Despite it already being July, the sun’s rays were nowhere to be seen.

         I stopped in my tracks and glanced up at the sky. It had been a bit cloudy when I left home in the morning, giving the impression that rain might be approaching, though it also wouldn’t have been surprising if it didn’t happen. Despite the rainy season supposedly having ended, the current afternoon sky didn’t seem to acknowledge the weather as summer yet.

         I decided to take a detour on my way home because of the indecisive weather.

         Even if I hurried home, there was no one there waiting for me anyway.

         At home, all I’d be doing is passing the time in an empty house and having dinner by myself in a vacant kitchen.

         There was no rush to get home, so I figured I’d enjoy a detour before heading back. However, it’d be an issue if it suddenly started raining while I was still out. I didn’t have an umbrella with me, so I’d end up returning home soaked, and the thought of having to dry my uniform seemed like such a pain. Although I suspected nobody would fault me for skipping school tomorrow if my uniform didn’t dry in time, the idea of spending an entire day alone at home didn’t seem that appealing to me.

         Is it going to rain or not?

         As I made my way to the entrance of a bookstore, I peered up at the sky once more.

         It seemed like the number of clouds was increasing, or maybe that was just my imagination. Regardless, I just wished for the sky to return to being clear and blue, although that appeared unlikely.

         I had visited a bookstore recently with Maika, so there weren’t any books I wanted to buy. However, this particular bookstore, which I’d been frequenting ever since I started high school, had a pretty good selection of books. It was the perfect place to kill time even if I didn’t have any specific purchases in mind.

         Gambling on the weather staying dry, I entered the bookstore and made my way to the manga section. I spotted a book with an interesting title, but I hesitated on whether or not to pick it up. To be honest, I would’ve preferred to buy it on a sunny day instead of a potentially rainy one like today. I moved to the novel section to browse the shelves before checking out the magazines. None of the magazines laid out on the counter seemed to catch my eye, but for some reason, I decided to turn my gaze over to my left.

         「Oh.」

         My voice slipped out.

         I noticed a familiar face in the store.

         We went to the same school and belonged to the same class.

         I couldn’t help but feel unlucky that I’d come across my classmate, Sendai-san, whom I’d never spoken to before.

         I wasn’t really interested in the flashy magazine she was staring at, but I still wanted to have a look around at the other magazines in this section, so I preferred to stay where I was. However, being in the vicinity of someone in the same school uniform as me made me feel uneasy. Sendai-san belonged to a much higher rank on the social hierarchy than me, so it would be awkward if we crossed paths. When I glanced over at her face again, I somehow felt pressured to leave.

         I let out a small sigh.

         It wasn’t like Sendai-san was going to notice me anyway.

         She had never noticed me before, so it wasn’t like things were going to be any different today either. I mean, I highly doubted Sendai-san even remembered my name, let alone recognized my face.

         It was like she and I lived on completely different planets.

         It was painfully obvious when we were at school.

         Our classmates were seemingly divided into color-coded groups, where those of the same color would flock together. These groups were further arranged into a social hierarchy to prevent colors of lower ranks from blending in. Naturally, Sendai-san and I belonged to different color groups.

         That being said, in reality, we had the freedom to socialize with whomever we wanted to, so normally I would try not to view things that way. Yet, whenever it seemed like I was intruding on a space where I didn’t belong, the atmosphere would turn awkward and leave me feeling uneasy.

         Sendai-san didn’t seem like the type of person who could pick up on that awkwardness, though.

         I mean, she didn’t have to. She had the freedom to visit any level on the hierarchy she wanted to and go wherever she pleased.

         I highly doubted we’d ever see eye-to-eye with each other.

         Before I left the magazine section, I snuck one last glance at Sendai-san.

         She was staring at yet another flashy-looking magazine, wearing a troubled expression on her face. Come to think of it, she had the same look when she was examining the other magazine. At school, she always appeared so radiant and cheerful, so seeing her like this was a contrast to the image I had of her.

         Either way, it didn’t change the fact that she was the type to catch people’s eyes.

