And now she’s back to normal. Humans have many different sides. I turned away from Yamano and looked at the clock in front of the school building. We should get going. “Right then, shall we head to class?”
“Huh?! You’re ignoring me?! Even though your super cute underclassman is teasing you?!” Yamano cried in astonishment.
Please understand; I don’t want to react weirdly. I mean, Hikari is staring holes into me! I’m scared. Her gaze is going to crush me.
Yamano, oblivious to the pressure Hikari was exuding, glanced at the clock and then yelled in a panic. “Oh crud, the entrance ceremony’s going to start soon!”
She bid us a hasty farewell, and then the rest of us headed to the second-year classrooms. At Ryomei, first-years were on the first floor, second-years on the second, and third-years on the third.
“Our rooms being on a different floor gives school a new feeling!” Uta said.
“I might go to the first-years’ floor for a while by accident,” Hikari worried.
When we reached our floor, the new second-years were hanging out in the hallway in front of the classrooms. We weaved through the hubbub and headed to our respective places.
“See you guys later!”
“Bye-byyye!”
“Uta, we should get going too.”
We parted ways with the girls—first Hikari in front of class one, then Uta and Nanase at class two. We three guys entered class three.
“Wassup!” Tatsuya said roughly to the entire room. His friends returned the greeting.
“Oh, it’s Tatsuya.”
“Morning! Here’s to another year!”
That was a natural move only a jock could pull off. I can’t copy that. Despite how boisterous it was inside the classroom, we were managing to attract attention. Well, all three of us are together, so of course we’d stand out. A lot happened, after all. I do feel sorry about being a troublemaker.
“Natsuki, over here.”
While I was apologizing internally, I heard my name being called from the back of the room. I turned towards the direction of the voice to see Miori beckoning us over. Fujiwara was next to her too. Were they friends? The girl community mystifies me.
“Morning. Another year in the same class, huh.” Fujiwara raised her hand in a small gesture of hello as the three of us approached.
“Fujiwara-san, if you’re here, then I can rest easy this year too,” Reita said with a smile.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked.
“You’ll put the class in order, and we won’t have to lift a finger,” he replied.
“Don’t treat me like some handy tool!”
Miori watched Reita and Fujiwara’s friendly exchange out of the corner of her eye and asked, “So, Natsuki, what do you think of our new class? Think you can warm up to everybody?”
“Why am I the only one you’re asking that? Aren’t we all starting off on the same foot?”
“The rest of us will be fine, but you’re shy, remember?”
“Don’t look down on me! I have tons of friends with friends in spite of that.” In the end, my circle of friends hadn’t expanded much over the course of an entire year. There were a lot of people who one-sidedly knew of me, though, for better or for worse.
“And what’s that supposed to do for you?”
“Nothing, but it’s fine. I have Tatsuya and Reita!” I’ve chosen to have fewer friends with deeper bonds over more friends with shallower ones!
“Your Tatsuya-kun is talking to his other friends, though.”
I looked in the direction Miori pointed to. Tatsuya was happily chatting with a friend from the basketball team.
“Yo, Kijima. We’re in the same class this year!”
“’Sup! We’re the only ones here on the boys’ basketball team, though.”
Hey, Tatsuya! Don’t just ditch me! Wait, am I the only one who thought we were tight? Am I just one of many friends to Tatsuya? What should I do about this overwhelming sadness washing over me?
Kijima noticed my crestfallen state and called out to me. “What’s with you, Haibara? You look like a dog abandoned by his owner.”
He’s so nice. Kijima-kun had been in Class 1-4, and we had briefly talked in the middle of our match during the sports meet last year. Needless to say, I also knew him because I had been on the basketball team in my first round.
“He’s probably stressing over whether he can hit it off with his new classmates,” Tatsuya said, teasing me.
Kijima stared at me in surprise. “Huh? Is Haibara that kinda guy?”
“Of course I’d be anxious in a new class. Is it that unexpected?” I asked.
“I thought you were more, you know... ‘I’m the best! Follow me!’ That kinda character,” he replied.
“How’d you get that idea?!!!” Those types of characters only appear in battle manga! My reputation has strayed way too far from reality.
“He looks all that, but he’s a phony on the inside. He went through a high school glow up, you know,” Miori said, chiming in on our conversation with a smirk.
“Huh?” Kijima-kun seemed to remember something and then proceeded to drop a wild remark. “But, Motomiya, didn’t you have a crush on Haibara?”
“Bffft!” Tatsuya spurted, unable to hold in his laughter.
Miori’s face turned bright red. “Y-You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone!”
Kijima-kun gave her a weird look. “Forget the promise; you’re the one who announced it to the world on Minsta,” he pointed out.
A very fair argument. We live in an age where people publicize everything.
“But there’s a tacit agreement that you don’t bring it up in front of me!” Miori countered, eyes bleary.
“So people are just treating your embarrassing past as the elephant in the room, huh.” Kijima-kun’s blunt comment sent Miori reeling.
The blow rendered her utterly silent, and she slumped over her desk. “I yield... End me already,” she groaned in defeat.
