I hastily checked the names of my classmates before leaving and noticed a few friends. As usual, I didn't know what to feel about it with my overall luck. I already knew that Keisuke wouldn't be my classmate, but it sucks that Hiro is in a different class too. Moreover, I'm in the same class as Gotou and Maki again.
Fate just can't give me a break, huh?
Still, the most troublesome part of this class would be some of the guys from Fujitama. There was a group that didn't like me, and they're here.
They're free to feel what they want about me, but I hope they can leave me alone at least.
"You seem to be in deep thought," said Shirase, walking beside me.
What? Are you so used to getting attention that my ignoring you feels weird?
I wanted to tell her that as a joke, but we're not close friends. It'd be rude.
"Ahh, sorry. I was thinking about our classmates. I hope they're nice."
"Oh, please. You are so not thinking that."
"Heh, you think you know what I'm thinking then?"
"Hmm... nope! It's just a feeling."
"Haha, unfortunately for you, I was being honest."
And fortunately for me, my karma gave me something to work with for once. I got to know Shirase Yumina.
"Ah, we're here!" she excitedly ran to the door.
Finally, I'll be free from the stares.
"You're not coming?" Shirase's head popped out from the doorway and asked me.
"You go ahead, Shirase-san. I'm trying to contact a friend from another class."
"Okay!"
I can hear the cheerful voices of girls from here. Shirase must have a lot of middle school friends in class.
I messaged Hiro and Keisuke to make my excuse true. It's still an excuse in the end though. I really didn't want to go in with Shirase. Maki was probably inside. If she sees me enter with such a pretty girl, she'll hound me and ask how I knew her or how we met. I don't want to pile up on my fabricated stories, so I'd rather just avoid that conversation entirely.
I made up some stuff to create a scenario where Shirase and I would meet. The harmless lies were a means to an end. I won't let it bite me in the ass.
After a few more seconds passed, I finally walked inside the classroom. A few groups had already formed but some students were still doing their own thing. One of them is even reading a book.
"Ah! Kazuomi-kun, there you are!" And there you are.
Seriously though, keep it down. Some of our classmates turned to look at me because of you! They must've been expecting a celebrity, but I'm sorry, it's just me.
She was talking to a few girls who then gave me curious looks. They weren't from Fujitama, so she probably made friends with them just now.
"It seems like we're in the same class again, Maki..."
"Yep! That's the fourth time in a row!"
"I just can't escape you, can I?"
"And you're as rude as always!" she pouted, weakly slapping my arm. "I'm still upset at you, you know? You never contacted me throughout spring break!"
Hah? What are you? My girlfriend?
"Leave me alone. I was too busy playing games to deal with you."
Maki became even more pouty, but that's fine.
Besides, you probably never felt lonely during spring break.
"Katsuhira! It's good to see you."
"Oh, the boyfriend is here. I'll see you later then. Gotta find a nice seat to relax," I grinned at Maki before walking away. "We're together again this year, Gotou. Glad to have ya."
"Yeah, same here."
I left it at that. I glanced at Shirase who was happily talking to some girls.
"Is the main character's seat open?" I muttered under my breath.
As it turns out, it's not. Well, I expected that much. I've only ever sat in that place once in my life during my first year in middle school.
There seem to be thirty seats in total but only around nine vacant ones left. Six rows and five columns— that's pretty standard. The classroom doesn't feel too cramped.
I sat on the fourth row by the wall near the back door. The seat beside it was vacant which gave me a sense of peace. There was a group of three guys chatting in front of me, so it wasn't total peace, but I didn't mind.
As I made myself home in my new sanctuary, I held on to a faint hope that another good thing could happen if my calculations turned out to be right.
"Hey, hey, can I ask you a question?" The guy in front of me suddenly turned around and asked.
"Hm? What is it?"
"You were talking to Omiya-san just now, right? Are you friends with her?"
"Yeah, you could say that. We were classmates back in Fujitama," I answered.
"Oh, I see! I'm Akiyama Hayato by the way. I'm from Kougyoku Middle like these guys."
