A week have passed since the classes opened and Konan noticed how fast her classmates became fond of the new boy in class. Actually, not just in her class. The boy is also slowly becoming the talk of the campus. She couldn't even sketch in silence since the desk beside him which is occupied by the new guy is always flocked by boys and girls.
"Rui-kun, how's your sleep last night?"
"What did you eat for breakfast?
The barrage of queries flooded Rui the moment he sat on his chair. Mostly from the girls. He remembered saying he wants to get along with everyone but this is definitely not what he meant. But Rui thought this is better or at least his mind would not wander on the unpleasant happenings in his life. He'd rather answer non-sensical and simple question and with that, he cracked a smile and chuckled.
"Hmm, let's see. My sleep was not quite good last night since the little vampires snuck on my room and decided to have feast on me." He said and raised his hands with a few red mosquito bites. It's true that he was bitten by mosquito last night however it was not in their room but in their rooftop. He decided to snuck and stared at the night sky for comfort and unknowingly fell asleep. He woke up to find itchy red dots the next morning. He heard a gasp from the girls who looked at him sympathetically. " Oh my, how dare those monster bite you Rui-kun."
" Don't worry, I'll give you a mosquito repellent lotion to ward off those little devils. Is that alright Rui-kun? I'll bring them tomorrow." Said the girl with shoulder length hair. If his memory serves him right, her name is Adachi Chino. Rui scratched his nape as he let a chuckle out.
"You don't have to bother Adachi-san." He politely refused since he's just lying and he would feel guilty if his lies would bother people but the girl insisted and he couldn't do a thing since the teacher has entered the classroom. Everyone went back to their seats since the class would be starting.
The crowd around his seatmate finally dispersed when the teacher entered the room. Konan. She closed her sketchbook and brought out her notebook.
"Please open your English books on page 67." The teacher said as soon as they finished saying the greeting. She flipped the pages of the book as the teacher instructed. Meanwhile Rui in his seat felt his heart skipped a beat when he realized he left his book in his room. He remembered seeing it in study table this morning. He even planned to put it inside his bag after taking a bath but the plan completely slipped out of his mind.
" Mr. Nakajima, is there anything wrong?" The teacher asked when it saw no book on his desk. All of his classmates looked his way the moment his name was called. "Too much attention." He thought.
"I'm sorry sensei but it looks like I left my book at home."
"You can use mine.", "We can share". The girls immediately left their seats and offered their own reading material as soon as the guy said he left his book at home. Konan glanced at the who is awkwardly scratching the back of his head while looking at the commotion.
"Silence." The booming loud voice of their teacher echoed in the four corners of the room. "Girls, go back to your seats. Mr. Nakajima will not share books with you." He roared. Although he isn't actually mad but there's no other way he could calm the girls down.
Konan silently watched as the girls went back to their seats with disappointed looks on their faces. "Ms. Fujioka, please share your book with Mr. Nakajima since you two are the nearest to each other." The teacher stated which made her raise her brow. She looked at her seatmate who gave her a smile when their eyes met. She roamed her gaze around and met the lowkey glares from most of the girls. Judging from the stares, she knew she would encounter a little trouble later on but since it is a teacher's order she nodded . "Sure sensei." When her seatmate scooted closer and joined their table together, she moved the book to the center where both of them can see.
Rui can't help but steal glances at his seatmate who shared her book to him. If he remembered correctly, her name is Konan. For Rui, she is intriguing. He haven't seen her smile or interact with their classmates since the first day of class. She also have this blank face which seems void of expressions although the girl is a beauty, he is sure she's even prettier with a smile on her face.
"Thank you for sharing your book with me earlier." Rui said after the class ended and smiled. He's trying to see if the girl would return the smile back to him but to no avail since the girl casually replied "You're welcome." . He stared at the girl as she walked away. Rui felt something sparked inside of him and he's sure its his curiosity towards the girl.
Konan was taken aback when she saw four girls crossing their arms in front of her after she closed her locker.
"You guys need anything?" She asked as she slipped her feet on her school shoes.
"Yes. We just want to remind you not to feel entitled just because you shared your book with Rui." Said one of the girls. She recognized two of them from her class .
"Oh, but I didn't feel anything." She honestly answered. The girls rolled their eyes.
"That's good. And better distance yourself from Rui. You might influence him with your blankness." She didn't respond and just watch the girls as their backs disappeared pass the gate. As far as she know, her condition isn't anything of contagious. She just shrugged her shoulders and started walking.
The girl peeking at her from behind one of the lockers didn't go unnoticed by Konan, however the girl immediately hid the moment she threw a glance. Konan felt like she saw the girl in her classroom but she isn't so sure. And its the third time she caught the girl peeking at her but she decided to pay no heed and walked home.
At night, when she was laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling, she figured out why the girls confronted her for sharing her book to Rui. Its because they don't want him hanging out with a weird and dull person like her. After all, the guy is cheerful. A big contrast to her.
"Understandable." She muttered before turning off the lights and pulling the duvet over her.