I used my full name.
No abbreviations.
This… was the official announcement of a scolding session.
"I want to hear your excuses… now."
"Well… I don't have one."
I said it while wearing my special face for utter defeat and total collapse.
*"Ah…"
Mom sighed, a look of complete expectation on her face.
"I figured as much."
"...You mean… you're not going to punish me?"
"And punish you for what? You'll be going to school by yourself. I'm not driving you there."
Huh?…
That's already a punishment in itself.
"I'm not skipping! I just… skipped for fifteen days! And the absence sheet always repeats itself around this time of year!"
A desperate defensive strike.
Then… a pause in thought.
"But Mom… since when do you know Mizuki?"
She looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
"She moved in while you were in the hospital. She's our neighbor."
She said it… then her expression froze for a moment, as if something about it didn't sit right.
"...Though, I've never seen her parents. Not even once."
"Maybe she lives alone, Mom."
I said it like it was nothing, but in my head, alarm bells were ringing.
She came from Japan, right?
So maybe she really does live alone… or… I don't know.
In my previous world—or the real one, or whatever it's called—
the house Mizuki lives in now…
no one used to live there.
It was built all of a sudden, three floors high, but stayed empty for years.
I always thought it was some kind of holiday house… or something mysterious, like a sleeping creature.
But now… Mizuki lives in it.
"Hmm… I suppose that's true."
Mom nodded slowly, then added in a curious tone:
"But I didn't expect her to be in your school… I thought she was younger."
Huh?
Even Mom noticed?
"Her face is… childish. Like a little puppy."
"And she's so short… I thought I was short, but she's even shorter!"
"Mom, you're 173 cm, and you're calling yourself short?"
I looked at her with a dumb face.
"Yes!" she said it with confidence.
"I remember my friend from high school, she was tall! About 183, I think."
"She was taller than most of the boys."
"Mom, yeah your friend was tall… but you're not short."
As for me—
I'm currently 186 cm.
And I know I'll soon reach 195…
though I hate that.
The ideal height, in my opinion?
188.
I want to stop growing there.
In this world… that's enough.
I looked up to see her—
but Mom had already left.
Maybe she remembered something, or had something to do.
Either way…
Now it was my turn.
I just wanted to step outside for a bit—get some fresh air.
If I ran into any of the guys, maybe we could hang out.
I stepped out the door and wandered around the neighborhood. Honestly, my friend's place was ridiculously close. Same old spot we always sat at.
And sure enough…
Raouf, Douma, and Ayman were already there.
I raised my hand with a smile.
"How's it going?"
Raouf, smiling as always, replied,
"All good… what about you? Things going well?"
I gave a faint grin.
"Eh… kinda. You could say that, hahaha…"
"Hakeem, your beard's gotten big! Even the barber's asking about you!"
Douma said it with a laugh, like he was bragging about something.
Ah, Douma…
How do I even explain him?
He's dark-skinned.
Slightly taller than average.
But… his face will always look boyish.
Even though he's a year older than me, he'll forever look like the youngest in our group.
Even his height—
At most, he'll hit 175 cm.
And honestly, I doubt he'll even reach that.
His hair?
Plain.
Black.
No beard, no mustache.
And judging by his future…
He's never going to grow either of them.
"Pff—"
I chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
Ayman raised a brow, his tone sarcastic but playful.
"Nothing… just remembered something."
I rubbed my face, trying to hold back my laughter.
Ayman…
The pale guy with glasses.
Brown hair, kind of curly—though like, shy curls.
His build? Pretty good.
Height? Decent enough.
But you, Ayman…
You're going to regret it.
That teasing you keep doing to Moataz?
It's going to come back to bite you.
Literally.
Just imagine—
Moataz.
That tiny short kid.
Pale-skinned.
The one you keep calling "a walking egg" every single day.
In two years?
He'll be taller than you.
And the thought alone…
…was enough to make my mouth twitch.
"Pffff…"
I laughed again.
