Extras — 365 Days of Moments #1

Moment #1 — "Nice morning!"


April 1st — First day of the school year.


Ryûko's Bedroom.


Ding dong... Ding dong... ding dong ding dong ding dong!!


"Fueh...?"


I woke up from my wonderful slumber, stretching my arms out wide. Ew... how did I drool so much...?


And why's the doorbell ringing so much? I thought that Mama would answer, but she isn't home by the look of it...


A few rays of sunshine streamed into my room through the curtains.


I can see that today will be a beautiful day... AH CRAP!!


My whole body froze when I saw the time. "8:25 a.m., already?!! And the worst part is that..." Several missed call notifications from Waguri, accompanied by messages and death threats, although that's the least shocking part.


I ran to the front door, leaping over the stairs in one jump! Quick, quick, please—she has to wait for me!


I slammed the door open; the sudden brightness made me squint, but I had to overcome it, or Waguri would leave without me!


"Hey! Wait there, Waguri!"


She turned slightly to meet my gaze. As I thought, she was about to leave.


"Nice morning! Waguri looks really cute in the new uniform!" I tried to play dumb, but a faint, nervous laugh escaped my lips.


Waguri's face twisted in a demonic expression. Was she that mad? Just 'cause I'm late?


"You weren't about to... leave without me, by any chance...? No, there's no way you'd do that, haha."


"I was. That's what you deserve for making me wait."


"Haha classic Waguri—"


"You have five minutes. I will wait here."


I leapt with joy. "I knew that you were the greatest!! Give me ten minutes!!"


The door slammed shut. There's no way she'd leave without me; Waguri loves me too much!!


I geared up properly for the first day: the apple-green sweater was super comfy, and as for the skirt... I suppose it's not half bad. The black-and-red color patterns matched really well... But yeah, in the end, I still hate skirts. I'm lucky that I can wear shorts below it.


Once I'd put on my hoodie, I headed for the front door.


"Fufu~ You even waited ten minutes. You sure love me... a lot, Waguri..."


Ah, she left. Sheesh, Waguri's so mean sometimes. I'll be sure to take revenge!


But for now, I guess I will head to school alone...



Moment #2 — "Again...? "


April 1st — First day of the school year.


Narukami High School — School gate.


Spring, April, school gate, and a new school year...


"Our first day as high schoolers, and at Narukami High School of all places!"


"I was sure that at least one of us would flunk the entrance exams. Guess I overestimated them."


Waguri and I passed the school gates. I managed to catch up on the way, and now we can have our high school debut together.


"Looks like we can see how the classes are split."


"Ugh!" I gasped. The classes split, and even though I slept well, I had a whole two-minute nightmare about it.


Waguri grabbed my arm to drag me there, but I refused to move.


"The hell is your problem?"


"I-I'm not ready yet..."


"What are you talking about? Weren't you looking forward to meeting new people?"


She wasn't wrong... I continued to look away as she released my arm. In return, I grabbed her tightly.


"Wait! You can't leave me alone!! I can't do anything without Waguri!!"


"I'll just check out the classes, dammit!"


Waguri doesn't understand; it's a matter of life or death!


With my strength, I was able to hold her back despite her protests. Everyone around us was looking at us like we were freaks... Please stop—Waguri hates this, and if she loses it, I'll take all the blame.


"Ah, I was sure that you were responsible for this mess."


A tall figure walked by me, hands in pockets and headphones on his neck.


"Yôsuke! How are you?"


He gazed at my grip on Waguri's arm, then his lips curled into a slight grin.


"I'm doing okay. And it looks like you are in great shape as well."


Yôsuke held out his palm as if expecting me to high-five him. And because of the height difference, I had to jump to reach it.


And as soon as I did, Waguri, freed from my grip, ran away. I just got played...


I looked at Yôsuke with annoyance, but despite the situation, he kept smiling.


"We are in the same class again. Let's have another fun year together, Ryûko."


"Again...? Wait, you spoiled it just now!"


"Weren't you too scared to look?"


I puffed out my cheeks and stuck out my lips.


"That's not my point! Jeez, that's what I hate about you, Yôsuke!"


Yôsuke laughed lightheartedly; he gently patted my head like he always did after the smallest argument.


"Sorry, I hope that you will have the kindness to forgive my mistake..."


"Uh... Yeah, I will forgive you."


"Thanks. Now that you have forgiven me, I can say that your reaction was really funny."


