Chapter 3: Without Ever Meeting Eyes

Several years later.

Hyuga came to consciousness again—but not as himself. He had become someone completely unrelated: Nishinomiya Hinata.

Reincarnation—was that the right word?

To be honest, during the first few years—up until the age one typically starts forming conscious thoughts—Hinata hadn't even realized they'd died. It all felt like a hazy dream.

Maybe it was because the brain hadn’t fully developed.

Or maybe it was a form of psychological self-defense.

Either way, once Hinata had recovered from the confusion, only one question remained.

『What exactly happened to me that day?”』

Unable to leave it unanswered, Hinata ignored the picture books section at the library and obsessively pored over old newspapers instead. To those around, it must’ve looked incredibly odd—seeing a toddler buried in yellowed pages instead of storybooks.

In fact, Hinata vaguely remembers their mother looking pretty bewildered by it all.

But thanks to that obsession, they found an article titled:
『Valentine’s Tragedy! Highway Bus Crash!』

『...Could it be? You too?』

That's when Hinata met another child, also there searching for records—leading to a miraculous reunion.

“I was totally shocked back then. I mean, reincarnation is one thing, but both of us ending up so close to each other?”

“…Yeah.”

“When I saw your name tag—Hinata Nishimiya—I made the connection right away. Total stroke of genius on my part. If I’d missed that, we might’ve never realized it, even after a lifetime.”

Kei nodded proudly, practically beaming.

Hinata, however, looked far less thrilled.

“Well yeah, normally you wouldn’t realize something like that. I’m a girl now, and you’re a guy. We’ve completely swapped genders…”

“And besides, you were dressed like that back then…”

“Kei!”

...The first time they met again in these new bodies, Hinata had been wearing an excessively frilly pink dress—something unmistakably fit for a little girl.

Supposedly, it was her parents overcompensating after having only boys up to that point.

At the time, Hinata had been too overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of the situation to even notice her gender, let alone what she was wearing.

『W-Wait, Kei’s a boy!?』
『Says the girl Hyuga. ...Wait, don’t tell me—you didn’t notice until you were three?』

Kei had looked at her with exasperation and disbelief. The moment she finally became aware of what she’d been wearing remains a traumatic memory—one she still wants to roll on the floor and scream over whenever it crosses her mind.

“Haha, sorry, sorry. But hey, you were really cute back then. Not that you’re not cute now, of course.”

“You always say stuff like that so casually. It’s not flattering. I’m Hyuga—a guy, remember?”

Even without the lens of nostalgia, Kei’s face could be considered conventionally handsome.

Usually, he came off laid-back and aloof, but the way he focused during class, diligently taking notes, had a certain elegance to it.

He wasn’t unathletic either—more the type to look fresh even when drenched in sweat after P.E.

Hinata knew for a fact that girls had confessed to Kei more than once or twice over the years.

How? Because every time, those same girls would corner Hinata and ask,
『Would you confess to him if I did!?』
...and then later come back with strange updates like,
『He said he already likes someone else…』

...But back to the point.

Any normal girl would probably blush and fall in love if Kei ever told her the same things he told Hinata.

But what part of being called cute is supposed to make a guy happy?

Naturally, Hinata just gave him a deadpan glare.

“You say that, but you look kinda happy.”

“I’m not. Absolutely not. Jeez, between you and the rest of the girls in class…”

It had already been over a decade since Hinata came into this new life.

Though not as well-adjusted as Kei, she’d gotten used to the day-to-day of being a girl. By now, she no longer made mistakes like accidentally walking into the boys’ restroom.

But human relationships were another story entirely.

Apparently, to the girls in her class, Hinata’s flustered reactions were endlessly amusing, like some kind of small animal—a mascot, really.

Sure, they said things like “she’s so cute” or “I want to hug her,” but in reality, she was just a toy to them. And Hinata hated it.

The worst part was how often people brought up her relationship with Kei.

『You two are perfect together!』
『So, when did you start dating?』

『We’re NOT a couple!』

She couldn’t help but shout it every time.