"I'm Sakamoto Daichi."
"Murase Ryou!"
"Nice to meet you guys. I'm Katsuhira Kazuomi," I replied. "So, are you interested in Fujitama Academy's Omiya Maki?"
Just as I'd predicted, Maki would earn the admiration of many boys. It's something that everyone from Fujitama already expected.
Oh, you've grown so much, Maki. You were just a bumbling mess back then. You're making this old man cry with joy. Well, that wouldn't sound right. Maki is actually a few months older than me.
"You could say that..." Akiyama blushed. "Her name was being thrown around even in Kougyoku. She was quite popular and that got us curious."
"We didn't expect her to be in this school, let alone be in the same class!" followed Murase.
"I was lucky enough to have a conversation with her earlier, and I can already tell that she was a very nice person," commented Sakamoto.
That's right, that's right. Praise my friend more!
"She is a nice person. Not only is she cute, but she's also kind," I whispered. "And she'll try to look cool and all, but she's actually an airheaded person."
"Ohhh!"
"What a cute gap!"
I nodded proudly as we talked about my best friend.
That's right. If Shirase Yumina was the top beauty at Kougyoku Middle School, then Omiya Maki was the top beauty at Fujitama Academy!
I wondered if the other popular girls from Kougyoku Middle went to this school. Meh, I'll probably find out when the time comes. They weren't popular for no reason. It wouldn't surprise me if someone from outside our two schools emerged though.
However, as expected, Maki and Shirase would be the focal figures of this class for girls. And seeing how the handsome Gotou was busy talking to both boys and girls alike, then he would most likely be the center for guys.
Well, Maki and Gotou are a couple, and it wouldn't take too long before most people notice. Because of that, I assume the guys would have their eyes more on Shirase.
"Unfortunately for you guys, Maki stopped being single right before spring break," I said.
"Gahhh! I knew it!" Murase held his head.
"Ahh, so our hunch was true after all..." said Akiyama.
"Haha, her boyfriend must be that person over there, right?" asked Sakamoto.
"Yep, that's Gotou Shun. Quite the looker, isn't he? He's a very smart and nice guy too— a tough competition."
"Tough?! You mean 'impossible'!"
"And I don't think there's even a competition. Omiya-san looked so lovestruck when they talked."
Yeah, she looks stupid. But I'll cut her some slack. He's her first boyfriend, after all.
"Haha, I know right?" I laughed. "She has a lot of friends, but she's surprisingly innocent."
The three of them looked at me with interested expressions. I already knew what they were about to ask next.
"Is this seat taken?" A girl's voice suddenly interrupted us.
"Shirase!" yelled Murase.
"Yo, Murase-kun. Looking forward to this year," she said. "You too, Sakamoto-kun, Akiyama-kun."
They gave her a comfortable smile.
"Were you guys all friends back in middle school?" I asked. "Oh, and that seat's free, by the way."
"Thank you, I'll take it." Shirase hung her bag and sat beside me. "Akiyama-kun and Murase-kun were my classmates during our first year in middle school. Sakamoto-kun was my classmate last year."
"Sounds nice."
"I can't believe Shirase still remembers us. What an angel!"
"You're as energetic as ever, Murase-kun. I wouldn't be surprised if you get in trouble with the teacher on the first day," giggled Shirase.
"Haha, Murase does seem to be that type of guy," I said.
"W-What do you mean, Katsuhira?!"
"It's nothing bad," I laughed. "You're the life of the party, but the headache of a teacher!"
"You got it right, Katsuhira," shrugged Akiyama.
"This is the first time I've been classmates with Murase-kun and Akiyama-kun so that information is new to me too," Sakamoto chuckled.
The morning got off to a pretty good start. Everything would've been perfect if I managed to grab a seat near the window, but you can't have 'em all.
————————————————————
When it was finally time for the entrance ceremony, I walked with Akiyama and the others while chatting heartily. I initially thought they were just trying to get to Maki, but the three of them were genuinely nice guys.
