Watching Ants

Before the bell ending first period had finished ringing, Horikita Suzune rose from her seat and headed for the faculty office.

Chabashira Sae had report cards spread across her desk, with a red ballpoint pen resting at the edge. Hearing footsteps, she raised her eyes.

"Chabashira-sensei, was the midterm exam scope changed?"

The pen stopped. Chabashira Sae set it down and leaned back in her chair. "It was."

"When was it changed?"

"Last week."

Horikita Suzune pressed her fingers against the hem of her skirt. "You didn't notify us."

Chabashira Sae glanced at her. "No, I didn't."

Horikita Suzune remained where she was.

Chabashira Sae picked up the pen and spun it once around her fingers. "That's how this school works. Which classes receive information, and how much they receive, is up to the homeroom teacher." She put down the pen. "My judgment was that your class didn't need to know."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think your class can make any waves." Chabashira Sae's tone was as flat as a wall. "Class D is at zero points right now. For a class that managed to reach that number in its first month after enrollment, whether I told you the scope had changed wouldn't make a difference."

Horikita Suzune said nothing.

Chabashira Sae opened a drawer, took out a printed sheet, and slid it across the edge of the desk. "But you came looking for me, so take it."

Horikita Suzune accepted the paper, folded it, and slipped it into her pocket before turning to leave. She didn't thank her, and Chabashira didn't look up.

Sudo Ken was waiting by the hallway window. When he saw her come out, he flung his sleeve aside. "Well?!"

"It changed. She didn't notify us."

Sudo Ken opened his mouth, then shut it again, scratching the back of his head hard. "Did you get the scope, then?"

"I did."

After saying that, Horikita Suzune walked past him. Sudo Ken followed for two steps. "What do we do now?"

"Rework the study plan and notify the whole class before today is over."

When the lunch bell rang, Kiryu Yume made a round through the cafeteria but didn't see Morishita Ran.

Yamamura Miki was carrying a bowl of udon and looking for a seat. Seeing his eyes scanning the crowd, she pointed out the window with her chopsticks. "The path behind the field. She was walking that way with bread in her hand."

Kiryu Yume bought a red bean bun and headed behind the field. Gravel pressed into the soles of his shoes, and the cherry blossoms along the path had all fallen.

As he rounded the corner, he saw someone crouching beneath the shade of a tree—the hem of her skirt spread around her ankles, the knees of her black tights bent into a curve, and a dark blue cat charm dangling from the side pocket of her bag, swaying over the tips of the grass in the wind.

He stood there for two seconds. Before he had even thought of what to say, his feet were already carrying him over.

He crouched down beside her, shoulder to shoulder. He could smell the faint scent of lily of the valley on her, mixed with the warmth of sun-dried skin, like the barely there sweetness of a spring evening. He only noticed it after catching a whiff, and when he tried to smell it more closely, it had already faded. His heart skipped half a beat.

"...What are you looking at?"

"Ants."

Without turning her head, she pointed at the ground. "And a centipede. It's been dead for a little while, but its antennae are still moving."

Kiryu Yume lowered his head and glanced at the dead centipede being carried away. Its antennae really were trembling faintly. "...How long have you been crouching here?"

"Since the first period ended."

She finally turned her head to look at him. "Did you come looking for me?"

"...You didn't come to the cafeteria."

Morishita Ran nodded without replying, then turned back to watch the ants.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "What flavor is the bread?"

"...Red bean."

"A red bean bun loses its smell after seventy meters. You walked all the way here from the cafeteria holding it out in front of you?"

The question caught him off guard. "...How did you know?"

"There are bread crumbs on your cuff."

After saying that, she reached out and pinched away the nearly invisible crumb on his cuff. Her movements were gentle, and once she was done, she withdrew her hand.

Kiryu Yume looked down at his cuff, then at her.

She was already watching the ants again, as if nothing had happened.

"Not hungry?"

"I was waiting to eat with you."

