After classes ended, students walked home in groups.

“Hey, wanna come to my home today?”

Laughter, excitement, and cheerful voices echoed all over the school.

I walked home alone.

It had been a long day… new faces, new classmates, and—

(the glimpses of the day, and her presence, rushed back into my mind)

—maybe even new friends.

“I’m home, Mom,” I said as I opened the door.

“Welcome back, Kenji. How was your first day?”

She greeted me with a warm smile.

“It was good, Mom. Lots of new faces everywhere.”

She gave me a confused look.

“What about your old friends?”

“They all got into different classes,” I said with a relaxed smile.

“I see… so, did you make any new friends?”

Her hand touched her cheek—curious, but also a little afraid for her son.

“I’ll make some tomorrow, Mom.”

I couldn’t tell her right now.

If I mentioned that one of them was a girl, she would become overprotective again.

With fear in my heart about how she might react,

I lied.

“Okay, Mom, I’ll go take a bath.”

“Alright.”

The water was cold, sending a shiver through my body.

Time passed.

The sun slipped away, leaving a beautiful evening sky as night slowly took over.

“Kenji-kun, come have your dinner!”

I ate quietly.

The world dimmed into darkness, and I headed to my room.

Before sleeping, I wrote in my daily diary.

It helps me remember what I did today, and what I need to do tomorrow.

“I woke up… did endurance, strength, stretches…”

As I kept writing, the school day flowed onto the page.

“...Oh—what was that feeling I had in my heart this morning?”

My eyes widened.

The memory hit me.

“Oh—I forgot to meet the doctor on my way back…

For now, I’ll just take this medicine.”

But a thought whispered inside me:

Maybe I didn’t need the doctor for something that small.

Maybe… I was trying to ignore something.

“What’s going to happen tomorrow…?

Will she come tomorrow or not?”

After finishing my writing, I went to bed.

Night grew darker and deeper, until finally the sun pushed the darkness away at dawn.

“I’m going for a run, Mom!” I said, leaving the house.

The cold morning air wrapped around me.

Birds chirped, and my body felt refreshed from yesterday.

“Hfff… hff…”

Running felt a little lighter today.

My breathing slowly came under control.

“46, 47, 48… hff… 49… 50.”

My push-ups had improved slightly.

“Umm… hhhh…”

I stretched my legs left and right, straight like lines.

“Pfff…”

A calm exhale.

Goosebumps ran across my arms as the cold air shifted into a gentle breeze.

I walked home, took a bath, had breakfast—

the same routine as always.

“I’m leaving, Mom,” I said, heading out for school.

On the way to school, I walked calmly and composed, as if my mind had finally refreshed.

“So… today, I need to make friends.”

I whispered to myself.

Entering the school gates, groups of students were laughing, chatting, overflowing with excitement.

The atmosphere felt completely different from yesterday.

Dhak… dhak…

My heartbeat changed suddenly.

“Hm…?”

My eyes caught sight of a car parked near the school office building.

Who might’ve come?

I walked to Class 1-A.

Sliding the door open, my eyes lifted — and stopped.

Suzune Sakata was sitting on my desk.

Sunrays passing near her made her look like a ray of quiet beauty.

She was gazing out the window, her expression calm, her eyes like a deep red lake.

“Good morning, Sakata-chan,” I said.

She turned toward me slowly.

Her posture was straight, elegant.

“O-Oh… g-good morning, Kenji-kun.”

A small pitch rose in her voice as she stood up quickly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you coming.”

She stepped away from my desk.

“There’s no need to apologize,” I said.

“I’m happy you got to enjoy the view.”

Before she could reply—

“Who is he?”

A bright, high-pitched voice echoed beside me.

I turned to my right.

A girl stood there with an energy that filled the entire classroom.

“He is my friend. I mentioned him when we met this morning,” Suzune said.

“Ooh—! Good morning, Kenji-kun!”

Her voice was louder than the whole room.

“Good morning,” I replied.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Haruka Aoi, Suzune-chan’s friend!”

She smiled brightly and reached out her hand for a handshake.

“N-Nice to meet you, Haruka-chan,” I said—

but my hand froze, and I failed to shake hers.

“Eh? What happened?”

The atmosphere shifted into awkwardness.

Just then, the homeroom teacher entered.

“Everyone, take your seats. We’re starting homeroom.”

Time passed quickly, and soon the morning classes ended.

“Suzune-chan! Let’s have lunch together in the cafeteria!”

Haruka said with her usual bright smile.

“Sure, Haruka-chan. Let’s go,” Suzune replied.

They packed their lunches and began walking.

Then—

“Aren’t you coming, Kenji-kun?”

My mind froze.

My eyes shifted slowly toward them.

“I— I’m… n-no… I mean, I’m fine here,” I tried to decline.

But then a hand reached out — white-skinned, warm, friendly.

“Come on! Let’s go! We can all eat together, right Suzune-chan?”

Haruka’s smile was dazzling.

“Y-Yes… if you don’t mind coming with us, Kenji-kun,” Suzune added softly.

