On his way back to the classroom, Shirou ran into Hayato Hayama, who had just stepped out of the restroom.
"Hey, Hayama. Haven't had the chance to greet you until now."
Seeing Shirou, Hayato smiled. "Yeah, it's been years—seven, right? I didn't expect you to transfer here now. Did something happen?"
"You don't know?"
Shirou was a little surprised but then shook his head. "Never mind. I won't say too much. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. Let's head back to the classroom."
As for Hayato, disregarding the animated plotlines from his memories and judging solely by their childhood interactions, Shirou didn't particularly dislike him, but their relationship wasn't especially close either.
After all, when Shirou had first arrived here as a child, he had spent most of his time playing with the Yukinoshita sisters. Hayama had only dropped by occasionally, so they were merely acquainted.
Back in the classroom, Shirou exchanged a few words with the classmates who gathered around before pulling out his textbook for the first-period Japanese class in the afternoon and stretching lazily.
Classes were easy—no need to stress over them. His main focus would have to be on Yukino.
Oh, right. There was also his new place—he hadn't even checked it out yet.
As for this class, when his dad had asked if he wanted to be in the same class as Yukino, Shirou had declined, worried that she might feel awkward at first.
But now, not being in the same class felt inconvenient. Pros and cons, he supposed.
Lost in his thoughts, the bell rang, and Shizuka Hiratsuka strode into the classroom right on time.
"Alright, settle down. Class is starting!"
Shizuka's teaching skills were quite good, and once she got into the rhythm, the entire class listened attentively.
After Japanese class, the remaining two periods were physics and art. Once those were over, it was time for after-school club activities.
Because it was a new semester and freshmen had just entered high school, the past two days had been bustling with club recruitment activities.
However, Shirou was already part of a club, so after class, he grabbed his bag and headed straight to the Service Club's classroom.
In the Service Club, Yukino had arrived a step ahead. When she saw Shirou enter, she took a key from her pocket and handed it to him.
"This is the key to the clubroom. I got another one from the student council. If you arrive first in the future, you can just let yourself in."
"Got it."
After taking the key and putting it away, Shirou sat down and asked, "Does our club have any requests right now?"
Yukino shook her head. "I posted the Service Club's activities on the school bulletin board. We'll just wait for people who need help to come to us. The rest of the time, we can do whatever we want—read books or something."
"That works. Makes things easier."
Just then, the clubroom door was abruptly pushed open.
Shirou and Yukino turned in unison to see Shizuka Hiratsuka standing at the entrance.
Staring at Shizuka, Yukino's tone carried a hint of displeasure. "Hiratsuka-sensei, how many times has this been since I founded the club last year? I've told you before—please knock before entering."
"It's not a big deal. Even if I knocked, you wouldn't respond anyway."
Brushing off the remark, Shizuka walked in and looked at Shirou sitting in his chair. "I didn't expect you to join the Service Club."
Shirou nodded. "Yeah, is that not allowed?"
"No, it's fine." Shizuka raised an eyebrow and turned to Yukino. "I just didn't think Yukinoshita would agree to let someone else join her club."
Smoothing her hair, Yukino replied, "I've never forbidden others from joining. I'm just particular about the members. So, Hiratsuka-sensei, is there anything else you need?"
Glancing between Yukino and Shirou, Shizuka felt like she was missing something but ultimately shook her head. "No, nothing. Since you've already joined, just get along well. I'll take my leave now."
With that, she left the Service Club.
However, after stepping out, she didn't leave immediately. Instead, she lingered outside, pressing her ear to the door for a while. Hearing nothing, she finally walked away, her face full of confusion.
Once Shizuka was gone, Shirou turned his attention back from the door. "Finally left. What's she so curious about?"
Yukino looked at him curiously. "How did you know Hiratsuka-sensei was still outside?"
Pointing to his ear, Shirou grinned. "My hearing's pretty good, and Hiratsuka-sensei's indoor shoes are leather—the footsteps are pretty noticeable. But as soon as the door closed, there was no sound at all. I doubt the door's soundproofing is that good. Oh, I got a message."
Taking out his phone, Shirou checked the text from his mom and nodded.
"Ah, my luggage finally arrived. I was wondering when it'd get here. The apartment's address isn't too far from school. Yukino, do you know how to get there by bus?"
He showed her the message. The girl frowned slightly as she read the address.
"Apartment 602 on the sixth floor—isn't that right next to mine?"
Seeing Yukino's expression, Shirou immediately deduced, "Wait a minute, don't tell me it's your place?"
"No, it's next to mine."
"That's a relief." Shirou exhaled in relief. "If we'd jumped straight into living together, you'd definitely be angry, Yukino. Good thing Mom didn't go overboard. Looks like today's club activities are a no-go—I need to go back and unpack. Yukino, want to head back together? It's not like we're expecting any clients today anyway."
Yukino thought for a moment. While the lack of clients annoyed her, she eventually agreed.
After packing up their bags, the two left the clubroom and the school together.
There weren't many Sobu High students around at this hour—most were still at club activities.
Waiting at the bus stop, Shirou asked, "So you've been living alone since high school? Was it hard to adjust?"
Shaking her head, Yukino replied, "It's been fine. At least I don't have to deal with my sister pestering me all the time."
"Hahaha, true enough. That's just Haruno-nee's personality, isn't it? She should be a sophomore in college now, right?"
"Yes, attending university in Tokyo."
Mentioning her sister Haruno visibly soured Yukino's mood, so Shirou quickly changed the subject.
Soon, the bus arrived. After two stops and a short walk, they arrived at a high-end apartment building.
Taking the elevator to the sixth floor, Shirou used the key he'd picked up from the security desk downstairs to unlock the door. Several cardboard boxes were piled in the entryway—his belongings.
Peering over his shoulder, Yukino said, "Well, I'll leave you to unpack, then."