the funds to get a new one anytime soon. He was still trying to get used to taking care of Grandma's house, her chores, garden, the cats, and— well, just figuring out what was what this side of the island. He hadn't been back here since he was a wee little shit. A time he'd... honestly rather not remember.

Ryuu stopped, dead in his tracks, straight in the middle of the road. ... Huh. Wait, what was he doing ag—

A loud honk from behind startled the wits out of him. He stumbled aside as a motorcycle sped past him, way too close for comfort. "The damn youth nowadays!" the man riding it shouted as he passed, not even bothering to glance back at him. "Get back to school, stop standing on the road!"

"Huh?! You wanna fight, old man?! I'm—" Ryuu began, taking a reflexive step after the vehicle, when the old man's words properly settled in his brain. ... School? Wasn't it spring break? Huh? Was the guy senile enough not to know that? Or...

... Or—?!

Ryuu felt around his pockets with the fury of a hungry tanuki, trying to find his phone to check the date, only to remember with painful clarity that his phone was still very much gone. Just like spring break, apparently?! Panic struck him open-palmed, leaving his cheeks ablaze.

With his mind reeling to try and make sense out of the situation, the vague image of Grandma's cat calendar sprung to mind. He remembered it hanging on the kitchen wall, the three large circles drawn around April 1st, a very important date, as she'd reminded him time and time again. The date school started, the date he was supposed to finally re-attempt the first year of high school despite being seven-damn-teen. The date he was supposed to restart his life and do better and he'd just— he'd forgotten, amidst all the busywork. Grandma would be so damn disappointed! No, scratch that; heartbroken.

... Could he still make it? His school uniform was back home, and so was his bag, books and everything else, but he was a long way from home and a round-trip would cost him even more precious time. He had his wallet for bus money. He had... had some clothes, on (of course?!) and he had... himself? Shouldn't-- could that just be enough for today? For him to at least show up? That had to be better than just being a no-show right?! Right?!

Before he'd realized it, Ryuu had kicked himself into a run, fumbling to unfurl a bus timetable from his wallet. Would it be faster to run? The school was super far away, right? But he was a pretty damn fast runner. And he was already running, so technically, all he had to do was keep going, right?! That was, if he was going in the right direction.

...

He had no idea if he was going in the right direction!

But that didn't mean he stopped running.

---

Morning homeroom came and went, followed by a parade of teachers reintroducing themselves to the class. Courses were summarized, initial reading assignments were given out, and in-between, the students caught up with one another after being apart for spring break. But to Suzuka, it was little more than a blur, and it was only with great force of will that she managed to take any notes at all between all the times her gaze wandered first to the seat beside her -- then quickly toward any other point in the room the moment that seat's occupant seemed inclined to notice her staring.

Somehow, she survived until lunch. Today was only a half-day of academics, meant to give the second-years who already should have been members of clubs or sports teams time to attend their first meeting of the new school year and plan for welcoming incoming first-years into their ranks. What was more, the physical assessment for P.E. was postponed on account of the lingering mud from last night's rainfall. What that meant for Suzuka was that once lunch was over, all she had to do was report to the faculty office to turn in a waiver from her aunt vouching for her part-time job at the cafe, and then she'd be free to go.

Not that she didn't have a busy day ahead of her as it was. She still had a lot of essentials she needed to buy to make her apartment livable. Come to think of it, she had remembered to bring her shopping list, hadn't she? She quickly checked her bag, and found to her relief and mild annoyance that she had, in fact, remembered the list. The convenience store bento she had bought the night before specifically so that she wouldn't have to worry about lunch today, on the other hand, was a different story.

She closed her bag. Then she opened it again. She reached inside and fished around. Yup. Still no bento. She sighed. She supposed she'd have to buy something at the cafeteria instead -- a realization which disappointed her all the more when she realized there was no way Ei-kun's mom would have sent him off for his first day back at school without packing him lunch. She peeked over once again towards his desk to try and confirm her suspicions, only to realize to her surprise that she couldn't see him.

Rather, at some point while she'd been contemplating the tragic emptiness of her school bag, she appeared to have been surrounded by several of her classmates -- a couple of girls and most of the boys in the entire class -- all of whom began speaking at once, unleashing an almost unintelligible barrage of questions, and suddenly reminding Suzuka exactly what it was she'd been worrying about for the past week or so.

From one side, a chorus of male voices.

"Hey, Osanai-san, you said you were from Hokkaido, right?"

"What's it like up there?"

"Did you live on a farm?"

"What kind of sports do you like?"

