Tsunagari

Chapter LIX.

When I arrived at school the next morning, I was a bit surprised to find that Gōjun was not accompanying Shunsui. Usually, every morning, the reddish-brown-haired young man would pick the latter up from his house for them to come to school together.

However, even if Gōjun was not with him today, Shunsui was not standing all alone in front of the gate. There was a young man with him, someone of our own age, who was wearing our school uniform, but whom I had never seen before.

'Ah, Hime!' the reddish-brown-haired young called when he caught sight of me, and running up to him, I greeted him good morning all timidly.

'Let me present you to someone!' he declared, cheerfully. 'This is Suzaku Kaneshige! He's an old friend. Gōjun and I have known Suzaku in elementary school. Since his parents are always traveling around, he mostly studies at home. But they have decided to stay in Kokubunji for a while, and so, Suzaku has decided to join formal school again.'

I see...

'Your name is Hime Kirigakure, right?' the young man told me, with a large smile.

He was tall and slender, and had blond hair which was spiked at the back, with long emo-like bangs in the front. His eyes were cerulean blue, and he had milky-white skin. He wore a single piercing on his left earlobe.

'Shunsui was just telling me about you. It's really nice to meet you!'

'It's really nice to meet you too,' I replied, with a shy smile, bowing down.

A car pulled up in front of the school at that moment. It was Gōjun, and the moment he got down from the vehicle, his eyes instantly fell onto the blond male, his expression filling with surprise.

'Suzaku!' he said. 'Long time no see!'

'Yo!' the blond-haired young man greeted him, with a happy smile. 'I'm going to be studying in the same class as the three of you! Isn't that nice, Hime-chan?!'

He looked at me as he said that last part.

Hi- Hime-chan?

'You don't mind that I call you like this, do you?' he asked. 'You're just so cute!'

I couldn't help but blush a little.

'Now, come on!' Shunsui told him, in a giggle, sending his arm around my neck. 'Let's show you to our classroom! It's so much fun to have you back with us!'

We started to walk and the two young men chatted with each other for half a minute, before Shunsui paused down to look over his shoulder at Gōjun, when he realized that the latter was not following us.

I looked over my shoulder too at Gōjun. The latter was frowning unhappily. I was a bit intrigued.

'Gōjun, hurry up! The bell is about to ring!' Shunsui called at him, ignoring his expression, before he got back to walk again, ushering me along with him.

A short while later, after Suzaku Kaneshige had presented himself to the class upon the request of the teacher, the blond-haired young man moved to take the empty seat available just next to my desk.

'I'm going to take this seat!' he told me, cheerily. 'We're now neighbors, Hime-chan! I'm already loving formal school!'

I couldn't help but blush again. The next fraction of a second, I heard a small sound just behind me on Gōjun's desk. It was the sound of something breaking. Immediately, I took a short glance behind me at his table, but I didn't see what he had in his hand that had made that sound. Very quickly, I had to look back to the front as the teacher called the class to attention. And soon, I had forgotten about it.