see.”
Asagi distanced herself from Kojou, an artificial smile still on her face. From the way she looked, Kojou felt a dangerous aura about her.
“Ah, Asagi?”
“Well, the train’s coming. I’m heading home.”
Just as Asagi said, the train was just arriving at the monorail loading platform. She turned in the opposite direction of the stop toward Kojou and Yukina’s apartment complex. Kojou hurriedly called out to her, “Huh? Weren’t you gonna show me that World History report?”
“Yeah. I meant to, but apparently I forgot it somewhere.”
Asagi spoke with a smiling face filled with quiet rage. Her eyes conveyed a silent message that he
would
be explaining this at school tomorrow.
“Huh? Hey, Asagi!”
“Bye-bye!”
The train doors shut right in front of the bewildered Kojou’s eyes. For some reason, Asagi ignored Kojou, waved amiably to Yukina alone, and left.
“What’s up with her?”
Kojou tilted his head as he muttered. Yukina had an expression on her face as though she felt responsible.
“I’m sorry, Senpai. It may be my fault there’s some kind of misunderstanding…”
“Misunderstanding?”
Kojou glanced back with a mystified look at Yukina, who was dejected for some reason. Finally, he
ahh
ed as it clicked.
“Er, no way. There’s no misunderstanding. She’s just a friend, you see.”
“Just…friends, is it?” Yukina asked back as if weighing whether that’s what Kojou really thought. Kojou nodded without hesitation.
“Well, we go back a long way. It’s like we’re best buds.”
“Senpai…”
For some reason, Yukina was looking up at Kojou with a scolding look over his indifferent reply.
“What?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Her words were accompanied by a deep exhalation.
3
In the end, it was nearly evening by the time Kojou and Yukina arrived back at their apartment building.
The sun’s rays were as strong as usual, but the breeze was just starting to have a bit of nighttime chill mixed in.
“—Huh, you and Kojou-kun are back only now? Pretty late, isn’t it?”
As Kojou and Yukina dove past the apartment complex’s entrance, as if fleeing from the setting sun, someone’s voice was there to greet them. With the elevator door still open, a female junior high school student, in uniform, motioned with her hand for them to hurry over.
“Nagisa, huh. What’s with the bags?”
As Kojou entered the elevator, he raised an eyebrow at his little sister’s appearance. Nagisa’s right hand had a sports bag packed with her baggage for club activities in it. And her left hand held a shopping bag filled with a large amount of cooking ingredients.
“What do you mean what? It’s for our transfer girl’s welcome party.”
Looking at the surprised Kojou, Nagisa spoke in apparent amazement.
“Welcome party?”
“That’s right. I mean, she only just moved here, so she can’t prepare supper for today, right?”
“Well, you’ve got a point there.”
Kojou nodded, remembering how Yukina’s room had lacked cooking utensils and even basic tableware. Then a suspicious look came over him.
“Wait, Nagisa, did you know Himeragi was moving in next door…?”
“Yeah. I mean, she came over to say hi this morning. You were asleep, though.”
Nagisa spoke in a tone that seemed to fault him for sleeping in late. She was more reserved with the amount of words out of her mouth than usual, though, and was no doubt being prudent in front of Yukina.
“That so?” Kojou asked Yukina in a low voice.
“Yes,” Yukina replied, nodding.
“Er… But is it all right, having a welcome party?”
“Totally all right! I already bought meat for it anyway. Kojou and I can’t eat it all by ourselves.”
Nagisa had a warm, affable expression as she spoke.
That’s for sure
, thought Kojou with a strained smile.
Thanks to their parents divorcing four years before, the Akatsuki household was currently a three-person family. Furthermore, their mother, working as head of
Asagi distanced herself from Kojou, an artificial smile still on her face. From the way she looked, Kojou felt a dangerous aura about her.
“Ah, Asagi?”
“Well, the train’s coming. I’m heading home.”
Just as Asagi said, the train was just arriving at the monorail loading platform. She turned in the opposite direction of the stop toward Kojou and Yukina’s apartment complex. Kojou hurriedly called out to her, “Huh? Weren’t you gonna show me that World History report?”
“Yeah. I meant to, but apparently I forgot it somewhere.”
Asagi spoke with a smiling face filled with quiet rage. Her eyes conveyed a silent message that he
would
be explaining this at school tomorrow.
“Huh? Hey, Asagi!”
“Bye-bye!”
The train doors shut right in front of the bewildered Kojou’s eyes. For some reason, Asagi ignored Kojou, waved amiably to Yukina alone, and left.
“What’s up with her?”
Kojou tilted his head as he muttered. Yukina had an expression on her face as though she felt responsible.
“I’m sorry, Senpai. It may be my fault there’s some kind of misunderstanding…”
“Misunderstanding?”
Kojou glanced back with a mystified look at Yukina, who was dejected for some reason. Finally, he
ahh
ed as it clicked.
“Er, no way. There’s no misunderstanding. She’s just a friend, you see.”
“Just…friends, is it?” Yukina asked back as if weighing whether that’s what Kojou really thought. Kojou nodded without hesitation.
“Well, we go back a long way. It’s like we’re best buds.”
“Senpai…”
For some reason, Yukina was looking up at Kojou with a scolding look over his indifferent reply.
“What?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Her words were accompanied by a deep exhalation.
3
In the end, it was nearly evening by the time Kojou and Yukina arrived back at their apartment building.
The sun’s rays were as strong as usual, but the breeze was just starting to have a bit of nighttime chill mixed in.
“—Huh, you and Kojou-kun are back only now? Pretty late, isn’t it?”
As Kojou and Yukina dove past the apartment complex’s entrance, as if fleeing from the setting sun, someone’s voice was there to greet them. With the elevator door still open, a female junior high school student, in uniform, motioned with her hand for them to hurry over.
“Nagisa, huh. What’s with the bags?”
As Kojou entered the elevator, he raised an eyebrow at his little sister’s appearance. Nagisa’s right hand had a sports bag packed with her baggage for club activities in it. And her left hand held a shopping bag filled with a large amount of cooking ingredients.
“What do you mean what? It’s for our transfer girl’s welcome party.”
Looking at the surprised Kojou, Nagisa spoke in apparent amazement.
“Welcome party?”
“That’s right. I mean, she only just moved here, so she can’t prepare supper for today, right?”
“Well, you’ve got a point there.”
Kojou nodded, remembering how Yukina’s room had lacked cooking utensils and even basic tableware. Then a suspicious look came over him.
“Wait, Nagisa, did you know Himeragi was moving in next door…?”
“Yeah. I mean, she came over to say hi this morning. You were asleep, though.”
Nagisa spoke in a tone that seemed to fault him for sleeping in late. She was more reserved with the amount of words out of her mouth than usual, though, and was no doubt being prudent in front of Yukina.
“That so?” Kojou asked Yukina in a low voice.
“Yes,” Yukina replied, nodding.
“Er… But is it all right, having a welcome party?”
“Totally all right! I already bought meat for it anyway. Kojou and I can’t eat it all by ourselves.”
Nagisa had a warm, affable expression as she spoke.
That’s for sure
, thought Kojou with a strained smile.
Thanks to their parents divorcing four years before, the Akatsuki household was currently a three-person family. Furthermore, their mother, working as head of
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