"Good morning!" The sliding door swung open and a woman smilingly entered. "I hope you guys are doing well today. I'm Aihara Tenri, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. I'm looking forward to working with you guys!"
Aihara-sensei was a young woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties. Her outfit was simple, but it looked great when paired with her pretty face. Well, she's energetic enough to get everyone engaged. It's much better than a grumpy old man.
"Wake me up when it's my turn, Shirase-san."
"Eh? Huh?" She didn't seem to understand what I meant.
C'mon now. We've been through this many times already.
I ignored my adorably confused seatmate and plopped my head on the desk.
"Now, for the rest of homeroom, you'll introduce yourselves to the class. Is that okay?" Aihara-sensei announced.
"Ohh, that's what you mean." Only then did I hear Shirase's realization.
I felt comfortable just closing my eyes the entire time. It sucks that I didn't get to sleep though. I was too distracted by everyone's introductions that I ended up paying attention to their voices.
"Katsuhira-kun, wake up. It'll be our turn soon..." Shirase whispered.
Being woken up by her felt nice. Good job, me.
In the end, we introduced ourselves normally. A lot of us made weird jokes and whatnot, but that still fell under the normal category in these modern times. No one really said anything too outlandish.
"Before I go, I'd like to remind you to check out our clubs after lunch break. I'm sure you'll find something you enjoy!"
Sensei announced our amazingly lax schedule in the afternoon before leaving.
"Kazuomi-kun, you wanna have lunch with us?" Maki happily approached me as soon as the bell rang.
"With whom?"
"Shun-kun."
"Just you and him?"
"Yep."
"Yeah, no way. Why are you even asking me that? Do you like bringing a third wheel whenever you're with Gotou?"
"That's not..."
Shit, I meant to say that playfully, but it sounded like I was genuinely upset. Needless to say, I went too far with that one.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. It's not that I'm against having lunch with you guys, but you're a couple now. You have to be careful with these things."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you some other time. Look, your prince charming is coming this way. You guys go on ahead and enjoy yourselves. I'll be fine."
"Oh, okay..."
C'mon, don't give me that. You're making me feel guilty.
"Katsuhira, are you coming?" asked Gotou.
"Nah, you guys go. Maybe some other time."
"Really? Alright then. Let's go, Maki-san."
"Mhm."
And the two of them went off.
When Maki came to talk to me, Akiyama looked like he wanted to invite me too. The three of them are gone now, probably thinking that I'd go with Maki without a doubt. What a terrible turn of events.
"Yumina, come eat with us!" Motokawa called out to Shirase, with a few other girls.
"Okay! I'll be right there~!" Shirase happily accepted before leaning towards me. "Hey, Katsuhira-kun. Can I ask you a question?"
"Hm, what is it?"
"Earlier, with Omiya-san... Did you say that on purpose?" Her eyes narrowed as the smile on her face widened.
This girl... She doesn't mean what I think she means, right?
"On purpose?" I asked back, tilting my head with an innocent look.
"Were you being considerate to Omiya-san and Gotou-kun?" she asked, with a face saying she could see through me.
Everything went according to plan this morning so I thought Shirase was nothing but a pretty yet ordinary girl. However, she picked up on my true intentions when I talked to Maki. It seems like I underestimated her too much.
Sadly for her, there would have been no use in testing me if I had known I was being tested.
I smirked, leaning on my hand.
"Considerate? Oh, no. I'm not that nice. You saw how gloomy Maki got, right? Surely, Gotou would notice it and they'd talked about our conversation just now. Gotou knows how close I am to Maki, and he's also a very kind and tolerant guy. He's smart enough to realize that I'm trying to be considerate of their relationship, so he'd console her and say that she didn't do anything wrong," I explained. "After that, Gotou would probably approach me, asking me to act like how I usually did around Maki before they started dating just to stop her from being sad."
Shirase listened to me, looking dumbfounded.
"Hey, I'm not a scumbag trying to ruin their relationship, okay? My goal is to restore my previous relationship with Maki, but I don't want to be the one who initiates it when she has a boyfriend. I'd look like a clingy creep."
