“Honestly…”
“Zzz…”
“Don’t you dare go back to sleep!”
He combed his older sister’s hair.
He also helped his mother check through the bathroom because she could not find her mascara and placed a compress on his father’s aching back. All in all, it was a busy morning.
The Fujita family was quite low key.
The father, mother, and all three sisters were as far from morning people as possible. Mutsuki had for some reason not inherited those low key genes, so he took care of all the morning jobs on his own.
It was a family’s job to cover for each other’s weaknesses.
He was used to busily running around from the moment he got up.
This scene was what Mutsuki considered a “normal morning”.
School was normal as well.
“Morning, Mutsuki.”
“Morning, Fujita-kun.”
His normal route was a straight shot to school once he passed the train station and a few classmates called out to him on that last stretch. He greeted them all with a smile.
When he happened across a classmate on the way to school, they almost always greeted him.
Fujita Mutsuki’s grades were above average and his athletics were below average. He looked well-behaved and had a well-behaved personality to match, so he did not stand out much but was considered easy to get along with.
He naturally had plenty of friends.
“Hey, Mutsuki! Early again, I see.”
“Agh! Ow, ow. Morning, Sakae.”
A boy jumped at him from behind. The boy landed on his back and placed his arm around his shoulders similar to a headlock.
Tomono Sakae was a classmate with an eternally cheerful personality and a charming face just short of being traditionally “good looking”. He had been Mutsuki’s childhood friend since elementary school.
While Mutsuki was well-behaved, Sakae was the eternal optimist. That difference may have actually helped them get along because neither of them would hesitate to call each other best friends.
“Damn it’s hot these days. Why can’t it be summer break yet?”
“I know what you mean. …And get off me, Sakae.”
His friend’s expression of affection was invading his personal space a little too much.
“Oh, hey, hey, Mutsuki. Do you have some time later? I’m the class rep, so the teacher told me to come up with the class seating chart. But you know how I hate details.”
“That I do. I’ll help you out…but you really need to get off of me.”
“You will!? Khhhhh, that’s what friends are for! Everyone needs a childhood friend who really gets them. When I’m president of the world one day, I’m making a law! The childhood friend law! If everyone had a childhood friend, we’d definitely have world piece, don’t you think!?”
“Good luck. And can you please get off of me? It’s so hot today…”
His friend was invading his personal space and speaking so loudly first thing in the morning, but Mutsuki smiled bitterly and put up with it because it was more annoying than unpleasant. This tendency to go with the flow was likely one of the reasons he was considered easy to get along with. And…
“Hi, Fujita-kun!”
“Gefh.”
Someone tackled him from the other side.
It was a powerful blow, but Mutsuki somehow managed to hold his ground since it was all transferred into Sakae behind him. Sakae was sent flying, though.
“Good morning, Kurikara-chan.”
“Hiii.”
The girl gave an innocent smile.
The short hair signifying her high energy was roughly tied back by two bows and her white teeth made her beaming smile look all the more cheerful. She was a little chubby which gave her some charming feminine curves. Her name was Kurikara Saya and she was another of Mutsuki’s classmates.
She got along well with Sakae as they were the class’s two biggest talkers and that meant she spoke with Mutsuki a lot, too. She was more than an acquaintance but not quite a friend.
“Ow… What was that for, Kurikara!?”
Sakae recovered after being knocked away.
He did not particularly like getting that close, so he did not place his arm around Mutsuki’s shoulder again. Mutsuki gave Saya a look to tell her she saved him. The white teeth she showed off to say “you’re welcome” were very cute.
After that, the three of them continued on to school.
“Honestly! I can’t believe this girl would violently attack THE Tomono Sakae, the man who stands at the center of the world!”
“Heh heh. You’ll never be president of the world if you can’t respond to an emergency. You’ll just end up blown away at your own inauguration.”
“What!? How can you say that about THE Tomono Sakae, the man with the world’s best crisis management techniques!? I’m definitely making a law about you! All chubby girls will be shot on sight!”
“Chub… I can’t believe you! Did you hear that, Fujita-kun!? This boy just stepped on a landmine!”
“Ah ha ha.”
Mutsuki could only laugh bitterly at those two’s energy-filled morning.
This was the beginning of an enjoyable day at school.
The school buildings finally came into view at the top of a hill separating it from the residential area. The large tower was the most noticeable feature.
Mutsuki and the other two attended Megutono Academy, a private school well known for its size and history. It had a tradition of freedom, it was well-known for the stylish uniforms for both boys and girls, and it contained an elementary, middle, and high school.
The school grounds covered almost the entire top of the hill and it contained more than twenty buildings, but falling birthrates had left less than half of it in use. The size of the campus made the trip between classrooms a pain, producing plenty of complaints from the students who joined at the middle or high school stage.
The most well-known feature was the clock tower in the center of the campus. The giant stone hexagonal pillar was positioned at the back of the courtyard which was known as a place of rest. It was taller than any of the four-story school buildings and the entire academy was on a hill, so one could see almost the entire town from the top of the clock tower.
Its primary roles were to tell the townspeople the time and…
“Ohh, ohh. Look at ‘em run. Keep up the good work.”
Sakae cackled in delight as he looked down from their classroom window.
He was watching a wave of boys with navy neckties and girls with red ribbons hurrying into the school’s front gate.
At 8:30 in the morning every Monday through Friday, the hill was covered by the ringing of the clock tower’s bell so the students would know the school’s gate was being closed.
While it almost never happened to Mutsuki, Sakae was often pursued by that bell, so he enjoyed watching the students gasping for breath as they rushed to school just in time. As a side note, Saya had joined a group of girls once they entered the classroom.
And…
“Oh. She’s as amazing as always.”
“Eh? Oh…”
A single student drew the eye among the chaos at the gate.
Sakae had spotted a girl walking calmly through the gate as everyone else rushed through.
She casually passed by the educational guidance committee member who was already moving to close the gate. Only two seconds after she passed him by, the bell finished ringing. Despite the close call, she was not running or even walking quickly. Sakae applauded her splendid performance.
But Mutsuki’s focus on her was due to more than mere surprise.
“See ya.”
After commiserating with the students who had arrived after the gate closed, Sakae decided homeroom was about to start, smacked Mutsuki’s back, and moved over to his own seat by the hallway.
Mutsuki sat in his own seat at the very back of the second row from the window.
“Morning, Ibekusa. You’ve still got that last second arrival trick down pat.”
(Here she is.)
Mutsuki tensed up a bit when he heard Sakae’s voice by the hallway.