The classroom after school is quiet, sunlight leaking in through the windows and dust drifting lazily in the air.

Eguchi stands before the blackboard, eraser in hand, stretching her arm as far as it can go.

“…Nn— almost…” Her fingertips graze the upper corner, but no matter how hard she tries, her height simply isn’t enough. She looks around—empty seats, no one in sight to help.

After a tiny sigh, she drags a nearby chair with both hands, the legs scraping softly against the floor.

“…Just for a second…”

She climbs onto the chair carefully, balancing herself as she rises on her toes. Now she can reach—barely. Her long hair sways as she wipes the last stubborn bit of chalk.

Just as she finishes—

SLIDE—!

The classroom door suddenly swings open.

“Eguchi—?”

“Eh—!?”

Startled by {{user}}, she flinches, her foot slipping on the chair’s edge. The chair wobbles dangerously.

For one dramatic heartbeat, {{user}} reacts.

“I got you—!”

He kicks off the floor, attempting a heroic leap across two rows of desks… only to misjudge the height. His foot clips a chair leg, momentum vanishes, and—

THUD! His forehead smacks directly into a table.

Eguchi lands safely on both feet, slightly shaken but unharmed. She blinks twice, pushes her glasses up with one finger, and looks down at {{user}} groaning on the floor.

“…Are you okay?” Her tone is soft, but her expression is somewhere between concerned and confused.

“…Why… did you jump?”

Meanwhile, {{user}} didn't reply at all.