"Alright, except for one student who couldn't attend due to certain circumstances, everyone has finished their introductions. I hope you all get along well in the days to co." The horoom Sensei closed the folder in his hands. "Next, we will distribute the class schedules and textbooks. After that, you are free to go tour the clubs or head ho early."
Scattered responses echoed through the classroom. So people had already started packing their bags, so were whispering to their neighbors, and a few others were huddled together discussing which clubs would be good to join.
Hikigaya took the textbooks passed down from the front, flipped through them casually, then organized them and stuffed them into his bag. He tucked the class schedule inside his math book; he'd look at it tomorrow before school.
"Um... Hikigaya-kun," Sakuraba Ema said in a small voice.
"Could I borrow your class schedule for a mont? I want to confirm tomorrow's classes..." She pointed to the one in her hand. "Mine seems to be misprinted; I can't see clearly right here."
He couldn't see where it was misprinted, but Hikigaya handed the schedule to her anyway.
"Thank you." She took it, lowered her head, and compared them seriously, her lips moving slightly as if she were reciting sothing to herself.
"All done." She handed the schedule back to him. "Thank you very much."
"It's nothing."
Hikigaya stuffed the schedule back into his bag. Ema also turned back and put her schedule into a folder.
"Hey, Hikigaya-kun."
Saeki Miria turned sideways, resting one hand on the corner of his desk, and looked at him.
"Are you going to Leblanc this weekend? Boss has been nagging about you."
Hikigaya opened his mouth, but before he could answer, a weak voice ca from the side.
"Um... does Saeki-san know Hikigaya-kun too?"
Sakuraba Ema was looking at Saeki Miria, her eyes filled with curiosity and a little bit of sothing else.
"Yeah," Saeki Miria nodded. "We're friends."
Having said that, she seed to rember sothing and looked back at Hikigaya.
Her lips moved as if she wanted to say sothing, but she paused.
Her fingers rubbed the corner of the table lightly. She lowered her eyes, as if psyching herself up.
Then she looked up, her voice slightly softer than before, carrying a hint of uncertainty.
"Right, Ha... Hachiman-kun?"
'Hey, hey, don't suddenly drop a 'friend declaration' when soone's off guard. And what's with that na? If you're shy, don't force yourself to say it; it makes things awkward on my end too, okay?'
Hikigaya grumbled a long string of complaints in his mind.
But looking at Saeki's eyes, which didn't know where to look, and the blush on her cheeks that she couldn't hide at all, he opened his mouth and ultimately said nothing.
'Forget it. Disputing it at a ti like this would probably seem even weirder.'
"I see..." Sakuraba Ema's gaze shifted between the two of them, and then she smiled. "That's nice."
'What's nice?'
Hikigaya didn't get it, but he felt the atmosphere was a bit subtle.
Saeki Miria seed to notice sothing. Her gaze lingered on Sakuraba Ema's face for an instant and then moved away, but she didn't probe further or say much else; she just gently pulled the topic back.
"So, are you coming this weekend?" Her voice was very gentle, completely different from the tension she showed when calling his na just now.
"I don't know," Hikigaya said. "Depends on the situation. After all, I'm quite busy with affairs on the weekends."
'Busy with what? Busy sleeping until noon, eating leftovers from the fridge, and then lying on the sofa flipping through manga.'
Saeki glanced at him, the corners of her mouth curving up. That smile was very light, carrying a hint of "as if I don't know you."
"That ans you're coming," she said. She wasn't forceful, she just naturally made the decision for him.
"I'll be going to help Boss this weekend too. See you then."
"...Whatever you want."
Hikigaya sighed silently in his heart.
'Fine, I'll go. It's been a while since I visited Boss anyway.'
Saeki Miria said nothing more, turned back gently, and continued packing her things.
A soft movent ca from the side. Sakuraba Ema also lowered her head to organize her school bag. Her movents were very slow, as if she were thinking about sothing.
The sun began to sink in the west, and the sunlight shone through the window, dyeing the classroom a warm orange.
"Alright, everyone can head back now," the horoom Sensei clapped his hands. "Formal classes start tomorrow. Don't be late."
