Chapter 8

"See you later."

I said this at the entrance, but there was no response. No one was home anymore.

It was just past 9:30 AM.

There was still time before the enrollment ceremony, but I decided to leave early to be on the safe side.

Mom had already left for work.

My sister said she would go with me all the way, but I convinced her that I wasn't a kid anymore and made her go to school.

Besides, her high school also had preparations for the new students.

If she had seen me off, she would have been completely late.

I could get to school with just one bus ride, so I would have some extra time when I got there.

As I walked slowly to the bus stop, I saw a girl in uniform standing ahead on the road.

"Makoto...?"

It was Makoto Tokogashi, a classmate from middle school.

"Good morning, Takeshi."

"Ah, good morning. Makoto, are you going to the enrollment ceremony too?"

I don't remember where Makoto lives, but I don't think it's in this neighborhood.

"Yeah. Yesterday... I talked with Rie and Yuzuko. We decided that one of us should accompany you."

"Go with me... but we're going to different schools, right?"

She was supposed to attend Ichiya High School, an all-girls school.

"But it's close... and we have time, you know."

Makoto and I were in the same group during our third year of middle school, so we got along pretty well.

She was one of the girls I was relatively close to.

Rie and Yuzuko, who were mentioned, were the same. The four of us, including me, were in the same group for a year.

Makoto was probably here because she was worried about me. If that's the case, I should go along with it.

"Then, let's go to the bus stop together."

"Okay!"

When I said that, she happily followed me.

It was a 15-minute bus ride to school. The special zone is small, so it doesn't take that long to commute.

"But, I'm sorry about the school."

I didn't understand what she meant at first, but she was probably referring to me being assigned to a co-ed school.

"No, it might be for the best. I can have a lot of different experiences."

When I said that, Makoto's eyes widened in surprise. Was it that surprising?

"Is that weird?"

"It's not weird... but have you let go of your worries? You used to look so serious. You seemed like you might disappear at any moment..."

I didn't hear the last part, but it seemed that I was visibly reluctant to go to school.

If that's the case, it makes sense why Makoto was here. She was worried about me.

The original Takeshi seemed to have had a tough life, becoming a mountaineer with my body, but he might have been mentally weak.

"Yeah. I've thought a lot and maybe I've started to think positively. Anyway, I can't avoid women in the future."

In this society with a skewed gender ratio, it's impossible to avoid women.

That's why the original Takeshi was praying at the shrine.

"That's... good. I was worried that you might not come out of the house..."

It seems she thought I wouldn't go to school and would stay home.

If I hadn't gone to school today, she might have come to check on me. I think she did.

"I think I can move forward because I've thought a lot. So, including the time I spent worrying, it wasn't a waste."

"Takeshi, you've become stronger. Yuzuko might be disappointed. She wanted to go to Izu High School."

Izu High School is the school I'm going to attend.

It's one of the only two co-ed schools in the Tokyo Special Zone, and the girls' average score is very high, probably over 70.

It also accepts students from outside the special zone, so some students travel for two hours one way.

Yuzuko, who was mentioned earlier, started studying hard just before the exam, changing her choice to Izu High School.

She was smart to begin with, but it was uncertain if she could get into Izu High School. Still, she studied diligently day and night.

Under normal circumstances, one might think, "Do you really want to go to a school with so many boys?" But that's not the case.

She was genuinely worried about me. That's why she studied with all her might.

The Yuzuko I remember looked like a ghost, and the original Takeshi was put off by her, but if he could hear me, I would want to tell him, "That's not the case."

"At that time, I could only think about myself... I did a bad thing to Yuzuko."

"No, Yuzuko understands."

Yuzuko started studying hard because it was decided that I would be assigned to that school.

She studied with the intensity of someone who could kill a demon, but unfortunately, time was not on her side. She didn't get in.

"Don't you need more than just studying to get in there?"

"Yeah. It seems there are other mysterious criteria besides the exam. It's said that for students from within the special zone, appearance, family background, personal conduct, and parents' assets and occupations are also important."

Do parents' assets matter? Or do they not?

"Is that just an urban legend?"

"The school doesn't disclose any criteria, but looking at the students who attend, it seems like that's how the selection process works. Oh, the bus is here."

"It's fine here. Makoto, you have your enrollment ceremony today, right?"

"It's okay. I calculated the time, and I can make it, so I'll go with you to the main gate."

"But..."

"Really, if we leave now, I'll make it, so don't worry."

In the end, I was convinced by Makoto and got on the bus with her.