"So you created a scenario where they'd be the ones initiating it for you instead."
"Exactly. And then I'd be back to being best friends with Maki guilt-free. A happy ending for everyone." I softly clapped my hands.
I raised an eyebrow, passing the ball to Shirase.
She stood up and turned around, scuttling towards Motokawa and their other friends. Girl, you left your bento...
To my surprise, she came back but didn't retrieve it. She sat back down instead.
Suddenly, I heard a metallic screeching sound. She moved her desk right next to mine.
"Uh, what are you doing?" I asked.
"I told Tsucchi and the others that I'm having lunch with you."
I looked over to them as soon as I heard that. Uwah... They're staring at us with annoying looks on their faces. They totally think something is up with me and their precious Yumina.
"Wouldn't that cause a bunch of misunderstandings?"
"I said there was something important that I'd like to talk about with you. And they told me to go ahead," she laughed wryly. "Though I guess that wouldn't stop them from making weird conclusions since I kept things vague."
"And Motokawa-san saw us together earlier. They're gonna have lots to gossip about."
"Ahaha, it's fine~! They'll probably tease me, but that's about it."
And with that, it was decided that I was having lunch with Shirase.
I could feel the piercing stares of jealous guys from across the room. Normally, I wouldn't take them seriously, but one particular group was looking at me like I was the devil himself. What a pain.
Some girls were also looking at us with curious eyes.
Wow! Shirase Yumina was eating lunch with a guy on the first day of school? I wonder who the guy is! He must be a tall and handsome stud! Sorry to burst your bubble, ladies, but I'm just an average-looking shorty.
"So? Do you wanna continue the conversation from earlier? I don't mind, but let's keep our voices low. It's not really something to talk about when there's other people around."
"Then... do you wanna get out of here and eat somewhere else?"
"Shirase-san, surely you're aware of what'll happen if the two of us stand up with our bento in hand and leave the classroom together."
"Yeah, I know. I'm a bit popular, so rumors might start popping up here and there. We can stay here if it's too much trouble for you."
"I'm just a normal guy. I wouldn't hate it if a cute girl was suddenly rumored to be my girlfriend. What I'm concerned about is you. Wouldn't this whole thing make you uncomfortable?"
"If you're fine with it, then that's perfect. Let's go." She closed her bento box and prepared to leave. "Would the rumors make me uncomfortable? The short answer is 'kind of'. For the long answer, I'll tell you later."
I could only respond with a defeated sigh. This girl was something else.
Shirase and I walked side-by-side before making a turn to the stairwell. It wasn't the most unexpected place to go, but the rooftop was a solid choice. Kougyoku's well-fenced rooftop was open throughout the day, so we weren't surprised to see a few students in the area.
Shirase and I went to a nice open corner and sat. Finally, I can partake in my meal. Thanks for the food.
"Your bento looks great! Did your mom make it?" she asked.
"Yep. How about yours?"
"Hehe, my mom also made it for me. It doesn't just look delicious, you know? It's very tasty too."
I can tell, and your bento is almost double the size of mine...
"Then give me some of those egg rolls."
"Fufun~. Only if you're willing to trade." Why do you look so smug? For your information, I willingly walked into that one.
After finishing our meal, Shirase got the conversation going again.
"I'm not doubting that you're close friends with Omiya-san, but what if things don't go according to your plan?"
"Ahh, I get it. What if Maki and Gotou agree to respect my consideration and start avoiding me instead?"
Shirase nodded enthusiastically.
"Hahaha, that wouldn't happen!" I laughed out loud. "Those two are a couple of kids who've never been in a relationship before, you know? They'll make the most mature decision from a kid's perspective. Let's try to act out what their conversation would look like."
"O-Okay."
"Maki-san, are you okay? You don't look too good."
"What's with your impression of Gotou-kun? You're trying too hard to sound handsome. It's so funny!"
"Focus!"
I noticed that some of the students were looking at us, but it's not like we can do anything about it.
"Fine, fine," she said dismissively. "I'm okay. It's just that Kazuomi-kun said something earlier, and I can't stop thinking about it."