"Can I have your LINE?" "Oi, the hell you asking for right off the bat, idiot?"

From the other, a select few female voices asking rather pointed questions.

"Hey, how do you know our Fuji-kun?"

"What the heck kind of nickname is 'Suzucchiko'? Sounds like some kind of mascot from a kids' show, lol~."

The main problem with transferring into a new school in the second year was that everyone already knew each other. But the second problem was that that meant meeting everyone all at once.

Suzuka's face totally froze. Her brain was spinning like the loading icon of a broken webpage. The gears in her mind turned, but somehow the only thing she could think to say was...

"So noisy. Wouldja mind going one at a time? Y'all are makin' my head hurt."

...Well, at least the questions stopped after that. But suddenly, everyone was giving her very strange looks instead, almost like they were shocked or something. Had she perhaps said something wrong? It seemed like common sense to her. If everybody talked over each other, there was no way she'd be able to answer them all.

Arashiyama Junko
Arashiyama Junko

"Ohohoho, well-spoken indeed!"

Prideful. Booming. Like the voice of a thunder deity, reverberating across the classroom in a way that undercut the chatter rather than rising above it. The accompanying footsteps could be felt in the stomachs of all present. Something was approaching, something not quite human. Just as how rikishi were seen as not just athletes, but persons halfway divine, so too was there an inexplicable aura that the woman who rose above the crowds possessed. The light of noontime reflected off her thick lenses and gave a flaxen quality to the silver strands that framed her square-set face. Even in her spring uniform, with its long sleeves, one could not ignore how tautly the fabric was stretched against her shoulders, how well-defined her legs were beneath her black stockings.

In the springtime of youth, amidst the flurry of changes caused by puberty, there were those who became delicate flowers, there were those who became intoxicating blossom, and there was was herself, who became as a tree.

Club activities haven't started yet, so it had been on a whim that she had chosen the cafeteria, rather than the club room, for a light lunch, but to have encountered such a disorderly mob on the very first day...well, she simply couldn't allow herself to be uninvolved, could she? It mattered not if it was in a different classroom. It was her school. And so, there she stood, the very symbol of the newest generation of third years, a titan who had influence on-par with the student council. Lady Arashiyama Junko, resplendent even in her corpulence.

"Second-years, are you now? How uncouth. Have manners fled your grasp in your scramble to satisfy such ulterior curiousities?" She scoffed, the very image of high-class disappointment. "I would suggest you form a line and speak with her properly, but it's lunchtime. Queue in the cafeteria. Unless you seek to not only to bother, but also starve her."

It was noon by the time Ryuu reached the school gates.

His arrival was heralded by heavy, exhausted cursing and the incessant, high-pitched squeaking of a bicycle on its last legs — or wheels, as it were. He'd 'acquired' the cursed thing a few kilometers into his run, once he'd realized just how damn far the school was and how long it'd actually take to run all the way there. He wasn't quite stupid enough to keep going on foot after that.

He was, however, still too stubborn to just take the damn bus.

Ryuu hopped off his vehicle and stumbled, unprepared for the ache in his legs. The bike clattered to the ground and was promptly abandoned there, as Ryuu made his way towards the main school building, trying not to wobble. He soon found that the faster he walked, the easier it was to pretend his legs weren't about to give out from under him — so as long as he didn't stop until he reached... wherever he was going, he figured he'd be fine.

Now if only he knew where the hell to go.

In a moment he was running again, pushing past students lingering in the halls, breaking through groups of laughing friends and even accidentally kicking the shit out of a peeping-tom, crouched low behind a corner. He wasn't sure whether the girls he ran past screamed because of him or the creep that had suddenly fallen at their feet, but he sure as hell didn't have time to turn around and check.

The faculty office, right? That had to be the best place to go for now right now. The numbers hanging outside classrooms were all a blur, and he couldn't remember which one was supposed to be his anyway.

He rounded another corner, desperately searching for any sign he was even on the right side of the building, when the smell of food caught up to him from somewhere close by. In an instant Ryuu realized, as if hit in the stomach with a bat, that he was absolutely starving after his little athletic stunt. So, without even realizing he'd done so, Ryuu adjusted his path, his legs taking him towards the cafeteria, each step faster and more desperate than the last. He was actively shoving slower students aside now.

That was, until he rounded a corner — and ran straight into someone with enough force to knock them both off-balance. Which, considering the state of Ryuu's legs, probably meant he wouldn't be getting up... well, pretty much ever again.

Shit...

