After enjoying the hot spring leisurely for two days, we got back in the car and returned.
The three of us collapsed into the room without even washing up.
No matter how much we rested in the hot spring at the end, the fatigue from the journey couldn’t be helped.
I noticed the slightly messy ceiling, but oddly enough, I found it comforting. Maybe it’s because I see that ceiling almost daily since coming to this world.
Meow.
Kuro, who had come out of the cage, jumped onto my belly. Kuro had become much heavier since I first started raising her. Honestly, it feels a bit heavy now when she hops onto my belly.
I had left Kuro at Yuka’s house. When I asked if it was okay to leave her while we had the graduation party at the end of second grade, Yuka nodded her head eagerly. She had come right over the day before to take her.
Even after everything was over, I still relied on Yuka. I pondered while stroking Kuro.
But still, my heart felt a little lighter. I wondered why.
Maybe it was because we had become closer.
It could also be because I knew there would be plenty of chances to repay the favor for the debt I owed.
Meow.
Kuro, who had been purring under my touch, meowed again.
Even though she had been away for quite a while, seeing her act so casually at home shows that she’s a pretty thick-skinned little creature.
“…Where should we order dinner from?”
Kagami, who had been sprawled on the floor, spoke up.
“Let’s eat pizza, pizza.”
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind about ordering.
“Pizza!”
Koko exclaimed, raising her arms, but then quickly let them droop again.
“Let’s take a little break before we order,” she said.
I was feeling lazy.
Actually, I was feeling quite lazy.
“The trip was fun, wasn’t it? But going on such a long car trip seems a bit much.”
“That’s true, right?”
“I’m sleepy….”
“Let’s eat pizza and then sleep. Pizza.”
Upon hearing my words, Koko raised her arms again. Lying there like that, it really did feel like she was doing some kind of exercise.
“I’ll have to think of an easier way to travel next time.”
“Once I get to college, we can alternate driving.”
“That sounds good.”
Kagami said this with a voice that mixed laughter.
“….”
And for a moment, we lapsed into silence.
“Should we order before we sleep?”
“That’s a good idea.”
As I stood up to say that, Kagami also rose from her seat.
In the meantime, Koko had fallen asleep. Though she had been sleeping in the car too.
Oh well, I’m sure the smell of pizza will wake her up anyway, so I might as well leave her be.
*
Before the pizza arrived, we checked the photos we took.
The video recorded on the camcorder was about an hour and a half long, and we had twelve disposable cameras that could take twenty-seven shots each.
We captured almost 500 photos with the digital camera bought in Kyoto.
So, that meant we clicked the shutter whenever we got the chance. At first glance, the time recorded on the camcorder didn’t seem that long, but most of the clips were less than a minute. So that means we filmed at least ninety times, which seems a bit ludicrous to me.
About half of the disposable cameras were developed, but six were still left in the cameras.
As for the developed photos… well, to be honest, some were so bad I thought we should not have taken them, and some were blurry because we didn’t maintain enough distance.
But still, they were good in their own way. The fact that there were all those random snapshots confirmed that we really enjoyed ourselves.
Suddenly stirred by the sound of rustling, Koko, who had been asleep for a little while, woke up to find the photos spread out, and peeked in eagerly between me and Kagami.
“I can’t throw any of these away.”
Even the failed shots. Kagami seemed to be thinking the same.
“Yeah, I really can’t throw them away.”
In some sense, this was our first family trip.
It’s true we might have shot more because it was our first trip. But that was enough. Our photos wouldn’t end here.
“We bought a digital camera too. You’re coming to the next sports festival, right?”
“Of course. In fact, I’ve already been researching how to pack lunches since before the trip.”
I’m sure she knows that the sports festival is still a few months away, right?
Well, if I go that day and pack lunch, it would certainly be a hectic experience.
“First, I’ll need to buy an album.”
I intended to store the film properly, but since the photos were developed, I wanted to preserve them well.
The same goes for the digital camera pictures. Data is actually more unstable than you’d think, and if you don’t physically print it, you might lose it without realizing it.
Now that I’ve caught the traces of time, I didn’t want to lose them.
While we were looking at the photos for a while, there was a knock, knock, knock at the door.
Kagami had ordered two pizzas, considering Koko’s appetite. Both Kagami and I would be fine with just one, but who knows, Koko might eat more than half.
Kagami’s prediction was perfect, as the two pizzas disappeared cleanly. It was no surprise that Koko finished one and even had some extra slices.
Where on earth does all that food go?
…Am I allowed to eat that much since I now have a body similar to Koko?
But I didn’t particularly want to test that out.
Even if I look like this, I still care a bit about my figure.
*
During the remaining vacation period, we took it easy at home.
We connected a DVD player to the TV and borrowed a bunch of DVDs from the rental store to watch movies.
Koko enjoyed flashy films. She preferred action movies with lots of flashy explosions or animations with plenty of effects.
