The changing of day and night continues with the rotation of the Earth spinning around the sun.

The temperature, which was hot since morning, has dropped drastically now. The leaves, which were once lush green, are slowly turning yellow as they fall one by one and blown by the cool breeze.

September, the time when autumn replaces summer. Is marked by a change in temperature. Although not much of a difference is felt, some students have already started wearing sweaters because it's more fashionable and comfortable to wear long-sleeved uniforms for some people.

On the other hand, Misaki herself...

"Ah, so comfortable~"

She loves autumn and it is her favorite season because of the pleasant weather, not too hot or cold.

"Saki-chan, you sound like an old man, you know."

Sakura teased, sitting next to her.

"Ignore her, Saki-chan. At least it's better than hearing the teacher come and declare herself sick, right?"

Shinomiya replied, cleaning up the crumbs of cake in Sakura's mouth as she ate carelessly.

They are currently on the balcony, which is a small secret garden in the school.

"Ah~ I really love this season~"

Leaning her head on the table, Misaki acts like a cat, ignoring debate between her two friends. It's a season she always looking forward for every year because it shows a consistent temperature and rare weather changes, making it perfect for her weak body that cannot handle drastic temperature changes.

"Saki-chan, snap out of it! Don't be intoxicated by this weather! - No, wait. Saki-chan looks so cute like this! Let me do something you usually reject!"

"Mugyu~ stay away, Sakura-chan~"

Misaki doesn't even try to stop Sakura from hugging her and just warns her verbally in a doll-like voice.

"Kyaaa! I knew it, autumn is the best!"

Sakura becomes even more enthusiastic now.

"Hmm, it's been more than a week since Saki-chan has been like this."

Shinomiya remarks, observing how Misaki's personality changes depending on the season.

"Hello, ladies. Sorry for a bit late."

From the front, the door opens followed by Endou, who greets them in a narcissistic manner. Kazuto, who follows him, can barely hold back from punching his head once.

"Ohh! Endou-senpai, Kazuto-senpai! Welcome!"

Sakura responds to his greeting cheerfully as usual.

"Yo, Sakura-chan. You seem to be having fun with Misaki. Can I join, yo?"

"Of course, yo!! Come and join, yo!"

"Thank you, yo!"

Endou and Sakura seemed to be on the same wave when talking about Misaki with their strange accents.

"Endou, stop teaching other people's kids strange things."

Kazuto said, pulling Endou's collar as he also wanted to hug Misaki and make her sit down.

"Argh! I almost hugged the cute Misaki-chan in the autumn season!"

He shouted as he cutting off Kazuto.

"And I almost threw you from up here to down there."

Kazuto replied with a disgusted look on his face.

Feeling a high intent to kill from Kazuto, he had to quickly change the topic.

"How is your training going for the upcoming championship?"

"... Like usual. Not too relaxed and not too intense."

Kazuto replied, knowing clearly that he suddenly changed the topic.

"They are lucky to have you in the club, buddy. Treat me after you win, okay."

"Of course. I'll give you a few gallons of water later."

"... That's not the definition of treating someone. How stingy are you really!"

Well... Everything was going smoothly as it should.

---

Staring at the autumn leaves being blown by the wind and falling to the ground, Misaki in a good mood.

"Mmh~ this is how the day should be spent."

After going through various things from last summer, she now gets what she wants. Freedom.

The feeling of being restrained disappeared after that incident passed. And now, all that's left is a memory of the past that she feels is worth result.

"Although I still feel overshadowed by something..."

She murmured as she glanced back where there was no one there. Just trees with leaves adorning them.

"Maybe it's just the wind passing by," she said confidently before turning around. It's still break time. Misaki purposely went downstairs to buy a drink because she wanted something cold. On the other hand, it was just an excuse for her to have some time alone because Kazuto was still being over-protective, walk around her like a bodyguard. And Endou and her friends were also act in not very different way. It was making her a little tired of always being surrounded, even though they were doing it with good intentions. But it was having a negative impact on her, making her feel constrained.

