The next day.
Yukinoshita Yukino noticed that Minamoto Senya was suddenly… unusually enthusiastic toward her.
So enthusiastic, in fact, that it felt a little too much.
That morning—
After the first dictation lesson in the kindergarten's senior class, little Yukino was, as always, sitting quietly at her desk, absorbed in a book.
Senya, however, strolled into her classroom as casually as if it were his own living room.
Under the surprised gazes of Yukino, her classmates, and even a few teachers, he pulled out a chair, sat down right next to her desk, and made himself comfortable.
Meeting Yukino's startled eyes, he waved his hand lightly and said with an easy grin,"Ah, don't mind me. Just keep reading your book."
Meanwhile, his system's Japanese skill bar was rising noticeably faster, and his heart was bursting with joy.
What he didn't realize was that his behavior—and those offhanded words—left Yukino even more flustered, to the point that she forgot to even ask him why he'd come.
She set her book down and discreetly glanced around.
She had always prided herself on being calm, never swayed by praise or criticism. She could ignore the stares of those around her.
But that didn't mean her heart remained untouched.
Closing her book, Yukino hesitated."This… isn't your class."
The self-proclaimed social bandit didn't miss a beat."So what?"
His answer was so matter-of-fact that she blinked."But it's not right for you to come here."
"The teachers never said we couldn't go to other classrooms."
"…."
Thinking carefully, Yukino realized that was true.
Still, in kindergarten there was an unspoken rule—everyone treated the other classes as "off-limits."
Even if someone needed to talk to her, they would usually stand at the doorway and call her out.
But Senya had completely broken that rule.
Shaking off her doubts, she asked the question she'd forgotten earlier."Did you come here for something?"
"No reason. Just thought I'd come play with my friend."
With the distance between them closed, his experience gain had doubled. At this pace, his Japanese would reach Level 3 in no time!
Senya was grinning inside, only half paying attention as he replied casually.
After all, in his eyes, Yukino was just a child—no need to be overly careful around her.
What he didn't realize was that the word "friend" stirred something inside her, echoing the complicated feelings she'd had yesterday in the car.
Her heart wavered again.
When the break ended, Senya reluctantly stood up and left.
To Yukino, however, it looked as though he were leaving with great reluctance, almost wistful.
The classmate whose chair Senya had "borrowed" hurried back, sulking as he reclaimed it.
Yukino touched her slightly warm cheeks.
She had no idea that this strange new behavior of Senya's was only the beginning.
After art class in the second period—
He came back.
After origami in the third period—
He came back again.
By lunchtime, Yukino thought she'd finally have a moment's peace.
She picked up her chopsticks and began eating, relieved to be free of her "enthusiastic" new friend for at least a while.
But just a few minutes later, Senya appeared again—milk carton in hand, straw between his lips—plopping down beside her.
"Ah, don't mind me. Eat at your own pace," he said cheerfully, repeating the same line as before.
"…"
This time, Yukino noticed the heavy, curious stares of her classmates. Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
"What… what exactly are you trying to do?" she finally demanded, dragging him outside to the back of the slide.
Her face burned bright crimson.
Senya finally realized he might have gone overboard in chasing experience gains.
"Sorry. I just wanted to hang out with you… Did I cause you trouble?"
His straightforward apology completely disarmed her.
Trouble? Had he really?
When she thought about it… not really.
She wasn't actually angry. In fact—if she admitted it to herself—there was even a trace of happiness.
Because he was someone who acknowledged her, sincerely, even if a little exaggerated.
And he was someone willing to lend a hand to others—a person of good character.
Besides, they were… friends.
And friends were supposed to spend time together, weren't they?
After a brief pause, Yukino pointed toward the shade of a tree by the kindergarten's fence. A wooden bench sat beneath it.
"…From now on, during breaks or lunchtime, if you'd like… we can meet there."
It was exactly what Senya wanted to hear. He agreed immediately, finding nothing strange about the arrangement.
And so, from that day on, during recess or lunch, two small figures could always be found sitting quietly together in the corner of the kindergarten yard.
The young teachers, watching from afar, couldn't resist shipping the "little couple" with delight.
Yukino gradually grew used to Senya's constant presence.
Her sister had once said that Yukino seemed lonely and isolated at kindergarten.
But the more Yukino thought about it, the more she realized that description fit Senya far better.
At least she occasionally spoke with Hayama Hayato, the son of her father's friend.
Senya, on the other hand, had no one else but her.
She suspected it was because of his personality.
Like her, he was cold and distant toward others.
Unlike her, though, he never ignored mockery or whispers.
Instead, he confronted them head-on, sharp and unyielding.
She remembered it clearly: when a few kids had teased him for always playing with a girl, calling him a sissy—
Before she could intervene, Senya had snatched up their toys, raising them high as if to smash them.
His unreasonable, reckless threat had been enough to send the boys scrambling, apologizing through their tears, never daring to provoke him again.
Every time she thought of that scene, Yukino couldn't help but stifle a laugh.
And so, time passed quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.
The green of the kindergarten gardens faded to yellow, then sprouted fresh buds once more.
In early March of the following year, Minamoto Senya and Yukinoshita Yukino graduated from the senior class of kindergarten.
In the graduation photo, they stood side by side, on the edge of the group.
With the photographer's shutter click, their final moments in kindergarten were forever captured.
In the photo—
Senya stifled a yawn, gaze wandering, calm and lazy.
Yukino stood silently at his right, a conspicuous gap of empty space separating her from the classmate on her other side.
...