一 色 み か こ - I S S H I K I M I K A K O
一 色 み か こ - I S S H I K I M I K A K O

---

The time crawled by at a snail's pace for Mikako. She wanted to talk to Suzuka. She wanted to talk to Suzuka so much. But it seemed like the world was actively conspiring her doing so. Whenever there was a spare minute, someone else would approach her for some reason. Would she be there that afternoon for broadcasting club? Of course she would, she told Reiko, what kind of vice president would she be if she didn't? What about kendo club? She couldn't be there the whole time, but of course she'd show up, Minato. It wasn't quite as important, since, after all, she wasn't much of a player there, but of course she'd make time. Did she want to get a celebratory meal after school? No, sorry, she told Kyouko, she need to stay after for longer because of the first student council meeting, and she was busy after that. An barrage of questions that left her no spare time.

It wasn't that she didn't value the people in her classes or clubs, quite the opposite. But at that exact moment, all she wanted to do was celebrate the fact that Suzuka was back in her life. But as she dutifully scratched down notes for another class, it would seem that chance wouldn't come until lunchtime. And lunchtime was SO FAR AWAY!

It felt like years had passed by the time the last morning class had ground to a halt and it was finally, finally time. So she pulled her gleaming bento--the lacquer polished until it shone--and chopstick case from her bookbag and placed them delicately on her desk. But simply in doing so, she realized by the sudden chorus of voices that it was too late: the Transfer Student Inquisition had reached her first.

Before Mikako could so much as say a word, a wall of people had divided her from Suzuka. She craned her neck in some frustration, trying to peer through the gaps between to see Suzuka's reaction. Undoubtedly, it wouldn't be--

"So noisy. Wouldja mind going one at a time? Y'all are makin' my head hurt."

Ah. Wouldn't be the most tactful of responses. But the resulting quiet gave Mikako the chance to FINALLY--

"Ohohoho, well-spoken indeed!"

Mikako's head jerked back to the front of the room, eyes wide open in the sudden deafening silence that had followed in Arashiyama-senpai's wake.

She wasn't exactly sure what the third-year had against her. Or, well, if she had something against her. She'd heard rumors from some of the people that spent a lot of time around Junko, but nothing from the woman herself. But...it was enough. It was something about the way she looked at her that made Mikako feel more self-conscious than most things could prompt. Consequently, she was a rather intimidating presence for the younger girl. No matter how out of her way she went to make friends, even if she'd never actually done a thing to Mikako, Arashiyama was someone that she did her best to avoid.

Like, for example, just then. As hard as it was to tear her eyes off her when she entered a room--she carried an undeniable presence--that also meant that everyone else's eyes were on her at the moment. And so as the dissatisfied crowd dissipated under the sheer force of her personality, Mikako was finally afforded access to Suzuka.

...Who currently had no food in front of her even though it was time for lunch, and was opening and closing her back like she was hoping the food fairies would come each time.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, and with no preamble she transferred her bento and chopsticks to Suzuka's desk and followed it with a sunny smile, if just slightly strained. Because she could SWEAR Arashiyama's eyes were on her, in particular.

"Still forgetting your bento here and there, ne? You must be hungry after coming all the way down from Hokkaido. Made fresh this morning~!"

---

Just as one clamor ended, another began. Suzuka could not initially make out the speaker who had so suddenly quieted the classroom with her unexpected entrance, but as the crowd encircling her began to open their ranks and part in the face of the chastising words of the new arrival, Suzuka at last managed to find an opening to look between them, and, in so doing, to find herself face to face with...

...Huh. A third-year's ribbon-tie. That was odd, though. She had expected to see a face. Realizing her mistake, she turned her gaze upward, above the heads of her other classmates, to size up the upperclassman who had broken the circle surrounding her. It was only then that she realized the degree to which the second-year students crowded around her desk -- even the boys -- were overshadowed by the giantess of a woman now gazing down at her.

She blinked, and thought about the words she had just heard spoken. The tone of voice, the location they came from, the reaction of the bystanders all made it plain and clear that this upperclassman was the one who had uttered them. But the phrasing... Her body screamed "athlete," but the propriety of her speech took that impression and catapulted it back several centuries. So, when she went to express her gratitude for clearing her path, the first thing that came to mind was...

"Thanks for the assist, Samurai-senpai!" She mustered her frozen facial muscles for her best attempt at a grin, adding a thumbs-up as she took this chance to begin to hastily extricate herself from her seat. Turning to her confounded classmates, she gave a slight apologetic nod. "Sorry, but I gotta hurry if I want to get to the cafeteria before there's a big line... probably." It was a convenient excuse to extricate herself from having to answer way too many questions at once. But, before she could finish standing up, someone else addressed her, offering an alternative solution to her present predicament.

