{The Candy That Satou-san Gave Me}

I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder from my right side.

Knowing who it was, I slowly turned my gaze.

With her hair tied in a single knot and her innocent smile, it was the usual Satou-san.

“Hey, Yamaguchi-kun. Do you want a piece of candy?”

In her hand was a bag of store-bought candies.

I had seen her giving them out to other kids a little earlier. I had guessed she might want to share with me too, and she really did. Satou-san likes to share.

“It’s strawberry milk flavor. If you’d like, I can give you a piece.”

Even though the product name was clearly printed on the front of the bag, she went out of her way to explain it.

“Thanks. I’ll take one.”

I modestly expressed my gratitude and reached out my hand.

Satou-san then put her fingers into the candy bag and seemed to try to pick out a piece.

At that moment, the bus jolted.

“Oh!”

The candy Satou-san had picked out fell to the floor.

It rolled to a stop at my feet.

“I’m sorry, Yamaguchi-kun.”

“It’s okay. It’s fine.”

This sort of thing happens often. I’m used to it.

Besides, it was a candy wrapped in a wrapper. I bent down amidst the swaying bus and picked up the candy that had fallen beside my shoe.

Then I told Satou-san once more.

“Thanks.”

“Oh, no. I can’t give you the one that fell.”

Satou-san immediately shook her head, but there were still plenty of candies in the bag she was holding, and it looked a bit precarious. If they all got dumped out, it would be a mess.

So I shook my head in return.

“It’s fine. It’s wrapped, after all.”

Then I unwrapped the candy and popped it into my mouth.

As I expected, it had the sweet taste of strawberry milk.

“Sorry about that. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Satou-san clasped her hands together and smiled, leaning back against her seat.

The auxiliary seat Satou-san was sitting in creaked every time the bus jolted, and it didn’t look very comfortable.

We were now in Hokkaido.

The long-awaited three-night, four-day school trip had finally begun.

After we had ignored the greetings at the assembly, boarded the plane, and landed at the airport, we got on the bus. Despite being surprised by the chillier than expected weather in Hokkaido , everyone was already enjoying the trip.

Satou-san was the same. She had been in high spirits, smiling, and chatting happily with the girl next to her, and even giggling with her. It was nice to see her so happy.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t in the mood to get overly excited.

I didn’t want to look childish by acting like a fool. The crisp Hokkaido air, the clear blue sky, the rather pretty bus guide, and the tightly packed schedule of the school trip were all enjoyable, but not enough to get me overly excited.

Satou-san, however, seemed to have a knack for being easily pleased.

She was the most enthusiastic, trying to make the most of every moment on the bus. Even casual conversations with the girl next to her seemed incredibly fun. The cheerful voices and excited laughter made it hard for me not to smile along, which was a bit troubling.

By the way, I wondered if she had managed to talk with her friend in Hokkaido after all.

Although she had said something pessimistic about hoping to see them by chance, I hoped she had managed to make some kind of arrangement.

I didn’t know the details, but the distance from where we lived to Hokkaido was too great for high school students. It would be rare to meet up otherwise, and since Satou-san had been so eager to see her friend, I hoped she had managed to arrange something.

Suddenly, the microphone was turned on, and a piercing sound was heard.

“You will soon see the clock tower on your left.”

The bus guide, who appeared to be in her early twenties, pointed to the left with her white-gloved hand.

We all turned to look out the window. The bus had entered a downtown area, and we could see the white clock tower, which I had only seen in photos, standing amidst a cluster of hotels and tall buildings.

“Oh, the clock tower.”

Satou-san said softly beside me.

When I glanced sideways, I saw her eyes wide open, trying to see the view outside the window.

With her mouth slightly open, she stared intently at the passing scenery.

I wondered how she could be so absorbed. I wasn’t that interested. Half in disbelief and half in admiration, I kept stealing glances at Satou-san’s profile.

When the bus guide began explaining about the clock tower over the microphone, everyone’s faces and gazes returned to the front.

Satou-san, likewise, turned to face forward, listening to the explanation with a serious expression and nodding.

Whether she retained the information about when the clock tower was built or its historical significance was doubtful. After all, this was Satou-san. If she could remember this much, she would have gotten better grades.

But I was the same. I hadn’t really looked at the clock tower or listened to the explanation. I was more interested in watching Satou-san’s face.

Is it rude to say it was interesting?

But it was the truth. I found it endlessly fascinating to watch her.

Even though I see her at school every day and she isn’t particularly cute or beautiful, it was strange.

Satou-san suddenly turned towards me.

“Hey, Yamaguchi-kun.”

The distance between us seemed closer than when we were in the classroom.

Without caring that I was surprised by our eye contact, she whispered softly.

“You saw the clock tower, right? It was just like I heard.”

The bus guide’s explanation was still ongoing.

So I nodded vaguely without speaking.

“It was small and really cute.”

Satou-san said with a nostalgic tone.

As expected, it seemed she wasn’t paying any more attention to the bus guide’s commentary.

But I imagined it would remain vividly in her memories.

Even if she couldn’t remember when it was built or why it was built, I felt Satou-san wouldn’t forget what the clock tower looked like.

All I remembered was Satou-san’s expression.

And the detailed data from the school trip brochure and the image of the clock tower from the photos. I was so focused on Satou-san’s face that I didn’t have time to look at the scenery. Even though I see her every day, it was puzzling.

The candy was melting in my mouth.

Among the spreading sweet and gentle taste, I found another memory that was hard to forget.

The sweetness of strawberry milk, the clock tower I missed, and Satou-san’s profile.

It was all bundled together into a single memory.