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My relationship with Misora was probably that of friends.

We hung out a lot, spent a lot of time together, and when she was next to me, I somehow felt at ease.

I didn’t really know how to describe this feeling, but I did know that I wanted to stay friends, even after we went to university.

But…

There was a part of me that felt uneasy about the word “friends.” Maybe… I was in love with her. An old friend once told me that if you’re not sure if you love someone, you should just confess and see.

Lately, Misora’s been acting strange.

It’s like she was treating high school life as if it was the only thing that mattered, like she was not even looking toward the future. Sometimes I was worried she was about to die or something, but she didn’t seem like she was that far gone.

I didn’t know if she planned to skip university or if she intended to disappear after graduation. I had no idea. But if I wanted to keep her by my side, I needed to do something before graduation was over.

And with that thought in mind, today… the day of the graduation ceremony, had come.

“Iroha, what’s up? Why’d you call me out here so suddenly?”

Misora showed up behind the school building after the graduation ceremony.

Apparently, I was the only one thinking of pulling off a cliché confession behind the school, because there was no one else around.

I could have made a big confession in the gym, but I figured this was a better setting.

It’s all a direct copy of the manga Misora lent me, though.

“What do you think? If you get it right, there might be a fancy prize waiting for you.”
“Calling me out like this on a day like today… Is it a confession?”
“Correct. Congratulations.”

Misora twirled her golden hair around her finger, looking slightly uncomfortable.

I hated beating around the bush.

If I didn’t tell her how I felt now, I’d never get the chance. I stepped closer, looking into her eyes.

“I love you, Misora. I don’t know what you’re looking at, but… I want you to be with me.”

I didn’t want to hear anything like, “But we’re both girls,” or, “Why all of a sudden?” or any other annoying excuses.

But, well…

She’ll probably turn me down. After all, we were looking at different things.

“…I’m sorry.”

Misora said it, looking down.

Of course, I had expected that. It wasn’t something that would wound me—nothing I didn’t see coming. But still, it felt a little sad, a little painful, like there was a tightness in my chest.

Maybe it was all just an illusion. Probably.

“I do like you, Iroha. I really do, but…”
“It’s fine. I didn’t say it to hear that kind of explanation. I wasn’t expecting anything.”

What had Misora been seeing all this time?

Ever since we became third-years, she had always seemed like she was looking somewhere far away, somewhere not here. But in the end, I never figured out what it was.

Maybe that was why things hadn’t worked out.

The last time, we had just kissed and said goodbye.

…Wait.

Last time? What was I talking about? Misora and I had never kissed.

“Misora. Look at me.”

She looked at me, and I stood on my tiptoes.

Our lips met, but it didn’t stir any deep emotions.

Well, of course not. We hadn’t loved each other, and our feelings hadn’t been connected. A kiss in that state was just physical contact, nothing more. But that was fine with me.

What mattered to me was the fact that we kissed right then and there. That alone was enough to put an end to the two years we had spent together.

A kiss and a farewell. Just like in a manga, it felt almost poetic.

…As if.

“Sorry about that. I stole a kiss from you.”

I chuckled softly and stepped back from her. She looked at me with such a sorrowful expression, reaching out towards me.

But I stepped away quickly, as if running, and slung the school bag I wouldn’t need after today over my shoulder.

“Goodbye, Misora. These past two years were fun.”

I knew, in that moment, that Misora would probably disappear from my life.

The moment we kissed, I understood that.

I thought, This has happened before, hasn’t it? That strange sense of déjà vu, and a deep sadness. I didn’t know if I could carry that feeling into tomorrow, but I still turned to look at her.

Misora was beautiful today, too. If the cherry blossoms had been blooming, she would have looked even more stunning.

I was glad I had fallen in love with her. Even though, honestly, I shouldn’t have.

“Iroha. I’m sorry. After all, I…”

She looked so lonely.

Please, don’t make that face.

We’ll see each other again anyway, after all.

The back of the school building in winter was bitterly cold. It was exactly like the dream I had this morning. The cold and sadness I felt in that dream still lingered in my body.

“Misora, huh.”

In the dream, I had called Inazuki by that name. I wondered what could have happened that made me start calling her Misora.

At least for me right now, Inazuki was still just Inazuki.

And besides, if the previous me had called her Misora, I wanted to keep calling her Inazuki.

She always said, “I’m still me,” but comparing the previous me to who I am now felt a bit unfair. I barely remembered anything from that other timeline, so there was no way I could share the same feelings Inazuki had.

“But still…”

Why did I believe so completely in the events of that previous timeline?

Maybe it was because the dream I had this morning was so vivid and shocking. Or maybe my mind had been completely warped by Inazuki’s strange ideas, making me feel like things that never happened were actually real.

But there was no denying the feelings inside me.

Whenever I came here, I felt lonely, sad, and a painful tightness in my chest. With such an overwhelming ache in my heart, I couldn’t believe that nothing had happened.

I had always been sensitive to negative emotions. This kind of pain wasn’t normal.

