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My day duty work was finished, and morning homeroom was close at hand. I was finally able to return to my own seat.
Somehow, I felt like there was an unusually large amount of stuff to carry today. I'm twice as tired as usual.
By the way, the seating order is Kuonji, Kurashiki, Sanada, and Jumonji according to their numbers.
However, Neika is too small. Conversely, Ryuya is too big, so the seating order was changed.
As a special case, the order has been changed to Jumonji, Kuonji, me, and Kurashiki.
Of course, we didn't ask for this. It was the kindness of our homeroom teacher.
Thank you, Sensei♡ (with murderous intent).
"Haaa..."
"Hey, don't sigh right behind me. Your gloomy atmosphere is hitting my sacred self."
"...Oh, you were there?"
"I was here!"
Don't pick a fight with me from the start of the morning. It's exhausting.
Kuonji turned around with a face that looked like she wanted to complain. Oh? You want to go, punk?
But when she saw the 『Red Thread of Fate』 connecting us, she groaned hatefully and turned back to the front.
Ryuya, who was watching from behind, muttered in surprise.
"Heh... Kuonji backed down. That's a rare sight."
"I-I guess so."
"Akito, did you do something? Did she finally lose interest in you?"
Honestly, it would be many times better if she had lost interest.
I won't say that to Ryuya, though, because he'd probably start getting suspicious.
"Ah well. Watching this married couple's comedy routine is my daily entertainment, though."
""We're not a married couple! ...Hmph!""
"Oh, nice couple."
I told you we're not a couple... whatever.
Haaa... until yesterday, she was just a girl I didn't like and didn't get along with... Can things really change this much in just one day?
The 『Red Thread of Fate』 is terrifying...
I look at the ring finger of my left hand again.
A thread of a scarlet color that goes beyond red. A mysterious thread that I can't touch even if I try, and that passes through physical objects.
Only the people involved can see the thread, and you can't tell who else is connected to whom.
Seriously, what is this thing...?
"Hey, hey, Aki-emon. I'm bored, pay attention to me."
"Stop it, don't pull my clothes. Besides, the teacher will be here in about five minutes."
"There's something we can do."
"What?"
"About your fated person."
Tsk, so he hadn't forgotten.
And Kuonji. Don't twitch in reaction, you'll give it away.
"Lunchtime is fine, right? Neika isn't here right now anyway."
"Oh, you're surprisingly willing. Alright, it's a deal."
Honestly. Are people really that interested in someone else's fated person...?
After that, while I was having a trivial conversation with Ryuya, the teacher entered from the front of the classroom.
A young female teacher wearing glasses.
She is tall and slender, characterized by a ponytail that sways with every step and large breasts. She has a crisp atmosphere that makes her popular among both men and women.
It's Sanzenin Maaya-sensei.
As Sanzenin-sensei stood at the podium, she looked over the class with her sharp violet eyes.
"...Now, Class President Suwabe, the greeting."
"Yes. Stand up, attention, bow. Good morning."
"""Good morning."""
At the command of Suwabe-san, the class president, everyone gave their greeting.
This class has a surprising number of gyarus and mischievous-looking students, but they are very proper about things like this.
"Good morning. Now, as for today, as you all know, it is the Day of Destiny. Therefore, during the first period's Japanese class, we will study the Day of Destiny and the 『Red Thread of Fate』."
The room buzzed.
...Are we really studying this again at this point?
We've been learning about the Day of Destiny and the 『Red Thread of Fate』 since we were little.
It feels a bit late for this, but... well, if the teacher says we're doing it, we have no choice.
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After homeroom ended, it was first period.
Sanzenin-sensei distributed several handouts and wrote on the blackboard.
The title was: 【About the Day of Destiny】.
"As you all know, today is the Day of Destiny. And on the ring finger of your left hand, you should be able to see the 『Red Thread of Fate』."
The whole class looked at their left ring fingers.
Indeed, it's connected... to Kuonji.
"In fact, those red threads are divided into meanings by color. Please look at the handout in your hands."
Heh... I didn't know that. Let's see.
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Red (90% of total): The general color of the thread.
Pink (4.5% of total): Excellent physical compatibility. You will fall in love with the person who comes to mind in an instant.
Vermilion (4.5% of total): Excellent economic compatibility. If you are with your fated person, you will never have to worry about finances.
Scarlet (1% of total): The strongest color, possessing the best traits of both Pink and Vermilion. Compatibility so good it can only be described as a miracle.
◆◆◆
Haha, I see.
I check the intensity of the thread's color with the identification chart on the separate sheet.
Naturally, it's not pink.
It's not... red. It's way darker than red.
It's not vermilion either. This thread is darker.
Scarlet... wait? Isn't it even darker than scarlet?
...Oh, there's something written in small print at the bottom of the handout.
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Furthermore, there is a color above Scarlet called 【Dark Scarlet】.
A color that is a miracle among miracles, with only a few cases confirmed in the entire world to date.
Physical Compatibility: Dozens of times better than Pink. Just by touching each other, you won't be able to stop your feelings for the other person.
Economic Compatibility: Dozens of times better than Vermilion. If you start a business, it will undoubtedly become one of the world's leading large corporations.
Below is for Dark Scarlet identification ↓↓↓
◆◆◆
Hoho, I see. Our thread is exactly the same color as Dark Scarlet!
...Hey, are you serious...?
Kuonji, sitting in front of me... her body is trembling.
I can't see her face, but since even her ears and the nape of her neck are red, she seems quite angry.
"Everyone, have you identified your color? Now, let's look in the direction the thread is stretching. At the end of it, you will find your fated person."
Ugh... the direction it's stretching...
Kuonji's body jolted, and she timidly, slowly turned around.
Moist scarlet eyes.
Her mouth was moving nervously.
Not just her face, but her neck was completely red.
That face, no matter how you looked at it, wasn't anger. It was an indescribable expression of shame and confusion... and even a little bit of happiness.
And probably... I'm making a similar face too.
How do I know? Because I feel the same way.
"Now, let us pray toward the direction it stretches. Join your hands together, dreaming of the day you can meet."
I'm sorry, we've already met.
But looking around, everyone, male and female alike, were joining their hands. It's... not like we can just not do it...
I gulped.
Resolving myself, I joined my hands, and Kuonji also hurriedly joined hers and squeezed her eyes shut.
Kuonji and I faced each other, closed our eyes, and prayed.
And at the same time, we both thought.
──How did it end up like this?