Chapter 3 - The one you're waiting for has arrived
"I don't want to go to school..."
I had been waiting for Luna's return, holding on to the faint hope that she would come back before summer break ended, but now that even that small hope had faded, I was dreading going to school.
At this point, I really didn’t know when Luna would return.
How much longer should I wait...?
With that kind of lack of motivation, it was no surprise that I left the house later than usual.
I arrived at school just in time to avoid being late.
Even though I was tormented by this sense of loss, I managed to avoid being late—probably because my body was trying to avoid getting scolded by Rion.
If I were late on the first day after summer break, she would probably drag me back home no matter what, and I could already see her scolding me.
That situation was what drove me to school.
"Good morning..."
I entered the classroom without much energy and greeted my classmates, whom I hadn't seen in a while.
However...
"Seriously…! Both of them were ridiculously cute…!"
"So, which class are they from...? Wait, are they first-years...?!"
"Both of them were super cute! I thought they were idols!"
"They have to be celebrities! Is this school going to be the setting for a drama or something?!"
The classroom was buzzing with an unusual heat, and it seemed no one had noticed my greeting.
Come to think of it, the other classrooms I passed by were noisy too.
I wondered if something had happened.
"What's going on?"
I asked the classmate who had been talking excitedly nearby after I sat down.
"Oh, Seito, good morning! Actually, you won't believe—!"
Before my classmate could answer my question, the sound of the bell interrupted us.
Ding-dong-ding-dong
Ding-dong-ding-dong
"Alright, everyone, please take your seats. If you're standing, you'll be marked late."
The door to the classroom opened, and in walked our homeroom teacher, a relaxed and gentle woman with a calm demeanor.
Her brown hair was styled in soft, loose curls, and she was our homeroom teacher, Sagami-sensei.
She had just turned 28 and was very kind, which made her popular with both boys and girls alike.
The students, who had been so loud just moments before, immediately quieted down and sat at their desks after hearing her two commands.
Now that I think about it, Sagami-sensei had a few similarities with Luna.
She was a gentle and warm beauty, and she had a soft, natural, somewhat airheaded vibe.
And most notably, there was one part of her that was distinctly more feminine.
Well, her height was over ten centimeters taller than Luna's, and her hairstyle and hair color were completely different.
"Hehe, even though it's the first day after a long break, it's nice to see everyone being so well-behaved."
Sagami-sensei smiled cheerfully as she looked around the classroom.
Just that smile alone made the boys go gooey, and the girls also smiled happily.
Perhaps this class was one of the top classes, peaceful and close-knit.
––At this time, I never imagined that something would happen that would soon create a crack in that peaceful class.
"I have some very exciting news for all of you good kids today! Starting today, we’ll have one new friend joining our class!"
A new friend?
A transfer student… at this time of year…?
Just as that question popped into my mind––
"““““Here they come!”””””
The boys all stood up, raising their fists in excitement.
"What’s all this noise about…?"
I was the only one left behind among the boys, unable to understand what was going on.
Looking around, I noticed the girls seemed equally anxious.
Wait, am I the only one who doesn't get it…?
"Hey, quiet down. If you don’t sit down, I’ll lower everyone’s grades, you know?"
Sagami-sensei gently admonished the boys.
I sometimes wonder, though, isn’t it a bit scary how kind she sounds, but what she says is actually pretty threatening?
Well, it’s not something I need to point out, but…
Of course, none of the boys wanted to get on Sagami-sensei's bad side, so they obediently sat back down.
However, everyone was fidgeting with excitement, their composure completely gone.
Could it be that a celebrity is transferring in…?
"Okay, now that it’s quiet, please come in."
After confirming the class had settled down, Sagami-sensei directed her gaze to the entrance.
Naturally, all the students' eyes followed her gaze.
Then––a girl with very noticeable hair color appeared at the doorway.
"Eh…?"
Seeing the girl standing at the entrance, I couldn’t help but gasp.
With a graceful smile on her face, she walked toward the podium with elegant steps.
No doubt about it… that shining, golden hair––
"Nice to meet you, everyone in Class 1-C. I’m Luna Alford, as was just introduced."
