We walk toward the school together.

  I like the fresh green of the cherry trees.

  "Tora-chan, you really need to wake up a little earlier."

  Kanade, walking beside me, says this with a light sigh.

  "Do you think so?"

  "Yeah, if you keep being late, you'll become a delinquent."

  "Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?"

  Kanade furrows her brow and makes a slightly serious face.

  "Well, you see, Tora-chan, my grandpa told me, 'Please take care of Kotaro for me!'"

  She lowers her voice and imitates him, doing it surprisingly well.

  "See? I’m a little older than you!"

  "Older? We’re in the same grade and only a few months apart."

  Kanade continues without paying much attention to me.

  "Still, I was kind of surprised that you’re going to high school with me."

  "Yeah, me too. We live in such a rural area, the closest high school takes over an hour and a half to get to."

  "That’s way too far!"

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  I nod with a wry smile.

  "Because of that, my grandpa suggested, 'Why not attend school here instead?'"

  "I see. But, Tora-chan’s place was really... how should I put it... full of nature!"

  The Minami and Isshiki families.

  It seems our families originally lived in the same area.

  However, during our grandparents' time, due to the need for dam construction, we had to move. The Isshiki family went to Gifu, while the Minami family stayed in the village.

  Even so, the families continued to interact, and that’s how we ended up here today.

  "So, did you find anything nice in Gifu?"

  Kanade asks curiously.

  "Hmm, let me think. Compared to home, pretty much everything’s better."

  "Oh? That’s good to hear."

  "But the most impressive thing was the sunset."

  "Huh? Just that?"

  "At my place, because of the mountains, the sun sets before you even see the sunset. So, I’ve never seen such a big sunset like this."

  I spread my arms out, mimicking the shape of the big sunset.

  "I was so moved, thinking, ‘This is like something out of a manga!’"

  "Wow, that’s a new perspective!"

  Kanade giggles, and I can't help but laugh too.

  "I found a slug as big as a Yagurt bottle at your house."

  "………"

  Even though we’re in our first year of high school, Kanade sometimes says things that remind me of elementary school, but I can’t help but feel a little relieved as I smile wryly.

  "I’m telling you, it was really big, I was so surprised!"

  "That’s definitely a false memory."

  "No way, it was definitely as big as a 350ml cola can..."

  Kanade says proudly.

  It wasn’t until a while later that I found out the creature she was referring to, the Yama Namae Kiji, was an actual species of slug that grows to 13-16 cm.

  About 20 minutes after leaving the house, the familiar school building comes into view.

  Meishu Central Academy.

  It’s a post-war educational institution established to train engineers who will research and apply CA (Cellular Automaton) technology.

  It’s a regular high school, but students in the special program are taught with a special curriculum aiming to contribute to society by utilizing this technology in the future.

  They are also heavily involved in the development and application of CA technology.

  Of course, this is all straight from the school pamphlet.

  "Come on, hurry up or you'll become a delinquent!"

  Following Kanade as she runs ahead, I passed through the school gate as well.

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