[Naoki Aiba POV]
On Wednesday, even after Serina-san came by my classroom during the break after second period, we passed each other in the hallway several times.
Since we were both with friends, we couldn't stop and chat every single time. Even so, whenever one of us spotted the other, we naturally called out, exchanged a brief greeting, and then headed back to our respective classrooms.
After school on Tuesday, we had sat across from each other solving problems in the library, and even after getting home, we had messaged each other to check our progress. Perhaps because of that time together, just passing each other in the hallway made me feel like we were a little closer than we had been yesterday.
After school, just as I finished packing up to go home and stepped into the hallway, I ran into Serina-san once again.
When I asked her when she wanted to continue the study session we had talked about that morning, Serina-san looked up as if reviewing her schedule and told me she was free tomorrow.
"In that case, do you want to do it in the library again tomorrow?"
Serina-san's eyes widened slightly. Before she could answer, her mouth relaxed into a smile, and though she quickly tried to hide it, the happy look lingered on her face.
The moment I saw that expression, I was glad I had been the one to ask.
"Yeah. Is around the same time as yesterday okay?"
"Yeah. Shall we meet up in front of the library again?"
"Sounds good. I'm looking forward to it."
Leaving behind a gentle smile, Serina-san headed back down the hallway where her friends were waiting.
The expression she made as we parted lingered in my mind several times even after I got home.
◇◇◇
At the dinner table, Mom brought up the plans for Saturday.
"Serina-san's family will be coming over around two in the afternoon, after they finish lunch."
"Okay. Got it."
"Onii-chan, make sure you're changed by then. If you have trouble because you can't use your right arm, I'll help you."
"I'm obviously not going out in my pajamas, and I can change by myself now."
"Still, wouldn't you just misbutton your shirt and go about your day without noticing?"
"...That's a worry that has nothing to do with my injury."
"Well then, call me when you get dressed, okay?"
"Did you hear a word I said?"
Koharu didn't answer my question and turned to Mom instead. Mom gave a troubled chuckle and, instead of replying, shifted the topic to the drinks and snacks we should serve that day.
This upcoming visit would be the first time I met Serina-san's parents.
I felt that knowing Serina-san was safe was more than enough. But for her parents, it seemed it wasn't something they could let rest without expressing their gratitude in person.
What kind of words would they say to me, and how should I answer? I pondered it for a moment, but by the time dinner was over, the conversation had moved on to what had happened at Koharu's school.
After returning to my room, I checked the section Serina-san and I would be working through after school tomorrow, then worked through the problems I had left unfinished. Even after taking a bath, I read a book for a while, only turning off the light when I noticed the clock's hands had advanced further than I expected.
When I closed my eyes, the conversation about their gratitude at dinner suddenly came back to me.
If Serina-san's parents bowed their heads to me, what should I say in response? As I thought about how to reply, it felt as though, back when I was still very little, an adult woman had thanked me in the exact same way.
(Who was it, and what did I even do...?)
However, neither the face nor the place came to mind. Even now, the memories around the time I lost my father still had vague, blurry outlines here and there. This might just be one of them.
Even when I tried to trace it further, I couldn't remember anything. In the quiet house, the only sound was the ticking of the clock.
I stopped thinking about it and slowly drifted off to sleep, picturing Serina-san, whom I would meet after school tomorrow.
◇◇◇
The next morning, I woke to the light streaming in through the gap in the curtains. Looking at the clock by my pillow, there was still some time before the alarm would go off.
When I opened the window, the chilling morning air flowed into the room. Taking in the breeze, I remembered that I would be studying with Serina-san in the library again after school today.
Closing the window, I changed into my school uniform, being careful not to strain my right shoulder. Though slipping my arm through the sleeve still took some time, the things I could do on my own had increased considerably compared to right after the injury.
