[Serina Mikage POV]
After making sure Naoki-kun raised his left hand, I finally turned forward. I caught up with Rio and the others, who had slowed their pace a little ahead. I thought I had calmed down since the moment we called each other by our names, but the heat in my cheeks still hadn't faded.
Walking up beside me, Rio spoke in a bubbly voice.
"Serina, you paused for a second before calling him back, didn't you?"
"...I told you, I was nervous."
"Still, you called him 'Naoki-kun' properly."
Rio smiled as happily as if it were about herself, then glanced back over her shoulder just once.
"Aiba-kun called you 'Serina-san' too, even after he noticed everyone around us looking."
Miu, who was walking slightly behind us, gave a small nod at Rio's words.
"Naoki-kun said he was nervous, too, though."
"I see. So Aiba-kun felt the exact same way you did, Serina."
Felt the exact same way. Those words spread ticklishly deep in my chest. Knowing that I wasn't the only one feeling restless, my downturned lips loosened just a little. Keeping my eyes cast down at my feet, I gave a small nod.
I still didn't fully understand everything Naoki-kun had been feeling. Even so, it was certain that he had called me "Serina-san" even after noticing the gazes around us, and when I called him "Naoki-kun" in return, his expression had seemed to soften just a bit.
I was the one who had said I wanted to call each other by our first names at school, too. But when he actually called me by name in a crowded hallway, I became far more nervous than I had expected. Now that I knew Naoki-kun had been just as nervous, I felt unbearably happy that he had kept our promise and called me "Serina-san" despite all of that.
"Serina, the classroom."
"Huh?"
Stopping in my tracks when Kotoha called out to me, I realized that while lost in thought, I had walked past the classroom door by several steps. Seeing Rio on the verge of bursting into laughter, I turned back and ducked inside before anyone could say anything.
"...Don't laugh."
"I'm not laughing yet."
"Your face is already laughing."
"Haven't people been telling me that a lot lately?"
Listening to Rio's voice behind me, I headed toward my seat. Just as I was about to put down my bag, a girl nearby turned toward me. The girl next to her also broke off her conversation and looked my way.
I also felt more eyes on me from the boys than usual. When I lifted my head to check where the looks were coming from, the boy whose eyes met mine hastily looked away, while others simply watched from distant seats.
It might have just been simple curiosity. Even so, when so many gazes overlapped at once, a faint discomfort prickled through me, and my shoulders tensed up unconsciously. Word about what happened in the hallway earlier might have already spread.
As I hung my bag on the side of my desk, Rio turned around from the seat in front of me.
"You're going to tell us about Saturday after school, right?"
"Yeah. We can't talk properly in the morning, so I'll tell you after school."
"Got it. I'm looking forward to it."
Rio nodded once, but then asked as if she had suddenly remembered something.
"Then what about lunch today?"
"About that... Today, I was thinking I'd like to eat just with Naoki-kun. I haven't asked him yet, so I was thinking of... inviting him later."
"Uh-huh. Sounds good! Go for it."
At Rio's words, Kotoha smiled softly, and Miu gave a small nod as well. Seeing the three of them accept it just like always, the tension left my shoulders a little.
"Mikage-san, can I ask you something?"
This time, two nearby girls came over to my desk, and one of them pointed toward the hallway with slight hesitation.
"The person you were with earlier was Aiba-kun, right?"
"...Yeah, but what about it?"
"Are you two dating?"
Being asked so bluntly, I tightened my grip on the pencil case I was about to place on my desk. Nearby, a boy who had been moving his chair paused, and heads from other seats turned this way as well. I could tell they were all straining their ears while pretending not to listen.
We weren't dating. That was the truth, but the words to deny it didn't come out as quickly as they should have.
"...We're not... dating."
"Really? You were calling each other by first names, so I totally thought you were."
"I heard you two were around the station on Saturday, too," the girl next to her added. It seemed some students from our school had been at the station cafe, but at the time, I had been so absorbed in talking with Naoki-kun that I hadn't paid any attention to the tables around us.
"It's true that we hung out together on Saturday."
"Then you guys must be pretty close."
"Yeah."
Asserting it myself felt a little embarrassing. Even so, I hated the thought of treating the day I spent with Naoki-kun as if it were nothing special.
After exchanging glances, both of their expressions softened into smiles.
"I see. You looked really happy this morning too, Mikage-san."
"...You saw that?"
"I thought about calling out to you, but you two were in your own little world. There was no way I could butt in."
Having said that much, the girl lightly pumped a small fist in front of her chest.
"Still, I'm rooting for you guys!"
"Huh?"
"Keep getting along well as a couple, okay?"
"I-I said we're not dating yet, didn't I?"
The moment it left my mouth, I realized how I had phrased it. But before I could correct myself, both of them blinked in unison. It seemed they immediately picked up on the same thing, as one of them broke into an amused grin.
