I hadn’t had many chances to hear other people sing. I rarely went out to karaoke with my friends and personally didn’t sing outside of class, so this was new for me.

     「You’re in high spirits, Sorahashi-san.」

     I said to Sorahashi-san, who was humming a tune.

     「That’s right. After all, this is your apology to me, isn’t it?」

     I responded with a small nod.

     Although I had already apologized earlier, I offered to apologize again because I felt like it hadn’t been enough. It had been insensitive to turn down her invitation and then accept one from my friends.

     I wondered why she was in such a good mood.

     Right after school, she had taken me along to some shop. Inside, all sorts of scents wafted around and cute bottles were lined up on the shelves.

     「How do you want me to apologize?」

     「Pick something out.」

     She picked up a bottle.

     The bottles with pieces of wood stuck in them like disposable chopsticks were actually reed diffusers. We had a few at home, but picking one out could be difficult because it came down to your own preferences.

     「I might pick out a weird scent.」

     「That’s okay. Our taste in scents are similar.」

     How could she say that with such certainty?

     I had my doubts, but I went to pick up each bottle one by one. Something flowery, something woody, something fruity — I was elated because of all the different scents. However, I also felt a bit awkward because Sorahashi-san kept staring at me.

     「Is there something on my face?」

     「No, you just look so serious.」

     「I mean, this is something that’s going in your house, right? I need to choose with care, or else it might clash with your image.」

     As I went through and smelled each one, it brought back memories of how I used to secretly try on my mom’s perfume. Mizuki and I would be full of childlike glee at how we smelled like grown-ups. I’m sure she didn’t remember that at all anymore, though.

     These natural scents made through artificial means made me feel lonely, but oddly enough, I also liked it. It was similar to drinking a fruity drink without a single drop of real fruit juice in it — lonely, yet exciting.

     Come to think of it, I’d never really had the chance to go out and smell the true scents of nature.

     「And what would my image be?」

     She asked.

     I couldn’t quite give the typical response that she was very princess-like, but as soon as I realized that, what exactly her image was became very difficult to put into words.

     「That everyone likes you, I guess.」

     「Hmm? So that’s how you see me, Kurumi.」

     「I don’t think it’s just me.」

     I returned the sample diffuser I was holding back to the shelf.

     The smell of the forest was replaced by the smell of the ocean. From the mountains, and now, to the ocean. I hadn’t really moved at all, but my sense of smell was traveling. What a strange feeling.

     「Ahaha, I suppose so. I’m told quite often that I’m well-liked by everyone, or that I seem like a princess.」  

     She giggled.

     「It’s because I know how to act in a way that makes people like me, more or less. That’s just how I act, though.」

     「…I see.」

     I was a little surprised.

     I thought that was how she just naturally was. I didn’t think there was anybody else that could be their natural self around anyone and everyone, but I felt like Sorahashi-san had been the exception. That had just been what I had assumed all on my own, though.

     「That’s why I sometimes wonder… What if I just tore down everything that I’ve built up so far? …Although, I don’t really have destructive tendencies like that, so I wouldn’t actually do it.」

     I thought asking someone from your class to be your owner had the potential to be pretty self-destructive, though.

     She smiled as if she could tell what I was thinking.

     「I can tell if someone’s dangerous by how they smell. Your scent makes me feel safe, Kurumi.」

     「By their smell…」

     I immediately went to sniff my arm, but all I could smell was detergent.

     「It was just a figure of speech. …Just before, you had a very lewd scent, Kurumi.」

     「…Huh?」

     「Did you know? If you like how someone smells, then that means they’re a good match for you. What do you think about mine?」

     「You smelled nice.」

     Whether or not it was nice, her scent was certainly one that stimulated the instincts.

     It’s not like I was into that sort of thing. However, seeing Sorahashi-san’s usually cutesy countenance all like an animal’s after all that exercise — just a bit, it made my head spin…

     Hold up.

     It wasn’t that the scent of her sweat turned me on. I wasn’t into that — really.

     「Hmm?」

     She moved her lips close to my ear.

     「Is that all? You’ll have to apologize again, you know?」

     She was indirectly telling me that I was lying.

     I thought that lies sometimes made it easier to communicate.

     Constantly hearing the truth would just be exhausting.