Heading down to the first floor, Mom and Koharu were already having breakfast. Joining their conversation while eating, I finished my meal and went back to my room to grab my bag. Checking once more that the workbook I had looked over last night was inside, the image of Serina-san solving problems with me in the library naturally surfaced.
On the path toward the station, people rushed past on their commutes to work and school, and the morning sunlight stretched between the buildings onto the sidewalk. As I got off the train and neared the school, the number of students in the same uniform grew. Listening to voices calling out as they found friends, I walked through the school gates and headed toward the shoe lockers as usual.
While changing into my indoor shoes, Kuze-san, who was heading for the stairs, noticed me.
"Aiba-kun, morning~"
"Good morning, Kuze-san."
Kuze-san slowed her pace and raised a hand with a smile. Since her friends called for her and she headed straight for the stairs, we only exchanged a greeting, but in the past, calling out to each other in a place without Serina-san was something that hardly ever happened.
Lately, Komiyama-san had also started giving a polite nod whenever our eyes met in the hallway. Even with Sahara-san, whom I used to just pass by without a word even if our eyes met, we now exchanged brief greetings.
All three of them interacted with me differently. Even so, being able to naturally exchange greetings not just when they were together as Serina-san's friends, but also when we ran into each other one-on-one, made me genuinely happy.
Entering the classroom, as I hung my bag on the side of my desk with my left hand, Togo looked toward my right shoulder.
"Can you move your right shoulder a bit more now?"
"The pain has gone down a lot. But I was told not to force it, so it'll stay like this for a while."
"Looks like you're getting used to writing with your left hand during class, too. Your handwriting is a lot more legible than it was at first."
"It wasn't unreadable from the start, was it?"
"No. At first, your handwriting demanded serious effort from the reader."
Narayama, who was sitting a few seats away, seemed to have overheard our conversation; he came over and peeked at the notebook on my desk from the side.
"Indeed, you've improved remarkably. At this rate, by the time your right arm heals, you might be able to write completely different words with both hands simultaneously."
"Even if I could, there'd be no use for it."
"You could solve completely different test problems with each hand."
"They'd have to prepare two answer sheets for me, one on each side, or it wouldn't work."
"I see. So the school just can't keep up with Aiba's progress."
Narayama nodded with a deadpan face and, as if that were the end of the discussion, returned to his seat.
After watching him walk away with Togo, I took out the textbook for the next period. Inside my bag, the spine of the workbook I'd be using with Serina-san after school caught my eye. Since I had prepared it yesterday, there was no way I had forgotten it. Even so, just seeing it gave my spirits a slight lift.
◇◇◇
After finishing lunch, I headed to the library with a book whose due date was approaching.
During Thursday's lunch break, there were several students in the library as well. Returning the book at the counter, I walked among the shelves while glancing at the spines. I picked up one book that caught my interest, but since the warning bell would ring soon, I simply memorized the title and put it back in its place.
I would be coming back here after school anyway.
Thinking that I could just borrow it then, I left the library.
As I went down the stairs, the chatter of students grew closer. Those returning to their classrooms after lunch and those spending the rest of the break in the hallway passed by each other, their shadows crossing over the sunlight beaming through the windows.
Casually glancing toward a boy walking from the other side, I realized his face looked familiar.
Neatly trimmed black hair and a somewhat slender build. His height was slightly shorter than mine, but not particularly short for a boy. His uniform wasn't conspicuously disheveled, and if he blended in with the surrounding students, he wouldn't particularly stand out.
Even so, I instantly recognized him as the boy who had relentlessly pressed Serina-san on that rainy day despite her refusal.
Walking alongside a friend in the same uniform, the boy was talking about something as he came this way. He didn't seem to notice me and didn't look over even as the distance between us closed.
From the looks of it, he was just spending his lunch break like any other student right now. Without stopping my stride, I passed the two of them as they continued their conversation.
After taking a few steps, Togo's voice reached me from down the hall.
"Naoki, aren't you heading back?"
"Yeah. Coming now."
