Extra 2: Kanna Ichinose

I’d been warned about it beforehand—both over LINE and in a phone call. But even with the heads-up, seeing it in person still caught me off guard.

For our classmates, who hadn’t gotten any advance notice, the shock must have been immeasurable.

The moment the two of them—recently the talk of the school—slid open the classroom door, time seemed to freeze.

Complete silence.

The usual chatter of the hallway felt painfully loud in contrast. It was as if, for one fleeting moment, every scattered thought in the room had perfectly aligned.

Then, just as suddenly, time snapped back into motion.

Murmurs spread like wildfire. I could hear some of the boys groaning in despair. As if they ever had a chance against him—what idiots.

While the boys sulked, a few girls let out high-pitched screams. Honestly? I couldn’t blame them.

Because yes, the two of them—infamous as the school’s most ridiculous couple—had just walked in, arm in arm.

Spring break was over, and today marked the first day of our second year of high school. By some twist of fate (or maybe just the teachers’ idea of entertainment), I’d ended up in the same class as Sumire. Even more surprising? Shimada Ren was here too. A coincidence? Maybe. But it sure felt like divine intervention.

The boys who had been buzzing with excitement over being in the same class as Sumire were left utterly brain-dead. Meanwhile, the girls—already in the know thanks to their information networks—had been eagerly waiting to witness the chaos unfold.

And just like that, our dramatic entrance set the morning off with a bang.

As soon as Sumire spotted me, her face lit up. Before I could react, she came barreling toward me at full speed.

“Kanna-chaaaan!!! Long time no see!!!”

Bracing myself, I barely managed to stay standing as she tackled me into a hug. I gently patted her back, relieved I hadn’t been caught off guard sitting down. That would’ve been dangerous.

“Hey, it’s been a while. Looks like we’re in the same class again, huh?”

After a few moments, I leaned in and whispered softly, “Congratulations.”

Sumire’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled warmly before skipping off to where Shimada-kun was.

What the hell. Too cute.

I barely stopped myself from saying it out loud and instead buried my face in my desk, taking a deep breath to recover.

Pulling out my phone, I sent a quick LINE to Mahiru, who had ended up in a different class.

A bunny stamp with the words “I’m lonely” popped up in reply.

I sighed just as another message followed.

"Seems like there’s quite the commotion over there lol."

According to Mahiru, the chaos had already spread to the other classes. Not surprising. Sumire’s influence was as strong as ever—it reminded me of middle school.

Glancing toward the hallway, I spotted students from other classes peeking through the sliding door windows. It just went to show how much everyone had been holding their breath over this whole “we’re not dating” couple.

Looks like this year’s going to be just as noisy.

Watching them being all lovey-dovey right at the start of the new school year, I couldn’t help but think that.

After enduring the principal’s never-ending speech and making it through the opening ceremony, we sat through yet another long lecture from our homeroom teacher. Then came self-introductions, dragging on until the very last minute. Finally, the first day was over, and we were dismissed.

Since it had been a while since we last hung out, Sumire, Mahiru, and I decided to stop by a café after school. Shimada-kun was too busy getting swarmed by a group of guys, so the timing was perfect. Though, I did feel a little bad about separating them.

The moment we stepped into the café, I exchanged a knowing glance with Mahiru. Without missing a beat, we flanked Sumire, linking arms with her and guiding her straight to a seat.

We sat down with her sandwiched between us.

“Well, well, it’s finally happened. Feels kind of profound, doesn’t it?”

I leaned in, whispering into Sumire’s ear. Mahiru, just as intrigued, leaned in from the other side.

“So, I’ve got a lot of questions. Any juicy stories from spring break?”

“And, like, have you kissed yet?”

“Wow, Mahi, straight to the point, huh…”

At Mahiru’s words, Sumire’s face turned red so fast you could almost hear the whoosh of it happening. She floundered, opening and closing her mouth in the most adorable way. Seeing her like this, Mahiru and I exchanged smug smiles, already piecing things together.

“Aww~ Sumi-chan’s finally grown up~”

“Ahh, so pure and cute~”

Judging by her reaction, they clearly hadn’t crossed that line yet. Not surprising—those two were about as innocent as it got. It’d probably be a long time before they even got there.

“So, how was it? Your first kiss?”

“Uwa… uu… well, in the heat of the moment… we kind of… did it… and, um… I don’t really remember much…”

“Hohoh~”

Seriously, she was too cute. I could tease her forever. Just how much good karma did Shimada-kun rack up in his past life to end up with a girl like this? I was jealous.

“Well, you’ve got plenty of chances to figure it out from now on.”

“No way, no way, no way!! It’s too embarrassing, I can’t do it again!”

“Eh~? But I’m sure Shimada-kun wants to~”

“Urghyaa!”

Sumire’s face turned bright red as she buried it in her hands. Mahiru and I wrapped her in a hug, patting her head.

A girl in love really was the cutest thing.

And so, we kept teasing her, until she was too overwhelmed to do anything but mumble incoherently.

“Next up is Kanna’s turn!”

“Huh!? No, I—”

“Me too! I’m curious about Kanna-chan’s love life!”

Out of nowhere, Mahiru turned the spotlight on me. Seizing the opportunity, Sumire—still looking for payback—leaned in with a mischievous glint in her eyes. W-wait, my lover is on the other side of the screen…

“I don’t have anyone I like right now… and, well, the guys in our class are kind of too immature for me to see them that way.”

“Eh~? That’s such a boring answer.”

“Though I bet there are a lot of guys secretly aiming for Kanna-chan~”

N-no good. I didn’t mind listening to this kind of talk, but when it was directed at me, it was way too embarrassing. Time for a tactical retreat.

“Speaking of which, Mahi, what about you? How’s it going with your boyfriend?”

“W-well, we’ve just started holding hands…”

“Wait, Mahi’s even more innocent than I thought!”

Now the tables had turned, and Sumire and I pounced. Sumire, especially, was on fire—probably still seeking revenge for all the teasing earlier.

It had been a while since the three of us hung out like this, and it was just as fun as ever. But with Sumire now officially dating Shimada-kun, I wondered if we’d get to do this less often.

That thought made something twist faintly in my chest. Tiny, irrational jealousy, as if Shimada-kun had taken Sumire away from me. Then again, considering their relationship dated all the way back to kindergarten, maybe we were the ones intruding.

Shaking off those creeping thoughts, I took a bite of the chocolate cake we’d ordered earlier. The rich sweetness melted on my tongue, as if purifying my heart.

And so, our fun—and slightly scandalous—girls’ talk continued until the sky outside began to change colors.