"Beep… beep… beep…!"

As the alarm clock rang again, Akira reached out to turn it off, changed into his usual morning jog clothes, and went downstairs to greet his mother Shizuka.

"Be careful."

"Okay."

"Creak…"

Akira closed the front door, took a deep breath, glanced up at the dark blue sky, and started walking before breaking into a steady pace.

In front of the dew-kissed vending machine, a girl in a pleated skirt bent down to pick up a dropped melon bun.

As the wind swept through her hair, it carried the faint sound of an omamori bell. The scent of maple syrup drifted from the bakery around the corner, blending with the peeling vermilion paint on the shrine eaves and the gradually warming morning mist.

"I'm back."

After exchanging a few words with Miyamura Shizuka in the kitchen, Akira headed to the bathroom. When he came out, he saw Shouko waiting in the living room.

As usual, under her insistence, he had no choice but to let her help with his uniform.

At Shizuka's reminder, Akira quickly finished his breakfast in about ten minutes before heading off to school with Shouko.

He was actually looking forward to today's graduation ceremony—not for the event itself, but because spring break would start soon, even if it only lasted about two weeks.

At exactly eight o'clock, the two walked into their lively classroom.

As soon as Shouko sat down, she leaned over eagerly.

"Akira, do you think we'll only have half a day of school today?"

"Probably…"

He thought about the Principal's endless speeches over the past three years and decided it was unlikely. After a moment, he changed the subject:

"By the way, Shouko, have you thought of a pen name?"

"Hmm…"

"A pen name? What pen name? Shouko, are you going to write light novels too?" Ayumi had just returned to her seat and, overhearing them, looked surprised.

Her question drew their attention. Shouko waved her hands quickly.

"Ayumi-chan, you're overthinking it. I don't have that kind of talent—you know that."

"You… know that?" Ayumi tilted her head in confusion.

Rubbing her temples, she tried to remember what she had forgotten. "Wait, don't give me hints…"

A few minutes later, Akira finally gave in and reminded her, "It's about Shouko's pen name as an illustrator."

"Ohhh!" Ayumi clapped her hands. "I was just about to say that, but Miyamura beat me to it."

"…Right." Akira chose to ignore her excuse, muttered something to Shouko, and laid his head down to nap.

Shouko, nodding in agreement, continued the pen name discussion with Ayumi. Before long, Takagi arrived and was immediately pulled into the conversation.

Meanwhile, Nishikata, seeing that Akira was already asleep, didn't disturb him and instead went to chat with the group of boys in the corner.

"Dong… dong…!"

The class bell rang. Shouko gently shook Akira awake as Nobe walked into the classroom. The chatter slowly quieted.

"Now, let's tidy up the classroom. Make sure you don't have any textbooks or equipment left behind. And if you borrowed library books, return them in the next few days."

At her words, the room grew noisy again. With so little time left, Nobe didn't bother to stop them—she just waited silently.

"…That's all?"

Ten minutes later, she glanced at the few books and rulers on her desk, looking a little puzzled. After confirming with the Class Monitor, she asked her to organize everyone to head to the auditorium, while she personally returned the items.

Amidst the scraping of chairs, Nobe left first, and Ayumi began lining up the class in the corridor.

At nine-thirty, the third-year students gathered outside the auditorium before filing in. They found their class seats under the guidance of their homeroom teachers and waited quietly for the ceremony to begin.

The moment they sat down, Shouko poked Akira's arm excitedly.

"Akira, look—I found Mom and Auntie!"

"Where?"

Once his gaze turned toward her, Shouko pointed behind them.

Akira followed her finger and spotted his father, Miyamura Shizuka, and Nishimiya Yaeko. Judging from the spacing, Nishimiya Yuzuru must have been sitting between them, though she was blocked from view.

"Students, please settle down. The graduation ceremony is about to begin."

As the Principal's voice echoed through the hall, Akira shifted his gaze to the stage lights alongside Shouko.

The ceremony began with the parents standing as the school song played. Afterward, the Principal launched into a review of the students' growth and a speech about their bright futures.

He was clearly passionate. The students, however, were clearly bored.

Next came the awarding of certificates. Class by class, the representatives went up to the stage. For Class Two, it was Akira and Ayumi.

"I'm nervous, Miyamura, what should I do…?" Ayumi whispered.

"…Take a deep breath. It'll be over before you know it."

He had no better advice—their turn was coming fast. Imagining the crowd as potatoes would only make her laugh.

"O-okay, I'll try…"

But before she could, Nobe urged them onto the stage.

The Principal's expression brightened at the sight of the pair. He even said a few extra words before handing them their certificates. After bowing, they stepped aside for Class Three's turn.

Back in her seat, Shouko stared at the two under the spotlight. A strange feeling flickered across her chest.

"Here."

Once Akira sat down, he handed her his red certificate. Shouko glanced at the embossed seal and his name, then accepted it without a word. The flicker of emotion vanished as quickly as it came.

Afterward came speeches from the local education committee and the graduate representative.

At first, the Principal had asked Akira, but he declined—mostly because he felt it would be unbearably awkward.

Instead, the honor went to the second-highest-ranking student from Class Four. The Principal covered for Akira by claiming she was his first choice, and she accepted happily.

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