Despite still not having any friends, the first week of school flew by and now it's Monday again.
Manabe had previously stopped my homemade food swapping strategy, so I tried it again with Ibuki the very next day. She looked at me like I was crazy before refusing. Thinking the idea still had potential, I tried it with Nishino instead, but she declined as well, confused about why I'd offer to do that after only talking to her once. Apparently we weren't close enough to trade food yet. She had been gathering her belongings to leave the classroom before I went up to her, going to the cafeteria or find a secluded place, and didn't think about inviting me either, so I was left alone again.
At least I got her name out of that interaction.
On Saturday, I planned to invite her to the cafeteria instead. For all I knew, she might not have invited me before because she was shy or something like that. It did slightly contradict her earlier lesbian comment, but maybe she was the mean, shy type—like a tsundere, I think they're called. Initially I thought Ibuki might fall into that category too, though now I think she's just naturally mean.
Unfortunately for me, Ishizaki had invited Nishino before I could even get up, and surprisingly, she agreed. Aren't girls usually scared of delinquents? Could it be that Nishino is one too? If he asked me to join, I don't think I'd have the courage to say no. He's not as terrifying as Ryuen, yet still a delinquent nonetheless.
Oddly enough, there are a lot of delinquents, or nicer meatheads in class C. I thought for sure this school was going to be filled up with honor-students and the like, but clearly that's not the case. Not that I'm in a position to judge—I'm not particularly smart, so I guess I fall into the meathead category too. Though, only quarter of the class attention whenever the teachers are teaching, and they get away with it too because the staff doesn't care for an unknown reason.
If you were to judge based on appearance alone, about two thirds of the boys in class look like delinquents with their saggy pants, loose shirts, and ties barely hanging on. And then there's Albert—easily the tallest student in class—who got in even though he barely knows Japanese. The rest of the guys are more reserved, while only Kaneda fits the nerd stereotype.
The girls are only a little better, with the only delinquent looking ones being Manabe, Nishino, Ibuki and two others, meaning a quarter of the girl population. That's not to say the other girls aren't delinquents either. Yamashita and Yabu look like relatively normal gyaru's, but I'm starting to suspect they're plotting something malicious with Manabe against me.
My math textbook and a few other items disappeared when I left my bag unattended in class on Saturday. When I asked Manabe if she'd seen anyone take them, she claimed she hadn't. The way she laughed while accusing me of losing them made it clear she was lying though. I couldn't just accuse her of stealing it. I had no proof, and no one said anything, I doubted there were any witnesses in the first place. Since her desk was next to mine, it wouldn't have seemed unusual for her or one of her friends to be close to my bag, and no one would have found it suspicious enough to pay attention to them. Thanks to that, I was left with no choice but to wear a fake smile and spend about 4,000 points on a new textbook and supplies.
Thump.
A hard impact to my left shoulder caught me off guard.
I gave the object that had bounced off my shoulder and landed on the floor a quick glance. It was a small, worn eraser, the dark color from accumulated graphite, dust, and debris showing how long it had been used.
It took me less than a second to figure out who had thrown it.
While lunch had only recently started, all the students that we're very social had already left for the cafeteria, that made Manabe much more confident in throwing the eraser. People like Ibuki, Morofuji, and I, who tend to keep to ourselves, wouldn't say anything even if we saw bullying either. Well, Ibuki is debatable. She's not remotely afraid of Manabe and doesn't seem to like senseless violence, so she might report it if things go too far.
Regardless, I should head to the cafeteria.
I was planning to go to the cafeteria with a friend for the first time, but the possibility of being targeted by Manabe and her friends makes staying here not worth it. I've even been preparing my own lunch every day, and now that effort feels like it's gone to waste.
Standing up, I packed away my homemade lunch and other supplies into my bag, then tucked my seat in and prepared to leave, only to be stopped when Ibuki called out to me.
"You're pathetic." She said, her head resting on her palm as she watched me exit.
Unwilling to turn around, I slowed at her words.
She was right in a way. Clearly, I was only heading to the cafeteria to avoid getting bullied, and there was no denying that. Walking away is often the best choice to avoid conflict, you can't lose a fight if your opponent never shows, right? I had no problem doing that, but was that really what I wanted? She spilled my iced tea and gave me an insincere apology, which I accepted, yet she's going to harass me because I accidentally hit her in the face with a dodgeball? I understand the situations aren't exactly equal, that 99% of people would choose losing their canned iced tea over being hit in the face with a dodgeball. Regardless, my point was both were complete accidents. I don't deserve to treated like this, nobody does.
