Night.
Uesugi Hara sat at his desk, tapped the screen twice, and eagerly opened the blog he frequented.
The moment the page loaded, he spotted a familiar avatar glowing in his following list.
It was Shizuku-chan, whom he'd followed for ages.
She'd finally posted an update.
As a loyal fan of Shizuku-chan, Uesugi Hara naturally had to be among the first to check it out.
His fingers flew across the screen as he opened the post. He even refreshed the comments section twice. He had to claim a spot near the top before everyone else piled in.
Wait.
Uesugi Hara's fingers paused over the screen. His eyes fixed on a photo in the post.
The girl in the picture had long, flowing red hair and delicate, striking features.
But more than the eye-catching girl, the background gave him a strange sense of familiarity.
This background... Where had he seen it before?
As he searched his memory, Uesugi Hara compared it to the background in the picture.
The blue sky and white clouds, the cherry trees faintly visible in the distance... It felt as if he'd looked at them before, at some unremarkable moment.
He furrowed his brow, his mind racing as he tried to piece together a scene from the fragments of his memory.
"Thump!" He clenched his right hand into a fist and smacked it into his left palm. "This is the scenery by that bench on the path behind Advanced Nurturing University's school building!"
"So... Shizuku-chan goes to this school too?" Uesugi Hara scrolled through Shizuku-chan's older photos and studied them carefully, comparing the dates as well. None of the backgrounds showed anything from Advanced Nurturing University, and the photo had been taken recently, too.
"Could she be a... new student?"
His eyes returned to the photo, and he frowned again. "If that red hair isn't a wig... Let me think..." Images from the opening ceremony rose unbidden in his mind.
"Long red hair... I think there was a girl in Class D with that hair color?" He tapped the desk, unsure, since he'd only caught a glimpse of her from behind.
Should he ask Ayanokoji?
The thought had barely crossed his mind before Uesugi Hara pushed it away.
He pursed his lips. Ayanokoji was always acting like he didn't care about anything. What would he know about Shizuku-chan? If he asked, he'd probably just get an "I don't know." It'd be a waste of time.
(Uesugi Hara's memories of Ayanokoji were still stuck in the past. He didn't know Ayanokoji had started making friends, let alone who they were. Well, you know how it is.)
Should he go check out Class D tomorrow?
Uesugi Hara started plotting.
But if he did, what excuse could he use without making it look deliberate? He couldn't just charge over and ask, "Does your class have a red-haired girl named Shizuku-chan?" could he?
Hmm...
Got it.
He'd say he was going to see Ayanokoji. That guy was in Class D, after all.
That settled it.
The next day.
Class A's classroom.
It was still early, but some of Class A's students had already arrived.
He wasn't going to run over to Class D right away. There were students in all the classes at this hour, so showing up there in a rush would draw attention. Besides, there might not be anyone in Class D yet. He'd wait until after class and check then.
"Morishita," Uesugi Hara said when Morishita Ai arrived. As soon as she sat down, he went over to her without even giving her time to catch her breath. "What happened yesterday? I cheered you on, but you only got worse at swimming!"
He would've been better off not saying anything. The moment he did, Morishita Ai's face darkened.
A chill spread through her eyes. Her lips parted, carrying a hint of mockery. "Uesugi Hara is surprisingly stupid. No, rather than stupid, he's ignorant."
She turned away without another word, her back ramrod straight, shutting down the conversation completely and not sparing him another glance.
Uesugi Hara's hand froze in midair. His cheeks warmed slightly, and he looked embarrassed.
"Pfft—" Kamuro Masumi couldn't hold back. She let out a quiet laugh behind her textbook, her shoulders shaking.
Uesugi Hara glared at her, then glanced at Morishita Ai's tightly drawn profile. Was she angry?
Before Kamuro Masumi could tease him again, he abruptly changed the subject. "Kamuro, do you have an extra hair tie?"
Kamuro Masumi blinked and looked him up and down. "What do you need that for? You don't have to tie your hair back."
"Don't ask so many questions. Just give it to me." Uesugi Hara held out his hand. "You'll see in a bit." His tone was a little mysterious.
"Here." Kamuro Masumi pulled a stretchy black hair tie from her pocket and handed it over.
Uesugi Hara took it and pinched it between his fingers, glancing toward the seat diagonally in front of him.
Morishita Ai was pretending to flip through her book while sneaking a look back.
Curious, huh?
That's right. Be curious.
He lowered his head, tore off a strip of scrap paper, rolled it up, flattened it, then folded it in half and pinched it into a little ball.
With his other hand, he stretched the hair tie between his thumb and forefinger and held it under the desk, fitting the paper ball into it. He loaded his weapon.
"Morishita," he called softly on purpose.
No response.
He raised his voice a little. "Morishita, please turn around and see what this is."
After a few seconds of silence, Morishita Ai finally answered with a cold snort. "Hmph. Since you've asked so earnestly, I suppose I'll graciously take a look." As she spoke, she turned around.
Meeting her curious gaze, Uesugi Hara grinned and said in a low voice, "Fire!"
"Whoosh—"
"Thwack!"
The little paper ball hit Morishita Ai right in the forehead. It wasn't hard, but it still made her freeze.
Uesugi Hara withdrew his hand and said solemnly, "All right, that's all. Turn around."
"How dare you!" Morishita Ai was stunned by the hit, then raised a hand to rub her forehead. "A young upstart dares ambush me, a venerable senior!"
She paused and struck a magnanimous pose, lifting her chin. "But, in light of Heaven's mercy toward all living things, you may offer your 'hidden weapon' to me as an opportunity. Then I'll spare your life, young one."
As she spoke, she really did hold out her hand in front of him, her fingers giving a slight wiggle.
"But it belongs to Kamuro." Uesugi Hara pointed at Kamuro Masumi, who still hadn't recovered.
Morishita Ai immediately turned her gaze to Kamuro Masumi.
Kamuro Masumi was still frozen in place, her mind caught up in what had just happened and Morishita Ai's outrageous line.
Whenever those two clowns got together, they always managed to do something that caught her off guard.
When Morishita Ai fixed her with that expectant stare, she hurriedly waved her hands, her tone indulgent despite her helplessness. "G-go ahead. Give it to her."
With her permission, Uesugi Hara handed over the hair tie along with the remaining paper balls. It really did look like a junior presenting tribute to a senior.
Morishita Ai took them and toyed with the black hair tie between her fingers. Then she suddenly looked up at him and shouted, "Prepare to die, young one!" As she spoke, she flicked a paper ball at him.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Uesugi Hara hurriedly dodged.
"Trying to run? Take this first!" Morishita Ai loaded another paper ball into the hair tie.
Uesugi Hara didn't dare fight back. He bolted out of the classroom, shouting, "Spare me, senior!" and adding, "You give road oil!"
Morishita Ai chased after him and fired two more paper balls. She stopped only when she reached the classroom door. Watching him turn down the hallway, she twirled the hair tie around her fingers and gave a quiet snort. "Hmph. You're lucky you ran fast."
The classroom had lost all its pre-class quiet thanks to the two clowns' antics. Kamuro Masumi propped her forehead on one hand and laughed, while a few students nearby chuckled too.
Before you continue