The school uniforms had switched over to summer wear, and the sun seemed to glare down with even more intensity. Since I’d stopped matching my pace to Natsukawa’s, I’d started leaving the house at a more relaxed hour, but by that time of day, the sun was already scorching. That said, waking up early was a nightmare in its own right. Summer really was better off not existing.
"……Shit."
Around that late morning hour, the area near the school gates was bustling with students. Likely due to the heat, everyone had "ugh" written on their faces, shuffling along like zombies. I was probably making the same face; in some alternate universe, it wouldn't have been a surprise if a survivor mistook me for the undead and went for a headshot.
"Oh……Ah—ha."
As I passed through the entrance, I felt the cool air descending from the building’s air conditioning. What was this feeling of pure exhilaration? I reflexively took a deep breath right there at the shoe lockers. Looking around, I saw the place was overflowing with "reborn" humans. Hey, you two over there, don’t start flirting just because it’s cool now.
By the time I reached the classroom, I’d already forgotten that summer even existed. I could feel the vibrations of the cold air—I’d never been so happy it was Monday. This was the first time in my life I’d been able to spend a comfortable summer at school. My run-down middle school, where students of all academic levels were gathered regardless of whether it was a prep school or not, didn't have such facilities. No one expected anything from us back then.
As I entered the classroom, a sense of refreshment enveloped me. It was so cool… what a comfortable space. I felt like I could actually get some serious studying done right now. What was first period again? Modern Japanese? Okay, time to sleep.
The sweat that had broken out made me feel like a squirrel that had woken up from hibernation a bit too early. Once wiped away, it wouldn't reappear. Sleep well, my dear sweat glands.
While I was trembling with the profound emotion of having an air conditioner in the classroom, the first bell rang, signaling the start of morning homeroom. I was really cutting it that close…
"Ah! Good morning, Sajocchi!"
"………oh……"
"Huh?"
I let out a gasp of admiration as Ashida approached and called out to me. Girls' summer uniforms. The heavy, thick armor of dark colors had been stripped away, replaced by pure white equipment equivalent to the boys' gear. Was this heaven? Even Ashida looked incredibly dazzling. That was strange… I never felt that way about Nee-chan.
"Morning. Could you not suddenly appear in front of me in such thin clothing? It’s bad for my heart."
"Could you stop calling girls' uniforms 'thin clothing'? You pervert."
I mean, look… her defense power had suddenly dropped from about 95 down to 20. On the flip side, her attack power against boys had jumped up about seventeen times. Just look at the other guys; they had nowhere to look but out the window to avoid the temptation.
"B-But… I think the fact that it suits you came across loud and clear, right?"
"Ha!? What about Natsukawa!? What about Natsukawa’s summer uniform!?"
"Haha, you bastard—"
Hey, stay away from my shins! I was wrong, okay? It hurts, it hurts! I can't help it, it’s Natsukawa we’re talking about, right?
Looking past Ashida, I could see Natsukawa sitting at her desk, chatting happily with several other girls. What was that, a frolic of fairies? Was the first day of the uniform change always this stimulating? I was going to start looking forward to this every year.
Following last week’s trend, Natsukawa’s power to attract people was being displayed in full force. Curmudgeons, the lot of them; they were standing in a position that perfectly blocked my view of Natsukawa. Fine, go ahead, keep flirting with each other like that.
"You don't have to be so desperate about it, you can just go see her later, right?"
"I’d feel bad for Natsukawa-sama if her lady friends left because I was being weirdly considerate, Ashida."
"For now, why don't you explain the difference in treatment between her and the other two?"
"Besides, if I get too close, I can't see the full picture."
"Listen to me. The 'full picture,' really?"
When you became a connoisseur, it was better to admire from a distance rather than actually interacting. It definitely wasn't because I was afraid of the "I'll kick your ass if you come any closer, punk" look Natsukawa was sending my way. I’m not lying; I’m fine either way.
That’s right. Speaking of going to see her.
"By the way, Ashida. Did you go to Natsukawa's house last week?"
"Ah, heheh…!"
"Huh?"
