Chapter 25: I went to school with my childhood friend

I went to school with my childhood friend

—Wake up.

Intuition sent a warning to my mind and I suddenly woke up.

Looking at the clock, it was just before 6 in the morning.

I scratched my head, trying to shake off the drowsiness.

Yesterday, I held Aya at the park until late at night.

After that, I escorted her home.

I came back and just collapsed into bed, losing consciousness.

Today… Right, it’s the first day of the cultural festival.

It takes about forty minutes to get to school, so I could easily catch some more sleep and still be on time.

—Go pick her up.

Yeah.

Aya has been tired lately. She worked yesterday and then walked the hour and a half journey with me, being shaken around…

Aya loves sleep more than anyone, so she’s undoubtedly going to oversleep.

Today, she’s supposed to be in charge of grabbing ankles in the haunted house, so she must’ve needed to get there early to do the setup and preparations.

I quickly got ready for school and left the house.

Ding Dong

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I rang the intercom at Aya’s house.

The door opened with a rattle and Aya’s mom appeared.

“Oh, good morning, Boyan. Aya?”

“Good morning. Aya has to leave early today.”

“Huh, really!? That girl is definitely still asleep. Wait a moment!”

The door slammed shut.

I faintly heard the sound of Aya’s mom hurrying up the stairs from inside the house.

I distanced myself from the gate and looked up at Aya’s room on the second floor.

I could faintly hear Aya’s mom’s voice from inside… Well, it was actually quite loud.

“Aya, wake up! Boyan is here! Aya! … That’s right, Boyan! Aren’t you supposed to leave early today? … Right, Boyan came to pick you up.” Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

I took out my smartphone and tried calling Aya.

She picked up on the first ring.

“Aya, good morning. Can you wake up?”

“Groan…”

“You said you had preparations for the cultural festival today, right?”

“Ughhh… Boyan… Good morning… groan…”

Aya moaned in a hoarse voice.

This is… her sleepiest voice. She’ll probably fall asleep in three seconds as soon as we hang up.

I foresaw that definite future and found myself chuckling.

“Aya, I love you. Let’s go to school together.”

“…Hnnn…”

Soon, I heard rustling sounds from the other end of the phone.

Aya was likely starting to wake up slowly and getting ready.

“Boyan, are you downstairs?”

Aya, who was regaining her voice, asked.

“Yeah, I’m at the gate.”

The curtains in Aya’s room opened slightly.

“Sorry, wait a moment.”

“Oh, sure, take your time.”

A stuffed monkey appeared in the gap of the curtain and was placed on the windowsill.

I guess this means I should wait.

I absentmindedly gazed at the stuffed monkey and waited for Aya to come out.

With a rattle, the door opened and Aya emerged.

“Sorry for making you wait.”

Aya was wearing a black T-shirt.

It had bright pink letters that said “Haunted House” printed on the chest.

It was a T-shirt designed by a group of volunteers, an idea proposed by Tokita.

I remember Tokita collecting money from everyone for it before. It was a limited edition for those who signed up, so I didn’t buy one.

Well, that aside…

“Aya, are you going to school dressed like that?”

“Hmm? Oh…”

Aya was wearing black shorts.

She also had on a blue baseball cap.

Quite boyish… or rather, punk attire.

She must have changed clothes with the usual lack of energy after putting on the T-shirt.

She still seemed a bit drowsy.

Aya said, “Sorry, wait a moment!” and then went back into the house.

- - - -

Aya and I were walking along the morning commuting route.

Aya was wearing a black T-shirt and the school-designated navy skirt. Of course, she wasn’t wearing her cap.

Her chestnut-colored short hair swayed sleepily.

I spoke up to keep Aya engaged.

“Did you manage to fall asleep right after last night?”

“Ah… yeah, I took a shower and went to bed right away.”

Her face had a faint blush and she looked shyly downward.

“So, you only got about four hours of sleep. That’s a bit tough on you, Aya.”

“Nah, I’m totally awake now.”

“Are you really okay? The Aya from earlier sounded like a zombie.”

“Zom… bie…!? Don’t call me a zombie~!”

Perhaps embarrassed, Aya shouted something nonsensical to deflect the topic.

Seeing her in her usual state like that made me laugh again.

When was the last time Aya and I walked to school like this?

Ever since Aya started dating Tokita, we hadn’t walked to school together much.

Part of that was due to Aya’s busy morning practices for her club activities.

I also hesitated for some reason.

But on the occasions when I unexpectedly ran into Aya at the station, it always felt like it would be a good day.

“Hey Boyan, sorry, can we stop by the convenience store?”

Probably because she left without having breakfast, Aya, with her eyes half-closed from sleepiness, bought a random bread and juice.

“Want to eat at the plaza in front of the station?”

“Nah, I’ll eat here, so just wait a moment.”

Saying that, Aya opened the bag of bread in front of the convenience store.

“If we go to the plaza, there are places to sit.”

