Kanzaki Nao (1)
7:22 a.m. on a weekday.
The Tokaido Main Line train bound for Shizuoka had just pulled out of Numazu Station.
Clank—clank—
The steady rhythm of the tracks was drowned out by the rhythmic rattle, as the sparkling morning sea of Suruga Bay flashed past the windows outside.
Just like the name Uminosaki suggested, the train slicing along the coastline was drenched in the blinding morning light of the ocean.
In the third car, which was packed with students heading to school and office workers rushing to work, the corner nearest the entrance stayed calm.
Kanzaki Nao stood with her back pressed to the door, eyes half-lidded in her usual sleepy gaze, and offered a soft smile.
Phew, safe boarding again today.
Her neatly braided hair hung obediently over her shoulder.
She wore her crisp Uminosaki High School first-year uniform perfectly in place.
But the most striking feature was her gentle, half-closed eyes that seemed to contain the peace of the entire world in their depths.
No matter who looked at her, she gave off an impression of a bright, plain, and reliably hardworking underclassman—the very archetype of a model student.
Yet right now, the reason she was on this train was a little bit away from that perfect image.
Originally, Nao’s house was only a ten-minute bike ride from Uminosaki Station.
Still, she deliberately boarded the upbound train at six o’clock every morning, rode four stations up to Numazu Station, and then changed here at exactly 7:22 for this downbound train.
Well, it was a privilege of youth, right? A little extra effort didn’t hurt.
That was why she had to ride this specific train and this car every single day.
Nao’s gaze, which had been secretly scanning the surroundings, landed on a male student gripping the handle in the diagonal direction.
Ah, there you are. Ueda-senpai is in his usual spot again today.
Ueda Shun.
Second-year student at Uminosaki High School.
The senior Nao secretly admired from afar.
His profile—headphones in one ear, eyes fixed on his phone—was especially noticeable even inside the rumbling train.
Tall, with sharp and refined features.
He looked casually dressed yet perfectly natural, radiating that effortless charm of a cool guy with a fit, toned build.
His relaxed atmosphere was so calming that even girls from other schools would glance at him now and then.
Thump—thump—
Every time the morning sunlight pouring in from outside hit his sleek side face, Nao’s heart beat faster than the train’s clanks.
Truly… he looked flawless today as well. The effort of getting up early is worth it!
She had no intention of approaching to pretend she knew him.
Nao knew her Japanese literature well and understood the type.
A beta fish type, as they said in those circles.
Every morning at this time and in this car, she watched Shun’s side profile from afar and headed to school.
It was her small morning ritual.
It was nice to exchange silly jokes with Suzuki-senpai or Kenji-senpai and laugh, or occasionally gaze blankly at the sea outside the window with a touch of elegance.
Hehe. Today’s side profile is truly perfect. I’d love to snap a photo and hang it in a frame.
Smiling blissfully, Nao followed Shun’s movements, and her expression suddenly froze for a split second.
Huh?
Today, right next to Shun—who should have been either surrounded by the noisy senpai trio or wearing headphones—was someone she had never seen before.
Whoa… is that person a student from our school?
Nao’s gaze shifted to the girl standing beside Shun.
And at that moment, she nearly let out a startled gasp.
Shiny jet-black hair in a hemi-cut.
Skin as white as jade that seemed to glow under the morning sun.
Those eyes, glowing with an enchanting, mysterious purple hue that could captivate anyone.
And most of all…
Her body didn’t look like a high-schooler at all!
This is a blatant rule violation!
Even over the neatly worn uniform blouse, the volume she claimed was extraordinary.
Nao unconsciously glanced down at her own flat chest, then bit her lip hard at the rising wave of defeat.
When that added to her elegant, beautiful face, it was enough to make one hold their breath in astonishment.
Up until now, Nao had never seen anyone this stunningly beautiful in her entire life.
A beauty like that at our school?
A celebrity? No, this was even beyond what a celebrity could dream of…
Why is she standing right next to Shun-senpai?!
Phew phew—
An alarm started ringing in Nao’s mind.
It wasn’t simple coincidence that they were standing side by side; the air between the two of them was far too… subtle.
Shun, who usually had that relaxed alpha-male vibe, had disappeared without a trace.
He sat with his shoulders slightly hunched and his gaze wandering into empty space.
His ears burned red as he desperately tried not to pay attention to the black-haired beauty beside him, yet every second he would sneak a glance sideways.
It was exactly like a broken robot.
The girl was the same.
Clutching her bag tightly with both hands and standing primly, she spoke to Shun in a slightly awkward Japanese, asking him something timidly.
