─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ [Part 1].
Class 3-B.
It was an average day in the life of Tatsuda Manabu, a young boy with average looks, average grades, and of course, an average reputation.
The brown-haired boy, with one hand on his chin, gazes out the window at the bluish sky, not paying the slightest attention to the morning advisory.
"He's doing a lot of talking today...," thinks the unkempt-haired boy as he appreciates the azure color of the sky.
The advisory teacher has been giving a speech about how things should be better in class. But no one seems to care much.
It had been a little over a month since the tragic series of events in which everyone felt guilty.
The reason there is an empty seat in the classroom. This very seat was located next to Tatsuda Manabu, to his right to be more exact.
Not all the relationships in the inner part of the classroom had been repaired yet, several groups of friends were divided because of the person sitting there.
Then, as impromptu as ever, the teacher finishes his speech and finally, gives an important announcement.
─Well guys, today I have a surprise for everyone. Come on in.
When the teacher indicates someone to enter the classroom, all the boys raise their gazes so as to direct them to the front.
"What?" was going through everyone's mind.
When the sliding door opened, a tall girl stepped inside. This strange creature that no one knew anything about, took the chalk from the blackboard and wrote her name there.
[Katagiri Touka] was written on the blackboard.
While everyone was mentally blocked, this dark-haired beauty with strange blue-colored eyes, who is 1'71m tall, bows her head and introduces herself personally.
─My name is Katagiri Touka, I come from [Fujitsu East High School], I hope to get along well with you from now on.
His introduction only made these senior students, feel much more awkward.
You all know about [East Fujitsu High School], after all, the school you attend is [West Fujitsu High School]. Katagiri Touka was an internal transfer student, but she was still a transfer student.
Most of them began to get depressed, since the Eastern facility, after all, is one that only true geniuses can attend.
However, in the eyes of Tatsuda Manabu, who silently analyzed the information provided to him, he was able to come to a conclusion.
─She is the best student of the two schools. ─. Manabu says, in a volume where everyone could hear him.
For Tatsuda Manabu, a young man who hardly entered among the [Top 100] students on both sides of the institution, it was easy to remember a position that is by far superior to his own.
The position that everyone stopped paying attention to, because it has not changed even once since this generation started two years ago.
Since the first bimester of freshman year, no, since the entrance exams of this generation of students, the name of the person who has been on the cusp since the beginning has the same letters as the girl who is currently applying.
Well, because it is the same.
At a school where grades are everything, Tatsuda Manabu [Rank 98] and Katagiri Touka [Rank 1] make eye contact for the first time.
Katagiri looks at Tatsuda like a weirdo for a moment, but sensing the sharpness in the boy's gaze, he took a step back from his hostility.
─The best... student...?
─Wow crap, we're in our senior year and they come to throw a girl genius at us.
─Ugh, this gives me a bad taste in my mouth.
Many gave sour comments about it.
After all, they dislike the idea.
For activities that the two schools do jointly, 9 out of 10 times, those from [West] have had to go to [East]. Between all those interactions, every student from this school can easily hate those from [East].
"The teachers let them do as they please just because they are smarter than us," is the assertion that every [West Fujistu] student shares, including the current first years.
For someone from [East Fujitsu] to come to this institution only means that they are probably giving the ultimatum for the ultimate of all humiliations, worse if it is the top-ranked student at both institutions.
However, Tatsuda is indifferent to the acidic comments of her classmates and simply ignores Katagiri's presence.
─Katagiri-chan, can you take a seat next to Tatsuda-kun, it looks like you two can get along well.
─Huh?
─Huh?
The reactions of both of them were the same.
They made eye contact again. Looking at each other.
And all the students quieted their chatter.
After all, the only seat available is the one that was occupied by someone else until almost two months ago... the boys and girls in the classroom, watched silently as Katagiri walked from the left side of the teacher's lectern to the seat.
"Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap." The girl's footsteps echoed in everyone's ears.
Katagiri looks one last time at Tatsuda and says:
─I guess we'll be friends, Mr. Loose Tongue.
