Yamamura Miki Heard It

After the last class of the afternoon ended, Kiryu Yume lay sprawled over his desk without moving. He was still alive, but his soul seemed to have drifted out through the back of his head.

Before class ended, Sakayanagi Arisu passed by his desk, her cane tapping against the floor before pausing. "Starting tomorrow, 7:20 in the morning. At the school gate." She left after saying that, without waiting for his response. Not that he needed to respond. It was not like refusing was an option. Put plainly, he was her attendant now—the same job Kamuro Masumi had.

The students gradually left the classroom. After packing her things, Morishita Ran stood and patted his shoulder. "See you tomorrow."

"...See you tomorrow." Kiryu Yume's voice was muffled by his arms.

Morishita Ran's footsteps faded at the doorway. Kamuro Masumi's seat had long since been empty, and so was Sakayanagi's. Her white cane was gone from beside her desk.

Kiryu Yume sat up and stretched. His stomach growled. He had been too nervous to eat much at lunch. He still had enough points, so he could buy some bread from the vending machine.

There were hardly any people in the hallway anymore. A few students on cleaning duty were mopping far down the other end, while the sunset poured in through the windows, soaking the entire corridor in orange-red light. His shadow stretched long beneath his feet.

The vending machine was around the corner on the first floor of the school building, near the back entrance. It was out of the way; most students used the machines by the cafeteria, so there was usually no line here. As Kiryu Yume turned the corner, he saw someone crouching in front of it. She wore a Class A uniform, her hair in a side ponytail, and had her head lowered so he could not see her face. She was pressing the dispensing button with one finger, but nothing happened. She pressed it again, and still nothing. Tilting her head, she hesitated with her hand hovering over the button for a beat, then gently poked it—like she was poking a bug she was not sure was dead.

Kiryu Yume walked over and stood beside her. "Is it stuck?"

The girl looked up. Her eyes were large, but her gaze darted away before settling on him. Her face was small, her skin a little too pale, and her bangs lightly pressed against her brows. Curled up in front of the vending machine, she looked like a cat stuck in a doorway.

Kiryu Yume remembered that face—on the first day of school, they had nearly bumped into each other in the hall. They had not spoken since. He was not even sure whether she knew his name.

"Ah..." Yamamura Miki opened her mouth, her voice softer than the vending machine's hum. "It seems... to be stuck. I put in the coins, but it didn't come down."

Kiryu Yume glanced at the display. It read "160 points," and the bread was indeed stuck in its slot. He patted the side of the vending machine, but nothing happened. Then he hit it again, putting a little force into it.

Clunk. The bread dropped into the collection slot.

Yamamura Miki's eyes brightened slightly. It was only a small change, but Kiryu Yume saw it.

"...Thank you."

"It's nothing." Kiryu Yume stepped aside from the collection slot.

Yamamura Miki reached in and took out the bread, then stood. Only after she straightened up did Kiryu Yume realize she was quite a bit shorter than him, probably reaching his shoulder. Hugging the bread to herself, she lowered her head and pressed her lips together, as though she had something to say but did not know which word to begin with.

Kiryu Yume took out his phone, scanned his student ID, and selected a can of strawberry milk and a bag of shrimp chips. The vending machine hummed twice.

"Um..." Yamamura Miki had not left. She stood there holding her bread.

"What is it?"

"You..." Her voice was so quiet that Kiryu Yume had to tilt his ear toward her. "You're Kiryu, right?"

"Yeah. You're Yamamura?"

Yamamura Miki nodded. Her gaze landed on him, shifted away, then came back again. She was not scrutinizing him so much as repeatedly confirming something.

"Before..." Her voice grew even softer. "In the hallway, I heard you shout something."

Kiryu Yume froze. "Shout something?"

"Mm." Yamamura Miki lowered her head. "On the first day of school. You were in the hallway, shouting... a word at the air."

Kiryu Yume's mind buzzed. He had shouted something on the first day of school. He had hidden in a corner of the hallway to secretly practice with the system, quietly calling out "Mom" a few times. He had thought no one was around. His face began to burn.

"You heard that?" His voice was a little dry.

Yamamura Miki nodded. She did not repeat the word, but the tips of her ears flushed faintly red. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop... I was just passing by. You didn't seem to notice me."

Kiryu Yume took a deep breath. Another person knew. But Yamamura Miki was not looking at him like he was a pervert, nor did she step back. She simply stood there holding her bread, her ears red, waiting for him to speak.

"Did anyone else hear it?" he asked.

Yamamura Miki shook her head. "Probably... not. I was the only one in the hallway then."

Kiryu Yume let out a breath of relief. He looked at the bread in Yamamura Miki's hands, then at the strawberry milk in his own.

"Isn't dry bread kind of hard to eat by itself? Want something to drink? My treat."

Yamamura Miki blinked, her lips parting slightly. "...Why?"

Kiryu Yume thought about it. He could not exactly say, Because you know my secret and I want to keep you quiet. "We're classmates, but we've never talked. Since we happened to run into each other, I thought we could get acquainted."

Yamamura Miki stared at him for two seconds. Her eyes were very clear. She looked at him plainly, with nothing hidden in them.

"...Okay." Her voice was still soft, but the end of it did not tremble.

Kiryu Yume bought another can of strawberry milk from the vending machine and handed it to her. Yamamura Miki took it, holding the can in both hands without opening it right away. They stood beside the vending machine, a step apart.

Kiryu Yume spoke first. "Do you usually go straight back to the dorm after school?"

