★✦★

My name is Hikari Akiyama. At this point in my life, I was a blooming high school student at 15-years-old ready to take on the world. To give me the freshest start possible, I applied to a school that I knew none of my previous classmates would. This choice was only the start of my plan to make sure that I could live out the most average high school life possible. I wanted to make new friend groups, hang out after school, and maybe... find a girlfriend! It was the perfect setup. After all, I went through all the possibilities in my head as simulations, and this was the route that turned out perfectly! There was nothing that could get in my way of living out a perfectly average high school life. Nothing! ... Or so I thought.

It was the night before the first day of school. I was ironing my school uniform for the fifth time that day. Some wrinkles weren't coming out, no matter how hard I tried.

"Argghh..." I groaned, furiously rubbing my shirt with the Iron in hand. "Wrinkles be gone... Wrinkles be gone..!"

Ironing my uniform was another part of my foolproof plan. I needed to have the cleanest looking uniform on the first day of class. In my head, I thought it would make people think I have my life together, and there was no way I was going to rely on my personality for that. I accepted that I didn't have the right personality for a popular student character archetype. So, I attempted to make up for that in cleanliness and looks.

A few more minutes of ironing followed before I finally managed to relieve my dress shirt of the wrinkle.

"Alright!" I exclaimed. "Step 36, complete! Time for the final step!"

I had my plan all laid out in advance to ensure complete success. Every step was fully explained in immense detail, with some added side notes depending on the difficulty. And now, I was nearing the end, the final step. The last part of my ingenious plan to prepare for an amazingly average high school life!

Get a relaxing, good night's sleep. A whole 8 hours worth!

"Ah..." I sighed with relief, hanging my uniform on my wall. "I'm finally ready... After months of preparation! Now, time to get a full night's rest,"

Shutting off my lights, I changed into my pajamas. As I changed, part of me became slightly emotional. Looking back, I had come so far from when I first started. I cleaned up my act so well that an average person couldn't even tell that I didn't have friends in middle school! Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that.

Throughout middle school, I was lonely. Not by choice. It's just that no one would even think about talking to me. For some reason, I just sank into the background. If I were absent for a day, there wouldn't be a single thought about why I was gone. The day would go on as if nothing was missing. And so, after my last year, I decided that I had to change myself if I wanted to live the life I always dreamed of.

Now, there I was, lying in my bed. I was finally prepared for my first day of high school. I felt as if I could take on the whole world with my newfound confidence. There wasn't anything that could get in my way at this point, I thought. But, it seems as though the world loves to kick you down once you've reached your peak.

Slowly, I closed my eyes. All I could think about was getting to sleep as soon as possible. I needed to get my entire 8 hours of sleep, or it would all be pointless! ... But...

"I... can't sleep..." I muttered. I sighed and threw my covers off of me, standing up from my bed. "All the time I put into my plan... If I can't sleep, then it was all for nothing!" I yelled, gritting my teeth and punching a nearby pillow.

Eventually, I stopped assaulting the innocent pillow and looked in the direction of my school uniform.

"Hmm... Now that I think about it, I haven't tried my uniform on yet," I said.

I sat at my bed for a few seconds, considering all the possible possibilities. Like, "If I wear it now, I'll just have to rid of more wrinkles later!" and, "I wouldn't get the same experience if I wore it on the first day of class!" But, even after considering all of that, I still decided to try it on. Just once.

★✦★

"Woah!" I exclaimed, looking into the mirror. "It's a perfect fit!"

I examined up and down the mirror, viewing my pristine uniform. No wrinkles could be seen in the work of art I wore on my body. It almost brought a tear to my eye, actually. Then, I realized that I should've been trying to get back to sleep this whole time.

I quickly began to think of ways I could get sleepy. Everything, anything... Whatever I could think of so I could complete my plan! And then...

"Ah!" I exclaimed. "I'll drink some milk! It makes you more sleepy, I think!"

Making my spur of the moment decision, I left my room and entered the kitchen, which is connected directly to my room. Now that I mention it, around this time, I lived in an apartment with my mother. She worked late shifts, so she wasn't around most of the time. But I was okay with it. She worked her hardest to provide for me, and I knew that. So, I never complained about her not being around that much.

Anyway, that got a bit too personal. Back to me getting milk.

