In the blink of an eye, Saturday arrived.
Futaba Town.
Sato, Yuuki Asuna, and Nishimiya Shouko stepped out of the station together. The dazzling sun was already high in the sky.
The sky was crystal clear, and the sunlight was bright.
The deep blue sky resembled an endless ocean, while white clouds raced across it like galloping horses.
"It's starting to get pretty warm."
Sato narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sun overhead.
Today, he was wearing only a thin white knit sweater with a pair of casual pants.
"Yeah."
Yuuki Asuna and Nishimiya Shouko also tilted their heads up slightly, agreeing with him as they looked at the sky.
Sunlight fell across their smooth faces.
Standing at the station exit, the three of them constantly attracted the attention of passersby.
Whether it was Sato or the two girls with him, their appearances were simply too striking. There was no way they could avoid drawing attention.
Sato stood between them, with Yuuki Asuna on his left and Nishimiya Shouko on his right.
Asuna's flaxen hair was tied into a simple fishtail braid. She wore a light mint-green off-the-shoulder top and white shorts. Her fair, delicate shoulders seemed to glisten under the sunlight, and her entire appearance radiated youthful energy.
Meanwhile, Shouko's pink hair was tied into a ponytail. She was wearing the Private Mixed High School uniform: a white blouse beneath a black blazer, with a blue ribbon fastened at her chest.
Just standing there, the three of them formed a beautiful scene.
Sato glanced down at his phone and messaged Isshiki Iroha to ask where she was.
Very soon, he spotted someone in the distance waving enthusiastically at them.
"Over here!"
"Let's go."
The three of them walked over to where Isshiki Iroha was standing in the shade of a bus stop.
She immediately complained,
"You guys are way too slow."
"But it's not even the agreed time yet."
Sato had just checked his phone. There were still about ten minutes left before they were supposed to meet.
"Hmph. Don't you know making a girl wait tanks your affection points?"
Sato looked at her speechlessly.
"What do you think this is, a dating sim?"
"You should know games are based on reality!"
Isshiki Iroha looked at him with complete seriousness.
Sato rubbed his chin thoughtfully before looking at her with an equally serious expression.
"What you said actually makes a certain amount of sense... but I think we'd better head to our destination first."
"Asuna, Shouko, let's go."
Yuuki Asuna and Nishimiya Shouko smiled helplessly at Isshiki Iroha before following after Sato.
Isshiki's eyes widened.
This guy actually ignored me?!
She hurried after them and asked,
"Do you even know how to get to the kindergarten?"
Sato suddenly stopped and turned around.
Just as Isshiki thought he was finally about to give in, he instead smiled at her with a somewhat helpless expression.
"I actually do know where it is."
...
Their destination today was Futaba Kindergarten.
When Sato had first heard the name, it had only sounded vaguely familiar, so he hadn't thought much of it.
But the previous night, it suddenly came back to him.
Wasn't this the kindergarten Shinnosuke attended?
Back when he was in middle school, he had arranged to meet Machida Sonoko in Chiba City to discuss some matters related to his novels. During that time, he had stayed at his second brother Nohara Hiroshi's house for a few days.
While he was there, he'd helped his sister-in-law, Nohara Misae, pick Shinnosuke up from Futaba Kindergarten after school.
Having come here once or twice back then, the place had left an impression on him. Even when he'd visited Shinnosuke's family again later, he'd been asked to help, so the memories were still fresh.
Watching Sato walk so confidently, Isshiki Iroha, who had been somewhat skeptical, exclaimed from behind,
"You seriously do know the way?"
"You thought I was joking?"
"But how do you know?"
"That's a long story. What I'm more curious about is why we're coming here on a Saturday."
Sato looked at Isshiki questioningly.
Hearing that, Yuuki Asuna and Nishimiya Shouko also looked at Isshiki curiously.
"That's right, Isshiki-san. Isn't Saturday supposed to be a day off?"
Asuna asked with her bright eyes fixed on her.
Isshiki Iroha instinctively showed a great deal of hostility toward Asuna.
She remained properly wary of this love rival who had suddenly appeared in their class.
Still, a rival was one thing.
She had to keep up appearances.
Isshiki had her own little calculations.
"Well... I heard the kindergarten was being renovated recently, so classes were suspended for a while. They moved the missed classes to the weekends."
She walked along with her hands clasped behind her back, her steps light and full of youthful energy.
Her outfit today was especially cool and summery. She wore a light blue camisole that exposed her shoulders and collarbones, along with a spotless white skirt. Beneath its gently swaying hem were two slender, fair legs.
...
Relying on his memories, Sato led everyone to the entrance of Futaba Kindergarten.
It happened to be arrival time, and parents could frequently be seen bringing their children through the gates.
Two teachers stood outside greeting everyone.
From time to time, childish voices rang out.
"Good morning, Teacher!"
"Good morning!"
The voices of little children sounded pure and completely free of any impurities.
Perhaps this was the most innocent stage of a person's life.
The appearance of Sato's group of four looked rather out of place here, naturally attracting the attention of the two teachers.
The teachers quietly exchanged a few words.
Soon, one of them, a teacher with long black hair, walked over to them. A trace of amazement flashed through her eyes.
Are high school students these days really all this handsome and beautiful?
And I heard they're from that famous college prep school, too.
Great grades and great looks. How is everyone else supposed to compete?
Complaining inwardly, Matsuzaka Ume walked over with a smile.
"Are you the students sent over from Private Mixed High School?"
"Yes."
Yuuki Asuna smiled and nodded.
"I'm Yuuki Asuna. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Isshiki Iroha!"
"I'm Nishimiya Shouko!"
After the girls introduced themselves one by one, Matsuzaka Ume's gaze finally fell on the only boy in the group.
"Hello. I'm Nohara Sato. Thank you for taking care of us today."
"Haha, not at all."
Matsuzaka Ume replied with a smile, but inwardly her feelings became a little complicated.
For some reason, the surname "Nohara" carried an invisible sense of intimidation.