"Uh-huh. 'Not yet,' right?"
The instant she seized on that, no voice came from my open mouth when I tried to talk back. Unconsciously dropping my gaze, I squeezed the pencil case in my fingers.
"Don't single that part out..."
"Sorry! I just couldn't help it."
The girl next to her lightly tugged her friend's sleeve, urging that they should head back.
"Mikage-san is getting flustered, you know."
"Yeah. But I really am rooting for you!"
"...Thanks."
Watching the two return to their seats, I sank down into my chair.
If I just wanted to deny it, I should have simply said, "We're not dating," yet I had ended up adding "yet" all on my own.
(...Still, what if I really did start dating Naoki-kun—)
Holding hands as we walked through town on our days off, stopping by shops together whenever we found an interesting one. Sometimes visiting Naoki-kun's house, sitting side-by-side on the same couch to watch a movie. Holding hands naturally midway through, and even when the end credits rolled, still being unable to let go—
(~~~~ghh!)
"Serina."
Hearing Miu's voice out of nowhere, my shoulders jerked. Trying not to let on what I had just been imagining, I lifted my head while putting on as calm an act as possible.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Your textbook is upside down."
"...Kh!? Yeah. I knew that."
"I see."
Of course, I hadn't known, so after waiting for Miu to look away, I silently flipped the textbook right side up.
However, Miu was still looking at my face.
"Also, that look on your face just now. You shouldn't show it to any boy other than Aiba-kun."
"That look?"
"The look you had when your textbook was open upside down."
"What kind of face... was I making?"
"The exact same face you make when you look at Aiba-kun."
My breath caught.
I didn't know what kind of expression I made when looking at Naoki-kun. But from Miu's words alone, I knew it was a face I didn't want any other boy to see. I hid my mouth behind my textbook.
After saying just that, Miu turned her eyes toward the back of the classroom.
Drawn by her gaze, I looked over and saw several boys talking in hushed voices. I caught the words "Aiba" and "around the station" a few times, and the one whose eyes met mine hastily looked away.
A prickle of irritation rose at the gazes directed at me by the boys. It wasn't like I had declared boys off-limits myself. I just didn't want the time I could talk with Naoki-kun to be disrupted by arbitrary labels or baseless commotion.
Even so, when I thought back to the hallway this morning, what surfaced most vividly was Naoki-kun's voice calling me "Serina-san."
◇◇◇
Eventually, the preparatory chime rang, and the students in the classroom returned to their seats.
After hearing the morning announcements from our homeroom teacher, first period began. While copying the writing from the blackboard into my notebook alongside the teacher's explanations, I didn't mind the surrounding gazes as much as I had in the morning. Even so, the moment I let my guard down, the words we had exchanged when parting—"See you later"—floated back into my head.
We hadn't decided when to talk or who would go see the other. But since Naoki-kun had returned the same words, it should be fine to go see him during the break. Since all we could manage in the morning was calling each other by name, this time I wanted to talk a little more comfortably and invite him to lunch right then and there.
The moment I thought that, I became acutely aware of my smartphone lying face-down next to my textbook. I couldn't touch it during class, so I forced my gaze back to the board. Even so, my attention was pulled toward it over and over again, and the time until the chime felt agonizingly long.
When class finally ended and the teacher left the room, I immediately scooped up my phone.
I tapped on "Naoki-kun" in my chat list. I was gradually getting used to the display name I had just changed on Saturday night.
Naoki-kun, is it okay if I come over to your classroom right now?
I reread the single sentence I had typed out. Even though I was only asking if I could visit his room, my finger hovered over the send button. After steadying my breath once, I tapped the screen.
Before long, it was marked as read.
Of course. I'm in the classroom.
—He said "Of course."
The moment I saw those two words, the breath I had been holding released, and I felt an urge to jump up from my seat and run to see him right away.
Before asking what it was about, he had accepted my coming to see him as if it were completely natural. That lack of hesitation made me so unbearably happy that, unable to close the screen, I traced the words "Of course" with my eyes once more.
"Serina. Your face."
Suddenly addressed by Miu, I looked up from the screen.
"Huh?"
"I literally just told you."
As I was about to ask what she meant, I remembered what she had said when I had the textbook open upside down. As I hastily composed my expression, Rio turned around from the seat in front of me.
"Serina, are you going over to Aiba-kun's room?"
"Yeah. I'm going to head over for a bit."
"Got it. Have fun!"
When I stood up, Miu quietly pushed back her chair as well.
"I'll walk halfway with you."
"Huh?"
Miu turned her eyes from the doorway toward the hallway. There were several students peering this way as they passed by.
"I thought having two of us would be better than just one right now."
Saying that, Miu headed toward the classroom door first. Just as I scrambled to follow her, Miu stopped in her tracks and pointed at my desk.
