The moment the break bell rang, the classroom erupted with noise, as if someone had turned on a faucet.
Sakuragi Hanamichi sat in the last row, resting his chin on one hand as he stared absentmindedly out the window.
He had been sitting in the exact same position for nearly ten minutes.
A faint smile lingered at the corners of his lips—the kind that refused to stay down no matter how hard he tried.
The breeze rustled the leaves outside.
His eyes were fixed beyond the glass, yet he wasn’t looking at anything.
Only one scene replayed endlessly in his mind.
Last night.
Beneath the streetlight.
A beautiful face looking up at him from only inches away.
Long eyelashes.
Bright, lively eyes.
The faint fragrance of shampoo.
Even now, whenever he remembered the soft warmth that had wrapped around his arm, his fingers curled unconsciously.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk…” Across the classroom, the four members of the Sakuragi Army had gathered into a tight huddle, their heads practically pressed together as they all stared toward the last row.
Takamiya was the first to notice something strange.
“Look at him.” Ohkusu followed his gaze.
“…I see it.” “Something’s definitely wrong.” “Have you ever seen him like this before?” Takamiya nodded toward Sakuragi.
“He’s spacing out with his chin in his hand…
and smiling.” Ohkusu looked more carefully.
“…Now that you mention it, no.” Noma narrowed his eyes.
“When was the last time he acted like this?” “…After getting rejected?” “No.” Leaning casually against the windowsill, Yohei already had a knowing smile on his face.
“Before confessing, he can’t sit still.
He runs around the classroom like there’s a nail stuck in his butt.” “This…” He pointed at Sakuragi.
“This dreamy, lovestruck expression only appears after one of his confessions gets rejected.” “But he hasn’t confessed to anyone lately.” Takamiya scratched his head.
“Exactly.” Yohei’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“That’s what makes it suspicious.” The four exchanged glances.
At that exact moment…
The same mischievous grin appeared on every face.
Takamiya was immediately pushed forward.
“Why me?” he whispered in protest.
“Because you’re the loudest.” Ohkusu slapped him on the back.
“So?
Are you going or not?” Takamiya thought for a second.
He straightened his collar.
Cleared his throat.
Stuffed his hands into his pockets.
Then confidently strode toward the last row in what he believed was an extremely cool manner.
Sakuragi remained completely lost in his daydream.
The smile on his face widened a little further.
“…Hehe…” A tiny laugh escaped his lips.
Takamiya stopped beside him.
Instead of tapping his shoulder, he leaned close to Sakuragi’s ear and spoke in an almost casual tone.
“She’s really cute, isn’t she?” The volume was perfect.
Quiet enough that only Sakuragi could hear.
Sakuragi never looked away from the window.
His mouth answered before his brain did.
“Yeah…” “She’s super cute…” “Hehehe…” “Then…” Takamiya continued in a coaxing voice.
“What’s her name?” “Yanai…” The instant the name slipped out…
Sakuragi’s brain finally caught up.
His smile froze.
The dreamy look in his eyes vanished instantly.
His pupils shrank.
He whipped his head around.
Takamiya’s round face was only inches away, grinning like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.
Behind him…
Three more heads slowly popped into view.
The three spoke in perfect unison.
“Hehehe…” Ohkusu spoke first.
“We all heard that.” “So her name’s Yanai.” “And she’s cute.” Noma immediately followed.
“So, Sakuragi…” “What class is she in?” “You never told us about her.” Then Yohei delivered the finishing blow.
He turned a chair around, rested his arms across the backrest, and smiled innocently.
“So…” “Have you confessed yet?” “When are you planning to?” “We’ll all come watch.” “It’ll be your thirty-fifth confession.” “It deserves a proper ceremony.” “Exactly!” Takamiya nodded enthusiastically.
“A record-breaking confession!” “We can’t miss history.” “That’s right!” Ohkusu bobbed his head like a mortar pounding garlic.
“Last time you were obsessed with Yoko from the next class.” “I always thought she wasn’t good enough for you.” Noma laughed.
“Looks like your taste finally improved.” The four of them talked over one another like a flock of noisy sparrows surrounding an irritated cat.
Sakuragi’s face changed colors one after another.
White.
Red.
Then dark enough to rival the bottom of a cooking pot.
The familiar vein bulged across his forehead.
His temples twitched violently.
It looked as though something inside him was about to explode.
“IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!” The roar echoed through the classroom.
For a brief moment…
Everything went silent.
Several students in the front rows instinctively turned around.
Then, just as habit dictated…
They calmly turned back.
No one found Sakuragi’s outbursts surprising anymore.
Unfortunately…
The Sakuragi Army wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.
They knew him too well.
In the past…
Whenever they mentioned a girl, Sakuragi would proudly announce, “Yeah!
She’s super cute!” “I’m confessing to her after school today!” Loud enough for the entire school to hear.
