Chapter 28: The Red-Haired Beauty Of Class 2A

"Ahhhh-hhaaaaaa…"

No matter how many weeks pass I doubt I'll ever get used to waking up this early.

Dragging my feet, an involuntary yawn escapes me as I sluggishly make my way toward the prison-like confinement system we call school.

I don't know what genius thought it was a good idea to have school start at 8:30, but I bet they're the same kind of genius that introduced letters into mathematics. Their brains truly only excel when contriving new ways to make our lives more difficult.

Sorry to break it to you, but there's a higher chance of me beating Kazuma in a game of Rock Paper Scissors then there is me using calculus after I've graduated from high school.

Anyway, the solution couldn't be more clear-cut—start school later. I'd reckon around 10-10:30. In fact, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that starting school later is scientifically proven to benefit physical and mental health, reduce tardiness, and improve academic performance.

If that's the case then what are the benefits of starting school at 8:30? I'll tell you the benefits—none.

My god… We were mistaken from the very beginning. They don't care about us students at all. As long as they get their health insurance and a nice 401k these teachers don't give a damn about us. I'll never forgive you guys for this—is what I would say, but honestly, I can't blame them. High school students are far more trouble than they're worth. Source: me

Anyway, by the time I had woken up this morning, I had fully recovered from my illness. Aside from my never-ending morning lethargy, I feel pretty great.

Although, I was certainly hard-pressed to convince my mom that was the case this morning...

She kept saying things like, "Are you really sure you're feeling well" and "If you still aren't feeling well you can take another day off" and "If anything happens or you start feeling Ill again make sure to call me right away".

It was honestly a huge pain in my side. Seriously, it was just a regular cold/fever. They come and go, so I don't know why she was being so overprotective. I mean, yeah, I appreciate her concern, but I think she really overdoes it at times. She's always been like that though; ever since he passed away… I really wish she would stop worrying about me so much and focus on her own well-being from time to time.

I felt my face scrunch into a ruminative grimace as I reflected on the loving days gone by. "I'm not a kid anymore, mom…"

As I'm walking, an array of multi-colored flowers catches my attention. Halting my footsteps and turning to the flower bed, one flower, in particular, grabs my attention as it stands out amongst the rest.

If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure the name of this flower is Wisteria.

The flower has a distinct shade of purple. Not the brightest or most vibrant color of the bunch. And it sticks out like a sore thumb, giving it a sense of solitude amidst the assemblage of flowers.

Kinda like an oddity trying to fit in with its peers, only to be shunned for its distinctions. Perhaps it's because of that, or maybe it's because of something completely different; but amongst the many differentiating flowers, I find the Wisteria to be the most profoundly beautiful.

"Wait…" I leaned forward, peering closer at the Wisteria. "Now that I'm really looking at it…" Isn't that the same color as Yamaguchi's hair?

The moment her name popped up into my mind a slew of memories from the previous day flashed in my head like an old film reel effect. "Speaking of… I really owe Yamaguchi big time for yesterday, don't I?"

If it wasn't for her I would probably still be sick in bed right now. She cooked for me, cared for me, watched over me, and…she even said I could rely on her. Even though she wasn't obligated to visit at all. She still did all that for me. That idiot… She really is something else.

If you ever need me I'll definitely be there for you no matter what.

I continue methodically walking to school until I reach the stone bridge where I spot a familiar face.

It's Taijin.

He's laying down in his usual spot by the riverbed with his eyes closed. And for whatever reason, he's whistling "Sweet Love" by Junko Ohashi. His taste in music is much better than his advice that's for sure.

Funnily enough, my mom actually loves that song. I hear her singing it every so often around the house. When I asked her about it she said, "It's a very important song to her" or something like that. I didn't care to ask for the details and just left it there.

"What a weird coincidence," I mumbled to myself.

I feel like I haven't talked with Taijin for a while.

I swiftly pull out my smartphone to check the time.

There was still a good amount of time before class started since I left the house earlier than usual.

