Chapter 16 Unaware

Unaware

As usual, I woke up a little earlier than Kaori in the morning and started preparing breakfast.

“Good morning.”

Kaori stepped out of bed, still fiddling with her hair in an attempt to fix her bedhead, dressed in nothing but a thin layer of clothing.

“You’ll catch a cold dressed like that.”

I let out a sigh, exasperated by her choice of attire.

“Ehehe. Sorry~”

“Just go get changed already.”

“Okay~”

When I said that in a lightly scolding tone, Kaori obediently returned to her bed to change.

I sighed again. Back in high school, before I ended up in this boy’s body, she had been much more serious. But ever since I became like this, she seemed far more carefree and innocent compared to back then.

Not that it was a bad thing.

I just wasn’t used to seeing this side of her.

After a while, Kaori returned, now properly dressed, and the two of us started eating breakfast.

“Iori, how’s school been lately?”

“It’s fun.”

The intent behind Kaori’s question was the same as always—she wanted the boy named Iori to make friends. I still hadn’t made any, but saying something negative like “it’s boring” would only make things worse for me.

Kaori had been deeply worried about her child, who had been in a coma for a long time. Because of that, she had imposed quite a few restrictions on me, such as a gag order in the school, banning part-time jobs, and even getting Sugo-sensei involved to help me build relationships.

So really, I couldn’t afford to make any careless remarks.

“Lately, you’ve been coming home pretty late. Have you been hanging out and grabbing snacks with friends or something?”

She had been asking me this over and over again for a while now. Every time, I told her it was for extracurricular activities, but she was persistent.

“Like I said, that’s…”

“Even if it’s for extracurricular activities, you must’ve had chances to grab a snack or something, right?”

“Well, I guess…”

“Also, I noticed a transportation expense listed in the family budget app recently. Just one station. So, what is it?”

Kaori asked innocently, but her question hit right on the mark.

I averted my gaze, making a face like I had swallowed something bitter. That one-station fare, which I had paid a few times out of my allowance, was actually for going with Tachibana-san to pick up her younger sister—Tachibana-san, who, at this point, was probably the person I talked to the most in class.

The day I asked Kaori for permission to get a part-time job, she not only rejected my request but also recommended the family budget app. After that, she had been so insistent about it that I had no choice but to install it on my phone. As a result, my entire financial situation was now an open book to her.

I hadn’t thought it would be a problem, but I never expected it to turn into an interrogation like this.

“So, what is it? What is it? The next station is mostly a residential area, so it’s probably not for snacks or anything like that.”

“Why are you only sharp about things like this?”

Kaori grinned mischievously.

“Well, I’ll stop prying any further.”

“That would really help…”

“But if you get close enough to introduce someone to me, make sure you do, okay? Mom will welcome them with a big smile.”

“…Yeah.”

I was relieved that she dropped the subject, but when she said that with such a bright, expectant smile, I felt a tightness in my chest.

“I’m off.”

“Have a good day.”

I left home earlier than usual. Staying any longer in that atmosphere didn’t sit well with me.

When I arrived at the nearest station and got on the train, I noticed it was much less crowded than usual. Normally, I’d have to squeeze in like a packed sardine, but just being thirty minutes early made such a difference. If that was the case, leaving home at this time more often wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.

There were a few empty seats on the long row of benches in the train car. But since any available seat meant someone would eventually sit beside me, I leaned against the automatic doors and started looking at my phone.

However, just as I settled into that position, I felt someone tapping my elbow. The touch came from the direction of the seats.

When I turned with a puzzled expression, I saw Tachibana-san sitting there.

“Ah.”

I couldn’t even get out a simple “Good morning.” Since she had called out to me first, I expected her to say something.

But Tachibana-san just stared at me without saying a word.

Wait, she’s not going to say anything? Caught off guard, I found myself staring back at her in silence.

“S-Stop standing there and say something already!”

She turned away slightly, her voice a little quieter in the train car but still tinged with irritation.

“Sorry. Good morning.”

If I told her I was waiting for her to speak first, I had a feeling it would only annoy her more, so I just scratched my head and gave a sheepish smile.

“Come to think of it, Tachibana-san, I haven’t seen you in the packed trains lately. Have you been commuting at this time instead?”

“W-Well… I’d rather not deal with train gropers. More importantly…”

More importantly?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Tachibana-san patted the seat beside her.

I tilted my head the other way this time.

“…There’s an open seat here. Why don’t you sit?”

After saying that, she turned red.

“D-Don’t get the wrong idea, okay? It’s just that if you keep standing there like that, you’ll be in the way of people getting on and off… That’s all!”

“Ah—yeah. But I’m fine.”

“…Huh?”

“The doors on this side won’t open until we reach the station before school.”

Tachibana-san looked taken aback, then lowered her gaze in dissatisfaction.

“…But there’s an open seat right here. Won’t you get tired standing the whole way to school?”

“I’ve got my reasons. Think of it as part of my rehab.”

After Iori fell into a coma, he had to undergo extensive rehabilitation to regain his strength. Ever since then, I learned that even small actions in daily life could contribute to muscle training. So, whenever I couldn’t get a corner seat, I made it a habit to stand like this.

“…Just sit.”

“Hm?”

“I said, just sit already! It’s hard to talk to you like this!”

Her voice rang out louder than expected in the train car. I was taken aback for a moment, and it seemed the other passengers were just as surprised.

After a brief pause, Tachibana-san’s eyes widened in shock as she realized how loud she had been. She quickly looked down, her face turning bright red.

“…Well, in that case, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

Feeling awkward, I gave in and sat down beside her.

Hugging my backpack on my lap, we fell into silence once again.

“…Still, this time of day is nice. Just a thirty-minute difference, and the crowd level is completely different.”

“Yeah. I started adjusting my schedule bit by bit and found this to be a sweet spot.”

“I see. So that means you haven’t had to deal with anything unpleasant lately. That’s good.”

As I said that, a shadow crossed Tachibana-san’s face.

“…Actually, it still happens sometimes.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. Even at this time, there are still days when the train gets packed.”

“Ugh, that’s…”

That’s rough.

“I don’t want to wake up any earlier than this, so I just put up with it.”

“…Then maybe I should start commuting at this time too.”

“Huh?”

“If a guy is around, it’d make it harder for train gropers to try anything, right?”

Besides, I’m always up early anyway. If I just cut down on my time lazing around at home, commuting at this time wouldn’t be a big deal.

“…Thanks.”

Her response was brief, but it carried genuine gratitude.

“Don’t mention it. It’s not like I said it just to get thanked.”

“…Still. …Alright, I get it.”

She nodded slightly, seeming to accept it.

After that, we chatted idly for a while, and before I knew it, we had arrived at the station near our school.

We got off the train and started heading toward the school.