Kokoro Connect Volume 9: Asu Random Part 1 E-Book

Sadanatsu Anda

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Kokoro Connect
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 345

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Kokoro Connect Volume 9: Asu Random Part 1

Leseprobe

—I heard some crazy shit’s gonna happen there.

—People swapping bodies and stuff.

—Or reading minds.

—Crazy, right?

—Beyond crazy, if you ask me... But I guess that’s just how it works or something.

—Oh, and I heard they transport you off to somewhere else.

—Yeah, I heard about that. And once you’re there, you can’t leave, supposedly?

—Doesn’t that sound kind of shady?

—Yeah, there’s no way they... Well... I guess that’s just how it works.

Four months had passed since the final day of the Hokkaido trip—the day «Heartseed» said goodbye for good.

Chapter 1: Just Another Day

“Hurry up and finish your breakfast, kids. I’m leaving for work a little early today.”

“Yes, Mom,” Yaegashi Taichi replied absently, his mind only half-awake, as he sat at the dining table and slowly worked his way through his meal of eggs, toast, and fruit.

“Quit taking tiny little nibbles! What are you, a squirrel? You’ll be there for hours!”

His mother’s nagging went in one ear and out the other. She was always yelling about something at all hours of the day, and it was exhausting to deal with.

His eyelids drooped. Last night, his sixth-grade (soon to be seventh-grade) sister Rina had begged him to stay up late watching a horror movie with her, and as a result, he was a little sleep deprived. Granted, they were only “up late” by a grade-schooler’s metric, but nevertheless, it had thrown his usual bedtime routine out of whack. This, in turn, had made it harder to get out of bed that morning.

“Alright, I’m done waiting! Whichever one of you leaves the house last, be sure to clean up, got it?”

“But Moooom! I’m not done styling my hair!” Rina complained as she devoured her grapefruit slices.

“Not my problem. Okay, I’m heading out!”

And so their mother dashed out of the living room.

“Mom, wait—ugh, fine! See you after school!”

“Have a good day, Mom...”

“Alright, Taichi, I’m leaving cleanup duty to you!”

“Nice try. If you’re the last to leave the house, then you have to take care of it, like Mom said.”

“I said I’m not done getting ready!”

“Don’t be lazy, Rina. Nobody likes a slob.”

“I’m not lazy! I’m helping with dinner tonight, remember? You’re such a jerk!”

“Less talking, more eating.”

“Forget it! I didn’t even want this toast. I’m done!”

“Hey! Don’t waste your food!”

“You sound like Dad. It’s not a waste if I already ate half of it!”

And with that, Rina disappeared back upstairs. She was turning into a real brat lately, and since their father wasn’t around these days, it fell to Taichi to straighten her out. He decided he’d give her a stern talking-to after school.

The Yaegashi household was the standard nuclear family: mother, father, and two children. Mr. Yaegashi was currently working out of town, so he hadn’t been home in a while, and Mrs. Yaegashi was a temp worker at a large corporation. Their house was empty five days a week.

Taichi finished his milk and rose from his chair. “Fine,” he muttered.

Then he stacked Rina’s plate onto his own and carried them both to the sink.

As soon as he stepped outside, he was immediately accosted by the chilly winter wind. He shrank into himself slightly, hunching over and crossing his arms. This was going to be one miserable walk to the train station.

Valentine’s Day had come and gone, and now it was nearing the end of February. Not only were Japanese winters chilly in general, but today was overcast, and the weather report had warned that a cold spell was setting in.

He stepped off the train at the station closest to Yamaboshi High School. Almost there. It was wild to think he’d attended this school for nearly two full years now.

As he walked down the street, he could see other students ahead of him, walking in unusually large clusters. Maybe it was their way of staving off the cold.

“Morning, Taichi!” a cheerful voice called, melting away the winter air’s bitter chill. Then he felt someone clap him on the back.

“Ow! Morning, Nagase. I see you’re chipper as ever.”

“Who, me? Nahhh!” Nagase Iori grinned.

When she smiled, it felt like the wind and clouds and all his other wants and worries no longer mattered—if she was happy, then the whole world was happy. Of course, he knew this was a massive overstatement, but still, that was just how radiant she was. She walked beside him, her long, silky, dark hair blowing behind her in the breeze.

He could recall a time when the two of them had been in love... but that romance never led to anything more. Instead, she was now one of his most trusted friends, always pushing him to be his best self.

“Whenever it gets this cold outside, you know the end of the school year is right around the corner! Nothing left to look forward to,” Nagase sighed, exhaling a white fog.

“We still have finals coming up. Oh, and club presentations.”

“Yeah, but those aren’t fun, Taichi! And we’ve already got everything prepped for our presentation, so there’s nothing really left to do!”

“That reminds me—are you doing another high-speed cosplay show this year? It was a big hit, you know.”

