Chapter 1. First Love

Chapter 1. First Love CHAPTER 1 First Love

Seirei Academy’s schoolyard was buzzing with energy. It was an exciting midday after the events of field day and the Run between student council presidential candidates. Yet, just beyond the lively scene, there was a single building where all was silent…

“Phew…”

Stepping out of the Class 1-B classroom, Masachika Kuze let out a small breath while walking a few steps down the hallway. His team had just lost to the Yuki-Ayano team in the Run, but instead of dwelling on it, he focused on cheering up Alisa, who was alone in the classroom and feeling down. He’d even promised to celebrate her birthday with her. But now, as the confidence from that moment faded…he cringed, replaying every little thing he’d done in his mind.

Ugh… I’m such a loser.

Feeling embarrassment creeping in, Masachika hurried toward the schoolyard for lunch, darting his eyes around in search of his grandparents. But it was his grandfather, Tomohisa, who spotted him first and waved.

“Oh! Hey, Masachika! Over here!”

“Come on, stop yelling. You’re embarrassing me.”

Many other students and their families were busy eating, so his grandfather didn’t draw much attention, but Masachika was still a teenage boy; he was unable to hide his embarrassment as he hunched his shoulders and made a beeline for his grandparents.

“Ah, you’re finally here. Come have a seat with us,” said his grandmother, Asae, as he joined them on the plastic picnic sheet.

“Here’s a damp towel.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Although he’d already cleaned himself up after the cavalry battle, he briefly wiped his hands with the damp towel again. A quick glance confirmed that his mother, who had been with his grandparents earlier, was gone as well. It also made him realize that his father hadn’t arrived yet, so he casually pointed that out.

“Looks like Dad’s not here yet. He sent me a text this morning saying he’d be here for lunch.”

“He’s probably running late. Maybe he overslept on the plane and missed his stop.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. It’s not like it’s a train,” interjected Masachika, glaring at Tomohisa.

“Come, let’s eat. I brought a lot of ham because I know just how much you love it,” Asae suggested as she opened the lunchbox.

“Whoa. Those are some thick slices of ham.”

“Just for you, sweetie.”

Though Masachika felt self-conscious—as any teenager eating lunch with his grandparents would—he didn’t complain, choosing instead to simply enjoy Asae’s warm smile as she savored their meal together.

“Thanks for the food.”

After a brief, respectful bow with his hands pressed together, Masachika picked up his chopsticks and dug in to the lunch his grandmother had prepared. Tomohisa and Asae watched their grandson eat, their smiles filled with joy…and a hint of relief.

“Whew… I ate way too much,” Masachika muttered to himself while wandering around the schoolyard to walk off some of his lunch. He had only intended to eat until he was about eighty-percent full so it wouldn’t affect his performance in the afternoon events, but Asae had kept offering him this and that, and he ended up overeating.

Yeah… I should probably stop by the nurse’s office to check up on everybody.

The sudden thought struck Masachika, and he turned toward the school building, worrying about the members from his team that had gotten injured during the cavalry battle—Nonoa and Takeshi specifically.

I mean, from what I heard, that tackle was absolutely insane… Knowing her, she probably went all out and pulled off some kind of brutal tackle that would’ve gotten her banned even if it were rugby.

His expression was tinged with remorse as he thought of the girl who had likely initiated the tackle at the head of their “horse.” Nonoa, after all, was the most seriously injured. While her wound was just a scrape, she was a girl and model at that—a profession where even a minor cut could be a big deal. Therefore, his smile was more apologetic than anything.

Nonoa herself seemed to be completely unfazed…but there’s something terrifying about how she doesn’t even hesitate to do these things. I guess I should just be glad that she’s on our side…

But whatever the case, it was something she did to help Alisa and Masachika win, so if she were still resting in the nurse’s office, it was only natural to bring her a gift of some sort.

Takeshi, on the other hand, had earned his honorable (?) wound while trying to catch Sayaka as she fell off the “horse,” taking an accidental hit to the face from her arm or back (or something) that resulted in a bloody nose.

With that being said, Takeshi’s face was suspiciously flushed and Sayaka appeared noticeably awkward as well, but Masachika intentionally chose not to probe further. Put simply, the exact details of how Takeshi had “protected” her and what exactly he had made contact with remained unclear, and Masachika preferred to leave those ambiguities unexplored, since he didn’t know how he would act if his friend did just so happen to get “lucky” (wink wink).

Now, let’s see how Nonoa’s doing…

Looking into the nurse’s office through the open sliding door, he noticed that the curtains on the bed closest to him were drawn.

Oh, is someone sleeping?

Figuring it would be rude to loudly announce himself if someone were resting, Masachika slipped quietly into the nurse’s office. However, after scanning the room silently, there didn’t seem to be a single soul in sight. Even the school nurse was missing.

No one’s here… I guess she already got patched up and left.

But just as Masachika was about to leave the school infirmary—

“Are you feeling better?”

He stopped dead in his tracks at the muffled sound of a man’s voice coming from just beyond the curtains next to him.

Huh? Why is…?

Believing that it had to be someone who just sounded familiar, he strained his ears—only for another voice to cut through the air, sending a chill down his spine.

“Yes… I’m sorry for suddenly crying like that…”

It was a voice etched into his memory, immutable across the years—a voice he sometimes yearned for, sometimes sought to escape. It was his mother’s voice, and the instant Masachika realized this, he also realized the other voice had to have been his father’s, plunging him deeper into confusion.

Why? Why??

Question marks swirled in his head. Why were these two together? Had Tomohisa and Asae lied? But why … ?

“It’s okay. Can you tell me what happened?”

“…I don’t know what happened… I was just watching Yuki and Masachika, and…”

“All right. Well, you don’t need to rush yourself. I know you’re still trying to process what happened, but do you think you could tell me what’s on your mind? You can take all the time you need.”

Masachika continued listening, frozen as if he were glued in place. His mind was caught in a whirlwind of confusion and couldn’t comprehend their conversation…yet he distinctly sensed a profound affection between them, and the moment he recognized that fact…

“ … !!”

He had unconsciously dashed out of the room.

“Hff! Hff … !”

Gasping for breath as if he had just completed a marathon, Masachika braced himself against the hallway wall, the floor below him blurring.

He knew—he knew that his parents had continued to meet occasionally, even after their divorce. Even though his father, Kyoutarou, had never spoken of it, Masachika had picked up on it long ago. However…

Why are they…? They used to be more…

The image of his parents that was so clearly etched into Masachika’s mind was that of his emotional mother berating his troubled father. But…the voices he had just heard through the curtains seemed like they were from a time before, when the two still got along…

Why? Why…?

Questions whirled through his mind, dragging his thoughts into a deepening vortex. If they still harbored feelings for each other—if they still maintained the will to support one another—then why had they divorced? For what purpose? For whose sake?

“ … !”

Hit with a wave of nausea, Masachika instinctively covered his mouth. Then, straightening his unconsciously hunched back, he took a deep breath with trembling lungs.

“Nnngh…”

He pushed down the rising sensation deep within his chest, blinking repeatedly to clear his blurred vision…when out of nowhere, Ayano rounded the corner of the hallway ahead with an unexpected figure right behind her, startling Masachika.

“ … !”

They seemed to have noticed him, too. Ayano paused momentarily, but when the man behind her continued forward, she resumed her path, albeit while blinking with uncertainty.

Why…?