44. The rivalry and competitiveness between women often end with men as the ultimate losers.

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Tsukiyomi Jinguuji and Hoshino Morihoshi parted ways in front of the station. Hoshino Morihoshi boarded the Hibiya Line toward Roppongi, while Jinguuji Tsukiyomi took the private railway’s Toyoko Line.

When he arrived at Jiyugaoka and stepped out of the station, Sakura Sazakura was already standing in front, gazing silently at the sky above the distant buildings.

Jinguuji Tsukiyomi quietly approached, stopped beside her, and followed her gaze into the distance. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t figure out what she was looking at.

So he took the initiative to ask.

“What are you looking at?”

“The stars.”

The sky was still awash in a crimson glow, golden and radiant like the rice fields in front of his grandfather’s house in Gunma Prefecture.

“Can you see them clearly?”

“I don’t know. I just know they’re there.”

“So are you really looking or not looking?”

Sakura Sazakura glanced at him but didn’t answer.

She pulled a caramel nut roll, wrapped in a decorative bag, from her backpack and handed it to Jinguuji Tsukiyomi.

“It’s for Ruri.”

“Oh… uh, thank you.”

It was only natural that they set off home together, but this gave Jinguuji Tsukiyomi a subtle, indescribable feeling.

Not long ago, he had been standing next to the elegant, poised student council president, and now, suddenly, he was with his childhood friend—the girl he’d grown up with. The passage of time felt a little disjointed.

The vermilion light around them seemed to settle like silt in murky water, gradually sinking until it looked like parchment aged by the speeding flow of time, yellowed and worn.

The streets, the lamplight, even the power lines looping overhead like spiderwebs, were all tinted with a rustic, old-fashioned filter.

It was as if they were walking inside a time machine—each small step they took, the hands of a great clock wound back another second.

It felt like, when this walk ended, they might become children again.

The girl walked with her hands clasped behind her back, her bag already slung over Jinguuji Tsukiyomi’s shoulder. She moved with lively steps, occasionally kicking pebbles by the roadside so they tumbled into the ditch lined with sparse weeds.

Walking ahead of the boy, Sakura Sazakura turned and walked backward, tilting forward with a bright smile. Her beautiful side ponytail bounced up and down with energy.

“Hey, you know…”

She suddenly spoke softly.

“Hm?” the boy glanced at her.

“Walking home together like this really does feel like when we were little.

“So many of the old shops are gone now. Is business just not good anymore? I used to go every week, whether I bought anything or not.”

Jinguuji Tsukiyomi walked slowly, thought for a moment, and said, “You’ve been getting nostalgic lately, haven’t you?”

“Really? Have I?”

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“A little.”

She grinned. “The great Sakura Sazakura is growing up fast!”

She spun in front of Jinguuji Tsukiyomi, striking a pose she must’ve seen on TV somewhere, her laughter sparkling.

“You’re still an idiot, just like when you were a kid. That hasn’t changed at all.”

He walked past her, raising his hand to tap her lightly on the head.

“How dare you call me an idiot! Explain yourself!” she protested.

“An idiot’s an idiot—B, A, K, A, idiot.”

“I didn’t ask you to spell it!”

Her indignant protests made him smile.

As they entered the residential area, the sounds of people faded, replaced by a tranquil silence.

They chatted here and there, talking about weekend plans, never once mentioning school.

After all, they were in the same class.

After all, Jinguuji Tsukiyomi was the one being ostracized.

Before long, two houses side by side appeared in the distance—their exteriors nearly identical.

At her front door, Sakura Sazakura lingered, still smiling. “After all, walking home with you is the happiest part of my day.”

“You like being called an idiot that much?”

“Oh, stop it—you know that’s not what I mean.”

Jinguuji Tsukiyomi handed her back her bag, making sure this time it was really hers.

“Thanks. Looks like from now on, someone will carry my bag home every day,” Sakura Sazakura beamed.

“Carry it yourself sometimes—you’re in the sports club, aren’t you?”

“Club activities are exhausting enough. Don’t you think I deserve a break on the way home?”

He looked at her with a gentle smile.

When it came to Sakura Sazakura, he could never quite bring himself to refuse such simple requests.

“Ah, but really, the only reason I can walk home with you after school like this is thanks to the student council president.

“I guess… I still can’t quite accept it. Heh.”

He thought about it—it was true. If he hadn’t joined the student council, he probably wouldn’t have joined any club at all.

He would have left school early, either gone to work or read books at home—neither boring nor exciting, just unchanging.

Jinguuji Tsukiyomi fell silent, the girl’s radiant smile reflected in his pupils.

Seeing that he had nothing more to say, Sakura Sazakura let the matter drop.

“Well, see you tomorrow then!”

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He nodded, answering quietly, “See you tomorrow.”

…

…

The next morning.

After feeding the cat as usual, Jinguuji Tsukiyomi left the house—only to find Sakura Sazakura standing at his door.

From behind, there could be no mistaking her for anyone else.

Until now, if they happened to meet in the morning, they’d walk to the station together, then deliberately part ways at Nakameguro. If they didn’t meet, they’d each go their own way. Not once in their high school lives had either of them waited at the other’s door.

They weren’t little kids anymore—what were they supposed to do, hold hands to cross the street?

Jinguuji Tsukiyomi pushed open the waist-high iron gate, looking at Sakura Sazakura with curiosity as he walked over.

“What’s up?”

She turned, her face lighting up. “Waiting for you.”

“For me?”

“Yup.”

He stared at his childhood friend in confusion, unable to guess what she was scheming.

Sakura Sazakura lowered her head a little shyly, the tips of her loafers scuffing the ground.

“Actually, after I got home last night, I thought about a lot of things.”

“Uh…”

As he hesitated, she suddenly lifted her head, almost butting his with her own, and declared in a loud, clear voice:

“I just can’t stand that woman!”

“…”

“Just thinking that the reason I can walk home with you after school is all thanks to her—it drives me crazy.

“So… let’s walk together in the mornings, too.

“Starting today! Every single day! No arguments! Hmph!”