Chapter 9

I was fucking sleepy.

I wanted to sleep, but I couldn't. My mind was whirring non-stop and I cannot keep the thoughts from emerging inside my head, disturbing the peace that I had sought hard to get. It was not easy for me to sleep, and to get my mind to stop thinking. The voices of my thoughts were so loud that they drowned out everything.

Yawning heavily, I made my way across the school yard and towards the front building. My eyes were heavy with sleep and my body was exhausted, yet I managed to drag myself to school. It was a feat for me to attend school and I do not even understand what was happening either.

Sighing heavily, I exchanged my shoes and headed up the staircase to my classroom. I was in a grouchy mood and I knew only food could make me feel better, as I didn't even have breakfast in me. Today of all days Setagawa-san was not around as he had returned to his hometown for a wedding and I had to come to school with an empty stomach as there was nothing in the fridge and there were no bakeries nearby my apartment nor school.

Damn it.

As I was struggling to keep myself sane without breakfast, I received a call while I was halfway up the staircase.

"Hello?" Even my voice sounded rough.

"Izumi, where are you now?" Hajime-san asked.

"Up the staircase," I said. "By the admin building."

"Wait there!" And he hung up.

Shrugging to myself, I waited by the staircase and hung by the wall so I wouldn't block the way. As I wondered how I'm going to survive the morning without breakfast when I felt his presence reaching. Turning just in time to see him coming up the stairs, he broke into a big smile when he noticed me already looking and stood in front of me.

I keep forgetting how tall he was.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning," I mumbled. He sounds too happy in the morning, I thought grumpily.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" he asked.

I raised a pierced eyebrow. "No," I said. "I didn't have the time."

"Good, here you go," he said and passed a plastic bag filled with food into my arms. "Iwa-chan bought too much food and I thought of giving you some but I know you always eat breakfast first before coming here. I guess I'm lucky today."

I was surprised and touched that he thought of me. "Can I join you for lunch today?" I asked immediately, ignoring the murmur in my heart. "I don't have my bento today, so I will need to go down to the cafeteria."

"Sure!" he exclaimed happily. "I'll pick you up later. See you!"

He bounced away, climbing down the staircase and supposedly going to the other side of the building to get to his classroom. I let out a breath and looked down at the bag, seeing a few packets of bread and drinks inside. A smile lifted at the edge of my lips as I pulled one out and began to eat.

What a coincidence.

It was so weird how spot on it was.

During the homeroom period, I was munching through the bread and I was still sipping the drink even when Kousuke-san came into the classroom. Seeing him enter, I quickly stuffed the bread I was still chewing and tried to chew as fast as I could before I shoved the plastic bag into my backpack.

"Have you not eaten breakfast yet, Izumi?" he asked flatly. "I did say no food and drink in my class."

"I just did," I replied, with my full mouth.

He rolled his eyes at me and we began the lesson.

I would usually have a few lessons till lunch time and I was filled with concentration as I focused on the lesson at hand when I heard excitement from the girls in my classroom. It was rare for them to start whispering happily and it was usually due to handsome boys. Wondering what had made them excited, I turned around to see Hajime-san hovering outside and he had a serious look on his face as he waited by the corridor.

He was early.

I looked away before he noticed me staring and I quickly left the classroom once the teacher dismissed us for lunch. Hajime-san had a smile on his face as he waited for me to come and I was quite nervous, for some reason. It was as if I was trespassing in an unknown territory with a new person.

"Hello Hajime-san," I said. "You are early."

"Come on, the rest have booked the seats so we got a place to sit down," he said and held out his hand for me to take, smiling widely at me. "Let's go, Izumi!"

I faltered briefly, but he swiftly clasped my wrist and urged me forward. My heart leapt into my throat as I acquiesced to being guided along by him. My gaze fixated on his back, noticing for the first time the breadth of his shoulders and the lean strength of his frame.

He led me to the cafeteria and offered recommendations for the menu. Consequently, I opted for a curry rice meal accompanied by drinks and fruit. It seemed to delight him greatly that I agreed to join him for lunch; his grin widened, and he chuckled more than usual as we sat among his team. The third-year students were welcoming, creating a comforting atmosphere akin to that of elder brothers.

"You usually bring a bento for lunch, right?" Makoto-san asked. "Did your landlord wake up late today?"

"No, he had some personal family matters to attend to so he's gone back to his hometown," I explained. "And I still have yet to learn some cooking skills from him so I can make my own food. I'm still waiting for Setagawa-san to teach me."

"Wow, that's very interesting," Iwaizumi-san said.

"Yeah, you need practice to get used to cooking," Makoto-san added.

"I bet your boyfriend will love you more, if you cook for him," Iwaizumi-san added with a smirk and he looked really thoughtful.

I paused. "Is it?" I asked. "Has a girl cooked for you before?"

"Iwa-chan, you don't even have a girlfriend to begin with," Hajime-san added teasingly.

That statement caused all of us to erupt in laughter, much to Iwaizumi-san's chagrin and he ended up yelling at Hajime-san for bringing up a touchy subject. Laughing at their antics, I was about to continue with eating when I happened to catch sight of a few girls who were glaring at me.

Their jealousy was apparent on their faces and I was suddenly aware of my actions.

This might not be good.