"It's the first time I've seen you walking around on your own."

Just as she walked a short distance, a voice called out to her from the school's boundary fence, surprising her when she saw who was there.

"Shirogane? W-What are you doing up there! That's dangerous!"

Sitting casually on the 3-meter high boundary, Shirogane, who knows when and how he climbed up there, jumped down and landed without incident.

"Y-You, you always appear in strange ways!"

Misaki grumbled at him as he approached.

"What do you mean strange? I just climbed the wall and accidentally meet you at your school."

He said with a light laugh while dusting off his pants.

"How can you call that a coincidence, my goodness!"

Misaki exclaimed, scratching her head in frustration. She became more and more agitated whenever she encountered Shirogane with his strange personality. She didn't understand how his mind worked and it made her feel frustrated. Plus, he hadn't explained anything even though he promised to, igniting her curiosity and driving her crazy! The impression she had from their first meeting about a friendly and easy-to-talk-to person has long disappeared...

God, please bring back the time when I first met him...

No one responded to Misaki's prayers, even though she was sincere.

"Never mind that. Why are you skipping school and wandering around here? Aren't you afraid of getting caught and punished later?"

"Haha, don't worry. I'm covering my uniform with a jacket."

"..."

Misaki couldn't say anything to that excuse.

"Let's find a place to sit."

Misaki invited him to find a more comfortable place to talk, even though she knew she was taking a criminal (a truant) with her.

"Sure."

Shirogane followed her while simultaneously holding her hand, which left Misaki speechless.

How close were Shirogane and Misaki before?

She didn't realize at first. But Shirogane acted as if they are a good friends. But considering Misaki's hostile nature in her past life, it made her curious about how they became close.

Wait... Could it be that they were actually dating at some point!?

Misaki suddenly reached an unfounded conclusion.

Anyway, she didn't know anything because none of them had ever told each other about their past lives. She was curious about Shirogane's past life and the people around her after his death. She also wanted to know how he felt about the death of his parents' killer in the past, whether he did something that caused their death, what he wanted to do next, and so on. But on the other hand, she was afraid of being found out if she tried to ask because she wasn't Misaki, but his 'Senior' in high school. It was clear that she would soon be found out if she tried to discuss her past, especially since she didn't know anything about her sister's life after she died. That made things more difficult for her.

Sitting a little away from the school building, Misaki and Shirogane sat on a park bench. Lucky for them, there were no students or teachers passing by, so no one saw Shirogane's odd presence with his jacket covering his uniform.

Looking at their held hands, Misaki was filled with complicated feelings.

Urggh... Everything feels so complex now, she thought.

"... So—"

When Misaki was about to ask why he came here, her words were cut off by him.

"Autumn... This is a very comfortable time, isn't it? Almost everyone likes the fall season."

Shirogane said, looking at the ground and picking up a fallen leaf.

Misaki became confused as to why Shirogane started a conversation about the season.

After thinking about it, she realized that he hadn't appeared in front of her since last week. Was he busy or something? No, he wasn't an adult going to work. Most likely, he was just out playing like he often did.

"How about you, Misaki. Do you like autumn?"

Shirogane asked, shifting his gaze towards her.

Misaki thought for a moment before answering honestly.

"...Of course I like it. The temperature is almost always comfortable, and it makes me happy because I have slightly sensitive skin."

There was nothing wrong with her answer. It was impossible to hate autumn. It is one of the most beautiful seasons in Japan, especially with the changing atmosphere and scenery when it arrives.

At her answer, Shirogane smiled and nodded a few times.

"I see... So that's how it is."

"Why, is there something strange?"

Misaki asked, puzzled by his behavior.

"No, it's nothing. I was just asking. Oh, by the way, I came to give you this. It's tiring to looking for and make something like this, so..."

Shirogane then flipped Misaki's palm and placed something on it.

"Wow, this..."

A four-leaf clover stem placed in a glassine container was in her hand.

