The past was not as easy to move on from as one might claim. (Ten thousand words written today.)

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The setting sun sank in the west, dusk stretching across the sky.
A slow-paced young man mused that this was truly a wondrous thing.
Walking with him along this long avenue lined with cherry trees was his former girlfriend, who had lost all memory of him.
Though the cherry blossoms on either side were not in full bloom, the autumn-tinged breeze carried a delightful fragrance.
Hoshino Morihoshi appeared to be in excellent spirits, softly humming an unfamiliar tune, her sky-blue hair swaying lithely in the wind, as if teasing the autumn air.
The girl’s brown loafers seemed not to tread upon solid ground, but to dance across the panel of a rhythm game, each step sounding a melodious note.
It felt as though, merely by keeping her company, even the mood of those beside her would be lightened.
Jinguji Tsuki found it difficult to describe how he felt about Hoshino Morihoshi at that moment.
Certainly, there was guilt. Yet after witnessing Hoshino Morihoshi’s nonchalance, he felt that words like guilt or regret were a kind of desecration toward her.
There ought to be words more befitting her.
“Hey… Jinguji, why have you been staring at me this whole time?”
The girl glanced sideways at him, sunlight filtering through her hair, making her seem like a superstar on stage, every spotlight fixed upon her.
“Is my beauty so irresistible that you can’t look away?”
“In the usual comic-book fashion, shouldn’t you be asking me, ‘Is there something on my face?’”
“Don’t underestimate me. I always pay attention to my appearance; there’s no way anything could be on my face.”
“There is, though.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“My filthy gaze.”
“Pfft—hahaha!”
Hoshino Morihoshi burst out laughing, almost doubling over, steadying herself with a hand on the boy’s shoulder, tears nearly springing from her eyes.
“Jinguji, you really are too funny—haha… Can I use that joke at the next school assembly?”
“I think it would be better if you didn’t.”
“What a pity… Pfft! I can’t help it, it’s still hilarious.”
When she’d finally laughed her fill, she straightened up, and Jinguji Tsuki, glancing at her proud chest, quickly looked away.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to take advantage of you.”
Hoshino Morihoshi withdrew her hand from his shoulder and stepped back lightly, her smile outshining even the sunset.
“But with your personality, Jinguji, wouldn’t you actually be pleased that I touched you?”
“I recall you once said you wished to befriend a beautiful girl like me.”
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“So, what do you think? Isn’t this a good opportunity?”
Once away from school, Hoshino Morihoshi seemed to shed a layer of her usual formality, becoming mischievous and unpredictable.
“As expected of the president, to speak so arrogantly without a second thought.”
The boy gave her a thumbs up, and Hoshino Morihoshi responded at once with a dazzling, confident smile.
“So? What were you really looking at?”
“If I said I was just daydreaming and not looking at you at all, what would you do?”
“I’d come to your classroom after school every day and personally escort you to the student council room.”
“Actually, I think you’re right, President. I’ve been smitten with you for a long time.”
“Haha~~”
Clearly, the boy’s lies were transparent. It seemed that, when faced with Hoshino Morihoshi, his untruths rarely had any effect.
But Hoshino Morihoshi didn’t mind his fabrications in the least. As long as she could see through them, what was the difference between his lies and the truth?
“I’ve never met a boy like you before. No wonder everyone says Jinguji is a heartless flirt who’s good at making girls laugh. I’m starting to believe it.”
“You didn’t think so before, President?”
“I tend to go against the grain—I don’t trust what others say unless I see it for myself.
The more they called you a scoundrel, the more I wanted to rebel, to imagine you as a hero saving the world, with a girl who loves you deeply by your side as a reward.”
“A girl who loves me deeply?”
“Just like in the movies: a ruthless killer always has a pure, untouched place in his heart, where an innocent girl no one knows about resides.
That’s the kind of character I mean. Do you have someone like that, Jinguji?”
The boy thought for a while. “Hatsumi?”
“So, boys really do like that kind of girl.”
“And you, President?”
“I’ve said before, I detest people who have no sense of self.”
At that, Jinguji Tsuki dropped the topic.
After a moment’s thought, he asked, “And after that?”
“After what?”
“After meeting me—what did you think?”
Hoshino Morihoshi looked as if she’d just realized something, then flashed a sly grin. “I discovered they were right. You really are a scoundrel, Jinguji.”
This time, it was Jinguji Tsuki who laughed out loud.
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Strangely enough, though she was his ex-girlfriend, Jinguji Tsuki no longer felt the urge to distance himself from this girl.
It wasn’t quite that he now wanted to be close to her—rather, she blended so naturally into the breeze that her presence felt entirely commonplace.
It was both curious and unsettling.
“Hey, Jinguji, can you tell me something?”
“About what?”
“For instance, how many girls you’ve dated. And let’s agree on one thing: don’t compare girls to slices of bread.”
“That’s actually rather difficult.”
“Can’t you think of a different metaphor?”
“It’s not that—I really just can’t remember the number.”
“Are you really that impressive?”
The boy nodded. “Apparently.”
“Could it be as many as ten?” Hoshino Morihoshi asked, curiosity edging her voice.
“…More than that.” The boy hesitated, then answered.
“Twenty?”
“Not even close.”
Hoshino Morihoshi felt dizzy at the thought, unable to imagine such a scene.
Would that not be enough to fill an entire class? Standing at the podium, looking down to see a sea of lips he had kissed, bodies he had embraced.
It was unfathomable.
They passed through the long slope and emerged onto a bustling street, their ears filled with shopkeepers’ calls and the occasional honk of a passing car.
At the intersection, waiting for the light, the boy and girl stood side by side. Some passersby idly glanced around, others stared at their phones.
No one paid any attention to this utterly ordinary pair of high school students.
The red signal blinked slowly and steadily, until the green light flashed, and the crowd surged forward as if the world around them had entered time-lapse.
The boy was just about to step ahead when a whisper from the girl reached his ear.
She remained rooted in place.
“So, am I just one of those girls to you as well?”
The boy’s once easy expression froze in an instant.
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