Chapter 29: Well, that’s one thing

Daikichi Sakoda had a dream. Beneath a pleasant blue sky, he stood in the midst of a row of cherry trees that had yet to burst into bloom, still only buds.

Since it was autumn and this scenery didn’t make sense, Daikichi quickly realized that he was dreaming.

There was no one around, and a sporadic spring breeze gently caressed his cheeks—it was an ideal day for a stroll—so, without any particular reason, he began to walk.

He wondered when these buds would finally sprout; so lost in thought and enjoying the walk, he soon noticed that he was holding hands with a stranger’s child.

(Not Sachiko… who might this child be?)

The child called him “Daddy” and tugged his hand, exclaiming, “Let’s go quickly!”

Without understanding why, Daikichi followed, and soon the silhouette of a woman in a one-piece dress appeared from behind.

“Who?”

The child answered, “That’s Mom! The person Dad fell in love with!”

Startled, Daikichi murmured, “Eh?” and as the woman turned around—at that very moment—he woke from his dream. Warm sunlight streamed in from the window; in other words, it was already morning.

“That dream…”

Daikichi couldn’t fathom why he had such a dream. Yet, he found himself strangely curious about who that woman was.

Well, dreams are just dreams. There was no use fretting over them; besides, with the school festival fast approaching, the school would undoubtedly be asking him to help today. He ought to focus on that instead. Just then, his smartphone rang, rang, rang.

Wondering why it rang so incessantly, Daikichi hesitantly checked his messages—they were from Hanakumori Sakurazaki and Sazanka Tsubaki.

Thinking that such coincidences did occur, he decided to read their messages.

First, Hanakumori Sakurazaki:

――Good morning. Sorry about yesterday, Sako… I truly want to be there for you. You’re, well, like a baby, so I must take proper care of you ♥

Next, Sazanka Tsubaki:

――Kii‑kun… yesterday was a bit off, wasn’t it? But you know, you’re such a wimp that if I’m not with you, you’ll end up getting taken down!

Daikichi agonized over how to reply, and in the end, he simply sent a sticker. With everything that had transpired between yesterday and today, he worried that an awkward message might have unforeseen consequences and thought it best not to complicate matters further.

Also, as soon as he arrived at school that day, Hanakumori Sakurazaki’s homeroom teacher repeatedly bowed deeply to him, apologizing profusely. The teacher explained that, as an educator, he should have been more attentive and was truly sorry for all the trouble caused.

It was agreed that Daikichi would continue handling miscellaneous tasks for Hanakumori Sakurazaki. After all, he too wanted to create an environment in which she could thrive.

Time passed… and the day of the school festival arrived. Amid the bustle of countless students, Daikichi once again took on various odd jobs.

However, he also had a longstanding promise to visit Hanakumori Sakurazaki. So, he decided to carve out a little time to check on her.

Then, at that moment.

A sharp whistle sound rang out. There, a group of middle school girls in white uniforms was being held back by a female security guard.

“W-what?! We have a right to have fun too!”

“The festival is held on the same day for both high school and middle school, but they’re kept separate. So, please head back and let the middle school enjoy their own event.”

“But then I can’t have fun with Kii‑kun!”

“Tsubaki… today just isn’t looking promising, okay? Let’s give up and head back. We’ll have to make do with the middle school festival.”

“Besides, barging into high school isn’t allowed anyway.”

“While intermingling between high school and middle school isn’t outright forbidden, it doesn’t exactly win favor either. And Tsubaki, you’re as cute as ever—plus, there are quite a few male seniors who come over to say hello when they see you—so it might be seen as further disrupting school discipline.”

“Even on school trips, the middle schoolers go together across all three grades and the high schoolers do the same; this school really builds walls between the two.”

Tsubaki and her friends were then detained by the female security guard and promptly led away with instructions that the middle school should enjoy themselves separately.

Daikichi sighed with a wry smile, thinking, “Oh boy, Tsubaki is as spirited as ever today,” and headed toward Hanakumori Sakurazaki. However, partway there, he encountered a dense crowd—especially a group of boys blocking the corridor, making it nearly impossible to proceed.

Somehow, Daikichi understood the reason: a throng of male students pursuing Hanakumori Sakurazaki.

At such a congested moment, he could have given up on checking on her—but that would mean breaking his promise.

Feeling that such an action would be unseemly, Daikichi decided that turning back was not an option.

However, since pushing through this group of boys would also be challenging, he opted to take an alternate route.

Daikichi Sakoda retraced his steps along the way he had come, passed through a utility room on the stairs, and exited once using the back door.

Then, he walked along the wall and climbed the emergency stairs at the end of the corridor. The emergency stairs continued all the way to the eighth floor, but the classrooms for each grade were on the third floor.