It reminded her of the beads Shirogane had given her when they first met. Only this one had intricate small carvings around it that captivated Misaki.

"So beautiful. But why are you giving it to me?"

She asked while continuing to examine the object in her hand.

Considering his earlier words, she actually wanted to ask how he made it. But she became distracted when both of her hands were joined by Shirogane's hand with the newly given object as the center.

Slightly confused, Misaki looked at Shirogane, who had an unusual expression on his face, staring at her with a pleading look behind his usual smile.

"It's something important. So I want you to always keep it with you and take it wherever you go because I can't always come to you. Remember, you must always carry it."

His slightly pressuring request with that kind of expression made Misaki's mind process it in the wrong way, and she unconsciously asked.

"Is this your way of confessing to me?"

...Ah— darn, why did I ask that!? 

Misaki's nerves finally reconnected, followed by a feeling of regret for asking that question.

On the other hand, Shirogane widened his eyes and was slightly surprised by her question.

"...Ha."

What does "Ha" mean!? Say something else! Misaki demanded upon seeing Shirogane's delayed reaction.

"—Hahaha~"

But he actually laughed, making Misaki feel embarrassed.

"W-Why are you laughing!?"

"—Hahaha. No, I just wanted to say why you said something strange like that. Weren't we a couple in the past?"

Clearly Shirogane, wiping tears from laughing too much.

"Ehh....?"

Ehh?? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttt!!!!!!!!!??????

"Mm, Misaki. Why are you suddenly silent?"

Shirogane waved his hand in front of Misaki's face, who suddenly froze like a statue.

Wait, wait, wait! Is my sister really dating this guy!? What should I do now!? I'm not the real Misaki!

Misaki's head spun with disbelief as the shock she experienced far exceeded with what she could accept.

"...Hey, don't be angry because I played a little prank on you. You know that what I said was a lie."

Shirogane, misunderstanding and thinking that Misaki's silence was a sign of anger, finally stopped teasing her with a slightly awkward face as if afraid of being scolded.

What...??

Misaki, who managed to gather her thoughts back together, then realized that what Shirogane had said earlier was a lie.

"H-Hmph, o-of course. I-I would never d-date y-you."

Misaki said arrogantly, although her voice was trembling. She tried her best to act like her sister so as not to arouse suspicion. Although her acting was poor and only elicited a small laugh from Shirogane. He didn't seem offended by her words.

"Well, whatever. Remember to always carry that thing everywhere. Promise me."

"Yeah, yeah. I promise."

Misaki still didn't understand why Shirogane was so insistent on this and reminded her several times. She then put the item in her sweater pocket.

"And accept this."

Shirogane then took out something else from his jacket pocket and handed it to Misaki.

"I know you're thirsty from all the screaming earlier."

It was a cold canned coffee milk.

He still has the same taste...

Misaki thought to herself. Sometimes she found him holding this drink when they met at the club or when he bought it from a vending machine. She didn't know why he always bought it, but maybe it had become a long-standing habit that couldn't be changed.

Shirogane then stood up from his seat and looked at the time on his phone.

"Hmm, not much time left before the break is over. Sorry for taking up so much of your time."

He said, scratching his cheek.

"Hmph! If you really care. Even so, it was nice talking to you here. But I don't like seeing you skip a class, so don't do it again next time."

"Haha, I can't promise that."

"You are..."

Shirogane ignored Misaki's complaints and walked away.

"I'll go now then. Oh, and next time meet me in the park near your house this weekend. I'll explain everything you need to hear there."

"!! What, what did you just say!"

Misaki immediately stood up after hearing those words and wanted to hear more. But Shirogane had already run off, and even if she tried to catch up, she wasn't sure she would get any explanation from him based on his behavior so far.

"Hmph! Why does he always try to be mysterious. Just because he looks cool..."

Misaki grumbled as she watched Shirogane's back.

"And I wonder what burden he's carrying on his back. He always seems to keep something to himself."

She added as she looked at the cold canned drink in her hand.

"This is still cold..."

She murmured as she made the can touch her cheek.