Chapter 5: First Day at Cherry Blossom Academy

"I messed up my introduction and bit my tongue," I thought to myself, feeling the tears starting to form. I looked over at Eri, who just looked at me with warm eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. I am not a creature that needs to be pitied," I cried internally. As Eri and I made our way to our seats by the window, I surveyed the classroom and noticed all my classmates and even the teacher giving me the same warm look and gentle smiles.

My ears twitched in embarrassment. All the stares made me want to jump into Eri's chest and hide my face.

As I reached my seat, I noticed there was a rectangular hole in the chair, allowing me to put my tail there and sit comfortably. Eri sat in front of me.

She patted my head, which caused me to relax and purr unintentionally. Then, she told me, "Don't worry about it, Hina-sama. That was a very cute introduction. When class ends, I'll introduce you to my friends Sakura and Sayuri. They are in our class too. Maybe we can eat lunch together."

After that, the introductions proceeded normally. Then it was the girl whom Eri referred to as Sayuri's turn. She had long brown hair, held up in a ponytail, and light brown eyes. She seemed to have an energetic and bubbly personality.

"Hello everyone, my name is Nakamura Sayuri, but please just call me Sayuri. I know most of you from the middle school division. However..." Her gaze shifted towards me, or rather, towards my ears. Her eyes seemed to sparkle before she finished her introduction, "...for the ones I haven't met yet, I hope we can be friends."

Eri seemed to notice where Sayuri-san's eyes were aimed because I felt a dark aura emanating from her. I heard her mumbling, "Sayori, don't get any ideas. Hina-sama's ears are for me only."

I really wanted to retort, "I can hear you, you know," but chose to ignore the statement entirely.

The next person to introduce themselves was the girl sitting behind Sayuri. Eri mentioned that she was her other friend, Sakura. Sakura had medium-length pink hair and matching pink eyes, exuding a cool-headed nature.

"Hello, everyone, my name is Nakamura Sakura. However, please call me Sakura. I hope we can be friends." Like Sayuri, she cast a quick glance at Eri and me, but seemed to leer mostly at Eri. I felt a strange tugging sensation in my chest.

"Hissh..."

"Hina-sama, are you okay? Your tail's fur is standing up, and you are hissing," Eri whispered to me as Sakura sat back down.

"Huh? I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you, Eri," I replied, puzzled by my own reaction. "Why did I react like that? Did I feel possessive of Eri? But we're not even in that kind of relationship. We haven't even voiced our feelings for each other."

At that moment, in the middle of class, I recalled the events of last night and why I was so tired this morning.

"Eri?"

"Yes, what is it, Hina-sama?"

"I love you."

"I know, I love you too, Hina-sama."

I remembered the conversation from last night, and then the memory of kissing Eri on the cheek before going to bed flashed through my mind.

"Nyaaa!" I screamed out loud, snapping back from the recollection of my memory.

"Tachibana-sama, are you okay?" asked Yuki-sensei, who had introduced herself last after Sakura.

"Y...Yes, sorry," I stuttered, my face turning as red as a tomato, not only from the memory of last night but also from the embarrassing event that just happened.

I laid my head down onto my desk, trying to shield my face from the curious looks I was receiving. "I just want to hide," I thought to myself.

Eri gave me a worried look as the teacher, Yuki-sensei, explained the details of the school and outlined our class schedules. Generally, we wouldn't leave the classroom for classes, except for science, cooking, or gym class. The teachers would come to us. She also mentioned that today would be a short day, with actual classes commencing tomorrow. She encouraged us to get to know our classmates by eating lunch together before leaving. After she stepped out of the room, the classroom erupted into a buzz of excitement.

Some classmates started excitedly talking to each other, while others began making a beeline towards where I was sitting.

Instinctively, I reached for Eri, but she wasn't where I had expected. She was already kneeling in front of me, checking my temperature with her hand, which made me blush even more. Our classmates halted in their tracks, with the exception of Eri's friends, Sakura and Sayuri.

"Are you okay, Hina-sama? Your face is really red. Did you perhaps recall what happened?" Eri asked, her eyes filled with worry and understanding.

I gently nodded, too embarrassed to respond verbally. "However, that doesn't feel like the entire story. I'm starting to feel dizzy," I thought to myself.

"Is everything okay, Eri?" Sakura asked, casting a worried look in my direction. "I shouldn't have reacted like that earlier. She seems to be a nice person," I reasoned internally, feeling my eyes growing heavy.

"I believe so. I think she just got embarrassed earlier," Eri answered with a smile and a light laugh.

Sayuri then approached me and asked, "Hina-chan, are you okay?"

"Hina-chan?" I mused. Nobody besides my family and Eri had called me by my name before. A small smile formed on my lips.

When I tried to stand up to reassure everyone that I was fine, my field of view tilted drastically. I found myself being caught by Eri before I could hit the floor.

The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was Eri's tear-streaked face looking down at me.