"Serina. Your phone."
"Ah."
Knowing that I was about to go to Naoki-kun's classroom, nervousness rushed back alongside my excitement. Because of that, I had forgotten to put away my smartphone, leaving it sitting right on top of my notebook.
When I hurriedly grabbed it, Rio chuckled silently.
"...I'm off."
"Yep. Have fun for real this time!"
Sent off by Rio and Kotoha, I left the classroom with Miu.
Naoki-kun's classroom was just a short walk down the hallway on the same floor. There were students turning to look at us along the way, too, and when I caught his family name in a conversation between passing girls, my feet almost slowed down on their own.
Walking beside me, Miu said nothing, simply matching my pace while walking just slightly slower than usual.
When we reached the corner, Naoki-kun's classroom came into view just ahead. There, Miu stopped and turned toward me.
"I'll wait here. Go on."
"...Yeah. I'll be right back."
Leaving Miu there, I headed toward Naoki-kun's classroom alone. Once I arrived in front of the door, I steadied my breath just once and peeked inside.
Naoki-kun was already looking toward the entrance, and the moment he noticed me, he placed the notebook he was holding onto his desk and stood up. Right then, the chatter filling the classroom dropped off for a moment before turning into a low murmur. The students looked back and forth between Naoki-kun heading for the exit and me standing at the door.
Though Naoki-kun glanced around once, he didn't hesitate, stepping out into the hallway with his usual steady stride.
"Serina-san."
Hearing the way he addressed me—the same as this morning—my posture straightened instinctively. Even though I had come here hoping he would call me that, I still couldn't reply naturally.
"...I came right away."
"Well, to be honest, I was thinking of heading over to your room during one of the breaks, too."
"...R-Really?"
"Because we said 'see you later.' I thought we'd be able to talk during the break."
If I hadn't come to see him, Naoki-kun would have come to see me. The moment I realized that, a surge of happiness welled up all at once, and staring at him, I couldn't find the words to reply right away.
I wasn't the only one who had taken our parting this morning as a promise to meet again. Naoki-kun had also wanted to talk. As I held that truth close to my heart, even the nervousness I had been harboring about inviting him to lunch grew lighter.
"Then... I'm glad I sent the message."
His lips softening into a smile, Naoki-kun nodded without hesitation.
Beyond him, the students remaining in the classroom were repeatedly glancing our way. Noticing it as well, Naoki-kun looked toward the entrance once.
"...We really are being watched, huh."
"S-Sorry. It's because I came over."
"No, that's not what I meant."
Naoki-kun immediately shook his head and turned back to face me.
"Being watched makes me a little nervous, but I'm really glad you came, Serina-san."
At his unexpected response, strength flooded the hands I had clasped in front of me. Even so, this time I didn't look away, and pushed forward by his words, I asked him to lunch.
"Naoki-kun, do you have any plans for lunch today...?"
"No, nothing in particular. Just eating lunch, pretty much."
"Um... if that's the case, won't you... eat with me, just the two of us?"
I managed to keep looking at Naoki-kun's face until I finished speaking, but during the brief pause waiting for his answer, tension locked up my fingertips.
We had spent the entire day together on Saturday, and he had even said he wanted to hang out again. Even so, asking him to lunch for the first time at school came with a completely different kind of nervousness.
After his eyes widened for a fraction of a second, Naoki-kun's lips slowly curved into a gentle smile.
"Sure. Let's eat together."
When his answer reached my ears, the tension finally drained from my clasped hands. Following the relief that I hadn't been turned down, the pure joy of actually getting to eat with Naoki-kun welled up a moment later.
"...Yeah."
It took a full breath before my voice came out. Watching me, Naoki-kun smiled warmly.
I had only been thinking about inviting him, but Naoki-kun had his usual lunchtime routine, too. Once I felt relieved knowing he had no plans today, I gained the composure to think about where we should eat.
"Did you bring a bento?"
"Yeah. You too, Serina-san?"
"Yeah. In that case, eating outside might be nice. There's a bench in the courtyard where not many people go."
It was a spot where I had sat a few times with Rio and the others; located a little away from the cafeteria and tucked behind some shrubbery, very few students passed through. When I explained the location, Naoki-kun seemed to understand immediately, casting his eyes toward the back of the school building.
"Ah, over there. I know the spot."
"It's sunny today, so if it's in the shade, I was thinking I'd like to eat there."
"Then whoever gets there first can wait for the other."
"Yeah. I'll head over as soon as fourth period ends."
Even after making our lunchtime plans, we didn't part right away. During the brief time before the next class, we chatted more comfortably than we had in the morning, making sure we were both looking forward to lunch.
During that time, I felt people watching us from inside the classroom a few times, but as I talked with Naoki-kun, I hardly cared anymore.
