Vol 1 Chapter 1 (1/2)

Flag 1 — The Day the Knight Raised the Flag

Hatagaya Private Academy

Co shi+njuku New City Centre, the Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park, it was an acaderated education system from pre-school to university

Their high academics level aside, the school’s renown had spread far and wide due to the students’ unusually high morals and the values they were instilled with

‘Student of Hatagaya Academy’ was a synonym for excellence in the area and the locals looked upon them kindly

Of course, there were students fro prefectures but there were also students who had travelled long distances to study there, for them, the academy was equipped with dormitories

In class 1-F’s room, the mood had made a complete about turn fro thanks to the appearance of an unseasonal transfer student

If a transfer student were to coirl, however, those expectations could be betrayed, it could even be a boring boy

In the first place, it was because the acadeender ratio between 6:4 and 7:3, skewed towards the girls

In any case, the side the teacher, and whilst he wrote his name on the blackboard, the i faces

“Anyway, it’s rare for a student to transfer right in the middle of term”

“He’s not even the Tokyo Emperor”

Don’t say that

Enough of that, the student sitting right in front of the class F’s desk… Nana up at the transfer student as uneasy from all the attention

The object of her gaze was soative… the transfer student who couldn’t hide the shadow in his expression or atmosphere… he was definitely…

“It’s nice to meet you… I’m Hatate Souta”

“You’re the one that ruined that business discussion this !!”

Nanaht and pointed at Souta, with a cry that rattled the s, Souta’s eyebroitching

With that, the cordial, welco applause was overwritten instantly with Nanami’s exclamation

“A business discussion…?”

“What business discussion…?”

“Ruined…? A business discussion…?”

“That’s awful…”

“But a business discussion on the way into school…?”

“At ti!Is it that kind of development…?”

As the applause grew scattered, the boys and girls of class 1-F’s heads were filled with thoughts about that business discussion

This class would probably take 1st ah school first year classes for thinking about business discussions They’d lose to business school students though Then, they’re not 1st are they

“Hey, isn’t Hatate Souta…”

“Yeah, the sole survivor of that luxury passenger shi+p’s sinking…”

The luxury cruise liner, the Pre

It was a o

The shi+p had vanished in the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean, near japan without sending an SOS signal and a lifeboat was discovered, floating on the water like the leaves of a tree

On board was a single, unconscious passenger, Souta

However, he had nothe boat

The le answer, eventually people suddenly lost interest

The boy as in that ht before their eyes

The whispers in the classroorew even darker

Seeing his bearing, the students’ inquisitive gazes took on a tinge of compassion

The strange, hard to describe atain disturbed by a voice even more hysterical than Nanami’s from towards the back of the room

“Sou-kun!!”

This ti up and pointing at hiirl who seemed a little older than the other students

As aat him for the entire time since he came into the room

Her hair was tied in an off-centre ponytail and, even though they weren’t doing home economics, she had an apron on over her uniforave off a strong iirl stood stock still, still pointing at Souta, with herso old fish, but she didn’t have any such worries

Souta stared at the girl who had called hiape, but she matched a certain person in his memories and he reflexively spoke a familiar name

“…Okiku-nee?”

The girl as ju up and down in joy at her unexpected reunion with Souta was Shoukanji Kikuno

After the rapid-fire appearance of people who knew Souta, the class showed their discomfiture in a different way than before

“’Sou-kun’, ‘Okiku-nee’…? They’re awfully close”

“He has a lot of acquaintances for a transfer student”

“Maybe it’s because he’s famous…”

“Transfer students are normally nameless…”

Whether she heard their class exciteht as she explained as if she could clear the current incident in theirshe couldn’t

“Ah, we’re childhood friends! In middle school, Sou-kun transferred! And then! U!! And so handso!!”

“Settle down”

“Calm down”

Warm and ironic smiles were mixed with the voices froy

—— That’s right

Kikuno and Souta were neighbours that had been brought up together as real siblings until Souta was in his second year of s, loved Souta as a real little brother, so much so that people who didn’t know their situation would always think they were

The two of them were separated when Souta’s family moved away, in any case, with this unexpected reunion, Kikuno’s excite

“Sou-kun… You’re the real Sou-kun, right!? Uwah! It moved!!”

Kikuno’s endlessly increasing joy was a stark contrast to his own oddly cold i’ ful

“You knoorried! I orried for so long, Sou-kun! I didn’t hear anything from you… or aunt and uncle either… that accident…”

Kikuno’s words piled on to him as her tone rapidly dropped

“And Nee-san… too”

“Onee-san? Sou-kun, you’re an only child right?”

“……That’s right”

Being once again reer existent sister Souta’s eyes dropped as if he’d given up on everything

“I didn’t hear from you…”

“I’m sorry”

Seeing Souta sinking, Kikuno went absolutely frantic and waved her arms around

“Ah, ah, it’s not like I’ Don’t ive you a lap pillow and clean your ears!? You like that right? Maybe you’ll be better then?”

