The classroom cleaning finally came to an end. The floor was spotless again, the desks neatly arranged, and every student looked exhausted.
"So tiring…" Arou sighed as he sat down.
"Thank goodness it's finally over," he added.
Hikari placed the broom back in the corner of the classroom. "Yeah… I'm tired too."
Airi stood up from her seat. "Let's go home."
They left the classroom together. The school hallways had already become quiet. Once they reached the school gate, Arou said goodbye and headed home first, leaving Hikari and Airi walking side by side.
Along the way, Hikari seemed lost in thought.
As soon as they arrived at Airi's house, Hikari had barely stepped inside when her phone vibrated.
Bzzz…
"Hm?" Hikari pulled out her phone. A message from a new contact appeared on the screen.
Arthur:
Hey, Hikari. Sorry for suddenly texting you.
I just wanted to say hi earlier.
Hikari stayed silent for a moment. Airi, standing nearby, glanced at the screen as well.
"From that upperclassman earlier?" Airi asked.
"Yeah…" Hikari answered quietly.
Airi nodded. "Reply if you want."
Hikari thought for a moment before typing back.
Hikari:
It's okay.
Not long after, another message arrived.
Arthur:
You seem like a really kind person.
That's why I wanted to get to know you.
Hikari stared at the phone screen for quite a while. She felt nervous, yet confused about her own feelings.
Airi watched her expression. "Relax. Just get to know him slowly."
"Yeah…" Hikari nodded.
She turned off her phone and put it away. Even after calming down, her heartbeat was still slightly faster than usual.
That evening, the atmosphere inside the house felt peaceful. The sunlight gradually faded, leaving an orange glow across the living room.
Hikari sat on the sofa and turned toward Airi.
"Mom…"
The word slipped out softly and awkwardly. Airi turned toward her, clearly noticing it.
"What is it?" Airi replied briefly.
Hikari took a small breath. "I want to move back to our house again."
Airi stayed silent for a moment while looking at her. "Are you sure?"
Hikari nodded. "Yeah, Mom."
Airi stood up. "Then let's say goodbye first."
They walked toward the living room. Airi's father was sitting while reading something, and her mother sat beside him. Chika came downstairs shortly after.
"Dad, Mom," Airi said. "Hikari and I are moving back for a while."
Airi's mother looked at them. "Moving?"
"Yeah," Airi answered. "Back home."
Airi's father slowly nodded. "Take care of yourselves."
"Okay."
Chika walked closer and looked at Hikari. "Be careful on the way."
"Y-Yeah," Hikari answered awkwardly.
After saying their farewells, they left the house. The sky was growing darker, and the evening air felt colder.
While walking, Hikari stayed beside Airi.
"Mom…"
"Hm?" Airi responded.
"Thank you," Hikari said quietly.
Airi glanced at her briefly. "Don't overthink it."
Hikari smiled faintly. Even though calling her "Mom" still felt awkward, their footsteps remained in sync as they walked home—a place that slowly began to feel like home again.
That night at Hikari's house passed quietly. There was not much conversation. After eating a simple dinner, they went into their own rooms.
Hikari lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling of the room she had not used for a long time. It felt strange, yet familiar.
A little later, the lights were turned off.
That night passed without anything unusual happening.
Morning came as usual.
The alarm rang inside Hikari's room. She woke up and quickly got ready. Not long after, she stepped outside her room and saw Airi already dressed neatly in her school uniform.
"Morning," Airi said briefly.
"Morning," Hikari replied.
There was a brief silence. Hikari almost said something, but quickly stopped herself.
"Let's go," Airi said.
They left the house together and headed to school. Along the way, everything felt ordinary. There was no important conversation.
When they arrived at school, they entered the same classroom. Several students had already arrived.
Arou was sitting while chatting with others. The moment he saw Hikari, he greeted her.
"Morning."
"Morning," Hikari replied.
Not long after, Airi entered the classroom and sat at her desk. The bell rang, and class began.
Everything looked normal.
The teacher taught while the students took notes.
Hikari opened her book and tried to focus.
Several minutes into the lesson, the students prepared their notebooks and writing tools.
The teacher looked at the class.
"One week from now, you'll be facing your midterm exams. So starting today, prepare yourselves properly."
The classroom atmosphere immediately changed. Some students stared seriously at their books, while others sighed heavily.
Arou leaned toward Tomo and Haru, who were sitting nearby.
"Man… only one week left. We're gonna have to study nonstop," he whispered.
Tomo nodded. "Yeah. But we can make a strategy so we don't get confused."
Haru smiled. "The important thing is not procrastinating tonight."
Hikari sat farther away from them. She glanced at Airi, who was calmly writing neat notes in front of her.
She's always so serious… Hikari thought.
The teacher continued,
"The material is the same as what we've already learned, but you still need to review it yourselves. Preparation is important."
Hikari opened her book and tried to focus. She had to stay calm while also protecting the secret about Airi and Arou.
The sound of the school bell echoed again, yet the students were still busy taking notes. Arou, Tomo, and Haru quietly began planning their study strategy without bothering Hikari.
Hikari stared at her book for a moment and sighed softly.
The next week was going to feel very long…
Half an hour into the lesson, the teacher continued writing on the board while the students copied everything seriously.
Hikari sat quietly at her desk, lowering her head as she focused on her notes. She still felt awkward because Airi sat a few seats ahead of her, writing neatly as always.
Meanwhile, Arou, Lumina, Haru, and Tomo sat in the back row. They exchanged glances and smiled faintly.
Arou leaned toward Tomo and whispered,
"Look at Hikari… she's still panicking like a new student."
Tomo held back a laugh. "Yeah, don't let her realize we know."
Haru added, "The important thing is keeping it secret, or everything will become chaos."
Hikari suddenly looked toward them after feeling their stares. She quickly lowered her head again and continued writing.
Oh no… they probably all know I'm panicking, she thought.
A few minutes later, Airi glanced back at Hikari with a calm expression.
"Focus on the lesson, Hikari," she said.
Hikari swallowed nervously. "Y-Yes, Mom," she answered awkwardly.
Arou held back his laughter and lightly patted Tomo's shoulder.
"Hey, did you hear that? She called her 'Mom' again."
Tomo immediately motioned for him to stay quiet. Haru held back a smile, while Lumina simply shook her head.
Hikari lowered her head even more, but deep down she felt slightly relieved that Arou and the others were at least trying to hold themselves back.
The lesson continued normally, but in one corner of the classroom, several people had already started enjoying the "little drama" Hikari was experiencing.
And Hikari knew that next week, during the exams, things might become even more chaotic—but for now, all she could do was focus while trying to endure her own awkwardness.
The break bell rang. Students immediately began leaving the classroom, filling the hallways with footsteps and chatter.
Hikari stood up and walked to the cafeteria with Arou, Tomo, Haru, and Lumina. None of them had brought lunch, so they planned to buy drinks and snacks.
As soon as they arrived at the cafeteria, they saw Arthur already standing near the cashier, ordering a drink. Hikari looked slightly surprised when she saw him.
Arou patted Hikari's shoulder and whispered,
"Look, Arthur's here too."