"Floating" High School Girl Ibuki Shimizu, Taking Off. #02

Chapter 2: Free Floating Altitude: 2cm, Floating Force: 0.25NF

A fuzzy daily life. Unconscious floating

The moment she woke up, Ibuki couldn't move in her futon for a while.
Even though the back of her head felt dull and heavy, the area around her solar plexus felt like it was floating.

It was like the ground was drifting slightly further away—that sense of unreliability you feel when you suddenly step onto a platform after your body has grown accustomed to the long swaying of a train.

"…Was I having a strange dream?"

She muttered as she sat up.
Since she could feel the coldness of the floor on the soles of her feet, she didn't pay it much mind and melted into her usual morning.

Breakfast was rice, rolled omelet, sausages, and miso soup.
Sitting across from her mother, listening to the news from the TV in the distance, Ibuki moved her chopsticks.

"Ibuki, you didn't just stuff your handouts into your bag again, did you?"
"No… I think I should be fine today…"

The moment she put her bag on her shoulder while answering, a heavy weight pressed down on her back.
"…Hmm…?"

Even though it was the same amount of luggage as always, the bag felt unusually heavy.
There was an uncomfortable feeling as if the straps were digging into her shoulders.
The weight of her blazer also bothered her excessively, and her shoulders hunched up tightly.

"I'm leaving."
"Take care. The weather is nice, but the wind is strong, so be careful."

Just before leaving the door, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
She felt like her collar was hanging lower than usual.
Was it just her imagination?

When she entered the classroom, several friends called out to her lightly before she reached her seat.
Ibuki smiled and replied as she sat in her usual seat.

When she entered the classroom, several friends called out to her lightly before she reached her seat.
"Morning, Ibuki."
"Isn't the wind strong today?"
"Your hair is all messy."
"You didn't make it in time this morning, did you?"

"Shut up, I managed to curl it just in time!"
Ibuki replied with a bitter smile and reached her seat.

As soon as she placed her bag next to her desk and sat down in her chair, the weight of her blazer pressed down on her shoulders.
She felt like she was wrapped in something heavy, and she instinctively rolled her shoulders.

(My body feels kind of heavy today…)

At the front of the classroom, the teacher was starting the morning homeroom with an attendance book in hand.

“Um, there are no particular announcements today. Oh, that's right—just in case, I'll ask: did anyone feel light-headed or experience a sense of floating this morning? ...Reports have been increasing lately. Even if you aren't aware of it, if you feel something is off, make sure to report it.”

No one raised their hand.

“...Alright then, get ready for first period.”

After the teacher said that and left, the students began to open their bags one by one, taking out their textbooks and notebooks.

Ibuki opened her notebook along with the rest of them. She went to run her mechanical pencil across the page where she had left off in yesterday's lesson, but her hand stopped.

“...Huh?”

For some reason, it felt harder to write than usual. Even though her fingers were placed on the pencil in the same spot as always, she felt like it was just slightly “off.”

A subtle lift, as if her hand were floating just a knock's worth higher than it should be.

(What is it... is the desk crooked?)

She corrected her posture and consciously lowered her arm, and this time, she was able to write the characters properly.

No one around her noticed anything unusual. But a faint sense of discomfort remained within Ibuki.

—It wasn't that the desk was strange, but that her own “position” was just a tiny bit different than usual?

After school.

Even though she was wearing the same practice clothes as always, for some reason, her body felt light today.

Ibuki was in the locker room, taking off her uniform and changing into her track team uniform. Every time she put her arms through the sleeves, her shoulders felt lighter. There was no weight from the skirt, no tightness from the blazer. —For some reason, she felt like she could become the wind.

(I might be able to do it. I might get a good time today.)

She felt like her feet were eager to grip the ground. While tying her spikes, Ibuki smiled to herself in secret.

However, that expectation was betrayed immediately after the start.

The moment the starting whistle blew, she couldn't accelerate as she had intended. She felt like her feet, which were supposed to be kicking off the ground, had stepped into thin air for just a split second. The strength in her toes spun uselessly, and the power to accelerate didn't transfer.

(Huh...?)

My form isn't bad, and my pace isn't either.
But I'm not moving forward as much as I thought I would.

As a result, my record is below average.
After practice, I look at today's record history and let out a small sigh.

"Sometimes you just have off days."

When I turned around, Sawatari-senpai was standing next to me.
There was a slight softness in her voice, despite her usual expressionless face.

"Don't worry about it. Running is all about building up experience."

She said just that and immediately looked away.
But Ibuki's heart felt like it was floating, just from those few words.

(...Yes, I'll do my best.)

I return to the locker room and change back into my uniform.
My hair sticks to my forehead with sweat.
The clothes I'm used to wearing feel strangely clingy, and the weight of the blazer feels heavy on my shoulders.

(Something... feels sluggish. Maybe I'm tired.)

While pretending to fix my bangs in front of the mirror, Ibuki lowered her eyes.
The light, floating feeling in her heart seemed to be pulled back to the ground by the weight of her uniform.

On the train home, a notification arrived on my smartphone.
It was the usual breaking news from a social media account about a "floater" incident.

(Again...)

I wonder how many times I've seen this text.
Three years ago, when I first saw this news, I was shocked and read it over and over again.
But lately, I don't even stop my hand from scrolling.

(...That's enough smartphone for today.)

I turn off the notifications and power down the device.
I'll stop thinking about tomorrow, and about Senpai.

I'll take a proper bath and go to bed early tonight.
Resting her head against the back of the seat, Ibuki closed her eyes.

That night—.
Without her knowing, her slumbering body was gradually being released from the memory of gravity.
Silently, crossing the boundary from the world.

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