[Serina Mikage POV]
The train entered a gentle curve, and the hanging straps swayed in unison.
Even as I tightened my grip on the strap, the rapid pulse that had spiked the moment Rio spoke his name showed no sign of calming down. Waiting for an answer, the three of them fixed their eyes on me.
"...Yesterday, we talked about Koharu. I just thought that if I ran into him today, the least I could do was say hello."
It wasn't a lie. I was simply sharing the tiniest sliver of the truth.
Knowing Aiba-kun was that person, and feeling so restless since this morning just thinking about him—I didn't feel ready to explain any of that to the three of them yet. Trying to put it into words made me blush with sudden embarrassment.
"I see. Makes sense, after yesterday."
Rio nodded, though she kept searching my face as if waiting for the rest.
"So, if it's just a greeting, why have you been fretting over your bangs all morning?"
"I was just checking to make sure they weren't sticking up."
"They were veeeery neatly styled, you know."
"Rio."
Kotoha's quiet voice cut in, and Rio closed her mouth. But her cheeks remained relaxed in a grin; she had only stopped prying, clearly unconvinced.
"When she wants to talk, Serina will tell us."
"I know. I was just a little curious."
Rio gave an amused smile and shifted her stance to shield me from the increasingly packed car.
Miu was looking at my hand on the strap.
"If it's just a greeting, I think you should just do it like normal."
"If I could do that, I wouldn't be struggling."
"So you admit you're struggling."
Realizing what I had let slip, I turned to Miu in a fluster. Beneath her sleepy eyes, the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
"...Forget I said that."
"Understood. I will forget that you are struggling with a greeting."
"Y-You don't need to repeat it!"
Rio burst out laughing, and even Kotoha covered her mouth with a hand. Being teased didn't feel bad at all, and the tight knot in my chest loosened a bit.
At the next station, a boy got on and came to stand near us.
He wasn't even looking our way. Even so, the moment he drew close enough that his bag might brush against me, my body tensed up instinctively. Kotoha casually shifted her footing, while Rio stepped half a pace closer to close the gap. Without a word, Miu moved her bag between the boy and me.
It wasn't that I had stopped being afraid of guys. When an unfamiliar boy came near, I still caught myself looking for an exit, feeling relieved whenever some space opened up.
And yet, with Aiba-kun, having him pull away was what made me feel lonely.
If he were standing here, I knew I would be searching for a spot where I could stay by his side for even a moment longer.
The second I recognized that feeling in myself, an embarrassing warmth tickled inside my chest, and I turned my face toward the window. My cheeks, faintly reflected in the glass, were redder than when I had looked in the washroom mirror this morning.
Good morning, Aiba-kun.
I silently mouthed the words.
◇◇◇
Getting off at our school's station, I headed toward the ticket gates flanked by Rio and the others. On the stairs, I stuck to the side with the handrail, taking it one step at a time so as not to put too much weight on my right foot.
Once through the gates, my eyes constantly darted across the crowd of students heading to school.
"Serina, you've been staring at everyone's faces for a while now."
Called out by Miu, I snapped my head forward.
"...I'm not staring."
"Notice you didn't say you weren't searching."
"Miu, you pay way too much attention to me."
"I only state what I see."
Rio giggled at Miu's deadpan delivery.
By the time the school gates came into view, I was searching the stream of students for a familiar tall silhouette so intensely that I couldn't even make excuses to myself anymore.
Maybe Aiba-kun took the day off to stay with Koharu. Even if I didn't run into him, I could always save the greeting for tomorrow. Even as I told myself that while passing through the gates, a small pang of disappointment settled in my chest.
The entryway was bustling with arriving students, the clatter of shoe lockers mingling with chatter.
With this many people around, I might not spot Aiba-kun even if he were here.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the tension eased slightly.
Readjusting my grip on my bag so as not to lose Rio and the others, I started toward my shoe locker.
Beyond the flow of students, a tall boy stood up from his locker.
His short black hair and the bag hanging from his left hand caught my eye immediately. Keeping his right arm tucked close to his side, he had pulled toward the wall to avoid bumping into passersby. I recognized that posture even before I saw his face.
—It's Aiba-kun.