“But, I might run into someone at the station.”

“Everyone knows Aya is a glutton.”

“That’s not the issue… munch”

Waiting for a while as Aya munched on her bread, gulped down her juice, threw away the trash, we continued walking together.

As we walked side by side, Aya’s hand brushed against mine. It must have been an accidental touch.

In that instant, Aya’s emotions came across to me.

(Boyan’s hand brushed against mine.

Ugh… my heart is racing.

With this hand…)

Aya’s hand quickly moved away.

What’s with this hand?

Even though I’ve touched Aya all over.

Thoroughly.

Still… I felt a bit embarrassed too. My heart was pounding.

Maybe it’s because this is our usual morning route.

Will the day come when Aya and I walk to school holding hands on this route?

—It will.

Yeah.

Those days will be here soon.

So, until then, I’ll endure.

If someone were to see us, Aya would probably feel awkward.

“Hey Boyan.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not a glutton, you know.”

With a slightly annoyed expression, she looked ahead.

Her manner was cute and I felt like hugging her.

If we become a couple, I might end up walking to school while hugging Aya.

No good.

Maybe because I’m sleep-deprived too, my thoughts are drifting into dreamland.

Anyway, I decided to comfort my somewhat displeased childhood friend.

“I know.”

Recently, Aya stopped eating cakes and sweets all of a sudden.

Come to think of it, she was self-conscious about being called “chubby” by Tokita.

Even so, she was just now happily biting into the anpan.

I was going to tease her about that.

—Better not.

God’s intuition warned me.

It seems Aya might get a bit hurt by that.

Then, in that case…

“… I was just thinking how Aya looks really cute when she eats.”

I liked seeing Aya eat.

I conveyed that to her.

“Oh, thanks… Wait, you’re calling me a glutton again!”

While Aya and I were engaged in trivial chatter, we reached the station in no time.

From here, we’d take the train and get off after one station, then walk a bit to reach the school.

The figures of other students in the same uniform were starting to appear here and there.

Aya grew quieter and a hint of tension seemed to pass through.

I asked Aya.

“Should we go our separate ways from here?”

“It’s fine.”

Aya replied casually.

She tried to keep a cool demeanor, but her face seemed tense.

However, that unease turned out to be needless worry.

“Good morning, Aya~ Oh, good morning to you too, Boyan!”

“Aya~ Boyan, it’s finally the first day, huh?”

“Oh, Boyan, you’re up early!”

“Hey, Boyan, you’re here early today.”

Our classmates noticed us and cheerfully greeted us with smiles.

No one had a suspicious look in their eyes.

A mysterious sense of trust was directed at me, referred to as “Safety Man”, while Aya was surrounded by a mysterious sense of relief as the “Lovey-Dovey Couple” along with Tokita.

As childhood friends, Aya and I walking to school together didn’t spark any thoughts or concerns in anyone’s mind.

At least, not now.

We quickly transformed into a lively group and boarded the train.

Aya laughed cheerfully with her female friends, while I absentmindedly gazed out the train window.

It’s just our usual everyday life.

But this would end with this cultural festival.

We got off at the first station and walked the short distance to the school.

At the school gate stood an arch-shaped sign that read “Welcome to the Cultural Festival”.

Passing beneath it, we headed towards the school building amidst the bustling students.

Everyone seemed to be buoyed by a strange sense of excitement.

Aya and I were also feeling a different kind of energy since morning.

Just like during the school trip.

A short but different world was about to begin.

As we arrived at the classroom, now transformed into a haunted house, Aya and her friends entered inside.

Since I didn’t have any specific role assigned today, I was planning to spend my time idly.

Suddenly, the girl with short, chestnut-colored hair, distinctive with her semi-long hair, stopped as she was about to enter the classroom. Stepping back half a step, she turned towards me.

“See you later.”

“Yeah, do your best.”

Aya waved lightly and then went into the classroom.

- - - -

The first day of the cultural festival was held on a weekday, Friday.

Consequently, aside from a few parents, young children and people with time on their hands from the neighborhood, only our students were present on the school grounds.

Since the number of visitors wasn’t that high, each booth and activity exuded a relaxed atmosphere.

The true chaos would come tomorrow—the second day of the festival—when the place would be bustling with people.

That’s why I spent the morning leisurely wandering around the school, sitting on benches and killing time.

Then, a serious-looking girl with distinctive shoulder-length black hair approached.

“Boyan, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Yukari smiled cheerfully as she stood there.

“Done with the haunted house?”

“Yeah, I sneaked out.”

“I see.”

“Shall we take a walk around?”

“Just for the morning.”

“Sure, sure, got it~”

Yukari replied casually.

I got up slowly and followed behind Yukari.

Checking the time on my phone, it was a little past 10 AM.

Aya’s job as the ankle grabber in the haunted house would be done in about two more hours.

But me…

I felt like I wouldn’t spend much time with Yukari.