What choice did I have? My mom's concern was so overbearing I felt like I might pass out. I wouldn't be surprised if she had some sort of Conqueror's Haki.

I cross the bridge and walk onto the field of luscious, verdant green grass, carefully so as not to sully my shoes.

"Yo," I called out to Taijin, holding up my hand. "That's a nice song you're whistling over there."

"Hm? Ohhhh, it's you, Shounen!" Shooting up, Taijin greets me with way more energy than someone should have this early in the morning. "Been a while hasn't it? How've you been, Shounen?"

"Well, I'm still kicking as you can see."

"Hahaha! That's certainly one way to say you're doing good, Shounen."

I shrug nonchalantly, taking a seat beside him on the grass.

"Don't you have school now?" Taijin asked, curiously.

"I have some time before I have to be there. I thought a lonely guy like you might appreciate the company," I sarcastically remarked.

"Ehhh?! Do I really seem like such a lonely guy?" Taijin asked, seemingly in disbelief.

"At the very least to me, you do."

"…you sure don't mend your words, do you Shounen?"

"I like to take pride in my honesty," I quip.

"Heh, you're a real cheeky kid, you know that Shounen?"

"You think so?" I've always thought I was pretty courteous, though.

"Well, I do appreciate the company, so I'll overlook it."

"Thanks."

A brief moment of silence passes; only the sound of the cool April breeze is auricular.

The pleasantness of the calming atmosphere was ruined however as Taijin continued to sneak glances at me as if he were expecting me to say something.

He must've finally realized that I wasn't a mind reader, seeing as Taijin finally opened his mouth to speak. "So?" Or maybe he didn't…

"So what?" I asked, raising a brow.

"What ended up happening with that girl? Did you manage to help her out?"

"Ah…" Right, I did talk to him about the stuff with Kotori.

Hmm, what should I tell him? Things did end up working out, but that's only because of Yamaguchi. When it's all said and done, I didn't really do anything for Kotori at all. From the start, I never even tried to…

No. It's not about me. Things worked out, and the three girls are together again. That's all that matters at the end of the day. Rather I was the one who helped her or not is irrelevant.

The past is the past. I need to hurry up and get over it already. I don't want to keep feeling this way…

"Everything ended up working out," I replied, averting my eyes.

"I see, I see. Good for you shounen," Taijin said, beaming. "You managed to help her after all."

"Yeah…"

No, it wasn't me.

"Did you figure out the reason why you wanted to help her?"

"Yeah…"

No, I only wanted to help myself.

"Hahaha, look at you playing the hero. Reminds me of one of my old friends from high school."

"Yeah…"

No, I'm not a hero. I couldn't do anything.

"Was my advice able to help at all?"

I take a moment to try and recall what he told me.

I drew a blank. Well, that makes sense. It'd be hard to remember what someone told you if you weren't listening in the first place. That's probably why my English grade is so bad.

"Which advice again?"

Taijin slumps over dejected. "Gah… You don't even remember what I told you…"

"Sorry, I gave up on keeping track." Not that I ever tried to in the first place.

A long, drawn-out sigh slips from Taijin's chapped lips. "It was about overcoming hardships and not running away."

"Oh…right."

Kotori was able to overcome her issues, or at the very least she's trying her best to. But me… I ran away before even crossing the starting line. How pathetic…

"From what I can tell she was able to overcome her struggles," I answered disinterestedly.

"That's good to hear, but I wasn't talking about—"

"Sorry," I say, cutting Taijin off mid-sentence. I stand up and dust the back of my pants off. "I've got to head to school now."

"O-oh… See you later, Shounen."

"Yeah…"

"'I wonder how she's doing'."

As I'm walking away, I hear the Taijin whisper something under his breath in what I can only assume is English.

Unable to understand what he said, and not interested enough to find out, I ignore him and continue walking.

Once again reminded of my failure, I find myself in a self-deprecating mood.

Even if I wanted to help her I couldn't.