As for Kagami… well, it seems like she had no particular taste in films.
To be precise, she looked like she had never really been to a rental store before.
Seeing her just stand there looking blankly, unsure of what to do, I thought to myself, how could a person be like that? But I didn’t bother to express that aloud.
If one doesn’t watch films from a young age, they won’t really do so even when they grow up. Kagami must be that case.
I’d seen her occasionally blankly watching videos on TV, but that was likely because she was watching films that Koko had chosen. Koko isn’t the kind of kid who has the mindset of watching a movie from start to finish.
Anyway, with that in mind, I rented a bunch of movies that, in my opinion, were quite old – that is to say, movies that are still new in this world.
Surprisingly, Koko and Kagami watched the movies with great focus.
Well, it’s more accurate to say they were following my lead since I was focused.
As for Kagami’s taste… um.
It seemed that romance movies didn’t quite suit her. Her life wasn’t exactly aligned with ‘romance.’ It seemed like she had no desire to make a lover now either, nor any fantasies about that area. Well, having experienced that kind of thing, she probably saw all kinds of human experiences.
She seemed to find action movies somewhat interesting, but she wasn’t really enjoying it to a great extent. There are people like that, right? Those who watch hero movies and say they find it boring because it’s too detached from reality. She wore that kind of expression.
Perhaps what we had been through was grander in scale than any regular action movie. It was indeed bizarre.
I wasn’t really into thrillers or horror films, so I didn’t choose those.
I got some hints from animation films.
While Kagami didn’t show any particular interest in princess-themed animated movies, she seemed quite intrigued by animations with the keyword ‘family.’
Aha, I see.
She mentioned that what she wanted the most was ‘family.’
And when we went on our trip and she said she wanted to eat hamburgers, it was because of an advertisement she had seen on TV.
So when I returned the movies I had already watched, this time I borrowed a whole bunch of family movies. Some were funny, while others were a bit sad.
Naturally, since the keyword was family, the dominant emotion piercing through them was usually ‘emotion.’
My choice nearly hit the mark perfectly,
Sniff, sniff.
In the end, I succeeded in making Kagami tear up.
Sniff.
Koko too.
And the two of them hugged me tightly while sniffing, forcing me to endure the discomfort of their positions rather than enjoying the emotion of the movie.
Should I feel proud about this?
Well, let’s just recognize it as a success.
*
Once the third semester ends, I naturally become a second year.
If I think about it, even at the beginning of April, I’ve yet to have been in this world for a whole year, but in my heart, I felt like it had been a year.
What’s the big deal? Two weeks short isn’t a problem, right?
I waved my hand at Kagami, who came to see me off in front of my house, and strolled leisurely down the road with Koko.
At first, this road felt just too distant.
Walking 30 minutes to the train station is essentially the distance where taking the bus makes sense. I had just opted to walk to save on living expenses.
But at some point, I started enjoying walking here.
It’s probably since I started walking with Koko.
Wherever I went alone was boring and uninteresting, but walking with a like-minded good person turned the wait into something worthwhile.
Even if we weren’t having any special conversation as we walked along.
The train was still crowded.
Even if it weren’t us, there were many students commuting to school by train. Since there are many schools whose start dates coincide, naturally, the number of students must overlap with that of working adults.
After an hour’s ride, we arrived at the station.
“Hello.”
As always, I ran into Yuka.
Koko and I waved. Koko was especially happy to see Yuka. The only moments she had seen Yuka throughout the vacation were when Kuro was being picked up, so it made sense she would be excited.
“I’m a little nervous,” Yuka said, walking beside me.
“Nervous?”
Is it because the new semester is starting?
Hmm, I don’t think I’ve ever heard Yuka say she was nervous about school.
“Today, the classes will be assigned.”
“Oh, right.”
I nodded my head.
It made sense. Until now, Yuka had been in a different class.
Since they were in the class next door, it was easy to meet, and since we were in the same club, we really weren’t that far apart.
But still, there’s a big difference between being in the same class and not.
Yuka’s words made me feel a bit nervous too.
Does that mean I could be separated from Koko?
Of course, if the teacher’s blood is red, that wouldn’t happen, but the potential to be split from Mako, Fukuda, or Yuuki certainly existed.
And naturally, I didn’t want to separate from anyone. They were all close friends after all.
“Isn’t that right? It’s a bit nerve-wracking, isn’t it?”
“…That’s true.”
“Woo?”
When I responded with a hint of tension in my voice, Koko tilted her head.
*
I’m not sure how class assignments are announced in the 2020s. I didn’t finish high school in that era.
Do they send texts or something?
Honestly, I don’t remember how it was when I was young, but at this school, they post the list of student names and their classes in big letters.
In my class—
Me, Mako, Fukuda, and Yuuki were all there.
Plus Yuka.
And of course, Koko.
“Yes!”
