"Sensei, could you do me one favor?"
Glenn had always been a mystery to Yumiko. They seemed to be people with completely different lusts, but despite the difference in their backgrounds, they were able to get to know each other. They had been classmates last year and had the highest grades of their peers. From the look on Glenn's face, the girl could not guess that in addition to mindless socializing with people, the young man had a desire to study and did not sit idly by.
On first acquaintance in the empty office, Glenn seemed to her a greedy individual, at least by the disappointing look in his eyes and his unprecedented modesty. The young man reeked of serenity while the maiden had traits of untouchability.
At the end of the school day the teacher obliged the two of them to clean up the classroom, but they had no strength to resist; for that day they took on the role of duty in the classroom.
A dead silence reigned in the classroom at one time, occasionally suppressed by the creak of the blackboard being washed and the warm breeze coming from the open window. The silence lasted until the young man decided to get to know the quiet girl better, and from that day on, Yumiko had her first acquaintance.
"W-what? You really don't talk to anyone?"
"I don't have a reason to talk to people as long as I like to study."
"You like to be alone with your thoughts, then."
In fact, many of their opinions on life values converged, and they managed to find common ground. In the end, Glenn clarified that the perpetually silent maiden turned out to be a girl with ambition and firm desires.
The feeling of intimacy ceased when they said goodbye that day, and all the subsequent times they crossed paths with each other's gazes were limited to the welcoming rituals common to all humans. Though their communication had ceased, their respect for one another had not been forgotten.
The last time they crossed paths was at school. Glenn looked thoughtfully at the girl, who was reading a book serenely at her desk. Since that day, he had learned one more thing – Yumiko returned home much later than most of the schoolchildren.
Then one day a teacher with long, dark hair approached her, importantly demanding an answer that changed Yumiko's view of her school activities.
"Would you like to be a member of the literary circle?"
The circle, if you could call it that, set itself a low-profile goal, and thus had little relevance in the school and extreme unpopularity in the selection of clubs. For Yumiko, it was the best option for spending her time after school, and she agreed to join the club.
Then, upon learning that this club was supported by another member, Yumiko realized that the teacher's pretext was only a set-up by a mysterious person. A person who was the only one who knew of her passion for hanging out alone.
This mysterious circle member had never once stopped by to check on the club. It was as if he had never existed, for the only person on the membership list was Yumiko.
***
"Yumiko-chan, wake up," Glenn whispered in her ear, sitting in the next seat on the trolley. "We're here."
A serious conversation was awaiting them today, encompassing the subject of Yoshiro. Yumiko didn't want to say goodbye to the baby so soon, but time was not slow. Time is never spared.