Standing at the podium, she smiled warmly as she introduced herself.
And when our eyes met––she flashed me a sweet, cute smile.
––It’s Luna.
Her name was different, but there was no mistaking it, she was Luna.
I had been waiting for her to return for so long, and my chest and eyes were filled with emotion.
Ignoring my stunned reaction, Luna turned her attention back to the classmates and continued her self-introduction.
"I am truly honored to be able to join all of you here, having come to study from my homeland, Arcadia. Though I am inexperienced, I look forward to getting to know all of you. Please take care of me."
With that, Luna gave a deep bow.
A round of applause followed, and voices echoed once again throughout the classroom.
Of course, I too clapped enthusiastically.
"We look forward to being friends with you for a long time!"
"Arcadia, that Arcadia!?"
"How wonderful that you came to Japan…!"
"Please, let's be friends!"
Various voices rang out from the class.
It was so noisy that I couldn't catch everything they were saying, and everyone seemed to be saying something different––but the one thing they all had in common was that everyone wanted to become friends with her.
And no wonder.
She was a breathtaking beauty, and her elegance was undeniable.
It seemed that Luna had truly returned, just as promised.
My excitement was overwhelming at the joy of this reunion.
Amidst the voices being called out from every corner of the room, she responded with a beautiful smile––
"And one more thing I’d like to mention, I am the fiancée of the person sitting over there, Seito Kiriyama-sama."
––And with that, she dropped an earth-shattering bombshell.
"...Huh?"
The words suddenly spoken left me stunned, and I couldn’t process what was happening. I couldn’t help but let out a surprised sound.
No, I wasn’t the only one unable to process this.
The classroom, which had been loud just moments ago, fell completely silent.
But––a few seconds later, the class began to react, as if their understanding finally caught up.
"““““Eh, what!? What did she say!?””””"
Luna's shocking statement echoed through the classroom, with both boys and girls expressing their astonishment.
And it was no surprise.
Even I, the person involved, was completely shocked.
"My, my... high schoolers these days are quite advanced, aren’t they? How amazing..."
Sagami-sensei, as laid-back as ever, placed a hand near her mouth, blinking a few times with a smile.
Sensei, I don’t think this is the kind of story you think it is...
I wanted an explanation––I quickly turned my gaze back to Luna.
When our eyes met again, Luna simply––
"...♪"
With a cheerful smile, Luna waved her hand lightly.
This girl was definitely very laid-back.
Was she not bothered by all this commotion?
"S-Seito!? What’s going on here!?"
While I was distracted by Luna, one of the boys demanded an explanation from me.
"Yeah! Did you get ahead of us!?"
"How did you get close to such a cute exchange student!?"
At this, the other boys started throwing their own questions at me.
––But it wasn’t just the boys.
"Kiryama-kun, are you really engaged to Alford-san!? That’s amazing!"
"Hey, hey, tell us how it happened!"
The girls, too, were asking questions with wide-eyed curiosity.
It made sense that they would ask me, since I had spent about four months in the class, whereas they had just met her.
––But the atmosphere surrounding the boys and the girls was completely different.
The boys were looking at me with eyes full of jealousy, the flames of envy burning so intensely that it almost made me want to look away.
I had been getting along pretty well with the class up until now, but it was clear that a rift had formed between me and them.
The girls, on the other hand, were looking at me with curiosity, their eyes filled with interest about my relationship with Luna.
Their gaze was warm and friendly, so although I felt a little embarrassed, it wasn’t unpleasant.
The difference in their reactions was likely because the boys were seeing Luna as a romantic interest, while the girls were simply interested in the situation.
"I-I don’t know, what’s going on…!"
Honestly, I had no idea what was happening, so I just answered truthfully.
But then––
"That’s...! Didn’t we two sleep together and hug each other intimately...!?"
In response to my words, Luna shocked everyone by saying this.
And with that, Luna had thrown another bombshell, one with a tremendous impact.
"W-Wait, Luna!?"
The additional bombshell had me calling her name without thinking.
What Luna said wasn’t a lie.
