Prologue

I’m not a fan of spring.

Of course, I’m not talking about the weather. The warm sunlight, the gentle breeze brushing against my cheeks, the cherry blossom trees lining the riverbank visible from the balcony of our apartment, and the cherry-colored carpet covering the streets—those spring-like scenes, I actually like. I’m more sensitive to the cold than most people and winter is my sworn enemy, so in that sense, spring is a season I’ve even been looking forward to.

So then, what exactly is it about spring that bothers me?

“Uwaaaah, crap, I overslept! Maki, why didn’t you wake me up?! I told you to get me up if I wasn’t awake by 7!”

“I did wake you up properly. Even Kaa-san said ‘It’s fine,’ didn’t she?”

“You can’t trust a self-reported ‘It’s fine’! It’s probably written in Family Medicine or something.”

“No way… Well, maybe it is, but still. So, breakfast?”

“Just coffee, please.”

“Got it.”

I, Maehara Maki, hand over a cup of hot coffee as a wake-up boost to my mom, Masaki, who’s rushing around getting ready for work. Since Kaa-san is busy with her job every day, I’ve decided to take on morning meal duties to let her sleep as long as possible.

“Maki, how’s the high school uniform?”

“How, huh… If you mean how it feels to wear, I guess it’s normal? Just normal.”

“There you go again with that curt attitude.”

“Even if you say that, a uniform is either a gakuran or a blazer, right? Not much to say.”

While Kaa-san was happily dozing off for a second round of sleep, I’d already finished getting ready.

A slightly light gray blazer. Back in middle school, when I was constantly transferring schools due to my parents’ work, it was always a gakuran, so wearing a tie again after so long makes my neck feel kinda restless.

“Yeah, it’s a uniform, so, yeah, that’s about it.”

“What’s with that pause… If it doesn’t suit me, just say so.”

“It’s just a little big on you right now, Maki. Next year, or the year after, it’ll definitely look good on you.”

“When they measured me for the uniform, my height had shrunk by a millimeter since third year of middle school, though.”

I don’t want to believe I’m the early-maturing type who barely grows, but… if it’s the same next year, it’ll be pretty hard to look at.

“Well, don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be fine. You’re my son, after all.”

“That’s the least convincing thing you could say right now, but are you sure?”

…For now, maybe I should start thinking about getting the sleeves and pant hems adjusted.

“Alright then. I’m heading out now, Kaa-san.”

“Take care. Work’s the same as usual today?”

“Business as usual.”

Kaa-san works at a small publishing company about thirty minutes by train from the nearest station. She usually gets home late at night, and during busy periods, she sometimes has to stay over. I worry about her health, but with just the two of us living together, we can’t afford to be picky about money.

“Hey, Maki.”

As I followed her to the door to see her off, Kaa-san muttered softly.

“What?”

“…I hope you can make some friends.”

“…Even if I don’t, I’ll manage somehow.”

“Oh, acting tough, huh? Even though you’re secretly a lonely kid.”

“S-Shut up. Don’t worry about me, just go already!”

“Oh, fine… Well, I’ll go earn some money today too!”

“That’s the spirit. Take care!”

“I’m off!”

After seeing off Kaa-san’s back as she jogged down the hallway like always, I started cleaning up the kitchen.

“Friends… Sure, it’d be nice to have some, I guess… but…”

The season is spring. April.

New school year, new semester—past the early spring farewells, it’s the month when new encounters begin.

And that’s exactly why spring is something I absolutely can’t stand.

○

The entrance ceremony was over, and now it was time for the first homeroom.

If I want to make my high school life decent, I need to get through this smoothly.

The first thing to do when meeting classmates for the first time is, of course—

“Uh… E-Everyone… Everyone!”

“Sensei, how do you mess up the most important part right at the start?!”

The moment someone I didn’t yet know by face or name chimed in, the tense classroom atmosphere softened.

“Sorry, everyone, it’s my first time as a homeroom teacher, so I’m a little nervous… Uh, my name is Yagisawa Miki. I’ll be with you all for the next year, so please take care of me… Phew, I said it.”