Togo and Narayama, who seemed to have gone to the vending machine, were waiting with drinks in hand. When I caught up to them, Narayama proudly held up the carton he had just bought.
"I hesitated until the very end, but I went with coffee milk today."
"I see."
"You could show a bit more interest. I chose the exact same thing as Togo."
"Hearing that makes me wish I had picked something else."
"Why? You should be glad our tastes aligned."
"Because you only copied me after agonizing over it for nearly five minutes."
"I'd prefer you say we reached the same conclusion."
"I had my mind made up from the start."
Listening to their banter, I fell in beside them and began walking toward our classroom.
◇◇◇
After homeroom ended, I placed my workbook and pencil case into my bag and left the classroom.
The hallway was filled with a mix of students heading to club activities and those heading home. As I climbed the stairs, the voices grew sparser, and by the time I reached the floor with the library, the shouts of the sports clubs outside the window were louder.
Next to the entrance, Serina-san wasn't there yet.
Standing by the wall to wait, it wasn't long before I heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Catching sight of me, Serina-san quickened her pace slightly for the last few steps.
"Sorry. Did I make you wait?"
"No, I just got here myself."
"Phew, good. I was talking with Miu and the others, but it looked like it was getting close to our meeting time, so I slipped away first."
"Even if you were late, I wouldn't have minded."
"No. I didn't want to keep you waiting, Naoki-kun, so it's fine."
After replying as if it were nothing, Serina-san seemed to realize what she had just said and averted her eyes slightly.
The fact that she had rushed to come here made me happy. Instead of putting that feeling into words, I held the entrance door open and let Serina-san go in first.
"Shall we go in?"
"Yeah."
The two of us entered the library and walked past the checkout counter.
The student sitting there on library duty was the same one who had been there on Tuesday. When our eyes met, they raised their eyebrows slightly.
Serina-san, walking beside me, seemed to notice as well, and a faint blush colored her cheeks.
"We have to be quiet today."
"...As long as you don't say anything weird, Naoki-kun, we'll be fine."
"Wait, was it all my fault?"
Without answering, Serina-san softened her gaze in mild amusement and walked ahead to the seats in the back.
Arriving at the desk we had used last time, I pulled out a chair. I thought Serina-san would go around to the opposite side, but without saying a word, she pulled out the chair to my left.
Involuntarily looking at her profile, Serina-san took her workbook out of her bag as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her cheeks still slightly flushed.
Though I was surprised, I didn't ask for a reason. I sat down beside her as well, arranging the desk so that both our workbooks and notebooks could fit side by side.
While a small gap remained between our chairs, it was a distance where we could read the formulas written in each other's notebooks without moving them.
Serina-san's profile, which I had looked at across the desk on Tuesday, was right next to me today.
When she leaned down to open her workbook, her light hair flowed from her shoulder and fell beside her cheek. Tucking her hair behind her ear with her fingertips, Serina-san peeked over at my page.
"Is it okay to start from the section we talked about yesterday?"
"Yeah. Today, I was hoping to get through the applied problems here."
"Got it. Let's try solving them on our own first."
For the first few questions, we solved them while barely speaking.
I wrote down the equations with my left hand, and Serina-san, occasionally checking my progress, wrote down the answers in her notebook.
Being right next to each other didn't mean I couldn't focus on the problems. Even so, the sound of turning pages and even the soft breaths she took while thinking sounded much closer than on Tuesday. Every time Serina-san moved her hands, the two shadows cast beneath the desk shifted shape slightly as well.
Trying to move on to the next problem, I attempted to turn the page of the workbook using only my left hand holding the pen. When I lifted the edge of the paper, several pages moved together, nearly closing the page that was open.
Before that could happen, Serina-san reached out.
"I'll hold it down, so go ahead and flip it."
"Thanks."
"Feel free to ask whenever it's something like this."