Yuka cheered, pulling me and Koko in for a tight embrace and jumping up and down.
“Woo?”
Koko looked a bit flustered, not understanding why Yuka was acting like that, but soon she was swept up in Yuka’s joyous cheer and raised her arms high.
Around us, there were sighs and cheers, though not on the same level as ours. It’s probably rare for someone to have such luck and be assigned to the same class.
Did Suzuki-sensei particularly take care of my mental well-being? Or was it just a perfectly coincided arrangement of scores? I’m not sure, but I can’t complain about such a favorable outcome.
We three walked lightly toward our class.
We had arrived a bit early. Mako’s trio hadn’t shown up yet.
Instead,
“…Sasaki?”
I caught sight of a male student sitting in the corner of the classroom, in what people call the ‘protagonist seat.’
“Ah, hello.”
Sasaki waved awkwardly with a bit of a laugh when our eyes met.
Oh, right. I hadn’t even thought to look for him, so I didn’t even realize he was in the same class.
I never expected Sasaki to be in the same class.
Um… how should I put it? Should I be happy? I’m not as ecstatic as Yuka or my other friends who would jump for joy, but I still felt glad.
What should I say? Let’s get along?
As I was weighing my words, the back door swung open.
“Sota!”
The person who opened the door shouted loudly and came running towards us.
Then, without hesitation, he nearly tackled Sasaki in a hug.
“Sota! I’m so glad! So glad!”
Seeing tears streaming from his eyes, I thought maybe Sasaki had heard some news about a traffic accident this morning, but it was probably not that.
Rather, it seemed like he was just expressing relief about being placed in the same class.
That’s right. The one who hugged Sota was Nakahara.
Nakahara Nanami, Sota’s childhood friend.
What’s going on here?
It’s honestly a strange coincidence to have more acquaintances in the same class.
Maybe Suzuki-sensei’s clout is stronger than I thought? Or could she be the principal’s daughter or something? I’ve never read any stories with that kind of setting.
“Uh, Nana, now’s not the time…”
“Ah, right!”
Nana quickly wiped her tears upon Sasaki’s words and sprang up.
Only then did she notice us near Sasaki and smiled brightly.
“You’re all in the same class too?”
“Uh… well, yeah.”
I was relieved that I didn’t have to awkwardly greet Sasaki anymore. While conversations weren’t that difficult, sometimes it’s a bit tough to greet someone properly.
“Heh heh heh.”
Nakahara chuckled mischievously.
“Great, that means I’ve won the competition with Hagiwara-senpai.”
“….”
I seriously contemplated whether I should mention this to Shii.
If I don’t say anything, that just means I’m hiding the truth. I didn’t want to do that to Shii either. I’ve already hidden so many things.
But if I did say it, it would break Shii’s heart hard.
The best method would probably be for Shii to skip a grade and come into this school as a second-year.
I glanced towards the door just in case and sighed quietly.
Thank goodness. It didn’t seem like that was the case.
And it wasn’t like Kaoru or Izumi had repeated the year either. It seems like that part is rolling along quite ordinarily.
“Let’s get along from now on.”
Sasaki, who had finally regained his composure, smiled brightly at us.
I nodded.
“Nice to meet you.”
Fortunately, Nakahara didn’t seem to care that we were talking to Sota this way.
Seems like she doesn’t treat all the girls as rivals, after all.
Thank goodness Sota isn’t a pheromone-type male protagonist.
“Koto-ne!”
Hearing my name called, I turned to see Mako rushing towards me.
Mako, who hugged me tightly like Yuka did just earlier, was jumping excitedly.
“What’s this? It seems like you’re happier about being in the same class than anything else.”
“Ah.”
From behind, Fukuda chimed in, looking a bit incredulous, causing Mako’s face to redden.
“Ah, no, that’s not…”
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
Seeing Mako’s face turn pale, Fukuda said this while patting Mako’s back.
“It’s nice to be in the same class again. Let’s get along for the next year.”
“Yes.”
I nodded at Fukuda’s words.
“….”
And then there was Yuuki. When our eyes met, he lifted one hand slightly. Unlike Fukuda and Mako, he didn’t overtly show excitement, but I knew that was Yuuki’s way of expressing his feelings.
He’s a bit awkward, after all.
After that, more of the kids gradually began to trickle into the classroom. Friends who reunited greeted each other warmly, while small groups gathered and joyfully exchanged stories.
It was an ordinary and delightful atmosphere.
A classroom we would spend the next year in.
Click.
As we talked, the front door of the classroom opened, and Suzuki-sensei walked in.
“Okay, everyone, please take your seats.”
As soon as she said that, our eyes met.
Suzuki-sensei gave me a slight smile.
“….”
I also smiled back slightly and thought to myself.
This year, I will truly be able to enjoy myself.
It would be the very essence of ‘school days.’
Maybe, like a light novel from that era.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.