“I simply cannot understand this, Momoka.”

Inside Class 5-2, Momoka leaned in close until her face was right in front of mine.

She had big, sparkling double-lidded eyes.

Her eyelashes were so long that I couldn’t help envying them.

Her curly black hair was tied into a neat ponytail with gray and pink pom-pom hair ties.

She looked as fashionable as ever today.

“Stardust Bookstore in the station building is a huge bookstore, isn’t it?”

“It’s not a used bookstore.”

“They don’t even buy secondhand books.”

“Huh?

They don’t?”

“And yet he came up with a way to save you on the spot without even mentioning that.”

“That officially makes him your Prince Charming.”

Momoka clasped both hands against her cheeks and sighed dreamily.

According to her, I’d been spacing out more and more lately.

It was the break after first period.

She’d asked what I’d been thinking about while sitting alone at my desk, and I’d accidentally answered.

I told her about the young man who worked at Stardust Bookstore, the one I’d met when I moved here a year ago.

Momoka had sharp instincts.

The moment she heard about him, she immediately pressed me.

“So, is he the one you like?”

In the end, she managed to get the whole story out of me.

I’d actually been thinking that maybe I could tell Momoka.

Just as I smiled to myself—

“Hey, Momoka.”

“Let’s hang out after school today.”

“I want to check out some sheet music at the music store.”

“Come with me.”

Several girls walked over, and one of them, Shiraishi-san, spoke to Momoka.

Momoka was one of the most popular girls in our class.

She had transferred here a year ago.

Back then, she’d found me sitting alone in the library reading.

“That book looks really difficult.”

“Is it interesting?”

“I’ve never read anything like that before.”

“Tell me about it.”

No one had ever said something like that to me before.

I was so happy that I ended up talking endlessly about books.

Momoka also introduced me to all kinds of mysteries and light novels I’d never heard of.

Ever since then, we’d been best friends.

I was so happy when we ended up in the same fifth-grade class.

Shiraishi-san was an excellent pianist and always played the accompaniment during choir performances.

She and Momoka loved talking about their favorite music groups.

Even so, whenever break time came, Momoka always came over to me instead.

I didn’t really know why.

But it made me happy, so I always found myself telling her all kinds of things.

“Sorry.”

“I ended up with something really important to do today.”

Momoka pressed her hands together apologetically in front of her face.

“Aww…”

The girls all groaned in disappointment.

“It’s no fun without you, Momoka.”

“I’m really sorry, Miri.”

“We’ll hang out next time.”

“I promise.”

After Shiraishi-san and the others returned to their seats, Momoka grabbed my arm.

“After school, we’re going to see this guy of yours!”

“Whaaat?!”

I stared at her in shock.

“Are you sure?”

“Aren’t you supposed to hang out with Shiraishi-san and the others?”

When I asked worriedly, Momoka wagged her index finger.

“Listen.”

“This is an emergency.”

“There’s no way I’m passing up the chance to see your first love.”

She steamrolled right over my objections.

And just like that…

It was decided.

Eek…

I wonder if this is really going to be okay.

After school, I reluctantly headed to Stardust Bookstore with Momoka.

We had just reached the main street in front of the station, and the entrance to the station building that housed Stardust Bookstore had come into view.

That was when Momoka suddenly said,

“Hey, want to grab some crepes first?”

“There’s that little wagon just around the corner, right?”

“They’re having a Christmas campaign, and they’re piling on extra whipped cream.”

“Huh?

We can’t.”

“We’re not supposed to buy food on the way home.”

Momoka let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Why are you always so serious, Yumemi?”

“Sometimes you need the flexibility to gracefully slip past the school rules.”

“That kind of thinking is useful when you’re reading books too.”

“How does eating crepes help with reading?”

Sometimes it was really hard to understand the things Momoka said.

“Fine, fine.”

“If you’re that scared of getting caught by a teacher, I’ll just go buy two of them myself.”

“Ah, wait—”

Before I could stop her, Momoka took off running.

Honestly…

Even if she bought them herself, it wouldn’t matter if a teacher caught us eating them afterward.

I didn’t even have time to point that out.