After school, the sun hit the benches behind the gym just right — not warm, but not cold either.
Rika stretched her legs across the bench and leaned back like she owned it. "We should be doing something productive," she said.
Ayane, sitting cross-legged on the ground with her head against the bench, said, "That's a strong word for a Thursday."
"Is it Thursday?" Miku asked, holding a canned coffee she hadn't opened yet.
"I think so," Rika replied. "If it's not, I've been turning in the wrong homework all week."
None of them sounded concerned.
They didn't plan to meet after school. It just kind of happened. Like it always did.
Ayane started poking at a small crack in the pavement with a pencil. "Everyone says high school goes by fast, but honestly it feels like we've been here forever."
"That's because you've been spacing out since first year," Rika said.
Ayane shrugged. "Not a bad way to live."
Miku finally opened her coffee. "I overheard Sota and Junpei talking about how nothing ever changes, and I felt that in my soul."
"You eavesdrop often?" Rika asked.
"I was bored. And they talk loud."
"They really don't," Ayane added. "You were just listening on purpose."
Miku didn't argue.
The three of them sat in silence for a bit. Students passed by in the distance. A couple of pigeons landed nearby and immediately left when Rika moved.
"You ever think we're just side characters in someone else's story?" Ayane asked.
Miku looked at her. "Whose story?"
"Exactly."
Rika tossed her empty juice box into the trash with surprising accuracy. "If we're side characters, we're the ones that get cut when the manga gets adapted to anime."
"That's dark," Miku said.
Ayane chuckled. "Or real."
Miku sipped her coffee. "I think we're just people in the background who also think they're in the background."
"Isn't that just everyone?" Rika asked.
"Maybe."
The bell for club activities rang, but none of them moved.
"Wanna go get fries or something?" Rika asked.
"Sure," Ayane said, already standing up. "Let's contribute to the economy."
Miku stood and stretched. "If we're going to be background characters, we might as well be well-fed ones."
They walked off the school grounds without urgency, without a plan. Just three girls who didn't need anything big to happen. The world could stay boring — it was still theirs.