Wednesday lunch break. The smell of school lunch lingered in the hallway. Not curry, not fried food—today it was mixed rice made with Hayase River's Misora brand. Kakarotto had stepped out of the classroom and leaned against the window, thinking back to the meal he'd just eaten. (Getting stopped at three helpings is unacceptable.) "[gentle]……Kakarotto." Chichi walked down the hallway. Her deep green hair flowed past her shoulders, and she held her notebook against her chest with both hands. Her gray eyes looked a little tense. "[gentle]Something good happen? Chichi" "[serious]……That's not what this is about" Chichi pressed her lips together tightly. A deep breath. "[serious]It's about the pair dance competition——" "Oh, perfect timing." A voice came from down the hallway. Long, pale blue hair. Not in her lab coat today, but in her school uniform—though Bulma always looked like she was in the middle of an experiment anyway. She held a tablet in her hand. Some kind of data displayed on the screen. "[cold]I need motion analysis data for the dance. Kakarotto, would you pair up with me?" "Huh——" Chichi's voice stopped. Bulma glanced at Chichi. One second. Then her expression shifted—like she'd figured out exactly what Chichi was about to say. And she'd cut in anyway. The hallway stirred. "[surprised]You're the one who had eight helpings of lunch, right?" This time, a voice came from the neighboring class. A girl with blonde hair in twin tails poked her face around the corner of the hallway. Launch—from Class 2-4 next door. She had bright orange eyes and a smile that was somehow hard to pin down. "[excited]Want to dance with me? I thought it'd be so fun to dance with the person who holds the lunch refill record!" Three girls lined up in the hallway. Chichi, Bulma, Launch. All of them looking at Kakarotto. Kakarotto looked between the three of them. He scratched his head. "[gentle]Can't we all dance together?" All three let out deep sighs at the same time. A few boys from Class 2-3 peeking from down the hallway stirred at the sight. "Did you hear three sighs just now?" "Yeah, I heard it." "What's with that guy?" Their voices carried. By the time lunch break ended, the story had spread not just through Class 2-3 but to the neighboring class: "Three girls called out to Kakarotto at the same time and he brushed all of them off." --- Even after afternoon classes started, the classroom air remained unsettled. "[angry]Wait, wasn't it Chichi who was trying to ask Kakarotto to be her partner?" "[sarcastic]I heard Bulma was thinking the same thing" Whispers continued among the girls. It had already become a question of who to support. The boys were simpler about it. Plain jealousy hung in the air: "Why's the transfer student getting all that attention?" Kuririn heard it all from his seat. He couldn't get the image of Chichi standing in the hallway with that desperate expression out of his head. Chichi's face the moment Bulma cut in. That expression he'd glimpsed for just an instant—a mix of panic and frustration. (I shouldn't have looked.) But he had. He'd seen everything. Then there was a loud crash in the hallway. "[angry]Bulma!" Bejīta stood in the hallway. His dark navy hair stood on end, his burning red eyes fixed straight on Bulma. "[angry]You're pairing up with Kakarotto?" "[cold]……What?" Bulma turned around. Her expression didn't change. "[serious]Pair with me. I'm first in the year" "[sarcastic]……Grades have nothing to do with dancing" It was a clean cut. Bejīta froze. "But——that's——" "[cold]I need the data. Don't get in the way" Bulma walked down the hallway. Bejīta was left behind. His red eyes followed Bulma's back as she disappeared down the corridor. His mouth hung slightly open. Nothing came out. At the corner, Bejīta pressed his back against the wall. He crossed his arms. Uncrossed them. Crossed them again. His ears were red. "Shut up……" His voice was small in the empty hallway. --- After fifth period ended, Kuririn couldn't go back to the classroom. He walked the hallway and found himself standing in front of the emergency stairs. The roof was up there. He grabbed the metal railing and climbed. When he opened the roof door, wind came. October wind was cold. Komorebi Ridge was visible to the east of Misora City, and Hayase River glimmered to the south. It was a clear afternoon. He placed both hands on the fence. He remembered again—Chichi's face in the hallway when Bulma beat her to it. (He likes her. Chichi likes Kakarotto. She always has.) He knows. He understands. (Then push her forward, Kuririn.) His head knows it. He could just tell Kakarotto: "Chichi likes you." Kakarotto would probably tilt his head in confusion, but maybe—just maybe—he'd understand a little. That would be good for Chichi. Good for his friend. But his mouth wouldn't move. He already knew why it wouldn't. He gripped the fence hard with both hands. "[whispers]……What am I doing?" The moment the words came out, tears came too. He hadn't expected it. It was sudden. His knuckles turned white from gripping the fence as he looked up at the sky. Blue sky, white clouds. Wind blew, and his short, water-colored hair swayed. He hadn't meant to cry. But he couldn't stop it. On the empty roof, a single tear fell down his cheek. --- After school. As Kakarotto walked down the hallway, Chichi called out to him. "[gentle]Hey, Kakarotto. Just for a second" "[gentle]Something good happen?" Chichi didn't answer. She said "This way" and started walking toward the back of the school building. The back of the school was empty. The side opposite the athletic field, where concrete walls and the smell of grass lingered. The sun was low, and shadows stretched long. Chichi stopped. She turned to face Kakarotto. Her deep green hair swayed in the wind. Her gray eyes looked straight at him. Chichi gripped the edge of her notebook hard, just once. "[serious]I have a favor to ask" "Yeah" "[serious]The pair dance competition……I want you to be my partner" Her voice trembled slightly. "[serious]The reason is……well" Kakarotto thought for a moment. One second, two seconds. "[excited]Yeah, sure!" It was anticlimactic. "[excited]You're my friend! Let's practice hard together!" Chichi went rigid. "……Friend" Her voice was small. Kakarotto was grinning. He had no idea what the problem was. His usual face. Chichi bit her lip hard. Something welled up in her gray eyes. But she blinked once and made it disappear. She forced a smile. "[gentle]……Yeah. Thank you" Kakarotto started walking, saying "Alright, let's go get some food." Chichi stood alone for a moment after he left. (Friend.) Wind blew. Shadows stretched across the concrete wall. (That's right. I knew that.) But it stung. --- The next morning, Thursday, before homeroom started. Bulma came into the classroom and sat down at her desk, then said it to no one in particular: "[cold]Maybe I should ask Kakarotto to be my partner after all. For the pair dance" The classroom air shifted. Chichi's head came up. Bulma looked at Chichi. Their eyes met. One second. "But didn't Chichi already——" "Who asked first?" The girls stirred. Before anyone knew it, the classroom had split into two sides. Girls gathered around Chichi's seat, and others turned toward Bulma. "[serious]I won't lose today" Chichi whispered it under her breath. Her grip on her notebook tightened. "[sarcastic]You're free to try" Bulma opened her tablet and answered coolly. Morino-sensei tried to start homeroom and noticed the classroom atmosphere. The 30-something Japanese teacher always looked a little tired. She pulled a bottle of antacids from her desk and said quietly: "[sad]……Could we be a bit more peaceful? No, we couldn't" She took a tablet. Kakarotto sat at his usual seat in the back by the window, looking outside. Morning light fell on the athletic field. The gentle ridge of Komorebi Ridge. Nice weather, he thought. He had no idea the classroom had become a romantic battlefield. In the hallway outside, Kuririn stood with his back against the wall, eyes closed. Two days until the partner registration deadline.