The chime echoed softly through the school building. It was a slightly drawn-out electronic tone, signaling the end of sixth period. Nishikata closed his Japanese textbook. On the teacher's desk, a few leftover handouts remained—ones he hadn't managed to distribute to all the students. (*Phew...*) That awkward reunion in the morning. It wasn't just the teaching materials he'd sent scattering everywhere. He'd made Takagi-san laugh—someone he hadn't seen in ten years. Or had she laughed *at* him? He wasn't even sure himself. All he knew was that something in his chest had been restless ever since, and he hadn't been able to settle down through the entire lesson. "Sensei, goodbye!" "See you tomorrow!" As the students filed out of the classroom, Nishikata raised a hand. "Yeah, take care." Out in the hallway, students heading to club activities dotted the corridor here and there. The afternoon light slanting through the windows turned the dusty hallway golden. The sound of soccer balls being kicked and the brass section of the concert band blended faintly in the distance. (*Alright, time for the school tour, I guess.*) This Monday after school, he was supposed to show the trainee teachers around the school. Nishikata felt his steps back to the staff room grow just a little heavier. Earlier that morning, the vice principal had mentioned that one more trainee would be arriving late. A PE trainee named Sanada. (*I wonder what she's like.*) As he walked, mulling it over, he spotted two figures in the hallway in front of the staff room. One was Houjou-san, her long, flaxen hair swaying gently, a sketchbook clutched to her chest. She was leaning against the wall, gazing out the window at the schoolyard. Her eyes were always quiet, as if they could see right through everything. And the other— Long, glossy black hair. It was Takagi-san. She was staring intently at the old school map in her hands. Her profile looked far more grown-up than the face that had been laughing that morning. As Nishikata approached, Houjou noticed him first. "[gentle]Ah, Nishikata-sensei." At the sound of her voice, Takagi-san looked up too. Their eyes met with an almost audible click. "Ah..." Takagi-san's mouth opened to say something, then stopped. Her gaze drifted vaguely through the air, as if she didn't know what to do. Nishikata didn't know what to say either. "Uh, um... well, shall we go?" He barely managed to get that much out. The three of them started down the hallway, Nishikata leading the way. He walked a step ahead, while Takagi-san and Houjou walked side by side a little behind him. It was awkward. The silence clung thickly to the hallway. "...So, these are the first-year classrooms. Classes one through four are on this floor—" Nishikata launched into an explanation like a tour guide. But his own voice sounded distant to him, as if he were speaking on autopilot. (*That reunion earlier... it really was way too awkward, wasn't it...*) What was Takagi-san thinking? Did she remember those days when she'd teased him from the seat next to his? No—there was no way she didn't remember. And yet, she was so quiet, as if she were somewhere far away. "...The water pressure's weak at this sink, so after PE, the students end up forming a line." "[gentle]I see." It was always Houjou who responded. She listened to Nishikata's explanations with a gentle smile, her sketchbook still held to her chest. Takagi-san remained silent. Eventually, the three of them emerged onto the third-floor hallway with a view of the sea. This was the spot with the best view in all of Kasumigaoka High School. From the large windows, you could take in a panoramic view of Minatohama's townscape and the Seto Inland Sea stretching out beyond it. The afternoon sunlight reflected off the sea's surface, shattering into countless glittering fragments. Small fishing boats were visible in the harbor, and the horizon melted into a hazy, pale-blue veil. "Wow..." For the first time, Takagi-san let out a small murmur. She approached the window and gazed out at the sea. To Nishikata, her profile looked startlingly vivid. "...This is a really nice view." "Yeah. This is my favorite spot, too." After saying that, Nishikata unconsciously scratched behind his ear. It was a habit that really did come out whenever he was troubled—or relieved. Takagi-san's gaze caught the movement of his hand. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. In that instant, something deep in her chest gave a tight, wrenching squeeze. —He hasn't changed. It was exactly the same as back then. In middle school, whenever Nishikata got flustered by her teasing and couldn't retort, he'd make that same gesture. Scratching behind his ear, smiling awkwardly—that face. (*...Nostalgic.*) Takagi-san's chest felt so tight she couldn't speak. The sea outside the window looked blurred. But she desperately hid it. She pressed her lips together tightly and pretended to simply gaze at the sea. Nishikata had no idea why Takagi-san had fallen silent. (*She probably thought it was boring again.*) He stifled the urge to sigh. Only Houjou quietly watched the whole exchange. Her blue eyes sharply observed the space between the two of them. —Takagi-san was clearly shaken by Nishikata-sensei's gesture. —Nishikata-sensei is misunderstanding Takagi-san's silence as rejection. Houjou murmured softly in her heart. (*This isn't just a reunion.