Fourth period ended, and lunch break began. The most anticipated time of the school day had arrived once again.
I stood up from my seat, intending to head straight for the flowerbed. Then I paused. What was Hanako-san going to do?
"Hanasaki-san! I was wondering..."
"Hanasaki-san, let's have lunch together!"
"Hey! We asked her first!"
"Our group is big, come join us! It'll be fun!"
As expected, invitations were flying at her from every direction. I’d seen this coming, but I was curious to see how she’d handle it.
"...T-Takanashi, you want to eat with us today?"
"Hey! Takanashi-kun is eating with us!"
"Takanashi-kun, why don't you bring Hanasaki-san and join our group?"
Wow, look at me, suddenly the most popular guy in school... Jokes aside, these guys were being way too blatant. Since Yamakawa and his group—the people I was actually close to in this class—weren't part of this desperate scramble, they proved themselves to be much better friends.
The two members of the Natsumi-senpai Fan Club and a few other sensible students looked completely over the whole farce.
Tug, tug.
Someone pulled on my sleeve. Of course, it was Hanako-san—a familiar habit of hers whenever she had something to say.
"I'm going with you."
She already knew I spent lunch with the usual members, and this was her way of telling me to take her along.
"Sorry, guys, I'm eating at my usual spot!" I told the crowd.
"Sorry," Hanako-san added, matching my tone. "I have plans, too."
She quickly grabbed her things and followed me out. As we stepped into the hallway, I caught snippets of the conversation behind us.
"...I knew it. Those two are totally dating, aren't they?"
"...Ugh, so jealous!"
Every time a break started, things got so hectic that I barely had a moment to breathe, let alone talk. I really needed to find a chance to clear up the misunderstanding properly.
"Oh, there they are!"
"Kazunari-san, good work. And Hanako-san, welcome."
Because it had taken a while to extract ourselves from the classroom, we were running late. By the time we reached the flowerbed, everyone else had finished their preparations and was waiting for us.
"Sorry we're late."
"Sorry, did we keep you waiting?"
I took my usual place beside Sara-san, and Hanako-san settled down on my other side.
"Fufu... It feels a little strange having Hanako-san here with us," Sara-san remarked.
"She's right! That uniform looks great on you!" Todo-san added.
"Thanks."
Hanako-san’s expression remained as sullen as ever, but she seemed more relaxed and composed here than she did in the classroom. Thinking back to our conversation this morning, it made me happy to see that she felt comfortable with this group.
"Sorry about earlier, you two."
"I'm sorry, too. Was everything okay after we left?"
Hayato and Todo-san both apologized, clearly still worried about the commotion they’d caused in the classroom.
"It was fine, don't worry about it. Right, Hanako-san?"
"Yeah. Nothing happened."
Hearing our answers, both of them looked visibly relieved.
"That's good, then."
"Yeah. But you know, when the four of us get together, I completely forget we're in a classroom. I just start talking with our usual energy!" Todo-san said with a giggle.
"Tell me about it. I totally forgot where we were for a second."
"Right!?"
Todo-san continued to chuckle happily.
"They seem like they're having fun," Natsumi noted. "Sara, should we... no, let's not."
"?" Sara-san tilted her head. "Natsumi, is something the matter?"
"No... (I can only imagine Sara running wild in Takanashi-kun's class.)"
"(Satsukawa-senpai would start flirting with Takanashi-kun, and the whole room would go into an uproar,)" Hayato thought.
"(No, it would probably spread through the whole school in minutes,)" Todo-san added mentally.
The three of them suddenly fell silent, exchanged a look, and then nodded in unison.
What was that all about?
"?" Sara-san tilted her head again, looking confused.
God, she was cute.
Shaking off the odd moment, everyone started on their bento. As the conversation drifted into idle chatter, Natsumi-senpai brought up the topic that had been on her mind.
"I still can't believe you actually transferred. Wasn't the transfer exam a nightmare?"
"For my current level... I managed somehow. I had a lot of knowledge in stock from when I was shut—I mean, from when I was re-evaluating myself to aim for greater heights."
She definitely almost said "shut-in." Well, that was largely Yamasaki’s fault, so I couldn't blame her.
"Yes, say 'aan'... For now, when Hanako-san submitted her school transfer application, my father put in a word with the school... though I’m not sure if it actually accomplished anything," Sara-san said.
"Oh, right. Sawa is the school’s biggest financial backer, isn't it?"
