Running into Kaede

“Onoda-kun, good morning.”

Two stations before school, someone approached me inside the train.

Although not that rare given my current popularity, approaching me this close was still unusual. Furthermore, since I always run late nowadays, everyone is in a rush.

Looking up, I found Kaede standing there, Watanabe’s friend who I ended up befriending after catching her following me.

I smiled and said, “Good morning, Yanagi-san. It's rare to run into you here. Here. You can take my seat.”

I motioned to stand up but the girl pushed down on my shoulder, preventing me from doing so.

“No. It's fine. I'm more comfortable standing.” She said while shaking her head.

With that answer, I contemplated for a moment before calling to another girl nearby and giving her my seat.

After that, I stood up, joining Kaede in standing while holding onto the handrail. The train was packed and the swaying motion made it slightly more difficult to balance than usual.