Rin stared at the clock as the final bell of the day rang, signaling the end of another school day. She sighed, gathering her things slowly. It had been the same as every other dayâshe stayed to herself, kept her head down, and avoided attention. People still picked on her, of course, but it was nothing new. It wasn't like she expected things to magically change once she entered high school, especially after everything she had been through.
She was the quiet, shy girl. The one who couldn't make friends, the one whose books were her only company. In the earlier grades, she had tried to be more outgoing, but each attempt had failed miserably. It had only gotten worse. Her classmates would snicker when she tried to speak, mock her when she tried to join a conversation, and worst of allâsteal her things and hide them just to make her life a little harder.
At first, she hated herself for being so weak. Why couldn't she just be like Hiroshi An? An was the perfect studentâcharismatic, outgoing, and always surrounded by friends. She could talk to anyone and everyone, and everyone loved her. Everyone looked up to her, and it seemed so easy. Rin longed to be like that.
She was stuck in a tiny, dark world while An existed in a bright, vast one.
But now, it was nearing the end of the second semester, and Rin was dreading her class duty. For the fifth time that year, she had to stay after school to clean the classroom. Putting chairs on tables, wiping down the desksânothing special. She didn't care who her partner was, as long as it got done quickly. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could go home and escape the noise of the school.
As she sat at her desk, watching everyone leave one by one, she felt a pit in her stomach when she realized that there were still two people left in the classroom: An and another girl. Rin froze. No, not the other girl. Not her.
It was her. Sakura, the leader of the trio that always picked on Rin.
Rin's heart sank. "Oh no," she muttered under her breath, "it's gonna be her... My duty partner is her." She had no idea how she'd handle it. The thought of being stuck cleaning with the same person who mocked her every day made her stomach turn.
But then, Sakura glanced at An and said, "Well, An, I'm heading home now. Have fun cleaning with this loser."
Rin let out a small, relieved sigh. She wasn't stuck with her after all. But wait... If she wasn't cleaning with Sakura, that meant she was cleaning with... An?