Chapter 17

“Wait… that’s… that’s my cheek… Ha!”

Waking up from a nightmare, Fujiwara found himself being licked on the face by a cat.

“…What a dream.”

He had dreamt of being chased by two pudding-like entities that had somehow been anthropomorphized. There was no need for dream interpretation; the cause and meaning were quite clear.

The senior he had bumped into in the changing room—most likely a senior given that he was the only new student besides Nanami—seemed to have not noticed his presence and thus did not give him a serious call like, “Fujiwara-kun, a moment please…”

(But… I should probably apologize… But if they didn’t notice, maybe it’s best if I just forget about it… No, but…)

“Ping pong pan po! Good morning, it’s 6:30 AM. Breakfast orders can be placed until 7:30 AM, so please come before then.”

Suzuri’s voice came through—looking around, Fujiwara saw a small speaker mounted high up on the wall.

“And if you don’t need a morning call, you can opt out. If you don’t stop it, I’ll keep doing it every day, so please let me know. This was Suzuri.”

The last part ended in a casual tone—indicating that getting up at 7 might be quite the effort.

◆◇◆

The washrooms were provided in the west, east, and living areas. Looking in the mirror, Fujiwara saw no signs of the nightmare—no dark circles under his eyes. In fact, he felt slightly warm and had excess energy.

(That person had an incredible figure… But complimenting them doesn’t excuse it. I need to reflect on this.)

He headed to the living room, thinking he should greet the other dorm members if they were around. Contrary to yesterday, Suzuri was dressed in a neat OL (office lady) outfit rather than a jersey.

“Good morning.”

“Oh, you’re up early. Since Akoya is here too, let’s do introductions.”

“Um… Hi, I’m Fujiwara. I’ve just started here from yesterday, so I’ll be in your care.”

Seated at the end of the table was a girl named Akoya, who had her black hair tied in a ponytail.

Although she was supposed to be a girl, she was wearing a boy’s uniform. However, it suited her so well that it didn’t seem out of place.

“…I am Amagi Akoya. As you might have guessed, I’m a descendant of a samurai family.”

(Descendant of a samurai…!)

The idea of her being a modern-day samurai or ninja was quite thrilling, but it was too presumptuous to entertain.

“I am Amagi Akoya. As you can imagine, I am indeed a descendant of the samurai.”

(‘Gozaru’…!)

Each word seemed to grab Fujiwara’s heart. Suzuri, watching this, had her hand over her mouth, shaking with suppressed laughter.

“…This is about my roots. I don’t normally speak this way, so please don’t mind it.”

“Haha… Akoya-chan, you really like that introduction, don’t you?”

“It’s not so much liking it as it is a habit. Nice to meet you, junior.”

“Y-yes, nice to meet you.”

Although she was binding her chest with a sarashi, the reason for her cross-dressing was unclear—though it was not something to inquire about on a first meeting.

“By the way, I’ve already had breakfast and need to go for morning practice. If you’re interested in any club activities, please consider joining the classical swordsmanship club. We teach beginners how to handle a sword from scratch.”

(Classical swordsmanship…!)

“Fujiwara-kun, your eyes have been sparkling since Akoya-chan started talking.”

“…Is that so?”

“Well, it’s just that… I think it’s cool. Swords are great; sabers are nice too, but there’s something captivating about swords.”

Feeling impressed for such a reason might seem rude, but it wasn’t.

“…Cool… me…”

“Akoya-chan is strict but shy. Fujiwara-kun, please be gentle with her.”

“I-I’m not embarrassed! You’d have to do something remarkable to make me blush!”

Her pale skin made her blush all the more noticeable—Fujiwara felt like he might blush too.

“…Ahem. Oh, one more thing. There’s a second-year student named Kashino in Room 2, who can be a bit difficult. I’ll introduce you to her later.”

“Ah, thank you. Kashino-senpai, right?”

“By the way, I’m also a second-year, so we won’t be in the same classes for a while. There are cross-year events though… Well, take your time.”

Akoya-senpai said this and left. The leather bag she was carrying, besides her regular bag, likely contained swordsmanship equipment.

“Kashino… I’m calling her by her first name, but she’s already out today. She has work with the broadcasting committee.”

“Broadcasting committee… That sounds tough, starting so early in the morning.”

Fujiwara hesitated, realizing that Kashino-senpai was the person he had encountered in the bathroom yesterday—she had been searching through the second basket when he was looking for a barrette.

“…Oh, good morning, Shiro-chan.”

Entering the living room from the west hall was Nanami. Fujiwara turned to greet her, following Suzuri’s lead.

“…Good morning.”

Seeing her last night in protective clothing was one thing, but in the morning light, her appearance was dazzling.

Her socks were apparently not regulated by school rules, but Nanami’s combination of a knee-length skirt and thigh-high socks created an obvious “absolute territory.” Fujiwara almost woke up to discover he might have a thing for legs—though he found himself rather flustered.

“Good morning… Hehe, you still look a little sleepy.”

“…Even with the new pillow, I slept well.”

“The tie’s slightly crooked… There, that’s better.”

“…Fujiwara-kun, have you had breakfast yet?”

“Yeah, I’m about to.”

Nanami sat across from him—having breakfast with a classmate was still a fresh experience.

Her long hair was close to white, almost silver, matching her name. She had an otherworldly aura that made her seem almost mystical.

“…I’m sorry about last night, I wanted to take a bath first.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I was perfectly okay.”

As he replied, a cat entered the living room, heading towards the kitchen where Suzuri was. It looked hungry.

“Fujiwara-kun, didn’t that cat come to cause mischief? It’s very smart and even opens doors.”

“Oh, I must have forgotten to close my room door, so that’s how it got in. Nanami, have you thought of a name yet?”

Nanami seemed a bit embarrassed—her cheeks were slightly red, perhaps out of shyness.

“…Since ‘Tsukasa’ is Fujiwara-kun’s name, I thought of naming it after pudding, so… ‘Rin.’”

Why her name would be a candidate was still beyond Fujiwara’s grasp.

“‘Rin’ from pudding, huh? It has a caramel-like color pattern, so I think it’s a good name.”

“Then it’s decided… From now on, it’s Rin. Nice to meet you, Rin.”

Whether Rin recognized this as its name was uncertain, but it rolled over and showed its belly on the floor.