“Hell yeah! I’ll wear a swimsuit, a maid outfit, and of course, last year’s dark horse favorite, the pro wrestling costume... Not! I wouldn’t do that crap again even if you paid me! ...Okay, maybe if you paid me... No, no, definitely not!”

Only Nagase had the energy to subvert her own jokes this early in the morning.

Club presentations were both a showcase of each club’s activities as well as a graded performance that would directly determine said club’s funding for the next school year. This year, similar to their presentation from last year, the CRC was planning to present a “Special Edition” of the Culture Bulletin. Unlike last year, however, they had the forethought to start prepping their presentation materials ahead of time.

“Well, if you’ve got nothing you’re looking forward to, then why don’t we come up with something ourselves?” Taichi suggested.

“Wait... Holy crap, you’re a genius!”

“Genius? Please. It’s just common sense.”

“Yeah, but you’re the last person I’d expect to have any!”

“...You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”

“Haha! Oh my god, Taichi, I’m kidding. My point is, it’s a great idea. I know we’re already planning a CRC outing over spring break, but it’d be awesome if we could get the whole class together for something, too. Maybe a giant sleepover!”

“A sleepover? Sounds fun.”

“Sweet! I’m gonna talk to some people and see if we can make it happen!”

Beaming from ear to ear, Nagase bounced around like an excitable little puppy.

It was just another peaceful day.

As soon as Taichi arrived at the classroom, he dropped his bookbag off at his desk and walked right back out again. The weekly school assembly was scheduled that morning in the gymnasium.

The building was large enough for three basketball courts, but when accommodating nearly a thousand people—the entire student body plus the staff—things could get a little cramped. This week, both the principal and the student council president were presenting speeches.

“The first- and second-years are preparing for finals while the third-years are busy studying for college entrance exams. I encourage all of you to practice self-care so you can keep operating at 100 percent for the days ahead...”

Taichi didn’t know how anyone could find the courage to give a speech in front of literally hundreds of people, but it was an impressive feat however you looked at it.

“It is impressive, isn’t it?”

“Wh...?! Quit scaring me like that! You made me think you could read minds for a second!”

It was Fujishima Maiko, former president of Class 1-C and current self-proclaimed “apostle of love,” being her usual enigmatic self. For whatever reason, their fates kept bringing them together, often at highly inopportune times.

After the dramatic showdown during the Hokkaido trip—not to mention whatever mischief she’d gotten into with Enjouji and Chihiro recently—Fujishima seemed to be back on top of her game. With her hair tied back, her bangs pinned up, and her glasses spotless, she was looking as stylish as always.

“For the record, Yaegashi-kun, I didn’t need to read your mind. You literally said ‘whoa’ under your breath just now.”

“Oh.”

The rest of the class had lined up in alphabetical order, but Fujishima had arrived late due to her morning club duties, and the only space available to her was directly behind Taichi.

“Anyway, yeah, his charisma is really something else. You can instantly tell why he won the student council election,” Taichi noted.

“That’s Katori Jouji for you. He has looks and brains in equal measure.”

“Whoa. That’s high praise, coming from you.”

“Perhaps it is. As a member of the Student Council Outreach Committee, it’s my job to enforce the rules set by the student council, and this current president has certainly earned my respect, I’ll say that. He could stand to be a little less demanding of us, but in our line of work, that’s hardly uncommon. If he didn’t have the bite to back up his bark, I would have had him ousted a long time ago!”

Katori Jouji was a fellow second-year student. With a handsome face, an athletic body, and hair so perfect he could be a salon model, it was no wonder he was popular. Not only that, but he was a diligent student and a natural-born leader to boot. Taichi had never shared a class with him, so he barely knew the guy, but they’d spoken on at least one occasion.

“Of course, I know some of us are more focused on spring vacation,” Katori continued, and the crowd chuckled. Not only could he give this speech without coming off as flustered, but he managed to fit a joke in, too.

“There’s always that one person your age who’s destined for greatness, huh?” Taichi muttered, partly to Fujishima, but partly to himself. Then it occurred to him: “Actually, now that I think about it, I know quite a few people who fit the bill. There’s you, there’s Inaba...”

For some reason their graduating class was rife with leaders of every stripe.

“Yes, we’ve got a lot of good apples in our barrel,” Fujishima replied. “Personally, I’d be inclined to add your name to that roster as well.”

“Me? Nah. I’m no good at this public speaking stuff.”

“Oh? I seem to recall you making at least one impassioned speech... though it wasn’t in front of a large crowd, I suppose. Well, once you get a little experience under your belt, I wouldn’t be surprised if you turned our trio into a quartet. Speaking of experience, by the way, have you and Inaba-san finally taken each other’s—”

“I don’t think I could ever compare to Katori.”

Taichi was by no means a wallflower, of course, but he was no force of personality, either.

