The early morning sunlight pierced through the thin clouds, spilling onto the asphalt roads of Sōbu High School.
The air was filled with the scent of earth after rain, mixed with the aroma of rice balls and bread held by early-rising students.
Ai walked along the slope leading to the school.
Today, his steps were slightly heavier than usual.
Last night in the park, because of that “Penguin Walk” brain-rot video of Takamatsu Tomori, he had almost burst out laughing, which triggered the system’s “Soul Tearing” punishment.
Although that splitting headache had subsided, a sense of mental exhaustion lingered like a hangover.
“Sigh…”
He let out a very soft sigh and raised his hand to rub his temples.
Just then, a gaze stuck to him.
It wasn’t the kind of bone-chilling gaze of an evil spirit, but rather…
a moist one, filled with cautious fawning and expectation.
Ai didn’t need to look back to know who it was.
“G-Good morning, Fujiwara-san.”
Yotsuya Miko’s voice came from behind him to the left.
She had arrived very early today—or rather, she had actually been waiting behind a utility pole at that intersection for ten minutes, only stepping out to pretend it was a “chance encounter” once she saw Ai appear.
Miko looked a bit different than usual today.
The hem of her school skirt seemed to have been specially ironed, smooth without a single wrinkle.
Her bangs, which were usually a bit messy, had also been meticulously groomed, revealing a smooth and full forehead.
Most importantly, that lingering aura of terror and cowering about her had faded significantly, replaced by an atmosphere called love…
no, an atmosphere called peace of mind.
(Both are adults)
Ai stopped, turned his head, and gave a faint response:
“Morning.”
A response of just a single word. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
But Yotsuya Miko’s eyes instantly curved into crescents, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
Very naturally, as if she had practiced it countless times, she walked up to Ai’s side.
30 centimeters.
This was a very subtle distance.
It wasn’t so close that passersby would point and stare, yet it allowed her to clearly smell the crisp, clean scent on Ai.
The two walked side by side.
Around them was a noisy crowd of students, all discussing last night’s variety shows or upcoming exams.
Only between the two of them did a quiet but not awkward atmosphere linger.
“Um… Fujiwara-san.”
Miko gripped her bag straps with both hands, her fingers twisting restlessly as she seemed to search for a topic.
“Did you… sleep well last night?”
What she actually wanted to ask was: Did you dream about me last night?
Because she had certainly dreamed of him last night.
The contents of the dream were so shameful that her face was still burning when she washed her underwear this morning.
“It was okay.”
Ai kept his eyes forward and said calmly, “I just had a strange dream about a penguin playing the guitar.”
“Eh? A penguin?”
Miko was taken aback for a moment, then covered her mouth and giggled.
“Fujiwara-san has such cute dreams too… You’re surprisingly childlike.”
Ai’s lip twitched.
Childlike?
That was a nightmare.
Whenever Penguin Tomori sang Chinese songs in an abstract tone, he felt like laughing, and laughing hurt. Get faster updates on g.com.
As they spoke, the two arrived at the shoe locker area.
Just as Ai opened his locker to change into his indoor shoes, a pink envelope fell out from a gap in the locker.
*Clatter.*
The envelope landed on the floor.
There was no name on it, only a drawn heart.
The air instantly froze.
Before Ai could even bend down, a hand had already reached out ahead of him and picked up the letter.
It was Yotsuya Miko.
Her movements were startlingly fast, almost like some kind of predatory feline.
Miko held the letter.
Though the smile remained on her face, the temperature in her eyes instantly dropped to the freezing point.
She stared intensely at the heart on the envelope, her fingers gripping it so hard the envelope was nearly crumpled.
(Both are adults)
‘Who is it?’
‘Who wrote this kind of thing to Fujiwara-san?’
‘I was first…
I’m the one who needs him most…’
‘Those ordinary girls don’t know how good Fujiwara-san is at all; they only care about looks…
Only I know.
Only I know how strong and gentle he is when facing those terrifying things…’
A surge of black sludge called “jealousy” churned in the girl’s heart.
If any evil spirits dared to approach her right now, they would probably be scared to death by this resentment.
“Yotsuya?”