"W-Woah... Can say my name again?"
"Focus!" She poked my arm.
"What did he say?"
"When I asked him to have lunch with us, he declined and told me to be careful because we're a couple now."
"And that's where the divergence would be decided," I said, raising a finger. "Knowing Gotou, he'd feel guilty about being the cause of the rift between our friendship. I'm sure he'd tell her that I didn't need to be considerate."
"But the final decision depends on Omiya-san, right? What if she resolves herself to be a proper girlfriend and distances herself from you for the sake of their relationship?"
"I told you. They're both kids trying to be mature. Gotou won't let himself feel guilty, so he'd most likely push the idea and look like a saint. And Maki doesn't know any better. I started avoiding her throughout spring break, so her mind is preoccupied with me instead of her boyfriend."
"You're not beating the allegations, Katsuhira-kun. You are a scumbag!"
"Thank you for the compliment."
That's right. I'm a scumbag. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't get why this girl looks happy about it though.
"We can find out if I'm right or not as soon as later. Gotou cares about Maki a lot, so he probably won't let things drag on."
"I volunteer as a witness."
"I accept." I crossed my arms and nodded. "Now then. It's your time to talk. What's the 'long answer'?"
"Alright. But first, I want to add more context to the short answer. If you were a close friend of mine, then I wouldn't care if people think we're dating. But we just met today, so that makes me a bit guarded against you. I wanted to use this chance to get to know you better."
"And did our conversation so far change anything for you?"
"Yep! You're an interesting guy, Katsuhira-kun. I don't know your hobbies, your likes, or your dislikes, but those are things that I can learn about later. What I wanted to see was how you would talk to me. It gave me a small glimpse of what kind of person you are. Of course, I'm not saying that I can read you as a person or anything like that..." she explained. "But! It doesn't change the fact that I think you're interesting, and I can already tell that you're super smart."
"Haha, I feel flattered."
"That's why I'd like to be friends with you." She extended her hands.
"I see. The pleasure is mine, Shirase-san."
Her hand was soft and it made my heart flutter a bit. It's not like this was my first time holding a girl's hand, but touching someone who looks this pretty is something that no teenage boy would ever get used to.
"And so! For the long answer... Let's just say that I wanted to use you."
"Use me...?"
"You saw through me earlier, didn't you? You knew I was testing you with my question." She pointed at me. "Oh, it's for their own good— for their sake~! I just want them to be happy~! I thought you'd answer with that kind of boring cliché sob story, but you flipped the table and surprised me."
"Well, I was going to say something like that, but I got a bit annoyed by the look on your face. You were totally treating me like a sad little boy."
"Haha, my bad, my bad~! But that's what made me want to use you. I'm... a bit fed up with boys confessing to me, and I'm sure it'll get worse now that I'm in high school. I grew up and became even prettier!"
"Is it just me, or is your humility from earlier slowly dissipating?"
"I needed a deterrent! If I get close to you, then the rumors would act as a deterrent. I know that there are shameless guys out there, but the number of confessions would surely decrease!"
"In that case-"
"Ah, but I don't want to be in a pretend relationship like those in manga. It's cringe. And I don't want to date you for real either since I don't have romantic feelings for you." Her bubbly voice suddenly became devoid of emotions.
"Y-You don't have to sound so serious... It's not like I wanted any of that either..."
Shirase laughed her heart out while my heart bled.
"It's a fair trade, don't you think?" she said.
"Oh, you realized?"
"Yeah, I knew you wanted to use me as well. If another girl starts getting close to you, then that would make Omiya-san even more anxious."
"For a popular and friendly girl that everyone loves, you seem to know how a scumbag thinks."
"I'm both, after all~."
I'm liking this girl more and more.
I stood up and stretched my arms before extending my hand.
"If you don't have any plans yet, let's check out the clubs together."
"I'm going to be your witness, remember? Of course, I'll stay with you until that happens."
This was the first time I've ever met someone like Shirase Yumina, and this was the longest first day of school I've ever had.