I Time-Leaped Back to High School with My Childhood Friend–Turned–Wife, But I Don’t Know Why We Returned to the Past. Also, My Wife as a High Schooler Is Kinda Sexy.

“Oh? Good morning, Suzuhara! What’s up, you’re early today!”

“Morning, Sugita. Just had some things to deal with.”

Friday, July 13, 2007, 8:12 AM.

I arrived at the classroom a bit earlier than in the previous loop and moved to my desk.

Then I sat down while responding to Sugita, who greeted me pleasantly, though with slightly different wording than in the previous loop.

If asked why I came to school early, there was no particular reason.

If pressed, it was because I had left home early in the morning and had nowhere else to go.

I had considered going back home to eat breakfast, but after meeting up with Aizawa, that became difficult to suggest, and I ended up flowing along to school. I slightly regretted not stopping at a convenience store on the way.

Well, at least it gave me time to talk with Aizawa about various things.

While thinking about this, my gaze drifted to the seat in front of me.

“…What’s with that scary face?”

“Nothing, just thinking about something.”

I looked past Sugita’s shoulder at her seat in front of the teacher’s desk. It was natural that my expression had become stern. Sugita was always concerned about others.

If I showed him this troubled face up close, he might worry.

Despite thinking this, I couldn’t help but clench my back teeth when thinking about my target—Fumi Tendoji.

After discussing with Aizawa, we decided to investigate Tendoji-san.

To understand the essence of this crucial time leap and to rescue Chiho or reach the future where she existed, we needed to learn about her, the suspected mastermind behind this series of events.

Of course, I knew her fairly well from years of acquaintance.

A popular novelist.

Her field was pure literature.

However, she neither possessed an extremely unique perspective nor writing skills that could silence accomplished authors.

She was a genius-type writer who became an author through her innate sensibility.

It was very difficult to put her talent into words, but there was an extremely unique phenomenon that could concisely and quantitatively express her greatness.

It was the fact that her works received overwhelming support from many women in the world—regardless of age or social background.

Normally, if you became a writer, you would attract at least some detractors. While some people praise you, others criticize you. Tendoji-san told us it was a destined burden of the profession when the four of us went drinking at a bar in the future.

But apparently, that tendency was extremely minimal for Tendoji-san, and furthermore, her fan base wasn’t skewed toward any particular age group.

She explained that while every generation has one or two writers supported with empathy by a specific generation, it was rare to write works that resonated with women of all ages.

Recognized for such rarity as her value as a writer, she supposedly received work from many publishers.

Although she herself, who continued to produce such works, would say somewhat embarrassedly, “I don’t feel like I’m writing anything like that.”

Since I have no understanding of literature whatsoever, I can only believe her future self’s words.

However, regarding the reason why she was accepted by many women, though vague, there was one characteristic trait that even an amateur like me could identify.

That is—

“…So it started from this period after all.”

“Hey, why are you squinting like that?”

“Just caught some out-of-season hay fever.”

“What pollen? Like, sunflowers or something?”

I was looking at the inside of Tendoji-san’s desk.

Quietly hidden in the drawer was a stationery item. A cloth pencil case, and its pattern.

It wasn’t a Sanrio character, or from Ojamajo or PreCure. (T/N: Sanrio, Ojamajo Doremi, and PreCure are all well-known for their cute, magical girl characters)

With a cute cat embroidered as a single accent on plain linen, it was unclear where it was sold, but it was an exceptionally cute item.

Where on earth would you buy something like that—something even a man would want to ask about—she had secretly hidden it in her desk.

Yes.

Fumi Tendoji.

She was an unparalleled lover of cute things.

And that wasn’t all.

Tendoji-san had keenly honed every sensibility necessary for a young woman.

From collecting cute trinkets, to interest in moving photographs and paintings, makeup techniques to effectively present herself in appropriate settings, knowledge of trendy novels and dramas, and the art of conversation to attract others. Regarding everything that girls her age liked, her future self could appropriately answer any question and was always up-to-date on the latest trends.

It was also modest that these weren’t explicitly depicted in her novels. But knowing the author’s own behavior, I felt as if I could hear the desire to “be cute” from the women appearing between the lines in her works.

In other words, Fumi Tendoji was—the girliest person in the future.

Well, I said that with passion, but that was only among the women within my observable range.

“Indeed, I can’t imagine the future Tendoji-san and the current her being different people. Just as Chiho told me, her girlish tastes seem to have begun around this time.”

