Chapter 2 Makoto Himuro ①

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When I woke up the next morning, there was something strange glued to the door.

As my mind gradually began to awoke, so did my understanding of what was written on it, and I let forth a sigh of dismay.

“My dad’s too… excited.”

An itinerary for getting my motorcycle license, allegedly generated on Excel, was pinned right on the door of my room.

Above it were the words ‘Aim to Pass’.

When I had taken my high school entrance exam, he had never done anything like this before, but he sure was putting in a lot of effort for it now.

“Good morning, Mom.”

“Makoto, good morning. Get up and eat your breakfast as soon as possible.”

“Ah.”

She tells me so with a chilly, expressionless face when I wish her a good morning and enter the living room.

Because that’s the default, I can’t help but picture her as a Buddhist monk at times.

My mother’s ability to marry my father has always struck me as a miracle.

My father is nice, yet he’s really different when compared to my mother. They get along well though, therefore it’s possible that they were essentially made for one another.

“Itadakimasu”

As is customary, I place my chopsticks on the delectable meal and begin eating.

I’ve always had a fast metabolism and eat a healthy diet, but I keep stuffing my face with more and more side dishes as they come along.

“Don’t forget your lunch box at the entryway, Makoto; it makes me unhappy.”

“I understand.”

I heard a voice sound me out from the kitchen, and when I turned around, I could tell it was sorrowful, despite its lack of emotion.

The last one was entirely my fault, and so I apologized.

After finishing my breakfast and getting prepared, I drove to school, stopping by a convenience store on the way.

◆◆◆◆◆

I walked inside the classroom and dropped my backpack at my seat without missing a beat. Hasumi-san appeared to have arrived at school just as usual.

“Himuro-kun, good morning. Please accept my apologies for the lateness of our conversation yesterday.”

I get the feeling that something fantastic is about to happen just by looking at her face as she smiles even more softly than normal, though I have no proof for that.

“Hasumi-san, good morning. I’m perfectly fine. In the field of leisure time, I’m part of the finest group.”

The morning’s dismal tension was a little more vibrant, and so I made a light-hearted remark, to which she answered back in her usual style.

“You sure exude an aura of something out of the ordinary.”

“I’ve been invincible so far.”

“Then, let’s talk about how to pull you down from that seat.”

“I don’t want to hear about that. I’m not willing to relinquish my position.”

She seemed to be having a lot of fun lately, and I’m wondering if something wonderful had occurred to her.

Maybe spring has finally arrived for her, who has been dubbed as ‘unsinkable’ since her first day at school.

She was even named one of the school’s seven marvels for not having a boyfriend.

“…………”

“What’s up?”

I can tell she’s irritated and quiet, and her mood has plummeted slightly.

But I’m not sure as to why, so I asked her if there was a problem.

“It’s nothing,”

“It doesn’t appear to be nothing.”

“It’s-Nothing.”

She turned her head and stopped looking at me for some reason.

What exactly transpired in that split second that made her like this?

The dark circles under her eyes that were present when we first met have almost vanished, and she doesn’t appear to be in poor health either; I’m not sure why she’s like this.

“Please accept my apologies if I have upset you in any way; See, there you go.”

I left behind a pyramid of the enormous quantity of Tyrols I had bought as a thank-you gift, and the money problem was momentarily resolved.

An equal sentiment to a gesture like this would be like someone gifting you a gold bar.

She initially ignored it, but after a brief glance at me, she giggled.

“Phew. Okay, I’ll let you off the hook.”

I succeeded in removing the rage from whatever had transpired, which is a good thing.

“Everything went right according to plan.”

“That’s not something you should say out loud.”

I frowned and remarked something along those lines, and she responded back without any hesitation.

The chime for the first period rang just as I was experiencing a peculiar sense of comfort from this morning exchange that I had grown so accustomed to, it’s already become a routine of sorts.

◆◆◆◆◆

I go to a boring class, talk to Hasumi-san, eat lunch, and then it’s time for homeroom on the way back home.

Then, after the usual customary dialogue, the homeroom teacher hauled out a single box that I had seen approximately a month ago.

“Hey, everyone! Today is everyone’s favorite day to exchange seats! You said you’d give it your all if you did it before test week, so make sure you give it your all!”

Around me, I hear many joyous voices. I’m a little disappointed because I really enjoy my current seat.

At the very least, it’s not the seat at the front.

It’s too bad because this was a fantastic seat.

I turn to face the girl in the seat right next to me and strike up a conversation with her, which is unusual for me.

I couldn’t see her face because she was lying face down. And she doesn’t appear to be listening to what I’m saying.

“Is everything okay?”

Her lovely obsidian eyes gently glanced at me through a crevice in her bangs.

Her eyes had no glint present within and it looked to be filled with an… unexplainable feeling.

“It’ll be alright, don’t worry. I hope we can be close to each other again.”

“Oh, sure. Yeah.”

Her voice has a feeling of resignation in it, as if she’s holding something back, which makes me a bit nervous.

But, although I was perplexed by her strange face, she laughed and smiled at me with a lovely, compassionate smile.