SUMIRE'S POV
As the crimson sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the cobblestone streets, I found myself standing on the edge of something unknown. It had been a long time since I last saw this scenery. Enoshima… The city where I met him. A boy whose eyes held the secrets of a thousand worlds. He was my first love.
"Is that…?"
It was my first day attending Tsukioka High School, and that's when I saw him again.
'Himeya…'
Before I knew it, my legs were moving on their own, carrying me toward him.
"…Hey."
"Huh?" He looked at me, eyes wide in surprise.
"You're in my way," I said, almost instinctively.
…
Why did I say that??
I had to stay calm, keep my composure.
"Y-yeah, sorry," he replied, stepping aside to let me through.
I walked past him and entered the school, heading toward the hall. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to her.
[I'm already at the school hall.]
[Wait for me, okay?] she replied.
After a minute of waiting, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.
"Hey, did I keep you waiting?" she asked, smiling brightly.
"No, it's okay, sis."
"…Do you have a fever?" she asked, her expression shifting to concern.
"Huh, why would you say that?"
"Your face is all red," she pointed out.
"…Nah, it's nothing," I said, quickly covering my face with my hands.
…
"Wow, we really do look alike," she remarked, studying my face closely.
"Y-yeah…"
It was also my first time meeting my sister after 17 years apart.
"My name is Michigami Yuka, I'm your sister," she introduced herself.
People might wonder why we have different last names—it's because our parents divorced shortly after we were born.
"Kawasaki Sumire. Likewise, I'm your sister…" I said, feeling a strange mix of warmth and awkwardness.
'My sister is so beautiful, with red hair just like mine,' I thought as I admired her.
"Let's go to the ceremony hall," Yuka suggested.
I nodded, and we made our way to the hall together. After the headmaster's speech, several clubs took turns promoting themselves.
"Hey, um… Yuka?"
"You can call me onee-chan, Sumire," she said with a grin.
Onee-chan means big sis.
"Then, Onee-chan, which club would you recommend for me?" I asked.
"Do you have any hobbies?"
"Music," I answered.
"Then why not join the Musical Academy Club?" she suggested.
"We have that here?"
"Of course! I saw it in the pamphlet when I was researching the school," she said proudly.
"As expected from Onee-chan," I said, genuinely impressed.
"What kind of music can you play, Sumire?"
"Piano."
"Piano? Whoa, that's amazing," she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
For some reason, being praised by my sister made me feel shy.
"How about you? Do you have any hobbies?" I asked in return.
"Hmm… not really, nothing that interests me at the moment…" she said, looking thoughtful. "But I am considering joining the student council."
…
"Onee-chan, that's what people call an interest," I said, chuckling softly.
"Is it?"
We both giggled over our conversation. As the clubs continued their introductions, the Literature Club came on stage.
"…Whoa…"
"What's wrong, Onee-chan?"
"That senpai, isn't she beautiful?"
"The one with the beauty mark under her eye?"
"Yeah, that senpai."
"Umu, she does look beautiful," I agreed.
While Yuka remained focused on the senpai's speech, I scanned the crowd, searching for his presence.
…
There he was! Huh…?
He was also looking at that senpai, but there was something different about his gaze…
"Sumire?" Yuka called, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Eh, yeah? What is it?"
"After this, we need to find our classes."
"Oh, right."
"I hope we're in the same class," Yuka said, her tone hopeful.
"Yeah, me too, sis," I replied.
After the club introductions concluded, we headed to the school hall to check the announcement board.
…
Yep, we were in different classes.
"What's wrong, Sumire?" Yuka asked, noticing my expression. It was surprising—everyone always said my expressions were hard to read.
"No, it's nothing…"
"Well, it's too bad we're not in the same class, right?" she said.
"Un. Yeah."
…
Wait…
My sister ended up in the same class as him?
"You get to be in the same class as him…?" I muttered without realizing.
"…Him?" Yuka glanced at me curiously, trying to figure out who I was talking about.
"It's… it's nothing…" I quickly deflected.
"…Do you know someone?" she asked gently.
"…" I stayed silent but gave her a small nod.
"You can tell me, Sumire," she encouraged.
"…A guy with dark green hair…" I finally admitted.
"…What's his name?"
"…That's for Onee-chan to figure out," I said, walking off into the school hallway.
*Bump*
I bumped into someone. I looked up and saw a boy with dark brown hair. His hair was messy, but there was something oddly charming about him.
…
"Are you okay?" he asked, offering me a hand.
"I'm okay…" I said, standing up on my own and ignoring his help.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry to my class," he explained.
"…It's okay," I replied quietly.
"Well, um… see you?" he said with an awkward smile before continuing on his way, presumably to his class.
…
"Who was that?" Yuka asked, watching him walk away.
"Don't know."
…
"Alright, I guess this is where we split up for our classes," she said.
"Yeah…"
"Well, see you after school. Let me know if anything happens, okay?"
"I got it, Onee-chan."
With that, Yuka headed in the opposite direction.
"…I've got a long way to go… I just need to enjoy these short moments…"
…