Seal the deal

Is love planned? Most of you might say no, but is it? Was there not a single time you tried to win a person over?

It's the seventh of April, you know what that means? Probably the fact that the true high school life starts for some fifteen-year-olds. And when I say that, I mean those who have a goal called, "New life, new me." And with these, our story starts at a specific school called Seinaru Jujika High.

We see a certain pink-head standing near the school's gate. The sides of her lemonade pink hair are tied into a uni-braid to the back. Like most high school girls, she keeps her bangs. She has green doe-shaped eyes. She is petite-figured and her height is a wee bit shorter than that of an average Japanese teenage girl, standing at five feet. Her most significant trait is the mole below her lower lip on the left side of her face. She has two on her neck as well. Her school uniform consists of a half-sleeved white shirt, a green ribbon around the collar, a flaxen-colored vest of her choice, a dark-blue skirt, a high-level stocking just below the knees and brown shoes. She wore her school's uniform in a meeting manner, unlike some hobos who were made to stay by the Discipline Committee.

She looks very ecstatic going into her class. Her ceaseless smile makes her look like an approachable person, but what could be the reason behind it?

She enters into her assigned classroom, 1-5. She chooses the last seat of the middle row. The classroom is like secondary damnation since she couldn't handle the pandemonium created by her low-living classmates. She is ticked off.

Silence flooded across the room as soon as the teacher entered.

"Ah, thank God," she says in relief.

The first class is Math and she couldn't help but ignore the tedious lecture of her homeroom teacher. She, therefore, begins to drown in her thoughts.

"So, this is where my youth begins," she starts talking to herself, "I've always wanted this! For me to begin my Shoujo romance, like those in mangas. I can't wait to somehow bump into the most sought-after guy of our school, hehe."

"Sounds like fun," speaks a voice, left to her.

"Eh?!" She is left embarrassed and startled by the voice.

She turns to see a girl with vantablack hair that reaches down to her back. She sports a hime-cut which is slightly parted in the middle along with two curved streaks at the side of her. She has alablaster skin with rosy cheeks, which made her look otherworldly. Her ebony eyes are as sharp and alluring as a cat's. Her crooked canine looks like a cute fang. She is seated but pink-head could interpret that she is maybe a few inches taller than her, maybe 5'2. Her upper and lower assets are bigger than pink-head's but it isn't that big. It is medium, it is perfect. She wore a long-sleeved shirt and the black-colored vest of choice. She has a mole on her right earlobe.

"W-Who are you? And how long have you been listening to me?" Asks the pink-head, still in-shock.

"As you can see, I sit beside you which means that I'm your seatmate. Name's Hanako Fujiwara, nice to meet you. And I've been listening to you since the beginning of time, " says a nonchalant Hanako.

"Wait, did anybody else listen to me?" Pink-head asks, ashamed.

"Neh, they are too busy attending the lecture. Plus, I have sharp ears."

Pink-head turns red. As she was trying to tell Hanako that she was just joking with herself, Hanako spoke.

"I like your idea, your goal about starting your own Shoujo romance. I'd like to be the one witnessing it," Hanako declares.

"Eh, wait. Fujiwara-san, I was just making a joke. You needn't need to take any of that seriously," Pink head tries her best to dissuade Hanako.

"Nobody makes a joke like that, Sachiko," says Hanako, showing that she could see through her soul.

"How'd you know my name?! Also, why my first name?!" Asks a staggered Sachiko. She thought that this woman was a crazy stalker.

"Because I'm a non-conformist and also, you scribbled your name on your desk."

Sachiko examines her desk to find a big 'SACHIKO TAKAHASHI' on her desk. She remembers that she had earlier scribbled it when she was bored. Another cringey moment of Sachiko.

"So anyway, I'm going to pitch in an offer: I'll help you win the heart of the most coveted guy of our school and in return, you'll let me witness the romantic unfoldings. What do you say, deal?" An earnest-looking Hanako waits for Sachiko's reply. Sachiko just sighs and tightens her lips, expressing her disapproval.

"Guess I can't hide my motive anymore, huh? But why would you like to witness the romantic 'unfoldings'?" Sachiko waits for Hanako's reply.

"Because.." Hanako says," I'm a hardcore Shoujo manga reader and I have this innate desire to witness one in real life!"

Sachiko is left dumbstruck by Hanako's statement. She found her idea stupid enough and here was a girl, dumber than her.

"Besides," speaks Hanako, "you'll need a connoisseur's help in this."

Hanako gives a smug look to the other.

"Well, guess I don't have a choice, do I?" Sachiko says, giving a defeated look, "Fine, we have a deal, since you're begging me to."

Sachiko couldn't let down her pride.

"Really? So this means that I'm a mere background character witnessing all the romantic events. I'm also helping you to form one which means that I'm a metaphorical author, two roles altogether. Yay!"

Hanako glimmers with jubilance.

"Thank you, Sachiko," Hanako says, producing a smile on her face.

"Y-You're welcome," says a reluctant-looking but happy Sachiko.

"By the way," Sachiko speaks, "Why are you wearing that choker? Isn't it breaking the school code?"

Sachiko couldn't help but notice it.

"Oh, this? I told the Discipline Committee that I recently had throat surgery. I lied. I'm only wearing this 'cause it looks cool to try on," Hanako answers, ever so nonchalantly.

Hanako had somehow irked the heck out of Sachiko. She wondered how Hanako lied in such a swaybacked manner and also, how the Discipline Committee was a bunch of nincompoops so easily fooled. Sachiko knew that she was in a peculiar academy. On one hand, was her crazy seatmate and on the other, were her dense homeroom teacher and classmates, who didn't seem to notice the ruckus they created.