I,Nishimiya Aoi-- left my hometown and enrolled in a high school a little far away.

　There are many reasons why I left my hometown, but I think the biggest reason was that I was tired.

　No, this was just an excuse and he actually just ran away.

　When I told my parents that I wanted to go to a high school far away, they were very worried, but after about a week, they recommended one high school to me.

　The high school wasn't particularly special; if I had to say one thing, it was that it was a combined junior and senior high school, and it was a high school that I could have gotten into if I studied hard, given my academic ability.

　When I asked them why they recommended this high school, they simply said, "You'll understand when you go," and didn't tell me the reason.

　However, to be honest, I was a little relieved that I no longer had to convince my parents, which was the biggest hurdle in my decision to leave my hometown.

　Furthermore, since I did not have the academic ability to enter university with ease, I had to prioritize studying over spending time asking my parents questions.

　I didn't even bother to take time to sleep; in fact, I was so afraid of sleeping that I rubbed my sleepy eyes and studied desperately.

　Time passed, and after I finished my entrance exams I was preparing to move.

　Yes, I was accepted into the high school that my parents recommended.

　I thought my parents would be very worried because they couldn't come with me due to work commitments, but they sent me off surprisingly calmly.

　Well, it's not like it's a final goodbye, so maybe they doesn't mind that much. I have been helping out with the housework for a long time, so I can do most of it, and I was pretty good at cooking.

　So I came all the way from my hometown, now wearing my slightly oversized uniform, and checking my class.

"O-O……?"

　There I found one name.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

　--Takanishi Shiori She's my childhood friend who moved away five years ago due to her parents' circumstances.

　Perhaps it was the same person. With this hope in mind, I headed to my classroom.

　There were already several students in the classroom, and I wasn't sure if it was because it was an integrated junior high and high school or if it was because they were meeting each other for the first time, but they were all engaged in lively conversation.

　Among them, there was one student who stood out.

　She was sitting in the seat one seat away from the back by the window and was reading a book, when she looked up for just a moment and, catching sight of me, opened her eyes slightly before quickly returning her gaze to her book.

　Thinking that she was a beautiful woman, I checked my seat on the seating chart posted on the blackboard.

"O-O……"

　I was so shocked that I froze.

　Because I found out that the beautiful literary girl was named Takanishi Shiori.

　At the same time, I thought she was a different person from my childhood friend, Takanishi Shiori, because the Takanishi Shiori I knew was more playful, or more cheerful, and in any case, not the type of person who could sit still and read a book.

　Feeling a little disappointed, I slumped to my seat.

　At that moment, I felt like I was being looked at by Takanishi-san, the student who had been reading the book earlier, but I decided it was just my imagination and sat down in my seat.

　I was just sitting there, daydreaming with nothing to do, when I felt people looking at me. When I turned my attention to it, I realized they weren't looking at me, but at Takanishi-san, who was sitting in front of me.

　Feeling a little embarrassed, I looked at her, only able to see her back.

　Her characteristic hair, which reaches down to the middle of her back, is a glossy, wet-colored hair color, and seems to shine in the sunlight coming in through the window. Her back is perfectly straight and kept vertical, and although I can't tell exactly because she's sitting, she's considerably taller than me. ...Well, maybe I'm just short.

　I only got to see her face for a moment, but she had big, sharp eyes and a straight nose, and I got the impression that she was more of a cool beauty than a cute one.

　(She was a very beautiful woman, so it was only natural that she attracted attention.)

　Having come to that conclusion, I turned my gaze from her to my desk and waited for time to pass.

　The entrance ceremony went off without a hitch and everyone was dismissed for the day, so I immediately went home.

　I wasn't quite finished unpacking, so I finished it at this time and did some cleaning and laundry, and it was already night, so I cooked dinner, took a bath, and went to bed.

　I don't really like this time to go  bed. I sometimes get anxious and can't sleep because I think I might dream about things from the past.

　But today, I was able to sleep peacefully without feeling the anxiety I usually feel.

　I think I probably dreamed about my childhood friend that day.

　I say I think I had one because the bad dreams I usually have stay in my memory, but I can't clearly remember today's dream.

　Even though I met someone with the same name as my childhood friend, I still felt a little embarrassed about having a dream about a childhood friend I haven't seen in years, but I also felt a great sense of relief.

　I can't remember much about the dream, but I think someone probably stroked my head.

　Even so, was she really that big? Well, I've always been shorter than her and we haven't seen each other in years, so I guess my memories of her were affecting me.

　After finally getting a good night's sleep for the first time in a while, I started getting ready for school, thanking my childhood friend for appearing in my dreams.