Serina-san placed her hand on the edge of the workbook, and I flipped just the single necessary page.
As I shifted my grip, our fingertips brushed against each other.
Even though it was only for a split second, Serina-san's hand stopped. I thought she would pull away immediately, but without saying anything, she kept holding down the edge so the open page wouldn't flip back.
Without mentioning the touch, I dropped my gaze to the problem.
"Looks like we can use that previous formula for this problem."
"Yeah. But if you don't find this part first, I think the numbers won't add up halfway through."
Serina-san pulled her chair a little closer and traced a line in the workbook with her finger.
Because she was explaining in a quiet voice so it wouldn't carry, our faces naturally drew closer. A strand of hair that was supposed to be tucked behind her ear fell again, brushing against my left arm.
Serina-san noticed and tried to put her hair back, but since she was holding down the workbook with one hand, her fingers couldn't quite reach. When I placed my hand on the edge of the workbook instead, she gave a quiet thank-you and tucked her hair behind her ear once more.
As she turned toward me just like that, our eyes met at a much closer distance than I had expected.
Reflected in her slightly widened eyes was the light streaming through the window.
I had intended to say something, but the moment I became conscious of how close we were, the formulas I had been looking at moments ago nearly vanished from my head.
Serina-san was the first to look down.
"...So, I think you just need to substitute it here."
"Yeah. I'll give it a try."
Answering in a hushed voice, I began writing out the equation as instructed.
Serina-san didn't move her chair away. Although there was still a blush on her cheeks, she watched my hand, checking whether the intermediate equations were correct.
When I finished the calculations and our answers matched, Serina-san nodded happily.
"It's correct. Naoki-kun, your left-handed writing has gotten a lot cleaner."
"My friend told me the same thing this morning. Apparently, it demanded serious effort from the reader at first."
"It wasn't that hard to read, though."
"That's just because your grading is generous, Serina-san."
"I really do think so. Even the first time you showed me, I could read it just fine."
As she spoke, Serina-san pulled my notebook slightly toward herself. After following several numbers with her eyes, her finger stopped at one spot.
"Though, just this number might look a bit like a different one."
"Which one?"
"This. Did you write an eight?"
"It was supposed to be a three."
Serina-san looked at my face, then dropped her eyes back to the number in the notebook.
"...Just for this number, it might take a little effort from the reader..."
Serina-san brought a hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh.
I took another look at the number I had written—yep. It looked like an eight and nothing else. As I sat there unable to deny it, Serina-san picked up her mechanical pencil and wrote a number in the notebook's margin with her unpracticed left hand.
"If I write with my left hand, it ends up pretty similar. See?"
"...That's way more legible than mine."
"Hey, I wrote that to cheer you up, Naoki-kun, so don't get competitive."
"But it's true that you're better at it, Serina-san....Wait. Did I just lose more confidence than before you cheered me up?"
"Th-Then I'll write it again. I'll make it even more unreadable this time."
"Your objective has completely changed."
Keeping our voices down, the two of us laughed.
Checking toward the counter, the library aide wasn't looking our way. Serina-san seemed to have checked the same thing; when our eyes met, she merely deepened her smile without letting out a sound.
With that smile still lingering, Serina-san brought her hand to her mouth once more. I thought she was still stifling a laugh, but right after, a small yawn escaped from between her fingers.
Hastily pressing her lips together, a faint sheen of tears welled in the corners of Serina-san's eyes.
"Are you sleepy?"
"...No. I'm okay."
"...Did you not get much sleep?"
"It's not that. I just stayed up a little late."
"Do you want to take a short break?"
"No."
Pressing the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, Serina-san blinked several times as if trying to banish the drowsiness.
"Since I have the chance to study with you, Naoki-kun, I want to do my best."
"You don't have to push yourself, you know?"
"I'm really fine. Let's do the next problem."
Since she insisted, we decided to move on to the next problem.
