Weekends always fly by; in the blink of an eye, it was time for school again.
In the early morning, Amaya Yuu stepped into the classroom as usual, passing by Togawa Sakiko on his way to his seat.
He stopped in front of Sakiko’s desk and said softly, “I’ll keep what happened that night a secret.”
He intentionally softened his tone to avoid sounding preachy.
“But I still hope you won’t keep all that pressure bottled up inside.”
Togawa Sakiko seemed to only register the first half of his sentence, responding indifferently, “Thank you, Amaya-san.”
Her tone was so calm that no emotion could be detected.
Amaya Yuu said no more.
He knew he had said all he could; anything else would likely fall on deaf ears.
He turned and returned to his seat, shifting his focus to the upcoming lesson.
After the bell rang, the teacher stood at the podium and gave an earnest reminder: “Class, the first test of the semester is in two days.
Please study hard during this time and don’t slack off.”
He looked around the classroom, his gaze sweeping over every student.
“After the monthly exams, it’s Golden Week, with a full ten-day holiday.
You’ll have plenty of time to plan activities then.”
“But!” The teacher’s tone shifted, becoming serious.
“If you fail the exam, you’ll have to take a make-up test after Golden Week.
If you fail that too, not only will your club activities be suspended, but your credits will also be deducted.
If you don’t have enough credits by the end of the term, it will directly affect your promotion.
The consequences are severe, so please take this seriously!”
A commotion immediately broke out in the classroom.
Some students exchanged looks of anticipation for the holiday, while others were already worrying about the exam, their groans rising and falling.
While Haneoka Academy couldn’t compare to top-tier schools like Tsukinomori, it was still one of several key high schools, and there were strict credit requirements for promotion.
Failing exams, violating school rules, or failing to participate in club activities as required would all result in significant credit deductions.
Of course, the most serious offense was working excessive hours at a part-time job off-campus; if caught, credits would be deducted below the promotion threshold, leading to expulsion or suspension.
The pre-exam tension enveloped the campus.
Even teachers who usually spoke deliberately began to talk faster, their handwriting flying across the chalkboards.
“Yo!
Amaya, Amamiya!
Let’s go to the cafeteria for a set meal!” As soon as the bell for the last morning class rang, Akashi Tetsuya’s booming voice broke the classroom’s silence.
Under the gazes of the entire class and even the teacher, he unceremoniously yanked Amamiya Ritsu up and waved towards Amaya Yuu’s seat.
Amaya Yuu gave a helpless smile, packed his textbooks, and followed the two of them out of the classroom.
Unfortunately, the cafeteria’s set meals weren’t to their liking today.
After a round of democratic voting, they decided 3-0 to buy bread from the convenience store and eat back in the classroom.
The three of them leaned against the corridor railing, munching on bread while admiring the view of the courtyard.
Haneoka Academy’s campus environment was quite pleasant.
The courtyard was designed like a small plaza, and many students chose to eat there during the lunch break.
“Speaking of which, didn’t a girl ask you out on Saturday?” Amamiya Ritsu swallowed his bread, his tone flat.
“You didn’t even have time to play games with me.”
“Ah, you mean Asakawa Mari from the Wind Ensemble Club.” Akashi Tetsuya stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth and opened the packaging of a second one.
“She wanted to confess to me, but I turned her down.”
“Girls in the same grade aren’t my type.” Akashi Tetsuya winked with a mischievous grin.
“If it were their new president, Asahi Kaoru-senpai, I might have said yes.”
As they spoke, the faint sound of the Wind Ensemble Club practising drifted over from the club activities building across from the teaching building.
“They’re so hardworking, practising even during lunch break,” Amaya Yuu remarked.
“They don’t even stop with exams coming up.”
“Because the annual brass band competition is coming up!” At the mention of this, Akashi Tetsuya’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Last year, under the leadership of the Wind Ensemble Club president, Maki-senpai, our school won the gold medal at the National Competition!”
“Maki-senpai?” Amaya Yuu arched an eyebrow.
“That’s right, Shiina Maki-senpai!
Even though I was still in middle school then, I’d heard of her great reputation and even saw her in person.” Akashi Tetsuya even forgot to eat his bread, reminiscing with a look of enchantment.
“A senpai as beautiful as cherry blossoms—she’s practically my ideal girlfriend!”
“I really don’t know what Asakawa-san sees in you.” Amamiya Ritsu looked at Akashi Tetsuya, who was lost in his own world, with a speechless expression.
“Shiina, huh…” Amaya Yuu took a thoughtful sip of the mango-flavoured yogurt he had bought to go with his bread.
He loved anything mango-flavoured.
The leisurely lunch break soon passed.
Thanks to his good sleep schedule over the weekend, Amaya Yuu didn’t go to the Astronomy Club room to catch up on sleep today.
The last class of the afternoon was PE, his biggest headache.
Every class involved running and intra-class matches; if they happened to share the period with another class, there would be inter-class competitions.
After every PE class, he was inevitably exhausted and drenched in sweat, and today was no exception.
However, having PE as the last class came with a tacit “benefit” between teachers and students: class usually ended five to ten minutes early.
This allowed everyone to head to their club activities sooner and then go home earlier.
For Amaya Yuu, this was probably the only redeeming quality of PE class.
Having “dismissed” early, Amaya Yuu didn’t go to the Astronomy Club but instead turned towards the Wind Ensemble Club’s practice room.
He pushed the door open and, as expected, saw Togawa Sakiko sitting upright at the piano by the window, preparing to play.
Amaya Yuu strode directly up to her.
Togawa Sakiko, who was focused on the keys, suddenly caught the scent of sweat.
Looking up to see Amaya Yuu, she instinctively covered her nose and mouth with her hand, frowning slightly.
“What’s with that look?” Realising the issue, Amaya Yuu took a few steps back.
“It’s not that bad, is it?”
Togawa Sakiko didn’t respond.
She stood up, walked past Amaya Yuu, and headed straight for the door.
Amaya Yuu didn’t chase after her; instead, he turned around and plopped down in front of the piano.
“Now, I’m a piano master!” he thought to himself.
Although his body was still a bit tired and this was the first time in two lifetimes he had touched the keys, the sensation was strangely familiar—like a game unplayed for a long time where the muscle memory remains when picking it up again.
Though his fingers were a bit stiff, he unexpectedly and fluidly played the melody he imagined in his mind.
The only sheet music he had ever seen and memorised.
“Ding~ ding↓ ding↑ ding↓ ding-ding-ding-ding↑”
Hearing that all-too-familiar melody, Togawa Sakiko’s body suddenly stiffened, her footsteps freezing at the doorway.
She wanted to walk out of the Wind Ensemble Club practice room, but her legs felt like they were filled with lead, refusing to move no matter how she tried.
Amaya Yuu became more and more immersed as he played.
His fingertips grew increasingly comfortable on the keys until he had completely mastered the piano.
The melody of “haruhikage” flowed out like warm spring sunshine, the notes seemingly reflecting the warm and relaxing times when the friends first met.
His superb skill made the performance exceptionally moving, and that familiar melody, seemingly carrying the warmth of the past, easily awakened deeply buried memories.
The sunlight that once fell on her companions’ shoulders after CRYCHIC’s practice sessions now seemed to travel through time, illuminating Togawa Sakiko’s profile once again along with the afternoon light.