         She stood out even at school, although not as much as Ibaraki-san.

         Maybe the reason why Sendai-san seemed so pretty was because she was wearing a little bit of makeup.

         I turned my back to Sendai-san and left the magazine section. I went back to the manga aisle and contemplated buying the book I’d been hesitant about earlier. However, after finally deciding against it, I headed to the novel section again. I wandered around the bookstore, browsing different areas for a while, before eventually returning to the magazine section. Sendai-san didn’t seem to be there anymore.

         I didn’t have any intention of following her around like a stalker, so I decided to head home and made my way to the exit.

         However, when I saw Sendai-san fumbling around with her bag in front of the cash register, I stopped in my tracks.

         What is she doing?

         It was interesting watching her do something I’d normally never see her do at school.

         Although I felt like it was a bad idea to approach the situation, when I heard her nervously trying to speak to the clerk, curiosity got the better of me, and I moved closer. The cash register displayed the cost of her books, but it seemed she hadn’t paid yet. If I had to guess, she probably forgot to bring her wallet.

         I felt a strange sense of closeness seeing her act so flustered.

         I had way too much pocket money in my wallet, so paying for her purchase wasn’t going to put me in financial straits or anything. But I found it interesting to watch Sendai-san, who was usually so calm and collected at school, deal with a troublesome situation like this. It’d make for an interesting sight if she were forced to leave the bookstore empty handed.

         「These books―」

         Sendai-san began to speak.

         Suddenly, my mouth and body decided to move on their own.

         「I’ll pay for them.」

         「Huh?」

         Sendai-san sounded surprised as I approached her while taking out a five-thousand-yen bill from my wallet. I placed the money on the tray and said,

         「Sendai-san, use this.」

         I was doing this entirely on a whim. I didn’t have any intention of holding it over her or seeking anything in return.

         For some reason, with no deeper meaning to it, I had the urge to spend this five-thousand-yen bill on her. Perhaps it was because I wanted to help her out of a troublesome situation – one I wouldn’t typically see her in. Or maybe I was just curious to see how she’d react to a stranger randomly offering to pay for her out of nowhere. I wasn’t entirely sure of my own intentions, but in any case, since the money was already in my wallet, I decided I wanted to try doing something I usually wouldn’t do.

         Well, at least that was how I tried justifying it to myself.

         「…… You’re Miyagi, right?」

         Huh, so she does remember my name.

         I managed to hold back the words that nearly slipped out of my mouth. Sendai-san, who I never thought would utter my name, had such a surprised look on her face that it caught me off guard too, almost causing me to blurt out the thought that was just in my head.

         「Use that money to pay for your things.」

         「No, it’s okay. I’ll just feel bad if I do.」

         「Don’t worry about it.」

         There was no deeper meaning behind my actions, so it didn’t matter if she were to forget about this later. Spending any more time in front of the cash register was only going to draw attention to us. I didn’t want anyone at school to approach me and question what I was doing with Sendai-san, so I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. However, Sendai-san wouldn’t relent.

         「No, take it back.」

         She pulled the five-thousand-yen bill out of the tray and returned it to me. However, I had no intention of putting it back in my wallet, so I placed it right back onto the tray.

         「Um, may I use this to complete your order?」

         I heard a puzzled voice ask, so I answered with「Yes, please do」and the clerk took the bill from the tray. As Sendai-san was receiving her change from the clerk, I walked away from the cash register.

         「Thanks, Miyagi. Looks like I forgot to bring my wallet, so you helped me out there.」

         She said in her usual cheerful voice.

         If you really feel grateful for the help, then you can return the favor by leaving me alone.

         At school, Sendai-san and I belonged to two completely different aisles. I was someone who’d get sorted into the manga section, whereas Sendai-san aligned with the flashy and eye-catching magazine section. We were two distinct individuals existing in separate worlds, so to me, it seemed only logical for us to maintain our distance.

         「Here, take your change. I’ll pay back what I used tomorrow.」

         「You don’t have to pay me back. You can keep the change too.」

         I didn’t need the five-thousand yen.

