02 One month ago 2

"Stop doing dangerous things."

"Can't help it. They're the ones coming at us."

Mio's words, met with a disdainful dismissal from Kaito.

The harshness in his tone made Mio flinch.

She didn't want to hear such thorny words from him.

"Your turn—how's the exam prep?"

"Going well. Emisa and Ya are far better at memorizing than Tōya."

A faint smile touched Mio’s lips as she teased Kaito.

"Thanks again for your help during the final exams."

Two years of middle school.

Kaito, aware that he’d passed the retake thanks to Mio’s efforts, bowed his head in genuine gratitude.

No—long before that, Kaito had always relied on Mio for studying, far more than he could ever admit.

Yet she had, after all, actually fulfilled the words she once barked—living by athletic prowess, not academic skill. Mio was surprised by it herself.

"Then what about Higashi? What’re you gonna do? You could jump a grade if you wanted."

"U-un..."

Mio's expression darkened at the words.

Academically, the requirements were met, certainly.

She could enter university through grade skipping if she chose.

"But it’s still not normal..."

"Plenty of people skip grades. I did, too."

"But normally you go in order—elementary, middle, high."

"True, that’s the standard curriculum. But you’re turning into a boring person, aren’t you?"

Boring. Mio blinked.

She didn’t understand the meaning behind Shu’s words.

"What do you mean?"

A hint of sharpness entered her voice.

If something is boring, then there must be some standard against which it is measured.

That standard is being violated.

It deviates from normality.

That is something Mio cannot accept.

"You're too obsessed with normality. You used to move more freely, didn't you?"

"That's not true..."

Even now, she is not lying to herself.

She feels she is doing as she pleases.

"I do reckless things—but once done, I never do them again."

"That's... normal."

In fact, Mio thought, continuing to do reckless things would be the mark of an eccentric.

"Ah... I don't know. It's like you're forcing yourself into some image of normalcy you have inside."

That was how she appeared to Jin, who had been shouting loudly beside her until last year.

The conclusion: she was imposing constraints on herself.

Hearing those words, Mio said:

"Toya, how much of me have you been watching?"

You wouldn’t know unless you observed carefully, would you? Mio tilts her head slightly.

“I didn’t watch you! I just had a feeling!”

Yes… Mio studies Shu with a skeptical gaze.

She could declare it was a lie with absolute certainty. For one reason.

“Because I always feel Toya’s gaze.”

“It’s in your head! Besides, normal students don’t notice stares like that!”

Is that so? Mio learns another lesson about normality.

While Mio resolves to be more cautious from now on, Shu inadvertently uses the word “normal” and grimaces at his own slip.

“Anyway, I think you should do what you want. You never know when you might die.”

The words carried a weight far beyond fifteen years.

Shu had died once before.

Without the miraculous chance of survival on Planet Merce, his body would now be disintegrated—just another circulating element within the convoy.

It’s possible he might die. It’s possible the one he wanted to help might die.

To Mio, the way Shu appeared to be rushing through life was clearly born from that very awareness.

That was precisely why—

“You can’t understand, Tōya. How terrifying it is to be outside the norm.”

Mio’s current form was born from Mio’s own experience.

“I’m fine with being ordinary. Ordinary is good.”

She wanted only an ordinary, average daily routine.

No need for beginning, middle, or end.

She wished to remain flat—unchanging.

She just wanted today to be the same as yesterday, with nothing different.

That was Mio’s quiet wish, one she had nurtured over time.

“What I want to do is talk with you and Tou, attend class, have tea with Emisa and the others, and eat dinner with Oto-san.”

She said it, stating her honest feelings.

Yet, Shu turned his face away.

“Why look away when someone’s trying to talk seriously?”

“Because it’s a serious topic! Damn it, this naturalness of yours!”

Mio pouted, confused why she was scolded.

Shu, hearing himself included so casually in Mio’s everyday routine, had no choice but to turn away to hide his blush.

“Anyway—your future path should be decided by yourself. Don’t just follow the norm, don’t just go with the flow.”

“Hmph. Just because you decided your path first doesn’t mean you’re acting grown-up.”

“Deciding by habit leads to regret later. If you decide yourself, you’ll accept it. But if you just go with the flow, you’ll end up thinking, ‘I should’ve done this,’ ‘I should’ve done that.’”

