...Sunny? Is that her name?
"But I don't know any classmates who have suicidal tendencies," Flora said, her tone oblivious.
"It seems there's been a misunderstanding... Sunny isn't trying to kill herself or anything..."
The girl, referring to herself by name, hopped down on the other side of the fence to pick something up.
What is that...? A handkerchief?
"I just wanted to grab this. It blew away while I was eating outside."
Her sunny smile was reassuring, but the spot she was standing on was barely 20 cm wide. Though I briefly felt relief that it wasn't a suicide attempt, just watching her precarious stance made cold sweat trickle down my back.
"...There!"
Yet, with a graceful leap that dispelled our worries, she jumped back to our side, beaming and flashing a peace sign. In that moment, both Summer and I finally felt the weight of tense apprehension lift from our hearts.
"I'm sorry for worrying you! But I have no intention of committing suicide, so please rest easy!"
"Uh, that's good to hear."
I felt exhausted from having to keep my guard up for no reason.
"By the way, who's that handsome guy over there?"
"Him? That's my brother."
"What's his name?!"
"Summer."
"I already know that! I've been calling you by name the whole time! I mean your brother, not you!"
The girl pointed at me with a fierce intensity that seemed to demand an answer. Upon closer inspection, she was quite cute—bright and the kind of person who could appeal to anyone. Her orange side ponytail swayed with every gust of wind, and her emerald green eyes, while not on par with Aoi Yuki's, were strikingly beautiful.
"I'm Shuhei. Feel free to call me Shuhei-sama."
"Then I'll call you Shuhei! My name is Flora Sunny! Please call me super cute Sunny!"
"Alright then, Sunny it is. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too!"
We shook hands, bonding instantly. Sunny was a cheerful and energetic girl. Having someone like her around could brighten up any day. When things got tough, heavy, or sad, just having her by my side would be enough to chase away any dark feelings.
"Were you eating outside? Is it okay not to go back?"
"It's fine! My friend is already taking Sunny's lunchbox back to class. But more importantly, Sunny wants to chat with both of you!"
"I don't mind at all. How about you, Summer?"
"Sounds good to me. So, what do you want to ask?"
Since we were in the middle of lunch, we walked back to our picnic blanket to continue the conversation. I realized I couldn't eat the sandwich I had tossed earlier… Ah, what a waste of food.
"I have a lot of questions, but I think I'll ask them later!" Sunny said, glancing away. At that moment, Summer and I understood what she really wanted to know.
As I mentioned earlier, this rooftop is technically off-limits to students. There's even a lock to keep out those who would ignore the signs. Anyone who attends this school knows they shouldn't be here.
Yet here we were, Summer and I, as if nothing were amiss. It's only natural for her to be curious. I guess I'll just have to explain it to Sunny clearly.
"There's a wire in my pocket ♪"
"When I tap my pocket, there are two wires ♪"
As Summer and I began to describe our situation with that famous song, Sunny shrank back, looking at us as if we were a pile of trash attracting flies.
"I see you've picked the lock," I remarked.
Huh? Her reaction was underwhelming, far less exciting than I expected. Time to push a little further.
"And here's a little bonus: one hammer!"
"With a hammer, the key goes scatter!"
"Did you smash it?"
Yes! That was the response I was hoping for!
"The hammer is a last resort. I did the picking," I declared, feeling smug. Summer snickered; picking a school lock was a piece of cake for her. Her nimble fingers were also great for sewing, and everything from the aprons to the small stuffed animals in our home had been crafted by her.
"It's a bit ironic for Sunny to say, 'I'm lucky it was unlocked,' considering it's illegal to enter without permission..."
"Eh? I think as long as you don't get caught, you can do whatever you want," she shrugged.
"Shuhei! Your sister's logic is way too dangerous!" Sunny exclaimed, leaning in with a look of disapproval. I calmly chose my words in response.
"Sunny, did you know there's a saying that if you don't get caught, it's not a crime?"
"That's still a crime if Sunny knows about it!"
Fair point. Summer and I exchanged a glance, and it was clear what we needed to do.
"Wait, what?"
In one swift move, I darted behind Sunny, firmly holding her in place, while Summer stood in front of us, hammer in hand.
"Um, now that you've seen me, I can't just let you live, right?"
"If you understand, then this will be quick. Sunny, you were a good person."
"I'm flattered to be recognized as a good person less than ten minutes into our meeting, but I still don't want to die!"
"Do you have a last will? Just asking."
"Are you ignoring me?!"
Sunny cried out in anguish at Summer's blatant disregard for his plea.
"So that counts as your last will, huh? Well then—"
"Wait! Wait!! Stop!! Hold on, Summer! I still don't want to die, so please listen to what I have to say before you swing that hammer!"
Sunny, unable to move much, desperately flailed his body as he begged for his life while Summer raised the hammer.
"Can I swing it down after you finish talking?"
"No, you can't!!"
"Well, let's call that enough joking around."
As Summer said this, I released Sunny from his restraints.
"Y-your jokes are too much, Summer..."
Now free, Sunny took a cautious half-step back from us, as if bracing himself for something.
There's really no need to be so wary; we aren't going to do anything right now.
