"Akira, wake up. Nobe's almost here."
"Mmm…" He mumbled in reply, rubbing at his eyes and squinting toward the classroom door.
Seeing he was at least semi-conscious, Shouko withdrew the hand that had been shaking his shoulder and turned back to chat with Takagi-san in the few minutes before homeroom.
Before long, Akira watched Nobe stride in from the hallway, textbook in hand. Their eyes met briefly — then both looked away as if nothing happened.
Clap clap.
She smacked the blackboard with one hand. "I could hear this class from halfway down the hall! Other classes are sitting quietly, waiting for their teacher. You lot? Noisy as ever!"
Bang bang!
She slapped the podium for emphasis, jolting a few half-asleep students upright.
Akira sighed internally. If Nobe was this worked up first thing in the morning, her mouth wouldn't stop for at least five minutes. Sure enough, she launched into one of her long, circular lectures.
Just when it seemed like she was winding down, two voices cut into the silence — not loud, but clear enough for every ear in the room:
"Think she's going through early menopause…?"
"Or maybe late menopause…"
Every head turned toward the culprits — except Shouko, who only looked after noticing Akira glancing that way.
Nobe's face darkened. From the front row, Akira imagined you could probably see a vein throbbing on her forehead.
She didn't yell at them on the spot, but the lecture — which should have ended minutes ago — stretched another ten.
When the bell finally rang, the two brave souls were immediately summoned to the staff room, and Akira dropped his head onto his desk to grab a nap during break.
School life, painfully ordinary as ever, resumed without incident — and didn't stop him from catching up on sleep.
—
"Akira, get up! It's already past ten! Did you stay up late again?"
Shouko stood at his bedside, shaking him with more energy than necessary.
"I'm awake, I'm awake… stop shaking…" he muttered, catching her wrists.
She slipped free, planting her hands on her hips. "You said goodnight to me on the phone yesterday, but then you stayed up? What, is talking to me exhausting now?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I reviewed the first half of the semester," he said, rubbing at his eyes, voice still thick with sleep. "Do you believe me?"
"Do you think I would?" She rolled her eyes. "Hurry up and change. I'll wait downstairs."
She left, closing the door behind her.
Akira stared after her for a beat before dragging himself upright and pulling on the clothes stacked at his bedside. Time really did fly — the last semester was already ending, and the exam was tomorrow.
In Japan, junior high is split into three terms. The first starts in April, when new students arrive full of anticipation. Lessons begin gently: national language builds reading and writing skills; math starts with simple algebra and geometry…
The second term runs September to December — though if you asked him what the teaching plan was, he couldn't tell you. He hadn't exactly been keeping track.
The third term, January to March, closes out the year.
Three breaks — spring, summer, winter — punctuate it all. Summer is the longest, spring the shortest.
Click.
The door opened halfway and Shouko's head poked in. "You didn't fall back asleep, did you?"
He froze, halfway out of his pajama pants, and stared at her.
"Carry on!" Bang! She shut the door again.
He shook his head and kept changing. She'd been acting oddly these past few days… mood swinging for no reason. He suspected it might be her first period coming, but he wasn't exactly an expert. The internet gave him every possible answer — half said it was normal, half said it wasn't.
—
"Good morning, Aunt Nishimiya."
He greeted her at the dining table, where she was chatting with his mom, before heading to the washroom.
After this semester, he was sure Aunt Nishimiya had nothing to do with that matter. Why she'd been with Mr. Nishimiya that day was still a mystery, though.
After washing up and eating, he returned to the living room where Shouko was waiting. Once he confirmed the moms were still in the dining room, he sat at the coffee table and dropped it casually:
"Shouko, is your period coming?"
"Akira, you pervert…" She flushed scarlet, grabbed a pillow, and threw it at him.
When junior high started, Miyamura Auntie had already explained what menarche meant: the first menstruation for a Girl, usually around 13 or 14. She'd told her not to be scared — just avoid cold and spicy foods, rest well, and don't overdo exercise.
There were signs, she'd said. Breast tenderness. Slight spotting a day or two before. Increased discharge months beforehand. Even new hair growth in certain places.
The first two matched — tenderness had been annoying lately — but the last? She'd checked in the mirror last night and… nothing.
She'd been debating whether to ask Mom or Miyamura Auntie. Conveniently, Mom was home today.
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