Chapter 93: Graduation ceremony

The morning of the closing ceremony.

The hallway bulletin board was bustling with activity. Students crowded around, chattering excitedly as they checked their freshly posted report cards. The three of us also headed towards the board to see our grades.

As we made our way through the crowd, a path miraculously opened, just like the parting of the Red Sea.
It felt… like déjà vu from the midterm exams.

‘This is so surreal… Oh, my grades…!’

Considering that final exams include both midterm and coursework scores, I expected my grades to be slightly higher. Still, I was worried because I’d completely bombed the finals.

1. Yukikawa Aya – 998 points

2. Asakura Mizuki – 985 points

3. Kurosawa Rina – 970 points

4. Fujimoto Kenichi – 895 points

And… as expected, Aya was in first place.
A near-perfect score.
Aya’s results were truly perfect and overwhelming. She probably only missed one or two questions on both the midterms and finals…
Truly amazing.

And below her was Mizuki.
Although Mizuki might not have been satisfied with her midterm results, after combining her coursework and final exam scores, she’d also achieved an impressive score.

And below that… would be Fujimoto, right…?

…I gasped, covering my mouth in surprise.

“Whoa…?”
“Rina, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, ah… My score is higher than I expected?”

Honestly, I couldn’t believe it.
Me? 970 points?
I got 970 points!!

Even after rubbing my eyes and looking again, the score remained the same.

“Rina, good job.”
Aya, who had been quietly checking the report cards next to me, smiled.

Ah… Being praised by Aya made me feel so flustered…!

“As expected of the Trinity…”
“They’re true monsters.”
“They’re on a whole other level… There’s a huge gap between them and third place.”

Whispers from the surrounding students reached my ears.
I’d heard that this final exam was particularly difficult, causing the average score to drop significantly.
Moreover, Aya, Mizuki, and I were all involved in student council activities, and yet we still achieved these scores…

“The Trinity is truly different.”
“They’re truly top-class.”

Voices of praise and admiration, along with slightly envious glances, were directed at us.
I blushed, feeling embarrassed by the sudden attention. I hid my face in Aya’s embrace.

“Rina-tan?”
“Ugh… Let’s go back to our classroom.”
“Okay~ Today’s the closing ceremony! Let’s hurry back to the classroom now that we’ve checked our scores~”
Mizuki, seemingly uninterested after glancing at the scores, turned around and walked ahead.
I scratched my cheek and glanced up at Aya.

Aya smiled softly, gently took my hand, and led me away from the crowd.
Ah, Aya’s composed demeanor…
This was the Aya I knew from the novel…
But to me, she felt even more amazing than she was portrayed in the story.
Aya…

I loved Aya so much that even after we left the crowd, I leaned my cheek against her shoulder.
Aya smiled gently and let me rest against her.

The closing ceremony began, and all the students gathered in the auditorium.

For some reason, this part felt like watching a scene from an anime where they’d run out of budget and reused animation from a previous episode. Our school was supposed to be incredibly prestigious… But it felt… rushed?
Despite that, Kamisaka-senpai, who was the emcee, skillfully and smoothly conducted the ceremony.

After the principal’s speech, it was Tachibana-senpai’s turn to give the student council address.
‘In the novel, the scene immediately changed after this speech.’
I remembered it transitioning very quickly.
Maybe even the author was too lazy to write the speech scene?
Even now, listening to it in person, I couldn’t really focus on the content.

“…This concludes the student council address.”

Applause erupted in the auditorium as the speech ended.
I lightly clapped along with Aya, who was sitting next to me.

Our faces briefly appeared on the large projector screen, and later, during the awards ceremony for outstanding academic achievement, the three of us went up as representatives of the first-year students.

After that…
Honestly, it wasn’t much different from other closing ceremonies.
As soon as the ceremony ended, students poured out of the auditorium to go home.
Amidst the sea of people, the three of us met as if we had planned it and walked out the school gates together.

“Rina-tan~! Aya-ring~! Summer vacation is finally here!”
“…It feels like it ended so quickly.”
“Yeah, like Rina said, it ended really fast.”

The most excited among us… was, of course, Mizuki, who was jumping up and down. She was already excitedly making plans for summer vacation.

“So, should we do something this summer vacation? It would be a shame to just spend it doing nothing, right?”
“I’m up for anything!”
“Hmm… How about we go on a trip?”
Aya suggested, glancing at the sky.

“A trip~? Aya, is there anywhere you want to go?”
“Hmm… Okinawa? Or Hawaii?”
“Eh…? Aya-ring~ Isn’t Hawaii a bit too much?!”