“You must think very highly of him. Not that I blame you, but... To me, he could use a hint of color, you know? Maybe a little pink, like me. Which brings me back to my previous question: have you and Inaba-san—”

“I agree you’re a... colorful character... but I don’t know what you mean by ‘pink.’”

“I just want to know whether or not your relationship is rated R, so to speak—”

“I’m not going to answer that, so quit asking! I just woke up, for crying out loud!”

Lately she wasn’t the only one who teased him in this fashion. Personally, he wished they would stop trying to taint his pure love for Inaba.

“I’m just messing with you, Yaegashi-kun. Anyone would know better than to stick their nose into your love life. That said, it’s a little cringeworthy to refer to your own romance as ‘pure,’ don’t you think?”

“Okay, I definitely didn’t say it out loud that time! Can you actually read my mind?!”

“Oh, I was bluffing. Looks like it paid off, though. Eww.”

“Wow, you’re really good at bluffing... Hey! Don’t say ‘eww’! That’s so rude!”

“Yaegashi! Fujishima!”

Taichi felt someone grab him by the head. He looked over and found Fujishima similarly seized.

“Pay attention to the principal’s speech!”

It was Gotou Ryuuzen, advisor to Class 2-B and supervisor for the Cultural Research Club.

“Otherwise the head teacher’s gonna rip me a new one. Help me out here, alright?”

If only he’d kept that part to himself, he would’ve sounded like an actual teacher for once.

“Hey, Yaegashi! I heard you were getting all buddy-buddy with Fujishima-san during the assembly this morning. That true?” asked Watase Shingo, the spiky-haired “soccer stud” (his words, not Taichi’s), once first period came to an end. “You trying to move in on her behind my back? Is that it? Huh?”

Watase had carried a torch for Fujishima ever since the autumn of their first year, and there wasn’t much Taichi could say in his defense except: “It’s your fault for missing the assembly.”

“Well... I mean, you’re not wrong...”

“Look, if it bothers you that much, then maybe you should just tell her how you feel.”

“I told you, I... I kinda already did! But she’s just... When it comes to her own love life, she’s as dense as a brick!”

“You sure? I can’t imagine Fujishima being ‘dense’ about anything... although she does leap to insane conclusions sometimes.”

“Exactly! And whenever she comes to a conclusion, it’s damn near impossible to move her off it... Haahh... I gotta go take a leak.”

And so, with a distant look in his eyes, Watase left the room. He always acted like he could get any girl he wanted, but maybe his love life wasn’t as rosy as it seemed...

Next, as if on cue, Miyagami walked up.

“What was that about? You’re not trying to make a harem for yourself, are you? Man, save some for the rest of us!”

With wavy hair and rectangular glasses, Miyagami was the kind of guy who was always up to date on the latest trends. Not only was he a member of the Photography Club, he was also one of Taichi’s good friends.

“I don’t need a harem. I already have a girlfriend.”

“There you go, bragging about your girlfriend again! I know your type—you’re always two-timing! Or maybe even three-timing! That’s how you keep us single losers oppressed!”

He also had the tendency to believe whatever he read online.

“Dude, I’m not gonna cheat on her. Cheaters are the biggest losers of all.”

“He’s been reading those men’s magazines again, hasn’t he?” commented Sone, another of Taichi’s good friends. He was a chubby (“I’m not chubby!”) otaku affiliated with the Manga Club.

“So what if I have? I like to stay ahead of the curve. Besides, what do you care? You only like 2D girls.”

“That’s not true! Just because I like manga and I’m... big-boned... doesn’t mean I’m one of those creeps! I want a 3D girlfriend, too!”

“What, like, in addition to your 2D girlfriend?” Taichi asked.

“No! I don’t have a 2D girlfriend! I decided a long time ago that I wouldn’t let myself get that deluded... That said, I don’t actually have a crush on anyone IRL.”

“Well, you should probably start there.”

“Dude, no girl’s gonna date a guy who calls her his 3D girlfriend,” said Miyagami dismally.

“They’re not going to date you either, so stuff it!” Sone shot back.

But right as it looked like they were about to start bickering again, they both turned to Taichi.

“On second thought...”

“...why do you have to be such a know-it-all, Yaegashi?!”

“Wha...?!”

“This is why I can’t stand taken guys!”

“Or maybe this is how he got a girlfriend in the first place...”

And so Miyagami and Sone took turns berating him, like the perfect tag-team.

“Rrgh... I should’ve taken advantage of the love craze while I had the chance!” Miyagami groaned, lifting his glasses to wipe at imaginary tears.

“What I wouldn’t give to swap bodies with Yaegashi for a day,” Sone sighed.

“Swap bodies...?” Taichi ruminated on this for a moment. “I guess it could be fun to see if the grass really is greener on the other side.”