As she said, while she stayed over, we did sleep together, and we did hug.
It wasn’t a lie, but––in this context, her words were bound to cause misunderstandings.
"Wait, so you’re already involved…!?"
"We don’t have a chance, do we…?"
"Ahaha... Kiryama-kun, I know you're embarrassed, but it’s not good to try and hide things in front of her, right?"
"It’s not 'her,' it’s 'his fiancée,' but really, I think it’s cooler to be confident in moments like this."
The boys, who had been burning with jealousy, seemed to be on the verge of giving up after Luna’s remark, their shoulders slumping in defeat.
Meanwhile, the girls, with a resigned smile, began offering advice.
Our classmates were really kind-hearted.
Normally, if I had caused Luna any embarrassment, I would have been harshly criticized.
Especially from the girls, I would’ve been seen as an enemy of women, and the boys wouldn’t have given up on Luna so easily.
I felt relieved, knowing I had such thoughtful classmates, and I couldn’t help but smile.
"Yeah, sorry. But the truth is, I really didn’t understand the situation. I didn’t even know she was coming to study abroad."
Given the atmosphere, even if I denied it again, no one would believe me.
The fact that Luna, who had just arrived, knew both my name and face, and that she was calling herself my fiancée—something that was practically unheard of—added a strange credibility to her words.
Not to mention, I had called her name earlier. If I insisted on denying it now, I’d destroy the good vibes and would likely face criticism.
So, while I avoided explicitly confirming Luna’s words, I subtly made it seem like I was going along with it and tried to steer the conversation to another topic.
"Surprise study abroad!?"
"Are you saying that you came to study abroad just to be with your fiancée, Kiryama-kun!?"
Naturally, with the atmosphere as it was, people began to misunderstand––but it couldn’t be helped.
As long as I didn’t make a clear statement, the worst-case scenario would be that everyone simply misunderstood––and I could always claim that.
But still… why did Luna say something like that…?
"My reason for studying abroad… is not a lie. However… if it were possible, I wanted to study at the same school as Seito-sama… so it’s true that I was being a bit selfish."
Perhaps because I hadn’t denied it, Luna explained with a cheerful smile to everyone.
Thanks to that, the girls let out high-pitched exclamations of "Kyaa~!"
By now, in everyone’s eyes, Luna and I were completely regarded as fiancés.
"Haha... From the beginning, we never stood a chance, huh…"
"It can't be helped… If Seito wasn’t here, Alford-san wouldn’t even be at this school…"
"She’s even calling him 'Seito'... It looks like Alford-san is sending a lot of hearts toward Seito..."
Yeah, it seemed like the boys, whose hearts had already been broken, were now completely crushed.
With that, I could rest easy knowing that jealousy wouldn’t cause me trouble, but since I still didn’t understand Luna’s true intentions, I couldn’t let my guard down.
And, of course, there were other worries.
With the classroom in such an uproar, there was no way the other classes wouldn’t hear about it.
Meaning, it was only a matter of time before Rion found out.
With her sharp instincts, she would likely connect the name I called to Luna…
"Well then, everyone, now that we’ve confirmed Alford-san’s self-introduction and the warm relationship with Kiryama-kun—let’s head to the gymnasium! The opening ceremony is about to start, so we can’t be late~"
Once the boys’ spirits were broken, it seemed like the conversation had ended. Sagami-sensei, ever so laid-back, started guiding everyone.
That’s right, I’d completely forgotten amidst all the excitement, but today was the first day back after summer vacation.
Naturally, there was the opening ceremony.
Due to the commotion, we were late in leaving the classroom, so everyone hurried to line up in the hallway.
Amidst that—
"I’m sorry for surprising you… I’ll explain everything later, so please wait for me…"
Luna came up to me, looking up at me apologetically.
It seemed like there was some sort of situation going on.
But this girl… even though she’s apologizing, she casually links her arm with mine… She really is free-spirited, isn’t she?
"Hmm~ Well, I suppose it’s fine. It’s a good thing to be close, after all."
While everyone was lining up, Sagami-sensei seemed to think for a moment, finger on her chin, before forgiving us as she saw Luna cling to my arm.