As soon as I had forgiven him, I started sulking again. A slight sigh escaped my lips, and I looked at Yôsuke. He was much taller than I and had to tilt his head down to look at me.


"I will make it a fun year, Yôsuke can count on me for that."


"I'll look forward to it then."


After that, we joined Waguri near the board where the class split was posted. And given her expression, we were in the same class, too!


Akira and Mori are with us as well! This year's going super duper fun!



Moment #3 — "Because you will be beside me."


April 1st — First day of the school year, in the first-floor girls' restroom


The time for the opening assembly was approaching, and almost all the students were already there.


Meanwhile, Waguri and I were chatting in the restroom. She was leaning against the light-colored tiled walls of the restroom while I washed my hands.


Even when she rested casually, she managed to look angry.


"Would it kill you to smile a little?"


Crap. I said that out loud! I glanced at her, maintaining a safe distance between us while drying my hands.


Surprisingly, her reaction was only a low sigh.


"I'm bracing myself for an entire year in your class."

"Oh yeah, we have never been in the same class or in the same school."


"I know, right?"


The silence returned. After an awkward stretch of time, Waguri finally spoke up.


"I heard that they're doing uniform inspections at today's assembly."


"Huh? What about the 'You can wear whatever you want' rule?"


"Ryûko's talking nonsense again; did you read the school rules properly?"


"Nuh-huh."


Waguri's brow furrowed, as if she were about to let out another synonym for 'idiot.'


Surprisingly, she didn't. She sighed again, this time more in surrender than actual exasperation.


"Even though you're wearing that hoodie of yours, you still have the rest of the uniform. It should be fine..." She looked at me carefully. "Wait... Where is your tie?"


"My tie." I pulled it out of my pocket and added, "Right here." Like it was the most normal thing in the world.


"You're supposed to wear it, you know?"


I nodded. "I know, but this thing's too hard to tie." I shrugged with a resigned smile.


Waguri pushed off the wall and snatched the tie from my hands.


"Look carefully, I'll do it only once."


"Uh.... Um, thanks, Waguri."


I took off my hoodie to make it easier to access my collar. Waguri is the fashionable type, so of course, she'd know how to do it.


She handled it carefully, with a softness that seemed foreign from the outside.


Her long magenta hair seemed to be a perfect reflection of her personality: hot-tempered, straightforward, and somewhat mean.


Sure, Waguri isn't the nicest person when you interact with her, but she still has a heart of gold. I learned that from spending time with her. And her smile's just the cutest. I'm glad she is my best bud—


Waguri pulled me closer to her with the tie, now neatly tied to my collar.


"Hey, are you listening to me? Do you know how to do it now?"


"Not at all."


"Ah... I guess I asked too much brainpower from you. Sorry."


That's, like, super mean! And here I was giving you a good reputation with the readers!


"Sorry, sorry. I stopped wearing ties in the 2nd year of middle school. Because of that. I kind of forgot since it has been so long."


"Is that so..."


Her words trailed off. It wasn't the happiest memory, but somehow Waguri feels responsible for it. I hate seeing her like this.


"I don't need to learn it anyway. Because Waguri will be beside me, even at our graduation ceremony, you'll tie it for me, right?"


"Hmpf! As if..."


Waguri let go of me and put some distance between us. She does that when she's flustered. Hehe, time to tease her a little.


"Waguri~ It's not like you to step back like that. Are you perhaps flustered?" I offered her my smuggest smile.


In response, she looked at me and said bluntly. "Yeah, so what?"


Waguri's flustered state never comes with blushes or averted eyes. I learned to notice it from experience.


"I like that part of you, Waguri. It reminds me that you're more than a meanie."


"Oh, and was that supposed to be a compliment?"


"Given how you act, it certainly is!"


"Do you want to die?"


Whoa, she's really mad now!


The bell rang just in time, saving me from a torrent of insults. I should thank the Deity of Luck on my way home.


Wait... Aren't we supposed to be...


Through the speaker, a male voice announced. "The morning assembly is about to start. Every student must report to auditorium No. 3."


"Where is that?"


"Like hell I'd know! We need to hurry anyway."


Waguri grabbed my hand and dashed out of the restroom. I didn't imagine my first morning in high school would be like this, but it's fun. Spending time with Waguri, Yôsuke, Akira, and Mori... I hope those moments will keep being fun!



To be continued...