When Shun startled and answered, the girl’s pale cheeks flushed a soft pink.
…Hey. Doesn’t it feel like the atmosphere around these two is completely different from everyone else?
Nao had watched everything clearly.
How the girl would flinch slightly every time the train rocked and carefully tug at Shun’s collar.
And how Shun, staring blankly into empty space with his ears bright red from shame, seemed unable to pull away from that accidental skinship.
Nao’s gentle smile trembled faintly.
The ever-smiling eyes with their perfect sparkle began to crack with a sharp sound.
It was awkward.
Fresh and innocent.
That distance between them that felt too conscious, making their bodies stiff.
The surrounding noise and the crowd of the crowded train vanished as if they didn’t exist, leaving only the two of them in an unbearably sweet and tangy air.
Thicker than the mulberry-pink aura at the Suruga Bay Sakura Ebi Festival in spring.
This… looks exactly like a scene from a classic romantic comedy.
No, calm down, Kanzaki Nao. Maybe they’re just acquaintances? Relatives, or someone who asked for directions? Yeah, Ueda-senpai is kind, so he’s probably guiding this lost, beautiful girl!
Just then, Nao was desperately trying to convince herself by forcing her happy circuits to spin.
Attention passengers, we are about to pass through a curve section just ahead. Please hold onto the handrails or poles for your safety.
A sharp curve along the coastline right before Uminosaki Station—the signature dangerous curve of the Tokaido Main Line.
The announcement had barely finished when the train suddenly twisted heavily.
Clank—!
Kyaaah…!
The girl in the crowded train, who had lost her balance and let go of the handle, staggered backward.
Behind her stood a cluster of large salarymen, so if she fell like that she would surely be injured or have an unpleasant encounter.
Yet in that exact moment, her slender body could not resist the centrifugal force and began to topple backward helplessly.
Danger!
Nao let out a silent scream.
Grab—!
Shun reflexively stretched out his arm.
His strong forearm scooped up the girl who was about to fall, pulling her firmly toward himself.
In the sudden impact, the girl’s slender body was pulled into Shun’s broad embrace.
It’s… okay?
One hand gripping the train pole tightly, the other wrapped around the girl’s waist, Shun let out a rough breath.
Even Nao watching from the side thought, Nice catch, senpai! It was the kind of scene you only see in movies.
And not only Nao had seen it.
The gazes of the surrounding passengers, who had just been tired from morning fatigue staring at their phones or dozing off, all turned to the two of them at once.
On the faces of the usually stiff adults, smiles bloomed that said they couldn’t hide their excitement.
They hadn’t said anything out loud, but their faces were written with thick, bold subtitles as clearly as if someone had added them.
What the heck~~! Are they filming a youth drama right now?!
Kyaa~~!! Their reactions are so cute~~! They’re such a perfect senpai-kouhai couple! My heart is pounding too!
Especially the grandfather and grandmother were the most interesting.
Hehe. Young ones. Boy and girl. Tightly stuck together like this~~. It looks like a youth theater~~.
Wame~~ From the morning breeze~~. What a wonderful sight~~!! Just looking at it makes my tongue stick out~~. It feels like my age is ten years younger~~.
…Why are they all writing it so obviously on their faces!!
Clank—!
At that moment the train steadied itself again.
But time for the two of them seemed to have stopped.
The girl remained completely nestled in Shun’s broad chest, eyes wide open.
And Shun, who was holding the girl in his arms…
T-that’s…! Suddenly sorry…! D-don’t feel uncomfortable, right? Ah, I didn’t mean to scare you?
The usual relaxed aura of the cool guy she knew was nowhere to be found.
Shun pulled his arm away from the girl’s waist as if he had been burned by fire.
Trying desperately to act calm and casual, he tried to lower his voice, but sadly his voice cracked into a stuttering, stumbling high-school boy version.
Yet even that clumsy appearance looked surprisingly good.
A fresh, innocent charm that added subtle tension to the air, like licorice.
Ah… y-yes, um… thank you… Ueda-kun.
The girl, with her purple eyes trembling slightly against Shun’s chest, bowed her head shyly.
Her cheeks had flushed bright red like crimson.
The arm that had wrapped around her waist was gone now.
Yet, knowing they should separate, she couldn’t find the right moment to pull away first and ended up clinging awkwardly.
…Ah.
Who said that?
The body is steel.
The blood is… whatever.
The heart is glass.
Crack—.
In Nao’s ear, a clear, cheerful sound echoed, shattering a part of her heart into pieces.
It was so pure and light.