As I opened the fridge, a sudden sound filled the apartment building — two rings of the doorbell in quick succession. I instantly stopped, letting go of the fridge door handle and turning in the direction of the front door.

"Who could that be?" I asked myself. "And at this hour, too..."

I began to walk towards the door, ignorant of the consequences of opening that door. If only I knew that my all plans would be foiled just from merely opening the door, I would've gone back to bed. But, seeing as I didn't, I arrived at the door and looked through the peephole.

"Huh?"

There was nothing there — just the outside of my apartment, plain as usual. Now, I could've just left it at that. But, my curiosity spiked for some odd reason. Instead of retreating, I opened the door to get a better look.

"Anyone there?" I asked.

Suddenly, a hand appeared and grasped the door. The hand looked small and frail, with nails painted bright orange. Then, from the opposite side of the door, a girl sprung out from around the corner with a small cake in hand. She had short pinkish hair with a huge bow on the back of her head. But, she appeared so quickly that I couldn't see how the cake looked, but I could tell it definitely was a cake.

"Hello!" she exclaimed. "My name is-"

Suddenly, during her introduction, she tripped over herself. This caused the cake to lift out of her hands and into the air.

"Ahh!!" she yelled.

I was in the cake's line of fire, and there was no way I was getting out of there alive. Though, as I watched the cake soar in my direction, my life began to flash before my eyes...

Ah, my preschool days. They were... something. Actually, I don't think I talked to any kids then. I remember it being super lonely, honestly.

Okay, but my elementary school years were crazy. Wait, no, they weren't. They were just as lonely, if not more, than my preschool days. I'm sensing a trend here.

Now, my middle school years, on the other hand... Actually, let's not even go there. I already explained what happened there, so I don't need to again.

As I watched my life flash before my eyes, I came to a realization. It was a long time coming, but I finally found the answer to my life and why it turned out the way it did. The answer was right in front of me, but I was always too blind to see it. But, now I could finally see it with my own eyes! The truth behind it all!

I'm just an uninteresting person who can't make friends.

And so, after my revelation, I accepted my fate and let the cake land directly on my chest. My perfect school uniform destroyed in seconds, my confidence for the future shattered into a million pieces, and the plan that has taken me almost a year... utterly demolished.

The girl quickly placed her hands over her mouth and gasped.

"I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "I'll clean this up right away!"

I didn't even have the energy to respond. All I did was stare off into the distance with a blank expression. But, seeing as the cake was already on my body, I thought about having a little taste. I thought that maybe if it tasted delicious, it would make me feel better! So, I reached down and scooped a little icing and cake off with my finger. Slowly, I brought it up to my mouth and promptly ate it.

It was... Coconut Cake.

Ah, that's right. I hated Coconut.

★✦★

All my planning that had spanned over the past few months had been ruined in seconds. But that's how the world works sometimes. Everything happens for a reason, right? That's what I thought.

And so, I reluctantly walked towards my new school with my uniform coat in the wash. But, on the bright side, I think I looked pretty good with just a vest and tie on. Ah, who am I kidding? I definitely couldn't pull it off. The first day of my average high school life was already off to a terrible start.

There was one plus, however. When I entered the campus of Sumikatsu High School... Oh, that's the high school I attended, by the way. Anyways, when I came, I noticed that I didn't recognize a single student walking around. Which meant I was right on moving to a school that none of my classmates would attend!

"Alright!" I whispered to myself. "That girl might've ruined my confidence... But I think I still have a chance to make this year great! I just need to make a good first impression! You got this, Hikari!"

Then, a sudden tap on my shoulder stopped me in my place. I quickly turned my head to greet the person behind the tap. Maybe it's a cute girl, I thought. Or my new best friend that will be with me throughout all three years! Ha, it's laughable, really. Somehow, a day after losing all of my confidence, I was still able to have positive thoughts like these. But, to my dismay, the person behind the tap was the one person I didn't even think about — the cake girl.

I came face-to-face with the girl from the night before — the same girl who ruined my uniform and caused my plans to be eviscerated. And to make things even worse, she was wearing the same uniform as me. Meaning, we'd be attending the same school. Usually, you'd expect me to react in a way that's aggressive or vengeful. But, for some odd reason, dread flooded my body as soon as I layed eyes on her.