Normally such a thing would be impossible, of course, but it was still fun to dream.

“Let’s see... Whose grass would I want to check...? Oh, I know. Tanaka-sensei, the social studies teacher! Dude’s living his best life!”

“What? Why him? He’s ancient!”

“Hey moron, have you forgotten who he’s dating?”

“OH! He’s dating... the most popular teacher at Yamaboshi... Hirata Ryouko-sensei!” Sone gasped dramatically.

Meanwhile, Taichi reminisced on the event that brought those two teachers together: Inaba’s paparazzi photo. The CRC published it in the Culture Festival Special Edition of the Culture Bulletin, then printed a bunch of copies and flung them off the roof. From there, one thing led to another, and the two lovebirds confessed their feelings to each other in front of the whole school.

“She’s sweet, outgoing, funny, beautiful, and super photogenic, too! Not to mention that rack... She’s so stacked, I can hardly pay attention in class!”

“I knew it! I thought I saw you staring at her boobs!”

At this, it occurred to Taichi that next period was math class... and Hirata-sensei always showed up a little early to chat with the students before the bell rang...

Sure enough, there she was.

“N-No, sensei, it’s not what you think! It was just a joke!” Miyagami blurted in a panic. He was usually a pretty laid-back guy, but when it came to thinking on his feet, he often stumbled.

Fortunately, Hirata-sensei seemed genuinely unruffled. She grinned and patted him on the head. “I don’t care where your eyes wander, but you’d better listen and take notes when I speak. I don’t want you to fail your math final, understand?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am! Don’t worry, I’ll totally ace it!”

“Oh god, look at that stupid grin on his face... He’s gonna have Hirata-sensei mentionitis for days now,” Sone complained, and Taichi nodded sagely.

There was just one class left before lunch: art class.

“Today is the last art class of the semester... and for those of you who have chosen the science course for your third year, this might well be your last art class, period. So let’s try something different!”

Their assignment: a group art project.

“You’ll all share one giant canvas. Use whatever tools you like and go wild! You can draw, paint, or write whatever you desire, but on one condition: the whole group has to contribute to it in some form or another! Now then, let’s divvy you all up!”

With that, their perpetually cheerful art teacher went down the rows, assigning a number to each of his students in turn.

“Seems like it could be fun,” Taichi muttered.

“Yeah, it sounds like an interesting concept, at least. Maybe I should take art in my third year, too,” mused Setouchi Kaoru, president of Class 2-B, a girl with short, dark hair and lots of ear piercings.

He could hear her humming to herself under her breath, and it warmed his heart to know she was sincerely enjoying herself these days. If only she hadn’t wasted her first year pretending to be a rebel... At least now she had come to terms with who she really was on the inside.

“It would give you a break from all that studying, at least,” Taichi suggested.

“Our whole lives don’t have to revolve around studying, Yaegashi-kun. I get that you’re excited to take the science course, but you know what they say. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

With an attitude like that, she had well and truly earned her position as class president.

“Everybody gather around the canvas! Ooh, this is so exciting! I can feel my creative juices flowing!”

In sharp contrast to Setouchi’s relaxed demeanor was Nakayama Mariko, a pigtailed girl with energy to spare.

“We’re allowed to write words if we want, right?! I love pairing words with pictures! Alright, guys—I’m gonna start us off with my all-time favorite!”

The other members of her group—Setouchi, Taichi, and Nakayama’s boyfriend Ishikawa Daiki—all stepped back to give her room. She picked up her brush.

“Okay, here I go... Oh, wait, we didn’t get the paint out! One sec!”

“Don’t be such a ditz, Nakayama-chan! What color do you want?” asked Setouchi.

Meanwhile, Taichi turned to Ishikawa. “Your girlfriend seems like she’s having fun.”

“Agreed. I doubt she’ll get bored anytime soon.”

Ishikawa was a tall, burly baseball player. He and Nakayama had made their relationship official last autumn, and while no one ever imagined that a bubbly chatterbox like Nakayama would get together with strong, silent Ishikawa, they turned out to have more chemistry than anyone gave them credit for. Though they were both a couple of late bloomers, this was resolved by dragging them out on a group date; after that, it was smooth sailing from there, and they’d gone on several more dates since, or so Taichi had heard.

“Now then... Ready or not, here I come!”

Facing the canvas, she held her paintbrush aloft, its big bristles coated in bright red paint. She took in a deep breath and fell perfectly still. Instantly, something in the air changed, and they could sense that she was focusing every fiber of her being on the paper in front of her. Perhaps this was her ten-plus years of calligraphy experience at work.

And so Nakayama proceeded to write LOVE in giant letters in the center of the canvas.

“God, Nakayama-chan, you took up half the paper! Now it’ll look like our whole project is themed around love! Do you see anybody else doing that?!” Setouchi complained, pointing around at the other groups.