*) There was an invisible but undeniable thread between the two of them. Her mind, which loved observing people, was certain of it. After making a full circuit of the school—showing them the library, the gymnasium, and the art prep room—the three of them emerged back into the hallway leading to the staff room. Houjou slowed her pace just a little and fell into step beside Nishikata. "[gentle]Nishikata-sensei." "Hm?" "[gentle]Takagi-san has been interested in you since a long time ago, hasn't she?" So smoothly. So naturally, Houjou voiced a question that struck right at the heart of the matter. "Wha—!?" Nishikata tripped over his own feet. He nearly fell in the hallway, barely catching himself by bracing his right hand against the wall. "Wha—what are you talking about...! There's no way. I was just being teased, that's all." He denied it desperately. His face felt so hot he knew it must be obvious. Even the tips of his ears were red. "[laughing]Is that so?" Houjou said just that, then let out a small, soft laugh. That laugh said she didn't believe his denial. If anything, it seemed to say that his denial had only made her more certain of her theory. She said nothing more. A few steps behind them, Takagi-san had overheard the conversation, and her expression shifted rapidly into something complicated. She flushed red, then went pale, and finally hung her head. (*...What did she just say?*) Nishikata had denied it. That was only natural, she thought. But what on earth was going through the mind of that enigmatic woman, Houjou? The three of them returned to the staff room, dragging an indescribable atmosphere behind them, when Nishikata noticed something odd in front of the entrance. "Huh? Isn't it kind of noisy down the hallway?" From a distance, he could hear a rumbling, thudding sound and the bewildered voices of several teachers. "Excuse me, coming through! Sorry!" A bright, clear woman's voice rang through the hallway. "What?" The staff room door burst open with a loud bang. Standing there was an enormous mat. The kind of giant green mat used in PE class for vaulting boxes and floor exercises. It was advancing into the staff room from the hallway with a heavy, scraping sound. "W-watch out!" The person carrying the mat was a petite woman. Her short, chestnut-brown bob was tied up in a ponytail. Her large brown eyes sparkled with the bright gleam of someone giving their all to a challenge. But the mat was simply too big. She was carrying something taller than she was, so she couldn't see her feet at all. "One, two—!" With a shout, she tried to maneuver around Nishikata's desk—and failed. The edge of the mat caught on the desk leg, and the whole thing wobbled, losing its balance. "Wah—!?" "Uwaaah!?" DOOOOON!!! The giant mat toppled over, smothering Nishikata. He was helplessly pinned underneath it. Every teacher in the staff room turned around at once. The room fell silent. A muffled groan came from beneath the mat. "...A-are you alive...?" One of the PE teachers timidly called out. The mat shifted and lifted, and then the ponytailed woman popped her face out from underneath. "Are you okay!? I'm so sorry! But I really thought I could carry this mat by myself!" Without a trace of guilt, she delivered a full-force apology with a sparkling smile. This was Sanada. Pinned to the floor, Nishikata stared up at her blankly. "...Y-you're Sanada-san?" "Yes! I'm so sorry for being late! I was helping carry luggage, and then this mat—wait, more importantly, are you okay!? That was a really loud noise just now—did you hit your head or anything!?" Sanada rattled all of this off in a single breath, then pulled Nishikata's head toward her and began checking for injuries. She was close. "I-I'm fine!" Nishikata turned bright red and tried to pull away from her. "[surprised]Oh, you're right! You seem fine! Thank goodness!" Sanada grabbed Nishikata's hand and shook it vigorously up and down. "So, um, why did you carry it by yourself? Something that big." Somehow managing to get to his feet, Nishikata asked in disbelief as he dusted off his pants. "[excited]Well, I felt bad asking someone else for help! I might not look it, but I'm pretty confident in my stamina! Though, the fact that it doesn't show is the one flaw!" She laughed and lightly tapped herself on the head. At that moment, Sanada looked at Nishikata's face again, staring at him intently from straight on. Her large brown eyes fixed on him. "...Oh." "W-what?" "[excited]Sensei, you seem really kind! You're not even getting mad at me! You feel like a reliable senpai—it makes my heart race!" Her loud voice echoed through the staff room for all it was worth. The other teachers wore wry smiles. Their expressions said: *Nishikata-sensei's gotten himself into something again.* But— There was one person who froze solid at those words. Takagi-san. Without even realizing it, she was gripping the school map in her hands tightly. —*It makes my heart race.* Sanada's words lit a small, hot flame deep in Takagi-san's chest. (*...What was that just now?*) Her heart was restless. What was this emotion? She could feel her own complexion changing. Nishikata had been told something so straightforwardly affectionate, and he looked so utterly flustered. His ears were turning a little red again. (*Nishikata-kun...*) Unable to watch any longer, Takagi-san quickly averted her gaze to the window. She stared desperately at the orange sky, tinted by the approaching dusk. Her face felt hot. Only Houjou watched the entire scene without missing a beat. Her blue eyes quietly but unmistakably held a light of curiosity. Observing Takagi-san's tight-lipped mouth and clenched fist, she suppressed the urge to quietly open her sketchbook. (*This is getting interesting.*) A faint, meaningful smile played at the corner of Houjou's lips. It was the moment all three trainee teachers were assembled in the staff room. The heavy atmosphere from the morning was nowhere to be found. In its place, the chaos, the heat, and the faintest flame of jealousy that the tiny typhoon named Sanada had brought with her were slowly beginning to spread through the twilight staff room. Scratching his head, Nishikata just stood there, his face saying he had no idea what was going on anymore. Outside the window, a ferry slowly made its way across the Seto Inland Sea. A month that was supposed to have been peaceful was already b