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[Side Story 1] Chapter 0 - The night of the sleepover party.

TL Note: I dunno where to put this, but since it was bundled with volume 1 I've put it after the last chapter of the volume.

Today was like any other day...
A weekend just a few days before the third-term finals.

You'd think it's a crucial time for us first-year high schoolers to focus and study, but...

Haru: "Whaaat! The guy you like is your neighbor, Hikari?!"
Yuki: "Seriously? That's such a childhood-friends cliché, Hikarin!"

Ayami: "Childhood friends, huh... I mean, yeah, that does sound kinda like Hikari."
Hikari: "Hey! Can you not keep yelling childhood friends?! What if he hears you next door?!"

Right now, in the Shirasaka living room -- aka my house -- this chaotic crew of girls is making a racket, completely unconcerned about disturbing the neighbors (or the risk of leaking sensitive information).

Haru: "And you're over at his place every other day? That's basically being a live-in wife!"
Hikari: "Excuse me! I'm just eating dinner with his family in the living room! Nothing else is going on, okay?!"

Haru, the bold and fearless track-and-field athlete, doesn't hesitate to barrel headfirst into my love life.

Yuki: "What a waste! You should've gone up to his room, just the two of you, and made it all lovey-dovey~!"
Hikari: "N-no way... That's like, things you do when you're in elementary school, right!"

Yuki, the effortlessly girly one that isn't part of any club.
She feeds off other people's love stories without a hint of restraint, relentlessly pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Ayami: "Oh, that reminds me! When I got here, I saw a boy going into the house next door. Was that him?"
Hikari: "What?! N-no way, Aya-chan, you actually saw him?!"

Aya-chan, another clubless member, is the experienced (?) one among us.
She's calmer, more reserved compared to the others, and somehow she always seems to see right through me.

Ayami: "Not really, I only caught a glimpse of his back."
Haru: "Why didn't you take a good look at him?!"
Yuki: "Exactly, Ayachin! That's where you're supposed to step up!"

Today, because my parents are out at a family memorial, the four of us gathered at my place for a study session.
In true high-school-girl fashion, we've barely studied. Instead, we spent the afternoon munching on snacks and chatting, the evening eating dinner and chatting, and now, late at night, staying up way too late and chatting.

Haru: "Alright, enough of this! Let's confirm it directly! Yuki, we're going to scout the neighbor's house right now!"
Yuki: "Great idea! Haru, you go ring the doorbell and run, and I'll spy on him from the shadows~."
Hikari: "That's literally illegal! And if you do that, I won't be able to show my face around here ever again!"

We cleared off the table in the living room, laid out guest futons in a big cross shape, and now we're all lying down, faces turned toward each other.
It's turned into a full-on frenzy, with me as the sacrificial lamb in this ridiculous party.
Where did my dignity as the host go?

And so, time passed.

Haru: "Zzz, zzz..."
Yuki: "Mmm... hmm~..."

By the time the clock pointed to around 1:30 am, the chaos had mostly...

Ayami: "The ones who say, Let's stay up all night talking! are always the first to fall asleep~."
Hikari: "Ahaha, Aya-chan, cut them some slack~."

...well, not completely died down, but close enough.
At least, thanks to the noisy duo finally dozing off, I didn't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors anymore.

Ayami: "Seriously, you're all just way too goody-two-shoes. I'm surrounded by little kids."
Hikari: "Wait, Aya-chan, have you really stayed up all night before?"
Ayami: "Oh, plenty of times. I've had a guy keep me up until morning, you know~."
Hikari: "Ughhh, you just had to go there again~."

Even so, I couldn't deny that, just for tonight, Aya-chan's tales had come to my rescue.
If it weren't for her, Haru and Yuki's relentless curiosity about my next-door childhood friend would've exposed everything -- his name, his school, maybe even his life story.

When I was at my wits' end, it was Aya-chan's blunt and shockingly unfiltered anecdotes about her vast male experience that turned the tide.
Her stories left everyone else too flustered or stunned to respond, they were my saving grace.

Like the time she bailed on a paid dating meetup, or when she hit up a love hotel at the crack of dawn, or how she went to the beach with a guy but never made it outside their hotel room.
Tales like that... stories no one knew how to react to... came pouring out one after another.

Thanks to her oversharing, the others started talking less and less, until one by one, they finally drifted off to sleep.
And so, my innocence (?) was spared for another day.

Ayami: "But hey, congrats, Hikari."
Hikari: "Huh? For what?"
Ayami: "Your guy you're curious about has officially leveled up to guy you like, hasn't he?"
Hikari: "Ah... well..."

Come to think of it...
Today was the first time for Haru and Yuki to hear about him, but I had mentioned it to Aya-chan before.
Back when we were all still going through... stuff.

Ayami: "You know, Hikari, I just really want you to be happy."
Hikari: "Huh? Really? Why's that?"
Ayami: "Well, because you're just such a... um, such a good person."
Hikari: "Feel free to finish that sentence honestly, no need to sugarcoat it."
Ayami: "I'm sure it's not just me. Haru and Yuki probably feel the same way."
Hikari: "If you really want me to be happy, then maybe you could quietly support me from the sidelines?"
Ayami: "High schoolers aren't built for being quiet."
Hikari: "Seriouslyyy"
Ayami: "Pfft......"
Hikari: "Ahaha!"

Of the three of them, Ayami was the last one I became friends with.

Ayami: "Thanks, Hikari..."
Hikari: "For what?"
Ayami: "For being friends with someone like me... you know, with all my baggage."
Hikari: "There you go again with that kind of talk~."
Ayami: "But it's true."

Still, the bond we share feels like the strongest one.
No, it's not fair to rank friendships.
They're all equally strong and meaningful.

Hikari: "...Hey, Aya-chan."
Ayami: "Hm?"
Hikari: "Next time, let's have the sleepover at your place."
Ayami: "What......?"
Hikari: "We can take turns hosting, you know? Four times a year, once each season. That way, we all get a turn to chat and stay over."

For now, at least...
Just for moments like this...
It's okay to make the person you're sharing the night with feel like the most important one.

Ayami: "My place, huh... Well, my mom's kind of..."
Hikari: "Oh, sorry! I didn't think about your family situation."
Ayami: "Nah, it's fine... I might have an idea, so maybe I can make it work."
Hikari: "Don't force yourself, okay? I tend to get too pushy about these things, it's a bad habit."
Ayami: "No, really. I want to make it happen, so don't worry about it."
Hikari: "...Alright, then I'm looking forward to it."

Even more than the boy I recently realized I like.

Ayami: "You know..."
Hikari: "Hm?"
Ayami: "There's something comforting about sleeping near someone."
Hikari: "Yeah, I get that."
Ayami: "Doesn't matter if it's a guy or a girl, right?"
Hikari: "Seriously, Aya-chan, do you have to make everything sound so intense..."
Ayami: "Can't help it. That's just the kind of life I've lived."

Aya-chan's face softens, her expression growing hazy, as if she's fading into sleep.
Maybe it's because she's getting sleepy. Or maybe I am.

Hikari: "Goodnight......"
Ayami: "......"
Hikari: "Did you... fall asleep?"
Ayami: "...Not yet."
Hikari: "......"
Ayami: "......"

I'm Shirasaka Hikari, fifteen years old. Turning sixteen later this month.

These girls are my irreplaceable friends.
Friends I want to stay close to. Not just through high school, but for the rest of my life.