"Well then, see you at lunch."
"See you later, Serina-san."
This time, the "later" had a set time and place. I gave Naoki-kun a nod and headed back the way I came.
When I reached the corner, Miu was gazing outside from the hallway window. Hearing my footsteps, she turned toward me.
"Thanks for waiting."
"Mm."
Miu replied with just that, fell in beside me, and the two of us walked back to our classroom together.
◇◇◇
When I returned to the classroom, Rio looked over at me. Without running up to my seat, she waited for an answer right where she was.
When I nodded, Rio's expression lit up.
"All set?"
"Yeah. Today, I'm eating with Naoki-kun."
"I see. Then we'll hear the rest after school!"
"I know."
Kotoha and Miu were also getting ready for class just like always.
Looking at the lunch tote hanging on the side of my desk, I suddenly began to worry about the bento I had tossed into my bag that morning without a second thought. There shouldn't have been anything unusual inside, but when I thought about opening it next to Naoki-kun, I felt an urge to check its contents.
Opening it right here and now would look bizarre, though. Pulling back the fingers I had begun to reach out, I opened the textbook for our next class instead.
Once second period began, I focused on the lesson as much as I could. Even so, my eyes kept drifting to the clock at random moments.
During the breaks, Kotoha laughingly corrected Rio's mishearings, and Miu pointed out that I had skipped a line while copying my notes. Spending time normally like that, the chime signaling the end of fourth period finally rang.
Packing away my textbook and notebook, I stood up with my lunch tote in hand.
"Serina, what about your drink?"
"I've got it."
When I lifted the tote bag to show Kotoha, Rio reopened her own bag beside her.
"Ah, I forgot mine."
"Good thing she asked, huh?"
"Seriously. I shouldn't have been busy watching other people."
Waiting for Rio to grab her plastic bottle, I turned to the three of them.
"Well then, I'm off."
"Yep. Have fun!"
Rio waved her hand, and Kotoha and Miu nodded as well. Sent off by the three of them, I left the classroom.
◇◇◇
The hallway during lunchtime was bustling with students carrying their bentos to other classrooms and students rushing down to the cafeteria.
Dodging the passing crowd, I went down to the first floor and stepped out into the courtyard. The breeze flowed through much better than inside the school building, and bright sunlight poured down from a sky dotted with wispy clouds.
Turning the corner around the shrubbery, I saw the bench we had agreed on.
Sitting on the edge in the cool shade of the trees was Naoki-kun. Resting a small bag with his lunch on his lap, he was watching the pathway leading this way.
The moment I spotted him, my joy showed in my stride. As I jogged closer, swinging my tote bag, Naoki-kun noticed me before I could even call out. The instant our eyes met, running up to him suddenly felt embarrassing, so I slowed my pace for the remaining few steps.
"Serina-san."
Naoki-kun's expression softened completely. Lifting his left hand from the bag on his lap, he gave me a small wave.
Even though it was a name I had heard him say several times today alone, hearing it now conveyed just how patiently he had been waiting here for me, and a different kind of joy from this morning welled up inside.
"Sorry, did you wait long?"
"No, I just got here myself."
Naoki-kun shifted his eyes toward the open spot on the bench. When I sat down to his left, there were no other students anywhere nearby.
On Saturday, what the two of us had looked up at was the night sky, but now, what was visible through the canopy of leaves was the bright daytime sky. Even so, the feeling of sitting next to him—restless yet profoundly comforting—was exactly the same.
"It's nice and cool here, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I'm glad it's shaded."
Just as he was about to open his lunch bag, Naoki-kun looked over as if remembering something.
"By the way, were Kuze-san and the others okay with this?"
"Yeah. All three of them sent me off with a smile."
"I see. That's good, then."
Naoki-kun nodded in relief. I was about to open my tote bag as well, but paused with my fingers hooked on the handle.
It would definitely be lonely if this ended with just today. I really hoped I could keep eating with Naoki-kun from time to time going forward.
Hoping for more might be a little greedy. Even so, if I didn't say it, he would never know.
Clasping my hands over my lap, I turned toward Naoki-kun.
"Still... not just today, but going forward, I'd really like to eat with you sometimes, Naoki-kun."
After his eyes widened slightly, Naoki-kun gave a gentle nod.
"Yeah. Then next time, I'll be the one to ask you."
"...Yeah."
Not just today—we could eat together again. Feeling thrilled that we could make that promise, I called out to him once more before taking out my bento.
"Naoki-kun."
"Hm?"
"Thanks for eating with me."
A warm, gentle smile touched Naoki-kun's lips.
"Same here. Thanks for inviting me."
I tightened my grip on the handle of my tote bag. Matching Naoki-kun as he opened his lunch bag, I pulled out my own bento.
The lunch break I had been waiting for since morning finally began between the two of us.