You sure cut it close day in and day out You could always get going three minutes earlier so why do you wait until the last second Playing a one-man game of chicken
Negative
I see That’s fine but as the class rep I’ve gotta tell you not to be late
Positive
Her response was almost mechanical Once she finished her unemotional exchange she moved in
Mutsuki’s direction Technically she was approaching her seat by the window
She was the polar opposite of Kurikara Saya She never asserted herself so her aura or presence was practically nonexistent and she did not stand out much At the same time she was brimming with a calm attraction that mysteriously kept one from looking away once they did look her way She tended to keep her transparent eyes narrowed and she had a tall bridge of the nose She did not seem to wear any lipstick but her lips had a natural glossy pink color The messy look of her curly hair was somewhat childish but the noble atmosphere of her expressionless face gave her a sense of dignity beyond her years She managed to hold both a child’s cuteness and an adult’s beauty Both boys and girls wore a blazer at Megutono Academy and that accentuated her slender figure
From the shoulders to the upper arm and down to the stomach her blazer was clearly sewn as narrowly as possible
But at the same time she was not too skinny Her chest and hips provided a stark contrast to her slender waist Her hips were positioned high enough to be immediately noticeable She wore gray socks over her lovely legs which were full-bodied and filled with life To match her face her figure was as perfect as a model’s
Um
Mutsuki tried to speak up
He only wanted to say good morning Ibekusa He would only be copying what Sakae had done so easily
He could not say a word before she sat next to him in her own window-side seat
His cheeks filled with intense heat and his mouth refused to move
Okay everyone get in your seats
Meanwhile their homeroom teacher arrived
Yet again he had been unable to speak to her
He barely listened to the information being presented to him and instead took furtive glances toward her seat
She was resting her head in her hand and starting expressionlessly out the window
Outside he could see the magnificent stone hexagonal pillar and the clear blue sky of early summer behind it The clear sunlight had completely swept away the colors of daybreak leaving a blue so pure it seemed to suck one in The girl in front of it seemed so transparent she would vanish into that sky
Her name was Ibekusa Machina
In a way she was a class celebrity Her beauty was naturally a factor but it also had to do with arriving at 8 30 sharp every morning yet never once being late as if she had a clock installed in her body Also she barely spoke with anyone Mutsuki looked her way again and again He was enraptured by her beautiful profile but he gave a disappointed sigh at the fact that he could not grow beyond simply looking
And thus Mutsuki’s day began
He worked hard for his family he had stupid fun with his friends and he failed to speak to his crush
This was but one page from the many harmonious days of his life
And he remained entirely unaware that the discord decorating human history was fast approaching
Even afterschool Mutsuki’s normal life continued as usual
Ibekusa Machina would always arrive just before morning homeroom and leave as soon as the final homeroom was over Mutsuki wanted to say goodbye or see you tomorrow but gathered his things with a gloomy sigh when he could not Sakae’s home was near his but they did not usually walk home together Mutsuki had no afterschool activities but Sakae was always busy with his class representative work
Fuujiitaa Bye-bye
Bye-bye Kurikara
He left the academy as Kurikara Saya and his other classmates said goodbye
He had nothing in particular to do so he headed straight home
The town was not quite a city but still had a fair number of people so the station located on the way home was always filled with officer workers and students heading home
More cars were honking their horns than usual but that had nothing to do with Mutsuki on the sidewalk He ignored the din as he walked straight through the station area
Suddenly his cell phone began vibrating in his pocket
He pulled it out to find an unknown number on the LCD panel The numbers for his friends family parents’ offices and little sister’s kindergarten were all saved so he wondered who this could be as he answered Gather heaven earth and hell said a voice and you will have everything
What
The world was created from discordYou’re about to be in trouble
Run away
The nasal alto voice belonged to a grown woman but he did not recognize it
The boy frowned because he had no idea what the woman meant
Who is this This cellphone belongs to Fujita Mutsuki
Make sure you survive until Ange gets there
Survive He stopped because that dangerous word brought the opposite outcome to mind