You can't give someone a ride if your own car tires are slashed. And mine, well, they've been slashed for a long time—ever since that day…

This entire time, I always have been, and I probably always will be confined by the shackles we call the past.

Yeah, I don't think this feeling will ever go away.

******

The entrance of the school came into view and before I knew it I was surrounded by numerous inmates heading toward the same penitentiary.

Ignoring the riotous chatter from my peers, my eyes fell to the ground as I followed the trail of sakura petals that had fallen into the asphalt. Around this time is when cherry blossoms start to come into full bloom. Despite having seen it hundreds of times, I still find myself in awe looking at the beautiful scenery before me.

Lost in thought, I continued to drag my feet as I approached the school gates. Something told me I should probably look where I was going, but by the time I tried to look up—

Thump

—it was too late. I had carelessly bumped into someone.

I wound up getting so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't even notice someone was walking in front of me.

I can't keep calling Kyoko an airhead if I'm going to be doing the same things as her…

"Sorry, are you alright?" I asked, rubbing my head.

"No issues. However, please watch where you are going next time."

A voice sounds in response to my question. Monotonous, and yet still distinctly feminine. Completely lacking any semblance of emotion, almost as if it were an automated response from an AI.

However, as I turned to the voice in question, I saw that it was in fact not a robot, but an extremely beautiful girl.

Woah…

She has red eyes and long, flaxen silver hair down to her low back. Her eyelashes are long and her pink lips have a perfect balance of both thinness and lusciousness.

Her long, slender legs were covered by a pair of black worsted stockings. She appeared to be shorter than Yamaguchi, but a few inches taller than Kyoko.

Also…

My gaze inconspicuously rose from her thighs up to her chest area; an indecent glint most certainly showing in my eyes.

There's no doubt that she gives Yamaguchi and Kotori a run for their money in that department.

Not to mention, there's something about her presence that gives off a dignified/orderly vibe. She carries herself with the utmost confidence whilst retaining her humility. It's kind of hard to explain, but she kind of feels like those Ojousama characters you typically see in harem/romance manga.

"…"

Completely entranced by her appearance, I wind up unintentionally gawking at the mysterious beauty.

I don't think I've ever seen her at school before which is weird. You'd think she's someone that would easily stand out amongst her peers.

Then again… I don't really pay much attention to anyone outside of my circle, so she might actually be really popular and I'm just clueless. The latter seems more and more plausible when I consider it.

"Well then," the girl dusts herself off before brushing her hair behind her ear and turning to walk away, "If you'll excuse me."

"Wait!" I called out to the silver-haired girl.

I couldn't tell you why, but watching her silver hair flutter in the wind as she walked away made me want to reach out to her. It was as if a wave of loneliness washed over me in a single instance. At the very least I think I should get her name. Yeah, let's do that.

Halting her steps, the silver-haired girl turned to face me once again. "What? Do you need something else?" she asked coolly.

"Name… What's your name?"

The silver-haired girl tilted her head slightly with a puzzled expression. "Will knowing my name benefit you in some way?"

"No… Um, well… I was just curious, that's all."

"I see." The girl brought her hand to her chin as she began to contemplate something.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine," she said, shaking her head, "Kurosawa."

"Kurosawa-san, huh? I'm Akira Fuyuki. Nice to meet you."

"Akira…"

Kurosawa mutters something under her breath, her expression unreadable.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Ah, no. It's nothing," Kurosawa says dismissively. "Well, Fuyuki-san, it would be in your best interest to remember my name."

"Why's that?" Not that I had any intention of forgetting.

"That would be because," Kurosawa's gaze sharpened, commanding my undivided attention, "It's the name of your next student council president."

"Huh?" I involuntarily voiced, unable to hide my confusion.

"Now then, please excuse me."

A gentle breeze passes through with impervious timing, causing Kurosawa's hair to flutter in the wind as she swiftly turns around to walk away.

As she gracefully walked away, I stood there both confused and in awe at the bizarre interaction that had just occurred.

