ch1-ch20 · 001-ch1

Episode 1: Shirakawa Ai

I'd say spring is the only season I actually like.

I mean, lately summer's been hot and drags on forever, autumn's over before you know it, and winter's the worst with all the snow making it impossible to bike. Seriously, what's going on with Japan? Though apparently it's bad overseas too.

Anyway, spring's the last fortress that's still actually pleasant to live through.

If spring falls too, nobody's gonna want to go back for the new school year. At least let the weather support us, right?

Though some of my friends say "spring's ruined by pollen," but luckily I've dodged that particular suffering. Here's hoping I can keep dodging it forever.

Right, friends.

I made it sound like moving up grades is depressing, but honestly, it's not that bad.

I started high school this spring, but we have a combined junior-senior high, so more than half the faces are familiar. If anything, the benefits of being a high schooler outweigh the downsides. I can get a part-time job now, for one.

In a good mood after finishing breakfast, I leave our old house.

Not one of those trendy renovated traditional homes, just a regular slightly-old place. It's not that big, but plenty of room for me and Papa.

When I leave the house, there's a wide yard, and past the bushes I can see a single-family house about twice the size of ours.

Actually, that's the main house and ours is the detached building. The landlord is an old grandpa living alone, and he rents out the detached place. Pretty cheap rent, so we're grateful.

"Morning, Grandpa!"

"Oh, Ai-chan, good morning. That new uniform really suits you."

"I've heard that thirty times already! But thanks!"

Waving at Grandpa tending the bushes, I cross the wide yard to where the garage is.

Grandpa doesn't drive anymore, so the only vehicle in the garage is Papa's food truck.

The shutter's open, so I peek in and see two legs sticking out from under the vehicle.

"Still not fixed~?"

"Huh, Ai? Is it that time already?!"

When I call out, a lanky, tall man slides out from under the truck.

Black hair tied back a bit long, wearing thick-framed Boston glasses—a soft-spoken-looking uncle. This is my Papa.

"Sorry, did you eat breakfast...?"

"Already ate. I wrapped up your portion, so eat it soon, okay?"

"Aaaah, how could this happen. To think I'd miss breakfast with my daughter!"

Papa clutches his head with both hands from either side. Ugh, if you do that with your dirty gloves still on...

"Papa, take a bath and wash your hair before work, okay?"

"Huh? ...Ah!!"

He unties his hair and desperately tries to wipe off the oil stains.

Yeah, doing it with gloves on is just making it worse.

Our dear father really is kind of... clueless, isn't he?

"Well, I'm off~!"

"Ah, do you have your charm, Ai!"

Papa peeks out from the garage to see me off, still wrestling with the oil stains. I hold up my phone to show him. A penguin mascot dangled from it, swaying.

"It's attached to my phone, so obviously! See ya~!"

"Oh, be careful out there."

He waves his hand widely while straightening his crooked glasses.

Ugh, touching your glasses with those hands... Never mind, I'm not even gonna say it.

　　―　◆　―

People say combined junior-senior high schools are nice because there's no high school entrance exams, but it's not all easy, you know.

Getting held back is pretty strict—if your grades are bad, they retain you pretty easily, so I actually take the periodic tests seriously.

That said, I never had to do that exam-specific studying where you sit at your desk for hours day after day, so maybe entrance exams alone are easier than at other schools.

Since it was such a relaxed transition, even though I could now get a part-time job, I figured school wouldn't change much beyond the new uniforms when—

"Morning, morning~ Ai."

"Mornin', Sumi... whoa, the blond is blinding!"

My friend of ten years, Arizuki Sumi, had gone blonde at the bike rack. With light blue highlights at the tips, no less.

Her hair was black at the entrance ceremony last week.

"They finally said I could dye it, so I got it done yesterday."

Sumi runs her fingers through her long hair with a relaxed tone, looking pleased. Most kids dye their hair during spring break, but the fact that she checked with the homeroom teacher first shows she's serious underneath.

"You've finally become the perfect gal, huh."

"I thought I was already a gal~"

"A-sshi" is even more old-school Edo than "a-shi."

Well, as she says, Sumi's had unmistakable gal vibes since middle school.

Short skirt showing off long legs that all the girls envied, hair curled or made airy with an iron. She didn't wear makeup back then, but she used plumping lip gloss and her lashes were perfectly curled upward.

And not just any gal. Tall, great figure, and pretty! A super-gal.

It's because we've been childhood friends since before elementary school that someone like Sumi—who's a bit taller with a much more curvy figure, miles away from being a gal like me—became my best friend.

We went to different nursery schools and kindergartens, but Sumi's mom was a regular at Papa's food truck, so we saw each other all the time and became close... or so the parents say, though I barely remember since we were friends since before I can recall.

"...Wait, Sumi, did you start biking too? Isn't that skirt dangerous?"

"Ehh, nope. I'm walking~"

Huh, then why was she at the bike rack?

"I wanted you to be the first to see my hair, so I waited."

Sumi grins smugly while holding her long hair to the sides with both hands.

Hmph, don't try to charm your childhood friend too, you popular girl.

"Ai's ears are red~~!"

"Stop teasing me!"

We chattered and made our way to the classroom together.

Hah, jealous, boys? If you're so frustrated, try reincarnating with a gal childhood friend.