Childhood Friends

"Um, excuse me~ The Mango Pomelo Sago you ordered is ready. Here you go."

"Sorry for the trouble."

I took the drink she handed me and set it in front of Ichinose.

We hadn't ordered any drinks, but the server had brought over a cup of Mango Pomelo Sago.

Ichinose looked a little confused.

"Did they bring the wrong order?"

She belatedly started to call over the waitress, who wasn't far away.

But I interrupted her with a question.

"Don't you like it?"

"I do like Mango Pomelo Sago. But I think the waitress brought it by mistake. I didn't order anything."

"I saw you order this last time, and you seemed to like it, so I went ahead and ordered one for you."

"Really...? I love it!"

Ichinose took the straw and sipped.

She stopped pretending to look at her messages and turned to me of her own accord.

"By the way, did you order it before I got here?"

"I thought you might be thirsty after walking all the way here, so I ordered something for you to drink ahead of time."

Ichinose lightly clasped the cup and took another sip.

I was about to say something when I heard the click of leather shoes against the floor.

Sakayanagi Arisu straightened her skirt and sat down neatly.

She casually set her cane aside and spoke.

"How ungentlemanly of you, leaving a girl with a cane to get around on her own."

She picked up the coffee on the table and turned her gaze toward the person beside me.

She seemed a little surprised, but quickly returned to a natural expression.

She held out her hand first.

"Hello, I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-A. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Ichinose Honami, Hajima-kun's classmate."

Ichinose smiled as she shook her hand.

Sakayanagi Arisu's lips curved into a faint smile.

"Oh, it's you."

"Seisuke has told me about you... I'll have to ask you to look after him in class."

Why did that sound so much like... she was showing off?

I didn't know what she was trying to prove, but at first listen, it felt pretty aggressive.

Was this some kind of showdown between pretty girls?

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't let go of her hand, just kept smiling.

Ichinose furrowed her brow slightly.

"Even if Classmate Sakayanagi hadn't asked, I'd still look after Hajima-kun on my own."

"I'm relieved to know Seisuke-kun has such a kind classmate. As his childhood friend, I can rest a little easier now."

"Huh?"

(Ichinose)

Childhood friend...

I instinctively wanted to make sure, so I looked at the person beside me.

He was sucking on his straw, seemingly lost in thought. He didn't seem inclined to argue...

It was true.

I didn't have any childhood friends, but surely a friend you'd known since you were little meant a lot to you.

Why was I suddenly feeling timid, as if I couldn't bring myself to look at him?

Even the way they addressed each other felt so intimate. They were close enough to call each other by their first names.

Once I started overthinking, my thoughts flowed on and on, like water I couldn't stop.

They seemed to be talking about something, but I couldn't quite make it out.

A few names came up. They seemed to belong to students in the same year.

Hajima-kun said there were plenty of interesting things in the files, but he couldn't be bothered to read through them.

It was as if I wanted to hold on to something, but I didn't even have the strength to clench my fists.

"But, you know, Seisuke-kun spending my money to buy drinks for another girl is really unfair."

"The money's with me. I can spend it however I want, right?"

"Don't come asking me for more when you've spent it all."

After leaving us with those words, Sakayanagi Arisu stood up and left.

The conversation between them had seemed like the sort of thing ordinary friends might say, but I couldn't stop picturing Sakayanagi Arisu smiling as she said she and Hajima-kun were childhood friends.

It was like playful bickering between childhood friends, and I could barely get a word in...

I was a little envious of that kind of relationship.

Being able to say whatever you wanted without having to weigh your words out of consideration for the other person, simply expressing what you really thought without worrying that you'd leave a bad impression.

It felt so relaxed...

"Is Hajima-kun having trouble with his Personal Points? If so, you can come to me."

"Is it because you heard Arisu say I was spending her money?"

"More or less..."

"Do you remember how I spent all my Personal Points on the very first day of school? Ichinose helped me out back then."

"I remember."

"The files Arisu and I were just talking about—that's what I spent my Personal Points on. They're mostly the admission and ability evaluations for the first-years. I thought there might be plenty of interesting things in there, so I gave them to her."

"The Personal Points she gave you sound more like payment for the information you needed to obtain."

Hajima-kun watched the direction the girl had left in, then spoke again.

"If she's the one I'm giving it to, I know that information won't go to waste."

He seemed to think quite highly of her.

I wasn't trying to compete with anyone, but somehow, I found myself wanting to move forward.

Ichinose Honami... wouldn't fall behind anyone.

"Do you remember when Teacher Hoshinomiya called us in last time?"

"I do. Hajima-kun seemed to be in a bad mood, so he went back by himself."

Ichinose rested her chin on her hand as she recalled it.

"Teacher Hoshinomiya had some questions about my entrance exam, but I hadn't taken it seriously at the time, so I got mischievous and played a prank."

"I thought no one would care, but Teacher Hoshinomiya still caught me. At first, I thought she wanted to use it to make me do something, but then I realized I'd overlooked something important."

"What was it?"

Ichinose seemed a little curious.

"Teacher Hoshinomiya's real target was you, Ichinose."

"Huh...? How did I suddenly get involved?"

"Doesn't it seem like the way she came down on me was more like she was trying to hint something to you?"

"I didn't think much of Hajima-kun's entrance exam at first. Well... I'd already put him in the 'really capable' category before Teacher Hoshinomiya hinted at anything."

She took a sip of her Mango Pomelo Sago and continued:

"But I more or less understood what the teacher said afterward. It was like she was hinting at things like the atmosphere and discipline during class..."

"After that, she spoke with me alone, and suddenly I felt like I'd been saddled with a huge responsibility."

Ichinose pursed her lips, looking troubled.

"Because you're capable, Ichinose. That's why Teacher Hoshinomiya has placed all those expectations on you."

"But even though I have a goal now, I'm still a little lost about what I should do. It's not that I'm against it, but..."

"Managing everyone and bringing them together so we can gradually improve—it feels like a heavy responsibility just thinking about it."

"That's not your fault, Ichinose."

I turned to face Ichinose.

"Teacher Hoshinomiya just forced it on you, even if it doesn't go against what you want."

"But you'd feel more at ease as a leader than as a manager, wouldn't you?"

"Even if the results might not be that different—either way, it's about bringing the class together so we can improve as a group..."

"But I don't want you to be a fool who only ever thinks about other people. Do you understand?"

Teacher Hoshinomiya wasn't thinking purely of her. I wanted to get that across to her.

Ichinose held her hands to her chest, breathing lightly.

"I... I'm a little confused."

She pressed her lips together slightly.

"Huh?!"

I took her hand and turned her toward me.

Her head had been lowered, but the surprise made her lift it slightly.

We looked at each other for a moment, then she realized I was still holding her hand.

She struggled a little, but couldn't pull free.

"No matter what... you just have to follow what your heart tells you."

She tilted her head, as if sorting through the thoughts in her mind.

I let go of her hand and rested my chin on my palm, gazing out the window.

I didn't understand Teacher Hoshinomiya's fixation. We'd only just started school, and B Class would be a close-knit class even without her stepping in.

All it needed was the straightforward girl beside me...