“This is gonna be a long year…”

She might be worrying as a homeroom teacher, but thanks to her taking the embarrassment first, the class vibe isn’t bad.

From what I heard, she’s only ever been an assistant homeroom teacher before, and this is her first time in charge, which explains the slight awkwardness.

“…Anyway, that’s enough about me. I’d be happy if you all could tell me about yourselves now… So, it’s a classic, but let’s use the rest of the time for self-introductions!”

Here it comes. The awful moment that always arrives with a new school year.

I’ve done self-introductions tons of times before, but I still get nervous every single time.

An unavoidable event where everyone’s eyes in the class zero in on you all at once.

“For now, I was thinking we’d go in attendance order… But before that, anyone dying to be the first one up and stand out?”

“…”

Yagisawa-sensei raised her hand and scanned the room, but at that moment, everyone—including me—subtly looked away to avoid being targeted.

“Yup, figured as much. So, I made these. …Here, take one each and pass them back!”

From an envelope tucked into the class roster, Sensei pulled out pieces of paper about the size of large business cards.

(Ugh, one of those…)

The moment I saw the paper passed back from the front seats, my mood sank a little.

☆ Self-Introduction Card

Name:

Previous School:

Hobbies/Skills:

Favorite Things (Food, People, etc.):

One Word to the Class:

“Fill out the card with the necessary info, then I’ll collect them and draw them randomly. I’ll ask questions based on what’s written, and you answer… How’s that? It’s my desperate attempt to figure out how to kill this first homeroom hour.”

I’ll spare Sensei’s unnecessary comment, but standardizing the questions is fair in a way. Still, for someone like me who’s all about “I’m ○○, nice to meet you (done),” it’s a bit tough.

Name and previous school aside, the rest gives me some pause.

But leaving it blank isn’t an option either, so I filled it all out while praying it’d end safely.

With the class size in mind, each person probably gets less than two minutes, so they won’t dig too deep, right?

If my turn comes later when Sensei and everyone’s focus starts fading, maybe they’ll just let it slide—

“Alright, the grand first batter is… Uh, Maehara-kun?”

“…”

…Why does it have to be like this?

“Maehara-kun? Where are you?”

“…Here.”

I’d never drawn the short straw like this before… High school life was already looking grim from the start.

As for my self-introduction, I was so nervous I barely remember it.

One thing’s for sure—I totally bombed it.

For someone like me, who’s never had friends or even casual acquaintances, being the first up was way too much to handle.

Having fulfilled my role as the first batter and spectacularly crashed, I dazedly watched the rest of my classmates’ introductions.

Thanks to me stumbling right out of the gate, they probably thought, “No one can do worse than that,” so the self-introductions went on in a cheerful, friendly vibe.

For reference, here’s what I wrote on my self-introduction card:

Name: Maehara Maki

Previous School: Matsubara Middle School

Hobbies/Skills: Games, etc.

Favorite Things (Food, People, etc.): Nothing in particular

Message to the Class: Nice to meet you.

Looking back, I can see why Sensei might’ve wanted to prod me a bit. If the first person’s this bland, homeroom would end way sooner than planned.

From what I can recall of my exchange with Sensei:

“Maehara-kun’s from Matsubara Middle School… Where’s that? It’s not in this district, right?”

“It’s in the next prefecture. I moved nearby in the winter of my third year. Family stuff, you know.”

“Oh, that kind of… Anyway, hobbies and skills are games… Well, sure. Village-building games are pretty popular lately, so that’s fine. But ‘nothing in particular’ for favorite things… Don’t you have anything you look forward to on weekends or something?”

“…Well, if I had to say, maybe one thing.”

“Oh, there we go! That’s what I want to hear. What is it?”

“Uh, um… Fridays, since Kaa-san’s at work, I’m home alone, so… yeah, I order pizza or something, drink cola, and just laze around playing games on the big TV in the living room or watch videos on my PC…”

“Uh… Anything else?”