“What? What’s up with Tendoji? Did something happen?”

“Sorry Sugita, this is a private matter. Be quiet for a bit.”

“Come on. It’s fine, isn’t it? Let me in on the conversation too. Sounds interesting.”

This isn’t a situation that can be dismissed as “interesting.”

I’m doing this with the resolve of life and death.

And it’s not my life at stake, but the life of my wife who is more precious than my own.

I couldn’t indulge even Sugita’s words today, despite him being a future benefactor.

Sugita nodded his head saying, “Fine, fine, I get it.”

In front of me as I sighed with relief that he understood, he probably thought it futile to talk to me any further and started to turn his body back around—

It was just then.

When the door on the blackboard side opened and a beautiful girl with flowing golden hair entered the classroom.

Skin so white it blended with her pure white dress shirt. Long hair dyed golden from roots to tips, rare even in this day and age.

A well-proportioned face like a Western doll. And round eyes of chestnut color asserting her Japanese heritage.

It was Fumi Tendoji.

For some reason, she appeared in this classroom at a different time than in the previous loop.

Originally, she should have entered the classroom more than 20 minutes after the time when I entered the classroom in the previous loop.

Why? How come?

Was she truly the mastermind behind this time leap? Was that why she could move exceptionally within this repeating time?

The possibility of her being the mastermind began to expand rapidly within me.

Before me as I thought this, Tendoji-san put the necessary textbooks from her bag into her desk, then stood up from her seat and turned toward me.

Our eyes met.

As if she had been looking for me, she walked in my direction. So Tendoji-san really was the mastermind of this time leap.

Knowing that I and Aizawa had noticed this, she must be trying to set something up—

“Suzuhara.”

“Eh, ah, yes. What is it, Tendoji-san?”

“I have a letter for you. That’s all.”

“…Eh?”

My thoughts stopped.

Like a program infected with a fatal bug, consuming all resources and timing out, I froze and couldn’t move.

I didn’t understand what was happening or what Tendoji-san was saying. Nor could I comprehend what she was aiming for by saying this. It was such a shocking statement that I couldn’t even consider whether she had any aim at all.

Who did she receive a letter from? Exactly the same words she had uttered in the previous loop.

Only the time was different, but her actions were exactly the same as before. If that was the case.

Was the sender of the message written on the torn piece of paper the same person too?

I could tell by looking at the handwriting. However, I had reflexively questioned Tendoji-san standing before me—the woman who might be the mastermind behind this series of time leaps.

“Who did you receive this from?”

“Who from…”

Tendoji-san lowered her eyes as if thinking for a moment. But I could tell her thoughts weren’t trying to trap me in any way. It was because her face clearly showed the conflict of whether it was okay to tell me or not.

After her hesitation, she raised her gaze.Her golden hair swayed gently, like a koto string being softly plucked.

“It’s Chiho Nishijima though? What, aren’t you two acquainted?”

“…Chiho? That’s impossible.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but I was just asked to deliver this. If you want to talk in detail, could you go to the neighboring classroom? Chiho is already there.”

I crushed the letter in my hand and stood up.

Passing by the surprised Tendoji-san, I ran through the forest of standing desks and went out into the hallway. Despite bumping shoulders with loitering classmates multiple times, I reached the entrance of Chiho’s classroom.

I forcefully opened the door and went inside.

Sure enough, my eyes caught the figure of a young woman sitting in the center seat of the second row from the window.

While feeling the humid summer morning breeze on her body—she was noisily slurping tea through a straw from a yellow paper carton and immediately biting into a chocolate cornet held in her other hand, her cheeks lifted in what seemed like pure happiness.

She was eating bread so happily, as if completely unaware of my presence.

No, why?!

“Mmm! Delicious! I don’t remember convenience stores in this era being very tasty, but chocolate cornet and Lipton tea haven’t changed!”

“Chiho! Why are you here?!”

“Oh! It’s A-chan~! Hey, that’s not good~! Our relationship is supposed to be a secret~! You can’t just barge in like this~

This feeling.

And those words.

Without a doubt, this was the Chiho I knew. And the Chiho who was time-leaping just like me.

But was it really so? Was it really her?

Was there a possibility that this was a fake Chiho created by Tendoji-san?

I didn’t know what she was capable of yet, but she could rewind time, so such a feat—

“Yaaaan. Hey, don’t stare at me like that~, you pervert~!”