{Satou-san does not wear Makeup}

Saturday afternoon was beautifully clear with autumn weather.

The wind was colder than I expected, so I was glad I had brought a jacket. It’s supposed to get cold quickly as the month changes.

As I walked down the path to the station, I glanced at the street trees shedding their leaves.

Even though I probably wouldn’t make any great memories at the cultural festival, not everything was bad.

I had managed to arrange a weekend meeting with Satou-san under the pretext of buying costumes.

Considering I’m a student preparing for exams and Satou-san is job hunting, it had been a while since we had met outside of school. Perhaps that’s why she seemed a bit nervous. Every time the wind blew, she would fuss with her bangs, stopping to fix them.

Lately, my mind had been occupied with worries about the play, and my exam preparations weren’t going well. That’s why I wanted to see Satou-san. I would have liked to meet her more often, but unfortunately, we were still just classmates. Given that both of us were in critical periods regarding our future paths, it was hard to invite each other without a specific reason.

In this case, though, it was her invitation.

That made me very happy.

Whenever I met Satou-san, we always agreed to meet in front of the station.

She would walk over, and I would take the bus, making the station area a convenient meeting spot since the travel times matched up.

When I arrived at the station square, Satou-san was already there. She wore a black cardigan, denim jeans, and a white scarf—an outfit that, frankly, was not very stylish. Her hair was also styled in the same simple ponytail as usual.

Before I impulsively rushed over, I glanced at my watch.

1:15 PM. Since our meeting was scheduled for 1:30 PM, we both had arrived early.

“Satou-san.”

I walked over and called out to her.

She looked up with a start, saw me, and smiled with relief.

“Oh, Yamaguchi-kun! You’re early.”

“You’re early too, Satou-san?”

Perhaps because of the cold autumn wind, Satou-san’s cheeks and ears were flushed. She nodded as if burying her face in her scarf.

“Yeah. I got here before one.”

“Really?”

I was taken aback.

That meant I had kept her waiting for quite a while. It’s one thing to wait, but I felt sorry for making her wait. I hurriedly apologized.

“Sorry, I should have come a little earlier.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I came early on my own. Don’t worry about it.”

“You could have let me know you were early.”

“I couldn’t say that. You came at the right time, so it’s fine.”

Satou-san shook her head.

Then she looked towards the station building and continued.

“I had something to do at the station, so I came early. Really, don’t worry about it.”

That’s when I noticed the small booklet she was holding in her reddened hand.

“Did you get a timetable?”

“Yeah.”

Satou-san answered casually.

“I’m going to start working in the spring. I went ahead to check out the commuting route.”

I was taken aback.

“Oh, I see.”

I knew Satou-san had chosen employment over further studies after graduation. She was the only one in our class who wasn’t pursuing higher education. While we were busy with exam preparations, she had been focused on job hunting. Since she was more experienced in job hunting, I had even promised to seek her advice once I became a university student.

Even though I knew about it, I was still more surprised than I expected.

It struck me now that she was truly about to enter the workforce.

So, has she already decided on a job? I should have been able to say congratulations spontaneously, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come.

Satou-san told me, noticing my stiffness.

“I haven’t told anyone but the teacher yet, but I’ve got a job.”

“Oh, really?”

“Well, it’s at a place where my relative works. It’s a clerical job at a bento shop. It’s a bit far, so I’ll need to take the train. I just wanted to get used to it beforehand.”

Satou-san, who spoke like this, looked more mature than usual.

Even though she was dressed in the same plain outfit, with her hair in the same unadorned ponytail and minimal makeup, her expression was bright and her eyes sparkled. To me, she seemed dazzling.

I swallowed hard.

I couldn’t quite figure out why, but despite Satou-san’s bright demeanor, I felt a vague sense of unease.

Perhaps it was more of a loneliness than anxiety. Maybe it was because she had decided on her path before me and I was still focused on entrance exams. But it felt different from that as well.

No, it didn’t matter. There was something I needed to say first.

“Um, congratulations.”

I said my congratulations after quite a delay.

I felt my tone was awkward even to myself.

“Thank you.”

Satou-san responded with a completely natural smile.

“I can’t quite feel it yet, though. Just thinking about starting work in the spring makes me wonder if I’ll be able to do it well or if I’ll be able to keep it up, and a lot of anxieties come up.”

“You’ll be fine, Satou-san.”

I wanted to encourage her.

“You’re already serious enough to check the commuting route ahead of time, so I’m sure it will go well. I think you’ll stick with it.”

Her seriousness was certain. She was clumsy and not very perceptive, and I had many concerns about other aspects, but Satou-san had many good qualities.

So, I wanted to believe she’d be fine.

I wanted to believe it even if I had no real basis for it.

“You make me feel more confident when you say that.”

She said cheerfully and then looked at her watch. Smiling, she urged me.

“Oh, sorry for the long chat. Shall we go to the store now?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

Then, side by side, we started walking towards the shopping street in front of the station.

As we walked side by side under the arcade of the shopping street, I occasionally stole glances at her profile.

Even though she was out with a guy, she wore no makeup—just a bit of lip balm. Her ponytail showed no effort, and her clothes were plain. The person next to me was the Satou-san I knew well.

But maybe she would start wearing makeup in the spring.

Once she starts earning her own money, she might start dressing more fashionably. Her lips might gain color, or she might change her hairstyle. She might even wear a suit. She might end up becoming much more mature than me.

Our time as classmates would end in March.

From April, we would each be on separate paths, and there would be fewer chances to be next to each other. Even if the time we can’t see each other increases, I hope Satou-san will keep smiling. I hope she will enjoy her new life as a working adult.

But I also hope she wouldn’t change too much.

A vague sense of loneliness passed through my chest, and I couldn’t say anything until we reached the store.