“O-Other stuff… Well, movies, I guess.”

“Nice! What kind do you watch?”

“S-Shark movies or alligator movies… the so-called B-grade ones, I guess I like those… if I had to say.”

“O-Oh… Sharks and alligators, huh.”

I didn’t want to exaggerate or lie, so I answered honestly, but now I think I might’ve been too honest. Movies are movies, but I went way too niche.

Either way, my place in the class was pretty much set after that.

Since I’m already a chronic loner, even if I hadn’t bombed, the outcome might’ve been the same.

“Alright, next is… Uh, Amami-san?”

“Yes!”

With about ten people left, a loud, cheerful voice rang through the classroom.

A beautiful girl with long, flowing golden hair and marine-blue sparkling eyes.

Her presence captivated the entire class—especially the boys.

Naturally, that included me, but with her standout looks compared to everyone else, I personally felt like she’d stepped out of a fantasy world, lacking a sense of reality.

“Ten for the sun, Umi for the sea, and Yuu for evening—I’m Amami Yuu! Sensei, and everyone in class, let’s get along for the next year!”

“Yup, same here. …Uh, your hair’s so pretty it’s almost enviable—mind if I ask about that?”

“Of course not! Uh, my grandma’s a foreigner, and I’m often told I look just like her when she was young.”

So that’s a thing. I’ve transferred schools a bunch since I was a kid, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone with such striking features.

“Your previous school is Tachibana Girls’… Isn’t that basically an escalator school?”

“Yup. But it’s all girls there, so I figured a co-ed high school would be nice… Right, Umi?”

“…Don’t just throw it to me out of nowhere.”

That’s when Amami-san called out to the girl in the seat in front of her.

A girl with a short, slightly boyish haircut. From my seat, I could only see her profile, but she had neat, pretty features.

If Amami-san weren’t here, she’d probably be the class idol.

—Hey, isn’t our class kinda high-level?

—Yeah, we might’ve lucked out.

I could hear voices like that from somewhere.

“Hey, Umi, come on, why not ride this wave and do your intro too? Sensei, that’s fine, right?”

“Sure. We’re running a bit late, so could you, Asanagi-san?”

“So casual… Fine, whatever.”

Asanagi-san, called out by Sensei, stood up properly despite letting out a sigh.

She had a slender build and was pretty tall for a girl. Probably a bit taller than me, who’s on the short side… Ouch.

“I’m Asanagi Umi. Previous school’s the same as the one behind me. Honestly, I’m fed up being in the same class even in high school. I’m tired, so please take good care of her, everyone.”

“Hey, Umi, isn’t that harsh? That makes me sound like some abandoned puppy!”

“Oh? Then how about, ‘She’s quiet and doesn’t bite’?”

“That’s straight-up a dog now! Not even ‘like’ anymore!”

Their back-and-forth drew laughter from the whole class.

Just hearing the conversation, it sounds tense, but seeing how much fun they were having, that’s probably their usual dynamic.

Those two will be the center of the class for the next year. That’s what I thought after watching them.

Well, either way, it’s got nothing to do with me.

And so, as expected, I ended up an outcast in the class, spending the next few months living the lone wolf life in high school too.

In a month, new social circles pretty much solidify, and it’s been a few months.

Frankly, it’s hopeless.

Going back and forth between school and home, spending weekends cooped up indoors—a completely uneventful routine.

I’m used to being alone. That said, it’s not like I enjoy loneliness.

Hanging out after school, chatting about dumb stuff, or working hard in a club with friends… Honestly, there was a time I admired that kind of thing.

But the courage to fix my messed-up nature—or even try—kept fading.

—I can get by somehow even without friends.

I’d been telling myself the same thing I once said to Kaa-san.

(Asanagi) Hey, Maehara, I wanna hang out at your place today. That’s cool, right?

A message popped up on my phone, which until now only had my parents’ contacts registered.

Yup. I, of all people, finally made my first friend.

And it’s a girl.

That friend’s name is Asanagi-san.

The “second cutest girl in class.”