The Neat and Pretty Girl at My New School Is a Childhood Friend of Mine Who I Thought Was a Boy

The rain that had been falling since last night had completely cleared up by dawn.

The sky, which had been completely washed clean of all atmospheric debris, was dyed in a deep clear blue, and the sun, which was assertive even though it was just after dawn, stimulated Haruki’s eyelids through the curtains.

“Hmm… huh?”

When Haruki woke up, she was confused by the unfamiliar scenery she saw. Her mind wasn’t properly processing the unfamiliar surroundings after waking up from sleep. However, her mind was strangely calm, and as she slowly looked around, her consciousness became clearer.

“Oh, that’s right. I’ve been staying over…”

She remembered she was staying in Hayato’s room.

She told Hayato, the person who owns the room, that the sofa was fine, but he insisted on having her sleep in a cozy room.

She looked at her watch and saw that it was a little past five o’clock. Even though she woke up very early, she didn’t feel sleepy. “I guess I slept like a log yesterday.” she commented.

It was a strange feeling.

The stagnation that she had always felt somewhere in her heart was nowhere to be found, washed away with yesterday’s tears, and she felt as clear and radiant as this sky.

「“I can at least be there for you.”」

Suddenly, she remembered Hayato’s words from last night.

The bedding and the shirt she was wearing smelled unfamiliar.

It was too big for Haruki. She gripped the shirt, which is hemmed as much as her summer dress.

“…Ehehe.”

And the laughter came out naturally.

Wrapped up in the one-piece shirt, she felt safe, as if she was being hugged by something big, and she was aware that the piece of clothes that she was smelling made her body felt light and safe.

She was both happy and embarrassed. And while burying her face in the pillow, she squealed and rolled over from embarrassment.

(Some promises are meant to be kept…)

She gently stared at the little finger of her left hand. She remembered how it felt when she twirled it.

Then again, Hayato’s face immediately popped into her mind, and she felt restless.

Haruki didn’t know why she was doing it, and shook her head as if to shake off a somewhat bewildering feeling.

“Well, it’s Monday, so I guess I won’t be able to relax.”

Of course, it’s the start of school for this week. Even though she already finished her assignments in advance, she still has to go home and change into her school uniform and take out the burnable trash that has accumulated.

Trying to keep her mind as normal as possible, she walked quietly and headed for the living room, thinking about that.

“……Hmm……”

“–Ngg!”

There was Hayato, with barely a towel draped over his stomach. He was deeply asleep and he showed no signs of waking up. His sleeping position is not good also, one leg is thrown off the sofa onto the floor, and he is breathing heavily with a carefree look on his face.

When Haruki saw Hayato’s face, her heart suddenly began to throb as if something smoldering deep inside her chest was suddenly spreading like wildfire.

(What’s this?…)

Haruki was baffled by this feeling that had come over her, a feeling she didn’t quite understand.

(Think about it, it’s not just about now. Since the day I met him again, my emotions have been stirred up.)

On Haruki’s first day at the new school, she wondered what people would think of her when they saw how much she had changed since then, but instead she was treated like a monkey, a monster with the same chuckle as before. Unlike other boys, Hayato offered his hand to her without any preparation or ulterior motives. She tried to make fun of him to make him nervous, but Haruki couldn’t get him to tighten up or she always ended up getting hit back. Last night, she had completely exposed her weakness.

Whenever Haruki remembered that, her face would instantly become hot with shame and embarrassment, but Hayato right now in front of her was sleeping peacefully.

(It’s not fair that I’m the only one like this…!)

Thanks to Hayato, her heart became lighter. Haruki was saved.

I’m sure it’s because they were best friends, and they had sworn that they would still be friends no matter what.

On the one hand, Haruki is happy, but on the other, she feels frustrated that it looks like she’s the only one who’s getting beaten up.

With such childish thoughts, she approached the sleeping Hayato to play some kind of prank on him.

(Now, what am I gonna do?)

Haruki observed Hayato closely with a nasty look on her face.

His hair is shaggy and stiff, his eyelashes are surprisingly long, and his skin is slightly tanned. If you looked closely enough, you could see a trace of her younger sister Himeko, but at the same time, he had a neat face that made Haruki feel that she likes him.

(…Wait, maybe Hayato is pretty cool?)

Suddenly, she had such a thought. Until now, Hayato was still the very same Hayato that she knew for years, and it was something she had never thought about.

She didn’t know why, but her heart was beating painfully fast, probably because she was flustered and confused. She couldn’t figure out why Hayato’s lips were so chapped and cracked. She also felt that those lips looked delicious. She wanted to moisturize them by herself. She naturally brought her face closer to his face as if she was being sucked in.

That’s when it happened.

“Hmm…”

“What the…?”

Hayato turned over without any pretense. Haruki, who was about to come into contact with his sudden movement, regained herself and stepped back while putting her hand on her lips.

When she looked at Hayato with her heart still racing, he looked as if what had just happened was nothing, and was still breathing peacefully in his sleep.

(What am I trying to do just now…?)

She was completely unconscious. It was not something she would normally do to a friend, even in jest. It was clearly out of line.

Haruki couldn’t hide her surprise and upset at her actions, and at the same time her mind was filled with this hateful, cool-faced Hayato.

“–Ngg!”

“You can’t! You mustn’t!”

She felt it would be unfair if she didn’t somehow give her best friend a shot, and she also felt like she wouldn’t be able to see him properly again. With this childish rivalry burning in her heart, she went back to Hayato’s room and opened the closet.

“Wow, it’s neat… I’m sure there’s… something around here.”

Haruki found something in his closet and hurriedly changed her clothes and then returned to the living room.

The time was still exactly five o’clock. Hayato was still asleep.

Haruki poked on his cheek, calling out to him to check the depth of his sleep.

“Hey, are you awake? If you don’t wake up, you’ll be in big trouble. Is it okay?”

She whispered a few times, but all she got was a dumb “mmmmm” in return.

(I remember back then that no matter what I did to him, once he fell asleep, I couldn’t wake him up.)

Convinced that nothing she does will wake him up, Haruki boldly moves Hayato’s body.

“This is payback, you know–“

She muttered to herself as if to make excuses, and then the sound of her phone taking pictures echoed through the quiet living room in the early morning.

A mischievous smile spread across Haruki’s mouth.