"I was wondering, why do you use honorifics with Summer? We're classmates, after all."
"Oh, it's just an old habit of mine. No particular reason."
"I think it's fine. Everyone has their own way of speaking. Back at my old school, I talked casually even with older students."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea..."
Sunny twirled her hair, forcing a wry smile. The way she absentmindedly fidgeted with her hair was really appealing; I even liked how she would hold a hair tie in her mouth while trying to tie it up.
"I feel like you're thinking something inappropriate, big brother."
"Inappropriate? I just thought Sunny was cute."
"Whoa?!"
Sunny's face turned bright red in an instant, her flustered expression charming like a small animal. Both Summer and I watched her with warm smiles.
"It's the first time anyone's ever called me cute... What are you planning to do after saying something like that?!"
"Are you getting defensive?!"
"Are you going to eat me?!"
"You're jumping to conclusions! Just close your mouth for now!"
"You mean you're going to kiss me?! My first kiss is going to be with Shuhei?!"
"I don't want that!!"
"Don't want it?! Are you saying my first kiss is so worthless it can be brushed off like that?!"
"That's not what I meant! Just calm down!!"
"Are you saying I should express myself physically instead?! You pervert!!"
"Did you even say that!?"
"Hahahaha!!"
"Summer, stop laughing and back me up!"
Summer is doubled over with laughter, and instead of calming things down, she's making Sunny even more worked up.
"Shuhei is a pervert! You just looked at my panties a minute ago!"
"I only said that to stop you from doing something stupid!"
"That's a lie! You definitely saw my bear panties!"
"Huh!? Don't you dare lie! That was clearly a rabbit, not a bear!"
"So you did see them, didn't you?!"
"Oh..."
I fell for her trap! To pull this on me in this situation... Sunny's pretty clever!
"Hahahaha!"
"You, Summer! How long are you going to keep laughing?!"
"Hehe, ahaha. Flora and your brother seem to get along well, don't they?"
Get along well!? How on earth did she come to that conclusion?!
"A guy saw my panties... At this rate, I have no choice but to finish him off!"
"Wait, wait, WAIT!? If you hit me like that, I'll actually die!"
Sunny has turned into a berserker, charging at me with a hammer in one hand. She seems completely panicked, and the speed at which she swings that hammer is no joke.
"Ugh!!! Someone stop Sunny, please!!!"
My desperate plea was drowned out by the chime signaling the end of lunch break.
---
"Hey, Ethan, you look exhausted," Jasper murmured as the afternoon classes began and I slumped over my desk.
After that incident, I had been coerced into promising to take responsibility and was forced to add him as a friend on my messaging app.
"Sorry, Jasper. I'm going to sleep; can you handle my notes?"
I was too mentally drained to focus on class. Besides, the material we were covering was stuff I'd already learned at my previous school. Even if I got called on, I could answer without any problem.
"I don't mind sharing my notes, but I'm really curious about what happened."
"Let's just say I almost got beaten to death with a hammer by a junior."
"…Ethan, tell me the truth. What did you do?"
"I tried to stop someone from committing suicide."
"…It sounds like you had a pretty rough lunch break. Get some rest."
"Wake me up after class."
"Wow… So you're completely ditching your afternoon classes… Oh, but before you sleep, can I ask you something?"
"Sure?"
As I turned to him, Jasper wore a suspiciously mischievous smile.
A chill ran down my spine. From past experiences, I knew that people who wore that kind of expression were up to no good—mainly Summer, and, well, more Summer.
"How about introducing that kid to Summer after school today?"
"…Do I have a choice?"
"Of course not!"
She shot me down with a beaming smile. And now she wanted me to introduce Sunny to Aoi and Kaba, too?
"…Someone's gonna get hurt."
"Good! Besides, it sounds like it could be fun."
"…"
Fun, huh?
Jasper seeks excitement in everyday life. There are still many things I don't quite understand about her, but I appreciate this aspect of her thinking. It's reminiscent of my own roots.
I picked up the smartphone casually resting on the desk and opened the messaging app. Among my contacts was Sunny, whose friendship had somehow blossomed.
After pondering whether to invite her or not, I finally decided—
"Alright. I'll invite her."
I opened the chat window.
To be continued.
"…So, this day has finally come."
My morning mood was abysmal. I had been jolted awake not by Jasper, but by the chime signaling the end of class. With my elbows propped on the desk and hands clasped, I was stuck in a daze.
As the teacher for the final class of the day entered the room, our homeroom teacher swapped places with them.
"Hmm?"
Standing at the teacher's desk, my homeroom teacher noticed my clearly troubled aura. We locked eyes for a moment, but she quickly looked away.
In her mind, a warning bell must have been ringing: engaging with me might not be a good idea. Her age-defying wisdom was commendable. It might have been more instinctual—a woman's intuition, perhaps. I realized it was time to reconsider my view of her as just someone older.
The homeroom ended without incident, and the once-quiet classroom began to buzz with life again. I glanced over at Jasper, my neighbor, who was humming a tune while getting ready to leave. It seemed that Kaba and Aoi had already finished their preparations, as they both approached me.