Yuka came to our sports festival, just like I went to Yuka’s sports festival.
Yuka’s dad and grandpa were still a bit uncomfortable, but cheering for Yuka while calling her name was quite enjoyable.
Since our schools are a bit far apart, it was a bit embarrassing not to have a single person from our school here.
Yuka smiled at me. Isn’t that enough?
Now that I think about it, it seems Yuka hasn’t transferred to another school since we met. I guess it’s probably better for her if she can keep an eye on me directly.
But that doesn’t mean she could just move me around like a surveillance target.
Because of that, our teamwork with other kids from her school was excellent. After running hard, seeing everyone high-five each other looked fun, so I was relieved.
“Yuka’s class is doing well!”
Was it because Yuka was on the team? At least the team Yuka was part of climbed pretty high.
If only Yuka could have been with the cheerleading team like me, we could have messed around for a long time.
“Well, your class did your best too.”
Seeing Yuka say that with a strangely proud expression made me chuckle in disbelief.
For reference, our class barely won in running. Somehow, everyone seemed somewhat satisfied, and since I wasn’t particularly focused on winning, it didn’t really matter.
Still, the fact that we all worked hard together was true.
“Let’s go.”
Yuka said that with a refreshing expression.
“Let’s grab something tasty on the way back.”
What are you saying right next to your dad and grandpa, Yuka?
I know at that age, playing with friends is more fun, but still, she was obviously looking hurt next to them.
I recalled the day we stayed over at Yuka’s place when I had to stay next to Kagami all day to cheer her up because she seemed oddly sulky.
…Or was it? Is there anyone other than Kagami who gets sulky about that?
Well, at least she didn’t shrink away like that.
*
As time passed, the day of the school trip finally arrived.
To keep up with the school’s schedule, we naturally had to set off early in the morning. Kagami got up early to help me get ready.
As for me, I honestly didn’t feel tired.
Even considering my previous life, I wasn’t at a particularly old age, but comparing this young body to that, the recovery power made a huge difference.
Maybe it’s because my metabolism was at a different pace; up until my early twenties, I could stay up all night and still manage the next day relatively well.
Even if I got only a few hours of sleep, I’d recover quickly.
However, I had always lived a very regular lifestyle, so it wasn’t often that I woke up feeling completely exhausted in the morning.
Kagami looked a bit tired, though.
I looked up at Kagami yawning in front of the entrance and asked.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
Kagami answered in a voice that seemed like it would melt away, and I smirked slightly.
“Are you going to follow along on this school trip?”
“…!?”
Her eyes widened in surprise at my question.
I smiled brightly while staring up at Kagami.
It wasn’t a particularly hot day, yet beads of sweat were gathered on her forehead. Seeing Kagami roll her eyes in a way that was almost never seen was somehow a little funny.
Dad stood a bit away, watching the two of us. Well, this was our business anyway.
Kagami seemed to contemplate denying my words, but as her lips moved, she ultimately just kept quiet.
Then she slightly lowered her head and glanced up at me.
Even so, since I was much shorter than Kagami, it turned into her looking down at me.
“Did you know?”
To be honest, Kagami was quite tall, so it wasn’t easy to hide.
Plus, unless completely covering her face with a mask, it was apparent that Kagami was Kagami. When standing with other girls, her head would stick up, her eyes visible above the mask seemed too familiar to me, and her body in many ways looked quite obvious.
Hmm, now that I think about it, even with a mask, I think I’d recognize her.
Isn’t it strange not to know?
As I kept smiling and looking up at Kagami without saying anything, she was becoming increasingly fidgety.
“Um, did you dislike it?”
Hmm, wouldn’t it typically be disliked?
The school trip… Well, this is all part of the school’s schedule, but still, isn’t it a journey far away with classmates? Not just one or two kids, but the entire class.
Even if we organized ourselves, being together in one accommodation with school kids is amusing in its own right. It means we’d keep running into each other along the way.
A trip that would be quite hard to renew later.
If a parent comes along, I can imagine how overwhelmed the kids would be. It’s not just that their parents might come along; the biggest problem is that the parents of the other kids probably wouldn’t.
But still, I went up to Kagami.
And I opened my arms wide to hug her.
“No.”
I answered that way.
I knew it was abnormal. It certainly isn’t normal for Kagami to follow me on this school trip.
But my situation has always been far from normal.
The school teachers don’t know my circumstances. The classmates don’t know either. In that situation, if I went far away and didn’t receive any protection, she would be really worried.
Hence, she must be following.
So, I was okay.
“…Koto Ne.”
Kagami murmured in a voice that seemed to be on the verge of tears before hugging me tightly.
I guessed that even after several years passed, I would long for this sensation. Even if I become an adult and hugging isn’t something we do as often, sometimes I would miss it.
So, let’s hug while we can.
Regretting it later after suddenly disappearing makes no sense.
I clearly didn’t oppose Kagami following me. Whether I spoke or not, Kagami would act based on her own judgment.
I thought it was whatever.
As long as it could ease my mind.
*
If it were my childhood, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to come to the same place again.
I had been to Kyoto during middle school as well. Naturally, I had seen most places worth visiting back then.
At an age when everything is fun, it’s also the age when everything could be boring at the same time. At this stage, I wouldn’t enjoy seeing things that I had already seen.
But unfortunately, I still had a slightly mature mindset, so having been there once, I wanted to see what I hadn’t seen last time.
Seeing the same things again isn’t inherently different. In fact, it’s likely that there will be things to be seen again because I came back.
To be honest, at this age, having fun takes precedence over sightseeing.
“I bet Shii is disappointed she couldn’t come.”
“Disappointed…”
When I said that teasingly, Sota retorted in disbelief.
Of course, we split into groups in the morning and afternoon. I was with the girls from my class, while Sota was with the boys.
However, these groups are not always strictly maintained; sometimes they mix up, and one from our group might end up mingling with the boys’ group.
So, it wasn’t surprising that Sota and I found ourselves walking side by side.
Our group and Sota’s had been mixed up.
That said, it didn’t feel like a dating scene. Even if the genders were mixed, we saw each other almost daily. I can’t say we wouldn’t look at each other differently in a place like this, but at least on the surface, it felt just like usual. The only difference was that the tension was a bit higher.
“By the way, are you looking for anyone?”
“Oh, yeah.”
As I checked my phone and turned my head to look around, Sota asked.
I nodded.
It felt like it should be visible soon—ah.
“Koto Ne!”
I heard a friendly voice from afar.
“Yuka?”
Seeing Yuka come waving her hand towards us, Sota let out a slightly dazed sound.
“What? So you were here too?”
“You said that as soon as you saw my face…”
But still, Sota also wore a welcoming expression.
“What about the friends from your class?”
“They told me to go meet friends from another school.”
Is that okay?
Well, since the teacher isn’t following us, I guess we could get away with it if we don’t say anything.
“Both the schedule and location overlapped, huh?”
“Yeah. I found out during our last conversation.”
I said while looking at Sota.
“Hey, Sota, do you want to come with us?”
“Where are we going?”
“I haven’t specifically decided yet.”
Sota looked back at the group. They had already gone quite far ahead, noticing that we had lagged a bit behind.
“Hmm… Should I say something?”
“Do as you like.”
When I shrugged, Sota turned back to the group with a somewhat uncertain expression.
“Will it be okay? It’s a guy, you know?”
“…What’s wrong with it being a guy?”
I slightly turned my head and looked elsewhere while answering.
It seemed I caught a glimpse of an adult slightly entering a shop.
The silhouette looked incredibly familiar.