She looked down and began twiddling her thumbs bashfully.

It was the classic shy girl move; I knew that much. I couldn't tell if she was trying to coerce me into forgiving her or if that was just how she acted. But, no matter what slight movements she made, I was on my guard 100%, ready for anything.

"U-um, I'm really sorry about last night, neighbor," she said. "I don't know what came over me... And it got all over you, too..."

Not even a second after her apology, I realized how poorly she worded that. And with all the students walking around us, it could easily be taken out of context. So, I knew I had to act, even if this girl was basically a walking demon.

"Ah!" I blurted out. "D-don't worry about it! Water under the bridge, y'know?" I made sure to say it loud enough so the surrounding students could hear. I didn't need any rumors about me starting on the first day. That would be a death sentence.

A bright smile formed on her face soon after. "Really? That's great!" she exclaimed.

I raised my arm and scratched the back of my head, averting all eye contact possible. "Haha... Yeah..." I said awkwardly. "Anyway, I really gotta get to class... See you around!"

Before she could say anything back, I kicked it into full gear, swiftly spinning around and sprinting to my classroom. I didn't even look back. My only goal was to get the hell out of there as fast as I could so I wouldn't embarrass myself any more than I already had.

The girl, on the other hand, watched on as I ran. She giggled, placing her hand over her mouth.

"He seems silly,"

★✦★

I arrived in my classroom safely. And I made sure the girl didn't follow me. If she did, I don't know what I would've done. Just her presence brought me such a dreadful emotion that I couldn't comprehend. In my head, I decided that she was the wall I needed to climb to live out my life. I just... needed to prepare myself first mentally.

Spotting my name placed on a desk near the back of the class, I set down my bag and took a seat. "Now that she's out of my hair, I just need to make a great first impression," I whispered to myself. "Should I try and make a funny joke? Or maybe volunteer to introduce myself to the class, showing that I'm an outgoing, cool guy... Hmm, so many options,"

Tap. Tap.

I felt it once more — the tap of fate placed directly on my shoulder, not even five minutes after the first. I panicked. My first thought was that it was the girl again. But that wouldn't make any sense, right? I ran off inside, leaving her behind. There was no way she could've gotten into the classroom without me noticing, right? Right? My mind started spinning. I doubted myself time and time again. Over and over. What seemed like hours of contemplating, only lasted about half a second. ... But, eventually, I decided. With a quick, deep breath, I shot my head around to the desk behind me, expecting the absolute worst. And...

"Hey!" exclaimed a boy with a big smile. He had short black hair and bright blue eyes, the type of character design from a sports anime protagonist. "I'm Kame Tokunaga! Nice to meetcha'!"

After a perfect introduction like that, I struggled to hold back my tears of joy. All my fear was lifted in an instant. Just a few sentences made me forget about the cake girl entirely. This was the best friend for all three years of high school I had been hoping for! I made absolutely sure that I wouldn't miss this chance, no matter what!

"N-nice to meet you, Tokunaga!" I said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible. "My name is H-Hikari Akiyama!"

I stuttered. Great job.

Kame chuckled. "You can call me Kame!" he said. "Is it alright if I call you Hikari?"

I nodded quickly, a big smile growing on my face without me noticing. "Yeah, that's okay, Kame!"

And within seconds of meeting, I had just made my first real friend: Kame Tokunaga, the first person to acknowledge me in a classroom. Due to the sudden happiness of meeting him, I didn't notice that fact. But it didn't matter at the time. All I cared about was meeting Kame.

"So, you nervous?" he asked.

"Nervous? About what?"

Kame dramatically raised his arms. "About high school, of course!" he exclaimed. "We're gonna be here for the next three years! It might sound like a long time, but it'll go by in an instant! We gotta make the most of it!"

Kame's way of speaking instantly swayed me. The way he portrayed his words made it feel like I had to listen to him, or I'd miss something significant.

"I've been thinking the same thing!" I replied enthusiastically. "Over the past few months, I've been preparing myself,"

"Preparing yourself?"

"Yes," I nodded solemnly. "I've been preparing myself to live the most average high school life possible. That is my dream!"

"Ohhhh!!" shouted Kame, clenching his fists. "That sounds awesome! Is it going well?"

