On the way home from school, their conversations were not always about the present.

The tram slid into the station with a gentle hum. The boy and girl stepped off, one after the other—Tsukimi Jinguuji leading, with Sazakura Sakurakouji following close by his side.

It was not like any ordinary day. Usually, Tsukimi Jinguuji would rush home right after school, their schedules rarely overlapping. But today was different, their timing aligned—and it was no coincidence, for Sazakura Sakurakouji had deliberately waited for him.

Outside the station, she lingered in front of a dessert shop, peering in for quite some time, until she finally received a sweet treat from Tsukimi Jinguuji. In matters like these, he was utterly at her mercy.

The clattering sound of the railway crossing echoed endlessly as they passed through narrow alleys and climbed up sloping paths, the distance to their respective homes growing shorter.

With the street deserted, it was the boy who broke the silence.

"Sazakura, aren't you going to ask anything?"

The girl walked ahead, not turning back, her loafers skipping lightly as she hummed a tune unfamiliar to him.

"Hmm? What should I ask? About you joining the student council?"

He thought for a moment—perhaps he did want her to ask about that.

"You already know."

"Well... seeing you walk with that person, it wasn't hard to guess.

"Tsukimi always acts like he's hard to get along with, but deep down, he's hopeless when it comes to girls.

"And besides, that person is your ex-girlfriend, isn't she? In the end, it always turns into you compromising."

Sazakura Sakurakouji turned, flashing him a bright smile.

"It's nice, you know—‘ex-girlfriend’ as a title. Even though I don't really want it, haha."

Tsukimi Jinguuji's gaze flickered; he could tell Sazakura Sakurakouji's words carried a hidden meaning, but he did not touch upon what ought not be spoken.

"Hey, what's with that expression?"

She came up to him, laughing, nudging his chest with her elbow.

"I'm not blaming you. On the contrary, I should be glad."

"Glad?"

"Since you're doing things you never would have before, it means you're changing, right? Someone who's always stood still finally has the urge to move forward.

"Tsukimi, you've finally taken a step ahead."

Moving forward?

Tsukimi Jinguuji didn't quite see it that way—not in the least. Progress, as he understood it, wasn't about being pushed onto the stage, forced to move almost against his will.

If he had to give an example...

Yes, Hoshino Morino.

That's right—Morino Hoshino.

That girl was the one truly "moving forward," fighting the shackles of her past with her own strength, leading the way for everyone else.

Tsukimi Jinguuji, at best, was merely stepping in the footprints she left behind.

"But if there's one thing that bothers me," Sazakura said, "it's that the person changing you isn't me. Makes me a little jealous, that's all."

"Sazakura..."

"You see, the one who knows you best is always the childhood friend."

Looking at this girl he'd grown up with, Tsukimi Jinguuji felt so much he wanted to say, but people are strange creatures—it's hardest to speak your heart to those you see every day. Words fail, and instead, the meaning is conveyed through daily actions, gestures, a slow unraveling of what's inside.

When it comes to expressing through words, it becomes impossible to start.

"Ah~ah~~ I wish you knew me as well as I know you. Then, you wouldn't need me to say anything—you'd just buy the food I'm craving."

She said this deliberately, her eyes glinting with mischief.

Tsukimi Jinguuji smiled faintly. Somehow, just seeing her careless grin eased the unrest in his heart.

And so, he forgot.

For a moment, he forgot what he should never forget.

"I know you well enough, don't I? All your preferences, I've memorized.

Hmm... You don't like tomatoes in sandwiches, but you'll eat ketchup.

You can't handle carbonated drinks, but you love cola after the bubbles have faded. And there's so much more..."

Gradually, the smile faded from the girl's face, like cooling water losing its warmth, leaving only the act of smiling behind. Her eyes brimmed with tender sorrow, as if gazing across a distance at something unseen.

He'd described every preference correctly, and that made her glad—it was a privilege reserved for those who had grown up together, a secret only childhood friends shared, accumulated over ten years.

But he was also wrong. Every single answer was wrong.

"No, that's not it.

"Tsukimi, you don't know me at all. I don't even know myself."

He was about to say something, but meeting her gaze, the words froze inside him.

Sazakura Sakurakouji watched him for a long time. Time itself seemed to slow, until her lips moved and the thickened moment resumed its flow.

"Hehe~~ If you can guess what I want to eat tonight, I'll admit you understand me, and bestow upon you the title of ‘Sazakura Sakurakouji’s stomach worm.’"

That fleeting look in her eyes seemed almost an illusion. Once she smiled as usual, he felt a wave of relief.

"I don't want a title like that at all."

"What! How cruel, Tsukimi—it's the highest honor!"

"What's the slightly lower honor?"

"‘Sazakura Sakurakouji’s keeper.’"

"That's definitely the higher one!"

"Eh?! So you want to be my keeper? How indecent, a high school boy~"

Ah... this sense of déjà vu.

Tsukimi Jinguuji nearly reached to flick her forehead, but remembering she was his childhood friend and not some younger girl, he restrained himself.

Instead, he flicked her lightly on the forehead, producing a crisp sound. She yelped.

"Idiot."

"Only idiots call others idiots."

"I'm the top student in our grade."

"Ugh, you're using that trick again."

"If you're frustrated, study hard."

"Hmph, my brain's just not sharp enough."

"You're unusually honest today."

"Well, my opponent now is the school's supreme authority—the student council president. What chance does a mere student like me have against you?"

"……"

As they chatted, the distance between them and their homes shrank, and as if by unspoken agreement, they slowed their pace.

"It feels like it's been ages since we've walked home together after school."

"Yeah..."

"Tsukimi, you'll be going to the student council every day from now on, won't you?"

"Not necessarily. Maybe I'll just head home."

"Are you willing to give up the chance to be alone with the president?"

"It's much more comfortable walking home with my childhood friend."

"Hmph, you say nice things. Do you think I'm one of those girls you can fool so easily?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"But I thought from now on we'd go home together every day, just like when we were in elementary school."

Sadly, they're high schoolers now—there's no turning back to childhood.

"Well then... see you at school tomorrow. But you mustn't talk to me first, okay? Bye~"

Sazakura Sakurakouji waved to Tsukimi Jinguuji with cheerful abandon, spun around, and strode toward the Sakurakouji house.