The kind of girl, Hiyori aspires to be.

It was around five years before that I first met Hiyori.

Before, I got promoted to junior high school; I remember, it was a still a cold season. My father who would always have only work in his mind, suddenly said that he would get remarried.

“Let’s get along well, Subaru-kun. Hiyori also, greet them?”

“……”

The Hiyori in my memories looked very fragile and a little girl ― being forcefully brought along by Yaeko san, behaved just as fidgety as she does even now.

Her first impression remains just the same as back then, a girl who is plain and doesn’t stand out.

“Hmm……nice to meet you.”

“Tsu!”

At that time, I had never talked to girls other than my cousin, Mashiro. For that very reason, I was quite a lot embarrassed to converse with them.

With a shabby face, when I bluntly held out my hand, she got surprised and hid behind Mrs Yaeko.

―― It was a mistake. I scared her.

In my child like heart, I still remember wondering what I should had done or so making a troubled face helplessly contemplating on those lines.

Even though it is completely meaningless now, but sometimes I can’t help but start thinking all about it again.

If I had smiled properly and then offered my hand back then, would our relationship have been different today?

“……….”

It seems that I got to see again a very nostalgic dream in a while. From in-between the curtains which is covering the window, a strong sunlight is appealing itself, to me. It seems today’s weather will be hot even though we have crossed the mid of September.

“Fu~aaa~a~afu”

I walked down to the living room still half asleep, killing a yawn. Last night, I couldn’t sleep well because I had been thinking a lot about Hiyori throughout.

The fact that today is Monday also added to my tension.

While rubbing my eyes, when I suddenly opened the door, I found a small girl shocked, perhaps astonished by the sound of the door.

“Hiyori”

“Tsu!”

Since we live under the same roof, so it was not unusual for us to see each other daily.

This morning, Hiyori was wearing her school dress just as prescribed by the school rules.

Although other girls tend to shorten the skirt by hemming it to the extent so that it barely does not violate school rules, but Hiyori’s skirt was beautifully long enough to hide her knees, adding to that, she was also wearing black tights underneath.

Even her hair, unlike yesterday, was pulled back in a bun which was tied casually, she was giving out an impression of plain and unnoticeable like always.

Was the girl that I met yesterday, really Hiyori? I can’t help but compare her to the image I got about Hiyori yesterday, but somehow, I am unable to fit these two together.

While thinking on those terms, I start to stare at her for 5 to 6 seconds. It was just a small amount of time.

However, unconsciously I took a pose which depicted, I was staring at her. An ambience making us mute, spread out.

“Uhm …… Well…, good morning?”

“Tsu!”

Finally, unable to endure this uneasy ambience, I ended up greeting her which I usually do not do.

Though I don’t know why my words (greeting) were constructed like question.

In times like this, I couldn’t help but know what to speak. Feeling embarrassed in the process I break eye contact and look away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Hiyori’s ears turning red.

“………so, I’ll be leaving then.”

“Tsu!”

Perhaps, it had become unbearable for her, Hiyori fled out.

The voice that came out of her mouth was so small and faint that I could only hear the end of her words. But I knew for sure, it was greeting, definitely.

Our relationship hasn’t changed since we first met. However, something or the other was trying to change, definitely ―― thinking about that premonition my heart strings started making noise.

Speaking about the Lunch break, it is the time when students are most active, moving to and fro. Various voices were heard in every classroom, and it was surrounded by hustle and bustle.

I went to the next class and started talking to a boy who I was familiar with. He was eating his lunch with a magazine spread out on the desk which was indeed bad manners.

“Oi, Chicken Tora (康寅). I have to use the dictionary in the next class, give that back asap.”

“Huh, ah Subaru. Sorry sorry!”

The insincere looking male student replied in a similar fashion. His grinning face didn’t look as if feeling bad even in the least.

His name is Sokata Yasutora. Even though we are in different classes, he’s one of my few friends.

“Wait a minute. I’m sure I put it under the desk … Eh arre?”

“Ah damn”

Nope, not here too!……..

While saying so, Yasutora continuously shifts his attention and turning over the contents on his desk and inside his bag.

Even though he is indeed a good human at heart, but he got some troublesome part to him as well.

“Eh, no way, is that really you, Yoshida san!?”

“You look really pumped! Ne~ tell me is it a date right, it’s a date isn’t it!?”

“Kyaaaー, Liesー! Your image is completely different~!”

“Right~, Even I was surprised underneath, the first time I found this out!”

“Umm, no …… It’s not li-“

The girl, who was referred to as Ms Yoshida, had a bright red face and looked dumbfounded turning her face one side to another and feeling extremely embarrassed. It seems that she was being compared to an image which was on the smartphone screen.

The very image of her going “wawawa” was the exact image of Hiyori that I know in my mind from long time.

Her maiden’s name was Yoshida Hiyori.

Due to various reasons, Hiyori uses the surname Yoshida instead of Kurai at school.

“Waah, Nanjo-san is so cute!”

“Yasutora.”

It seemed that she was being compared to the screen of a smartphone. The frazzled figure was the very Hiyori, I knew so well.

Before I knew it, Yasutora was standing next to me with a dishevelled look plastered on his face. In the end of his sight was alike me, the girl’s group and Hiyori is sitting with them.

Among them, there is a girl who was extraordinarily cute.

She is a beautiful girl with bright hair that hangs down to her shoulder blades, braided into a bun, and has a charming and flamboyant appearance.

Nanjo Rin.

She is so famous that there is no student in school who doesn’t know of her. Ever since she entered the school, she has been ranked first in regular exams and had even achieved good results in various sports competitions which she had participated as a substitute.

In addition, when she went out on the town, she got scouted as a model and had a hard time refusing. Rumour has it that she has turned down more than a hundred confessions, and in fact, until last year, she was constantly being called out.

“Waa… If I had a girlfriend like that.”

“But you got dumped, didn’t you?”

“Shut it!”