Hey there!

Nice to meet you all.

How’s everyone doing?

I’m Sonoeda Momoka.

People usually call me Momoka, and I’m Yumemi’s best friend.

The crepe stand is just around the corner, and I’m currently sprinting toward it.

So anyway, I’m a little busy right now, so that’s enough of an introduction!

Huh?

I slowed my pace a little as I ran toward the crepe stand.

A loud shout echoed from around the corner.

It sounded like an older man.

Good grief.

I let out a sigh.

Adults who immediately start yelling are the worst.

Do they seriously think raising their voices will make people do what they want?

As I was thinking that, a burly man stepped around the corner, just as I’d expected.

He was shouting into his smartphone.

So he was the source of all the noise.

“You’re in the way.”

He grabbed my arm with all his strength and shoved me aside.

“Ow!”

As he pushed me, my body bumped into his right arm, and something fell from his hand.

Clicking his tongue, the man bent down and picked it up.

“This is exactly why kids are such a nuisance.”

“What are you going to do about this?”

The thing he brushed off while its torn pages fluttered was a copy of The Flying Classroom.

It was one of my favorite books too, thanks to Yumemi introducing me to Kästner.

“You’re the one who shoved me.”

“Don’t make false accusations.”

The company president glared at me.

“What did you say?”

“Say that again.”

I’d say it as many times as necessary.

“I said you’re making false accusations.”

“And more importantly, shouting in the middle of town is embarrassing.”

“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”

“You’re bothering everyone around you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“So you’ve never caused trouble for anyone in your life?”

He was changing the subject.

“Whether I’ve caused trouble before isn’t what’s being discussed right now.”

“The issue is whether your behavior is acceptable as a human being.”

“It seems words alone won’t get through to you.”

This time, the man grabbed me by the collar.

The chain of my favorite heart-shaped necklace snapped.

Ah.

This might be bad.

For the first time, I panicked.

Yumemi always praised me for standing up against things that were wrong and having a strong sense of justice.

But she also said it was one of my worst habits.

Unlike in books, being honest in the real world could sometimes bring disaster.

He’s going to hit me.

I braced myself and squeezed my eyes shut.

At that moment, there was a sharp smack.

Something rainbow-colored grazed past my neck.

The man jerked his hand back in pain, releasing me.

The object spun rapidly across the ground before finally falling over.

It was the rainbow-colored thing that had struck his hand—

A painter’s palette covered in beautiful colors.

From the direction the palette had come, a calm voice spoke.

“Even if you’re the president of a major publishing company…”

“No.”

I turned toward the voice.

“It is precisely because you’re the president that you should uphold proper morals.”

Standing there was a boy.

Even though I was already near the back of the line in height among the fifth graders, he was still a full head taller than I was.

His pale skin and refined features made it obvious he was foreign.

His dark hair carried a brown tint, and his matching eyes were sharp and intelligent.

“Please leave.”

“Immediately.”

The boy spoke firmly.

The man merely snorted.

“And what if I refuse?”

Without the slightest sign of hesitation, the boy answered calmly.

“Then I’ll report everything I just witnessed.”

“One of my acquaintances is among the honored guests invited to your company’s ‘120th Anniversary Celebration of Kästner’s Birth’ next month.”

Huh?

This man was involved in organizing a celebration for Kästner’s birthday?

Someone like him?

That was unbelievable.

“Please use this instead of the original copy that was damaged.”

The book the boy held out had a large, dark crimson cover.

The title, of course, was The Flying Classroom.

The company president snatched it from his hands before stomping away in a foul mood.

“Thank you for making the wise decision, President.”

The boy watched the large man’s retreating back as he spoke.

Good grief.

A wonderful book like that…

And someone so awful was carrying it.

I brushed off my favorite black miniskirt with its pink heart pattern.

I hadn’t actually fallen to the ground, but it felt like a way of cleansing myself after that encounter.

“That was close.”

“Are you alright?”

The boy looked at me with concern.

Then he added,

“You were amazing back there.”

“You deserve my respect.”

“Ehehehe.”

Being praised in such an old-fashioned way was embarrassing.

Looking up at him, I guessed he was probably a middle school student.

I had plenty of guy friends, but he was so different from the boys in my class that it threw me off.

“You’re the amazing one.”

“You actually beat that stubborn old man.”

“This is far from enough.”

“We came here to teach him a lesson.”

“…Huh?”

I blinked in confusion and asked him what he meant.

He quickly looked away.

“It’s nothing.”

“The copy of The Flying Classroom that the president had earlier.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

“A friend who loves books introduced it to me.”

“I really admire Justice.”

Justice was the teacher who appeared in The Flying Classroom.

“I thought so.”

“I love all the other characters too.”

“Not just the adults, but of course all the mischievous children as well.”

“Especially the main character, Martin!”

“He’s so cool.”

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

The quiet words of thanks caught me completely off guard.

Thank you…

For what?

I wasn’t even sure whether I’d heard his soft voice correctly.

I found myself staring blankly at the smile on his face.

It was such a gentle smile that I could only describe it as adorable.

Before I realized it, he was gone.

The palette that had been lying nearby had disappeared too.

Only then did it occur to me that I’d never even asked for his name.