Peeking over at Manabe and her friend group, they were sat together around the bottom right corner desk, joking and giggling with each other.
Manabe appeared to sense my gaze and turned to look at me, prompting her two friends to follow suit. I quickly broke eye contact and shuffled away toward the cafeteria with my bag latched around my neck like a fanny pack, my burst of confidence vanishing instantly.
It's 3 against 1, okay? There's nothing I can do against the disadvantage in numbers, I still don't have any friends, remember? The voices in my head will have to substitute for now.
On my way to the cafeteria for the first time, I felt a growing sense of worry as I saw the groups of students eating on the floor on the path to it. Were all the seats already taken? Was I going to be forced to eat there as well? My thoughts we're running a mile an hour during my short walk, but my fears instantly faded when I spotted numerous open seats at various tables.
Why would anyone pick the floor over the tables? Was it some weird preference I didn't understand? The thought confused me briefly, though not enough to question anyone about it.
The line to purchase food was relatively short. I'd arrived when most people had already purchased their food and are half finished eating it, so I didn't need to wait long to by mine. Choosing randomly, I purchased the teriyaki chicken combo, found a table that was partially occupied and made sure to sit in the seat furthest away from my tablemates. They didn't seem talkative, and I couldn't figure out what year they were in just by their appearance, so I decided to avoid looking their way entirely to avoid any awkward conversation.
Sitting at the table directly in front of ours, and in my direct line of sight, was a group of students who looked to be having the time of their lives with their friends. I wasn't familiar with any of them since I'd either stayed in the classroom during lunch or left for home right after school everyday, but I'm pretty sure the pink-haired girl with the massive chest is Honami Ichinose, which means most of the group she's with is likely her friends and classmates in class B. I'd heard rumors about her from some of the boys in class, one of whom admitted to having a huge crush on her, and saying that she's supposedly some kind of people magnet. Her group seemed to constantly switch topics during their conversations, and somehow, Ichinose managed to include every student, even those who sounded shyer than me, in them.
How enviable; if only I could make friends like them, maybe I wouldn't have to deal with my horrible social anxiety every day or constantly worry about being bullied. Even just one person would be good enough for me. Though, I should stop envying them and start eating already before I make myself cry.
The Teriyaki chicken combo that I randomly ordered consisted of rice, miso soup, veggies on the side, it's main dish chicken, and—
"—Wooooooaahhh!" A girlish voice exclaimed, tripping on Schrodinger's banana peel.
*Splash* *Crash!*
...
I'm covered in food.
"Oh wow, I really m-messed up." Manabe said, choking on her words. "My bad Ayanokouji-san, I should've been more careful."
I could have sworn Manabe said she was planning to go on a diet, and yet she's decided to follow me to the cafeteria with her friends. Actually... looking at what was spilt on me now, it's only vegetables. I guess that part could be true.
"i-it's okay, it happens..."
But, isn't this just the free lunch combo?
I don't buy that she picked that because of a diet—I heard it's full of the worst and most gross vegetables. The fact her friends decided to get the same meal too makes it even more suspicious. They couldn't possibly have burned through 100,000 points this early on.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" Ichinose asked, rushing over with a bunch of napkins in hand. "Do you have any other clothing you can change into? I might be able to get you some if you don't."
It wasn't everyday when somebody had a free lunch set dumped onto them, so naturally, Manabe's accident caught most students attention, including the social butterflies.
"i don't, but i won't need you to lend me any either." I replied, standing up and letting the spilt food slide of my clothing. "i'll get some new clothing from my room."
"Eh? But, lunch is almost over. There's no time for you to go back." Ichinose responded worriedly, her hands clamped together. "Let me get you one, I know a person who—"
"—no thank you. i'll let my teacher know and it should be fine."
It was clear Ichinose really wanted to lend me a hand, and while I appreciated it, I wasn't comfortable owing her anything or building a friendship based on her pity. I wanted to make friends within class C first before to attempting to build a relationship with her.
