First Day of School

It was April, and the new students were starting school.

Hoshino Kanade sat on the bus heading to school, swaying with the motion of the vehicle.

A girl sat in the seat beside her.

When she'd boarded, Kanade had caught a fleeting glimpse of her profile, cool as jade, and eyelashes like butterfly wings. It made her afraid to look again.

A faint fragrance drifted from the girl's brown hair.

She wore the same school uniform as Kanade, but Kanade couldn't recall any character who matched her appearance.

In her previous life, the pressure of her mother's education and her father's guilt-driven parenting had ultimately led Kanade to drop dead from overwork the night before her university entrance exams.

Reborn into a new life, she had started out in an orphanage, but her childhood had been happier than in her previous life.

Poverty had led Kanade to apply to Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.

Kanade thought she had worked hard enough, but the money she'd earned in middle school had dwindled to almost nothing after paying tuition and living expenses, and improving life at the orphanage for a time.

Rebirth had brought her not only the memories of her previous life, but also a body that had grown strong despite childhood malnutrition, and a memory that came close to being photographic.

"Don't you think you should give up your seat?" A woman dressed in office attire interrupted Kanade's recollections.

At some point, the bus had filled with passengers and grown crowded.

A short distance in front of Kanade stood an elderly woman, unsteady on her feet. She might fall at any moment.

"You there, sitting down—can't you see the old lady's feeling unwell?" the office worker said again.

"What a crazy question, Lady." The blond man sitting in the Priority Seat crossed his legs.

"Why should I give up my seat to this elderly woman? There's no reason for that."

That had to be Kouenji Rokosuke. He really was the type to do whatever he wanted. Even his loose uniform couldn't hide his well-developed muscles.

The exchange had drawn the attention of everyone on the bus, including Kanade.

"You're sitting in the Priority Seat. Of course you should give it up for an elderly person!"

"Even if it's a Priority Seat, there's no legal obligation to give it up. Young people should give up their seats? What a nonsense idea."

"You..." The office worker's chest rose and fell. She was clearly angry.

"I'm perfectly healthy. Standing wouldn't bother me, but it would obviously take more energy than sitting. I don't intend to do something with no benefit to me. Or are you going to tip me?"

"Is... Is that how you speak to your elders?"

Japan was a country that placed great importance on seniority. Most people would probably be angry if a younger person offended them. Probably.

"Elders? You've naturally lived longer than I have. That's beyond dispute. But an elder is someone who has gotten further than I have in experience and ability. And don't you have a problem, too? You're acting like you're better than everyone else."

"What did you say? When an adult is speaking, you should just listen!" The office worker raised her voice another few notches.

"Th-that's enough..." In the end, it was the elderly woman who gestured for the angry office worker to stop.

"Oh my, it seems the old lady is more reasonable than you." Kouenji got in one last jab, then put on his headphones and listened to music on his own.

The high schooler's insolent attitude made the office worker even angrier, though all she did was get angry for a moment.

Kouenji's argument was sophistry, but she had to admit that, putting morality aside, he had no obligation to give up his seat to the elderly woman.

The only sound left on the bus was the noise of the vehicle in motion.

Just as everyone thought the dispute would end with the blond-haired boy emerging victorious, someone stood up.

"Um, I think the big sister is right."

A sweet-looking, short-haired girl with a generous figure stepped in to help.

"Grandma's been feeling unwell this whole time. Maybe I'm meddling, but could you give up your seat? Think of it as doing something for society."

"Doing something for society? An interesting idea, but I'm not interested in contributing to society. I only need to satisfy myself."

With a snap, the blond boy flicked one of his fingernails.

"I may have become the target of everyone's hostility for sitting in the Priority Seat, but is it really okay for everyone else to cling to their seats without saying a word? If you have a kind heart, I think you could give up a seat even if it isn't a Priority Seat."

The AOE had eventually hit her, too. Of course, Kanade had no intention of giving up her seat.

"Hmm?" From the corner of her eye, Kanade noticed the girl in the seat beside her staring at her face.

She knew she was a little above average in looks, but being stared at so directly was a bit...

Since making a sound in the quiet bus would make her the target of everyone's attention, she could only slowly turn her head and meet the girl's gaze.

The girl's indifferent eyes were like a calm surface of water, with a faint ring of dark gold around her pupils.

Their eyes met for barely a second before the girl suddenly winked at her, as if playing a prank. Then she casually turned away and looked out the window.

'I was just observing the other people on the bus, but she noticed... Her expression didn't change at all. I guess she also thinks she shouldn't give up her seat? Should I... feel embarrassed? Get flushed cheeks? Or would red earlobes look more natural?'

The girl's delicate face showed no expression as her gaze settled back on the road ahead.

Kanade quietly looked away, unable to help wondering, 'Does this count as "if you're not embarrassed, then the other person is"?'

She had a little quirk: she tended to feel embarrassed on behalf of other people, especially after unconsciously staring at them like she had just done.

"Everyone, please listen to me for a moment. Could someone please give this old lady their seat?"

The sweet girl hadn't managed to get anywhere with the blond boy, so she could only turn to the other passengers. After speaking, she bowed slightly to them.

Maybe she really was a Little Angel. It was hard to know how much courage an act like that took, at least on the surface.

"Um... You can come sit here."

A few seconds later, one of the women finally couldn't stand the atmosphere and chose to give up her seat.

"Thank you!" The Little Angel and the elderly woman thanked her. Carefully supporting the old lady, the girl guided her along a path through the crowded bus and helped her sit down.

After that, the atmosphere on the bus slowly returned to normal. The rest of the ride passed without incident, and they arrived at the school.

The uniformed students filed off the bus and passed through a gate assembled from natural stones. This was where they would live for the next three years: Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.

Kanade had a few suspicions she wanted to confirm. She adjusted her pace and followed the girl who had sat beside her on the bus.

She made no effort to hide it.

The girl easily noticed Kanade following her and slowed down, apparently waiting for Kanade to speak.

'If it's what I think it is...' Kanade found her interesting, so she didn't hurry to start a conversation.

'She probably has something to say to me, right? Why isn't she saying anything? Should I speak first? If I just start talking, she might turn the tables on me...'

Unsure how to react, the girl eventually stopped. With anticipation on her little face, she looked at Kanade, seemingly waiting for her to say something.

'If I pretend I wasn't trying to talk to her now, she'll probably be embarrassed.' Kanade thought again of what had happened on the bus. 'No, actually, I think I'm the only one who'd be embarrassed.'

"Why were you looking at me on the bus just now? Was there something you wanted?"

Kanade stopped teasing her.

"Sorry, I was just a little curious. It seemed like you never had any intention of giving up your seat on the bus." The girl was a little disappointed that Kanade hadn't approached her to make friends, but she'd expected this question.

"I just didn't want to attract attention," Kanade replied. The girl had probably noticed that her expression hadn't changed much on the bus.

"Looks like we're alike. I didn't want to get involved and attract attention, either." The girl felt as though she'd found someone like herself.

'Making friends is such a hassle, but for the next three years, I'll need to maintain a certain number of friendships so I don't get isolated. I have to consider whether this might be the only chance I get in my life.'

Although her thoughts seemed to take a long time, in reality, only an instant passed.

"My name's Ayanokoji Kina. Nice to meet you."