Chapter 5 – "Why Are You To Clingy To Me? "
The morning air was crisp and still.
Not cold, not warm. Just the kind that clung to your skin quietly—like the world hadn't woken up yet.
Kazumi stepped out of his house, console already in hand, headphones resting around his neck. He didn't bother locking the door behind him with any special care. It wasn't like anyone was waiting for him inside.
He lived alone.
No one to cook him breakfast.
No one to nag him about the time.
No one to say "have a nice day."
Not that he minded. Silence was something he'd long made peace with.
He glanced at the time on his handheld.
6:01 AM.
Early. Like always.
He liked walking to school when it was like this—empty streets, no blabbering students, no noisy bikes screeching past.
Just his feet hitting the sidewalk, and the soft sound of his game console's chimes in his hands.
Perfect peace.
It was only when the school building came into view that the feeling of morning silence began to fade just a little.
He entered the front gate, hands still occupied with the console, barely glancing up. The first floor hallway was quiet. Dimly lit.
He walked toward the shoe lockers, slipping out of his indoor slippers with the efficiency of someone who'd done this hundreds of times. His thoughts were still on his game screen as he crouched to swap shoes.
Then—
"...Good morning."
He froze for a second.
That voice.
Soft. Barely above a whisper. Familiar.
Kazumi looked up, turning his head slightly.
There, just a few lockers over, stood a girl.
Her long hair draped over one side of her face, covering her left eye. Her posture was gentle, arms close to her chest like she was hugging herself. She blinked slowly, looking at him from under her bangs.
"…Yo, Yuino."
Yuino Koga.
A first-year.
Same year as Rino.
She'd liked him from the moment they met.
Back during the first-year orientation, Kazumi had been dragged into helping the student council guide new students around the school. He didn't even want to do it—he was just too tired to say no.
That was where he met Yuino.
He was supposed to show her around for fifteen minutes.
She clung to him for the entire afternoon.
And ever since then… she hadn't exactly stopped.
"Hi…" Yuino said again, voice as quiet as ever.
Before he could stand straight—
Whumph.
Yuino wrapped both arms around his right arm and leaned into him, resting her cheek gently on his shoulder.
"…Good morning again."
Kazumi let out a long sigh, still crouched by his locker. "Seriously. You don't waste time, do you."
She didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
This kind of thing always happened when they crossed paths.
He gave up and stood up slowly with Yuino still clinging to him.
"Alright, let's go," he muttered.
Yuino nodded softly. "Okay…"
They walked together down the hallway.
Not saying much.
Kazumi wasn't much of a morning talker. And Yuino? She was perfectly happy with the silence—so long as she was physically attached to him.
When they reached the first-year classroom wing, Kazumi stopped just outside her class.
"Well, this is your stop."
Yuino looked up at him. "...No."
He raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"I wanna walk a little more."
"I've got class, you know."
"No one's there yet."
"That's not the point."
She pressed herself tighter against his arm.
"I want to stay close to you."
Kazumi frowned slightly. "Yuino…"
He glanced around the hallway.
Empty. For now.
But not for long.
"It's 6 AM," she said softly. "There's no one here."
"There will be people here. Think about what's gonna happen when they see you clinging to me like this."
Yuino blinked up at him. "I don't care what they think."
"But I do."
He exhaled, tilting his head with a slight frown. "Just imagine it. What if some overly curious second-year walks in and sees us like this? I'll never hear the end of it."
Yuino stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Then slowly, reluctantly, she unwrapped her arms from his.
"…Okay. Sorry."
Kazumi stretched his now-free arm and gave her a quick nod. "Thanks."
Yuino glanced at the floor, then back at him. "...Bye."
"See you."
He turned around and started walking back toward the main building.
Another sigh escaped his lips.
It wasn't that he hated Yuino.
She was actually… kind of easy to deal with, in her own way. She didn't talk too much. She wasn't dramatic. She just had one tiny problem:
She acted like she was glued to his arm by default.
By the time he reached the staircase, the faintest hint of early morning noise had started to creep in from outside.
Students arriving. Birds chirping. The world waking up.
Kazumi walked up the stairs, hands in his pockets now, console temporarily tucked under his arm.
Halfway to his classroom, he passed a hallway with large windows overlooking the east side of the school grounds. He slowed for a moment, then stopped.
The sky was painted a light blue, with soft streaks of white clouds stretching thin and far. No storm. No rain. Just a calm, quiet morning.
Kazumi leaned slightly against the window frame and stared out.
"…It's peaceful," he muttered.
There weren't many things that calmed him more than sky gazing. Something about it made his thoughts quiet down. Maybe because it reminded him of how small everything else was.
After a few seconds, he pushed himself off the wall and continued walking.
When he reached his classroom, he wasn't surprised to find it empty.
Of course it was.
Only loners and weirdos arrived at school before 6:30.
And Kazumi had long accepted he was a mix of both.
He slid open the door and stepped in.
The room was silent. Not even the hum of electricity. Just the light from the windows cutting through the still air.
Kazumi walked straight to his desk, dropped his bag, and sat down.
He pulled out his console again, plugged in his headphones, and placed them on his head with practiced ease.
The screen flickered to life.
His favorite game loaded up.
He didn't speak. He didn't think too hard.
He just let himself drift into the game world.
It was still early.
And for now, this moment belonged to him.