Chapter 8
Students of Class 1-A began to move around, grabbing brooms, cloths, and dustpans for cleaning duty. The warm afternoon sun spilled through the tall windows, casting golden streaks across desks and the polished floor. The faint scent of sakura drifted in from the open windows, mingling with the echo of laughter from the hallway.
Kokoro pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Yui, his younger sister.
Kokoro: "You heading home now? All good?"
Yui: "Yup! Miho and Kana are with me at the station. We’re drinking melon soda from the vending machine! Kana’s trying to collect all the weird flavor bottles again."
Kokoro smiled faintly. Their quiet suburb was only a stop away from Tokyo. Sakura High wasn’t far, but still, he always checked in.
Kokoro: "Good. Stick together, alright? Let me know when you get home."
Yui: "Aw, big brother’s being sweet. Don’t worry, I’ll message you! You make any friends yet?"
Kokoro: "...Still working on that."
Yui: "You’ll be fine! Just don’t look so serious all the time, you’ll scare people away! Oh, and no sulking in the corner like last year!"
He chuckled softly before putting his phone away.
"Yo, Kokoro," said Kenta Yamaguchi, nudging him with a mop handle. "You done growing, or are you gonna hit two meters next week?"