At first, Serina-san was writing equations at her usual pace. However, after progressing a few lines, the movement of her mechanical pencil slowed down, eventually stopping in the same spot.
Her lowered head slowly dipped, only to jerk back up just as her forehead was about to touch the notebook.
Serina-san returned her eyes to the workbook as if nothing had happened, but after a short while, her head nodded the same way again. Realizing it herself this time, she straightened her posture and took a quiet breath.
Even so, not long after starting the next problem, Serina-san's mechanical pencil stopped repeatedly, and each time, her drooping eyelids would slowly lift.
"Serina-san, you really should take a short—"
Before I could finish my sentence, Serina-san's body tilted toward me.
Her uniform sleeve brushed my left arm, followed by her head resting against my left shoulder along with her soft hair. Startled, my body stiffened, but Serina-san didn't wake up.
The tip of the mechanical pencil in my left hand was frozen in the middle of an unfinished equation.
I was about to call her name, but stopped.
The tension had completely left Serina-san's profile right beside me, and her closed eyelashes were still. The weight against my shoulder was lighter than I had imagined, and from the point of contact, a faint warmth transferred over in time with her peaceful breathing.
Even though she had been trying so hard not to fall asleep just moments ago, once she touched my shoulder, she made no move to lift her head again.
Feeling eyes on us, I looked up to see a few students sitting at distant tables glancing our way. When our eyes met, they silently turned their gazes back to their books and notebooks.
My eyes met those of the library aide at the checkout counter as well.
I didn't hear a cough like the other day. After looking once at Serina-san sleeping on my shoulder, the aide quietly dropped their gaze back to the book in their hands.
Even knowing we were being watched, I didn't feel like waking Serina-san up.
She had mentioned staying up late last night, so taking a short rest was for the best. As I watched her sleeping face with that in mind, my own lips naturally softened into a smile.
Worrying that moving my left shoulder would wake her, I slowly set the mechanical pencil down on the desk.
On the open workbook, the unfinished problem still remained. Even so, I didn't feel any urge to rush through the rest.
The breeze entering through the window swayed the lace curtains, and their shadows slowly drifted across the desk. Amid the distant sound of turning pages, only Serina-san's rhythmic breathing reached me from right beside me.
When she woke up, Serina-san would surely apologize in a fluster. But the expression that had fought so hard against drowsiness earlier had completely relaxed, and now she was sleeping peacefully, leaning her weight against my shoulder. Looking at her profile, I couldn't bring myself to wake her.
Though the workbook remained open midway through, I thought staying like this just a little longer would be perfectly fine.
◇◇◇
When the minute hand of the clock had moved slightly, the weight resting on my shoulder shifted.
Serina-san's eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened. Her unfocused gaze wandered across the desk for a moment before looking up at my face, her head still resting on me.
"...Naoki-kun..."
Murmuring my name, Serina-san closed her eyes again. Lifting her head just once, she rubbed her forehead slightly against my left shoulder as if searching for a comfortable spot to sleep. Having settled her position, she relaxed her weight as if nothing were amiss.
At this unexpected action, I couldn't even call out to her, simply staring at her profile.
Serina-san's breathing was on the verge of returning to a slow rhythm once again.
However, her closed eyelids soon fluttered faintly.
"...Naoki... kun?"
Unlike before, this time her voice was clear.
"Are you awake?"
The moment I asked, Serina-san's body froze.
Timidly opening her eyes, she looked up at my face, then dropped her gaze to my left shoulder where her forehead was resting. As she blinked several times, she seemed to grasp the situation, and the remnants of sleep vanished as her eyes widened in shock.
Though she nearly shot upright in surprise, she seemed to remember this was the library and carefully pulled away from my shoulder so as not to make the chair creak.
"D-Did I... fall asleep?"
"Just a little."
"I'm sorry. You should have woken me up right away."
"You were sleeping so soundly. Did you get some rest?"