When I asked about what happened after the other day, the smug look on Ashida’s face was incredibly annoying. Her whole expression screamed, Do you wanna know? Do you wanna know? Oh, she was messing with her phone… wait, did she take a picture? Hold on a second, you. It was Airi-chan, right? Let me see, there’s a good girl, come on.
"Do you waaaaant to seeeeee?"
"Ugh, this girl…!"
Fine! I’ll just make do with the picture of Nee-chan's sleeping face I secretly took in the living room… I wonder why I even took that. It was basically a suicidal act; if she ever found out, I’d be dead. Also, it’s 4K… wait, the image quality looks so good—no, wait, K4? If I sold these to those guys, I could probably get a high price. Someone like the cool Yuuki-senpai would probably snatch them away with a silent knuckle sandwich.
"Nee-chan… sorry."
"I don't really get it, but you should probably delete whatever you're looking at right now."
"I use it for when I need to lie about having a girlfriend, so no."
"What is wrong with this guy…"
My strict five-fold security lock would never be broken. Eh? You're asking if I’d go that far for a photo of Nee-chan? Don't be silly, that's not all it's for, hehehe.
"Good morning. My, it’s quite cool in here."
"Good morniiiing."
In the end, morning homeroom started without me hearing anything about Natsukawa. For some reason, a dissatisfied Ashida kept kicking the back of my chair. Ignore it, ignore it. After all, I was a serious student. Teacher, there’s a bully in this school.
Wait. Was summer actually comfortable?
I realized it around third period. It wasn't that I was making any progress in Math A, but it was so cool that it didn't feel like midsummer at all. Prep schools really were different; the investment in the students was incredible. Summer was the best. Thank you, Natsukawa. A toast to Natsukawa… wait, what was I thinking about again?
"Alright, that’s it for today—"
The relaxed voice of the teacher who’d transferred from the Kansai region brought the lesson to a close. This was good. I didn't understand the lesson at all, but something about this felt right. If you didn't find things boring, time passed quickly. That was why I liked Math A—even though I was terrible at it.
"Hey, hold on, Sajocchi…!"
"Eh, what?"
Right after class ended, while I was normally preparing for the next one, Ashida tapped my shoulder in a panic. Why was she so flustered?
"What are you doing!? You haven't said a single word to Aichi today!"
"Well, yeah… considering the distance…"
One of us was in the corner of the classroom, the other was two rows over at the back. It felt normal for a day to end without a single word of conversation unless one of us went out of our way. But it didn't feel that way to me? Because my eyes had already burned the image of Natsukawa’s summer uniform into my brain at least sixty-seven times.
Plus, my prediction had hit the mark; Natsukawa was being approached and talked to by others frequently now. In fact, right now she was talking to Sasaki about something—hey, Sasaki, you touch a single hair on Natsukawa's head and I’ll poke holes in every single ball in the Soccer Club.
Natsukawa was laughing naturally as she talked to him. So cute. That was a natural smile she would never, ever direct at me. I was already "special" in a bad way, so trying to talk like that might be difficult now.
"……Yeah, it’s normal."
If the environment surrounding Natsukawa continued to grow like this, eventually her annoyance toward me would fade, and I might be able to secure a spot at the very edge of her circle of followers, led by people like Shirai-san and Yamazaki. It just wasn't that time yet.
"It’d be bad if I got in the way, so it’s fine."
"Got in the way…? In the way, you say?"
Ashida stared at me, her eyes wide with shock. I felt a slightly ominous atmosphere.
But if I were to approach her without restraint, going "Natsukawa, Natsukawa, Natsukawa" like a madman, I might destroy the environment she’d finally built. At the very least, as long as the faint reputation of "Sajou…? Oh, you mean Natsukawa-san’s shadow, right?" persisted in this grade, I figured being overly involved was a bad move.
"I don't think… that’s the case."
Muttering that, Ashida dove toward Natsukawa and Sasaki.
……It is the case, Ashida. Look at your surroundings. It’s not just about me or Natsukawa; if you think about how the people around us feel, you’ll understand. At least for now, it’s better if I don’t interfere with Natsukawa's environment. That’s what’s best for her, right?