Part-1 Ch-01 Ep-05

『Kagami POV』

A few days after the entrance ceremony.

During homeroom, our teacher announced that we would be taking an academic assessment immediately after enrollment.

At this school, it is standard to administer a placement test shortly after entrance to gauge each student’s current level.

The first week consists mostly of orientation for each subject, and the test itself is held the following week.

Sure, we all passed the high school entrance exams to get here, but apparently that is viewed as a separate matter.

That afternoon.

“Let’s have a study session!”

Thanks to Nagase’s suggestion, several of us from class decided to hold a study group.

The location was the school library after classes ended.

Even though only a few days had passed since school began, quite a number of us had gathered because Nagase reached out. We brought our middle school textbooks and studied quietly together in the library.

We hardly know each other’s names or faces at this point, so the fact that Nagase can casually invite people like this is honestly impressive.

As for me, the guys who joined seem like good-natured but fairly serious types, and my first impression of them is quite positive.

If I am going to make friends, I would prefer they be people who actually focus when it is time to study rather than just joke around. In that sense, this group is ideal.

I glance toward Nagase, who is sitting next to Ichinose. We have not known each other long, but she may have a surprisingly good eye for people. While I am looking at Nagase, I suddenly feel a gaze from the seat beside her.

Ichinose is watching me.

Her expression is completely unreadable; I cannot tell what she is thinking.

But staring at a girl’s face for too long would be rude, so I quickly look away and lower my eyes to my notebook.

Ichinose feels somewhat different.

In the past she was more... more... what exactly?

I pretend to struggle with a problem and lightly tap my pen against the notebook. Tap, tap.

Over this past week, I have felt a vague, indescribable discomfort regarding Ichinose.

Something feels off between the Ichinose Maki I remember and the Ichinose Maki before me now.

But the Ichinose Maki I know is from more than ten years ago.

There is no way I could know anything about her beyond that. I have no way of knowing. Memories from childhood suddenly rise to the surface.

Right before my family moved away because of my father’s job transfer, I called Ichinose, Maki-chan, to the local park.

She tilted her head when I invited her, replied only, “Tomorrow, right? Got it,” and then never came.

I still do not know why she did not show up.

Asking her about it now would only make me look pathetic. Even so, that moment marked the end of my first love. All the feelings I wanted to confess, the toy ring I wanted to give her, everything remained undelivered.

For some reason, I get the impression that Nagase is trying to push Ichinose and me closer together.

Of course, at first I thought it might be “fate” that we ended up in the same class.

But after observing her over these past several days, I am beginning to think that assumption may have been wrong.

“Kagami-kun, do you understand this part? Math was always my weak point, even during the entrance exams.”

“Oh, yeah. I think it goes like this.”

As I answer the question from the guy sitting next to me, I sneak another glance at Nagase.

Seeing her study so quietly and diligently makes me think she is probably rather serious herself.

But why does she become so oblivious the moment Ichinose is involved?

We have only spent a few days together, yet I have already begun to notice it.