     「…It made me all dizzy.」

     「Yeah?」

     「You smelled so much like the scent of life, and it made me feel all dizzy.」

     「…So, in other words—」

     Talking to Sorahashi-san was a difficult task. I had to choose my words carefully, and I struggled with the topics themselves. I didn’t know anything about her likes or hobbies after all, so of course holding a conversation with her would be tough.

     「You mean my scent aroused you?」

     「Wha- No- That- Of course not!」

     「Ahaha. So loud. So I was right.」

     Happily saying that, she strolled away.

     The artificial scent of the ocean and a natural smile — Sorahashi-san was such a strange person.

     「That’s the first time I’ve heard your voice like that, Kurumi. …I’d like it if you acted a bit more naturally around me.」

     But even if she said that…

     Even if I could, to an extent, behave naturally around Mutsuki and Yume, I wasn’t that close with Sorahashi-san. In the first place, if she hadn’t called out to me and asked me to become her owner, I’m sure we would have gone on to graduation without ever really conversing with each other.

     For better or worse, I was an ordinary human and she was an extraordinary person.

     You could usually tell whether or not you’d get along with someone within the span of two months^[1]. By that point in time at school, friend groups would have already formed and people wouldn’t often venture outside of those groups.

     「I still don’t know anything about you, Sorahashi-san.」

     「You can’t act naturally if you don’t know anything about me? Hm… Then today, I’ll tell you all about myself.」

     I guess it was a sort of cultural difference.

     I found it difficult to be my true self with others until I’d gained a certain level of trust and familiarity with them, but she seemed to always be able to be Sorahashi Sera no matter who she was with.

     「But first, pick out a diffuser for me.」

     「Of course. …Is there any particular type you’d prefer?」

     「There isn’t. I’ll leave it all up to what you like.」

     「What I like…」

     What we had at home was a mix of all sorts of flowery scents. I thought it would be boring to pick something similar. If I were to pick something among what I like that would also suit her house…

     「This one, I think.」

     「The smell of the forest? Hm. Let me try it.」

     She took the sample from my hand and sniffed at it silently.

     It was impressive how she looked so picturesque even doing something like that.

     「…Yeah. It’s certainly a nice scent. We’re a good match for each other after all, Kurumi.」

     「I guess so.」

     「Of course we are. I’ll go buy this one, then. It’ll be just a moment!」

     Saying that, she dashed over to the register.

     That was the part of her that I thought was befitting for her age. I wondered about how she had been when she invited me out.

     How much was just her acting, and how much was her real self? Was it a good thing or a bad thing that I wanted to know?

     I let out a soft sigh. It felt like the normal everyday life that I held so dear was slowly slipping away from me. The sight of my phone, barren of messages or notifications, was quite lonely.

     It had been a year since I’d last asked Mizuki about what to make for dinner.

     But that single year had felt like entire decades.

     Afterwards, in accordance with what she had said about telling me more about herself, Sorahashi-san brought me to a certain place.

     My eyes widened with surprise. This wasn’t what I had expected. Sorahashi-san seemed like the type to be more into clothing stores or stylish cafes, but the place she had brought me to today was…

     「…This is the sort of place you’re into?」

     「Well, yes? Not what you expected?」

     「Hm… yeah. I was surprised, I guess.」

     「Ahaha, figures. I don’t come here with others. But I like it here because I can have all sorts of encounters.」

     Saying that, she began to slowly walk around. The spacious bookstore had numerous shelves arranged by genre, and it goes without saying, but the scent of paper filled the air. I hadn’t been to a bookstore recently, so this was refreshing.

     「What sorts of books do you usually read?」

     「Hm… Whatever catches my eye? I read manga, and I also read novels.」

     「Wow, so you’re quite the bookworm.」

     「I wouldn’t go as far as to say bookworm.」

     She walked over to the novels section like she’d done this many times before. Perhaps it was human nature to get excited at the sight of new releases all lined up on a shelf. It was like how I get excited when I see vegetables I’d never seen before being sold at the supermarket. I didn’t know how to prepare them, though, so I never bought them.

     Even though you could figure that out for any sort of vegetable if you just looked it up.

     Sorahashi-san picked up a book to look at the synopsis.

     Her mature profile was, after all, still difficult to understand.

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^[1] The original text says something more along the lines of “By June”. This is because the first term of the school year in Japan begins in April, but obviously that isn’t true everywhere in the world, so I wrote something a bit more universal.

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