Episode 5: A Childhood Friend Simply Wearing Glasses Is Just Too Convenient!

Stepping outside, I hear Makina’s dad calling “Have a good day!” from behind us.

“See you later!”

Out the door, the June morning air brushes against my skin.
Just slightly humid.
But it doesn’t look like it’ll rain.

We start walking side by side.
We’ve been walking to school together long before we started living together, but somehow, leaving through the same front door still makes it feel oddly ticklish.

I glance sideways at Makina walking next to me, her black hair catching the morning sun.
I should be used to the sight of her in uniform by now, but no matter how many times I see it, she’s still just plain cute.
Actually, I don’t think there’s ever going to be a day I get used to it.
How does that even work?

“Yotsuka, what have you been staring at?”
“Nothing~”

Wait, was I caught?
But, I mean, can you blame me?

The girl I love is walking right next to me. Of course I’m going to look.
If anything, not looking would practically be rude.

“Liar.”
“I wasn’t looking.”

Ever since we were carrying school backpacks, Makina’s always been right there beside me on the walk to school.
The route. The wait at the crosswalk. The pointless small talk.
All of it was so ordinary I never even noticed it.

But once I fell for her, everything ordinary became precious.

I’m way too simple, honestly.

◇◆◇◆◇

Thirty minutes on foot.
Through our usual route, through the school gates, straight to the classroom.

Class 2-3.
Same class as Makina, of course.
Actually, we’ve been in the same class since preschool.
At this point it’s a little scary.

“Oh, morning, Yotsuka, Makina.”

The one who calls out to us the moment we step into the classroom is Sanka Ia.
We’ve known each other since junior high girls’ basketball, and now we’re fellow members of the go-home club.

And—
She’s one of the very few people who know I’m in love with Makina.
Well, that’s the result of an old self-inflicted disaster.
Please don’t ask how that happened…

“Morning, Ia.”
“Morning, Ia-chan.”

Makina answers with a smile and heads straight for her own seat, a little further off.
Left behind, Ia grins at me.

“So? How’s it going?”
“How’s what going?”
“How’s what — obviously! Living together, living together! It’s been what, two weeks now?”
“…Normal, I guess.”
“How are mornings? Getting woken up every day?”
“Normal, I guess.”
“Eating meals together? Bet it’s delicious.”
“…Normal, I guess.”
“Come on, you’re giving me the same answer every time.”
“Because it’s normal.”
“Your face is not looking very ‘normal’ right now.”

I sit down, and Ia settles into the seat in front of me.
Leaning our heads together over the desk, we keep talking in hushed voices.

“Like… my heart’s basically stopping every single day at this point.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound normal at all.”
“Of course it’s not normal! She’s been at that distance the whole time!”
“Makina’s whole thing really is just a walking green light, huh.”
“But she’s my childhood friend, so I can’t tell, and — more than anything, I really don’t want everything to fall apart…”
“Well, as long as you’re still alive, that’s something. Good luck. Good luck.”
“With what?”
“You know exactly what, don’t act like you don’t.”

Knowing and doing are two completely different things, okay?!

◇◆◇◆◇

“Alright, it’s been about two months since the new term started, so let’s do a seat change, shall we~”

Our homeroom teacher — an old man who looks like he should’ve retired ages ago — pulls a lottery box out of nowhere.

Draw a ticket, move seats, and I end up all the way in the back corner of the classroom, by the window.
Boxed in by walls, a bit of a shadowy spot.
Well, honestly, not bad at all. Nobody’s going to notice me back here.

“Yo, Yotsuka. Close again, huh.”

Ia says, sitting down in the seat to my right.

“So. Yotsuka. Where do you think Makina ends up?”

The two of us watch Makina drawing her ticket at the front of the room.
I don’t even need to check. I already know.
Given how the laws of this universe seem to conveniently bend in my favor…

The lottery result.
The seat directly in front of mine.
Directly facing me.

“You’re rigging this, aren’t you, Yotsuka.”

Ia mutters, leaning in.

“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“This happens literally every seat change. Far as I know, going all the way back to junior high.”
“No idea.”
“And in elementary school your seats were always close too, right? What, is the universe just way too convenient for you specifically??”
“NO IDEA!!!”

Makina’s happily setting her things down at her new seat.

“What are you two whispering about, looking so happy?”

Having finished unpacking, Makina spins around to face us.

“Oh, nothing~ just saying it’s great everyone’s seats ended up close, right, Yotsuka!”
“Feels like this happens every time, though! Right, Makina!”
“Right! Seriously, it’s like a miracle! Let’s all have a good term again!”

Like hell a miracle like this should happen every single time!

◇◆◇◆◇

Modern Japanese class.
The teacher’s voice echoes through the room.
I run my mechanical pencil across the page, staring vacantly at the blackboard.

From the back, the board’s a little far. But it’s not really a problem.
I can see Makina’s back, in the seat ahead of me.
Beautiful black hair.
Smooth and silky, smells nice, probably tastes good if I bit i—

No.
Focus.

That’s when I notice Makina pulling something out of her bag.
Thin-framed, round glasses.

She… slides them on.
Time seemed to stop for a second.

…
……

“Hey.”

Before I know it, I’ve grabbed Ia’s arm next to me.

“What?”
“I can’t see.”
“Huh? Yotsuka, your eyesight going bad?”
“All I can see is the back of her head.”

Ia stares at me for a solid three seconds before it clicks.

“…That’s, like, genuinely gross.”
“Gross is fine by me…!”
“Go get that fix at home, would you!”
“I— it’s fine because we’re in class right now!”

Shrieking in an absurdly hushed whisper, I drop my eyes back to my notebook.
…What I caught for a split second was a thin silver-framed round pair of glasses.

When did she even buy those?
I had no idea.
I want to see exactly how those round frames sit on her pale little nose.

Can’t see it.
Can’t see it AT ALL.

…I want to see it.

Without even realizing, I’ve scribbled two loopy circles on my notebook.

…Okay, that’s genuinely creepy of me, isn’t it?!

◇◆◇◆◇

A small, clacking sound.
Makina’s eraser had fallen to the floor.
Makina gets up out of her seat to pick it up.
While she’s at it, she glances back over her shoulder, and our eyes meet.

“…………”
“…………”

Glasses.
Round glasses.
Black hair, pale face, thin frames.

Beyond those silver frames, Makina’s beautiful eyes — looking just slightly smaller than usual — land directly on me.

“Something wrong?”

Behind the lenses, long lashes blink, once.
Intelligent, and yet somehow calculating with it.
What even is this. Some new kind of weapon?

“No, Makina, when did you start wearing glasses—”
“Oh, these? Things have been a little hard to see lately. It was fine when I was in my old seat, but back here it’s no good. Good thing I got them! What do you think? Do they suit me?”
“…………”
“Yotsuka?”
“Oh, y-yeah, th-they’re perfect…”

Makina smiles and turns back around.
I stay frozen for about five seconds.

“Hey.”

Ia whispers right in my ear.

“Still alive?”
“…I might die from how precious that was.”
“Your face is red.”
“Managed to avoid a fatal blow, at least…”
“Yotsuka, honestly, this is probably the best time of your whole life, huh.”
“…Can’t really argue with that.”

I drop my head and try to copy down the notes from the board.
Two loopy circles stare back at me.
…They kind of look like they’re laughing at me.