Because the one Hyuga loved was Kei—not the boy named Keita.

If only she could just explain everything about their past lives. It would make everything so much easier.

“Well, well. Everyone just really likes you, Hina-chan. That’s why they tease you. Sure, they were kinda pushy after school today, but maybe they just missed hanging out. They wanted something fun to bond over.”

“It’s not like I’m really mad or anything… I mean, they’re treating me like a normal friend, even though I could easily be seen as a total weirdo.”

That said, unlike Hinata, the boy in front of her didn’t seem the least bit bothered by their classmates’ teasing.

In fact, he even looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself, smiling from ear to ear.

It was hard to tell if all the repeated warnings had even sunk in.

“Sigh…”

Glancing at the boy’s profile beside her, Hinata let out a long sigh, feeling like no matter how much she talked, it wouldn’t make any difference.

Then she gave a full-body shiver.

“Ugh, so cold…”

The coffee she’d bought to warm herself had completely gone cold without her noticing. On top of that, the sky was starting to look ominous.

“Looks like it’s gonna start snowing again. We should head back before it does.”

“…Yeah.”

For Hinata, who couldn’t even look at snow without feeling sick, the sight of it falling steadily and silently was more than she could bear.

It was what you’d call a trauma. The dizziness, the nausea—it could get so bad that she’d even faint.

…No matter how many times she tried to explain it, even her family never truly understood what scared her so much.

But the image she saw—or rather, was forced to see—amid her fading consciousness still remained vividly burned into her memory.

“I’ll go throw this away, then.”

“No, Kei was the one who bought it this time. It’s my turn to toss it.”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Keita was the only one who truly understood what she was going through. That’s probably why he was being so considerate. But Hinata knew she couldn’t keep leaning on him forever.

Almost stubbornly, she took the empty can and started walking toward the trash bin—

“Whoa…!”

Her foot slipped on a tile slick with meltwater from snow removal, and she nearly fell.

“You okay?!”

The boy beside her caught her just in time, keeping her from falling hard on her backside.

“Y-Yeah… Thanks, that really helped. Are you okay? I didn’t elbow you or anything, did I?”

“Ah, no, I’m fine. …If anything, I’d call it a win.”

“H-Hey, come on!”

Now that she thought about it, his arm had gone around her waist, holding her in something like an embrace.

Even though she knew he’d just acted on instinct, the position still embarrassed her. Hinata quickly pulled away and straightened herself up.

Keita, watching her flustered reaction, gave a soft smile.

“Good. Looks like you didn’t hurt yourself.”

“I get that you don’t want to see snow, Hina-chan, but it’s dangerous to ignore your footing just to avoid looking down.”

“…Sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Good girl. Now, go toss that can. Then let’s actually go home this time.”

He gave her head a light pat and offered his other hand without a word.

Not wanting to look at the snow any more than she had to, Hinata took his hand, and Keita gently led the way.

It was a quiet tradition between them—something that just naturally happened every time it snowed.

“If you start feeling really sick, just close your eyes, okay?”

“Yeah.”

…Even through their gloves, his hand felt rough and solid. There was no ignoring the fact it was a boy’s hand.

It had been the same when he caught her earlier. Lean as he was, there was muscle there—completely different from the body she used to have.

She remembered the time he overtook her in height—probably when his voice started changing.

For a long while after she came back, she’d still been taller. Or at least, she should have been.

A rush of emotion rose in her chest—something close to frustration—and Hinata found herself looking away from his back.

Eventually, they reached her house. Just before parting ways—

“…You remember, right? The promise for the fourteenth.”

“Of course. How could I forget? I’ve been saving up all this time for that.”

Her question came out like she was trying to cover something up, but Keita answered without hesitation, as if it were obvious.

“Then it’s fine.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow at school.”

“Yeah. See you. …Be safe on your way back.”

Keita waved his arm in big motions until she was out of sight, and Hinata gave a small wave back before stepping inside her house.