Left Side

On the third day after calling Sakayanagi "Mom," Kiryu Yume woke up before his alarm.

Six thirty-three. He blinked at the ceiling twice, then sat up. The first day had been escort duty, the second day starting the job, and the third day—he could not say what it counted as. Probably getting used to it.

He pressed down his sticking-up hair, but it would not stay down after three tries. Forget it. When he left the dormitory, dawn had just fully broken. The morning breeze smelled the same as ever, the cherry blossoms were thinner than they had been a few days ago, and green buds had begun to emerge on the branches.

Sakayanagi Arisu was already waiting at the school gate. She was not looking at her phone today, instead tilting her head slightly upward to look at the sky. Morning light struck her from the side, turning her silver hair pale gold.

From a distance, Kiryu Yume saw the scene and unconsciously slowed for a beat before returning to his normal pace and walking over.

"Good morning, Sakayanagi."

Sakayanagi lowered her head, her violet eyes meeting his. "Good morning, Kiryu. Six thirty-seven. You're early again."

"I'm used to getting up early."

"Used to it?" Sakayanagi tilted her head. "You formed a habit in only a few days?"

"I adapt quickly."

Sakayanagi let out a soft laugh and switched her cane to her other hand. "Let's go."

Kiryu Yume followed. One step behind and to the side. He no longer needed to think about that distance; his feet found the position on their own.

Kamuro Masumi approached from the direction of the school building, a folder in hand. She wore a light-gray cardigan over her uniform today, but her expression was still as poker-faced as ever. When she saw Sakayanagi and Kiryu Yume, her steps paused.

"Morning." Kamuro Masumi handed the folder to Sakayanagi. "I organized the materials from yesterday's meeting."

"Thank you." Sakayanagi accepted it and flipped through the pages. "Good work, Masumi."

"It was nothing." Kamuro Masumi glanced at Kiryu Yume. It was a brief look, but Kiryu Yume noticed she was not looking at his face—she was looking at where he stood. One step behind and to the side. It was not her usual position, but it was getting closer.

"I'll go to class first." Kamuro Masumi turned and left, her black hair swaying behind her.

Sakayanagi watched her back, then turned to Kiryu Yume. "Masumi has been looking at you more often these past two days."

"Has she?"

"She has. You didn't notice?"

"...I didn't."

"You don't pay attention to her, but she pays attention to you." Sakayanagi took a step forward, the sound of her cane touching the pavement soft. "Come on. We can talk while we walk."

The two walked forward side by side. Kiryu Yume noticed that Sakayanagi was not walking ahead of him today. Instead, she had slowed down to let him walk beside her. It was a small change, but he felt it.

"Kiryu."

"Yeah?"

"Do you know why Masumi has started paying attention to you?"

"No."

"Because you're on my left," Sakayanagi said. "She usually stands on the right. You took a place she has never stood in, so she's not used to it."

Kiryu Yume lowered his head to look at where he stood—behind Sakayanagi's left side. He had picked it casually. He had not expected there to be any significance to it.

"Then should I stand on the right?"

"No. The left is nice."

Sakayanagi said those three words so softly they were nearly inaudible, but Kiryu Yume heard them. His heart skipped a beat.

When they reached the entrance to the school building, Sakayanagi stopped and turned around. Kiryu Yume stopped as well. She looked up at him, a faint smile in her eyes.

"Kiryu, you look well today."

"...I slept all right."

"What did you dream about?"

"Nothing." He had dreamed about it—Sakayanagi had tapped him on the head with her cane, then rubbed it afterward. He could not tell her that.

Sakayanagi turned back and continued walking. Kiryu Yume followed at her left, one step away. That position had a name now—the left side. Kamuro Masumi stood on the right, while he stood on the left. Not directly behind her, not bringing up the rear, but on her left. There was a big difference.

As they entered the school building, there were already quite a few people in the hallway. Several Class A students watched Sakayanagi and Kiryu Yume walk in side by side, their gazes varying in scrutiny. Kiryu Yume did not lower his head, but neither did he look back. He no longer needed to prove anything—getting up every morning was proof in itself.

Katsuragi Kohei approached from the other end, several books in hand. His gaze passed over Kiryu Yume, then Sakayanagi, before withdrawing as he continued forward. No frown, no questions. After passing them, his pace neither slowed nor quickened. It remained even.

Kiryu Yume noticed that detail. Katsuragi had not slowed down, which meant he had already filed this matter away—Kiryu Yume was no longer someone "worth considering recruiting," but someone "on the other side." That filing had happened quickly, faster than he had expected.

At the classroom door, Sakayanagi pushed it open. The two entered, one ahead and one to the left. Sakayanagi headed for her seat, while Kiryu Yume went to his own. As he passed Kamuro Masumi's desk, he instinctively glanced at her. Kamuro Masumi was flipping through her notebook without looking up. But the finger she used to turn the page paused on the paper, as if she were listening to their footsteps.

Kiryu Yume reached his desk and sat down. Morishita Ran was already there, reading a new novel. When she saw him, she lowered the book slightly.

"You came in side by side with Sakayanagi today."

"...Is that all you watch every day?"

"Not every day." Morishita Ran turned her head, her blue-violet drooping eyes sweeping over his face. "It's been more interesting lately. You moved from behind her to beside her, and Katsuragi didn't stop when he passed you today. Put those things together, and they say quite a lot."

"What do they say?"

"Your position is changing." Morishita Ran closed her book. "Changing from one lackey to another is not a change. Moving from directly behind her to her side—that is change. Katsuragi saw it, so he won't waste time anymore."

Kiryu Yume was silent for a moment. "Are you always this direct?"

"When necessary."

