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.

I was surprised.

To think that Shino-san, my future neighbor, had been sitting behind me all along. Moreover, she was the president of our school’s literature club.

Life has strange connections, but to be linked in such a way was unexpected. I hadn’t anticipated it, nor could I have possibly predicted it.

And then—

“Skaaa, peee, skaaa, peee.”

“She’s so obviously sleeping.”

How unexpected that high school Shino-san was such an anarchist. Who could have imagined?

Judging by appearance alone, she seemed like a serious literature girl. Well, she was late in the first loop, but still.

But this gap was just too extreme. Certainly, her future self has an incredibly sloppy off-duty demeanor.

But I had heard from Chiho that she was quite put-together during her daytime work. I thought she disciplined herself in public.

To think she would sleep soundly through class. And not just first or second period, but all morning classes.

Plus, at the end of fourth period, when the teacher hit her head with a book, she jumped up shouting “Haeh!”

Despite having such a strong character, why had I forgotten about her? Even her physique—reminiscent of her future self.

She was so close by, I should have remembered her. Between Aizawa and her, I wonder how I viewed the women around me in high school. I grew to dislike my past self a little.

No, I was probably only thinking about Chiho.

Despite our dramatic fight, we still ended up at the same university. I even eavesdropped on my mother and mother-in-law’s conversation to match Chiho’s university choice.

That’s quite the stalker tendency.

Am I a dull-witted guy who can’t remember faces, or a stalker obsessed with his childhood friend? Either way, I’m human garbage. Hopeless. Sigh.

Well, enough about me.

It’s really strange. To unexpectedly encounter a future acquaintance in such a place.

Perhaps—

“Could she also be involved in the time leap?”

“…What’s wrong, Suzuhara? Why the serious face?”

No, that can’t be, I thought, shaking my head.

I just hadn’t noticed her existence in high school. I was trying to imbue a mere coincidence with special meaning. I told Sugita it was nothing, and he worriedly asked if I was sure.

He remained a kind friend. Even as the logic of the time leap became increasingly unclear and the situation more hopeless, he made me feel a bit better.

However, even though Sugita was a reliable future friend who treated me generously in the past, I couldn’t consult him about the time leap problem.

This was an issue for Chiho and me, who came from the future. Although Aizawa got involved, it was originally something we should handle ourselves.

I brushed it off with a wry smile, insisting it was really nothing. Sugita was perceptive; he would understand I had my circumstances.

“I see. Well, let me know if you feel like talking. We’re best friends, right?”

“Huh? Did we have some friendship-boosting event?”

“Heh heh, I heard from Tendoji! Your childhood friend Chiho Nishijima! She’s that super cute girl from the volleyball club, right?”

“…Don’t tell me you…”

“Introduce us! Come on, it’ll be fine, right? Best friend?”

I take back what I said.

This guy is just a pervert.

What’s with “cute girl from the volleyball club”? He’s probably only looking at her chest.

I understand because I was the same. But Chiho’s charm wasn’t just her chest. I can’t introduce my wife to a Chiho-enthusiast who doesn’t understand that.

So there was an ulterior motive behind his kindness.

My mood sank a little.

“I absolutely won’t tell you. Didn’t I say that before?”

“…Huh? Did I?”

“Ah, no, that was during the previous loop.”

“Come on, don’t be so uptight. It’s not like I want to date her or anything.”

“Really, you pervert. Just so you know, I’m aware of your type. Also, despite your cool facade of preferring baseball to girls, you’re quite the closet pervert.”

“…Eh? Did I ever tell you that?”

“Oops, that’s also from the future.”

This is bad.

Being confronted with Chiho’s name must have flustered me. My responses were inconsistent. I was mixing up the previous loop and using information I got from future Sugita.

I couldn’t maintain proper distance with people from the past.

This was problematic.

It’s better to get away quickly.

With a frustrated “Argh, I can’t deal with this,” I stood up from my desk with my lunchbox. I decided to escape from Sugita for now.

