C24

Chapter 24: Business-as-Usual Tuesday

Tuesday morning.

The classroom was filled with the usual morning air.

Students who arrived at school naturally gathered around the desks of like-minded friends, exchanging idle chatter. Laughter echoed from here and there, and the light streaming through the windows was no different from yesterday in any way.

At a glance, an ordinary classroom.

Even so, it was just a fraction different.

No one would say it aloud. Yet, a hard-to-put-into-words sense of incongruity lingered in the corner of the room—as though something that had been taken for granted until yesterday had shifted ever so slightly out of place.

No one touched upon its true nature yet—or rather, they couldn't.

Amidst that, there was a student casting uneasy glances toward the entrance of the classroom.

Kokona Suzumura.

Kokona repeatedly looked toward the classroom entrance. Every time someone opened the door, she lifted her face for a split second. However, whoever entered was always someone else. The figure of the person she was waiting for never appeared.

Time ticked by quietly, and just like any normal morning, the chime signaling homeroom rang out.

Triggered by that, the laughter that had filled the classroom up until a moment ago grew fainter by degrees, eventually leaving behind only the sounds of desks shifting and chairs scraping.

Even as the morning hubbub quieted down, Kokona couldn't tear her eyes away from the entrance. Maybe he's coming a little late—she still couldn't entirely let go of that faint hope somewhere in her heart.

And yet... in the end, that hope was not fulfilled.

Before long, homeroom time arrived, and the homeroom teacher stepped into the classroom. The quiet whispers that had lingered until then cut off, and the classroom's gazes naturally converged toward the front.

The teacher dropped their gaze to the tablet on the podium, operating the screen with practiced fingers to check the attendance status—those flowing finger motions stopped for a single fleeting moment.

"......Tachibana is absent today, huh."

A small voice, like a monologue.

With those single words, the classroom's air rippled ever so slightly, and several gazes naturally turned toward the empty seat, but no one spoke a word.

Amidst that, as Kokona slowly lowered her head, Kaho Kitayama was dragged down along with her, dropping her gaze without being able to say anything.

Time marched forward as always.

Once homeroom ended, the students began preparing for the next class. The sound of moving desks, opening bags, casual conversations between friends—such everyday sounds overlapped little by little, and the usual morning atmosphere began returning to the classroom.

"Ah! Did you change your hairstyle?"

"Can you tell? I curled it just a tiny bit."

"Eh, super nice! It really suits you."

Such idle chatter spread across various corners of the room.

"That thing yesterday—"

"......っ"

"Did you see that video of the dog imitating its owner?"

"Ah, yeah. Saw it, saw it! So cute, right?"

That conversation, too, soon blended quietly into the classroom's murmurs.

No one spoke a word about yesterday, and the unchanging morning hours flowed through the room. While everyone continued chatting with friends or starting preparations for class, the classroom's air gradually settled down.

Before long, the bell rang.

Students returned to their respective seats, and the first-period class began.

The teacher projected materials onto the front screen, continuing explanations in a calm voice. In between, the sound of pages turning and small scratching noises of pens overlapped, wrapping the classroom in the usual atmosphere of a lesson.

Everyone faced forward, carrying on their respective daily routines.

The classroom looked as though it possessed time entirely unchanged from yesterday.

—Except for a single empty seat...

◇

When the first-period class ended, voices returned to the classroom.

With the chime signaling the break time, students stood up from their seats. Students heading out into the corridor, students gathering around a friend's desk. Within the short break time, each exchanged conversations just like always.

Amidst that, the spot where Renya Kujo sat naturally accumulated people.

While small conversations spawned across various parts of the room, that circle alone was enveloped in exceptionally loud laughter. From the circle naturally formed around the desk, conversations continued without a break, and every now and then, booming laughter echoed through the classroom.

It was a sight no different from the usual break time.

At the echoing laughter, nearby students turned their faces over. Yet, showing no sign of caring beyond that, they immediately returned to their own time.

◇

When the chime signaling lunch break rang, the sound of preparing lunches and friendly chatter spread across the classroom, transforming into the familiar atmosphere of the lunch hour.

"Kokona—! Kaho—!"

Rinko Takamiya approached their desks.

"Let's go to the cafeteria!"

Her usual bright voice.

After hesitating for a moment, Kokona gave a small shake of her head.

"Sorry... Kaho and I promised to eat together today."

"Ah, rightー"

Rinko smiled without looking particularly bothered.

"Well then, see you next time!"

With those words, Rinko left the two desks behind.

Just as she was about to return to her own seat—Rinko's gaze casually drifted toward the seat in the back by the window.

There sat the seat where Reo Tachibana should normally have been.

"Huh?"

Rinko tilted her head slightly.

"Ah! Come to think of it, Tachibana-kun was absent today."

A casual remark.

At those words, the gazes of several people nearby turned toward Rinko—yet Rinko showed no sign of noticing those stares.

"I was planning to apologize today, too."

She muttered with a slightly disappointed look.

And then, she immediately returned to her usual tone.

"Oh well, tomorrow's fine!"

Saying that, Rinko laughed.

"Meiko—! Let's go to the cafeteria!"

Just like that, Rinko invited Meiko and left the classroom.

That carelessly dropped remark lingered quietly inside the classroom even after Rinko had gone away......