She lifted her gaze from the ants and looked at the sunlight filtering through the gaps between the leaves. "Today's shadows are shorter than yesterday's."

"Hm?"

"The angle of the sun changed. In another two weeks, there won't be any shadows at noon."

Kiryu Yume looked at the shadows on the ground, then at her. "...The summer solstice is coming?"

"Yeah."

Morishita Ran raised a hand and held it in the sunlight. The shadow of her five fingers fell on the ground like five lines of different lengths. "On the summer solstice, if I step on my shadow, it won't be able to betray me."

She laughed first after saying that, the corner of her lips curling slightly. Then she lowered her hand and returned to her usual expression.

"The bread."

He tore open the wrapper and handed it to her.

She took it, bit off a large mouthful, chewed twice, then handed it back.

He accepted it. Her teeth marks were still on the edge of the bread.

He hadn't changed where he was biting—his mouth moved before his brain registered that it was the spot she had bitten. His teeth had already sunk in. That small piece of bread retained the warmth of her bite and a faintly damp texture. When the tip of his tongue touched the edge of her teeth marks, the roots of his ears heated up. He chewed twice and swallowed.

Morishita Ran turned her head and glanced at him, then looked away again. "You ate my saliva."

Kiryu Yume choked.

"...If you hadn't said it, no one would've thought of it."

"I said it." Her tone remained even. "But you didn't avoid it."

He couldn't argue with that.

The line of ants climbed over a pebble, wound around a tree root, and stretched into the grass. The line grew longer and thinner until only a few stragglers remained, slowly dragging tiny scraps along.

"How's your midterm studying going?"

"I'm catching up on history."

"You're so dumb."

"You almost failed history too."

"But I'm better at math than you." She reached out, took the bread back, and bit into it again. "Bring me this week's math homework. I'll look it over for you."

"Since when were you so helpful?"

"The ants have finished moving house," she said. "I have time now."

She handed the bread back, flicking his hand lightly with a finger. She didn't pull her hand away afterward, leaving it resting on the edge of the wrapper. "Eat faster. The ants will have dispersed before you're done."

Kiryu Yume lowered his head and took a bite of bread, unable to suppress the smile at the corner of his lips.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and landed on her knees. Where it shone on her black tights, they gave off a warm glow, like the glossy coating on chocolate.

The line of ants grew shorter and shorter until only a few stragglers remained, slowly dragging tiny scraps along.

Morishita Ran stuffed the last bite of bread into her mouth and brushed the crumbs from her hands. "Don't buy red bean buns during lunch break anymore."

"Why?"

"They smell too strong. Even the cat on your bag has absorbed the scent."

She stood and patted the dirt from her skirt. "Let's go. We'll be late for the first class this afternoon."

"Didn't you say you were waiting for the ants to finish?"

"They're done."

She pointed toward the tree roots. The tail end of the last line of ants had just disappeared into the edge of the grass. "Right when you finished your bread."

Kiryu Yume stood and brushed the dirt off his knees. His legs had gone a little numb from crouching too long, so he shook one of them out.

She took a step forward, then turned back and reached out to straighten the dark blue cat hanging crookedly from the side pocket of his bag. "It's always crooked."

"It gets crooked on its own."

Morishita Ran glanced at him, then lowered her head, unfastened the cat from the pocket opening, and clipped it back on. Only after adjusting the direction of its face did she let go. The dark blue cat hung neatly from the side pocket of his bag, both ears facing forward.

As she released it, her fingertips brushed against the fabric of his bag, so lightly he barely felt it.

"There."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

She walked two steps ahead, then turned back to add, "Don't buy red bean tomorrow either."

"Then what should I buy?"

"Anything. Just not red bean."

With that, she left.

Kiryu Yume stood where he was, watching the dark blue cat charm sway from the side pocket of his bag.

Then he followed her.

The wind blew over from the field, lifting her hair and brushing it across his arm. A thin layer of goosebumps rose where it touched.