“I... I just wanted to start us off with something sweet and lighthearted, but... I guess my love was a little too intense...”

“Oh, I see.”

“Makes sense.”

“Will you boys quit coddling her?!”

“Now, now, the main objective of this lesson is to figure out how to work together as a team,” the art teacher explained, weaving his way through the students. “So how will you expand upon it? It’s up to the rest of the group whether you bury it or help it flourish.”

“Uh... Wow... This lesson’s really deep! I feel like it’s teaching me some serious life lessons! Don’t you think, Kaoru-chan?!”

“Y-You’re totally right, Nakayama-chan! You know, Uejima-sensei, I always thought you were kinda boring, but now I understand you’ve got some real hidden depths!”

“Not your best compliment, Setouchi,” Taichi retorted under his breath.

Meanwhile, Ishikawa grabbed a felt-tip pen. “Let’s see what I can do with this.”

“Y-You’re going to fix it, Ishikawa-kun?! I knew it! You’re my... No, you’re our hero!”

“Personally, I don’t mind being just yours.”

“Huh? What kind of hero only helps one person?”

“...Good point, I suppose.”

“Those two sure are quite a pair,” Setouchi muttered to Taichi.

“They’re not quite on the same page, but that actually seems to work for them,” he replied.

Ishikawa chose a blank corner and pressed the tip of his pen to the paper. Then he sketched out a series of lines—right, down, up, left.

“There.” Satisfied, he capped his pen once more.

Taichi stared blankly. “Wh... What is it?”

“I’ll use my girlfriend powers to decode it! One sec... Uhh... Sorry, I got nothing.”

“It’s a person, obviously. A person screaming ‘LOVE’ from the edge of a cliff.”

“That gangly scribble is a person?! And the horizontal line is a cliff?!” Setouchi shouted.

Ishikawa’s artistic ability was shockingly bad.

“Come to think of it, I guess this is my first time ever seeing you draw something...”

“Surely it’s not as horrible as you people make it out to be. Go on, Yaegashi, it’s your turn.”

“Who, me?! Trust me, I’m no artist either. Haha...”

“Oh god, don’t tell me... We don’t have a single good artist among us...?!”

Sure enough, Setouchi turned out to be right... and the resulting “artwork” that came of their joint efforts was enough to make the teacher burst out laughing.

At lunch, Taichi explained the art class mishap to his girlfriend, Inaba Himeko, as they walked down the hallway.

“Now you’re getting buddy-buddy with Setouchi, too? Ugh, whatever. This one looks open,” she said, pointing at a classroom in the North Wing. It was a room only occasionally used for special classes, and as such, no one was there during lunch period.

“Yeah, I don’t see anyone,” Taichi replied as he double-checked to make sure. Inaba liked her privacy, after all.

They walked in, and she shut the door tightly behind them.

“Well, it’s... just the two of us now,” she continued, her voice tinged with nervous excitement.

“Yep. Just the two of us.”

Gazing into each other’s eyes, the two of them drew close, bit by bit. Taichi was captivated by her glossy hair, her long eyelashes, her almond-shaped eyes, her slender, sexy body...

Standing in the center of the empty classroom, they were in a world all their own.

“Well then... Let’s get started, shall we?”

Inaba reached down... and pulled out her bento boxes.

The two of them met up once a week to eat lunch together, and often—though not always—Inaba would bring food from home for them to share. But eating lunch as a couple at school opened them up to lots of teasing from their peers, and Inaba in particular really didn’t want anyone else seeing her home cooking, so they ended up going out of their way to find a secluded spot.

“Thanks. I’ll treat you next time to make up for it. When was the last time we had your cooking, anyway? Two weeks ago?”

“Yep. But I’ve spent those two weeks doing a lot of research... and now I think I’ve found the answer I’ve been looking for.”

“O-Oh. Cool.”

Inaba was by no means an awful cook, but... she wasn’t that great, either. According to her, she hated following recipes because the wording was often “too vague”—for example, “a pinch of salt” or “season to taste.”

Most recently, she had attempted to make boiled squash. The results were disastrous. (Quote: “If you’re going to title your cookbook ‘Recipes For Beginners,’ then make sure actual beginners can make them, goddamn it!”)

“This time around I’ve made sure to include lots of different colors. That way you can’t complain about how ‘brown’ everything is.”

“Sorry...”

Last time Inaba brought in her cooking, she’d asked him to give her his “honest opinion.” And when he did, she got upset about it. Girls are so complicated.

She set her adorable two-layer bento box on the table, took off the top layer, and placed it in front of Taichi. Then she lifted the lid on both layers simultaneously—

“Feast your eyes on this! It’s the most colorful food you’ve ever seen!”