I feel kinda bad for her, but it’ll be hell on earth if I try to defend her.
“Hey, Kijima. Lay off,” Tatsuya said.
“Huh? Did I say something I shouldn’t have? Sorry,” Kijima-kun answered in a confused tone.
Apparently, Kijima-kun is the insensitive type. Not that I’m one to talk.
“What’s wrong, Miori? The new semester’s just started, and you’re already down in the dumps,” said a tall girl who’d come over when she saw Miori flopped on top of her desk. She had short black hair and an androgynous face, but she had the curves of a woman.
Frankly put, she has huge boobs.
Miori looked up sulkily. “Oh, it’s you, Mina.” Then, she glowered at me. “Natsuki, what are you looking at?”
“I-I wasn’t looking anywhere!” They might be bigger than Hikari’s... Nope, I wasn’t thinking anything like that!
The girl didn’t seem to mind what Miori had said and continued to speak. “You’re Haibara-kun, right? I heard all about you,” she drawled.
“Oh, yeah. Hello...” She has a pretty unique way of speaking. Her cadence is relaxed, and it’s pleasant on the ears. I’d never spoken to her before, but I had seen her around since we were in the same grade. “You’re on the girls’ basketball team with Miori, right?”
“Yeah. I used to be in Class 1-3. I’m Kurahashi Mina. Nice to meet you,” she replied.
“She’s a carefree girl. Be nice to her,” Miori added.
Just like that, a new community was gradually forming. I surveyed our classroom. The students had split up into about seven groups and were chatting away. It was a familiar sight that reminded me of how interpersonal relationships are contingent on your treatment of the beginning.
Even if you have a lot of friends in your first year, you’ll be left behind if you’re absent on the first day back at school... On top of Reita, Tatsuya, and Miori with me, we’ve also got three more faces: Fujiwara, Kijima-kun, and Kurahashi-san. Is this going to be the group I normally hang out with?
“Um, Natsuki.”
But is it just me, or are they ignoring me and chatting among themselves?
“Natsuki, earth to Natsuki.”
Wait, does this new group not need me or something?
“Natsuki! Hello!” someone suddenly yelled right into my ear.
“Whoa! What?!” I jerked around to see a petite boy with glasses. It was a face I knew very well. “O-Oh, it’s you, Mei. Can’t you say hello like a regular person?”
“But I’ve been calling your name for a while... I get it; I don’t have much of a presence.” He had an awfully faraway look in his eyes.
Now that he mentions it, I do feel like someone’s been saying my name. “A-Anyway, Mei, we’re in the same class!”
“Based on your reaction, you forgot about me, didn’t you?” He fixed me with a gloomy stare.
“Of course not! How could I forget a fellow bandmate?!”
Despite my frantic insistence, Mei’s expression remained doubtful. “It’s fine. I have a weak presence,” he muttered sadly.
“Believe me! I only forgot about you a little! Just a teeny, tiny bit!”
“You don’t just forget about someone a little!”
While we were bandying words, my gaze suddenly locked with the girl standing next to Mei.
“G-Good morning. Long time no see,” she said nervously. She was Mei’s girlfriend, Funayama-san.
“Funayama-san, morning. Here’s to another good year,” I greeted her gently. During our stint on the interclass sports meet committee, we’d warmed up to each other somewhat. “Come to think of it, all of the sports meet committee members from last year are in the same class now.”
“Oh, you’re right. We were all in different classes last year...” Funayama-san blinked in surprise and then smiled. “What an amazing coincidence.”
“Shizuki-chan, we’re in the same class!” Miori exclaimed. She’d left Reita and the others to join us when she noticed Funayama-san.
“I’m relieved that I’m in the same class as you all,” Mei said.
“I know, right. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had no friends in my class. I was so stressed,” I said in a knowing voice.
Miori smirked at us introverts. “You’re glad to be with Natsuki? More like you’re glad to be in the same class as your girlfriend this year.”
“P-Please don’t tease me! And of course I am!” Mei admitted honestly, despite his embarrassment.
Funayama-san’s cheeks flushed red.
They’ve been dating for over half a year now, yet they still feel like a young and innocent couple... I’m not in a position to judge, though. I shouldn’t tease them.
Reita and the others soon came over as well.
“You’re Natsuki’s bandmate, Shinohara-kun, right? I’m Shiratori Reita. Nice to meet you.” He held his hand out.
Mei accepted his handshake in a panic. “Oh, yes! I-It’s nice to meet you!”
“Funayama-san, you used to be in class three, right? If it’s okay with you, I’d love to chat,” Fujiwara said, guiding Funayama-san into her circle.
Fujiwara is as thoughtful as ever. She’s always keeping a sharp eye on her surroundings. I’d like to use her as reference.
And so, that was how my new class friend group was formed.
“...Let’s have a good year,” Reita said.
The rest of us echoed back similar sentiments. I miss Hikari, Uta, and Nanase, but I’m also looking forward to new friendships. I’m a little anxious, but—somehow—I think I’ll manage to get through this new year too!