Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 1 – A Cloudy Way Home

Inside the school building, the bell rang signaling the end of the school hours.

Here was the classroom of the 2nd year class of a certain high school. Some were mingling with friends, while others were hurrying off to their club activities, each spending their own time after homeroom ended. In the midst of all this, a boy with glossy, bluish-black bangs and keen, indigo eyes – Ichinose Kyosuke – was readying himself to head to the dojo where his kendo club was conducting its activities. As a result of the presence of a dojo dedicated to the kendo club, he was able to carry out his activities without being concerned about the other club activities.

It was the same old routine. As he was about to exit the classroom, a voice called out to him from behind.

“Kyosuke, work hard on your club activities.”

When he looked back at the owner of the voice, there was a bishounen, an androgynous boy with lightly pigmented, almost beige hair – Sonohara Yuu – walking up to him with a schoolbag in his hand. They were childhood friends who have been hanging out with each other since childhood.

“You’ve got a lesson to attend at home, right? Do your best.”

“Mmm.”

When Kyosuke replied, Yuu only responded listlessly. Yuu gave the impression of being lovely and beautiful with white skin, but his character was a little… no, a lot twisted.

This was primarily to Kyosuke, who was often swept away by his twisted ways. However, since that was a sign that they have forgiven each other, neither of them felt bothered by the other. For better or worse, the two sides were at ease with each other.

“See you later, I have to hurry, so I’ll go ahead.”

“Bye, bye.”

Waving lightly at one another, Kyosuke headed for the dojo and Yuu left for home.

​───────

“…”

It was past 6:30 pm.

After club activities, Kyosuke changed into his outdoor shoes and was about to leave the school entrance when he cast his gaze at the gloomy sky.

The sky was shrouded in grayish clouds. It seemed as though it would begin to rain at any moment.

Unfortunately, he had not prepared an umbrella.

“Hopefully, it won’t rain before I reach home.”

He muttered to himself, let out a sigh, and proceeded on his way home. As he left the school building to return to his apartment, which was not so distant, he abruptly came to a halt and directed his gaze to the opposite side of the road. Beyond that, there was the dance school that Yuu attended.

Yuu tended to spend the majority of his time in class asleep. Even though he always exuded an aura of lassitude, he was likely working hard now, as though a different personality had taken over.

​───”Because I’ll be a model who can sing and dance.”

This was the phrase that he frequently used to say.

Yuu never knew exactly where his thoughts were leading him, but this was the sole “dream” that he was resolved to fulfill. Once returning home, he would ride his bicycle to the dance school by himself, taking lessons until late at night and reaching home after 10 o’clock. For dinner, he always brings his bento from his mother.

When he was considering such things about Yuu, he struck upon the idea that he was a more hardworking person than himself.

I hope that his dream will come true.

Kyosuke turned to head home, wishing with all his heart that this would happen.

Right there, a minivan passed him.

But Kyosuke failed to notice that it was a car transporting the entire Sonohara family with the exception of Yuu.

T/N:

Below here are the illustrations that the author has made for the characters with a brief introduction, I’ll be posting down their photos in the order of their appearance within the novel.

The protagonist of this work; Ichinose Kyosuke
High school 2nd-year student/180cm
He is a member of the kendo club.
He is both literate and taciturn.
His family is abroad and rarely comes back.
He does not like to be associated with others.
Although some girls approach him for his looks, he rejects them all.
He has no thoughts about his future.

Kyosuke’s childhood friend; Sonohara Yuu
High school 2nd-year student/176cm
Has a beautiful, androgynous face with a feminine touch.
He has poor emotional ups and downs.
Although he has a light complexion and gives the impression of being fragile, he is a twisted person.
His dream is to become a model who can sing and dance.