I remembered hearing that Sawa Electronics invested heavily in the school. I couldn't remember who told me, though...
"Wait, Sawa? You mean that Sawa?" Todo-san asked. "Satsukawa-senpai, what exactly does your father do?"
"Next is this, 'aan'... My father is the Senior Managing Director."
"He's essentially the number two guy in the company," Natsumi added.
"WHAAAT!?" Hayato and Todo-san cried out in unison.
Munch, munch...
I continued to chew while they reeled. It was a natural reaction; I’d been pretty shocked when I found out, too. If Masaomi-san had personally intervened, it almost certainly had an impact.
But more importantly...
"It was a huge help. Thank you again," Hanako-san said, her voice sincere.
Sara-san accepted the gratitude with a gentle, maternal smile. "You're very welcome. Though as I said, I'm not sure how much it really mattered."
"Even so, thanks. By the way, can I finally ask? Do you always feed him like this?"
"Yes, 'aan'... Oh, this is..."
"Takanashi-kun's right hand is in bad shape," Natsumi interjected. "Even for me, and I'm used to seeing it, it looks pretty rough. But Sara is also just incredibly overprotective of him."
Munch, munch...
In reality, since the part-time job was over and I could rest it, the pain was gradually subsiding. I could at least hold chopsticks now, but Sara-san wouldn't hear of it.
"That's not true," Sara-san insisted. "Besides, Kazunari-san was injured for my sake. I will take responsibility for taking care of him until he is fully healed."
"(She says 'until he's healed,' but she'll probably keep doing this forever,)" Hayato thought.
"(Satsukawa-senpai looks so happy taking care of Takanashi-kun... I’m almost a little jealous,)" Todo-san mused.
"(Well, consider it Kazunari's reward for his hard work,)" Natsumi decided.
I felt a strangely warm, stifling atmosphere drifting around the group. Regardless, there was one thing I wanted to confirm.
"By the way... did all of you know Hanako-san was moving here?"
At my question, everyone exchanged looks. I knew it.
"I am so sorry, Kazunari-san. Hanako-san told us about it beforehand..." Sara-san answered for the group.
I’d had a feeling, but hearing it confirmed—knowing I was the only one kept in the dark—made me feel a tiny bit lonely. Then I realized I’d done the exact same thing to Sara-san for her birthday. I bit back my complaint.
"Ah... ahh... Ka-Kazunari-san, please don't make a face like that... I..."
Sara-san’s expression turned into one of pure horror. She set down her bento box and reached out with trembling arms.
Fwump!!
Before I could react, she pulled me into a fierce hug, burying my face in her chest. Wait... what?
"Sa-Sara-san!?"
"No! Please don't hate me! I can't go on living if you hate me!!"
"...What happened?" Hayato asked, baffled.
"Search me," Natsumi replied. "Takanashi-kun didn't even say anything, did he?"
"Y-Yeah. I didn't see anything weird," Todo-san agreed.
"Hmm. Maybe this is a wild instinct—no, a maternal instinct triggered specifically by Takanashi-kun," Natsumi theorized.
My face was pressed into her chest with incredible force... I was happy, but a little overwhelmed. Had she sensed that split-second of loneliness?
"I don't really get it, but I'm sorry for keeping it a secret," Hanako-san said, stepping in to help. "I just wanted to surprise Takanashi-kun. I'm the one who asked everyone to stay quiet, so it's my fault."
"A-Ah, I get it," I said, muffled against Sara-san. "I did the same thing to you until yesterday, so I understand wanting to keep a surprise. Sara-san, I'm the one who should be sorry for doing that to you."
"Oh, please don't apologize. I was truly happy."
She still wouldn't let go, but she seemed to be calming down. That had been so sudden it nearly gave me a heart attack.
"There's no way I could ever hate you, Sara-san. If anything, I'm the one who's constantly worried about you losing interest in me..."
"No! Please don't say that, even as a joke. There is absolutely no way I could ever lose interest in you. It's impossible..."
Her voice sounded so genuinely pained that I immediately regretted saying it. I hadn't meant it seriously, but I’d clearly touched a nerve.
"...Is it over yet?" Hanako-san asked.
"Haa... Just wait for them to finish," Natsumi sighed.
"Ehehe, you two are so close," Todo-san remarked.
"Eh? W-Well, I guess so," Hayato mumbled.