“Whoaaa! Check out the red and green contrast on the bacon-wrapped asparagus! And look at these golden mini-croquettes! The red from the spicy shrimp really offsets the bright yellow tamagoyaki! And there’s yellow kernels of corn in the sauteed spinach! But best of all, it’s all retained its shape beautifully!”

“I know, right?! It looks like it came right out of a photo in a cookbook!”

“You’re not wrong! This is incredible... I really ought to thank whatever store you bought these from.”

Bam! She punched him hard in the shoulder. Ouch.

“Shut up! How did you even figure it out?!”

“It’s kind of obvious, don’t you think? The size and shape of everything is way too uniform to be homemade.”

“Rrgh... Well, they’ll taste good, at least! I’m not the biggest fan of frozen food, but I know everyone else eats it all the time!”

“Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn’t it...?”

Personally, Taichi was hoping for a more romantic lunchtime, but at the rate they were going, they could have done this back in Class 2-B.

“Well, I just... I thought you’d like it better this way,” Inaba mumbled, fidgeting with her hands as she flicked her gaze shyly up at him. It was so adorably pathetic, Taichi couldn’t resist reaching out and stroking her hair.

“I’m lucky enough that I get to eat your cooking at all, Inaba.”

Unfortunately, she still seemed uncertain. “But... what if I’m not girly enough...?”

“I don’t need you to be girly. Anything you cook is great.”

Somehow, she still wasn’t convinced. “But...”

“You have nothing to worry about. I’m not going to stop loving you,” he insisted.

She looked up, not a trace of anxiety left on her face. “I’ve really got you wrapped around my little finger, don’t I? All I have to do is start whining and you’re putty in my hands.”

“I knew it! I knew you were faking at least part of that!”

He could never quite tell how much of it was an act.

“Anyway... I know you’d prefer someone who could cook, so... I’ve been practicing at home.”

“And pretty hard, by the sounds of it. What did your family think when you first started?”

“Well... My mother’s excited to start teaching me things, like how to make soup stock, but I don’t think I’m at that level yet. My father’s... nervous about it, I guess? I haven’t made anything for them just yet. Oh, and my brother’s been completely obnoxious; he refuses to leave me alone about it. My oldest brother, though—the one who has his own place—he offered to buy me my own custom knife set. I swear, he spoils me way too much... Wait, why are you laughing?”

“Because you’re trying your hardest to make this sound like a bad thing, but I can tell it makes you happy. Listen to you, talking up a storm!”

She always talked about her family as though they didn’t really care about her, but it was clear that was the furthest thing from the truth.

“Don’t make fun of me! That’s it—I’m not going to hand-feed you anymore. You’ll just have to eat it yourself!”

“If you really wanted to punish me, shouldn’t you take away the food...?”

“That was delicious. I’ll be sure to wash the bento box before I give it back.”

“Nah, I’ll take care of it. I want to see this mission through to the very end.”

Taichi wanted to respect her agency, so he decided to take her up on her offer. With his belly now full, he let out a satisfied sigh.

That was when the intruders barged in.

“Well, well, well! Now what do we have here?” asked Kurihara Yukina, a girly-girl from the track team (not to mention Kiriyama Yui’s best friend), as she walked into the classroom. Her short, wavy hair was freshly re-bleached.

“Stop it, Yukina! Don’t bother them!”

Behind Kurihara stood Oosawa Misaki, another track team member, lingering hesitantly by the door. Despite her boyish pixie cut, she was very meek and feminine in romantic situations; Taichi and Inaba had once spied on her during a date, so they knew this for a fact. It was an adorable personality contrast. Incidentally, she was attracted to both guys and girls, and during their first year of high school, she had fallen head over heels for Kiriyama.

“Bento boxes, eh? Well, I know for a fact that Yaegashi almost never brings food from home... which means it must’ve been Inaba-san’s home cooking, am I right?”

“Enough already, Yukina! Ugh... Sorry about this, you guys.”

Both Kurihara and Oosawa had tall, slender builds. Side by side, they were intimidatingly gorgeous.

“Nah, it’s fine,” Taichi replied offhandedly.

“Oho! Nothing ruffles your feathers, eh, Mr. Boyfriend? Your relationship’s too rock-solid to get rattled?”

“You sound like a drunken old man,” Inaba retorted.

“I’m in the process of discovering a new me... One that likes to spy on happy couples!”

“You’ll have to forgive her—she’s all over the place today. She just found out her latest boytoy has been making moves on other girls behind her back.”

“Yeah, and I just got back from tearing him a new one! Hmph!”

“And I decided to tag along, you know, in case things got... out of hand.”

Lately Kurihara had a bad habit of going off the rails every now and then. Evidently Oosawa was her designated babysitter for today.

“You should’ve let me beat his ass, Misaki! Vigilante justice! It’s what cheating scum like him deserve!” she shouted, swinging her fists at an imaginary opponent.

