Dodge was towed away for repairs following last Friday's accident, meaning Miki Kashiwagi would have to take the train to school for the next month.
"Oh? So you're a doctor at Haneoka Girls' High School? How impressive for someone so young!"
So Sakiko had transferred to Haneoka, then? To avoid me, she actually ran off to a school this far away. Did Sakiko really hate me that much?
"Hehe, not at all, not at all. I only managed to get into Haneoka thanks to a friend's favor. Otherwise, I'd still be grinding away at my academic research before ever entering the workforce."
This young young lady had a way with words. How managed every single syllable to flatter my heart so?
Along the way, Soyo Nagasaki kept striking up a conversation with Miki Kashiwagi, intentionally or not probing for plenty of information about Sakiko.
Like how Sakiko was now studying at Haneoka, and how Sakiko hadn't joined any clubs. Goodness, Sakiko clearly hadn't forgotten CRYCHIC; she was simply angry at everyone for falling short in certain areas! As long as everyone fixed their shortcomings, Sakiko would definitely return to everyone's side, and CRYCHIC could be rebuilt!
"Um, Ms. Nagasaki? What are you standing by the elevator for?" Miki Kashiwagi asked, somewhat puzzled. Was there some kind of contagious disease spreading in Tokyo lately? Every high schooler loved spacing out.
"Huh? Oh... Sorry, sorry, hehehe~" Soyo snapped back to her senses, hurriedly stepping forward onto the subway station's elevator platform. Her pretty face flushed as she offered an awkward laugh. "By the way, do you take the train to work too?"
"Yes, my car broke down and is being repaired, so I have no choice. But I won't be on the same train as you."
"Let's part ways here, then. If I have time, I'll pay a visit to your esteemed residence. Goodbye, Mr. Kashiwagi." Soyo Nagasaki looked utterly girlish as she turned and bade farewell to Miki Kashiwagi, adding one last remark before leaving:
"Oh, that's right. Could you please say hello to my good friend, Sakiko Toyokawa, for me?" As she said this, Miki Kashiwagi had a lingering feeling that Soyo's gaze carried some profound hidden meaning—almost like... a hound that had finally picked up the scent of a rabbit?
"Alright, goodbye, Ms. Nagasaki." Miki Kashiwagi tipped his hat in a slight bow, watching as Soyo Nagasaki boarded the train bound for Tsukinomori Girls' School, found an empty seat, and gracefully sat down.
Every movement was the picture of a proper young lady.
I must be overthinking it.
Miki Kashiwagi shook his head. He knew Soyo Nagasaki was one of the main characters in *MyGO*, but he didn't know her personality; from what he'd just seen, she was simply a young lady from a strictly disciplined family.
...
Haneoka Girls' High School, Class 1-3.
"This is our class's new transfer student, Anon Chihaya. Let's all welcome her!"
A young teacher stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a cute girl sporting long pink hair on the podium, and the students below began to whisper among themselves.
"Whoa, what a pretty girl. Pink hair is so rare." "Is it dyed?" "Has to be. No human is born with pink hair, but I have to admit it suits her surprisingly well." "She's so, so, so bright and blinding, I feel like I'm going to get sunburned, teacher can I hide under my desk—"
Setting aside the melted pink-haired girl in the back row of the classroom, the reactions of the other classmates were roughly within Anon Chihaya's expectations. Anon gave a poised bow and said with a cheerful smile, "Hello everyone, my name is Anon Chihaya, and I'm the new transfer student. I hope I can get along well with all of you, please take care of me!"
The classroom was filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere. At that moment, a blue-haired girl passed by like an ordinary passerby. The rain had soaked her shoes, and changing her socks had taken quite a bit of time. Sakiko was now walking briskly toward the nurse's office to report back for attendance, and of course, to say hello to Dr. Kashiwagi!
Having not seen him for two days, she unexpectedly felt a little eager to see him and say hello.
Pushing open the door to the nurse's office, she found Miki Kashiwagi sitting at the eucalyptus wood desk writing a report. Today, he wore a black shirt paired with a plain gray wool vest, layered beneath the white lab coat provided by the school. The distinct layers were a pleasing sight.
"Good morning, Sakiko." Seeing Sakiko push the door open and enter, Miki Kashiwagi stood up, walked slowly toward her, and looked her up and down. "Hmm, your complexion looks good today. I officially grant you permission to attend classes as normal!"
"Good morning, Dr. Kashiwagi... Staring at a student like that is somewhat impolite, you know." Sakiko put on a mock expression of anger.
"Is that so? And here I thought we were already close, inseparable good friends. How heartbreaking—"
"I'm sorry, Dr. Kashiwagi. I was just pretending to be mad." Sakiko instantly triggered her vulnerable mode.
"Ah, I know. That's why I was pretending too, hehe."
"Dr. Kashiwagi, you're teasing me again!"
"Hahaha—" Miki Kashiwagi laughed brightly, leaving Sakiko momentarily entranced. After a moment, Miki waved his hand to signal Sakiko to head off to class. "Alright, Sakiko, since your health is fine, you should head back to class first. If you don't have anything pressing, you're always welcome to come sit in here. Just don't work yourself to exhaustion with your part-time job."
Sakiko collected her thoughts, faked a couple of coughs, and turned to leave. "Alright, goodbye, Dr. Kashiwagi."
"Oh, that's right, Sakiko." "Hm?"
"I ran into a girl named Soyo Nagasaki on my way here. She said she's a friend of yours and asked me to say hello to you."
"..." "Um, Sakiko?"
"Huh? Oh... Okay, I heard you."
With a mechanical turn, she pulled the door shut behind her. Miki Kashiwagi began to wonder if he shouldn't have mentioned this to Sakiko at all. Could it be that Soyo Nagasaki had lied to him, and their relationship was actually terrible?
Never mind. That was their business; he was merely a messenger.
The rain didn't let up for the entire morning, and no students came to the infirmary to rest. Miki Kashiwagi spent his time busy writing documents and replying to the principal's faxes.
Having smartphones yet still using these antique machines—simply incomprehensible.
In the fax, the principal asked Miki Kashiwagi to take inventory of the medical supplies consumed over the current academic year along with current stock levels, and to provide some recommendations on the types and quantities to stockpile.
He even seemed to be hinting that Miki Kashiwagi should inflate those recommendations.
The previous school nurse had already tallied up the consumption figures; all he had to do was tweak the data slightly to match the principal's wife's demands and recopy it.
"50ml bottles of medical alcohol, 48... um, 128 units."
*Scratch—*
What the hell was that noise?
"Gauze, um... 44 boxes."
*Scratch—*
Miki Kashiwagi took a deep breath and put down his fountain pen. He now suspected either there was something unholy haunting this place, or the heavens simply disapproved of his participation in such corrupt, bureaucratic practices.
*Scratch—*
Miki Kashiwagi silently changed the falsified numbers back to the real data, then waited quietly.
*Scratch—*
Good news: the heavens had no objections. Bad news: he couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from.