The afternoon bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break, and Naveen followed Hayase back to their classroom. As they entered, the entire class greeted them with curious glances, but this time, Naveen felt a little more confident. It helped that Hayase walked beside him, a friendly presence that made him feel less like an outsider.
"All right, class!" The teacher clapped his hands, bringing everyone's attention back to the lesson. "We will continue with our study of ancient Japanese history."
Naveen slid into his seat, trying his best to stay awake this time. The teacher's voice was like a steady stream of background noise, but it wasn't enough to lull him to sleep again. His mind was still buzzing from the earlier events.
Hayase returned to her seat in the front, glancing over her shoulder at Naveen with a mischievous smile. "Hey, you survived the first half of the day. Not bad!" she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
"Yeah, barely," Naveen replied, trying to suppress a grin. He glanced out the window, the sun now dipping lower in the sky, casting a warm orange glow across the schoolyard. "I still can't believe I screamed in Hindi earlier. I'm pretty sure they'll make fun of me for weeks."
Hayase raised an eyebrow, the hint of a laugh tugging at her lips. "Eh, don't worry about it. People here are pretty easygoing. Besides, you'll get used to it. I mean, who else can say they've had their first day interrupted by a random Hindi scream?"
Naveen chuckled, though the embarrassment still lingered. His thoughts wandered to how different everything was here—Japan, a quiet, orderly place, so far removed from the chaotic buzz of Mumbai. There was something about it that fascinated him, yet he couldn't quite shake the feeling of being a stranger in this world.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and Hayase was already out of her seat, grabbing her bag. "So, how about I show you around the city this weekend? You know, so you get a better feel for the place?"
Naveen hesitated. "I don't want to bother you. It's probably a hassle, right?"
"No hassle at all," she insisted with a smile. "It'll be fun. Trust me."
"Okay, if you insist," Naveen agreed, feeling a sense of relief. The prospect of having someone to show him around outside of school felt like a much-needed escape from the awkwardness of being the new kid.
As they walked out of the classroom, Ishida caught up with them, his expression one of cautious curiosity. "You really have a knack for making an impression, huh?"
"Yeah, well, it's not exactly the impression I was going for," Naveen said, his face flushing again at the thought of earlier.
Ishida smirked but then softened his tone. "Hey, don't worry about it. People will forget by next week. At least you're not a complete mystery anymore."
Naveen nodded, grateful for the attempt at comfort. "Thanks, man."