While at first glance Kurihara may have seemed like the kind of girl who had it all together, she very much did not. When it came to romance, all sense went out the window. That was how Taichi and Inaba got roped into that triple date, among other things.

“Seriously, cool it.” Oosawa administered a solid flick to Kurihara’s forehead, putting an end to her practice punches.

“Ow! Okay, fine... I’m sorry.”

“Just because your love life isn’t going well, it doesn’t mean you can mess with everyone else’s. You really need to stop doing this.”

“Yeah... You’re right... Trust me, I know... I’ll work on it.” Kurihara slumped her shoulders.

Taichi chuckled. “Now I understand why you two are such good friends.”

“What’s so funny, Yaegashi?” Kurihara asked dubiously.

“Oosawa’s your ‘big sister’ friend, same way you are to Kiriyama.”

“You’re totally right... Oh gosh, that’s embarrassing... How can I be a ‘big sister’ if I need one myself...?”

“Oh, interesting. I didn’t know you and Yui-chan had that kind of friendship,” Oosawa murmured, her gaze pointed upwards in contemplation. “So you act like a baby around me, but when she’s around, you suddenly want to be the mom?”

“Wh—Misaki, will you stop embarrassing me?! God!”

Inaba smirked deviously. “I’m telling Yui about this.”

“Noooo! Don’t you dare! I’ll die!”

Time flew by in a blink, and before they knew it, the school day was over.

“Let us once again climb this formidable staircase to our beloved headquarters!”

“Formidable? Dude, it’s just three flights.”

“Taichi, I’m trying to make the most out of every moment, okay? Just play along!”

And so Taichi and Nagase walked up the Rec Hall stairs. It was a path they’d traveled so many times, they could do it blindfolded by this point. Their destination: room 401, home to the Cultural Research Club and all their shenanigans.

When they opened the door, they found two people already inside.

“Homework? I’m only worried about the stuff we have to turn in. Otherwise, who cares?”

“Shame on you, Chihiro-kun! That’s not fair! You need to play by the rules, same as everyone else!”

“What’s going on in here, kids? Fighting already?”

“Help me out, Iori-senpai! Chihiro-kun’s being unfair and refusing to do his homework!” shouted Enjouji Shino, one of two first-year CRC members. With her poofy brown hair and round, youthful face, it was hard to feel threatened, even when she was at her most furious. She was like cotton candy with legs.

“It’s barely even homework. It’s just a Japanese worksheet, and we don’t even need to turn it in. It’s a waste of time,” replied Uwa Chihiro, the other first-year, remaining perfectly composed in spite of Enjouji’s claims. With his androgynous features and messy, asymmetrical haircut, he was probably very popular with a certain subset of the female student body; even Taichi, a fellow guy, could tell he was handsome.

Apparently the first-years were squabbling again.

“Alright, alright. Cool your jets, errybody. So if I’m getting this right, Shino-chan doesn’t want Chee-hee to cut corners, but Chee-hee wants to use his time efficiently. Right?”

“Exactly. I’m not trying to blow off my homework; if it seems worthwhile, then I’m happy to do it.”

“It... It doesn’t matter if it’s ‘worthwhile’ to you! It’s your homework!”

“You say that, but I totally kicked your ass on the midterms, remember?”

“Wha... But... Y-You’re not going to mature as a human being if you only ever focus on hard numbers! Right, Taichi-senpai?! Oh, wait... I forgot the only thing ‘mature’ about you is your voice.”

“Wh—HEY! I’m more than just my voice, okay?!”

Enjouji was very fond of Taichi’s voice... Perhaps a little too fond of it, you might say. She didn’t seem to pay much attention to the rest of him. Y-Yeah, it’s her fault for not paying attention, that’s all...

“Oh, way to go, Enjouji. Now you’ve hurt Taichi-san’s feelings. Got anything to say for yourself?”

“Huh?! Wha...?! How did that happen?! What part of that made you cry?!”

Enjouji was often completely oblivious to her own sick burns. And for the record, I’m NOT crying!

“Taichi-senpai... I admit, I could have phrased that a little better. Considering the incredible power of your voice... Yes, I think you’re an incredible human being in your own right!”

“Ooh, Taichi got Shino-chan’s stamp of approval!”

“A-And you’re incredible too, of course!”

“Aww, thank you, Shino-chan! I’m nothing special, though.”

“Incredible how? What’s your metric for this?” Chihiro complained under his breath.

“I don’t know. All I know for sure is that you are not incredible.”

“Then neither are you.”

“E-Excuse me? I can understand if you’re jealous of me, but I’m afraid you and I are not the same!”

“Who in god’s name would be jealous of you? What’s so great about you?”

“W-Well... a lot of things, actually! Don’t judge a book by its cover!”

“In that case, why don’t we go on a date and I’ll decide for myself...” Taichi interjected, mimicking Chihiro’s voice.

