Akira, who was still struggling to feel sleepy, suddenly remembered the omamori Shouko had given him earlier today.
He quickly flipped over and got out of bed, walked to the desk where his schoolbag was, and rummaged through it to find the charm.
Because he had been running late for school this morning, he hadn't paid much attention and just stuffed it into his pocket. After being jostled around a few times, it had eventually ended up in his bag.
"As expected..."
Looking at his name sewn in yellow thread, he realized the issue wasn't the color—it was the name itself.
If you didn't look closely, it was hard to spot the problem. At first, he had wondered if Shouko had hand-washed it, which might've caused the thread to pull a little.
That's why the characters looked a bit crooked. But now he could tell—this name was most likely hand-sewn by Shouko.
Akira stared at the slightly off-kilter 'palace' (miya) character on the charm, his fingertip tracing the raised embroidery.
A wave of sleepiness suddenly washed over him. He stuffed the omamori into his wallet and rolled back into bed.
As for a return gift—worst case, he'd offer himself. Shouko wouldn't refuse anyway.
For now, sleep was more important—he had to wake up early to run tomorrow.
"Dong... dong... dong...!"
The school bell rang, and the handful of students who had been dozing off instantly snapped to life. If Nobe-sensei hadn't still been on the podium, they might have already burst into cheers.
"This text is still missing the last part. I'll drag it out for another ten minutes."
Nobe ignored the visibly distressed expressions of the students and continued lecturing from the textbook.
"Dong dong." He tapped on the podium. "Alright everyone, class dismissed. Be careful on your way home."
With that, he shut his textbook and prepared to leave.
"Finally, class is over!"
"Let's go, let's go! If we don't hurry, we'll be late for club!"
"Wait for me!"
Before Nobe could even exit the classroom, students were already scrambling out ahead of him.
Shouko, who had been the first to pack up, stood up and looked over at a certain someone.
"Akira, I'm going shopping with Takagi and Azigaya today at the newly opened commercial street."
She hesitated for a moment.
"Is it okay if you head home first? Could you also tell Yuzuru and the others for me?"
"Yeah, yeah, you all be careful." Akira nodded easily. He didn't think much of it.
Since entering middle school, Shouko hadn't been as clingy as she'd been in elementary school. The realization made him feel oddly sentimental.
Was this what it felt like for a father watching his daughter grow up?
"Pat."
"Please stop thinking weird things," Shouko said, pulling back her hand and pouting.
"Yes, yes." His train of thought cut short, Akira resumed packing his bag.
"Let's go, Shouko! I heard they've got limited edition Chickenzilla plushies there. If we don't hurry, they'll be gone!"
The urgent voice of the class monitor, Ayumi Atsuya, echoed from the hallway.
"Then I'm off, Akira." Shouko waved and walked out of the classroom, chatting and laughing with the others.
"Miyamura, I'm heading out too. See you tomorrow."
"Okay, later."
After watching his close friends trickle out one by one, Akira quickly slung on his schoolbag and left the classroom.
"That guy used to bully others in sixth grade."
As Akira descended the stairs, he heard a familiar voice.
"Really? He doesn't look like it?"
He paused and looked in the direction of the voice—Shimada Ikki, chatting with a boy Akira didn't recognize. Their volume was anything but subtle.
"He once snuck into the Girl's restroom and dumped a big bucket of water over the door from the top."
Akira rolled his eyes and kept walking toward the shoe lockers while silently grumbling:
"'Quietly,' huh? I can hear you from the next building. Give me a break."
"No way!"
"Did any Girls get drenched?" the other boy asked eagerly.
"Do you know Ueno Naoka from Class 3?" Shimada teased.
"Ueno Naoka? The one the boys voted class beauty?"
"Wait—you don't mean...?"
Shimada said nothing but gave him a smug look.
The boy's eyes widened in disbelief—his guess had been right.
Meanwhile, Akira—who had been quietly changing his shoes on the other side of the lockers—was utterly fed up. He had already walked away, only to find the two blondies had followed him down.
A shoe cabinet separated them—he was on one side, they were on the other.
He shoved his indoor shoes into the cubby, swapped them for his outdoor ones, and quickly left.
Just a few steps later, he spotted Ishida Shoya standing nearby in a daze, his books scattered on the ground—clearly having overheard the same conversation.
But this had nothing to do with Ishida. He gave Akira a glance, then looked away.
Akira didn't bother saying anything either. He had zero interest in their nonsense. He'd rather go home and nap than waste time with schoolyard drama.
Fate clearly had it in for him.
Now, just a few hundred meters from home, Akira found himself at a familiar intersection—where he saw Mr. Nishimiya lurking suspiciously in a black suit.
Since Shouko had come back from Osaka, Mr. Nishimiya hadn't shown up once. During those first couple of weeks, Akira had genuinely been on edge.
But with so much time having passed, he thought the man had backed off.
He didn't expect to see him here.
Akira was seriously starting to think that Shouko was the key—whenever she wasn't around, somehow every person he didn't want to see popped up one after another.
Wait—Shouko!
While Akira was still piecing things together, Mr. Nishimiya glanced around and quickly slipped away.
Akira noticed he was heading in the direction of the new commercial street Shouko had mentioned—but couldn't be certain.
Still, he didn't hesitate to follow—quietly, carefully.
And just in case, he reached into his bag and slipped his anti-wolf stun gun into his pocket.
He also tapped his smartwatch to call Shouko...
…but as soon as the call screen popped up, he hung up.
He had forgotten—Shouko didn't bring her phone to school.
Minato Namikaze Middle School prohibited phones, but if you brought one secretly and didn't get caught, it was allowed.
Shouko was a rule-follower. Since the rule said no phones, she simply didn't bring it. Besides, she didn't need it—she wasn't the type to play on it during class, and during breaks, she had Akira and Takagi to talk with.
After the first day, when she realized she didn't need it, she just left it at home.
And honestly, Akira did the same.
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