Making Friends?

-----Kaede's POV

I'm not too sure how and when, but I find myself flying in the air, and looking to my side, I notice a pair of wings growing out from my back. I've always wanted to feel what it's like to fly, so I try and contain my excitement as I finally put two and two together; this is a pretty cool dream!

(?: "Mom!")

Hmm?

(?: "Mom!")

Suddenly, another person was in the sky, plummeting towards me as I end up catching her in my arms. She also appears to have wings, but what I found strange was that this person is calling me "mom?" I wonder if that boy talk from yesterday got me thinking about having kids... Pfft. That said, this girl is quite cute, with long, light blue hair with a pair of scarlet red eyes staring straight at me. Not to mention she also had wings as we soon began to fly together.

But my dream would come to an abrupt end as the alarm on my phone quickly wakes me up, pulling me back to reality.

Kaede: "Hahh~"

Begrudgingly, I hit the snooze option on my phone before laying back down. I know I said I wanted to go to school earlier today, but the current me just wants to sleep in. I want to fly again! But I need to face reality, so after resting my head for a few more minutes, I get out of bed and start getting ready for school. After brushing my teeth and getting dressed, I find that breakfast had already been made for me, wrapped up in some plastic film with a note attached to it.

Note: "Good morning sweetie! Your lunch is in the fridge. We'll be back home late again tonight. Wish you good luck for your second day of school! Love: Mom and Dad."

I can't help but smile as I pull away the plastic film and begin eating the still warm omelet. After finishing it, I put the lunch from the fridge into my bag before putting on my shoes. It's still early being only 7:30am, but it feels lonely just staying inside with no one to talk to. So instead, I step outside, locking the door behind me before walking down the road.

Slowly making my way down the road, I take a moment to breath in the fresh, spring weather. Almost immediately I can feel my insides begin to warm up as the warm, soothing air fills my lungs, rejuvenating me in an instant.

Kaede: "I've got this."

Today's the day I'll make friends, and with a newly found determination, I press onward.

I soon come up to the railway tracks as a train ends up going past. I'm not too bothered since school isn't that far and I am quite early... Maybe even too early. But suddenly, I could hear footsteps in the distance, coming from my right, slowly getting louder and louder. Concerned, I look to my right, but instead of seeing a criminal or something, instead I see a girl wearing the same school uniform as me. Strange... She's early. But I guess I can say the same thing for myself. But soon enough, the girl reaches the intersection as she slows her pace before stopping at the tracks next to me.

Girl: "Hey, aren't you early?"

Despite how fast she was running, she speaks normally as if she wasn't just running until now.

Kaede: "I can say the same for you, hehe."

Girl: "Touché"

Wait, could this be my chance? I know I planned on making friends at school, but we aren't even there yet.

Girl: "What class you in?"

Kaede: "Huh? Oh, 1-A."

Girl: "Ah~ So you're one of the smart ones. Quite diligent of you going to school this early."

What the hell? Why is this girl speaking to me so easily? I'm not even sure how to respond to that.

Kaede: "...W-what class are you in then?"

Girl: "1-B."

So she's in the same year as me... It's likely that she doesn't have many friends either, so maybe this is the right opportunity to try and get a head start in making friends.

Kaede: "Uhm-"

But right as I was about to say anything, the guard rails on the tracks rise up after the train finishes going past. And the girl immediately begins to run off ahead.

Girl: "See ya!"

Kaede: "..."

Good job Kaede, you tried to make a friend yet you couldn't even ask for her name. Perfect...

In defeat, I continue forth, walking towards school, unlike that girl who seems to like running quite a lot. Or it could be that she's just excited for school. Either way, I'm not that much of an athlete to run all over the place like that. And so, I arrived at school, meeting no one else along the way.

...

Once it hit 8:00am, I entered class, and just as I expected, there's hardly anyone inside. School doesn't start till like an hour so of course there won't be that many students around, but this is actually quite the perfect opportunity considering that these people seem to be all alone.

Kaede: "..."

But for some reason, I find it hard to approach them. It's like they've put up an invisible barrier around them, like they don't want to be talked to. And so, I take my seat, taking a more passive approach instead. Maybe someone might approach me instead?

...

