Chereads / Unique highschool life / Chapter 17 - chapter 17 komi san

Chapter 17 - chapter 17 komi san

*****

1200 word (-_-)

*****

The next day, as usual, Kamiya was waiting for Aki in front of the door. "Shall we?" Aki suggested.

"Um," Kamiya nodded, and they both walked down the street toward their school. On their way, they encountered Shikimori and Izumi, so all four of them went together.

As they reached the school, they went their separate ways. While Izumi and Aki were trying to change their shoes in the shoes locker area, Aki felt an unsettling sensation, as if someone had been watching him since he arrived. The feeling was so strong that he couldn't shake it off.

At first, he tried to ignore it, but the persistent gaze became too much. Irritated by being stared at for so long, he abruptly turned to scold the person for being so creepy. But upon seeing who it was, he understood the situation and sighed. "Komi-san, right? Can you tell me why you're staring at me for so long?"

Komi, startled by his sudden action, stepped back and hid behind the locker.

"Yeah, introvert as always," Aki thought. He remembered Komi from her anime, where she needed help to make friends and communicate. Seeing the frightened girl, he wondered how to approach her without causing more discomfort.

Taking a deep breath, Aki softened his tone. "It's okay, Komi-san. I didn't mean to scare you. If you need something, you can tell me." He hoped his gentler approach would help ease her anxiety.

In the anime, Komi Shouko is regarded as the Madonna of her school. However, she is incapable of socializing with others to such an extent that it can be called a communication disorder. She is unable to utter a word or sound in her daily life due to her crippling anxiety and fear of rejection by her peers.

Despite this, she dreams of overcoming her adversity and desires to build friendly relationships with others, aiming to make 100 friends. The first person in her school to realize her difficulty in communicating was her fellow classmate Tadano Hitohito. Tadano decided to help her overcome her anxiety and make her dream of 100 friends a reality. He became her first friend, and with his help, Shouko then attempts to socialize with and befriend the other students of her class.

She hardly talks to people. If forced to speak, she trembles like a vibrating phone. She usually carries a notebook and writing utensils to communicate with her friends. However, when she forgets them, she freezes up.

In the current situation, Shouko didn't bring her notebook.

Shouko can be described as a girl with glossy dark purple/black hair that flows to her lower back, a slender body, and an incredibly beautiful face. She is wearing her school uniform with full-length tights, her jacket fully buttoned up, and her skirt above her knees. Komi can be considered one of the most beautiful girls Aki has met till now, a beauty that constantly attracts attention from other students and even strangers.

As he spoke komi come out from hiding but still her anxiety was still there.

"Komi-san," Aki said gently, trying not to startle her further. "You don't have your notebook, do you?"

Komi's eyes widened, and she hesitated before nodding slightly, her hands clutching her skirt nervously.

"Do you need help with anything?" Aki continued.

Komi shook her head at first, but then she nodded. She wanted to befriend him but was too afraid to talk. It was clear she wanted to communicate but was struggling to find a way.

Aki noticed that she still hadn't changed her shoes, and realized that her locker was below his. "Um, am I in your way?" he asked.

Komi nodded, then quickly shook her head, realizing his words were slightly misinterpreted.

"I'm kidding, no need to be so frightened, Komi-san. You can change first," he suggested, stepping aside.

Komi blushed with embarrassment, feeling teased but unable to respond as she still couldn't talk and had forgotten her notebook. She accepted his offer and quickly changed her slippers.

Suddenly, a loud voice broke the moment. "Yaho, Komi-san! Oh, and the new students, Izumi and Shijo! Nice meeting you!" A girl? Or something came running up, dragging Komi away before Aki could even react.

Aki watched the scene unfold, recognizing the unknown as Najimi Osana, the school's friendly and outgoing social butterfly. "Well, that was something," he thought, sighing slightly.

Izumi, having finished changing his shoes, looked at Aki with curiosity. "What was that all about?"

Aki shrugged. "Just Komi-san being herself. I heard she's incredibly shy and has a hard time communicating. I was just trying to help her out."

Izumi nodded thoughtfully. "She seems nice. It's good that you're helping her."

"Thank," Aki replied, "I just hope she gets more comfortable around us. She needs a little pust that all."

Shrugging the thought away, Aki opened his locker and found several papers inside. Looking closely, he realized they were love letters.

He'd only been at the school for a day, and he wondered how he had already received so many. He knew he was handsome—or, more accurately, cute. His smooth skin and delicate features came from the care he received during childhood, and his beauty was inherited from his mother.

If he took after his father, he would be considered handsome, but his boyish face meant that even when he was serious, people didn't always take him seriously until he demonstrated his capability, which often resulted in them fearing his signature smile.

Aki wondered if there were no other handsome guys around, or if the girls were just flocking to the new student out of curiosity or novelty." Or are they just left over?" As he sorted through the letters, a few names caught his eye and intrigued him.

"Hmm, I'll need to confirm this," he thought, pocketing the letters.

With that, he entered his classroom, putting the letters out of his mind for now. As he walked in, he noticed Kamiya already seated and reading a book. She glanced up and gave him a small smile.

Inside the classroom, Aki noticed Komi glancing at him before looking down again to write something. 'She had found her notebook' he thought.

After a few moments, she looked up, met his eyes briefly, and then held up the notebook, which simply said, "Thank you." She fell silent once more.

Aki pondered the situation. "Won't you ask me to be your friend?" he thought, but he didn't voice it. Instead, he took his seat. He saw Tadano asking Komi questions, trying to help her feel more at ease.

Aki's gaze drifted to the person in front of him, an unknown figure. His curiosity piqued. "Should I check this identity?" he wondered. "Even in the manga, it's unclear if this person is male or female. Should I take the risk?"

"But... what if... No, no. I'm just curious. I want to unfold this mystery," he reasoned. The quote "Curiosity killed the cat" echoed in his mind, making him hesitant but intrigued.

As Aki pondered whether to satisfy his curiosity, their homeroom teacher, Hina, walked in, and the class resumed its usual routine. He decided to focus on his studies for now, leaving the mystery for another time.

******

******