After that, I and Saeki didn’t quarrel with each other anymore, partly because I treated her the same way as I always did.
Morning.
“Good Morning! Yumizuki!”
Every morning, Saeki woke me up.
People’s opinions about fresh mornings like this differed. But unexpectedly, I like these mornings a lot.
“Trying to open my sleepy eyes, Saeki’s face, same as usual, appeared in front of me. After waking me up, it seemed she was waiting for me to get up.”
“Good morning, Saeki.”
“Um, good morning”
She flashed a smile and said.
“Breakfast is ready, hurry up.”
After that, she left my bed and happily walked out of my room. She seemed to be relieved hearing me answer her. Unfortunately for her, it took me more time than usual to get fully conscious. About more than 10 minutes.
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I changed and got into the living room. Saeki was wearing home shorts and an apron, scowled her face and said.
“Too late!” (In English)
I ignored her reprimand and went to the toilet to wash my face.
Looking into the mirror, my face didn’t seem awake yet. My eyes are usually half-opened, seemingly sleepy, but there’s still colour inside of them, now looked way more dead.
I washed my face again and returned to the living room.
“That’s too slow. What did you do yesterday?”
She immediately complained.
“I studied a bit late yesterday, it must be that.”
I tried to find excuses and sat at the table. Breakfast was arranged in Japanese style. If I had to name it, then “Traditional grilled fish” would be appropriate right?
“So hardworking ~~”
“Because I’m not exactly smart. How about you, Saeki?”
“Me? You don’t know my academic abilities?”
Saeki answered me with another question.
“How am I supposed to know.”
“Ah, that so. Aaahh, yeah that’s true.”
I thought my answer was satisfactory, I didn’t know why she was so surprised. However, it seemed she found her answer later on, and kept on eating as if nothing happened.
It’s time to go to school.
“I’ll go first”
Saeki, who’s wearing Mizunomiri High’s uniform, told me and left the living room.
However, she immediately peeked into the room.
“Ah, that’s right. If I see Yumizuki at school, what should I do?”
The school timetable would be in effect soon, and since there were periods requiring us to move around to rooms with projectors or labs, meeting each other is unavoidable. Moreover, there were school wide events this year onwards, so the chances of us meeting would be very high.
“Ignore me.”
This was my answer, let’s see if Saeki would be ok with it.
Saeki and I had barely known each other for a month, but if we’re basing it on her personality, chances of her accepting this would be low. It’s frankly surprising to see her tolerate my shady actions and attitude like that, but it’s time to counter attack.
“Hmm…”
She just made a disappointed face, just like I thought, then she left the living room.
Since the day school started, we had tried to leave the house at different times. This was my own selfish request, so Saeki would usually leave before me.
Left alone, I poured some coffee into the cup, drank a sip while standing in place.
“…”
‘I’m sorry, Saeki’ I thought.
__________________
Lunch.
I ate bento (made by Saeki) with Yagami in the classroom, then went to the school’s canteen, heading to the vending machine.
I met Takizawa at the machine.
“Takizawa, you finished?”
“Yeah”
He answered curtly.
Unlike me, Takizawa is the type to eat at the canteen. He should have eaten here, and went to buy some drinks.
“I’ll have the usual milk tea.”
At home, I’m a terminal coffee addict, but I buy tea outside, especially at vending machines. The coffee here doesn’t fit my tastes, I’m uncharacteristically unyielding in cases like this.
I turned around and inserted the coin into the vending machine.
“You look happy these few days?”
Takizawa suddenly asked.
“That so? I’m not aware of it myself.”
“At least, from what I can see.”
Hearing him at my back, I reached out for the milk tea can.
“Since the thing with Horyu, you became more closed off, and talked less often.”
“Takizawa.”
My words overrode his last sentence. I turned to look at Takizawa.
“I was the one who left her, so if anyone were to be more closed off, it would be her.”
“Sometimes, the guy would feel hurt from breaking up with a girl.”
After that, Takizawa stood in front of the vending machine. He bought a familiar coffee can as always. I just silently stared at him.
After he took the coffee, I opened my mouth.
“I’m not that type of guy.”
“I don’t know. Furthermore, I don’t think you were the one who took the initiative to break up.”
“…”
This talk pushed me to a quite disadvantageous position.
I opened the can of tea for a sip.
“For discussions like this, I can’t match you, so let bygones be bygones.”
“I think everytime you say that, the one losing is always me.”
Takizawa forced a smile, then brought the coffee to his mouth.
“Ah yeah, Yumizuki, have you heard of the rumour from the new students?”
Takizawa brought up a new subject, ending the previous one. Times like these, I was always grateful for his sensitivity.
“New student? No idea. Anyone interesting?”
“Yeah, achieving the highest score in the entrance exam, representing the new students to give a speech at the opening ceremony. She’s a girl, and a beautiful one, at that.”
“That so…”
This world was huge, normal people like me were a dime a dozen, but if you looked hard enough, you could see the geniuses in there. Just like the Takizawa in front of me, decently handsome and smart.
“Just like Horyu”
“That’s right.”
Horyu Miyuki’s academic ability is remarkable, and also represented the new students to give a speech. And her beauty did not require further descriptions.
“Moreover, it seemed she’s returning from overseas.”
“…”
That’s coincidental. I wonder how many students were returners from those first years.
“What?”
“Takizawa likes these types of topics huh?”
I said that to hide my bewilderment, but it’s also the truth.
Takizawa could be said to be quite handsome and well liked by a lot of girls, but he didn’t seem to be interested. However, he loved talking about gossips like this, weird.
“I’m just making you less bored.”
“No need to worry about me… What else do you have?”
“That person in the rumours is here.”
“…”
Surprising. If I was drinking milk tea, I would spit it all out.
I looked in the direction Takizawa was signalling, and saw that person…
That’s Saeki all right, no more doubts.
She was sitting with her friends, holding a can of fruit juices bought from the vending machine. She laughed with her friends while drinking from the can.
However, the her right now was entirely different from the “her” that I know.
The Saeki at this moment, though not to the point of being beautiful, was showing off a modest and graceful aura as described in the rumours. Though you can see some playfulness of her age, or the childishness in the way she sits, Saeki was as calm as someone who just graduated from being a child.
I was attracted by that beauty for an instant.
Understood. Many questions were answered. That was why she was exhausted after the opening ceremony, or why she was surprised when I didn’t know of her academic capacities.
A while later, she also saw me. I smiled and waved at me.
I ignored her greeting.
“Do you two know each other?”
Takizawa suddenly asked me.
“No way. Or was she waving at you, Takizawa?”
“I know who’s looking at me or not, and she was looking at you.”
“You’re wrong.”
After that, I turned around and dragged Takizawa out of the school canteen.
Right now, I felt distressed and bothered. I told her this morning to ignore me.
No, I did predict this would happen, sooner or later. I just didn’t want to believe it would happen like that.