Reaching the emergency exit on the third floor, Daikichi used his spare key on the locked fenced door to the right, and in no time, he arrived on the other side of the window outside Hanakumori Sakurazaki’s classroom.

―Alright! Order coming right up!

―There are so many people… I knew Sakurazaki-chan was popular, but I never expected it to be this crowded.

―Ah, but I think Sakurazaki-chan said she wanted Daichan-senpai to come…

―…Yeah.

―You like him, right? But the hallways are so crowded, I wonder if you’ll even make it here.

Daikichi couldn’t clearly hear what they were discussing from behind the window, but that didn’t matter—simply having come to see them once was enough to fulfill his promise.

He lightly knocked on the window.

Immediately, not only the male student guests inside but also Sakurazaki and her classmates stared in shock.

“W-w-where did Daichan come from…!”

Sakurazaki hurriedly opened the window and spoke, while Daikichi maintained his usual expressionless demeanor.

“It’s a promise. I came to see you.”

“Then, where from?!”

“From outside.”

“This is the third floor!”

“Well, there’s a corridor.”

“That corridor is used by the cleaning crew or something, isn’t it?! Normally, you wouldn’t know how to access that corridor from the outside!”

“I know everything about this school. I even know about the basement.”

“There’s even a basement?!”

“Well, I’ve been helping out for a while.”

“Ah… I see. Right. For me…”

“I did it because I wanted to. That’s all. …More importantly, I’m glad you seem happy.”

When Daikichi smiled, Sakurazaki blushed and nervously pursed her lips, clutching the hem of the Taisho-era hakama with two-shaku sleeves she’d apparently put on for today.

“How, how is it?”

“Huh? Ah… you mean your thoughts on the Taisho hakama?”

“Yeah.”

“The uniform is a traditional sailor style, so, well, I’m used to Japanese styles… They seem kind of similar.”

“N-no, they’re not similar at all! Uniforms have their own charm, and the Taisho hakama has its own appeal! Both have their merits! I wonder if baby Daichan just couldn’t understand?”

Sakurazaki’s mood soured slightly; Daikichi understood that his phrasing “kind of similar” wasn’t the best choice. So he decided to cover it up with some vague compliments.

“Yeah, in my baby eyes, they both look equally cute.”

At that, Sakurazaki’s face turned bright red, as if she were about to sound a steam locomotive whistle, and she began to moan, “Nnnn～～～～‼”

Feeling that his presence might cause further trouble, Daikichi said, “Well then,” and retraced his steps.

All the classmates and the male guests who had been watching the scene wore expressions as if at a funeral, simply keeping their heads down.

―Ah, so that’s the fabled “Daichan-senpai,” huh? The second-year.

―And how did he get in from outside? I mean, from the outside you can see a corridor next to the classroom, but there’s no obvious way to access it. You can see a door, but even if you go around to the back, there’s nothing but a wall. It must be some kind of special passageway, right?

―Up close, he seemed like a pretty cool person—a senpai that Sakurazaki had fallen for.

―He even had that teary mole. So attractive.

―I mean, isn’t it amazing? To think he discovered a route that ordinary people can’t use just to see Sakurazaki.

―Haaaa… Using methods that normal people wouldn’t even know about just for the woman he loves… I’ve never been this moved in my life.

After yawning, Daikichi returned inside the school, took a break, and then resumed attending to the school’s requests.

―I kept my promise with Sakurazaki.

Thinking that, his mood lightened, his heart grew at ease, and he began to notice things around him that he normally wouldn’t.

For instance, he spotted a sparkling, trendy girl from Minato—apparently invited by a friend or coming from off-campus—and a slightly chubby male student—whom Daikichi thought looked familiar, and upon closer inspection turned out to be a classmate—engaged in a minor argument.

―Who do you think you are, not apologizing after bumping into someone?

―W-weren’t you the one who bumped into me…?

―That’s not possible! You bumped into ME! Don’t you realize your broad shoulders are inconveniencing others?

―T-that has nothing to do with it!

―Is there some reason for your build? If there is, I’ll apologize because it’s beyond your control.

―I-I just ate too much…

―Just being lazy… Eek!

―Ah, watch out!

―Why did you just turn into a cushion and help me without asking?! I never said “help”—

―I don’t really like you, but my body moved on its own. …There are times when a body like mine comes in handy. Remember that. Hmph.

―W-well, I kinda think you look cool now…

It was an unexpected turn of events, but Daikichi found himself oddly convinced. He had learned to accept that sometimes things happen in ways beyond ordinary expectations, having encountered his share of unusual circumstances.

Life isn’t preordained; the unexpected can always happen. That’s just how it is.

Still, what does the future hold for Daikichi? There will be ups and downs, but in the end, he will surely be happy.

Now that Daikichi has learned to look ahead—

―That’s how it will be.