But there was one thing I needed to confirm, so I paused.

“…Sugita, if I really introduced you to Chiho, and she agreed to date you, what would you do?”

“Eh, you’ll introduce us?”

“I said I won’t! It’s a hypothetical! Hypothetical!”

“…Hmm, let’s see.”

The closet pervert began to consider.

Leaning back in his chair, Sugita closed his eyes and pondered for a while.

After some time, he slowly opened his eyes and, with the manner of a veteran actor who knows many loves, quietly shook his head.

“No, I’d have to decline. I already have someone I like.”

“…I know.”

Although it was an expected answer, I felt relieved hearing it.

I had wondered if Sugita might have unrequited feelings for Chiho and caused this loop, but that seemed unlikely.

Yes, Sugita had—

“…Huh?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“No, um. Who was the person you liked again?”

“Well, I can’t tell you that unless you introduce me to Chiho-chan.”

I told you I won’t introduce you.

Annoyed at his retort, I left Sugita’s side saying, “Fine, whatever.”

It was a few minutes after the lunch break bell had rung. I felt somewhat strange.

Sugita had someone he liked, and because of those feelings, he wouldn’t make a move on my wife. That was certain to the future me who had spent a long time with him.

Yes, he definitely had an irreplaceable special someone. From this era.

But—

“Who was it again?”

For some reason, I had forgotten her name.

Well, such things happen in life. It’s actually rare to remember the names of friends’ lovers or crushes.

Unless they were your wife.

It bothered me slightly, but I had more important things to consider.

I quickly left the classroom and headed for the staircase landing where I had gathered with Chiho and the others this morning.

I cut through the crowded corridor.

Toward the north side of the building—where the special classrooms were lined up.

It was lunch break, but there were far fewer people than in the hallways with regular classrooms. This was because special classrooms were generally off-limits during break times.

Cultural clubs sometimes used spare keys to unlock special classrooms during lunch breaks and used them as club rooms—but such cases were rare.

The north side of the school building was remarkably quiet despite it being lunch break when students were usually noisy.

Therefore, the staircase there—the landing before the rooftop—was an optimal place to gather.

We could have used the gymnasium storage room again, but that den would be toxic for Aizawa.

Passing by the library preparation room on the third floor, I climbed up the stairs leading to the rooftop.

When I glanced up the staircase, something caught my attention. A yellow sign that stood out even in the darkness.

Red letters in the center. I recognized this—the kind often seen at toilets.

“Huh, cleaning in progress?”

It was the “Cleaning in Progress” stand that cleaning staff used when cleaning around school. Why was it here? More importantly, why were cleaning staff working during lunch break?

This was problematic. Just as I was considering changing our meeting spot—

“Aaah, A-chaaaan, welcome! I was waiting for youuu~”

“Huh? Chiho? Isn’t it being cleaned?”

Chiho suddenly poked her head out from beside the stairs.

Acting as if she had never disappeared at all, she leaned her upper body over the staircase railing and smiled at me.

“Hehehe, this is a speeecial item that keeps students from coming up to the roooof~”

“Wow, where did you get that?”

Not bad, Chiho. Preparing something like that.

The concept was the same as in the previous loop, but this way was smarter. Hey, we should have gathered here from the start.

Thinking that the first loop had been a failure, I passed by the “Cleaning in Progress” sign. I turned at the landing and looked up to find Chiho and Aizawa already there.

Apparently, they had already gathered.

But—

“What’s with that suspicious-looking transparent mat?”

“You seee, it hurts to sit directly on the floooor, right? But there’s no space to put a bed, sooo I’m using this inflatable maaaat~”

“No way! Where did you get something like that?!”

At their feet was a mat typically used in adult establishments for “special” activities. Well, like certain health equipment, it was ostensibly leisure gear, but…

The main use for such items was clearly for that kind of thing. Why did she have it?

When did she bring it?

Chiho laughed with her hands on her hips.