The class bell rang. Mashima Tomoya entered the classroom, and his chalk left a line of writing across the blackboard. Kiryu Yume opened his notebook and drew a cat in a blank space, then drew a cane. He drew an equals sign between the cat and the cane.

After finishing, he stared at the equals sign for two seconds without erasing it.

The morning classes passed quickly. When the lunch bell rang, Morishita Ran turned around and tapped his desk with the spine of her book. "Let's go. Yamamura is waiting."

Yamamura Miki was already standing in the aisle, clutching a half-read paperback to her chest. Its gray cover and slightly frayed corners showed that it had been read more than once. As Morishita Ran passed by her, she lowered her head to glance at the cover. "Still not done?"

"...Almost." Yamamura Miki pulled the book closer to her chest.

"You said that last week."

"I really am almost done this week."

Kiryu Yume came up from behind. "What are you talking about?"

"Yamamura's reading speed." Morishita Ran started toward the classroom door.

"I saw her by the vending machine a couple days ago, reading while she waited for it to dispense. Her bread got stuck twice, and she didn't notice," Kiryu Yume said.

The tips of Yamamura Miki's ears turned red. "That machine was too quiet."

"The bread getting stuck has nothing to do with the sound, does it?"

"...It does." Her voice was soft, but she stubbornly held her ground. Morishita Ran gave a quiet hum beside her.

The three left the classroom and headed toward the cafeteria. At the corner of the hallway, Kiryu Yume caught sight of a blonde girl standing by the window. Her long golden hair fell over her shoulders, her uniform was immaculate, and an open book rested in her hands. It was Shiraishi Asuka. She was in their class, seated two rows diagonally behind Sakayanagi, yet Kiryu Yume had not spoken a single word to her since school began. She read with her head lowered, unconcerned with the people coming and going around her. Kiryu Yume walked around her without stopping.

The cafeteria was not very crowded. Kiryu Yume ordered curry rice, Morishita Ran had her usual curry rice with fried chicken, and Yamamura Miki carried a bowl of udon. The three sat by the window. Outside, the cherry tree had nearly finished shedding its blossoms, its branches covered in tender green buds.

After only a few bites, Morishita Ran picked up a piece of fried chicken and dipped it in curry sauce.

"Kiryu."

"Yeah?"

"What task has Sakayanagi assigned you lately?"

"...Picking her up for school."

"Just that?"

"For now, just that."

Morishita Ran ate the fried chicken. "She would not have you merely pick someone up. Sakayanagi is the kind of person whose every arrangement has a follow-up. Picking her up is only the first step. The second should be coming soon."

"How do you know?"

"Observation." Morishita Ran's tone was calm. "Since school started, every time Sakayanagi does something, another thing follows. After recommending a leader came recruiting people, and after recruiting people came consolidation. She has you now, Kamuro, and Hashimoto. But she is still missing one thing."

"What?"

"Eyes on the outside." Morishita Ran set her chopsticks on the edge of her tray. "If Class A wants to move upward, knowing only what is happening in its own class is not enough. She needs someone to see what the other classes are doing. Kamuro has her task, and Hashimoto has his. What about you?"

Kiryu Yume thought about it. "...She hasn't assigned me anything yet."

"Soon." Morishita Ran picked up her chopsticks again. "Just be mentally prepared."

Yamamura Miki quietly ate her noodles beside them. Her chopsticks paused. She looked up at Kiryu Yume, her lips moving slightly before she lowered her head again. Steam from the udon bowl obscured half her face.

"...Kiryu. Be careful." Her voice was very soft, but clear.

Kiryu Yume nodded. "Yeah."

The three ate in silence for a while. When they were nearly done, Morishita Ran set down her chopsticks. "Tomorrow, after school, the library. Study session. Both of you are coming."

Kiryu Yume nodded. Yamamura Miki nodded as well.

After afternoon classes ended, Kiryu Yume packed his bag and prepared to leave. Sakayanagi passed by his desk, the rhythm of her cane never stopping, but she tilted her head slightly as she went by.

"Kiryu."

"Yeah?"

"After school today, go take a look at the other classes. Learn what you can."

Kiryu Yume looked up. "All of them?"

"You decide." Sakayanagi left after saying that, with Kamuro Masumi following behind her. The two exited the classroom, and the sound of the cane gradually faded down the hallway.

Kiryu Yume watched their backs, Morishita Ran's words from lunch surfacing in his mind—"The second should be coming soon." And sure enough, it had come. He stood and slung his bag over his shoulder.

Morishita Ran turned around from the front row, resting an elbow on the edge of his desk. "I called it?"

"You called it." Kiryu Yume said, "I'm going to look around the other classes."

"Which one first?"

"Class B is closer."

"Ichinose Honami's class." Morishita Ran slung her bag over her shoulder. "Then Yamamura and I will wait for you in the cafeteria."

"All right."

Yamamura Miki stood beside Morishita Ran with her head lowered, flipping through her paperback. When she heard her name, she raised her eyes briefly, then lowered them again. At the door, she paused, her lips moving slightly.

"What is it?" Kiryu Yume asked.

"...Nothing." She turned and quickly followed Morishita Ran.

Kiryu Yume left the classroom and headed to the second floor. There were not many people in the hallway, only a few students on cleaning duty mopping the floor. His shoes made soft sounds against the tiles. Light shone in through one side of the corridor windows, casting strips of light and shadow across the floor. Class B's classroom was at the other end of the hall. Its door was open, and quite a few people were still inside.

He walked over and leaned against the doorframe to look in. Ichinose Honami stood beside the podium with a notebook in hand, surrounded by four or five classmates. Her short golden hair swayed as she turned, and she casually tucked it behind her ear. The atmosphere in the classroom was different from Class A—there were no obvious factional lines, and people speaking were not watched by another group from a corner.

Kiryu Yume straightened up and stepped inside.