“She’s spoiling him too much”

“That’s just spoiling”

With this, their class past just shock

Souta felt their painful gazes and said soe the topic

“Ah, well… Okiku-nee, I was sure you were a year older than me…?”

“Yeah!! You know last year, I studied abroad! So I delayed a year and I’ood ti! It must be fate!!”

Without feeling even an ounce of a male-female relationshi+p, Kikuno said that only with the bonds of true siblings, but her passionate way of speaking, her heavy breath and the chaffing co voice

But that aside, there was a girl who’s inner thoughts were bubbling up along a completely different vector

Nanami

“My devastating reunion is completely ruined now!!”

He didn’t knohy, but Nanaers at him since she’d forcefully overwritten the subject, a cold sweat rose on his cool face and he avoided looking that way as much as he could

She couldn’t have known his hopes for escape, but the form teacher with an apron with a cat applique tied over her chest and stomach sh proportion of aprons

“Come on everyone, we need to make our new friend feel welcome～”

When the class suddenly returned to theain, the teacher nodded in satisfaction and put her hand on her forehead like a cap, looking around the classrooeratedly like a presenter on a children’s TV shoould

“Nohere shall we have Souta-chan sit～?”

“Chan…!?”

Even Souta, clad in a taciturn atmosphere was reflexively taken aback and spoke, but the teacher continued looking around the roohtest

“Ah, Miyuki-sensei, I think it would be tough socially at the back, so if my row all move a seat back from me, he’ll be next to Kikuno who seems like an acquaintance”

The boy in the seat behind Nanas offered, relentlessly kindly, noisily picking up all of his things and standing, leaving the seat free for Souta”

“Then, Souta-chan has the seat behind Nanami-chan～”

Not wanting to argue with the teacher aving her hand, Souta went around to the seat behind Nanami

Then, in what had becoaudy, pierced brown haired boy from earlier

“…Sorry”

“It’s fine… Ah, also, our form teacher worked in the pre-schooler part until last year, so she can’t get out of that feeling”

“Ah…”

To say nothing of being able to get out of that feeling, not a single factor could

The brown haired, pierced boy greeted hiaudy appearance, he seeood person

Watching Souta give a vague nod in return, Kikuno shook in all directions and giggled

“Sou-kun, you really have gotten big Back in er”

“And you’ve gotten beautiful, Okiku-nee”

“No way, Sou-kun, you flatterer! Even if you flatterwill happen!”

She poked Souta in the forehead slightly and cheekily smiled

To the ever cheerful Kikuno, Souta seeuilty and apologetic about it, it was a co

“Hmm? Sou-kun, are you not well? Or maybe… you seem a little different maybe?”

“…”

Those words row even lonelier, Kikuno’s sharp eyes caught it, but she purposely pretended not to notice and s

“Ah, you ht be a little manlier…”

“And that’s definitely flattering”

He knew she was fussing over him, but that itself had him look like he hadn’t realised and he returned a similar kind smile to Kikuno

However, this lonely smile just made Kikuno all the more curious

“He always used to sht child but… it’s al… that’s not it That accident really has left a mark…”

Kikuno’s chest tightened at this apparent transfiguration that had daed his lustre

In any case, the two didn’t speak deeply after that, their mutual kindness was precious to theestive behaviour seelances over her shoulder from the seat in front

The glances felt like knives, and Souta acted unnaturally to avoid looking that way, a cold sweat naturally running down

“Why…? Why is she looking at ht! She saw …!”

“I’uy!!”

Because he hadn’t thought he’d continue being suspected thishis secret, cursed by his own carelessness, Nanalared at him with an ominous air

The girl called Nana looks was extreressive attitude Speaking of that strength and ht of attitude, it was such that her class a year Kikuno in particular didn’t think so

At the sas she didn’t care about but if soo of it, like a wild dog with a bone Wild dogs drooled lots, maybe Nanaood for people that drool, it sees and experie people

And then, the equally strange person, Miyuki-sensei ’ motion and smiled kindly at the students

“Right right, everyone, get on ith our new friend～ Let’s do our best with playing ga for a walk～”

Whilst thinking things like

“What games…?”

“We can go for a walk…?”

They stood and bowed at the class representative’s command with a cold sweat at the words you would use with pre-schoolers

At that, with Nana, it became break time, the fearless classmates calmly came forward

“Where did you move from, Hatate-kun?”

“…A place called Obata… In Nagoya”

“Ah, the future capital, Nagoya”

To Souta’s words, his classed

“He’s from the future”

“From the future so his uniform’s new”

“It’s new because he’s a transfer student, it doesn’t have anything to do with the future!”

Nanami couldn’t help but retort and Souta went stiff

The class Nana that the transfer student was delicate, and froood-natured but unpopular ered with a smile you couldn’t hate as they leant forwards

“Hatate, you’ve transferred so there , ask irls”

It seeaain” his behaviour was already well known

Be that as it rew kinder at his open-heartedness

…However

The lanced up above the student’s head

Souta’s expression clouded, he fell silent as if searching for words, then, with pained, sad and lonely eyes, opened his mouth