I’m glad we have such a generous Sensei.
"…♪"
Luna, who was clinging to my arm, looked incredibly happy as she rested her head on my shoulder. Since the teacher had forgiven us, it seemed like there was no issue.
Of course, I was still a bit confused by her sudden appearance and the whole fiancée claim––but deep down, I was really happy to have reunited with someone I had been looking forward to seeing.
"---Luna, can you let go for a bit?"
Since we were almost at the gym, I called out to Luna, who was walking with her arm linked in mine.
I spoke casually because I found out we were the same age.
In response to my request, Luna looked up at me with big, teary eyes, as though she were a puppy being abandoned.
She really didn’t want to let go.
"Ugh…"
Naturally, when she made that face, I felt guilty.
However, if we stayed like this, other students from different classes would start giving us strange looks, and the teachers wouldn't approve either.
More importantly, it could cause trouble for Rion, who knew we were siblings.
"Sorry, but we can’t make other people uncomfortable…"
I decided to try and convince Luna once again.
"Oh… I’m so sorry… I got carried away with the joy of reuniting with Seito-sama…"
It seemed that Luna was a good girl after all. Once she came to her senses, she apologized and let go.
She then walked beside me, her head downcast.
…I really didn’t want to see her sad face.
"No one’s mad, and no one’s bothered by it, so don’t feel down. I’m really happy to have reunited with you, Luna."
Noticing how she was feeling, I tried to reassure her with a smile.
Luna seemed to sigh in relief, then returned my smile.
"Thank you… I was worried that you might dislike me for doing something so forward, so I was anxious…"
It seemed that Luna was aware of her own behavior and the trouble she caused.
If that was the case, I really wanted to know why she did it, but she had said she would explain later.
I could wait until then to ask.
Right now, I didn’t want to risk saying something that might cause her to slip up.
Besides, we were about to enter the gym.
"Let’s talk more at home. There’s no way I could dislike you, Luna, so don’t worry about it."
I made sure to convey the most important thing to Luna, so she wouldn’t overthink it.
『…Seito-sama, you’re still too kind…』
It seemed that my words were a relief to her, as the shadow on her face disappeared.
For now, this should be enough.
"---Huh? That figure over there..."
As we entered the gym, I spotted a girl with silver hair, which was quite rare in Japan, standing at the back of Class A's line, two rows away from where we were supposed to be.
She was small and had bobbed hair. I was almost certain──.
"Aira-chan is the same age as us...?"
The silver-haired girl was definitely Aira-chan, but she looked so much younger than me, so I asked Luna about it.
"As for that, I will explain later."
Luna responded with a somewhat meaningful tone to my question.
From the way she said it, I could tell that Aira-chan probably wasn’t the same age as me.
Is it even possible to lie about your age to study abroad...?
"Got it, thanks."
Since I couldn’t ask her directly, I just thanked Luna and turned my attention forward again.
If Aira-chan is in Class A, that means she’s in the same class as Rion.
...It’s just a coincidence, right?
There’s no way they intentionally put Aira-chan in that class... I don’t think she knows Rion, after all...
While I was thinking this, I heard the students around me starting to talk.
"W-What’s with that super cute girl?!"
"Damn, she’s a first-year too? I wish she had come to our class!"
"How lucky… I wanna be friends with her..."
"She has such an elegant vibe, like a lady from a rich family—maybe she’s actually a princess...?"
"Idiot, no princess would come to a school like this. That vibe is probably just her personality."
---The buzz in the gym increased all at once.
It seemed everyone had noticed Luna.
Students from all grades, from first to third year, were turning their attention toward her.
As expected, Luna really was a captivating presence.
As for Luna herself, she had completely transformed from the cute, childish figure she had been earlier into someone poised and elegant, almost like a different person.
I couldn’t help but think.
In the few days we spent together, my image of Luna was that of a child-like, clingy person, but when the people who came to pick her up arrived, she had stood tall and composed, just like she was now.
Which of these is her true self?
There was still so much I didn’t know about Luna, so I hoped I could slowly learn more about her in the future.
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