I really like the atmosphere of this old wooden school building...

I thought to myself as I walked along the covered passageway.

The old wooden building and the newer school building were connected by a roofed walkway.

Between the two buildings was a courtyard. A large school emblem was set into the ground at its center, surrounded by benches with trees planted between them. The rest of the courtyard was covered in grass.

At lunchtime, students would apparently sit on the lawn to eat their lunches or simply lie back and relax.

It seemed to be a favorite place for students to unwind.

Most of the classrooms in the old wooden building were used for subjects that required students to move from their regular classrooms—music, art, science experiments, cooking, technical studies, and the like.

It was also home to many of the cultural clubs.

The art club room was at the very end of the third floor.

Knock, knock, knock.

I knocked on the classroom door.

“Come in!”

A voice answered from inside.

Nervously, I opened the door just a crack.

The first thing that caught my eye was a large window.

Beyond it stood several enormous trees.

Tall trees lined the front of the old building, following the length of the structure.

Apparently, they had been planted when the old school building was first constructed. Their thick trunks towered over the grounds as though silently telling the story of all the years the building had seen.

The art club room happened to face them directly.

Their broad branches were already covered in fresh green leaves.

It must be nice and cool in here during the summer, with all that shade...

Thinking that, I called into the room.

“I came to have a look around today... Um, is it okay if I come in?”

It seemed Yano-senpai was the only person there.

“Ah, Kaname-kun! Of course. Come in, come in!”

“Excuse me, then.”

I bowed and stepped into the club room.

“I’m really glad you came by so soon.”

As he spoke, Yano-senpai pulled out the chair opposite his at the table.

“Am I interrupting you?”

Several unfinished posters were scattered across the tabletop.

“No, not at all. I was just about to take a break. I’ve been working on the poster for the upcoming club introductions.”

“By yourself?”

“Yeah. Most of the members are busy preparing their pieces for next month’s art competition, so they’re all working wherever they need to be.”

“Aren’t you entering anything, Senpai?”

“I’ve already submitted mine. So right now, I’m pretty much the only one with time to spare.”

“You must still be busy. Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s almost finished anyway.”

Then he smiled at me.

“By the way, would you like some tea and sweets?”

Yano-senpai was incredibly friendly and easygoing.

“Huh? You have tea and sweets in the club room?”

I stared at him in surprise.

“Hahaha! We have just about everything in here. Think about it—talking about everyone’s artwork while eating and drinking is more fun, isn’t it? Everyone brings in whatever they like.”

He looked rather proud of himself.

“Though I doubt anyone has a better selection than I do.”

He gave me a wink.

“We’ve got all kinds of things.”

He opened a cabinet in one corner of the room.

“Wow...”

I couldn’t help myself.

The shelves were packed with all kinds of tea bags and sweets.

Seeing my eyes widen, he laughed.

“Hahaha! Quite a selection, isn’t it? I love tea and anything sweet.”

Then he asked me again.

“So, tea and sweets?”

“Oh, I’m really fine.”

“Come on, come on! Don’t be shy. Nobody holds back around me in here.”

After he insisted that much, refusing somehow started to make me feel guilty.

“Then... do you have Earl Grey?”

“Of course I do.”

The answer came immediately.

“Then I’ll have that, please.”

“All right! I think I’ll have Earl Grey today too.”

He brought over tea for both of us, along with individually wrapped slices of pound cake.

“Any questions? If not, I’ll explain how the club works. If you think of something while I’m talking, just stop me anytime.”

And with that, he began telling me about the art club.

“The art club is really free. You can work in whatever field of art interests you. Painting, printmaking, antiques, metalwork, design—you name it. If it can be called art, you can pretty much do it here.”

“Wow...”

“Since it’s separate from what we do in class, everyone gets to work freely on whatever they love. Some members hold their own exhibitions, some win awards, and quite a few already know what they want to do professionally. Because of that, the school gives us a fairly generous club budget, so we have all kinds of equipment and materials.”

He paused.

“Any questions so far?”

I thought for a moment.

“Um... do you keep the older students’ artwork here?”

“Not the originals, but we photograph everything and save the pictures in files.”

He pointed toward a computer in the corner of the room.

“Oh... Then would it be all right if I looked at them?”

“I figured you’d be interested. You used to draw almost every day, after all. Painting is what interests you most, right?”

He walked over to the computer.

“We keep photographs of all the students’ work in digital albums. Here, sit down.”

He turned on the computer for me.

“Thank you. I’d love to see them.”

I opened the album containing the paintings.

Then, the moment I opened the first page—

I froze.

A painting on the screen struck me like a bolt of lightning.

What...?

My heart began pounding.

My fingers started to tremble.

“Kaname-kun? Are you all right? Do you know how to use the computer?”

Senpai had noticed something was wrong and looked at me with concern.

But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen.

Because there it was.

The painting I had seen several years earlier at an exhibition of high school students’ artwork.

The painting that had moved me so deeply that I had stood in front of it and cried openly, without caring who saw me.

There was no way I could have forgotten it.

“Ah... yes. I know how to use the computer.”

I somehow managed to answer him.

Then, cautiously, I asked,

“Um... this painting... Was it done by someone who graduated from this school?”

“Is something about it bothering you? Do you think it’s strange?”

“Not at all!”

I answered immediately.

“Just the opposite. It’s wonderful!”

Senpai gave a slightly embarrassed laugh.

“Hahaha... Well, this is a little embarrassing, but I painted it. I’ve always been rather fond of that one myself.”

