Chapter 5

“Alright, homeroom’s starting. Take your seats!”

The bell chimed, and the teacher entered the classroom. The students who had been standing around quickly returned to their seats, all turning to face the front.

“Hmm, hmm… Good, everyone’s here on the first day. Nice, nice.”

As he nodded while marking attendance, one of the students raised their hand and asked:

“Sensei, are you our homeroom teacher this year?”

“Hm? No, not necessarily. Since I was last year’s first-year Class 2 homeroom teacher, I’m just here temporarily,” he replied casually.

His name was Tomokazu Kujo, the biology teacher, always in his white lab coat. Incidentally, he had also been Akito’s homeroom teacher the previous year.

“…Wait, so the Tatekawa siblings are in the same class this year?” Kujo remarked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, what’s with that reaction?”

“Well, you two flirt everywhere, don’t you? Just thinking about seeing it even more this year gives me a headache.”

“We’re not flirting! It’s just friendly skinship.”

“…Flirt?” Emily repeated, looking puzzled.

“Akito, if you’re serious about that, I’d honestly recommend a hospital visit,” Kujo sighed.

Everyone in the class nodded in agreement, except for Akito and Emily. With a disgruntled mutter of “I don’t get it,” Akito fell silent as Kujo cleared his throat with a cough.

“Alright, it’s time for the opening ceremony. Everyone, head to the gym,” Kujo instructed.

At Nagatsuki Academy, students don’t line up in the hallways before moving; instead, they head to the designated meeting place individually and line up there.

“Let’s go, Akito,” Kenji called from the seat in front, to which Akito nodded. He glanced over at Emily, who seemed to have been invited by a different friend. Just as he thought they’d go separately this time, he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.

“Akito.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

Of course, it was Emily who had pulled his sleeve. Behind her stood the girl she’d been chatting with earlier.

“I want to introduce my freund—my… friend.”

“Heyyy! Nice to meet you, Tatekawa-kun. I’mKanon Hanamizaka , a friend of Emily’s,” she greeted with a cheerful grin.

“Hanamizaka… Oh, I’ve heard about you. The ‘translator’ when I’m not around.”

“Emily-chan! What kind of introduction did you give him about me!?”

“Not wrong, though!” Emily pouted as Kanon playfully squeezed her.

Kanon Hanamizaka was a girl with short brown hair and dark eyes. She exuded a lively, friendly vibe and seemed to share a close bond with Emily.

Kanon, who had spent her early childhood in Germany, was a kikokushijo, a returning student fluent in German. Last year, she became friends with Emily due to their shared language. For Emily, Kanon was the most reliable person at school, second only to Akito.

As they stood together, Kanon playfully placed her hand on Emily’s cheek and gave it a gentle squeeze. Emily, at first, let her friend have her fun, but soon grew tired of it. She darted behind Akito, glaring from over his shoulder.

“Fshaaa!“

“Hey, could you avoid bullying my family, please?” Akito said, shielding Emily with a slight grin.

“Relax, it’s just some friendly skinship,” Kanon replied, finishing with a perfect wink that seemed to sparkle. Akito swatted at the imaginary star that felt like it had flown his way.

“So, Emily, was there a reason you stopped me?”

“Oh… Ich habe vergessen (I forgot)… Akito, will you come with us?”

“Actually, I was the one who asked her,” Kanon chimed in with a mischievous smile. “I’m very curious about what you two get up to together, so I asked her to bring you along.”

“I don’t mind,” Akito shrugged. “How about you, Kenji?”

“Fine by me.”

“Alright then, let’s get going.”

With that, the four of them started walking together, and as usual, Emily clung lightly to Akito’s arm, smiling in contentment.

“Emily, you really do adore Akito, don’t you? I can feel it just by watching you two,” Kanon said with a teasing grin.

“Yeah, I wish you’d share the secret to getting along that well,” added Kenji, who had a younger sister going through a rebellious phase.

Akito scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. “How to, uh… get along? I mean, I’m not really sure there’s a method for it…”

“Yeah……Spontan?,”

“Sponta…?”

“I think she means it just happened naturally. Not exactly the most helpful advice.”