         Plus, if Maika saw Sendai-san handing me money at school, she’d just end up questioning me about it. The very idea of that seemed like such a pain.

         I turned my back on Sendai-san and started walking away.

         「Huh? Wait a second, I feel bad.」

         「It’s okay. I really don’t need it, so you can have it, Sendai-san.」

         「I can’t just take this from you. Let me return it.」

         「Just throw it away then.」

         「Throw it away?! This is money we’re talking about!」

         Sendai-san grabbed me by the shoulder.

         If you don’t want it, then throw it away. Otherwise, just keep it.

         I thought to myself, but Sendai-san didn’t seem to be happy with either option and kept steering the conversation in a different direction on her own.

         「Ahh, whatever. Let’s just say I borrowed the change as well. I’ll just give it all back to you tomorrow.」

         「There’s no need for that. You don’t need to pay me back.」

         I shook her hand off my shoulder and exited the bookstore.

         「I’m going to pay you back. I’ll give you five-thousand yen at school tomorrow.」

         It seemed like she was chasing after me as I heard a somewhat annoyed tone – something I hadn’t encountered at school before – coming from behind me. I felt like there were plenty of people out there who’d readily accept the money without any objections if I offered it, but she didn’t seem to be that type of person.

         She was surprisingly persistent.

         And incredibly stubborn.

         As I continued walking, I contemplated different ways to get Sendai-san to accept the money from me.

         Was there anything I could do to convince – or even force her to just take it?

         As I considered a few ideas, my mind suddenly stopped on the silliest one.

         「…… Then how about you work to pay off that five-thousand yen instead?」

         I suggested without looking back at Sendai-san.

         Money was frequently used as compensation for labor.

         It was a bit of a boring suggestion, but one that made sense to me. My father worked and earned money. Even the money in my wallet was the result of my father spending all of his time out at work instead of being at home.

         「Huh? Work?」 

         「For the time being, walk with me to my home.」

         I stopped walking and turned to face Sendai-san.

         「Huh? What do you mean walk with you to your house? I just said I’d pay you back tomorrow.」

         「If you’re not going to come with me, then just keep the money.」

         It didn’t matter to me whether or not she agreed to come over.

         Either way, the five-thousand yen would ultimately end up in Sendai-san’s possession.

         End of story.

         It was a bit boring having to walk home alone, but I turned my back towards her once again.

         I heard a small sigh coming from behind me.

         You should just stay where you are, Sendai-san.

         Before setting off, I gazed up once again. The number of clouds had increased since I entered the bookstore. The sky was now blanketed with gray clouds that hinted at an impending rain.

         I should hurry home. I don’t want my uniform to get wet.

         I thought to myself as I heard a sigh that sounded even heavier than the last one coming from behind me.

         「I’ve got some umbrellas at home.」

         I wasn’t sure if Sendai-san had an umbrella on her or not, but hearing her disheartened sigh made me say something unnecessary.

         「Ahh, whatever. Where’s your house? Is it close by?」

         「It’s not that far. Come with me.」

         I replied as I started walking.

         Sendai-san was actually following me.

         I didn’t even know what I wanted her to do for me.

         I had no idea what was going through her mind either.

         But maybe it was fine for something like this to happen every once in a while.

         It wasn’t like I had anything I wanted her to do for me in particular, but it was boring walking home alone. Having Sendai-san with me seemed like a great way to pass the time. While I doubted there’d be anything to talk about between us, considering we had absolutely nothing in common, it was a lot better than being by myself.

         And so, we headed off to my apartment together in silence.

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TL corner: Here’s the extra chapter from volume one of the light novel! So I know I said I wouldn’t deal with any light novel content, but I ended up breaking that rule to release this because I thought ShuuKura fans might enjoy it. I don’t like ripping out “paid content”, but I dislike the idea of “gatekeeping” it even more.

THAT SAID, I still will not be translating the main story from the light novels. Not only is it way, way, waaay behind from the web novel, I just think it’s more consistent translating from a single source. I doubt the content is much different anyway, so there shouldn’t be any issues aside from a significant lack of illustrations.

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