My smartphone alarm jolts me awake.
Just a little longer. My sleep-deprived brain mumbles this as I curl up into a ball.
I end up dozing off again, only to be roused by my parents. Rushing to get ready, I head off to school.

Even when I enter the classroom, no one pays me the slightest bit of attention.
Until now, there was no one to say “Good morning” to.

But what about today?

　A voice reached me from behind.

“Good morning.”

My body stiffened at the voice on my shoulder.
It belonged to the person responsible for my lack of sleep.

“Good morning, Mashiro.”

She even called my name.
This left no room for me to think it was a misunderstanding.

“………Good morning, Amamiya-san.”

I turned towards her, but couldn’t meet her eyes.

“Your voice sounds hoarse. Lack of sleep? Stayed up late?”

The very person who kept me awake was standing right in front of me, yet she either didn’t realise or was saying it deliberately. She tilted her head with a blank expression.
　Us two never really interacted at school.
Fearing the attention of my classmates, I turned my back on Amamiya again. “I couldn’t sleep thinking about yesterday,” I said, loud enough for her to hear, as I headed for my seat.

Yet, Amamiya Tōru followed me, seemingly oblivious to my intentions.

“Eh? What’s that? The slut and some classmate girl are hanging out together.”
“Who’s that girl with the slut?”
“Dude, you should know your classmates’ names, lol. It’s Kuroda-san. Kuroda-san.”
“Oh crap, lol. Who’s Kuroda-san? lol. Even if you say the name, I’ve no recollection whatsoever, lol.”

My feet stopped. My body froze.
See? Just as I thought. Sure enough, several classmates had spotted me and Amamiya Tōru, and were getting excited, making up their own stories about it.
　Their voices were loud, and they didn’t seem to give a thought to whether we could hear them. In fact, they probably chattered away thinking it wouldn’t matter even if we did hear.

Amamiya Tōru probably wouldn’t care about such whispering.
Being the type who does care, and being shy, I couldn’t complain.

Only the laughter of my classmates echoed, trapped, in my ears.
Forever. Forever………

“They’re awful, aren’t they?”

Amidst my drowning consciousness, words were thrown at my back again.

“To be able to smile over something like that… I’m actually envious.”

Amamiya Tōru’s words carried weight.
Though her expression didn’t show it, turning around, I could tell those words were imbued with genuine feeling.

“Ah, eyes. Finally met. Good morning, Mashiro.”

As transparent as ever, Amamiya Tōru seemed to want to say ‘again’ as she greeted me once more.
Just a ‘good morning’. Just a morning greeting.
Yet to me, it felt as though she held another intention behind that ‘just’.

She wouldn’t let it be a relationship limited to yesterday.
She wouldn’t let me say ‘no’ after all.

She wouldn’t let me escape.

　A greeting meant to keep me tethered.
That’s how I interpreted it.

It was only because of the underlying awkwardness and embarrassment that I couldn’t look at her face for a moment. I, too, had no intention of ending the relationship that had begun yesterday.
So this time, I properly met her gaze. Lured by the scent of citrus fabric softener and sweet shampoo wafting from her, I bowed my head slightly.

“………Good morning.”

　◇

Seated, morning short homeroom over.
First period: Classics. Second period: English Expression II, done.
Third period: Chemistry. Being more arts-oriented, I could focus solely on lessons until the second period. But during chemistry class, which I struggle with, that concentration vanished instantly.

And what flooded my mind once focus slipped? Yesterday’s events, of course.

　◇

I stroked Amamiya Tōru’s head.

“You know, you can vent your troubles to me.”

The words slipped out unexpectedly.
I hadn’t even realised I’d been thinking that.
Yet after saying it, I found myself strangely convinced it was true.

Perhaps it was an overactive imagination.
　But I had once imagined her circumstances and painted the world as cruel.
It was a kind of lament, and it was true that if Amamiya Tōru was suffering, I wanted to be of some help to her.

Amamiya Tōru’s eyes widened.
Talking to her like this, I often feel like I’m the one who ends up surprised.
Her expressions change so subtly, it might just be my imagination.

And this time, it was my turn to be startled.

“Eh?”

The weight on my chest.
The force wrapping around my back and tightening.

To put it plainly, Amamiya Tōru buried her face in my chest and hugged me tightly.

She came at me so forcefully I momentarily thought she might push me over, so I released my hand from her head and braced myself on the bed.

“What’s the matter, Amamiya-san? Did you dislike it?”

　Rub rub

Was that rubbing a sign she didn’t dislike it?
Or was she simply rubbing her face against my chest?

In a muffled voice, she demanded.

“Sorry. I don’t even know why I’m doing this.”

Her first words were ones of confusion.

“But don’t stop stroking my head…”