"Good morning, Takanashi!"
"Mornin'~"
"Good morning!"
With greetings like these, the everyday rhythm of our class had finally returned to normal. The biggest thorn in my high school life had been removed.
Considering everything that had happened with Sara-senpai, if the me from even a few days ago had heard that such a fulfilling high school life was waiting for me, he would have laughed it off as a lie.
As those thoughts crossed my mind, Yamakawa walked over.
"Good morning, Takanashi. You okay after yesterday? I talked with Yokokawa, but those weird guys didn't try anything with you, did they?"
It seemed the news of yesterday's incident had already spread.
He must have spoken with Hayato, though it didn't look like he'd been given any of the important details.
"I see. Thanks for worrying about me. I did talk with them, but everything turned out fine."
"Good to hear."
Yamakawa had an honest, straightforward personality that made him easy to talk to. That was what I liked most about him.
Clatter clatter clatter
"Excuse me~"
Hayato entering the classroom just before morning homeroom had also become part of the daily routine lately.
"Good morning, Kazunari."
"Good morning, Hayato."
He walked up to my desk and raised a hand in greeting.
I really needed to thank him properly for yesterday.
"Hayato, thanks again for yesterday. I feel like I owe you one."
Sensing the mood, he kept his reply deliberately vague so as not to touch on the sensitive parts.
"It really wasn't a big deal. But since we're on the subject… how about you hang out with me sometime?"
"""Kyaaaaaaa!"""
!?
Whenever I talked with Hayato, that one corner of the classroom always exploded with noise. What was with them?
"Yeah, sure. Just pick a place, okay?"
"Got it. And later, you gotta tell me what happened afterward, yeah?"
With that, Hayato headed back to his own classroom.
It had been a while since I'd hung out with any friends besides Yuji.
Now that I thought about it, inviting Yuji along and making it a group of three could be pretty fun...
Lunch break arrived, and with it came the much-anticipated lunchtime.
I dug into Senpai's bento—the most delicious thing in the world and my greatest source of energy.
Incidentally, Sara-senpai had been watching me with a soft, happy smile from the moment I started eating.
Every time our eyes met, she would beam at me, which left me feeling both embarrassed and strangely warm inside.
"Takanashi-san, how is the bento? If there is anything that worries you or any requests you might have, please tell me."
Now that she mentioned it, this might have been the first time she had asked me so directly.
She had done something similar that morning as well. It felt like a definite change had occurred within Senpai—one that made her more straightforward.
"Sara-senpai, I've never had any opinion about your bentos other than that they're delicious. I truly think they're delicious, so please keep making them however you like from now on."
"Takanashi-san... Yes, understood. In that case, I will continue doing my best so that you always find them delicious. By the way... fufu. It seems this sort of thing really is difficult for one to notice about themselves, isn't it?"
After smiling, Sara-senpai shifted slightly across the plastic sheet and scooted closer, almost snuggling up against me.
"Sara?"
"Sara-senpai?"
While looking straight at my face, she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and reached toward me.
"Takanashi-san, please don't move, okay?"
She gently wiped the corner of my mouth.
But instead of pulling away afterward like I expected, she stayed close—just like she had that morning.
What was going on...? She was being much more physically affectionate than usual...
I might have been imagining it, but rather than me simply being spoiled by her as always, it felt like she was letting herself be spoiled by me in return.
"Please teach me love."
Those were the words Senpai had said to me.
Perhaps she, too, had been thinking about something and was acting on those feelings.
If that was the case, then I needed to take the initiative as well.
It would be hard to do everything at once, but I should start gradually sharing the things I'd been too embarrassed to say and the actions I'd been hesitating to take.
Suddenly, Sara-senpai's head came into view.
Now that I thought about it, she had been patting my head all the time lately. Maybe it was time I returned the favor...?
I reached behind her head and gently stroked her hair.
"Takanashi-san...!"
Sara-senpai's eyes widened in surprise, but as I continued, her expression melted into one of delight. She narrowed her eyes happily and drew even closer.
"Sara-senpai... How do you feel right now? Whenever you do this for me, I always feel happy. Touching you like this brings me a sense of peace."
"...Yes. Until now, I was simply happy because you looked pleased when I did this for you, Takanashi-san. Now that you mention it, I really do feel a sense of peace from having you by my side. Being touched by you like this... makes me happy."
"I feel happy just being together with you and having you near me, Sara-senpai. I'd be glad if you felt the same way."
Even though I felt incredibly embarrassed, I told her exactly how I felt.
Encouraged by her joyful, blissful expression, I kept gently stroking her head for a while longer.
"......Um, I'm sitting right here, you know."
Sorry. We completely forgot about you halfway through...