The cacophonous sound of giggling and whispering amongst the students started to grow exponentially louder. Amidst the plethora of gossip, I could hear them saying things like, "Looks like Kurosawa rejected him" and "poor guy never had a chance". Their annoying comments snap me out of my trance and I began to feel ever so slightly irritated.

"I didn't get rejected… I have a girlfriend, assholes…" I cursed under my breath.

Wait, I just realized something. Kurosawa said she would be the next student council president, but isn't Kyoko also supposed to be running for president?

******

"Morning," I yawned as I walked into the classroom.

"Ah! Akira-kun's here!" Kyoko chirped, brimming with elation.

"Morning, Kyo— Woah!"

Shooting out of her seat, and completely disregarding the fact that we're in a classroom, Kyoko runs straight into my arms, temporarily knocking the air out of me as she starts joyfully nuzzling her face into my chest.

"I missed you so, so, so, sooooooo much~ Did you miss me?"

"Yeah, I did. I'm happy to see you, Kyoko." I haven't seen her for three days. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss her.

Kyoko's eyes widen in surprise. "Y-you actually said it."

"You asked me, no?"

"He… Ehehehe."

Tightening her embrace, Kyoko continues to nuzzle her face into my chest as she starts cutely giggling.

What is this adorable creature?

"Jeez, what a troublesome girl." I closed my eyes and put my arms around Kyoko, returning her gentle embrace. I don't care if other people are watching right now.

Her warmth. Her smile. Her laugh. I missed all of it. I missed all of her.

"You two need ta get a room. It's too early for yer lovey-dovey couple act."

"Yeah, Fuyuki, you're making me extremely jeal— I mean that's not appropriate classroom conduct."

"Heh, I didn't think you were that bold. Way to go Fuyuki."

"Yamaguchi, Manabe, it's good to see you two again."

"H-hmph! It's not like I'm glad to see you back at school or anythin' like that, stupid Fuyuki."

"It's good to see you again man. It wasn't the same withoutcha here."

"Uh, Fuyuki, buddy, I think you forgot about me. I'm here too, you know."

"Sorry, who are you again?"

"Whaaaaat?! How could you forget about me after all we've been through…"

"Just kidding. It's not completely unpleasant to see you again, Fujibayashi."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Hahahaha."

The four of us all get a laugh out of Fujibayshi's usual banter.

It really is good to see all of them again. I never thought I'd admit this, but I guess I do enjoy being at school, even if only because of them. At the very least it's better than being cooped up in my room all day.

"Alright everyone, settle down." The homeroom teacher walked in, clipboard in hand as he called for the class's attention. "We have a new student transferring into our class today."

"A new student?" I, along with a bunch of other students, asked, perplexed by the subtle announcement.

"Ehehe~" Kyoko suddenly starts to giggle, her expression mischievous.

"Do you know who the new student is, Kyoko?" I inquire.

"Who knows~ Right, Ri-chan?" Kyoko makes a suggestive comment as she leans her head against Yamaguchi's shoulder.

"Kyo-chan yer a real character, ya know that?"

"But, but, I can't help it! Aren't you happy too, Ri-chan?"

"W-well, I can't deny that."

"Right? Eheh~"

I'm completely lost here. Am I missing something?

I close my eyes and begin wracking my brain for an answer which is to no avail. I really have no clue who it could be.

"You'll see, Fuyuki."

"You'll see Akira-kun, fufu~"

Are they pulling one over on me?

I look over to Manabe and Fujibayashi in turn. They both shake their heads and shrug, seemingly just as puzzled as I am.

Then, who could it be?

"You can come in and introduce yourself now," the teacher calls out toward the direction of the door.

"Okay, okay!"

Wait… That voice… It can't be…

"Nice to meet you all, I'm Kotori Miyazaki. I transferred here from Class 2B. I love sweets, cute things, and Yurika-chan~"

"Wha—! W-what the hell are ya saying, you dummy!?"

"Hehe~ I hope we can all get along, everyone."