But now…
His answer had become…
“It’s none of your business.” He was hiding it.
Refusing to talk.
That alone proved everything.
The four exchanged another meaningful look.
This time…
Hanamichi was serious.
“Ooooooh…” Takamiya dragged out the sound.
“Ooooooh…” Ohkusu echoed him.
“Ooooooh…” Noma joined in.
Only Yohei remained silent.
The smile on his face merely deepened.
Sakuragi felt increasingly uncomfortable under the four pairs of teasing eyes.
The redness spread from the base of his neck all the way to his hairline.
Suddenly…
He shot to his feet.
His chair scraped harshly across the floor.
“I’m going to the bathroom!” he declared before striding toward the classroom door.
“The restroom’s that way.” Yohei casually pointed in the opposite direction.
Sakuragi froze mid-step.
Without saying a word…
He awkwardly changed directions and marched out of the classroom without looking back.
Behind him came four muffled bursts of laughter.
It sounded like air leaking from punctured balloons as they desperately tried not to laugh too loudly.
Outside in the hallway…
Sakuragi leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and his head lowered.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, shining across his brilliant red hair.
He slowly closed his eyes.
They’re different.
Yanai is different.
All the girls before…
He had simply thought they were pretty.
So he’d confess.
It was no different from spotting a new flavor of potato chips at the convenience store.
Pick one up.
Get rejected.
Put it back.
Then grab another.
But Yanai…
Was completely different.
Last night…
It was the first time he had ever talked with a girl for so long.
Not just…
“I like you.” “Please go out with me.” “Rejected.” Instead…
They actually talked.
A lot.
She asked his name.
Asked whether he lived alone.
Asked what club he belonged to.
She called him by his name.
She said it sounded nice.
She even smiled and said, “Calling you only by your surname feels a little distant.” She held his arm so naturally…
As though she’d always belonged there.
Whenever she smiled…
Her eyes curved into beautiful crescents.
Not the polite smile people wore out of courtesy.
But the smile of someone who genuinely found him interesting.
And…
She was the cutest girl he had ever seen.
No contest.
Far cuter than the previous thirty-four girls.
Sakuragi took a deep breath.
Then slowly let it out.
Suddenly…
The lovestruck grin disappeared.
Replacing it was the expression of someone who had just realized something incredibly important.
He only knew…
Her name was Yanai Yuri.
And that she was also a third-year middle school student.
But…
Which school did she attend?
She never told him.
Sakuragi frowned.
His mouth opened slightly…
Then closed again.
Standing alone in the hallway beneath the bright sunlight…
He looked exactly like a giant puppy that had just lost its favorite bone.
He realized…
Aside from her name…
And her face…
He knew absolutely nothing about her.
He didn’t know which school she attended.
He didn’t know which apartment she actually lived in.
He didn’t know…
He didn’t dare continue thinking.
A warm breeze drifted through the hallway.
Summer was almost here.
At the same time…
In another school.
Another classroom.
Koyo Junior High.
Class 3-4.
The seat by the window at the very back.
Yanai Yuri rested her chin on one hand as she gazed outside.
The cherry blossoms had long since fallen.
Only lush green leaves remained, shimmering beneath the afternoon sun.
Her eyes were on the scenery.
Her thoughts were elsewhere.
On that ridiculously tall, red-haired boy from last night.
The way he had walked out of the convenience store carrying a cardboard box.
The way he completely froze when she wrapped herself around his arm.
The way his face turned crimson all the way from his neck to the tips of his ears.
The way he couldn’t even look at her when he offered to walk her home.
The way he looked back after three steps…
Then again after five…
Until he nearly twisted his neck trying to sneak another glance.
The corners of her lips curled upward.
Sakuragi Hanamichi.
Wakou Junior High.
Third year.
Basketball Club.
Lives alone.
Works part-time at a convenience store.
She quietly organized the information in her mind like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle spread across a table.
Then another thought emerged.
How should I meet him again?
It couldn’t be another “coincidence.” Last night’s encounter had already been the perfect excuse.
A girl surrounded by delinquents late at night…
Saved by a boy who just happened to walk out of a convenience store.
That kind of script only worked once.
Twice would feel completely fake.
But she couldn’t simply go to Wakou Junior High and ask for him either.
That would be far too direct.
Yanai Yuri never liked doing things so directly.
She preferred everything to happen…
Naturally.
Just enough to make the other person think it was coincidence.
Fate.
Something neither of them had expected.
So…
What should she do?
Her fingertips lightly tapped the desk twice.
Tap.
Tap.
Her neatly manicured nails made soft sounds against the wooden desktop.
Wakou Junior High.
Basketball Club.
Prefectural Tournament.
June.
Those words slowly revolved through her thoughts.
The Prefectural Tournament wasn’t far away.
Surely…
There would be plenty of spectators, wouldn’t there?