I couldn’t refuse them both.

My mind blanked.

“…Let’s go.”

We walked toward the cafeteria.

Students’ voices filled the whole place.

“What did you bring today?”

“My mom packed egg rice!”

“Uwaaah!”

Excitement echoed everywhere.

“This place is full… Oh—there! Let’s sit over there,” Haruka-chan said.

We followed her and sat together, the three of us forming a small circle.

“What did you bring for lunch, Sakata-chan? Kenji-kun?” Haruka asked with a bright, curious smile.

We opened our lunch boxes.

“I have rice and egg curry,” Sakata-chan said softly.

“I have rice and fish curry today,” I added.

Haruka listened happily.

“What about you, Haruka-chan?” Sakata asked her in return.

“Hehe… guess what?” Haruka grinned.

“I have rice, an omelet, and some fruits!”

We all smiled.

“Let’s start eating,” she said.

We began our lunch.

Haruka and Sakata fell into an easy conversation, laughing together.

While chewing, I glanced at both of them.

“Haha, yes—that was so funny!”

“Heheh, yeah! And you know what?”

Around us, the cafeteria felt calm and warm.

Their laughter sparkled in the air.

“Oh—let me go buy a juice!” Haruka said suddenly, and hurried toward the vending machines.

Sakata watched her with soft eyes.

“She’s a good friend… I’ve never met someone like her before.”

Her eyes were filled with joy, tiny sparks of light inside them.

“Yeah… she’s energetic and charming,” I replied.

We continued eating, waiting for Haruka to return.

Then—

“Haah?! What is your problem?!”

A sharp voice echoed from the vending machines.

Students turned to look.

Everyone tried to figure out where the sound came from.

“That voice… it sounds familiar,” I said.

“Is that Haruka-chan’s voice?” Sakata asked, worried.

We dropped our chopsticks and rushed toward the noise.

“I need that drink. You buy another one!” Haruka shouted.

“I told you, I like this drink! And I came here first!”

“You came here by distracting me!”

A tall boy with red hair—around 6 feet—was arguing with Haruka.

“What happened, you two? What are you doing?” I asked.

But neither listened.

Haruka’s eyes were blazing with fury.

“It was your fault for moving aside, you cheek!” the boy snapped.

“Cheek?! You wanna fight, red bean?!” Haruka shot back.

The boy’s face shifted—anger, red face ,like he is shy with that name.

Haruka stepped forward, ready to fight.

Kenji and Sakata both grabbed Haruka to stop her.

“W-who are you calling a red bean, you cheeky little brat?!”

Their hands began flailing like little kids fighting.

Haruka was furious.

“Stop, you two! Why are you fighting like babies?” I said.

“Come on, Haruka-chan… let’s go,” Sakata whispered gently.

Haruka finally calmed a little.

The two stopped their quarreling and walked back to our table.

“Hmph… what was his problem? Acting all high and mighty,” Haruka said, still annoyed.

“Haruka-chan… what happened? Why did you start fighting him?” Sakata asked, her voice gentle and caring.

Haruka closed her eyes for a moment, thinking.

“Nothing… Let’s eat, Suzune-chan. Kenji-kun.”

Her anger faded away, replaced by her usual bright energy.

The atmosphere softened again.

We finished our lunch peacefully.

Time passed, and lunch break ended.

Everyone returned to class—Haruka, Sakata, and I included.

The sun outside shone brighter than in the morning.

White clouds floated in the crystal sky.

Afternoon classes began.

In the blink of an eye, school ended.

Students rushed out joyfully, relieved from lectures and homework.

I watched them with my bag in hand, ready to leave.

“Let’s go home, Suzune-chan! Kenji-kun!” Haruka said, approaching with a relaxed smile.

“Yeah, let’s go home,” Sakata-chan said.

“You can go without me,” I replied.

“I need to meet the teacher. She asked me to come after class.”

“Okay then! Let’s go together next time,” Haruka said.

“Bye-bye, Kenji-kun.”

“Bye-bye, Kenji-kun. Let’s meet tomorrow,” Sakata-chan added gently.

They walked off together.

I headed to the office room.

“Bring this back tomorrow. We have class on these topics,” the teacher said with her usual gentle smile.

She assigned me some books and worksheets.

As I left the room, I remembered something she said earlier.

“Oh, yes—there’s a new student joining your class from tomorrow.”

It felt like she wanted me to be his friend.

But for some reason, I didn’t fully understand her expression.

“Hah…” I exhaled softly, then left the school.

Walking alone down the path home, I noticed something.

“That car…”

The same car from the morning.

Parked near the office again.

I looked closer.

“That boy…”

A familiar face.

The same boy who fought with Haruka.

His parents were talking to him.

He looked depressed, eyes filled with sorrow.

“He looks different from earlier…”

I stared for a few seconds.

“Maybe he transferred here today…”

I continued walking home.

Who is that boy?

Is something going to happen tomorrow…

that will change Kenji's atmosphere and His life?