"Mm... Sometimes I go to the library."

"Do you go to the cafeteria?"

"...I do."

"Are you going today?"

Yamamura Miki thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Let's go together. I'm going too."

The two walked side by side toward the cafeteria. Kiryu Yume slowed his pace considerably, but Yamamura Miki walked even slower, so he followed her rhythm. She made almost no sound as she walked; the soles of her shoes brushed the tiles like a cat stepping on a cushion.

There were not many people in the cafeteria, and the window seats were empty. Kiryu Yume found a seat with his curry rice, while Yamamura Miki came over carrying a small bowl of udon and sat down. They faced each other and quietly ate a few bites.

"Yamamura," Kiryu Yume said, setting down his spoon. "Who do you usually eat with?"

Yamamura Miki lowered her head. "...By myself."

Kiryu Yume did not press further. He scooped up some curry and put it in his mouth, looking out the window. The sun was sinking, and the sky was turning from orange-red to deep purple.

Halfway through their meal, a shadow fell across the table.

"Kiryu, is anyone sitting beside you?"

Kiryu Yume looked up. Morishita Ran stood there holding a tray with curry rice and fried chicken on it. She looked at Kiryu Yume, then at Yamamura Miki. Something glinted in her blue-violet downturned eyes—the gleam of discovering a combination she had never seen before.

"Morishita," Kiryu Yume said, pointing across the table. "This is Yamamura, from our class."

"I know." Morishita Ran looked at Yamamura Miki. "Hello, Yamamura."

Yamamura Miki raised her head, letting her gaze rest briefly on Morishita Ran's face before lowering it. "...Hello."

"Can I sit here?" Morishita Ran pointed to the seat beside Kiryu Yume.

"Sure," Kiryu Yume said.

Morishita Ran sat down and arranged her tray. She looked at Yamamura Miki's udon, then at Kiryu Yume's curry rice. Taking a bite of fried chicken, she made a faint crunching sound.

"How did you two meet?"

"By the vending machine," Kiryu Yume said. "Her bread got stuck, so I gave it a smack."

Morishita Ran nodded and turned to Yamamura Miki. "Yamamura, you do not usually eat with other people, do you?"

Yamamura Miki's chopsticks paused. "...Mm."

"Then eat with us from now on." Morishita Ran's tone was light, but not perfunctory. "Kiryu and I often eat together. It'll be livelier with three people."

Yamamura Miki looked up, something flickering in her eyes. "...Is that okay?"

"Of course." Morishita Ran looked at Kiryu Yume after saying that. "Right?"

"Right." Kiryu Yume nodded.

Yamamura Miki lowered her head and continued eating her noodles. Kiryu Yume saw the corner of her mouth move—not quite a smile, but close to one.

The three ate for a while longer. Morishita Ran asked Yamamura Miki what kinds of books she liked and whether she usually went to the library. Yamamura Miki's answers were all brief—"novels," "sometimes," "I don't really remember the titles"—but she answered every question. Kiryu Yume occasionally chimed in, mostly to complain that the potatoes in the curry were cut too large.

After dinner, the three left the cafeteria together. It was completely dark outside, and the streetlights cast a pale glow across the ground. Morishita Ran walked in front, while Kiryu Yume and Yamamura Miki followed side by side. The night wind blew over from the athletic field, carrying the scent of grass and soil.

At the fork in the road, Morishita Ran waved. "See you tomorrow. Yamamura, want to have lunch together tomorrow?"

"...Okay." Yamamura Miki's voice carried a little more weight than before, as though she had placed an invisible period beneath that one word.

Just as they were nearing the dorm entrance, Yamamura Miki suddenly stopped.

"Kiryu."

"Yeah?"

"About what you shouted..." Her voice became soft again, but her eyes did not avoid his. "I won't tell anyone."

Kiryu Yume paused, then smiled.

"Thanks."

"No need to thank me." Yamamura Miki lowered her head and looked at the unopened can of strawberry milk in her hands. "You bought me this."

"That's nothing."

"It is." Yamamura Miki looked up at him, her expression so serious that Kiryu Yume felt his smile was not serious enough. "It's the first time anyone has bought me something to drink."

Kiryu Yume opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond. The yellow streetlight fell over Yamamura Miki's profile, dyeing her eyelashes pale gold.

"...Then I'll treat you more often."

Yamamura Miki nodded. "...Okay."

She turned and headed into the building. After taking a few steps, she stopped and looked back.

"Kiryu. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Her figure disappeared through the dorm entrance. Kiryu Yume remained where he was, looking in that direction. The night wind blew past him. The cherry blossoms had long since fallen, leaving only the scent of grass and earth in the air. He had made a new friend today. And she knew his secret, but she would not tell.

The system panel appeared automatically.

[Current Mom: 1 (Kamuro Masumi)]

[Bond: Coercion]

He closed the panel. The streetlights stretched his shadow long, then short again.

Starting tomorrow, he had to go to the school gate at 7:20 to meet Sakayanagi Arisu. He recalled the look on Sakayanagi's face when she said, "You're coming with me," then remembered the cool touch of her fingertips when she patted his head. The days of calling her "Mom Sakayanagi" were probably not far off.

Kiryu Yume shoved his hands into his pockets and headed toward the dorm. The night path was quiet, his footsteps sounding one after another beneath the streetlights. When he reached the dorm building, he paused and looked up at his room's window. The lights were still off, and it was pitch-black. He did not know what tomorrow would bring. But today, at least, had not been too bad.