"Yeah... wait, no, you couldn't move at all the entire time, could you, Naoki-kun?"
Serina-san looked back and forth between my left shoulder and the mechanical pencil left resting on the desk.
"Did your shoulder hurt?"
"It's not my right shoulder, so it's fine."
"Still, it must've been heavy, right?"
"It wasn't heavy at all. Besides, I didn't want to wake you."
Serina-san lifted her head.
Since she was still looking at me worriedly, I continued speaking so she wouldn't misunderstand.
"It really is fine....If it let you rest, Serina-san, I thought staying like that a little longer was fine too."
The moment she heard those words, Serina-san froze in place.
Nothing came out of her parted lips. Eventually dropping her gaze to her lap, she clasped her fingers over her uniform skirt, her blush spreading all the way to her ears.
"...Thank you."
"Yeah."
When I answered, Serina-san turned her face toward the workbook as if to hide her embarrassment.
Her eyes looked much clearer than before she fell asleep. Picking up my mechanical pencil again, I returned my gaze to the unfinished equation.
"Do you think you can keep going for a little longer?"
"Yeah. This time for sure, I'm okay."
"If you get sleepy, make sure you tell me, okay?"
"Next time, I'll make sure not to get in your way, Naoki-kun. I won't lean on your shoulder, either..."
Watching Serina-san seriously ponder countermeasures, my mouth naturally curved into a smile.
"I notice you're not saying you won't fall asleep."
"...Because I feel like you wouldn't trust me on that part anymore."
Laughing quietly together, we returned to the unfinished problems.
Perhaps because the short nap had cleared her head, Serina-san didn't stop her pencil a single time after that. Whenever I stumbled on a problem, she organized the equations step by step to explain it, and if she found a different solving method from her own, she added it to her notebook with great interest.
By the time we finished the last planned problem, the light streaming through the window had grown dim, and the shadows falling across the desk had stretched long.
"Even though I fell asleep halfway through, we made more progress than I expected."
"Yeah. Being able to talk while looking at the exact same spot kept us from getting stuck."
"Was it easy to work with me next to you?"
"It was easy for me. How about you, Serina-san?"
"Me too."
After answering, Serina-san glanced for a split second at my left shoulder, where she had been resting her head earlier.
Her cheeks blushed once again, but without averting her eyes this time, she looked toward me as if to confirm something.
"...Is it okay if I sit next to you next time, too?"
"Of course."
"Then next to you next time, too."
Replying with a voice that couldn't hide its happiness, Serina-san put her mechanical pencil back into her pencil case.
I closed my workbook as well and put it in my bag. While Serina-san was gathering the eraser shavings left on the desk into her palm, I remembered another promise I wanted to make.
"Oh, right, Serina-san. Do you want to eat lunch together again next week?"
"Next week?"
Serina-san lifted her head.
Her surprise quickly turned into a smile, and the fingers gathering eraser shavings came to a halt.
"Is Monday okay?"
"Yeah. During lunch break on Monday, I'll come by your classroom."
"...You'll come to mine, Naoki-kun?"
"I promised I'd be the one to ask next time, after all."
"...You remembered."
"I wouldn't forget."
When I answered, Serina-san nodded happily.
"Then I'll wait in the classroom. I'll make sure to bring a bento, too."
"Sounds good. We can decide on the spot when the time comes."
"The courtyard again would be nice, and looking for a different spot sounds fun, too."
When we had lunch together on Monday, I had told her I would invite her next time.
I was merely keeping that promise, but seeing Serina-san this happy made me feel like I shouldn't have waited until Monday and should have asked her much sooner.
◇◇◇
Leaving the library, there was hardly anyone else in the hallway.
Switching into our outdoor shoes at the shoe lockers, we walked through the school gates side by side. The sky was still bright, but the sunlight was beginning to blend with the colors of evening. Stepping out from the shadow of the school building, a breeze cooler than during the day brushed against our cheeks and rustled the leaves of the roadside trees.
