[Chapter 20: We're not so different?]
'Ugh..Welp, I'm not gonna be doing that again...' I thought to myself after stepping out of the classroom. 'Who knew looking listlessly outside the window would be that straining...'
Lunch break has arrived, and right now, I am walking through the halls to go to my secret base. I wanted to recollect my thoughts, to plan my next move for the afternoon as I peacefully eat my lunch there.
I am now free to move my head, but my neck still feels stiff. I say, looking listlessly outside the window was more straining than I thought.
By the way, a few minutes ago before I left, I expected people to start crowding at the back, A.K.A our spot cause they wanted to talk not only to me but more so to Mocha-san, who's a new transfer student.
I thought to myself that she stands out too much, so I decided to leave as soon as possible.
At the exact moment when the bell rang, I silently stood up, and started to walk out of the classroom unoticed.
I say unnoticed, but Mocha-san actually saw me on my way out.
'Where is he going.' Mocha-san wondered as she witnessed me stepping outside the classroom.
Just seconds after, there are already people arriving at the back, forming a crowd.
"Mocha-san, Hi." A classmate greeted.
"He, Hello!" Mocha-san replied anxiously.
Just seconds after I'm gone. Our classmates approached Mocha-san and tried striking conversations, making efforts on getting to know her better, the new transfer student.
"Mocha-san. Where did you get your hair done? It looks pretty."
"Ah-. I, Um... from-"
"Mocha san. Where in the shopping district your bakery is located?"
"Ah... on-"
"What type of guys do you like?"
"What's your old school like?"
"It's..."
Mocha-san's head started spinning, filling dizzy with all this question all at once. She doesn't know how to reply confidently yet, so she wasn't prepared much less for a crowd gathering with her as the center.
"I, uhm.... Ah! Can I use the bathroom for a minute! I have something important to do!"
In the end. She couldn't take it anymore, grabbing her lunchbox then quickly run away escaping the classroom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time I got to the rooftop.
I tried to twist the doorknob, but it wasn't budging.
I looked at it again. And upon closer inspection, I could see that it was sparklingly brand new.
"The door is fixed..."
[Narrator here, time to explain the situation.]
When Saito asked Student Council President Shiori-senpai, "So what if he refused to stop even if you told him off. It's not like someone will always be here to guard the door every time he tries to."
After President Shiori-senpai realized she wouldn't be able to attend school for a while, due to her injury, she asked for funds from the principal, and had a guy to fix the door earlier that morning.
She doesn't want to disappoint her certain kouhai(junior), so she had it fixed as soon as possible.
[End of flashback.]
'I cant go in anymore huh... Was it because senpai doesn't want me to break the rules anymore?'
'I can't really blame her since it's her job as one of the good guys A.K.A. being the student council president.'
'She's practically the head of a small government handled by the school, so it would be natural for her to want to maintain order ...And Phantom is an outlaw so it was understandable.'
I nodded, wasn't really angry by the fact she removed access to my secret base, since it was her job as student council after all.
After realizing there's nothing much I can do, I decided to just eat while sitting on the stairs for the meantime.
The staircase going to the rooftop is still pretty quiet, so it was still a good place to rethink my strategy.
"Alright. How should I conduct phase two of Operation: Generic Student Character?"
Just when I was about to start eating, I saw Mocha-san walking in the hall.
She was wearing a troubled expression on her face and seemed to be a little down about something. She came to a stop,
'Sigh. I panicked and ran away... I should have rehearsed some more so I would have been prepared from the question they gave just now.'
'It's just that, whenever someone tries to ask me about myself, I get too nervous and seemingly forget who I am. Haha...' [A person that can't think of anything worth noting about herself.]
She was walking on the hallways, tying to settle her thoughts. After calming herself, her eyes that looked down started to look forward, beginning to find determination once more.
'Alright! I can do this. Next time, I'll be sure to face them properly.
While cheering her self up, I just silently sat there staring at her as I quietly eat my lunch.
'Let's see. This place is...'
While turning her gaze around, attempting to familiarize the place, her vision shifts to the side. There she saw me quietly eating away on my lunch, staring at her as I silently sat on the staircase.
"!?"
She was surprised from the sight of someone, specifically me eating at such an odd place, all without a word.
'That surprised me... How long has he been there!?'
'What is he doing eating there all alone?' [Was planning out his strategies.]
'Is it because he was a delinquent so he wasn't comfortable eating inside the classroom?' [Yesn't]
Seeing him eat there by himself... kind of reminds me of myself back in my old school... [Along by his own choice.]
Her face turned a little emphatic, seeing me eat there alone in one corner, remembering how her life in middle school and previous high school.
'Alright then. How about I practiced talking to him. This way I can practice communicating with people, and he might just even fall for me as a shoujo heroine.
'Just kidding. Hehe. Either way, it's a win win situation for the both of us.
I noticed her already, I'm just pretending not to, as the silent and mysterious character.
Mocha-san then approaches me,
"H-Hi. Good morning."
'Gah...! What the hell am I saying. I already introduced myself, and it's not even morning anymore!'
[Very low communication skills.]
I simply turn my gaze away ignoring her.
'He's ignoring me.' (╥ ╥)
She stiflingly walked up closer and asked.
"I, Is this seat taken...? Ca- can I sit here here?" Mocha-san asked with all her courage. [Trying to be brave.]
"Sure, Ah-, I mean I don't care."
I looked away once again, pretending not to care.
'Why is he pretending not to care even though he clearly showed interest? Was he actually glad I talked to him? and was he just hiding his embarrassment? ...That's, kinda cute!'
Is what she was thinking, looking at the attitude I am showing.
What's up with the change of attitude?
Right now, I'm commencing phase two of being a generic student character [Acting like they are too cool to care].
'Am I doing this right? Do I look like someone cool enough not to care? Should I try acting gloomier and more reserved?' I thought to myself, wether I'm acting phase two well enought to look like a generic student character.
"W-What are you eating?" Mocha-san inquired.
It was Mocha-san's attempt on trying to start up a conversation, attempting to make small talks.
"Hamburg steak." I replied, still not looking her way.
'He still won't look at me... Is he perhaps shy? ...Well that also applies to me, haha.' Mocha-san assumed, thinking 'I guess he's also not used to eating together with other people.'
We continued eating our lunches, and her attempting to make small talks, though I rarely respond and only give out simple replies to her questions. But even so,
'Even if we don't talk face to face with each other, just by having someone to sit beside you and eat together like this, somehow makes the food taste so much better. And, I bet that he feels the same way as well.'
Thinking of how nice it was to eat with someone for once, Mocha-san felt just a little bit happier in her heart.
"Yukiya-kun, right? I think eating together like this is really fun."
She smiled looking to be genuinely enjoying herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, back inside the classroom.
"Hey! Guys! Guys! Guys! Look at this!"
"What is it?"
An otaku classmate called his friends over. They're the boys in our class who usually talk about anime, games, and idols and stuff.
They were looking at a monthly idol's magazine, with Haruka-san on the cover. And the person beside her, a boy in black clothing, wearing a cloak and a mask covering his eyes.
"Isn't that!?"
"That's!?"
"Yeah, I think so as well too."
[Who could that masked person be...?]