When she smiles, the people around her also naturally start to smile. That seems to always be the case. She has a special ability that charms and fascinates people.

I’m sure that anyone would wish for her to be happy, to truly be happy.

That’s why I can’t help but think that fate is cruel.

I keep reading a certain phrase from a certain page of my notebook over and over again.

I seriously can’t believe it. No, I don’t want to believe it.

Would something like this really happen?

[Hayakawa Airi will die.]

It was written in the notebook.

I don’t know what will be the cause of her death.

In my dream, I was staring at her memorial picture.

What I know is that this future event may occur soon. The girl in the memorial picture, me attending the funeral, and the uniform that we wore not too long ago.

It's currently the second semester of my second year. With all those, it could happen as early as this year, or as late as next year.

Based on my past experiences, what I have seen in the future can not be changed.

Even if one were to foresee a future where they would fall, they would not be able to avoid falling no matter how much attention they pay to their footing. Just like the guy from earlier, where his yawning was already set in stone.

In other words, if you were able to see her portrait through precognition, that is what will happen. It is not something that anyone would even want to imagine, someone close to them passing away.

“So, does anyone know the answer to this question?”

“Me, Meee!”

Without waiting for the teacher to call anyone, Hayakawa raised her hand with a clear voice.

“Alright, go ahead and answer.”

“I don’t know!”

“Then don’t raise your hands in the first place!”

“Alright!”

The classroom once again was buzzing with laughter from the conversation that felt like a skit they've planned beforehand. She always tries to liven up the class like this and it always works.

If it weren’t for the precognition this morning, even I might have laughed a little.

I don't dislike her sense of humour, and since it's done in a way that doesn't disrupt the class or become a hindrance, it doesn't cause me any stress.

However, today is a different story.

Every time Hayakawa speaks or laughs, I can't help but remember this morning's dream.

What kind of face should I put on when I interact with her from now on?

Currently, the only interaction I have with her is just chatting occasionally.

The only time I spoke to her was about a year ago, when we happened to talk by chance. And even then, it was only for a few minutes.

So there's nothing really between us to begin with, but when I think about her grave future, I can't help but be unsure about how to interact with her.

Does she know her own future I wonder?

If she is suffering from a serious illness then there is a possibility. However, when I see her carefree smile that seems to sing about life more than anyone else, that possibility becomes infinitely low.

If I knew that I don’t have much time to live, I wouldn’t be able to make that kind of expression.

“Alright, that’s all for today.”

The sudden sound of the bell and the teacher's voice pulled my consciousness, which was trapped in thought, back to reality. Although the class usually feels endlessly long, time never waits for me when I'm lost in thought.

However, in the current situation where I'm not intentionally lost in thought, it was convenient.

When she entered my field of vision, without realising it, I started to think of the precognition. Since a conspicuous girl like her is well-known in the school, I appreciate it when she’s not in the classroom.

At the homeroom after school, the teacher only conveyed the message that "Tomorrow we will decide the groups for the school trip. The destination is Kyoto, and each group will consist of four people," and then we were dismissed.

The classroom, after school, was filled with talks about the school trip.

Speaking as a Yamaguchi resident, opportunities to go to Kyoto are rare unless you're someone who likes to travel. It's already a big event, so it's not surprising that they are making such a fuss about it.

To avoid getting caught up in the commotion, I quickly organised my things and left the classroom.

“Hey, Kouhei!”

As I was changing shoes at my shoe locker, I heard someone call my name from behind. It was the voice of my only friend, Takagi Takashi.

“What’s up?”

“Are you going home?”

“Yeah.”

Takashi also changed his shoes next to me. Apparently, club activities had now started and he was wearing a baseball team uniform that was stained with mud.

Moving one's body in this scorching heat, where the term "heatwave" is appropriate, is nothing but terrifying for me, who lacks confidence in my physical strength. Even simply just changing shoes makes me feel like sweat is about to burst out.

“It's so hot, it must be tough for the baseball club."

"It's tough, but it's also fun! How about joining the club, Kouhei?"

"I’m sure doing it with you will be fun, but I'll pass. I'll probably run out of energy in three days."

When I laughed self-deprecatingly, Takashi laughed it off with ten times the volume, saying “Hahaha, yeah, probably.”

“By the way, Kouhei, about the school trip.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“That was fast, I haven't even said anything yet!”

“Always a new reaction huh?”

I've been friends with Takashi since kindergarten. He's the only person I reach out to, as I don't actively try to socialise with others.

I suppose he intended to invite me to the same group. If he hadn't invited me, I would’ve asked him to join me instead.

As a revenge for being predicted, Takashi pushed his bald head against my cheek.

“Stop it, it tickles.”

"Hahaha, just like a scrub brush right? Well then, I'm off to club activities!"

“Hey, wait a minute.”

I abruptly called out to Takashi who was heading towards the exit with a quick jog.

“Hmm? What is it, Kouhei?”

"For example, if...”

“Yeah?”

“If you were to find out that a person, who he only knows to the extent of recognizing their faces, will die soon, what would you do?"

It was a problem that I, who tend to overthink things, couldn't find an answer to. In times like this, if I consult Takashi, who has a simple way of thinking, the problem usually gets solved quickly.

“Isn't it okay to just keep things the way they are?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, isn't it rude to change your attitude as soon as you find out someone is going to die?"

As expected, Takashi's response was extremely simple and extremely accurate.

“Oh, I see.. That’s true...”

It's my bad habit. Things like the precognitive dream and my sympathy for Hayakawa have been unnecessarily preoccupying my thoughts without me realising it.

As Takashi said, nothing should change just because we know she is going to die. We shouldn't change anything. There is no need to force any distance between us, nor is there a need to become closer than before.

It's fine to keep things the way they have been

“Thanks. I’m glad I talked to Takashi.”

"Kouhei is the type of person who overthinks even things that don't need to be thought about. Try to relax a little more!"

"Yeah. I should learn from you.”

“Alright! I'll go to club activities this time then!"

“Yeah, sorry for stopping you. Good luck on your club activities.”

I also start to head home and follow Takashi as he walks ahead.

Translator note:

~~Hey! Sin (KcinDX) here. It took me a while to finish part 2. Sorry about that! I really needed to finish my projects last week. I’m almost done translating all of chapter 1, but we will continue to release the chapters in parts as I still need to proofread these. Be assured however that the following parts will not take as long of a wait as the 2nd part. The next couple of parts are scheduled to be released every three days until all parts for part 1 are uploaded. Anyways, enjoy the 2nd part!