Mako arrived at school without incident and headed straight for her classroom.
Due to the ongoing decline in the number of children, there were only two classes in the third year now.
And in this modern age—where ICT (Information, Communication, and Computer Technology) had advanced so far—it was perfectly normal to attend classes remotely from home.
The very meaning of physically going to school had grown thin, and many people found commuting more trouble than it was worth.
Even so, the greatest benefit of attending school in person was simple:
You could see your friends face to face.
The moment Mako stepped into the classroom, every pair of eyes turned toward her.
"Uh… um…"
Before she could process the attention, a girl with glasses rushed over to her.
"Mako! Are you okay?! What happened to you?! I heard you were hospitalized and unconscious—I've been so worried! Are you really okay now?!"
"Ah… yeah. I'm fine. Really, I am, Shizuku."
The girl bombarding her with concern was Kugimiya Shizuku—one of Mako's closest friends, and the very person who had once told her about Digital Lifeforms.
"Jeez! If you were okay, you should've contacted us! I even asked your mom to keep me updated!"
"S-Sorry… my personal device broke, and the doctor told me to avoid electronic devices for a while…"
"Wait—does that mean…?"
"They thought it might be Virtual Syndrome, but it turns out it wasn't. I didn't develop it. I'm just banned from using electronics for now, just to be safe. Physically, I'm totally fine!"
"I-Is that so…?"
Even as Mako emphasized how healthy she was, something about her explanation didn't sit quite right with Shizuku.
"…Hey, Mako. Did anything… change about you? Like, anything at all?"
"—!"
Mako's heart skipped.
A Digital Lifeform named Gin was literally attached to her.
That was definitely something that had changed.
But if she said that out loud, everyone would look at her like—
A pitiful girl.
"N-Nope! Nothing at all! I'm fine—see? I came to school just like normal!"
"I-I see… Well, if you say you're okay…"
As they talked, other girls gathered around them.
"Fujimiya, are you feeling alright?""Mako-chan, we were so worried!"
Their voices overlapped, one after another.
Overwhelmed by her friends' kindness, Mako felt her chest tighten with emotion.
Before she could stop herself, she pulled Shizuku and the others into a tight hug.
"Thank you… all of you!"
Being back at school.Talking with friends again after so long.
Even though the day had barely begun, Mako already felt a little worn out.
But when the chime rang, everyone straightened up and returned to their seats.
"By the way, Mako," Shizuku said casually,"Are you ready for the exams? The midterms start today…"
"…Huh?"
Mako froze in place.
And then—she screamed internally at the top of her lungs.
"THAT'S RIIIIGHT!!"
The sheer force of her internal scream made Gin clamp his paws over his ears.
"What's wrong, Mako?" Shizuku asked.
But her voice no longer reached Mako at all.
—In this era, schedule management was entirely entrusted to To-Do apps on personal devices.
And without hers, Mako was once again forced to realize just how inconvenient that truly was.