Chapter 139: Are we studying for the final exam at home?(2)

The weekend arrived. I’d spent Friday night cleaning my apartment with Mom’s help. We scrubbed the floors and tidied up, especially my room. Mom even went grocery shopping early Saturday morning to buy snacks and drinks.

“Ugh…”

I hadn’t realized how much work it was to have guests over. I was so nervous about making a good impression that I’d gone overboard with the cleaning, and now I felt exhausted. As I was relaxing in my newly spacious room, I noticed a message from Aya on my phone.

Or rather, a message that had arrived five minutes ago.

Aya: Rina, I’ll be there soon. Waiting in front of your door!

Eek?! Already?! Five minutes ago meant they’d already arrived. I rushed to the door, and there they were, Aya and Mizuki, bundled up in coats and scarves against the winter chill.

“Rina-tan~!”
“Rina!”
“You’re both here! Good morning!”

It was 1 PM, not exactly morning, but our usual time for study sessions. I let them in, and Mizuki looked around curiously. Aya, having been here before, just smiled politely. Mizuki, on the other hand, looked fascinated.

Well, my family was middle-class, but… this was Tokyo.
My apartment was small; there was no denying that.

Mom greeted them from the living room.

“Welcome, girls~! Rina has told me so much about you. Make yourselves at home.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Yukikawa Aya.”
“Hello! I’m Asakura Mizuki! Rina’s always taking care of me~”
“It seems Rina is doing well in school thanks to you, girls. I’m so relieved. Please, let me know if you need anything.”

Embarrassed by Mom’s fussing, I quickly ushered my friends into my room.

“Come on in! It’s a bit small, but…”
“Aw~ It’s fine! We don’t need a stadium to study~!”

“Yeah, there’s enough space for us to sit.”

But… compared to Aya’s spacious home and Mizuki’s large condo… my room was small.
We set up our portable desks, opened our textbooks and notebooks, and I took out my notes for the finals.

But… it seemed like Mizuki just wanted to hang out at my place. She kept looking around, and then she spotted something on my bookshelf. I was too engrossed in solving math problems to notice until she placed it on the desk – a photo album.

“Isn’t this Rina’s graduation album?”

I looked at the album, my eyes widening. It was my middle school graduation album.

“Wait, Mizuki? Don’t!”
“Heehee, Rina-tan’s past photos~! Time for a viewing~!”
“No! Give it back!”

I tried to snatch the album, but Mizuki was just as fast. I hugged it tightly, trying to pry her hands off, but she was surprisingly strong. She wasn’t trying to actually take it from me; the album might tear, and it was mostly just a playful tug-of-war.

“Aw~ Why not? Can’t we see your childhood photos?”

“There are some embarrassing ones in there! Mizuki, no!”

As we wrestled playfully, Aya, who had been quietly watching, suddenly snatched the album.

“Huh…?”

But one of us was serious.
Mizuki and I stared at Aya. She calmly opened the album, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“…Aya too?!”

As I stood there, flustered and embarrassed, Aya started flipping through the album, looking at the pictures one by one.

Graduation albums were usually just glanced at and then put away, but when I first regained my memories, I’d looked at my pictures repeatedly, trying to piece together my past. Perhaps because of that, the page with my pictures opened easily.

“Rina, you were cute back then.”

Aya’s sudden words made my heart pound. I wanted to disappear. Mizuki peeked over Aya’s shoulder.

“Let me see~! Rina-tan’s dark past!”
“M-Mizuki…! Aya, stop looking…!”

But they ignored my pleas, continuing to flip through the pages.
And… with my past and present memories now fully integrated, I could vividly remember the circumstances of those photos.

My friends insisting I wear makeup for the graduation photos, caking my face with foundation…

The photographer saying, ‘Something looks… off,’ and taking multiple shots…

And finally, the awkward, almost cosplay-like outfit I wore for the “unique” photo…

It wasn’t as extreme as some of the infamous yearbook photos from Korea, but I vaguely remembered wearing something like a witch’s costume from the Harry Potter series.

“Ugh…”

So that was why I’d briefly considered joining the drama club. A minor misunderstanding stemming from a fleeting interest and a hastily written note.

“Give it back… I need to put it away.”

My face burning, I pleaded with them.
They seemed satisfied and handed the album back to me. But Mizuki’s playful spirit was reignited.

“Rina-tan, do you have your elementary school album too?”
“Elementary school?! No, absolutely not!”

Mizuki pulled out another album. I saw the slightly faded cover and screamed.

“No way! That’s my kindergarten album!”
“Kindergarten?! OMG…! Aya, look! Baby Rina-tan!”

Mizuki’s exclamation piqued Aya’s interest, and she immediately joined in, flipping through the pages. I’d been completely exposed, my entire childhood laid bare before them.

“Rina, you’re so cute in this picture…! I have to take a picture of this!”

“Nooo, don’t take pictures!”

Ignoring my protests, Aya grinned mischievously and snapped pictures of my childhood photos with her phone.

My embarrassment was public property, apparently!

****

The “study session,” which had turned into an expedition into Kurosawa Rina’s past, finally ended. We were still wrestling playfully when Mom opened the door with snacks and drinks, catching Mizuki and me tangled on the floor, which led to some… misunderstandings…

Anyway.
It was the least productive study session we’d ever had. Evening was approaching. The textbooks on the table remained untouched. Mizuki closed her book and said in a languid tone,

“What about dinner~?”

“Hmm~ We’ve imposed on Rina-tan enough, so let’s eat out.”

“Okay…”

I nodded listlessly. I wasn’t tired from studying, but from wrestling over the photo albums. I’d eventually given up and joined them in looking at my pictures…

My pictures… were actually cute. I used to think they were embarrassing, but now, looking back, they weren’t that bad. I was often called cute now, so why would my younger self be any different?

“Mom, we’re going out for dinner.”
“Okay. Don’t come home too late.”

Thankfully, we left before Mom started preparing dinner.
The conversation naturally shifted to deciding what to eat.

“What should we have?”
“Since Mizuki suggested Rina’s place, Rina gets to choose, right~?”

“Eh? Um… Well…”

Suddenly given the power to choose, I thought for a moment and then picked a familiar family restaurant on Shirasaki Street. It was the perfect place for a casual dinner and conversation.
Mizuki expertly opened the menu as soon as we were seated.

“Rina-tan! What do you want today?”
“Hmm… I’ll have the hamburger steak.”
“Okay, then I want pasta!”
“What about you, Aya?”

“I’ll have the same as Rina, the hamburger steak.”

We placed our order, and Mizuki immediately brought up that topic.

“Rina-tan’s kindergarten photos were epic~!”

“Ugh… Stop teasing me!”
“But you were so cute. Right, Aya?”
“Yes, definitely cute.”
“Aya too… That’s mean…”

“Heehee, I can’t help but tease you, Rina. You’re too cute.”

We laughed and chatted until our food arrived, just like during our “study session.”
I briefly wondered what would happen if the top three students in the grade all failed… I felt a twinge of anxiety, but somehow, I knew that with Mizuki and Aya… it wouldn’t matter.