On Tuesday, after studying in the library, I had also walked part of the way home with Serina-san.
Today, without either of us suggesting it, our steps were aligned in the same direction right from the start. Being able to naturally walk beside each other without consciously matching our strides felt a little strange, but even more than that, comfortable.
"Come to think of it, have you started practicing making rolled omelets yet?"
"Yesterday, I practiced rolling them while my mom taught me."
"How did it go?"
"I think the taste turned out just as Mom taught me. But the shape was a little... you know."
"Did it fall apart while rolling?"
"Just a little. Dad ate it normally, and Mom said it was good enough as is."
While saying it was just a little, Serina-san pouted discontentedly. In her own mind, it seemed the result was far from satisfactory.
"I wouldn't mind even if the shape was a little messy, though."
"No way. I've decided that I'm going to have you eat one that turned out much better, Naoki-kun."
"Didn't your mom say it was good enough?"
"I can't accept that. I'll bring some once I can make them properly and neatly, so please wait a little longer."
"Alright. I'll be looking forward to it."
When I answered, Serina-san gave a satisfied nod.
She was trying to practice until she was satisfied just so she could make them for me. That feeling made me genuinely happy.
Serina-san was looking straight ahead as she walked, but a gentle smile rested on her profile.
As we neared the station, the number of students in the same uniform increased. Whenever a bicycle passed by, we opened up a slight gap, and afterward, we naturally returned to the same distance as before.
Stepping onto the path leading to the station, Serina-san's pace slowed slightly.
Wondering if something had caught her attention, I turned to look; she was still facing forward, adjusting her grip on the straps of her bag with both hands.
"Naoki-kun. About Saturday..."
"Yeah. Mom and Koharu are both looking forward to having you all over."
"I'm looking forward to it too. It seems my dad and mom can't wait to meet your family, Naoki-kun."
After saying that much, Serina-san paused for a moment.
Perhaps she felt some anxiety about coming to express gratitude alongside her parents. Waiting without rushing her, Serina-san turned her face slightly toward me.
"Even though we're going over to thank you, asking for something like this right now might be a bit out of place, but..."
"What is it?"
"At that time, if I said I wanted to visit your room again, Naoki-kun... would that be a bother?"
At the unexpected request, my reply was slightly delayed.
Serina-san seemed to take my hesitation as a refusal; tightening her grip on her bag's straps, she continued in a fluster.
"If it's no good, that's totally fine. When I went in before, you had a high fever, Naoki-kun, so it wasn't a time where we could talk properly... I just thought I'd like to talk a bit more calmly this time."
"It's not a bother at all. I was just a little surprised."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It hasn't changed much since before, and I don't think there's anything interesting to see, but if you're okay with that."
"It's fine if nothing has changed."
Serina-san looked at me with eyes devoid of hesitation.
"Because I want to visit again."
"Alright."
Watching Serina-san smile in relief made me happy as well. When she had visited before, I couldn't even carry on a proper conversation because of the fever. Wondering what we should talk about this time made me look forward to Saturday even more.
While thinking about such things, we arrived at the entrance of the station.
Since we used different ticket gates from here, we stopped in the same spot as the other day.
"Well then, see you Saturday."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow at school."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
After taking a few steps forward, Serina-san turned around and gave a small wave.
When I raised my left hand in response, she smiled happily and walked into the flow of people. I watched her until her figure disappeared beyond the ticket gates.
On Monday, we had a promise to eat lunch together again. Before that, on Saturday, the day after tomorrow, Serina-san was coming to my house with her family, and we were going to talk in my room for a bit, too.
My desk, the bookshelf, and the things left over from when I was a kid hadn't changed since she last came. Even so, knowing she would be seeing it properly made me wonder if there was any unnecessary clutter left out on the desk or in front of the bookshelf.
Thinking that I should look over my room once I got home, I turned and headed toward my own entrance.