“What...?”

I spun around to look at him.

“You painted this, Senpai?”

“Yeah. It was part of a cultural festival event. Five high schools contributed works and held a joint exhibition. See? My signature is right here.”

He pointed to the tiny signature in the lower-right corner.

“I’ve seen this painting before.”

“Huh?”

“Two years ago, my school took us to an art museum, and there was an exhibition of paintings by high school students. This was one of them.”

“You remembered it? It didn’t even win an award or anything...”

He looked genuinely surprised.

“I loved this painting of a family.”

I turned back toward the screen.

“It felt like everything I hope to build someday was right there in that picture. There was something so warm about it...”

I remembered how I had felt that day.

“I didn’t even understand why, but I couldn’t stop crying. I just stood in front of it and cried and cried. It’s a little embarrassing when I think about it now...”

Senpai looked slightly uncertain.

“Um... Kaname-kun, it’s not like your family doesn’t get along... right?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, you all seem pretty close, don’t you? You have such a beautiful mother, and your father seems... nice too...”

For some reason, he mumbled the last part.

His attempt to be considerate was so funny that I laughed.

“Hahaha! You can just say he’s a weird old guy.”

“Hey, I didn’t go that far!”

Still laughing, I continued.

“That’s not what I mean. My family is just... a little unusual.”

“Unusual?”

“My parents have a wonderful relationship, and I’m very close to them too. My parents and grandparents all love me very much. I know that.”

I truly did.

“But those bonds were formed after they overcame a lot of difficulties. Maybe that’s why I’ve always had such a strong longing for a family of my own.”

I paused, searching for the right words.

“Someday, I want to build a loving family like my parents did. But sometimes I wonder whether someone truly irreplaceable will ever appear in my life... or whether I could ever be someone another person would love that deeply.”

I looked at the painting again.

“When I start thinking about those things, I get scared. And that was when I found this painting.”

“You’ve been thinking about love and family from such a young age?”

Senpai sounded impressed.

“Ever since I was little, my parents have told me the story of their miraculous meeting over and over again, almost like some legendary adventure. So I guess thinking this way just came naturally to me.”

I gave him a slightly sad smile.

“Besides... there’s so much discrimination surrounding secondary genders these days.”

Senpai fell silent and seemed to think about that for a while.

Then, little by little, he began to speak.

“Actually... there’s someone I’ve admired for a while now.”

“Huh?”

“He’s pretty much my ideal person. Modest, beautiful, but incredibly strong too... You can tell he’s the kind of person who refuses to give up, no matter what happens.”

His expression changed as he spoke.

“The moment I learned about him, I thought, This is the one.”

Then his voice grew stronger.

“And lately, whenever I think about him, he gives me the courage to keep going when all I want to do is run away from my situation!”

“Wow... So there really is someone like that for you, Senpai.”

I was surprised.

“Ah, but he’s not an ordinary person, so it’s not like I can actually do anything about it. Still... you never know, right? Maybe something could happen someday.”

He scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

That was when something suddenly occurred to me.

“Senpai... Did you just say the person you admire is a he?”

He smiled somewhat bashfully.

“Whether someone is a man or a woman doesn’t really matter to me. I’m just looking for the one person who’s truly irreplaceable to me.”

“Irreplaceable...”

“That’s why I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of a fated mate. I know they’re incredibly rare, though.”

He shrugged slightly.

“I may not look it, but I’m an alpha.”

“What?”

“Even if I never find my fated mate, I’d still like to become mates with an omega I can entrust my entire life to. I’ve always dreamed of that.”

He looked toward the painting on the computer screen.

“Maybe that’s why I feel so strongly about the kind of family bond I painted there. Especially with all the pressure I get from my parents.”

“Pressure from your parents?”

“My parents are extremely alpha-centric. It’s not that they openly discriminate against omegas, but they’re the type who go on about things like, ‘To produce better offspring...’”

He let out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m already getting bombarded with talk about arranged meetings and marriage at my age. I’m sick of it. And every candidate is an alpha from some prestigious family.”

Then he smiled a little sadly.

“All I want is to choose the person I love for myself.”

His words made my chest tighten.

Senpai and I thought so much alike.

Wanting to find a fated mate.

Dreaming of building a happy family.

Wanting someone I could love for the rest of my life.

What should I do...?

Should I tell him about myself too...?

But—

No.

I couldn’t.

If I told him the truth about myself, I might end up involving my parents too.

I felt sure Senpai would listen seriously.

He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would spread my secret around.

But still...

No.

Not yet.

I decided to wait and see a little longer.

Trying to change the subject, I asked casually,

“So what is the person you admire like, Senpai? If he isn’t an ordinary person... is he some kind of celebrity?”

“Hmm... You probably don’t know him.”

Senpai suddenly looked rather pleased.

“He’s a professional violinist. His name is Yuu Kisaragi. Here!”

He pulled a photograph from his card holder and showed it to me.

I looked at the picture.

“.........”

Senpai still hadn’t realized.

“Oh! That reminds me!”

He suddenly raised his voice.

“I kept thinking your mother looked like someone—and she looks like Yuu Kisaragi!”

“.........”

“Ahhh, finally!! Ever since the entrance ceremony, I’ve been trying to figure out who she reminded me of. It’s been driving me crazy because I just couldn’t remember!”

He pressed a hand to his chest in genuine relief.

“Man, that feels better!”

And at that exact moment—

I sprayed the Earl Grey he had made for me straight out of my mouth.

“PFFFFT!!”