Chapter 21

The weather today is cloudy with occasional sunshine.

According to the forecast, a typhoon seems to be approaching from a distance, and it's uncertain whether it will hit directly over the weekend.

During the lunch break, the sun is shining brightly through the clouds, but the wind is quite strong, and the clouds are moving unusually fast.

So, Yuki, during the breaks between classes or during free periods, has been gazing out the window at the clouds. But he's starting to get bored with it.

“So, you know—”

“Really? No way!”

Next to him, Yui, who is quite popular in the class, often has a few girls gather around her, making a lot of noise.

Usually, during lunch breaks, Yui would move to another seat, but today, for some reason, they are all gathered at her desk.

On the other hand, the only people who talk to Yuki in the class are Keitaro and Sonoda, besides Yui.

If he goes to the bathroom, he gets caught, but as long as Yuki is at his desk and Yui is next to him, they generally don't bother him.

Lunch is over, and he's starting to feel really bored.

Meanwhile, the chatter next to him shows no signs of stopping.

In situations like this, he can't concentrate on reading a book, and he thought about playing a game on his phone but got sleepy and stopped.

“But, you know—”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

The conversation next to him is still unrelated to Yuki, so he pretends to sleep, or rather, he actually falls asleep.

The problem is that he might end up sleeping too deeply.

Once, he completely forgot that the next class was in a different room and woke up to an empty classroom, causing a moment of genuine panic.

“But Yui is always friendly with the guy next to her, right?”

One of the girls has a particularly high and clear voice.

Just because he lowered his head doesn't mean he can't hear the conversation.

His precious music player, which he had charged, was left at home.

“That's because you have to be friendly with your neighbor.”

“But my neighbor, Sonoda, is really tough. Yui must have a lot of patience.”

“Sonoda-kun is good at explaining things when you ask him.”

“No way, no way. I don't want to ask him anything; everything he says is so creepy.”

Hearing a familiar name, Yuki can't help but listen.

Or rather, the conversation just keeps entering his ears.

“He often says he's the top of the class, but he was only fifth in the last midterm. What's with that fifth place? It's so mediocre.”

“Yeah, and he was muttering to himself in front of the blackboard, ‘Ah, I see, I see.’”

Laughter erupts.

Thinking that Sonoda is quite popular, Yuki notices that the tone of the conversation next to him suddenly drops.

“Hey, hey, is he sleeping?”

“I think he's sleeping. What do you think?”

“I don't know; I've never talked to him.”

“Hmm… maybe he's cool?”

“I often see him being bothered by Hayami, but they don't seem to get along at all.”

“Yeah, he seems to have friends, but he's actually very quiet when he's alone.”

“Really? That's funny.”

Whispers and stifled laughter can be heard.

Then, Yui's usual voice cuts through.

“Hmm, in his case, it's not cool, it's more like gothic. He's kind of spaced out.”

“…What does that mean? Is he okay?”

“Well, he's a bit different.”

“Hmm. What's with that ‘I know’ kind of tone?”

“N-no! I'm just stating objective facts.”

“Hmm, objectively, huh? You must be observant—huh, huh.”

“S-stop it!”

They are laughing and getting more excited.

On the other hand, Yuki is thinking about what "gothic" means when he finally reaches his limit of sleepiness.

The voices around him gradually fade, and his consciousness slips into silence.

He suddenly raises his head.

All he sees are empty desks and chairs.

There's not a sound from the surrounding area.

(Ah, the fifth period is in the science lab...)

He realizes he's done it again.

Just then, he senses someone next to him.

“Oh, you're awake.”

Turning his gaze, he sees Yui sitting at her desk, resting her cheek on her hand and looking at him intently.

She smiles as soon as their eyes meet.

“You'll be late for class. Let's go?”

Still half-asleep, he stares at her for a moment.

Yui straightens up and starts laughing out loud.

“Haha, what's with that face? Did you get a shock? I was waiting for you, Yuki-kun.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yeah, yeah. Oh, did Yuki-kun get a little flustered…?”

“Thank you.”

It's very reassuring to have someone wait for you.

Saying this sincerely, Yui's smile falters, and she looks a bit flustered.

“A, ah… um…”

“Um?”

“U, uh… You looked cute when you were sleeping.”

“No, you couldn't have seen my face; I was lying face down.”

“Oh, you were facing up?”

“Facing up while lying face down? That's a scary way to sleep.”

He decides to point out her strange jokes.

She turns her face away, seemingly offended.

“Too bad, I was just here to get my pencil case.”

She dangles her pencil case.

It seems she wasn't really waiting for Yuki to wake up.

“Still, it's enough. You wouldn't know the fear of waking up alone.”

“What's that?”

It seems Yui has never experienced that.

Even if she says, “I understand,” it's surprising.

Yui stands up with a dissatisfied expression and says,

“Oh, we're alone in the classroom, right?”

Leaning against her desk, she says this.

“So what?”

“Hmm… for example, like this…”

Yui bends down to Yuki's level and moves her face closer.

“Looking into each other's eyes…”

Her round eyes, straight nose, and slightly round face are all neatly put together.

What Yuki notices most is Yui's eyes.

“I was just thinking… Yui, you kind of look like my sister.”

“Huh?”

Surprised by the unexpected response, Yui freezes.

But she quickly smiles and says,

“Oh, really? What's your sister like? Is she cute?”

“She's cute.”

Answering smoothly, Yui looks back at him with a “Huh?”

“What?”

“W-Why did you answer so quickly?”

“Why?”

“Well, usually people deny it, right?”

“I just told the truth.”

Yui nods ambiguously, saying, “Huh, huh…”

But then she suddenly grins and says,

“But if my sister is cute and I look like her, that means…”

“What does that mean?”

She looks away without answering, so he continues his thoughts.

“And I feel like our personalities are a bit similar.”

“Huh? You think my personality is like your sister’s… Anyway, what month were you born, Yuki-kun?”

“Huh? December.”

“I was born in August. I'm the older sister.”

Yui stretches her back and puts her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest.

It takes a moment to understand, but it seems she's emphasizing that she was born earlier.

“You sound like a kid.”

“Hmm? Do you want your big sister to pat you on the head, Yuki-kun?”

“Haha.”

“Don't laugh with your nose.”

At that moment, the bell signaling the start of class rings.

Yui quickly turns to the clock and says,

“Oh, the bell! It's your fault if we get scolded, Yuki-kun!”

“Why?”

“Just hurry up, let's go!”

As Yuki slowly gathers his books, Yui taps her foot and urges him, “Hurry up, hurry up!”

Following Yui, who is walking briskly, Yuki leaves the classroom.