Kokoro had never met her, but she could picture Masamune’s mother scowling. Did his junior high say something? Masamune’s parents really must have an intense distrust of public schools. She remembered Masamune had said, months ago, that teachers were just humans after all. And that most of the time they’re not even as smart as we are.

Masamune must have sensed what Kokoro was thinking, because he said, in a small voice, ‘When I first stopped going to school, my parents got into a heated debate with my homeroom teacher. They said public school teachers aren’t any good.’

‘I see.’

‘But I realized that the Free School teacher you two were talking about was the same one, so I agreed to meet her the other day.’

Kokoro and Ureshino exchanged a glance. Kokoro felt something warm inside.

Masamune’s decision to meet Ms Kitajima was down to them.

Maybe it was an exaggeration, but Kokoro was thrilled he trusted her.

Masamune still looked uncharacteristically shy about discussing outside things. His nervousness made him speed up his words.

‘We didn’t really talk about anything much, but she said she’d come again.’

‘She’s a good person,’ Kokoro said.

‘Yeah,’ Masamune agreed. ‘I could kind of pick up on that.’

‘Hm … I wonder if she’s going to come over to my house soon,’ Aki murmured. She’d been listening quietly beside them. ‘I was sure there was no Free School near us, but we’re talking about the same junior high, aren’t we?’

‘Maybe she will.’

If Ms Kitajima did visit Aki, Kokoro hoped she’d agree to meet her, like Masamune had.

They had worked out that they lived near each other, but that didn’t mean they ever considered meeting up away from the castle.

Picturing Ms Kitajima’s face, Kokoro discovered a fresh joy in realizing that they had real connections in the outside world. It seemed now that even Masamune, for all his sarcasm, and Aki, who absolutely refused to talk about school, were less resistant to discussing their real lives.

Though she never turned up wearing her school uniform again, Aki seemed to visit the castle more often.

And as a group, all seven seemed to hang out together in the castle more than ever before.

KOKORO HAD NEVER IMAGINED HERSELF celebrating Christmas with a party of her own peers again. She was overjoyed. Last year, she and her friends had met up at her classmate Satsuki’s house.

She wondered how Satsuki was. A bolt of pain shot through her.

They had been in different classes at Yukishina No. 5 Junior High. Kokoro remembered how Satsuki said she’d joined the softball team. It was tough going, the practice gruelling, but she was doing her best. And Kokoro could picture her giving it her all.