CH 1

 Chp. 1: The one sitting next to me, Nikaido-san

From Author:

I started a new series

I’ll be in your care

・・・

It’s all started when I was just a kid

[We’ll always be friends, right, Hayato?]

[Yeah, we’ll always be friends, Haruki! ]

The sunflowers blooming in the garden, the empty bottle of lemonade, and the sound of the cicadas chirping

On a late summer evening in the countryside, I made a small promise to my best friend

Intertwining our pinkies together, we wish for a reunion before a farewell we have no choice but to face

Seven years have passed since then

[It’s huge...]

I, Hayato Kirishima was suddenly aware of this as I looked at my new high school.

The school I moved to was much bigger and prettier than the one in the countryside, which almost made my eyes roll back in my head

I can’t help but think about the things I’ve missed in my past days

Anyway, not wanting to remain overwhelmed, I pulled myself together and headed to the staff room

It seemed that all the procedures had already been completed, so I headed straight to the classroom with my homeroom teacher.

Above the door was a plate with “1-A” written on it

From the entrance, gazes of interest pierce through me, making me nervous

[My name’s Hayato, Kirishima Hayato. I’m a country bumpkin from Tsukinose, a place where you might see monkeys, deer, and boars on the road]

I introduced myself in such a self-deprecating way, and although I’m not proud of it, my expression was such that my classmates started to laugh

I breathed a sigh of relief since my first day at my new school was going well

Since I was moving from the countryside to the city, moreover it was in the middle of June, I felt a little uneasy about that

Still, there were some things I was excited about

The fact that I was moving to the same town as Haruki Nikaido, the person I made a promise to when I was a kid made me excited. There might be a chance to meet him

[For your seat…. Is there an empty seat next to Nikaido?]

(Nikaido… eh?)

[Yes]

One of the female student raised her hand and gestured, “Here you go”

She was a very beautiful girl

She has big, round eyes and long, well-groomed hair that’s braided in tufts on each side

The way she smiles at me is as lovely as a bud that’s blossoming to a flower

She’s a neat and lovely girl who seemed mature and the word “Yamato Nadeshiko” suited her well. (TL Note: “Yamato Nadeshiko” is a japanese term meaning the personification of an idealized Japanese woman)

On the contrary, the face of my best friend came to mind as I thought, [Oh, this girl is also called Nikaido, just like that guy] ”, 

He was a good-natured guy, he might try to approach her and said, “It’s fate that we have the same last name”

When I thought about it, a giggle escaped my lips and I started to choke　

[I’ll be in your care, Nidokai-san]

She looked a bit surprised at my reaction, but for a moment, she responded with a mischievous smile that was somewhat friendly 

[I’ll be in your care, Kirishima-kun]

I felt nostalgic for some reason when she squinted her eyes at me

(Huh, Why did I feel nostalgic?)

I tilted my head, trying to think. But my classmates started to approach me

[Hey, Kirishima-kun, is it true what you said in your introduction?]

[How remote is that place, seriously?]

[How did you end up coming here from such a place?]

As soon as homeroom was over, I was surrounded by my classmates and was subjected to baptism of fire in the form of questions about me

[Uhm, the reason I changed schools was because of my father’s sudden job transfer. The last place I lived was deep in the mountains, where there were only 4 buses a day, and we had more livestock than people… Honestly, I’ve never been surrounded by so many things besides chickens and sheeps, so I’m a bit surprised]

When I shrugged my shoulders after I said something like that, my classmates started to laugh and some of them said something like: [What’s that?], [Really?], [That’s funny!]

I have a good impression of my classmates, and it seemed that my classmates also felt the same way. So they started to ask me more and more questions

[DIdn’t you have any girlfriend or something over there?]

[It’s harder to find someone your own age, not to mention, a girlfriend]

[Do you have any friends? What did you do for fun?]

[Basically, I was either alone or helping out in the fields… Oh! There was a guy who used to be a good friend of mine. He made me jump to the river with him from a bridge, climbed a tree in the mountain and fell down when he couldn’t get down, I think he was more of a bad monkey or some monster rather than a friend]

I talked about these things as I replayed my memories with Haruki.

If I were to say anything, all I remember is being dragged around and pushed around all the time. I’m sure it’s not really good, but it definitely was a fun memories

*snap*

[Eh?]

[...Ah]

I don’t know why, but at the same time as we were speaking, I heard the sound of something being snapped from beside me

Everyone turned their attention to the direction of the sound source

It was Nikaido-san in the seat next to me

In her hand was a mechanical pencil snapped in the middle　

Nikaido-san herself looked surprised, too

A beautiful, innocent girl who looks like a “Yamato Nadeshiko” and a broken mechanical pencil in her hand

With this unfamiliar situation, my classmates were more concerned about her than the questions they were about to ask 

[Nikaido-san?]

[Uhm, that… what happened?]

[Are you okay? Are you hurt?]

[Ahaha, don’t worry, I’m fine. This pencil was a bit defective]

She decided to ask me a question as if she was trying to cover something up. Her face was a little tinged with disapproval

[That’s quite a way to talk about a dear friend]

[Haha, that’s because he’s my best friend]

[Oh, I see]

I answered Nikaido-san whilst thinking about my memories with  Haruki

After that, she turned her face away with a pout