Emi: "Kaede!~"

After 20 or so minutes of not a single conversation with anyone, despite more students beginning to pile inside, Emi finally arrives.

Emi: "You didn't see my message?"

Kaede: "Ah, no, sorry."

Emi: "Jeez~"

Girl: "Is this your friend you were talking about?"

Emi: "Ah, right! Kaede, this here is Maria. We chatted for a bit after school."

As expected, Emi has already made friends, and a beautiful one at that. Even with me sitting down, I can see that many of the boys in our class are eying up Emi's friend. I don't blame them, Maria looks like she could pass as a third year, not a first year.

Maria: "Nice to meet you."

Kaede: "Mhmm! Likewise."

But I guess I could also make friends with her. So I put on the best smile I can for her.

...

Eventually, lunch came around, and just like yesterday, I followed Emi to the cafeteria, only this time, Maria is with us. Both of them end up going up to get their food, whilst I sat down at the table waiting for them.

Boy: "H-hey. Is this seat taken?"

Out of nowhere, a guy approaches the table as I'm left clueless on what to do. The table can fit more than just three people, so there shouldn't be anything wrong with having another person with us. But maybe Emi and Maria might not want a guy to join us? But then again, I'm not going to miss out on another opportunity to make a friend like what happened earlier at the train tracks.

Kaede: "Not at all."

Boy: "Thank you very much!"

Maria: "Mmmm."

Emi: "Kaede?"

Kaede: "Hmm?"

At first I thought they were fast at getting their food, but I quickly realize that they hadn't got their food yet.

Emi: "Oi. Scram."

Boy: "Sorry!"

And in a flash, the guy bolted out of the table. I guess that opportunity came and left just as fast, huh.

Maria: "S-sorry."

Kaede: "Ah, no. I just figured it would be nice for a more fuller table. I'm sorry."

Emi: "Ah~ well. That guy was actually stalking us after school yesterday. Apparently he went to the same middle school as Maria and he's... Yeah."

I see now. So I guess making friends with him wasn't even on the table if he only sat down here, knowing that Maria would come back. He probably wasn't even interested in being friends with me.

Kaede: "Hahh~"

Emi: "Hehe. Don't tell me you liked him."

Kaede: "Not a chance."

Emi: "Well, hold the fort properly this time! We'll be back."

At least I'm able to maybe make friends with Maria, so I guess that's progress. But I know that I want to do things myself as well.

Kaede: "Hmm?"

I soon spot the girl I met at the train tracks this morning. She's at a table with what looks to be quite a decent amount of people. I guess people have already snatched her up, it'll be impossible for me to go in and invade their circle. From this distance, she sort of looks like one of the guys there with her red hair only barely reaching her shoulders. Makes me wonder what she'd look like with longer hair...

(?: "I love you.")

Kaede: "Huh?"

Just now... What was that?

Emi: "Okay~ We're back."

Maria: "Sorry again about earlier."

Kaede: "No, it's okay. I didn't realize that he was your stalker."

Maria: "Ah well. He was actually a friend of mine."

Kaede: "Was?"

Emi: "Eh?! You didn't tell me that!"

Maria: "Fufu. Well yeah. We were friends in middle school. But I only ever saw him as a friend. So when I turned him down, he... Well, started to act strange."

Kaede: "Hehe. Well you are pretty, so I don't think I can blame him."

Maria: "W-what?"

Huh? I said that quite off-handedly, so I'm surprised that made her blush like this. Don't tell me she's one of those types that are completely unaware of how attractive they are?

Emi: "See? Even Kaede thinks so."

Kaede: "Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"

Emi: "Ehe. Nothing~"

Maria: "W-well... I think you're quite beautiful as well, Kaede."

Kaede: "..."

Now I know that's a lie. I stick out like a sore thumb... With my mother being half Russian, I ended up inheriting her white hair. I'd hardly call someone like me beautiful, but I find it difficult to say anything in the face of Maria.

Kaede: "Thank you."

Emi: "Stone faced as always, huh."

Kaede: "Not really."

Maria: "It's probably 'cause Kaede gets complimented like that all the time, right?"

Far from it... But hearing her praise me like this is somewhat embarrassing. Before I let it show on my face, I begin eating my lunch as Emi and Maria soon follow suit.