PART THREE
I, Sakai Rumi, vigilantly entered my classroom. Right after me, Yori yawned when she stepped inside.
"I didn't get any sleep last night." She said while she took her seat that was near mine.
"Why's that?"
She looked at me with a tired face, "I didn't sleep because of the excitement; I simply couldn't relax knowing that today is the day of the most popular boy and girl vote."
She was correct; even I couldn't think of anything but the popular vote. Of course, I did all the preparations before, so I know I have a very good chance of winning the ballot for the most popular girl, but it's never 100% certain.
After a while, my remaining classmates entered the classroom, and our teacher started speaking. "Today is the day that we will vote who will be the most popular boy and girl. I hope you all thought thoroughly about who you will be choosing; being chosen as a popular student has its benefits, for example, the privileges they get or that everyone will know you that's fun right?" Our teacher Misaki-sensei said with a smile.
Almost everyone in class started whispering about the voting, "Who are you going to choose, Sera-san?" A girl that was seated behind me asked her friend.
A boy said to his mates, "We know who to choose, right?" and they replied, "Of course! I'm voting for Sakai-san!" The other individual replied, "Ohh-- You have a little crush on her?" And the two started to laugh at him.
Their laughing made a little uproar, and the teacher had to address them to keep them quiet again. "Keep quiet, everyone! We must leave the classroom and walk towards the main hall where the voting will happen.
Everyone lined up next to someone and started walking behind the teacher. Ironically the person I hate the most in this school walked before me next to Nakata-kun.
"Hey Gazo, you think I have a chance to be chosen as the most popular guy in school?!" Nakata-kun asked.
"For sure, knowing Kotaru, you definitely have a chance," Nage-kun said.
I didn't know that they were so close with each other or even that good of friends to use their first names. Did this person (Nage) really make a friend?
We arrived at the main hall, and Class B already stood behind their homeroom teacher while waiting for us. The director started speaking as soon as Class C was present, "Today is the day that you all will get to vote who will be the most popular boy and girl in this school." He said with a formal tone.
He then pointed to multiple wooden cabin stands that looked made for only two persons to enter, "Now everybody will have to go inside one of those cabins and write his vote for both boy and girl, you can't choose yourself so a teacher will be inside to make sure you don't.-- First Class A will get to vote, so line up and go one by one." He explained.
Everyone from our class started to make a line and waited patiently for their turn, after a while, it was Nage-kun's turn to go and vote.
He wasted no time as he was already walking back. Did he even write a name on the voting paper?...
Then it was my turn, I entered the cabin, and the teacher gave me a piece of paper and a pen to write the names of my liking.
I left both spots blank and didn't write any names on the paper. The reason is that I didn't care who would be the most popular boy, and I couldn't choose any girl as I wanted to win the voting for the most popular girl.
I gave the teacher the paper, and he looked at it to conclude that I didn't write my name. Then fold the piece of paper in half before throwing it in a special box. Finally, I left the cabin and made my way back to my class.
After our class finished voting, the other two classes followed, and after an hour or so, they concluded, and the director started speaking again. "Everyone, for now, follow your teacher back to the class. Tomorrow we will tell you all the results of the voting."
Everyone took their seats as soon as we arrived in the classroom.
Suddenly Yori-san started speaking to Nage-kun, "Who did you vote for?" She asked the boy next to her table.
"It doesn't matter who I've chosen because they are unlikely to win either way." He replied.
Yori started to look weird at that response, "Why do you vote for someone without the intent that they are likely to win?"
I reckon he chose someone he sees as a friend. My guess for the boy would be Nakata-kun, but I can't know for sure for the girl.
"I just chose a random boy and girl, don't think too deep." He responded while not even looking at Yori-san.
I don't believe him, the way he said that...
"Everyone, take your books out!" Misaki-sensei said to everybody as it was time for the lesson to start.
PART FOUR
I, Nage Gazo, entered the classroom with everyone as we walked back together from the main hall after voting for the most popular boy and girl.
I took a seat and heard Nura-san asking me who I chose as my vote. I responded by saying that it didn't matter who I picked as they weren't likely to win.
The boy I chose did have a higher chance of winning than my girl pick; the boy I had chosen was Nakata Kotaru, he is well known throughout the school, and I know a lot of girls have a crush on him, so that will up his chances of winning. On the other hand, I chose Nura-san as my girl pick because she is the only female in my classroom besides Sakai-san that I had a chat with, about popularity between those two, Sakai-san has the upper hand, so I don't think that Nura-san will win against her.
After classes had ended, I made my way to the library, where I started spending my free time after school.
I entered the library, and the first thing I saw was the familiar face of a girl behind the counter.
"You again.." Sighed the girl that was a senior for me at this school. It was the student council president, Ichika Nonaka.
She has a personality that is hard to get close to. She is very strict, dislikes loud noises, and wears these red headphones. I think that is why she works here, as it's completely silent. But, of course, there are groups of people who sometimes talk, but they whisper when they want to say something.
"Don't mind me," I said to her while walking past the counter.
I took a seat at a medium distance from her and started reading my book. I made sure the cover of my book was visible from her place. After 20 minutes of reading, I noticed a girl taking a seat across from me. It was her: Ichika Nonaka.
"Can you stop making all those loud noises?" She asked, irritated.
I looked up from my book and gave her a dumbfounded expression, "What do you mean ever since I sat down, I didn't make any noise?" I replied.
"THOSE STUPID BOOKS YOU'RE READING!" She yelled while pointing to my book's cover.
Her yelling got some attention within the library, and some students started to look at us. She was a little embarrassed when she figured she was being loud in the library.
"What is wrong with me reading about my favorite animal?" I asked bluntly.
She looked at me angrily, "Whales?...-- Your favorite animals are Whales?
"Yes, they are incredible creatures that live in the ocean and are the most giant animals in the world," I explained. And continued, "You said earlier that I made some loud noises, where you agitated when you saw my book's cover of a sperm whale?"
I ask her about the sperm whale because it's the loudest animal on the planet. And I figured as soon as I started coming to the library that she doesn't like loud noises. So this was my way of making her take the initiative to talk with me.
"Yes, that whale picture made me imagine its loud noises and drove me crazy!" She responded.
"Do you by any chance have this condition called: hyperacusis?" I asked. A person with this condition is sensitive to ordinary sounds.
She looked stunned at my guess, "How did you know that?" She asked.
"You have headphones but don't seem to hear any music. That's weird because why would you have those on if you aren't using them. And I don't see any device to choose a song or change the playlist on. Also, you work in a library where it's mostly wholly silent." I said.
Her jaw dropped, and she was unable to talk for a couple of seconds, "That you would think that much through for the short amount you were looking at me. Your presumption of people is impeccable! I didn't expect you to be this kind of person." She said.
I looked at her for a moment and stood up from my seat to leave the library. As I walked past her, she took hold of my right arm.
"Can you do me one favor?" She said, a little embarrassed.
"What?"
"Can you stop reading those books here? Any other books are fine, Please!" She said.
The student council president was begging me, a first-year.
"Sure, I know about your condition and will stop reading these kinds of books here," I replied and walked out the door.
Bats are my favorite animals because of their intelligence. So I lied about them being whales. I purposely brought along those books about whales because I wanted to make her lose her mind.
For people who are hard to deal with, you must make them admire you. By showing her my thoughtness, I made her think twice before neglecting me and made her open up to me.