Connect

24: In the Flesh

Pencils, pens, paper, binders, notebooks, and lunch. I stuffed everything into my bag and ran out of the house, both excited and nervous about the new school year.

I hope I see Len and Miku...

I hadn't spoken to Naoki at all after we had talked about meeting. I forced myself to stay away from him. It was easier than I expected. He didn't text me afterwards, either, so I just had to keep myself from feeling guilty or anything.

I got off at the bus stop by the school and memories started to flood my mind. I thought about last year. It seemed so far away. So much had happened in a matter of months.

Will it be like that again this year? I wonder...what will Kaito say when he sees me? We haven't spoken during summer break. It's going to be awkward! We can't really be friends anymore because he knows how I feel...

The weather was a lot cooler than it was during summer, obviously. It was a nice change. The breeze was cool and it tickled my arms. I was wearing a shirt with sleeves that just reached my elbows. It was orange and yellow. The colours were summery but they also made me think of autumn, which wasn't far away.

"Good morning, Gumi," Len approached me from behind, smacking me on the back. Miku wrapped her arms around me for a quick hug.

"You guys," I smiled at them. Len ruffled my hair.

"So, anyway, tell me." He began. "How many carrots are you planning on killing today?"

"Less than however many bananas you plan to slaughter," I said with a smirk. "And definitely less than the number of leeks Miku's going to need to make it through the first day of school all over again."

"Last time, I ate fifty-three," Miku said, looking up at the sky. "I'm not as nervous today as I was last year, at this time."

"That's 'cause you've got him," I pushed Len and Miku together and they yelped, their faces flushing at the same time.

"M-Maybe," Miku stammered. Len gently kissed her forehead and she squeaked like a mouse.

"Still keeping count?" I asked Miku, a small smile on my lips.

"No..." She shook her head. "It got hard to keep count at some point, in August, I think."

I snickered, having fun as I teased her. "That sounds interesting."

"Anyway," Miku punched my arm playfully, "what class do you have first? We're half an hour early today."

"What? We are?"

"Yeah," Len nodded. "Remember? Classes start late on the first day."

"Then why am I here?" I groaned. "Wait, why are you two here so early?"

"I picked her up," Len said. "We were walking around and taking our time."

"Ugh...half an hour early..."

"The time'll pass by quickly," Len said. "Come on, let's go inside. We can get our schedules early and avoid the lineups."

"Right," I said. We headed into the school, walking down the halls, stepping on flooring I hadn't seen in two months. There was excitement in the air, but as I noticed the students passing by, some looked terrified.

"Upstairs," Miku pointed to a sign that was stuck on the wall, next to the stairwell. "That's what it says, that schedules are being handed out upstairs, second floor."

"Let's go, then," Len said, pushing the doors open. We walked up the stairs at a moderate pace. Students passed by, heading downstairs, and some appeared to be in a hurry, sidestepping us and hurrying upstairs faster.