The sound of moving chairs rang out in the classroom. Hikigaya sat in his seat without moving; he was waiting for the crowd to thin out before leaving.
Saeki Miria stood up and picked up her bag.
"See you tomorrow," she said, looking back.
"...Yeah."
Saeki Miria left. her figure disappeared at the door, and then footsteps and voices echoed in the hallway, gradually fading away.
Hikigaya continued to wait.
The person next to him didn't move either.
He tilted his head. Sakuraba Ema was looking down, holding her phone as if she were looking at sothing, but her fingers weren't moving and the screen had long since gone dark. She just sat there with her head down, staring blankly at the black screen.
'What is she waiting for?'
Hikigaya withdrew his gaze.
There were still a few people in the classroom. Two girls in the front row were talking, their voices kept very low, laughing occasionally. A boy in the back row was packing his bag, moving very slowly as if stalling for ti. The horoom Sensei stood by the podium, pen in hand, writing sothing.
Hikigaya stood up with his bag and tucked in his chair.
"Um... Hikigaya-kun."
Sakuraba Ema also stood up.
"What is it?"
"Nothing..." She shook her head. "I just wanted to say see you tomorrow."
After she finished, she looked down and pursed her lips as if she felt she had said sothing strange. Her pink hair fell to cover her face, making her expression unreadable.
'This kid is too cute.'
"...See you tomorrow."
He nodded and turned to walk out of the classroom.
The hallway was very quiet. Most classes had already dismissed. The setting sun shone through the windows, casting long shadows on the floor. Hikigaya stepped on his own shadow as he walked toward the stairs, his mind still replaying the events of today.
Saeki chose this high school. Although he didn't want to be self-conceited, he had to admit the primary reason was him. Her house was so far away—nearly an hour by train—there was no reason to choose this place specifically unless...
'This is bad. It's getting a bit heavy.'
The idea of being kept in soone's thoughts was too foreign to him—so foreign he didn't know how to handle it. From childhood until now, his presence was like a trash can at the back of the classroom: everyone knew where it was, but no one paid it any special attention.
Now, soone had co to this school specifically for him. This kind of setting would be considered far-fetched even in a light novel.
But reality is more illogical than light novels.
Even though he had clearly told her that he only did those things so they could swap back sooner—that she didn't need to worry too much or repay him—she still seed to care a great deal.
'Whatever. Escaping is shaful but useful. I'll stop thinking about her for now; that sense of gratitude will probably fade quite a bit after a while.'
He reached the stairs and headed down. A group of people happened to be coming up—freshn who looked like they had just finished club orientations. He stepped aside, hugging the wall.
The crowd passed him. Soone bumped his shoulder, said "Sorry," and continued up.
Hikigaya didn't care. After walking a few steps, he felt soone looking at him. That feeling of a gaze landing on one's back is hard to ignore. He tilted his head and glanced back out of the corner of his eye.
The crowd had gone up; only two girls remained at the stair landing, their backs to him, appearing to be waiting for soone.
One of them turned her head slightly, her gaze eting his, then she withdrew her look and whispered sothing to the girl beside her.
Hikigaya turned his head and continued down.
'Probably just mistook for soone else.'
He walked out of the stairwell, and a breeze swept a few cherry blossom petals past his eyes.
Ema-san from the neighboring desk is cute—the kind of cute that makes one blurt out "Marry ," though only in one's mind, of course.
But the way she looked at him was a bit strange. It wasn't disgust, nor was it curiosity; it was a gaze that seed to be confirming sothing.
Maybe she just simply found him interesting. After all, a guy who slumps down to sleep on the first day of school and gives a self-introduction lasting less than ten seconds is indeed quite rare. It's like a lazy ginger cat suddenly appearing on the roadside, lying there motionless; passersby will always take a second look, maybe snap a photo for the internet, and then go about their business.
She'll probably lose interest in a few days anyway.
Hikigaya nodded, satisfied with his analysis.
As he walked out the school gate, the cherry blossoms were still falling.
The ground was already covered in a layer of pale pink petals that felt soft to step on. When the wind blew, a few more drifted down, spiraling as they fell.
A cherry blossom landed on his shoulder.
He brushed it off with his hand.
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