This gave me a bad feeling.

“In the gym storagerooom, the shadow of girls’ volleyball cluuub! And at the landing before the school roooof, the shadow of cultural cluuubs~”

“What?! Cultural clubs, you say?!”

“This spot is a shared spot among the girls in cultural cluuubs~”

“Waaah! Waaah! Waaah! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear anything about that dark culture passed down among cultural club girls!”

“I asked a friend in a cultural club how to use iiit~ You know, if you put that sign theeere, everyone turns back by tacit agreeement~”

“Isn’t the darkness of this school’s clubs too deep?!”

“And you know whaat, you lay down a bath towel on the mat so it doesn’t get diirty~ Today I was saved by having pool class~”

“That’s not saving! That’s a fatal blow!”

There you go again, doing such things without being asked. No wonder Aizawa looked so exhausted.

I see a yellow foot-pump air pump placed to the side, which she probably used to inflate it. Good job, Aizawa. And you should have refused such a harassment request.

“Come on, A-chan,” she called my name and began to take off her jacket.

On her exposed collarbone was a navy blue strap that she had somehow equipped under her clothes.

Wooow, I’m happy but not happy. Such a super rom-com development.

Definitely going too far though. A heroine waiting in a 1BHK room wearing a school swimsuit is just plain scary!

That’s practically a yandere!

I wouldn’t mind otherwise!

I wouldn’t mind if the situation weren’t like this!

And if issues like age and other problems were safely resolved!

Okay, let’s stop, let’s stop. This isn’t the time for such things.

It would be a lie to say I didn’t want to see Chiho like that. I could confidently say it’s the second most appealing sight after seeing her in a volleyball uniform. But this wasn’t the time for such things. I immediately stopped Chiho’s hand as she tried to undress.

“Chiho. That’s enough. Let’s not do such things during this emergency.”

“Ehh? But we haven’t done it in two daays~”

“…Wait, how frequently do you do it in the future? Aren’t you and Chiho-san super perverted, Senpai?”

“We do it once a week or so! That’s normal for people our age! Well, maybe a bit more would be normal, but for a couple in their fifth year of marriage, it’s on the higher side!”

“I wouldn’t mind doing it more oftennn~”

“That’s because you work from home and can cover up whenever! I go to a regular office, so it’s hard to hide! On days after we’ve done it, I have to wear so many band-aids on my body that I look like some kind of monster!”

“D-Disgusting! Filthy! FILTHY! That’s way too unhealthy, Senpai!”

“Why me?! It’s Chiho who does it!”

I quickly stopped her and pulled on the collar of the dress shirt she had started to take off. My future wife puffed her cheeks in protest, but that face wouldn’t work on me.

Yes, it wouldn’t wo—

Ah, a dress shirt with a school swimsuit underneath was way too dangerous a combination.

Add to that her bursting chest.

Ah, it’s erotic.

Too erotic.

No, no.

This is erotic.

I could look at this forever. What profound eroticism. No good. Looking at this too long would make me stupid. I shouldn’t look at this.

Ban it! This level of eroticism should be banned! No doubt!

I came back to my senses as I felt cold stares directed at me. Chiho and Aizawa were giving me sidelong glances as I had frozen in my delusions.

Yeah, it’s my fault for freezing up.

I should have dodged this more calmly. I should have dodged it like a gentleman.

Sigh, the path of a gentleman is endlessly long and steep.

“Geez, A-chan is really not honest at aaall~ Even though you like it, don’t blame it on meee~”

“Really, Senpai, you’re the scum of men. Are breasts that important to you? I despise you. Don’t come near me. Your breast obsession might be contagious.”

“I won’t!”

I protested, but it was too late.

Once lost, a man’s credibility wasn’t easily regained.

Alas, I regretted losing myself while admiring my wife’s shirt+school swimsuit breasts. I had to regret it while being grateful.

Well, credibility or whatever, my balance was already depleted anyway.