"Eh? Mika-chan? Can I really?" Suzuka's eyes lit up in an instant, darting back and forth between her old friend and the bento box set down before her. If she had an extra lunch, then that meant she could stay here to eat and maybe even catch up with Mika-chan and Ei-kun some more. But... wait, there wasn't a box on Mika's desk anymore. "Wait," She said, curbing her enthusiasm as her features quickly returned to their usual frown. "This is your lunch, though. If I take this then you'd have to buy something instead."

She appreciated the gesture, she really did -- but she'd only just gotten back. She couldn't be mooching off of friends she hadn't seen in years on her very first day, just because of her own mistake. That would be pathetic of her.

---

When lunch rolls around, Eikichi is doing a bad job of staying nonchalant. He can hardly sit still, fidgeting like a small boy in the doctor’s waiting room. Maybe now, him and Suzuka can say more than five words to each other. In fact, now seems like the right time to break up his groupie and rescue her from a sticky situation—

“Ohohoho!”

—then again, maybe not.

The sudden appearance of Arashiyama is enough to make the already busy classroom a pandemonium, and Eikichi watches in awe as his classmates all but salute the third year. With that speech, maybe he should too. Arashiyama has always been… intense. He’s not scared of her, of course not — but he is wary. She commands attention in ways he’ll never be able to. And that makes her a threat, if she ever decided to turn her wrath upon him.

Glancing back at Suzuka, he sees that Mikako has gotten ahold of her first and seems to be spoiling her. Not surprising. Suzuka has always needed someone to take care of her, after all, and Mikako has always been motherly. It’s just…

Well, it used to be him.

And it’s not that he’s jealous! But there’s always been a shard of hope that Suzuka would return, just like there’s always been a tiny Suzu-shaped hole in his chest since she left. He imagined their reunion a little differently, though. Has he changed so much that she doesn’t want to be friends with him anymore?

That thought is weird and hard and not fun, which is why he does what any 17 year old, when confronted with such confusing feelings, would consider the logical course of action: he goes outside to sulk. Eikichi grabs his lunch, sneaks out of the classroom (Easy, since Arashiyama-senpai is speaking in a voice loud enough for three of her), and stalks out into the hallway. He’s so busy feeling sour and bittersweet and lonely that he doesn’t notice the figure barreling toward him—

Wham!

—till it’s too late to stop. Knocked to his feet by an unknown assailant, and already in a not-so-pleasant mood, Eikichi’s first reaction is to lash out.

“Ow! Watch where you’re going! This is a school for humans, not cannonballs!” he snaps, rubbing his head, which feels like it just collided with a steel beam. "Didja forget the part about no running in the halls?"

It's only when he's picked himself up from the ground that he recognizes the unstoppable force in front of him. Wait, isn't that Ryuu? The one everyone whispers about getting into fights and stealing purses and breaking up gangs? The one who's bad news?

Eikichi groans. Of all the people to run into, it just had to be the delinquent, huh?

Man.

As if running head first into someone in a scene straight out of a comedy anime wasn’t enough, the dude he’d ran into had to be really damn loud, too.

Lying on his back with little intention, will, or ability to get up, Ryuu let out a loud groan and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping it would somehow hinder his ability to hear too. His head was pounding from hunger, exhaustion and quickly mounting annoyance, and now that his legs had stopped moving, he could barely tell they existed anymore. The thought of just… staying there on the floor, surrounded by the squeak of shoes and the distinct smell of wooden floor was tempting, but so was getting up and socking the guy quoting the damn school rules, so. Decisions.

Reluctantly, Ryuu pushed himself up to lean on his elbows, eyes opening enough to glare daggers at the guy now standing in front of him. A guy who… looked vaguely familiar, Ryuu realised with a start. But how? This was his first school day in ages, and he doubted the face of someone he’d seen around town a few times would’ve sparked this kind of sense of… recognition? So where…?

Guided by his sudden curiosity and annoyance over a misplaced sense of familiarity, Ryuu jumped up to his feet and leaned disturbingly close to the guy in front of him, eyes narrow. From afar, and potentially from the other boy’s perspective, it might’ve looked like a threatening gesture, but really, Ryuu was just dumb enough to think that somehow getting his face closer to the other guy’s might make the picture clearer. It didn’t, and that pissed Ryuu off even more.

What he wanted to ask was ‘who are you again, I feel like I’ve seen you before.’ What came out instead was an angry, demanding: “Who the hell do you think you are?”