Even though I had been looking for him, the moment I spotted him, my feet froze as if nailed to the floor.
Even though I had wanted to see him, I couldn't take that first step forward.
I had seen his face in the infirmary. But right now, I wasn't just looking at him as Koharu's older brother.
The boy who had found me in the smoke, who hadn't left me behind when I was terrified, and who had kept encouraging me until we reached the outside. His face finally seemed to come into clear focus only now.
In the morning light of a peaceful school building, Aiba-kun stood safely, wearing the same uniform as everyone else. Going to the same school, greeting the morning like this. Seeing that ordinary sight made me overwhelmingly happy.
At the edge of my vision, Rio stopped in her tracks. Without asking a single question, Kotoha took half a step back alongside Miu. Even as their presence drifted slightly away, I couldn't tear my eyes from Aiba-kun.
The heavy pounding deep in my chest echoed through my whole body. My fingers clenched around my bag's handle, the hard edge biting into my palm.
Aiba-kun turned toward me.
Our eyes met.
For a second, I forgot how to breathe, the air catching in my throat.
Whenever a guy looked at me, I would always avert my eyes and look for a way out. But right now, I was happy to see my reflection in his gaze. Even though I was dying of embarrassment, I just wanted to keep looking at him.
Aiba-kun's eyes widened slightly, and he stopped in his tracks.
He didn't approach. Instead, he pulled closer to the wall to clear the flow of foot traffic, leaving enough room for us to pass through.
Until yesterday, that distance would have brought a sigh of relief.
Now, the space he had left open felt painfully wide.
Before I realized it, I had taken half a step closer to him, careful not to put too much strain on my right foot.
It wasn't to walk past him.
I wanted to reach a distance where his voice would carry to me, and where mine would reach him, too.
Aiba-kun's eyes widened once more.
Only then did I realize that I had closed the gap on my own. It was still far enough that we couldn't touch even with outstretched arms. Even so, if it were any other guy, it was a proximity I would never have chosen.
A wave of delayed nervousness washed over me at the distance I had closed myself, and my breathing grew shallow again.
Maybe I got too close.
Even with that thought, my feet wouldn't move backward. My body understood that this wasn't fear of a boy, but simply embarrassment at standing before Aiba-kun.
Good morning, Aiba-kun.
I had practiced it so many times this morning.
I was able to say it to myself in the mirror. I could say it before leaving home, and to my reflection in the train window. It was such a simple phrase; I thought I would have no trouble saying it to his face.
Yet Aiba-kun hadn't been on the other side of the glass.
The moment I realized these words were meant for the person right in front of me, the first sound caught in the back of my throat.
Still, I didn't want to just walk past in silence.
Parting my lips, I drew a breath. This time, I pushed past the tremor in my voice.
"G-Good morning... Aiba-kun."
It came out slightly high-pitched. Even so, my voice reached him clearly.
Aiba-kun's reply lagged by a single beat.
"...Good morning, Mikage-san."
In a gentle tone, he said my surname.
That day, the name called out in ragged gasps through the smoke now reached me unimpeded, carried by his calm voice.
I had said it. And he had answered.
Unable to hide the joy swelling in my chest, the tension around my lips softened into a natural smile.
—I'm smiling at a guy of my own accord.
The moment that registered, heat rushed from my cheeks all the way to the tips of my ears. Even so, I felt no urge to wipe the smile away.
Aiba-kun blinked, looking a little surprised.
Seeing that, a wave of late anxiety hit me, wondering if I had overdone it. But he didn't back away, nor did he awkwardly look away.
"Koharu is staying home today. She managed to eat a little this morning, and her color is better than yesterday."
He must have figured I was worried. With an expression gentler than yesterday, he gave me an update on Koharu.
"I see. That's a relief."
This time, the words came without hesitation.
"I'll let Koharu know you were worried about her."
"Thanks."
Even as I nodded, I couldn't bring myself to walk away.
I had managed the greeting. I had heard that Koharu was doing better. And yet, the urge to linger in front of him just a little longer kept my feet rooted to the floor.
Aiba-kun didn't rush me. As if waiting to see if I had anything else to say, he stayed right where he was.
I wanted to say something.
