My Childhood Friend And The Entrance Ceremony

According to my childhood friend, “being a high schooler is a protagonist’s attribute,” apparently.

The gist was that a fair number of anime and manga set in the present day cast a high schooler as their main character.

“There’s way more content out there these days — some stories are set at a company, and even the ones where people head off to another world or get reincarnated increasingly star adults. But still, when it comes to the protagonist attribute for this world’s young folks, it’s gotta be high schoolers!”

At the time I thought, Isn’t that just because everything you watch happens to be that kind of show? I kept it to myself, though, and I remember answering with a flat “Huh” before letting the comment slide.

At any rate, that childhood friend of mine, Sakura Ayuri, had been cheerfully carrying on like this nearly every day since around the time we were about to graduate middle school. And as for her right now, well…

“Mm-mm-mmm~♪”

The entrance ceremony behind us and dressed in the uniform that marked her a high schooler, she hummed to herself, spinning the occasional circle as she walked home beside me. She was in a great mood, plainly enjoying herself. But she was short even for our age, and the way she carried on made her look less like a high schooler and more like a kid who’d just started middle school.

“…Ayu, quit it, that’s dangerous.”
“I’m watching out for cars, so it’s fine!”
“You literally almost tripped a second ago.”
“If that happens, you’ll just catch me again, Gin!”

Haah. But however pointedly I sighed, this childhood friend of mine paid it no mind whatsoever. I’d wondered about it ever since she first started gushing about the high school life ahead of us: what, exactly, was so fun about any of this? The answer was entirely beyond me.

“Okay, stop. Any more of this and I’m telling your mom, or our senior.”
“Whoa there… mrgh.”

When I grabbed her by both shoulders and forced the spinning to a stop, my childhood friend shot me a look of protest. She wore the exact expression of a kid whose game had been interrupted right in the middle. And this was the girl who called herself a reincarnator, which made the whole thing rather comical.

That’s right. By her own account, this childhood friend of mine, Sakura Ayuri, is a reincarnator: someone who carries the memories of a past life… or so she claims.

This, no less, was the very girl who’d been acting like THE Certified Kiddo this whole time.

“…Ayu, you keep telling me you’re a ‘reincarnator,’ right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then let me ask — counting your past life, how many years have you been alive? And what was your gender in your past life?”
“At least past thirty! And my gender before was male!”
“Ugh.”

I’d like to give myself some credit for not taking it all the way and blurting out “So cringe.”

“Nnngh…”

Even though I’d held back to just an “Ugh,” apparently that alone was enough to get across how I felt. The moment she registered my reaction, Ayu went a little meek, her shoulders still in my grip. If she was going to get embarrassed over it, I figured she could stand to act her mental age and settle down a little. But she’d quieted down, so all’s well that ends well, I suppose.

“Honestly. Looks aside, on the inside she’s a perfectly grown adult, and yet she’s being this ridiculous…”
“…Gin, thinking people turn into adults just by piling on the years is a mistake. If anything, it’s precisely when you’re freed from all sorts of heavy responsibilities that the restraints come loose, see…”
“Whatever the reason, twirling and dancing your way home out in the open is dangerous, isn’t it.”
“Mrgh. Seriously fair point.”

Since she finally looked convinced, I released her from my hold. Honestly, when our other childhood friend or her other friends are around she’s a bit more normal, but the moment it’s just the two of us she drops all reserve, which makes her a real handful.

“Seriously, what’s so fun about any of this. Meanwhile, my long break’s finally over and my sluggishness is maxed out.”
“Oh? Are you feeling gloomy about the days ahead, Gin? In that case, let me get you imagining a fun high school life—”
“I’ll pass — you’ve drummed it into me plenty already. Besides, the source for this high school life you keep describing is either secondhand stories or manga and anime, so it’s not reliable.”

At that, Ayu let slip a “You’ve got me there…” and this time genuinely settled down.

Maybe I’d said a bit too much. Still, I’d only just moved up from middle school to high school myself, so naturally I couldn’t help being conscious of the road ahead. Ayu was a special case; she’d supposedly been through it all once before, though I wouldn’t really know. But for someone like me, feeling anxious about an unknown future was only normal, surely.

“…Gin, we’re already right in front of your place.”
“Oh, you’re right.”

While I’d drifted off in thought, we’d already reached the front of my house. Well, then. My babysitting for the day ended here; once I got back to my room, I’d take it easy and play some games.

“See ya, Ayu. Tomorrow, then.”
“…Ah, wait, Gin!”
“…What?”

What could this dopey girl possibly want now? I turned my gaze on my childhood friend, loading it with all the I’m completely in a solo-game mood today, so I’m not playing with you I could muster. In response, she came up to me all smiles.

“Here, this is for you.”
“What’s that? …A throat lozenge?”
“Yep! We couldn’t bring snacks in middle school, so from now on we get to carry them around out in the open!”
“…Class let out before noon today, so what are you even going to do with snacks you’ve already brought?”
“Ehh? But it’s tasty, y’know? This stuff.”

As she said it, she pushed the individually wrapped candy into my hand, whether I wanted it or not.

“…This is Ryukakusan, isn’t it. I’m not really a fan of that menthol tingle, though.”
“It’s blueberry flavor, so it doesn’t sting all that much, and it’s tasty, see? I figure eating something nice’ll help take your mind off things… well, see ya!”
“Ah, hey—!”
“See you, Gin! Let’s keep it up starting tomorrow, too~!”

Once she’d made sure I’d fully accepted the candy, Ayu dashed off home. Honestly, her place is close enough to mine that it takes maybe five minutes to get there, if that. If I truly couldn’t stand this candy, I could chase her down right now and shove it back at her. I could… but, well…

“Cheering someone up with a piece of candy — what is she, some auntie from Osaka?”

Still, it had come from my peculiar childhood friend, so I figured I’d just accept it. Handing it back would’ve been a hassle anyway. With that, I tore open the wrapper and tossed the candy into my mouth.

…This is actually pretty good, maybe.

Well, she was a weird, rowdy sort, sure. But even so, with her around, my high school life starting tomorrow would probably turn out fun one way or another; at the very least, I wouldn’t be bored. A little irked that my gloom had eased up a bit, just as Ayu had predicted, I opened the front door and stepped inside.

✳✳✳

This is the first proper novel I’ve ever written. It’s also my first time posting a work on a site like this, so I’m sure there are plenty of rough edges, but I hope you’ll bear with me.