"Takagi-san, are you looking for something?"
Shouko tilted her head, puzzled, as she watched her classmate emerge from the school store, checking her pockets and glancing around the ground.
Takagi Sana glanced toward the gymnasium one last time before shaking her head slightly. "No… It's nothing. Let's go."
She followed Shouko toward the teaching building, her expression unreadable.
I'll check the lost and found later, she thought. Blindly searching won't help—especially when I don't even remember when it went missing. But I'm sure I had it before entering the school.
Back in the classroom, the two girls joined Akira for lunch. The three of them sat together, eating their bentos under the gentle hum of midday chatter.
After the meal, Akira and Shouko headed to look at the class timetable while most students were still at their desks.
8:20–8:30: Morning Assembly
8:40–12:10: Morning Classes
12:10–12:55: Midday Break
13:00–15:10: Afternoon Classes
Friday Dismissal: 14:00 sharp
Breaks between classes lasted ten minutes, and club activities were optional, held after regular hours and lasting until after 5:00 PM.
Akira thought it seemed manageable. Not much different from elementary school, aside from the option to join clubs.
That afternoon, Nobe-sensei led the students to collect their school uniforms, PE and swimwear kits, and indoor shoes—seven clothing items and two pairs of shoes in total. She then guided the class to the designated shoe lockers on the first floor of Building 1.
Each locker already had a student's name. Akira quickly spotted his and Shouko's—only Takagi Sana's locker separated them.
Once lockers were sorted, Nobe walked them back to the classroom and laid out expectations for cleaning duties: classroom chores were done in pairs, while public area cleaning (the corridors on the second and third floors of Building 1) rotated among groups of four.
Coincidentally, Akira was paired with Shouko for classroom cleaning. For public areas, it was Akira, Shouko, Takagi Sana, and Nishikata Naoto.
"And most importantly—don't forget to wear your uniform tomorrow, alright?!"
"Understood!" echoed the chorus of students.
With that, class was dismissed.
"Let's go, Akira." Shouko packed her textbooks and glanced over.
"Okay, okay." Akira, who had only a few things to carry, stood and reached out, offering to take her bag.
But Shouko quickly dodged his hand with a subtle smile.
"See you tomorrow, Takagi-san!" she called back brightly, waving as she left the room with her uniform in hand.
Akira, holding his empty backpack, trailed after her.
Takagi Sana watched them until they turned the corner, then quietly packed her own things and left the room.
—
"I remember a boy brought it in. I can show you the surveillance footage—want to take a look?"
"Yes, please. Thank you."
Takagi Sana stood inside the lost and found office as the staff pulled up the video. The recording loaded, revealing a boy dropping off a small handkerchief.
Her brows furrowed. He looks familiar… but where have I seen him?
She thanked the staff quietly and left with the recovered item in hand.
—
"I'm home!"
"Welcome back."
As Akira and Shouko stepped into the living room, Miyamura Shizuka, seated on the couch, immediately perked up. "So—how was your first day?"
She reached over, gently taking the neatly wrapped uniform from Shouko's hands.
"It was okay," Shouko replied as she sat down. "I met a lot of kind classmates."
Akira, unnoticed for a moment, placed his things near the tatami, grabbed some grapes, and flopped onto the couch with his phone. He started searching for light novels, planning to check if any were stocked at a nearby bookstore.
Reading on a flip phone? Not a chance—he preferred the feel of a real book.
"I can't wait to see you in your uniform tomorrow," Shizuka said warmly, holding the uniform against Shouko's frame. "It suits you already."
After folding the uniform and setting it aside, she turned toward her son, who hadn't said a word since returning home.
"Well? What about you, oh 'Cold Prince'?"
"Pfft—" Shouko giggled before Akira could even respond.
"Seriously, Mom?" Akira muttered, lowering his phone. "I just didn't say anything yet. Chill."
"Everything's normal. You can relax, Shizuka-chin."
"Good," she replied with mock sternness. "Not that I was expecting a dramatic monologue or anything."
"Oh, right—clubs," she added. "You get to choose one now, don't you? Thought about which one you might join?"
"Um… I'm thinking about the Art Club," Shouko said after a pause.
Shizuka blinked. "Art Club? What sparked that?"
Across the room, Akira stopped chewing. A long-forgotten memory flickered in his mind.
Kindergarten. Their last year.
One evening, lying on his bed, Shouko had come over to play. She looked at him with wide, curious eyes.
"Akira… Ms. Ue'o asked us today what we want to be when we grow up. What's your answer?"
He remembered how she had kicked her feet lightly, lying beside him, peering at his face with innocent curiosity.
"Hm…" He had rested his head on his arm, not expecting the question. Until then, he had planned to give a throwaway answer.
But because it was Shouko asking… he answered seriously.
"Maybe… a light novelist?"
He knew his dad probably expected him to eventually take over the family office, but writing didn't conflict with that. It could be his own dream—on the side.
Shouko had tilted her head, confused. "Light novelist? What's that?"
She had heard classmates talk about becoming police officers, scientists, or even pro athletes. But "light novelist" was new to her.
And now, years later… she was joining the Art Club.
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