I found myself dreaming about something I hadn’t dreamt of in a while.

          I felt a little unsettled.

          I knew exactly why I had that dream again – it was because I had fallen asleep right after hearing Miyagi’s voice.

          I started having this dream after what happened on the last day of summer break, and it had come back to me a few times since the beginning of the second semester.

          More precisely, the dream I had was of the last day of summer break itself. Sometimes, it would show what might’ve happened if things had gone further, but that wasn’t the case today.

          Either way, it wasn’t a dream I wanted to have, especially not right before waking up.

          After all, in the dream, I kissed my former classmate, lifted her T-shirt, and touched her bare skin. Then, she touched me too, and even though it was only over her undergarments, I felt her chest――

          There was no way I could feel good about going to school after that.

          I let out a sigh.

          Just like how the sensation of hugging Miyagi had gradually faded, I didn’t think I’d ever dream again about feelings I’d thought I’d forgotten.

          It felt like part of me wanted to relive that day and take things even further. But even if I did, Miyagi would never let it happen again, so even with my sense of reason being as fragile as it was, I would never act on it ―― probably not, anyway. So, all I could do was feel depressed about it.

          I picked up my phone, which doubled as my alarm clock, and checked the time. If I didn’t start getting ready soon, I was going to be late for school, but I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed.

          I really don’t feel like going today.

          For a second, I thought about skipping and going somewhere else, but quickly dismissed the idea. It would just cause problems if the school called home.

          I heaved a sigh.

          I turned on the air conditioner and reluctantly crawled out of bed.

          「It’s so cold.」

          I ruffled my messy hair and forced myself to get ready. I brushed my teeth, changed into my uniform, and left the house without bothering to eat breakfast.

          Ideally, I didn’t want to run into Miyagi at school today, but it felt like on days like this, I’d end up seeing her, which made my steps feel heavier. But no matter how much I dreaded it, the more I walked, the closer I got to school, and before I knew it, I was walking through the gates and onto the school grounds.

          I half-expected to bump into Miyagi on the way to my classroom, but luckily, that didn’t happen. I managed to make it to my desk without incident. On days like this, I was glad we weren’t in the same class.

          As usual, I went over to Umina’s desk, and we started chatting about clothes we wanted to buy or how the handsome actor from last night’s TV drama was a disappointment, and so on.

          When I was at school, it felt like I talked a lot more than I ever did when I was with Miyagi. I didn’t care much for the TV dramas, but I did enjoy talking about clothes and accessories. While Umina and I didn’t share the same fashion sense, I liked exchanging information about different stores with her, like when a new shop was about to open.

          But today, I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy it.

          By the time two classes went by, I still felt sluggish.

          I pulled out my gym clothes. I wasn’t someone who got cold easily, but I really didn’t like having gym class in the winter.

          Just heading to the changing room was cold enough, and I knew the gym and field would be even worse. But skipping wasn’t an option, so I left the classroom with Umina and the others, who seemed even more reluctant to go than I did.

          We trudged down the cold hallway and entered the changing room. After storing my things in a locker, I slipped off my blazer.

          Umina stood beside me, grumbling about gym class, and I nodded along to her complaints as I began to undo the buttons on my blouse.

          「Hazuki, did you get that from someone?」

          Umina asked right as I was about to take my blouse off. I knew immediately what she meant.

          There was no doubt she was talking about the pendant I was wearing.

          「What are you referring to?」

          I asked, feigning ignorance.

          Miyagi had ordered me not to let anyone else see the pendant, but I never had any intention of following that. Still, it felt like it’d be more trouble than it was worth if anyone ever saw it, so I had always made sure to keep it out of Umina’s sight.

          But now, Umina was staring at it like a curious child who’d just found something interesting.

          Honestly, she could be such a pain sometimes.

          I wasn’t tired or sleep deprived, but thinking about that dream must’ve made me let my guard down.

          「I’m talking about this thing.」

          Umina said, reaching out toward the pendant.

          I almost swatted her hand away but stopped myself. That would only raise suspicion and make things even more complicated.

          「You got this from your boyfriend, didn’t you?」

          Umina asked as she traced the outline of the chain with her fingertips.

          All hands felt more or less the same, and her warmth against the chain wasn’t any different from when I touched it myself yesterday. But somehow, her touch felt strangely unfamiliar. I’d never thought about Umina’s hands before, but right now, I didn’t want her to touch me.

          「I already told you, I don’t have a boyfriend.」

          I said casually, playfully slapping her hand away.

          「Whaat?」

          Umina replied, her tone exaggerated as she pulled her hand back. I quickly took off my blouse and changed into my gym clothes.

          「Oh, come on, Hazuki. You’ve never worn anything like that to school before. Are you sure it wasn’t a gift from your boyfriend?」

          「Maybe if I had one, he’d give me something like this, but I don’t.」

          「Okay, then who gave it to you?」

          「No one gave it to me. Back me up here, Mariko.」

          I turned to Mariko, who was changing next to Umina, hoping she’d help me out.

          「No way, I feel like you got it from someone too. You’ve never worn anything like that before, so it’s only natural to assume.」

          I was about to argue, but Umina spoke up before I could.

          「You thought so too, right, Mariko? Besides, wearing a pendant like that isn’t even your thing, right, Hazuki?」

          「Yeah. If I remember correctly, you said you liked accessories with shorter chains, didn’t you?」

          I realized asking Mariko for backup was a mistake. Now, I was backed into a corner. Everything they said was true, and the more I tried to explain, the worse it got. I usually didn’t wear accessories to school, and I really did prefer something with a shorter chain. This pendant wasn’t something I would’ve worn if it hadn’t been from Miyagi.

          「Now, tell us. Who gave it to you? Is he from our school?」

          Umina asked, tugging on my gym uniform.

          「Look, it’s just a lucky charm.」

          Unable to think of anything better, I went with a vague excuse.

          「A lucky charm?」

          Mariko asked, sounding skeptical.

          「Yeah, a lucky charm for the entrance exams we’ve got this year. I figured something shorter would stand out too much, so I made the chain longer.」

          「Well, okay, but who gave it to you?」

          Umina pressed, a huge grin spreading across her face.

          「No one gave it to me. I mean it.」

          「Hazuki, your excuses are pretty weak today.」

          Mariko said.

          Umina chimed in with, “Come on, just make it easy on yourself and tell us already.”

          「Look, we should get going or we’re going to be late.」

          I was getting a bit frustrated. Without bothering to deny that I was trying to make excuses, I left the changing room. I heard Umina giggle and say, “Oh, she ran away,” behind me.

          I didn’t dislike the two of them, but I wasn’t a fan of how everything seemed to circle back to boyfriends with them.

          I touched the pendant over my gym uniform.

          Why did Miyagi choose this pendant for me in the first place?

          Was it because it was just the right length for her to touch when undoing the second button of my blouse? Or did she think it suited me?

          「It’s freezing in the gym. I should’ve just ditched.」

          Umina’s voice, saying something a teacher wouldn’t like, pulled me out of my thoughts, and I quickly let go of the pendant.

          Our relationship was starting to come apart at the seams.

          Traces of us were surfacing at school, and we were doing things we wouldn’t have done a year ago. I doubted anyone would figure it out before graduation, but still, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to us before then.

          I really wasn’t in the mood to see Miyagi today.

          Especially after the kind of dream I had this morning—it left me feeling guilty, like I’d done something wrong. And thanks to Umina and Mariko’s probing, I was in a terrible mood.

          But of course, it was always on days like this that Miyagi would reach out.

          So, I wasn’t surprised at all to see an unread message from her after gym class.

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