"I want to be with you forever, Sara-san. I want to stay like this."
"Yes... I want us to be happy together just like this, forever."
"Sara-san..."
"Kazunari-san..."
Chu.
When I finally pulled back from her chest, she immediately kissed me on the cheek. As our eyes met, we both broke into instinctive smiles...
"Are you satisfied now?"
I looked to the side. Hanako-san was watching us with her trademark scornful look. Todo-san was the only one still smiling.
With five of us working, the flowerbed maintenance was finished in a flash.
We still had a little time left, but Sara-san was the student on duty and had to prepare for the next class. Natsumi-senpai went with her to help. I would have offered to take her place if it were something I could do.
Rattle...
When I walked back into the classroom with Hanako-san, every eye in the room turned toward us. I had a feeling we’d be the center of attention for a while.
As I sat down, the usual trio approached. I’d figured they’d be coming; Yamakawa had been so hyper earlier that I hadn't had a chance to introduce them properly.
"Good timing. I should introduce you," I said to Hanako-san. "These are the three guys I'm closest to in this class. This noisy one is Yamakawa, this is Tanaka, and the one with glasses is Kawamura."
She looked each of them over as if memorizing their faces.
"Takanashi, thanks, man! Again, I'm Yamakawa!"
"I'm Tanaka."
"Kawamura. Sorry this idiot is so loud."
"Whatever. I'm Hanasaki. Nice to meet you," she replied neutrally.
The current Hanako-san was acting perfectly normal. It seemed she was fine as long as she wasn't being mobbed.
"Man, I'm so glad Hanasaki-san transferred here. It's like my wish came true!" Yamakawa exclaimed.
"? You knew about me?"
"Yes! Takanashi had a photo of you on his smartphone, and when I saw it, I—"
Yamakawa started to drift into another monologue, but Hanako-san wasn't listening. She was looking at me with a faint, amused smirk.
"I see. You were looking at photos of your big sister even at school? You're such a hopeless boy, aren't you?"
"Eh!? T-That’s because you sent me that selfie on RAIN..."
And there it was. She called herself "Big Sister" again. That was definitely on purpose.
"Setting Yamakawa aside," Kawamura said, ignoring his friend, "you two seem really close. Can we ask how you met?"
Kawamura went for a direct hit. I didn't mind the question, but... how we met? To explain that meant explaining a lot of complicated stuff.
"Sorry, it's personal and a bit complicated," Hanako-san answered for me. "We're not going to explain."
She was right to avoid it. I didn't want to bring up anything related to Yamasaki ever again.
"Fair enough. Sorry for asking something weird," Kawamura said. "Then just one thing... Hanasaki-san, you said Takanashi was precious to you, right?"
"I did."
"""" KYAAAAAH!! """"
"""" GUOOOOOH!! """"
Hanako-san answered without a second's hesitation, triggering a wave of cheers from the girls and mock-agonized wails from some of the boys. Hearing a friend say I was precious to them—even if she was teasing me a bit—made me genuinely happy.
"Thanks, Hanako-san."
"I-It's not like you need to thank me for it," she muttered, looking slightly embarrassed.
"""" KYAAAAAH!! """"
The girls squealed again at her reaction, while a few more boys looked like their souls were leaving their bodies.
"Got it," Kawamura said, turning to the class. "So that's how it is, everyone. Stop teasing them. You too, Yamakawa."
I wasn't entirely sure what Kawamura meant by "that's how it is," but he’d somehow managed to settle the rest of the class down. I was incredibly grateful.
The classroom finally felt like it was returning to normal. While the girls still surrounded her, the boys stopped swarming us. Yamakawa, however, looked like he’d had the wind taken out of his sails.
The final period of the day was Homeroom for all classes. I’d expected the main topic to be our class attractions for the School Festival, but there was more to it than that.
"Take one of each and pass them back," the homeroom teacher said.
He handed two stacks of prints to the front of each row. When the papers reached me, I took my copies and read the titles.
"Regarding the Student Council Presidential Election and the General Meeting."
In reality, things were already moving toward calling off the election. We were supposed to discuss it in the student council room after school. At the moment, Sara-san was the only one fit for the job, and since no one else was running, we just had to convince her to accept it.
The current President was working hard on that front. Of course, if Sara-san did become President, I planned to support her with everything I had.
Then I looked at the second sheet.
"Notice of Parental Observation Day."
............Wait.
We have those here?