A rather cutting remark being the first time he addresses someone else, luckily, he said it in a moderate volume, so that only Tatsuda would be able to hear him.
─Don't address someone you just met like that.
─Sorry Tatsuda-kun, did you say something? I think I heard a little dust fry talking.
"What the fuck with her...?", Tatsuda thinks.
He decided to leave things as they were instead of looking for trouble, and remained silent.
After that first exchange, the two began to talk a bit between classes.
After all, Tatsuda isn't like he has much to do in the classroom, he doesn't talk to most of them.
Katagiri, on the other hand, has yet to earn a place in the class, though it doesn't look like he's going to fit in well on his first day of school.
When Math class ended:
─So, how are the classes there?
─We look basically the same, but they are much more demanding with homework. It became complicated for me to pay my tuition and the scholarship didn't cover everything....
─I understand.
When Biology class was over:
─How's the food?
─Cara, there was a large amount to select from.
─Mm, that made me hungry.
─Correct those bad habits, Tatsuda-kun.
Tatsuda assumes he's right, so he doesn't argue, but it's not like he wanted to agree with him either.
Although, in his palate, anything would be fine as long as it didn't have to do with traditional Japanese food.
Tatsuda's younger sister makes a special lunch box for her brother, so he doesn't have to worry about what he's going to eat for lunch.
After English class:
─Hey, Katagiri.
─What?
─Bleh. ─. Tatsuda grimaces sticking out his tongue.
─That's kid's stuff! ─ Katagiri retorts to him in complaint.
As far as it goes.
For Tatsuda, conversing with Katagiri Touka, it's been kind of fun so far.
Therefore.
A valid progress to tell.
─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ [Part 2]
After the morning classes were over, it was time for lunch.
Once again, Tatsuda Manabu was looking out the window. Only this time, not of his classroom, but of the club he belongs to.
But there is no one else in this room, just him.
Anyway, it's for the best, since he's on call at the moment.
─Yes... I'm taking my medication. You don't have to call every day to ask the same question....
「Is there a law that imposes that I can't call my child to inquire about his welfare?」
─No, there isn't.... but seriously, you don't have to ask daily, since Mana has been taking good care of me.
「That's good, how's your sister doing?」
Tatsuda smiles a little, as the topic changed from him to his sister. Which he finds quite convenient to tell the truth, as he is uncomfortable with the conversation they were having a while ago.
─She keeps getting better every week in therapy, you know that.... Mana is a very strong girl, unlike me.
But as soon as the smile came, it also disappeared.
There are a number of events that are better left unmentioned within the Tatsuda family.
The one who was most affected among the four siblings is undoubtedly Tatsuda Manabu himself.
It's not as if it didn't affect them all equally.
It's just that he was the one who was most affected by it.
「You know that someday you're going to have to inherit your share of the family business」.
But to ignore the heaviness currently flooding his heart, Tatsuda takes the line he just said.
─Dad, you know you can give my share to my sister, she'll need it more than me.
「Manabu, are you still foolishly following in your mother's footsteps? I don't want to reprimand you for that again」.
Tatsuda... is silent.
Inside his mind, a countless amount of words start to come out. Words of hatred.
An unpleasant feeling that will never be extinguished by anyone.
[I know... that Manabu-kun, is going to be... a famous writer... someday in the future...]
[Mom...! Hang on, I... I'm going to save you, mom!]
[Manabu, don't look at her!]
[No! No, no, no, no, no, no...! Mom...! Let me go, old man! I can still do something!]
[Manabu-kun... take care of... Mana-chan...]
Unseemly memories of the past that are permanently engraved in his memory, and will never leave him.
Tatsuda Manabu is an ordinary young man, his life is that of a normal high school student.
But that's probably because none of his school acquaintances know his past or the history he has to his name. Much less would they know that there is someone like him in the school where everyone has normal lives.
Either way.
It's not something that matters too much right now. This is a straightforward romantic comedy story for now.
─You can't do anything to change my decision.
Tatsuda says that last line and hangs up on his father's call.