I instantly averted my gaze and scratched my cheek nervously. "Ah, well... It's going,"

"I see. Well, good luck!" he exclaimed. "I'll be rooting for you, Hikari!"

"Kame!" I said, becoming teary-eyed. "Thanks. I'll do my best!"

Kame flashed a big smile, then turned his view to the classroom entrance. "Oh, someone new just walked in! She's pretty cute, too!"

"A cute girl?"

I smiled and turned my head around to the front of the class. But, the smile on my face instantly faded away when I saw who the girl was. The cake girl. She had just stepped into MY classroom, the worst-case scenario.

"Her?!" I exclaimed.

"Woah, you know her, Hikari?" asked Kame. "Your average high school career is already off to a great start, then!"

Noticing I was over-dramatic, I quickly looked down at my desk. "Ah, it's not like that at all. Actually, that girl-"

"You're together, right?" asked a different male student seated next to me. "I heard you guys were talking about some pretty intense stuff in front of the school,"

Ah, that was the final blow. I already had rumors going around about me, and it was only the first day. And I had just made my first friend, too. That's precisely what went through my head. But, part of me didn't want to give up there. Deep down, I told myself I had to keep going. I had to meld my future as I wanted! I needed to take action!

"No, no," I replied to the student, waving my hand back and forth. "That's all just a misunderstanding. I have no relation with that girl whatsoever, and I don't plan to. So please, don't spread misinformation,"

Yeah, right. Do you think I could actually bring myself to say something like that? Sadly, that was how I pictured it in my head, not what actually happened. How it actually went... Well, I'll just tell you.

I turned to the male student, ready to shut his false rumor down with a calm demeanor and big words that really meant nothing. But, when the time came for me to speak, I froze up.

"U-uh... Actually... That girl... I..." I muttered, not being able to form a proper sentence.

The student smiled. "You don't have to tell me about it, man!" he exclaimed. "I bet you'd rather keep all that juicy info secret, huh?"

I chuckled nervously. "Yeah, thanks..." I said lifelessly. Then, I leaned back in my chair, accepting my fate and ready to be killed on the spot.

"H-Hikari?!" shouted Kame, grabbing my shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself! It's just a rumor!" He began to shake me back and forth, attempting to revive me. But, it was no use. As one problem fades, another appears without warning. And sometimes, you can't do anything about it. That's how the world works. Usually, people accept that fact once they're deep into their lives. But I, a 15-year-old boy, recognized the world's cruelest fact on the first day of high school.

As my life faded away from my body, I heard Kame speak once more.

"Oh, you sit in front of Hikari?" he asked. "Nice to meetcha'! I'm Kame Tokunaga!"

Who is he speaking to? I thought.

"Nice to meet you too, Tokunaga!" said someone with a moderate and small female voice. "My name is Sumiko Sakai,"

The voice sounded oddly familiar like I had heard it somewhere recently. But, I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"Ah, and this is Hikari," said Kame. "He's kinda going through a lot right now,"

"His name is Hikari?" the girl asked. "I knew his last name, but it's nice learning his first name, too!"

My mind began to run a million miles per second. She knew my last name? How? How is that possible for someone I had never met before? My curiosity began to spike, but it still wasn't enough to bring me to open my eyes. After all, my soul was busy leaving my body. I couldn't just interrupt it like that.

"You knew his last name already? Do you guys know each other?" asked Kame.

"Ah, no, no!" she replied. "We're neighbors! I just moved into the apartment next to his,"

Neighbors. Neighbors... Neighbors...? Neighbors?! That means...!

I instantly shot back up and opened my eyes. There she was again like she was following me. Seated in front of me, the cake girl. Or Sumiko Sakai.

She smiled. "Oh, good morning! What a nice surprise. We're neighbors outside of class and in class. It's like we're fated to be friends, Hikari!"

That day, time after time, I repeatedly hit a brick wall. My plans were foiled countless times and I already had rumors about me spreading around the school. All because of this one girl. At the time, I absolutely despised her. I mean, can you blame me? Everything came crumbling down because of her. But, even though I've only spoken negatively about her, that doesn't mean she ruined my life completely. She just... crashed into my life without warning, leaving me defenseless. And as for my attempt at an average high school life... Let's just say that it was off to a poor start. But, after reaching an all-time low, you can only go up from there, right?

★✦★