I couldn't hold it anymore.
And I burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha…"
Everyone joined in.
"Haha, Hakim, what's so funny?!"
Raouf asked me while laughing himself, his expressions always making me laugh even more.
His laughter fed mine, and soon we were trading stories, talking about how life's been, and laughing at things that didn't even deserve a laugh.
We kept going… until the conversation shifted to—
"Did you guys see that new girl? Man… she's really pretty, I swear!"
Raouf said it like he had just stepped straight into some cheap romantic anime.
"You're right, maaan… she's got a big chest!"
Doma, as usual, fired off his comment without any filter.
Not a hint of shame.
"Have a little decency, will you, Doma? It's not like it's the first time you've seen a girl!"
I mumbled the words under my breath.
But it seemed… either he didn't hear me—
or, more likely, he ignored me as usual.
"Oh, you mean the short one, right? I saw her reading in 1A4… yeah, she must've switched classrooms, but I saw her studying there."
Ayman threw in his observation,
then added, with a tone that sounded like he was even surprising himself:
"But… she didn't see me. I'm in the class right next to hers though."
And then… they all turned to me.
"Hakim, did you see her?"
They were all waiting for my answer.
But… me?
I hadn't been paying attention to the topic at all.
I raised an eyebrow and asked in a half-cold tone:
"Which girl are you talking about?"
Honestly…
I had no idea who they meant.
I'd only been here for one day.
They could be talking about more than one person…
It reminded me of that time in the past—
when they'd all been excitedly talking about some girl named "Melissa,"
and I was convinced they were talking about a completely different person.
"Oh right… you're the type who never asks, never looks around… doesn't care."
One of them said it, and they all laughed,
then kept talking like the moment had passed without weight.
As for me…
my mind drifted in a completely different direction.
Maybe…
it is time to finally shave my hair and beard.
Three and a half months without a shave.
Why? Pure laziness.
I looked like some kind of caveman.
But with school tomorrow, I had to do something about it.
"Look, over there."
Raouf motioned with his eyes, barely moving his head, just enough not to draw attention.
"That's her, look."
Doma added:
"She's the one I told you I saw in my department—that's definitely her."
I lifted my head, my seat giving me a clear view of the front.
No need to turn my body—
"…Mizuki?"
They didn't hear me, but I whispered it.
Was she really the one they'd been talking about all this time?
Why?
I looked at her…
Mizuki, standing on the balcony of her house, on the top floor.
She seemed to be looking out at the scenery in front of her.
Her house sat high up, and the view… was worth pausing for.
"…She's beautiful."
I said it softly—
without meaning to.
Maybe it was because she looked different in that moment.
I couldn't really see her clearly, but…
her outfit made her stand out.
It was a dress.
Not a wedding dress—no…
a simple one, just long enough to fall below the knees.
White with a soft pink hue, decorated with delicate patterns.
She looked like a countryside girl who had just stepped out of an old picture book…
or maybe a noble girl, locked away in her manor, watching the world from above.
And then—
suddenly—
she turned toward us.
She saw us.
She smiled.
And she waved.
To them?
It was just a casual gesture… something that could be for any of us.
But to me?
I knew.
She was waving at me.
"She's… waving at us? Why?"
Raouf turned toward us, puzzled.
Of course he didn't know. They had never met her before.
As for me…
I just wanted to run away.
I got up from my seat and quickly said:
"I'm heading to the barber. See you."
"See you…"
They replied absentmindedly, as if used to my sudden escapes.
Maybe tomorrow I'd tell her:
"Don't do that again. We're not in Japan."
I remembered her face then—
that smile,
that waving hand…
I placed my hand over my face.
"This has to be a dream. I'll wake up soon… so don't get attached."
I walked.
Step…
after step…
I would end the last day of summer break.
And tomorrow…
Hello, school.
I…
I'm waiting.
Waiting to see what this world has in store for me.
A world…
I don't know.
And I don't even know…
if I'm ready for it.