Chapter 2 - The Transfer Student
(1)
The three of us were in the same class.
In the classroom, everyone was still chatting and making a racket.
"See, we made it in time, right?"
Airi said triumphantly.
"It was barely in time, wasn't it?"
"That's because we were talking in front of the school gate, but we're here on time."
While we were having that conversation, the chime rang.
It really was just in time.
Even so, everyone continued to make a noise.
Eventually, Mayumi-chan entered the classroom timidly.
Mayumi-chan, Kobayashi Mayumi. She is the homeroom teacher for this class.
Nobody noticed.
Airi and I had taken our seats, but...
"E-everyone, please take your seats..."
Mayumi-chan said in a thin voice... but she wasn't alone.
There was a girl with her who had dyed her hair blonde and wore a short skirt. She looked exactly like the type of girl who got into mischief.
"P-please, just take your seats..."
Mayumi-chan appealed in a voice that sounded as if she were about to cry.
Thinking it was about time, Airi, the class representative, started to say, "Qui—"
CLANG!!
The blonde girl kicked the teacher's podium with all her might.
The classroom fell silent.
"Shut the hell up with all that racket! Just get in your seats already!!"
At the girl's loud voice, everyone hurriedly took their seats.
Having calmed down, Mayumi-chan introduced her once more.
"T-today, I will introduce a transfer student. This is Otonashi Kanna-san."
"Nice to meet you!"
Hm? Otonashi... that's a name I've heard somewhere.
"As for the seat... the one next to Katagiri-kun is open. For now, please go there..."
As she said that, Otonashi-san looked this way. It seemed she knew me too.
"Huh...? Ah! It's Toya! Long time no see!!"
As Otonashi-san said that, she rushed over to me.
"Have you been doing well!? Man, I can't believe we'd reunite like this! It's like a drama!"
Otonashi-san spoke to me energetically.
I was a little bewildered.
Seeing my reaction, she seemed to realize.
"What—? You don't remember!? It's Kanna! We were together in fourth grade!"
Kanna... Ah! I remembered.
"Kanna! Long time no see. Didn't you move away?"
"You remembered! I came back! Man, what a surprise!"
Otonashi Kanna is a childhood friend.
She moved to Tokyo in fourth grade.
She was a very active child, and we played together in many ways.
"O-Otonashi-san. Please take your seat..."
"Oh! See ya later then!"
Saying that, Kanna took her seat.
(2)
On the way home, I was walking with Airi again.
Kanna had been called to the student guidance office.
Given her appearance, it was only natural.
"What is your relationship with Otonashi-san?"
Airi asked, sounding a bit displeased.
It was only natural.
While at school, every time a break came, Kanna would talk to me, leaving no time to talk with Airi.
Perhaps because our seats were next to each other, it was the same during lunch break.
In other words, Airi seemed angry that she had no time to talk to me.
"She's a childhood friend."
"That's from before you met me, right? You two seemed quite close."
"She was the one who started talking to me."
"Even so... Toya-kun is Toya-kun. Your nose was practically stretching."
"T-that's not true."
No, that look is just too stimulating for a middle schooler.
"Maybe I should try dressing like that too?"
"I'm begging you, please don't."
"Why?"
Because you're already beautiful and cute enough—there was no way I could say words like that out of embarrassment...
"Are you trying to say it wouldn't suit me?"
She, with her lovely black twin-tails, said that and pouted.
As I thought, she's cute.
"I didn't say that. You're already enough as you are, so you don't need to go out of your way to dress like that, right?"
"Enough... what?"
Was she always this kind of character?
I whispered into the ear of her, who was as mean as ever.
"Enough cute."
I felt as if Airi's cheeks turned slightly red.
"Liar! Really! I'm so happy!"
Airi jumped for joy.
After that, Airi was in a great mood.
Until we split up to go to our respective houses.
Having breathed a sigh of relief, I flopped onto my bed once I got home.
Perhaps because exhaustion hit me all at once, I fell asleep until dinner time.
"Toya! Dinner's ready~"
Mother is calling.
When I left my room and went downstairs...
"Auntie, your food really is delicious!"
"Is it? It was worth making it if you say so."
"Still, Kanna-chan has really changed."
The one eating dinner energetically was Kanna.