"At least let me walk with you to ex—"
"—i'm alright, ichinose-san. i'd prefer to be alone right now anyway, thanks for offering." I cut her off, dismissing her repeated plea to assist me.
Manabe, who had been silently observing our conversation for a few seconds, chose this moment to resume her act of pretending to be kind.
"Are you sure? I feel bad, it's my fault you got dirty in the first place. I don't mind walking you to the staff room instead—it's the least I can do."
"d-don't worry about it. there's no need to feel bad either since it was just an accident." I said, my gaze locked onto the spilled food. "i think i'll get going now... see you."
Leaving behind the mess Manabe had made, I speed walked over to the staff room trying to ignore the strange looks I was getting for appearing like a spoiled toddler who disliked her food.
It was my first time ever going to the staff room, so I wasn't sure whether the proper etiquette was to knock before entering or just go straight in. To avoid coming across as impolite, I decided to knock on the door, though I pushed it open before anyone could let me in.
As soon as I entered, I noticed another student talking to one of the female teachers. He had short blonde hair and a warm smile, the kind of smile that screamed Ike-man. He was definitely the breed of guy who stole the hearts of every girl in his class. The knock drew the attention of both of them, along with a few other teachers, but it was my stained uniform that held their gazes and earned me some raised eyebrows. This feels even worse than the students staring at me on the way here—I kind of regret knocking.
Sakagami was sitting alone at his cubicle, and when our eyes met, I moved to approach him, only to be intercepted by Hoshinomiya. She rushed over, abandoning the blonde-haired boy she'd been speaking with.
"Oh my, are you okay? Your uniforms covered in—what happened?"
"it's nothing important. i need to talk to sakagami-sensei."
Rather than stepping aside like I thought she would, the energetic teacher persisted with her question, taking hold of my left hand with both of her hands.
"Forget about that stingy old man, he doesn't care about his students. I can help you instead, could you explain what happened? Did you get into a fight with someone?"
"Um, Hoshinomiya-sensei. I think you should just let her pass through."
The blonde-haired boy spoke up on my behalf, though his face turned slightly red as he made eye contact with me, causing him to break it immediately.
While the spilled soup made my dress shirt somewhat see-through, my blazer and the dirty food stains blocks anything inappropriate from view, his reaction came across a little odd to me.
"Who are you calling a stingy old man? Hoshinomiya-sensei, you should leave all matters concerning other classes to their own teachers. Stop trying to pry answers from my student."
"What? I'm just trying to help! She's covered in filth, for crying out loud. I can't help being worried."
"Don't give me that crap, I'll never believe it. Ayanokouji-san, was it? Follow me to my office, we'll talk about what happened there."
"okay."
After her small scolding, Hoshinomiya seemed to lose interest in questioning me, maybe she wasn't as concerned as she had sounded. I was under the impression she was a really nosey person, so why did she stop interrogating me all of a sudden?
Sakagami gestured for me to follow, leading me to a compact, secluded personal room hidden near the back of the staff room, which was meticulously organized. He moved behind his desk, took a seat, and pointed to the chair in front of him for me to sit in, waiting silently for me to start.
"eto... can i get permission to grab a new uniform to change in from my dorm room?"
A confused expression crossed his face at my statement; he was likely expecting me to explain what happened, not to ask for permission to leave, especially since all the teaching staff don't say anything about students arriving late or not showing at all.
"You're not going to explain what happened?"
"like i told hoshinomiya-sensei it wasn't anything important. someone just accidentally dropped their lunch on me, and i didn't want to be marked late because i had to change uniforms."
"And you don't have friends you can... well, I suppose not. I'll write a note down, you're free to go get changed in your dorm. Just make sure to come back quickly."
To think even my teacher knows about my apparent lack of friends.
I suppose that would be expected at most schools, though I thought the teachers here were less concerned with monitoring student behavior. Why do I have to get my shameful high-school life exposed by my teacher so early. Couldn't he have at least tried to make it sound better? He could've said something like how no one brings extra uniforms to school, or that size of any spare uniforms available might not fit me. Did he really need to call me out like that?
"...alright."
With his permission granted, I left the staff room.
---
Ch 3 End
pacing is meant to be fast, but I don't wanna do that until kiyomi gets some relationships
next chapter is mostly done anyway, was hoping to double post today didn't work, hopefully out tmrw.
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