Short Story: Class Shuffle
ON the first day of my third year in middle school, I stood amid a sea of students under a cascade of cherry blossom petals. We gathered around the bulletin board outside the school building, all of us eager to discover our assigned classes.
“Class 1… No. Class 2… Still no. Class 3— Oh! There’s Mao and Honomi!”
It was the biggest and most important event of the year: the class shuffle. It was the moment we learned who our classmates would be for the ensuing trimesters, a pivotal revelation that would shape our school experience. Despite all the headway I’d made on the social anxiety front, the presence of a familiar face or two—or better yet, a best friend or two—in my class remained a matter of life and death.
In the swarm of students clambering for a view, I stood on tiptoe, trying to catch a glimpse of the list. But after spotting Mao and Honomi’s names under class 2, I could not find my own.
“I’m not with them…”
The realization sank in before I could even pinpoint my own assignment. I knew it boiled down to sheer luck, but dismay weighed my heart nonetheless.
Sensing my gloom, the oatie snuggly wrapped around my neck tried to cheer me up, playfully patting my face with its tiny furry paws. Its cute button eyes seemed to say, “You still have me!”
It was exactly right. As long as I had my oatie, I would never truly be alone.
I wouldn’t, but…
A pang of disappointment lingered.
The adorable little stoat around my neck was invisible to everyone else—a fact I had ensured with preliminary trips to the mall and grocery store. At first, I had harbored a slight apprehension that someone might perceive the oatie, but those outings confirmed its invisibility.
Towada, who’d joined me on those ventures, had remarked, “If literally anyone else could see them, I wouldn’t be the oddity that I am, right?”
He had a point.
From then on, the creature became my regular companion to and at school. In any case, even if I wished otherwise, the oatie would follow, or so Towada had explained. Better to have it with me than causing mischief elsewhere.
Snapping out of my reverie, I refocused on the bulletin board, gradually more accessible as the crowd thinned. Just as I reached the list of names under class 4, a familiar voice interrupted me. “Haruka, guess what? We’re classmates!”
“Oh, Sakai, hey.”
Pointing excitedly, he said, “Look, right there under class 4—our names are side by side.”
Sure enough, I glanced up to see “Kitazawa, Haruka” right next to “Sakai, Yuuto.” “That’s awesome. I’m glad to see a friendly face,” I said. Though Sakai wasn’t much more than an acquaintance, that was still a step up from total stranger and was good enough for me. I breathed a huge sigh of relief; my painful memories of being the new, friendless transfer student were not fated to repeat. “Here’s to a great year. Too bad we’re not in the same class as Mao though, huh?”
“L-Like I care!”
“I do, though,” I replied, heart sinking.
Sakai responded in a flurry. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that, okay? Oh, whoa, please don’t be upset. If you cry, Towada’s going to—”
“I’m going to what?” he said, seemingly materializing from thin air.
“N-Nothing! I didn’t do anything, I swear!”
“Towada, hey!” I called.
“Morning, Kitazawa,” he replied. Oddly, although we’d seen each other just days prior, the sight of him in his school uniform after such a long break was an unexpected thrill. His eyes briefly settled on my shoulder, a silent gesture of acknowledgment of the oatie, a secret shared between us. “We should head in, homeroom’s about to start.”
I looked at the clock; we had less than five minutes. “Crap, you’re right!” That was five minutes to locate our shoe lockers, change into our indoor shoes, and find our way to class 4 situated on the opposite side of the school.
As we hastened inside, I realized I hadn’t asked about Towada’s class. “Which one are you in, by the way?”
Instead of answering, he joined Sakai and me by the lockers, stopping a row away. “I’m right here.”
“Wait, class 4? With us?” I asked, surprised.
“Seriously?” Sakai interjected.
“Sakai, you…didn’t notice?” Towada shot back dryly.
“Why would I check for male names? After seeing Kagami was out and Haruka was in, I couldn’t care le— You know what? Just kidding! I’m going on ahead. See ya!”
He bolted, leaving us in the dust. Don’t run, Sakai, you’re going to get chewed out by a teach— See? What did I say…
“Someone’s excited for the new trimester,” remarked Towada.
I chuckled. “Hey, it can’t be all that bad if we’re together. Let’s make it a good one.”
“Sure.”
That I was in Towada’s class felt surreal. That meant we’d be together for all the major events that year: the athletics meet, choral competition, sports day, even the school trip! And with Mao and Honomi in a neighboring class, I’d still see them often for joint activities. My upcoming year was painted in a much brighter hue than I initially feared.
“Perfect,” I whispered. The oatie, recognizing my mood, tightened its embrace, coaxing a smile onto my face.
“Bell’s gonna ring, Kitazawa.”
“Right, we need to move!”
Determined not to be tardy on our first day, Towada and I hurried up the stairs. Exchanging a smile filled with anticipation, we entered our new classroom side by side.