The hallways were filled with echoes of conversations. Tension was palpable in the air, as each fresh student was anxious about their new life in the high school. I was no exception. But unlike them, who were sticking with their friends, I was searching for someone. Teiko. But before I could find her, the bell rang, signaling for homeroom. I cursed under my breath, and moved to my classroom, 1-C.
The room was half filled, students scattered around, but no signs of our homeroom teacher. I moved towards my desk and took a seat, eyes darting around as I glance at these new faces. I wasn't interested in any of them. Not because I think I'm better than them. I just think I don't have any interesting qualities that will make these people want to be friends with me.
Just as I was about to take a nap on my table, the homeroom teacher arrived in our class and announced his presence. As usual, we all stood up and greeted him with a good morning. He introduced himself as "Mr. Tanaka". We took our seats, and gave our attendance. "Kazuro?" the teacher exclaimed. "Here." I replied reflexively. "Teiko?" The teacher shouted, surprising me. She was in the same class as mine, but was not present. Weird. "Teiko?" He repeated again, before moving on to the next student. The attendance was finished, and Mr. Tanaka began leaving the room as we stood up to bid goodbye.
Suddenly, the door slid open. "I'm sorry teacher!" a familiar voice shouted, as she rushed into the classroom. It was Teiko, and she was late. "I'm assuming you're Teiko?" Mr. Tanaka spoke, his tone heavy with judgement. "Be earlier next time. Take your seat and get ready for the first class."
"Sorry sensei, it won't happen again." Teiko apologised profusely, as she took a seat in the middle row. We all sat down, and prepared ourselves for our first class in the morning in a ritualistic manner. We all knew the drill.
After taking out my books, the smell of fresh paper greeting my nostrils, I started formulating a plan to talk to Teiko during this short break. "Just walk up to her," I said to myself. "she's just your friend. There's nothing wrong about suddenly talking to some random girl in front of a bunch of judging teenagers. Yeah. Calm down." I assured myself sarcastically, which definitely gave a blow to my confidence. I don't know why I put myself down so much. Self-sabotage has ruined a lot of relationships for me. But I won't let it ruin this one.
However, as I stood up, the teacher entered.
Just my luck.
With me, everyone else greeted the teacher. So in the end, me standing up wasn't really for nothing. Sitting back down, the classes flew by. Lessons blurred, and I couldn't give less of a shit for the subjects that I was forced to learn.
Every now and then, I would glance at Teiko. Her face would always be a mix of tiredness and a façade of false bravado. Like she was hiding something, a deep sadness perhaps. This just further motivated me to reconnect, because back when we were children, she was a ray of sunshine. Like nothing would ever put her down.
The lunch bell finally rung. The last teacher left, and so did a few students. Some remained in the classroom, and the smell of fresh rice wafted in the air. I searched for Teiko, as I was not planning to eat outside of the classroom today. Sadly, I couldn't find her. So, I took out my lunchbox and ate alone in my desk. I looked outside through the window, and the entirety of Toku Town was visible. A mixture of traditional houses and urbanised buildings, the place has a certain charm to it.
Right next to the town, there's a forest. Some say it's haunted with spirits and yokai and what not. Every time I went to picnic there, however, it was always a delight. Never felt cursed or haunted, but it's probably because I never went there during the night. In the background, there are hills which lead to Tokyo. I always used to dream of crossing those walls of nature, and reach the megapolis. I've never been out of Toku, and I definitely want to visit a city some day.
I gazed at the view one last time, and then dug into my bento box. Mom always tries her best to make it tasty, despite her busy office job. So I always appreciate it, even though it might not be seasoned that well. I finished my box eventually, and I went outside in the halls to roam around, as I had nothing better to do. Hopefully, I'd probably meet Teiko.
But I didn't. So, I thought to myself, "is she deliberately avoiding me?" but I don't think that could be the case. Why would she care about me enough to be bothered by my presence? Why would she even be bothered by my presence? Thoughts just kept spiraling. "Maybe she hates me," I told myself. "maybe I look too ugly for her." but then why do I even care? Why should I care? Ugh.
Thoughts kept spiraling, as the evening passed. I couldn't help but keep staring at Teiko, who was acting like I didn't exist. "Didn't we literally talk yesterday?" I thought. "What's up with her? Is she really that much of a bitch?" I continued. "Woah. No need to get angry."
The final bell rung, and the school day was over. I packed up my bags, and left the school after half the students had left. Suddenly, I felt something tug my arm. Thinking it's the classroom's door nob, I turned to look around, readying a kick for the door. But I was greeted by something else. Teiko's face.
"Oh, um, h-hey Teiko!" I blurted, suddenly nervous and flustered, forgetting all the anger I had towards her. I couldn't be angry at her. "H-Hey Kaz. Can we maybe talk alone?" she replied in a tone sweeter than a box of chocolates. Her face was dead serious, yet still kindly, but definitely hiding some sort of darkness. "W-why?" I inquired.
"I've got something to say." she replied.