Still, staying here any longer wasn’t going to help me remember more than what I had seen in the dream.

Resigned, I left the back of the school building, and as I walked down the first-floor hallway, I spotted Chise.

“Hey, Amakawa.”

Chise came rushing over to me, carrying an armful of bread.

“Chise. What’s with all the bread?”
“I bought it at the convenience store. I was just in the mood for some bread, y’know? But I got way too much, so help me eat some?”
“Sure. Where do you wanna eat?”
“Classroom’s fine, right? Too much effort to go somewhere else.”

With that, Chise headed up the stairs ahead of me.

When we got back to the classroom, there weren’t many people around. Maybe a lot of students felt like eating at the cafeteria today. I had heard the variety between the high school cafeteria and the university one was pretty appealing, but I had never actually been to either.

I usually brought a homemade bento for lunch. But today, I overslept and couldn’t make one, which earned me quite a bit of complaining from Inazuki.

Even now, I could still hear her voice in my head: “What!? No bento? That’s unacceptable! You idiot! Sleepyhead!”

She was more of a sleepyhead than me, but I couldn’t argue since it was true that I had overslept today.

I felt bad about it. Inazuki always looked forward to my homemade lunches.

“What’s with that weird look on your face?”
“Weird look?”
“Yeah, like your mind’s off somewhere else. Anyway, pick something you want. Oh, but the cream bun is mine.”
“Then I’ll take the red bean bun.”

I opened the package and took a bite.

It was just a plain red bean bun—nothing particularly special. Kind of like how that kiss with Inazuki had been in the dream…

Wait. What was I even thinking?

“What’s wrong? Was the bun spoiled? Your face is all red.”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“I feel like your weirdness level is at an all-time high today.”
“Weirdness, really?”

Chise squinted at me while nibbling on her cream bun.

“Not realizing it is proof that you’re a weird one.”

That felt like something people just said to win an argument.

As I chewed on the overly sweet bun that seemed to pierce right to the back of my throat, I stared at Chise with mild dissatisfaction.

“Don’t glare at me. What? Something happened? Come on, spill.”
“It’s nothing. I’m just a weirdo, so I’m radiating weirdo energy today.”
“You’re just owning it now, huh? …Oh, by the way—”

At some point, Chise had finished her cream bun.

She sure loved cream buns, didn’t she?

I felt a mix of exasperation and admiration. She had once said sweet things were her fuel, and maybe that was true for her.

Meanwhile, I still didn’t know what fueled me. I slowly continued eating my red bean bun.

I could really use something to drink. Milk would’ve been nice—I probably should’ve grabbed some.

“Are you free next Saturday?”
“I don’t have any plans.”
“Oh, nice! Then would you mind coming with me for a bit?”
“Sure, but what are we doing?”
“I’m thinking of sitting in on a university class.”

I tilted my head in confusion. Sure, universities have classes on Saturdays, but why the sudden interest?

“Wasn’t there a university experience day or something like that earlier this month?”
“Yeah, but that’s different. Even if they cover the same stuff, I think it’s better to actually go and sit in a class with real university students. You get a better feel for the atmosphere.”
“That’s true, I guess.”

University, huh…

Our university had a fairly high academic reputation, but I wasn’t sure if my parents would be okay with me continuing on to a school of that caliber. In high school, I attended one of the top schools I could get into based on my test scores, and that was a big achievement at the time.

In just two months, I’d already be a second-year student, so maybe it was time to start seriously thinking about my future.

As I considered this, I felt a bit of exasperation toward myself for still trying to meet my parents’ expectations.

Their hopes, and the idea of disappointing them—it should have all felt irrelevant by now.

Even though I liked to tell myself that none of it really mattered, I couldn’t completely shake it off. That was probably my weakness.

“I’m planning to get in through a recommendation, so I figured I should get a feel for the university while I can.”
“Got it. …Yeah, I guess I’m curious about the vibe at a university too.”
“Right? So, let’s meet here next Saturday at ten.”
“Hmm—”
“What are you guys talking about?”

The strange atmosphere between me and Chise seemed to dissolve in an instant, as if a gentle breeze had blown it away.

A voice like the soft ringing of a bell. It was a sound I heard every day, from morning till night. I looked over to see Inazuki standing by the desk, next to the pile of bread.

“Inazuki?”

It was the first time Inazuki had spoken to me at school outside of the mornings. During lunch, we usually kept our distance, talking with our own friends as though we were strangers. I never tried to hide our relationship, but the suddenness of her approach still caught me off guard.

Chise, mid-way through opening a yakisoba bread package, stared at Inazuki with wide eyes. Even she seemed flustered by Inazuki’s unexpected intrusion.

The mood in the classroom shifted slightly.

Not knowing what to say, I just stared back at Inazuki. Her face, lightly made up, carried a fresh, breezy smile.

Does Inazuki usually smile like that?

I mentally sifted through my memories, like rummaging through an old toy box, but I couldn’t find an image of her that matched this smile.

She was a completely new version of Inazuki—one I had never seen before.

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