‘Huh? Hawaii wasn’t mentioned in the novel…?’

Surprised, I glanced at Aya, and Mizuki chuckled.

“Hehehe, okay, okay. Then how about we go to Okinawa or a hot spring? It’s a good place to relax and have fun for a few days.”

“A hot spring? Not bad. But since it’s summer, a beach would be nice. Hot springs are better in winter.”

“Yeah, I agree with Aya. If we’re going on a trip, a beach is better.”

“Then I want to go to the beach too! So~ It’s unanimously decided, we’re going to the beach?!”

Mizuki excitedly raised her hands. Aya and I laughed along with her.

“Okay, first, we’ve decided on Okinawa! When should we go?”
“How about early August?”
“Oh, sounds good~!”

Since Mizuki and Aya had already made plans, I quickly checked my schedule on my phone. Though truthfully, I had nothing planned.

“Early August…! My schedule is clear!”
“Okay, then it’s settled! Okinawa in early August~! So, how long should we stay? Around two nights and three days?”
“Yeah, two nights and three days sounds perfect.”
“Then it’s decided! Two nights and three days in Okinawa, in early August!”
Mizuki neatly summarized our plans and shared a calendar with a circle around the dates in August.

“It would be nice to stay at Aya’s villa, wouldn’t it?”
“Sure. I’ll invite you both to my family’s villa.”
“Yay~!”
“Eh… A villa?!”

Wow, a villa.
Right… I hadn’t really thought about it because we were so close.
They were both daughters from incredibly wealthy families…

But Aya’s villa…
I vaguely remembered some sort of awkward romantic comedy event happening there…
Still, it was a trip with friends, and my first summer vacation trip, so I figured it would be alright.

“Okay, I’ll contact them right away.”
Aya calmly took out her phone and sent an email.
Probably to a relative or her father, I guessed.
Wow. I really have amazing friends.

“Oh! Since we’re going to the beach, should we all go shopping for swimsuits?”
“Eh… Swimsuits?”
“Yeah! Rina, are you the type to wear a school swimsuit?”
“Eeeeek! No!!”

I waved my hands and shook my head vehemently, denying her question…
But somehow, I had a feeling I’d be visiting the department store again this weekend.

“Well, summer vacation is summer vacation~ What should we do today?”
“Hmm… A cat café?”
I suddenly suggested a place that came to mind.
I remembered seeing a cat café a few times while walking down Shirasaki Street.
I’d been meaning to visit… and finally remembered.

“A cat café? Sounds good!”
“I like that.”

Aya smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.
Since Aya was usually quiet and calm, I thought she would get along well with cats. My past self wasn’t particularly fond of cats, but Kurosawa Rina was. In Rina’s memories, there were instances from middle school where she would often pet the stray cats behind the school and give them treats.

We immediately headed towards the cat café on Shirasaki Street.

****

“Welcome~!”

As we opened the door, we were greeted by warm lighting and soft classical music. The gentle scent of lavender filled the air, and we could see cats leisurely relaxing everywhere.

“Wow…!”
I gasped, looking around in awe.
The café was cozy, with cats comfortably nestled on sofas, cat towers, and even in baskets tucked away in corners.

“This place is truly heaven…!”
“Right? It’s so relaxing.”

Mizuki was already stroking a Russian Blue cat perched on her lap.
The cat purred contentedly, snuggling closer to Mizuki.

“Mizuki is already popular.”
“Hehe, that’s onee-san’s charm!”
“Mizuki, how long are you going to keep calling yourself ‘onee-san’?!”
“Heehee, because Rina-tan is so cute~”

I pouted at Mizuki, but she just cooed, “Aww, so cute,” while petting the cat’s chin and stroking its back.

A white Persian cat, looking just like Aya, jumped onto the table, and Aya gently scratched under its chin.
The cat seemed to enjoy Aya’s gentle touch, closing its eyes and relaxing into her hand.

“Aya looks good with cats too…!”
“You’ll get along with them too, Rina. Come here.”

Aya gestured gently, and I cautiously sat next to her.

And at that moment—

“Huh…?”

A small calico cat suddenly hopped onto my lap.
Feeling its soft, round body against me, my heart fluttered, and a smile spread across my face.
“So cute…!”
Trying to contain my excitement, I gently stroked the small cat.
The cat, seemingly pleased, licked my fingertips and let out a soft meow.

“Already getting showered with affection~? Rina~tan”
“Yeah, isn’t she adorable?”

Spending time with the cats melted away all the stress I’d accumulated from daily life.