But I had already spent every single word I had prepared this morning.
I could only keep looking at his face, my ears growing hotter by the second.
Eventually, noticing students trying to pass behind him, Aiba-kun turned sideways first.
"Well, see you later."
"...Yeah. See you."
Managing that brief reply took everything I had.
Giving us a slight nod, Aiba-kun blended back into the flow of people.
Watching his retreating back, the joy of exchanging greetings and the lingering ache of wanting to talk more tangled together in my chest.
"You did it."
Miu's voice came from right beside me, making my shoulders jump.
Turning around, I found all three of them staring at me. Rio was clasping both hands over her mouth, while Kotoha furrowed her brows thoughtfully. Only Miu wore her usual sleepy gaze.
"...Were you watching?"
"We were standing right next to you."
"Normally, wouldn't you look away out of courtesy?"
"You stepped closer, said hello, and smiled."
"Y-You don't have to break it down step-by-step!"
Hearing it laid out so plainly made me intensely self-conscious all over again.
Apparently unable to hold it in any longer, Rio strode over.
"Hold on a second. Serina, you approached Aiba-kun yourself, didn't you?"
"If you're going to greet someone, you move closer."
"Even without getting that close, he was well within earshot, you know?"
"There were a lot of people around."
"Aiba-kun stepped aside, and Serina closed the gap."
Miu's observation left me completely tongue-tied.
"...It was barely anything, right?"
"Yeah. About half a step."
"Then it's no big deal, is it?"
"It's fine, but Serina taking half a step toward a boy on her own is a huge deal."
Rio's voice bubbled with excitement.
"Plus, you were smiling! I've never seen Serina greet a guy with a face like that."
"I just smiled normally."
"The normal Serina doesn't stare after a guy she just greeted for that long."
"Rio."
Kotoha's low voice cut in.
"I know, I know. I won't say another word."
Even with that promise, Rio didn't bother hiding her grin.
Kotoha stepped up to me, dropping her voice so the surrounding students wouldn't overhear.
"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to right now. But you aren't forcing yourself, are you?"
"I'm not."
"Not even with getting closer to Aiba-kun?"
I nodded without a second thought.
I wasn't enduring it despite being scared.
With him, and only him, I wanted to take that step.
That was the one thing I didn't want the three of them to misunderstand.
"All right then."
Kotoha gave a short reply, choosing not to pry any further.
Miu looked back over her shoulder as she headed toward the lockers.
"It's still morning."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You might run into him again today."
That single sentence made me look instinctively toward the stairs where Aiba-kun had disappeared.
"Next time, hopefully you can say something after 'good morning,' too."
"I can."
"Like what?"
"...I'll figure that out now."
"Will you have enough time before you see him?"
"Miu, you can be surprisingly mean, you know that?"
"Did you only just notice?"
Rio burst out laughing again at Miu's deadpan response.
Placing my hand on the locker door, I caught my reflection in the dull metal.
My cheeks and ears were still too red to hide. Even so, unlike when I had practiced in front of the washroom mirror, a small smile remained on my lips.
His voice as he returned my greeting still echoed in my mind.
And that wasn't all. I had closed the distance he left between us on my own. Thinking back on it, I didn't feel a shred of fear. All that remained was the longing to hear his voice from closer up, and the simple joy of having him reply.
He had looked surprised.
Even so, he didn't look uncomfortable, waiting patiently in place for me. And in the end, he had said, "See you later."
Just replaying those words brought a gentle warmth to my chest.
"Serina, your face is getting red again."
Rio peeked over at me, making me hurriedly yank my locker open.
"It's just hot in the entryway."
"You weren't that red before you spotted Aiba-kun, though?"
"Rio."
"Fiiine. Not another wooord."
Her playful reply carried zero remorse.
Kotoha and Miu started walking ahead, and after slipping into my indoor shoes, I hurried after them.
My morning greeting had reached him.
The next time our eyes met, I wanted to find the words that came after it all on my own.
There was no need to rush.
Just like today, taking it half a step at a time was enough.
Little by little, that was how I wanted to draw closer to his side.
At the time, I still had no idea.
That the distance I wished to close would be bridged by my own reaching hand far sooner than I ever imagined.