Mio thought, as expected, that those who decided quickly for themselves spoke differently, and her thoughts drifted to her own path.

“I won’t leave things to others. I choose and decide clearly.”

“Then it’s good… I’ll have to put more effort into it. I won’t be able to catch up to my older brother, let alone surpass his father in the Eastern family, unless I do it in about seven years.”

“…? Why’s Uncle coming up now?”

“…You don’t need to know that.”

It had been over eight years since those words were spoken—and remembering them, Shu’s expression turned pale.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Good morning, Mio. You said your husband sent you?”

“Good morning, Emissa. Husband?”

Who? Mio asked, and Emissa let out a deep sigh. She embraced Mio, stroking her head.

“Mm-hmm. Stay just like this.”

“Don’t really get it, but I understand.”

The former fencing team ace, her red hair tied back, felt relief at her close friend's perception of a certain individual—unchanged as ever.

It would be concerning if her name came up so casually.

—After all, this girl was naturally charismatic. If she chose to, a considerable number would work tirelessly for Mio.

Simply treating someone as special seemed likely to spark a commotion.

"Ah, good morning, Mio-chan. Let's get started then."

Yakko greeted Mio softly upon noticing her arrival at school.

Mio compared the two friends side by side.

Emissa was tall—no less so than when standing beside Sō.

In stark contrast to Mio, who had not grown at all, Emissa had shot up so much she’d had to replace her uniform.

Yakko, from the literature club, had her black hair braided.

Though not particularly tall, she was still taller than Mio.

Above all. Among the three, she displays the most pronounced secondary characteristics.

Mio, slightly below average in both height and build, cannot help but feel a flicker of envy.

Even so, this particular aspect remains ordinary—more precisely, unattainable through simple standardization.

The three of them gather every morning for exam preparation.

Literature is Yukko’s strength; science belongs to Mio. They exchange knowledge based on their respective expertise.

Emissa, by contrast, is primarily on the receiving end.

"Only four months left until we wear this uniform again."

"This uniform was cute—hard to part with, really."

"Yukko’s dream school doesn’t require a uniform, right?"

"Yeah. There’s one, technically—but… not really."

"Ah, that brown one, you mean…?"

"Brown? Not really…"

"Brown."

The unspoken consensus settles among them: impossible.

"Emissa’s uniform is white. Looks sharp."

"Terribly dull. First, it’s copying the Fleet’s style."

"Boarding schools for girls are one-of-a-kind, aren’t they?"

"Rare."

"Just outdated. Absurd values."

Emissa’s chosen school is entirely dictated by her parents.

A school where children of politicians and wealthy families gather.

The intention to build connections early is faintly visible.

"Mio’s school… is ordinary, isn’t it?"

"Simple. Cute."

"Both of you can say it honestly. Dull."

Mio’s preferred school has the highest academic rating in the Third Fleet.

For Mio, who already possesses university-level knowledge, there were no other viable options for high school.

"In the end, our schools are all different."

"Can’t be helped."

"If it were Ya, she could probably go to Mio’s school, right?"

"Hmm. Maybe if she stretched a little… but her current choice leans stronger toward literature."

"If Emisa’s the only one left out, she’ll probably cry."

"I won’t cry! I’m more worried about Mio. She’s utterly oblivious."

Emisa presses her index finger against Mio’s cheek, gently but firmly.

Mio lets her do it, then counters.

"I’m not oblivious."

"Who else would try to cook a hot pot at school?"

"I was surprised too..."

"School rules didn’t prohibit it..."

The incident known as the Higashiō Hot Pot Incident had become a minor legend in middle school circles.

The story was exactly as told. On a winter day, Mio brought a hot pot for her lunch.

"Yamato-kun, who just sat down and started eating without hesitation—that was impressive..."

"To be honest, I respected him deeply back then."

In the end, all four of them shared the pot, and all four received a reprimand together.

"I really do worry about Mio being left alone."

"Emissa. I too acquired common sense at fifteen. I won’t make such a mistake again."

"You claim to have learned not to bring a pot to school at thirteen—your assertion holds no weight."

Mio’s credibility when it came to common sense appeared to be remarkably low.