Part-3 Ch-01 Ep-01

 “Mari! This year too, we’re in the same class!”

With a buoyant voice, Maki called out happily as she turned back to look at me. I returned her smile, let my eyes drift over the class assignment list posted at the school entrance, and murmured,

“Ah, you’re right.”

Starting today, we had become third-year high school students.

Our final year of high school life had begun.

On the day of the opening ceremony, having come to school for the first time in a while, we were checking our new class assignments.

I was in the same class as Maki once again, and I also found the names of Kagami-kun and Todoroki-kun listed there.

And incredibly enough, this year Seishuku-san was in the same class as well.

“So everyone’s together,” I said, and Maki responded with a cheerful “Yeah!” and a bright smile. Perhaps because she was so happy, she took my hand and began walking ahead, pulling me along as she said, “Let’s hurry to the classroom.”

She’s seriously adorable.

My chest filled with warmth from the morning onward, and my face relaxed into a foolish grin.

“But really, being in the same class as Mari for all three years of high school, isn’t that amazing?” Maki said.

“Yeah, it really is,” I replied with a nod.

Well, I already knew this would happen, but there was no way I could ever say that out loud.

“Maybe it’s fate after all, us,” Maki said.

“Hmm, we definitely share a strong connection, that’s for sure.”

After giving it some thought, that was how I answered.

Perhaps she did not like my phrasing, because Maki puffed out her cheeks slightly and said, “Somehow, the way you put it makes it feel more distant than fate.”

“Huh, really?”

But in my heart, I felt that this was the word that came closest to describing our relationship.

If I had relied only on fate, I would not know whether we would have ended up together like this now.

But thanks to the connection that existed from the very beginning, at the very least I was able to pull that bond with Maki toward myself with my own hands, and that is how we arrived at where we are now.

Well, there was no need to say something like that out loud. Even if I did, Maki probably would not understand it anyway.

As I thought this, I looked at her back as she walked just slightly ahead of me, tugging my hand along.

“Even though we’re going to be exam students now, I hope it’s a fun year,” I said to her back.

“Of course,” she replied. “Of course it’s going to be fun, because I’m with Mari.”

When Maki turned around, she declared it with a flawless, full-score smile.

She really says such heartwarming things. Honestly.

Two months had passed since we advanced to the next grade, and Maki and I had begun to develop just a faint awareness of ourselves as exam students.

Enough that we felt a slight sense of guilt or impatience about going straight into town to play right after school.

Even so, our desire to spend just a little more time together remained strong, and we did not head straight home after classes.

On our usual after-school days, after hesitating with exchanges like, “Should we go home?” “What should we do?” “Hmm,” we often ended up stopping by the school library or studying at a café on the way back.

And today was no exception, as after discussing it, we decided to stop by the school library.

When we opened the library door, we chose one of the many large tables and sat down side by side.

At first, I had suggested, “There are individual study desks open too,” but when she sulked for some reason and said, “…I’d rather be able to see Mari’s face,” I stopped bringing it up.

The individual study spaces were separated from neighboring desks by partitions, designed so you could focus solely on what was in front of you.

Well, since they were meant for one person, that was only natural.

For us, whose awareness as exam students had only just begun to sprout, being together at a distance close enough to touch was still far more important.

Ever since we returned from our second-year school trip, the expressions and tones Maki occasionally showed me had steadily grown sweeter.

Of course, she restrained herself quite a bit in front of others, but even so, to Kagami-kun and the others who were always nearby, it apparently came across as “couple vibes leaking everywhere.”

The people around us who watched over us in various ways were, I thought, incredibly kind.

Apparently, I myself had also increased how much I spoiled Maki, something I only realized after others pointed it out.

I suppose that means I have become much more honest about expressing affection as well.

That was how our studying in the library went.

We sat side by side, pressed close together at one of the large tables. For about an hour now, Maki had been working through math practice problems, while I tackled English grammar exercises.

Our adjacent arms hovered at a distance where they might or might not brush, and occasionally the fabric of our uniforms rubbed together.

When one of our smartphones vibrated, our gazes shifted toward it at the same time.

In those casual moments, feeling Maki’s body warmth and her scent brought me great reassurance.

Then, after a little while longer, when I began to feel my head growing slightly tired, I stopped writing in my notebook and glanced over at Maki.

Her blonde hair, flowing down her back, was silky and stunningly beautiful, unchanged since our childhood. In fact, I knew very well how smooth and soft that hair felt to the touch, and how pleasant it smelled.

My gaze drifted down to Maki’s face.

Her skin was so fair it seemed almost translucent, and yet her cheeks were faintly tinged with pink.

Above her lowered eyes, her long eyelashes swayed gently.

Her nose was perfectly straight, and the more I looked at her, the more perfectly the phrase “beautiful girl” suited her.

She was not wearing any perfume or anything like that, and yet she smelled so nice. To be this cute and angelic was almost unreal.

It felt as though she had been created by gathering together all the wonderful things in the world, flowers and sweet honey alike, and molding them into human form.

And the more I gazed at that otherworldly appearance, the more I was reminded all over again that this world truly was modeled after that game.

『Cherry Blossom Oath ―The Story of Us That You and I Weave―』

A classic otome game, and the title that served as the foundation for the creation of this world.

In this game, where romance unfolds between the heroine and seven capture targets, naturally all of the targets possessed top-tier looks and personalities, forming a flawless lineup.

Their family names were all three characters long, making them easy to distinguish, and if nothing had gone wrong, Maki was supposed to fall in love with one of those seven capture targets, but.

“…Mari, you’re staring at my face way too much. I notice, you know.”

Before I realized it, Maki was right in front of me, wearing a slightly puffed-up expression while blushing as she glared at me.

“What, do you like me that much?”

The girl who said those words, words that probably embarrassed herself as well, while looking flustered, was unmistakably my girlfriend.

If I had relied solely on fate, Maki might have ended up with someone else.

Just thinking about that sent a chill through me.

“…Aha.”

“Don’t just laugh, say something!”

Maki said this and lightly poked my arm with her elbow. Perhaps because we were in the library, her movement was somewhat restrained. 

That only made it feel cuter to me, so I gently poked her back. Usually she is far more aggressive about it.

When she acted this subtly spoiled once in a while, it could actually hit me pretty hard.

Normally, due to her intense personality and overwhelming momentum, I tended to be swept away before I even had time to feel my heart race.

“Hey, you’re not thinking something weird right now, are you?”

She suddenly asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.

“No, no, no, I’m not thinking anything like that.”

I replied while forcing a smile to stay on my face.

It took real effort to keep my voice from rising. That was close.

According to the people around us, I was apparently the one being kept firmly under control.

If that was the case, then that was perfectly fine with me.

Because surely, I alone could accept Maki’s selfishness, her strong will, and that heavy, distorted love of hers.

Even exchanges like this were enjoyable, and at this very moment, I was truly happy.