Whew.
I have a habit of being the first to arrive at school in the morning.
The only thing I can really be first at is getting to the classroom early.
Plus, I really enjoy napping in an empty classroom. Reading a book is nice too, or even singing or doing some strength training—whatever I feel like.
I love this time so much.
That’s why I keep getting to school first.
This morning, as I arrived, I noticed a small envelope sticking out of my desk.
“A love letter…?”
I mumbled to myself and, sure enough, I was convinced it was one.
It had a certain aura to it.
It was sealed with a pink sticker, and on closer inspection, the envelope itself was a light shade of pink.
Now, this probably isn’t meant for me.
I came to that conclusion.
Why? Because we switched seats yesterday.
And the person who used to sit in my seat is someone well-known in class for being handsome and popular.
So, it must be that some slightly scatterbrained girl wanted to give this love letter to him and put it in this desk.
She must have forgotten that this is no longer his seat but mine.
Well, there’s nothing I can do about it, so I decided to put the letter back in the handsome guy’s desk.
I thought about where his new seat was.
After a while, I remembered.
Yeah, it’s the second row from the front… yeah, this seems right.
I quietly tried to slip the love letter into his desk… but I couldn’t.
Because someone grabbed my arm.
“What are you doing…?”
I turned around, and there she was—Suzuna, another classmate who was also popular for being a beauty.
“Oh, well, um, I wasn’t trying to do anything weird to the desk or anything.”
“I know that.”
“Oh, I see. That’s good.”
Relieved, I tried to put the love letter into the desk… but I couldn’t.
“Uh, so, why are you grabbing my arm?”
“Uh…”
Suzuna’s face was bright red, but she didn’t say anything.
Wait a minute. Could it be…
Suzuna is the one who wrote the love letter?
Ah, I see.
“It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. I’m good at keeping secrets.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Huh?”
“I-I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but you could at least open it and read it… Why would you try to put it in someone else’s desk? Idiot.”
“Huh?”
Oh no, I think I just messed up.
This is bad.
“I get it, let’s go to the lower rooftop.”
“What?”
I rushed to the classroom door.
I wasn’t holding Suzuna’s arm, so it was up to her whether she wanted to follow me, but she continued to cling to my arm as she came along.
I dashed through the empty school building in the morning and reached the lower rooftop.
By the way, the "lower rooftop" refers to the roof of the two-story Building No. 2, which is sandwiched between the three-story Building No. 1 and Building No. 3.
You can easily access it from the balcony of Building No. 3, so it’s a convenient rooftop to get to.
"Hey, um..."
"I'm sorry. I really misunderstood… I honestly didn’t think it was meant for me."
"Yeah, yeah. I kind of thought you might misunderstand. You always underestimate yourself. That’s why I even wrote your name on it."
"Oh, I didn’t notice. The letters were so faint and small."
"Well, it’s embarrassing to write the name of someone you like…"
"…"
I looked at Suzuna.
Does she really like me? Seriously?
But where did she start liking me?
I guess I’ll find out if I read the letter.
So, I opened the love letter.
I was surprisingly calm about it.
The one who wasn’t calm was Suzuna.
"You know, it’s really embarrassing… That’s why I wrote it in a letter. But now you’re reading it right in front of me… Oh no…"
Unlike the groaning Suzuna, the love letter had a formal tone.
But it clearly expressed that she liked me.
Suzuna and I are both on the Beautification Committee, but I never imagined that just doing my duties seriously would make me seem attractive to her.
But now that I think about it, there aren’t many people who take their work seriously…
When I look back, it’s true—maybe we were seen as the two who really got things done.
"Um…"
"Y-Yeah?"
I spoke to Suzuna.
"Before I give you an answer… I want to fully understand everything you wrote. There are a few kanji I can’t read, so could you help me—oof!"
"Idiot."
Ah, she slapped my cheek quite nicely.
But it’s okay. I already know what my answer will be anyway.
☆ ○ ☆
"Another 30 points on your kanji test?! Seriously, Kanna, are you doing your kanji homework properly?"
"I did it three out of five times…"
"So you skipped it twice? That’s why you ended up with this score, understand?"
"Yes…"
"Uh, just wondering, why do I have to sit with Kanna every time she does badly on her kanji tests?"
"Dad, be quiet! You’re supposed to reflect on it too. That’s a life sentence."
"Even after fifteen years, I’m still not forgiven…"
"But you know, even when I do badly on my kanji tests, it’s comforting because Dad always gets scolded with me!"
Kanna, my daughter, smiles brightly.
But that sense of comfort might be the reason why she thinks it’s okay to do poorly on her kanji tests…
This is not good, not good at all.
Fifteen years after Suzuna confessed to me, here we are.
My daughter Kanna, who inherited my dislike for kanji, and I, who am still bad at kanji, are getting a good scolding from her mom.
[The End]
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