[Warning 15+]
Part One~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 4The Chase
(Haruki… ...huh…?)
All through the afternoon classes, Hayato couldn't stop thinking about her—about Haruki.
She was the childhood friend he used to run around the mountains and fields with, deep in the countryside of Tsukinose.
"Oh, I got one! I caught one too, Hayato!"
"Okay, okay, I get it! Just stop hitting me!"
—Oh yeah, now that he thought about it.
Hayato remembered that Haruki had this bad habit of whaling on his back whenever she got hyped up, just like Nikaidō-san did earlier.
Since the way she talked and acted was exactly the same as back then, it was no wonder the name "Haruki" just slipped out.
(Is Nikaidō-san... ...actually Haruki?)
Unless you were super familiar with a backwater place like Tsukinose—basically, unless you were a local—there's no way you'd know about Old Man Gen.
Hayato gave Nikaidō Haruki a major side-eye, sizing her up.
As expected, Hayato just couldn't wrap his head around the idea that the girl in the seat next to him—this elegant, refined, and quiet beauty—was the same Haruki he knew, the childhood friend who acted like some kind of wild monkey spirit.
"…Hmph!"
"…!?"
Noticing Hayato's stare, Nikaidō flicked a tiny piece of eraser at him like a spitball. It didn't hurt or anything, but he was floored by how childish she was being.
(Is she five?!)
Nikaidō Haruki shot a smug look at Hayato's shocked face, let out a tiny huff, and looked back toward the front. Right then, she stuck out her pink tongue just a tiny bit—almost like she was protesting him calling her a wild monkey spirit.
◇◇◇
Before they knew it, classes were wrapped for the day.
The classroom instantly turned into a madhouse again as everyone celebrated their freedom from boredom. The June sky—almost at the summer solstice—was a deep, endless blue, as if flexing that the sun wasn't going down anytime soon. It was prime weather for hanging out.
"Yo, Kirishima! We're all hitting up karaoke. You down?"
"For real, it'll be like your welcome party. It's on us, man!"
"I'm dying to see what kind of tracks the transfer student pulls out!"
"Eh, well, I—"
Hayato was totally surrounded by a group of high-energy, curious classmates.
To them, it was just a casual invite. But for Hayato, who grew up in the sticks with zero social life with people his own age, he was totally hesitating on how to handle it.
(Besides, I've never even been to a karaoke place before...)While Hayato was standing there looking totally lost, someone threw an arm around his shoulder and started dragging him along.
"And that's that! Let's roll!"
"Wait, hey—"
"No way!"
But right then, a sharp voice cut through the air, putting a dead stop to the whole thing.
"Huh?"
"Wait, what?"
"Nikaido-san...?"
"...Ah."
Even for the other boys, she was the last person they expected to pipe up, so all eyes were suddenly on her — Nikaidō Haruki.
It seemed Haruki herself hadn't realized she'd shouted that out loud either. She looked surprised for a split second, then cleared her throat and regained her composure.
"...Eh, well, ahem. You can't. He... ...asked me to show him around after school today. Right, Kirishima-kun?"
"Oh, for real? Well, guess we can't argue with that. Man, I'm so jealous you get to hang out with Nikaidō-san!"
"Wait, no, Nikaidō-san...?!"
No sooner had she said it, Haruki grabbed Hayato's bag and started hauling him away, leaving the envious glares of the other guys in the dust.
The strength Haruki used to pull Hayato was insane — you'd never guess she had that much power in those slender arms. She wasn't taking no for an answer. Honestly, it was more like he was being dragged than led.
And Haruki definitely wasn't "showing Haruto around the school." She headed straight for the exit and dragged him right out of the building.
"Hey, where exactly are you taking me?!"
"Just shut up and come along with me!"
Bolting out of the school, Hayato found himself jogging through the residential streets, practically being towed by Haruki.
To anyone watching, it probably looked like some gorgeous girl was straight-up abducting a boy.
Naturally, the sheer embarrassment and awkwardness of the situation made Hayato's face flush bright red.
Haruki, though, didn't seem to give a d*mn as she kept charging ahead.
But for Hayato, this whole scene felt like a total throwback to when they were kids.
(Haha! ...Man, she hasn't changed a bit!)
Instead of kicking up dirt on riverbanks or narrow paths through the rice fields, they were pounding the asphalt. That was the only real difference.
"Dunno where we're going to, but you're way too slow!"
"Hmph—?!"
Just like back in the day, Hayato tried to outpace Haruki, racing to get ahead.
And just like back then, Haruki refused to lose and kicked it into high gear.
Hayato in the lead, then Haruki—passing each other back and forth in a full-on sprint. Both of them had these defiant grins plastered on their faces. And all the while, their hands stayed locked together.
"Aha!"
"Haha!"
It made zero sense.
But just running together like this was enough to make Hayato feel pleasant.
All those old memories and feelings came rushing back, bypassing all logic and making Hayato realize for certain: this gorgeous girl right in front of him was, without a doubt, Haruki.
Even if Haruki's look had totally done a 180 from back then, there were definitely things that hadn't changed at all—and for some reason, that made Hayato feel stoked beyond belief.
"And, we're here. This is it."
"Wait, you mean... ...here?"
It was just a typical house in a residential area, nothing out of the ordinary. But Hayato didn't even need to ask to know whose place this was.
Back in the day, heading over to each other's houses was just what they did.
"Hm? What's up, Hayato?"
"…Nothing."
That long hair reaching down Haruki's back, those small, slightly chilly hands, and a beautiful face that looked nothing like before.
Watching Haruki laugh so effortlessly made Hayato feel a tiny bit salty.
But if Hayato bailed now, it'd feel like he was taking an "L"—so, fueled by that petty, childish pride, he just mumbled, "Excuse me," and stepped inside.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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