“What?!” The two first-years whirled around to stare at him.

“Oh, sorry. I thought that was where this conversation was going... Was I wrong?”

“D-Don’t scare me like that, Taichi-senpai! I almost had a heart attack!”

“Seriously, Taichi-san!”

Naturally, that was the exact moment Nagase decided to add fuel to the fire: “Honestly, maybe you two should go on a date. You already act like an old married couple.”

“No we don’t!” they shouted back in unison.

“See? You’re doing that thing again.”

She had a point. Lately, Enjouji and Chihiro were in perfect sync with each other. But whether that chemistry would lead to anything more later down the line, well... that was anyone’s guess.

“Look who’s here! The actual married couple!” Nagase announced as Kiriyama Yui and Aoki Yoshifumi walked in.

“Haahh... I can’t believe you,” Kiriyama grumbled as she threw her bookbag down on the table and dropped into a chair. Then she folded her arms and let out another giant sigh. Every inch of her petite body radiated abject misery; her long tawny locks were looking frazzled, and yet she didn’t even seem to notice.

“I told you I was sorry, didn’t I? It was just a suggestion!” Aoki whimpered, pressing his palms together in apology. Normally he was a cool and upstanding guy, but right now his flailing motions, lanky body, and wavy hair all combined to create an exemplary case study of cringe.

“I don’t think so, mister! Get a load of this, you guys. You wanna know where he suggested we go for our next date?”

“O-Oh dear... Well, considering how furious you appear to be, my best guess is... the graveyard...?”

“Shino-chan, this isn’t the time for your wacky jokes, okay? Sometimes they make everyone uncomfortable. Anyways... He suggested we go to some Italian restaurant! You know, the kind of place that puts garlic in everything!”

“W-Well, yeah, but...” Aoki slumped his shoulders.

“What’s wrong with that?” Taichi asked, puzzled. “Garlic is delicious.”

“Right? I like a little garlic every now and then...”

“Hold it, Taichi! I’m not saying garlic is gross, okay? Because it isn’t. It’s good for your body and helps build stamina, and I like it a lot. But think about it! Garlic? On a date? A DATE?! What sort of girlfriend wants to reek of garlic when she’s with her boyfriend?! It’s, like, soooo uncute!”

As a notorious superfan of all things cute, Kiriyama had certain aesthetic standards that only really made sense to her.

“Yeah. Not like you can make out with garlic breath.”

“Exactly! I don’t want our kisses to taste like garlic! That’s so... Wait... Chihiro-kun?! I don’t... We don’t make out!”

“You totally do,” Taichi and Nagase muttered in perfect unison.

“Hey! Peanut gallery! Shut the heck up!”

“Heh heh heh... Actually... Ouch!”

“No smug chuckling!”

“Chihiro-kun... I’m glad you’ve recovered to the point that you can tease Yui-senpai about it... You truly have matured, haven’t you?”

“What in the world are you talking about, Shino-chan...? Ugh, forget it!” Kiriyama waved a hand dismissively. “My point is, it’s a crappy date idea!”

“O-Okay, okay! Ix-nay on the garlic! Wait, but... what about barbecue and ramen? Those use garlic, too!”

“W-Well... it’s okay if it’s just a little bit! I refuse to give up barbecue and ramen!”

“Alright then, I guess those don’t count.”

“Yay! Thank you, Aoki! Wait... What the heck am I thanking you for?!”

“And they lived happily ever after. The End,” Taichi snarked under his breath.

“Man, it’s wild to see Yui and Aoki actually going out on dates. Feels like their relationship is finally official, y’know?” Nagase remarked.

At this, Kiriyama flushed pink and scratched her cheek in embarrassment. “Well, obviously we’re going on dates... I mean, me and—and...”

For some reason, she faltered mid-sentence. Taichi looked over at her. “Hmm?”

Blinking, Kiriyama gave Aoki a good, hard stare, her expression perfectly blank.

“Wait... what the...? Hold on... Who are you again?”

“Oh, very funny, Yui! Don’t pretend you don’t know who I am!” Aoki shot back at full force.

“...Oh! No, I... Right! Aoki, Aoki, Aoki!”

“Okay, now you’re making it sound like you actually forgot!”

“No... No, I was... I was joking! Just joking around!” In the face of Aoki’s flustered antics, Kiriyama donned a smile.

For a minute there Taichi really thought she was serious, but upon further reflection, that wouldn’t make much sense. After all, the Cultural Research Club was a tight-knit group of close friends. How could anyone forget Chihiro or Enjouji, much less Aoki or Kiriyama or even—?

Wait... Did I miss someone just now? Chihiro, Enjouji, Aoki, Kiriyama... Nagase. Yeah, that’s everyone. I guess my mind was just playing tricks on me.

Then Inaba walked in, and the subject was dropped entirely.

“Well, that