When Ms. Ueno heard Ms. Yoshinaga mention that the principal had frightened some kids to tears that morning, a thought seemed to strike her. She turned toward her colleague and said softly:
"The principal went to visit their class today. At this rate, I wonder how many won't show up to kindergarten tomorrow."
Ms. Yoshinaga stopped what she was doing, her expression turning thoughtful. It reminded her of what had happened last year—on the third day, seven or eight children had refused to return, and they had to refund tuition and refer the families to other kindergartens.
Seeing her silence, Ms. Ueno knew she was likely recalling that exact memory. Narrowing her eyes with a smirk, she said:
"I'll bet there's an 80% chance we'll lose at least the same number tomorrow." She raised her right hand and waggled her index finger playfully at Yoshinaga.
Ms. Yoshinaga blinked, snapped out of her thoughts, and slapped Ueno's hand away with a groan.
"Come on, Masumi. A bet like that might as well not be a bet at all."
Ms. Ueno laughed, stood up, and took off her glasses, placing them gently on the desk. There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes, as though she were preparing to demonstrate something bold.
But Yoshinaga's face suddenly flushed with a memory of her own, and she quickly changed the subject to derail whatever Ueno was planning.
"By the way, Masumi, did anything interesting happen in your class today?"
It worked. Ueno sat down again, scooted her chair beside Yoshinaga's, and leaned in excitedly.
"Really? You know Akira, right?"
Yoshinaga rolled her eyes, staring at her with a look that said, Seriously?
Realizing how silly her question sounded, Ueno cleared her throat in embarrassment.
"Okay, okay. But—do you know what kind of relationship Akira and Shouko have?!"
Yoshinaga looked thoughtful. She was about to guess "relatives," but Ueno couldn't wait.
"They're childhood sweethearts! Childhood friends! Isn't that adorable?
If nothing goes wrong, they could go from kindergarten all the way to the altar!"
Ueno was so excited she nearly shouted the last part. Worried Yoshinaga wouldn't believe her, she pulled out her phone and opened the chat log with Shizuka Miyamura, showing off a photo of Shouko napping while holding Akira.
Yoshinaga stared at the photo for a second, then shook her head in disbelief.
"Masumi, please calm down. You sound just like one of those overly romantic fangirls. There are way too many unknowns between now and high school, let alone marriage."
Ms. Ueno knew she was right—but still, she trusted her instincts. There was no point arguing about it now. Time would tell. And if they really did end up together, she'd be the first to tease everyone about it.
"Heh." She gave a small snort, stood up, and moved her chair back to its place, returning to her work.
Yoshinaga looked at her with a warm smile, then resumed working on her own materials.
The next day, Shizuka Miyamura dropped the two kids off at Futaba Kindergarten as usual, but this time she stopped at the gate. Before leaving, she bent down to Akira's level and gently ruffled his hair.
"I won't come in today, okay? Just take good care of Shouko while you're in there."
She gave him a look that was half-serious, half-threatening.
Akira blinked. If I were a normal kid, I'd probably be jealous and avoid Shouko just out of spite, he thought.
When he didn't reply, Shizuka assumed he was upset and quickly added,
"If you ever run into trouble in kindergarten, tell me. If nothing else, your mom knows how to throw a punch or two."
Akira came back to his senses and nodded. "Got it. Be careful on your way back."
Then he took Shouko's hand and walked through the gate.
After greeting Ms. Ueno and Ms. Yoshinaga, the two made their way to the Sakura Class.
Akira led Shouko to the same seat she used the day before. Once she sat down, he placed the thermos bottle into the desk's cubbyhole.
"If you get thirsty, take this out and drink. I filled it with warm water this morning, not hot."
Shouko looked at the thermos—prepared by Akira's aunt—and quickly pulled it out, handing it back to him.
"I'm not thirsty, Akira. You take it."
Her words came out fast and a little garbled, but Akira understood the meaning. He didn't take it. Instead, he reached out and gently patted her head while she sat.
"I'm fine. And let's be honest—are you really going to tell Ms. Ueno when you're thirsty?"
Shouko looked up and met his gaze. His warm, doting eyes made her speechless.
Akira smiled, not waiting for her response. "See you at lunch," he said, then turned and ran out of the Sakura Class.
Shouko watched his retreating figure for a moment, then slowly unscrewed the thermos cap and took a sip. The warm water somehow tasted sweet.
She took another sip... but it didn't feel quite as good as the first.
Akira made his way back to the Sunflower Class. After stepping inside, he looked around, spotted his seat from yesterday, and approached it. He checked the cubbyhole to make sure no one else's things were inside, then stashed his lunchbox and yellow hat.
He sat down and surveyed the room. A few kids were napping at their desks, while others were either zoning out or playing in the open space at the back.
Akira decided to take a nap too. Just as he laid his head down, he heard voices behind him:
"What flavor does yours have?"
He turned his head, thinking they were talking about candy or snacks—only to witness something that shattered his peace of mind.
A boy with a mushroom-cut hairstyle stuck his fingers into his nose, fished something out, and popped it into his mouth like a delicacy. He chewed thoughtfully and declared:
"Hmm… salty."
The boy next to him, who had a buzz cut, replied, "Really? Mine's sweet. Want to try?"
Then, without hesitation, he dug into his own nostril, pulled out the "snack," and offered his finger to the other boy.
Akira fully expected Mushroom-Head to recoil in disgust. But no—he opened his mouth and took the finger in, even leaving a string of saliva when he let go.
After swallowing, Mushroom-Head scoffed, "Liar. Yours isn't sweet at all. Mine's better."
Buzz-Cut was about to argue but noticed Akira staring. He snapped,
"What are you looking at?! I'm not giving you any!"
Akira lay his head back down with a long, weary sigh.
There are some things I'll never get used to…
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