CH 2

The school, Sakuranogaoka we go to, is made up of three buildings. First building is for first year classes, second building for second year classes and third building consists of third year classes as well as staff rooms for each grade separately, in the first floor.

When looking from the sky, the buildings are arranged in the form of “三” kanji. Each building is connected by a passage and it doesn’t require one to go outside for coming and going inside the three buildings.

There are large mountains extending at the back of the school building and in school yard, cherry blossom and ginkgo trees are planted to surround it. The school yard changes according to the various shades of season; so that public can do cherry blossom viewing in spring, see leaves changing colour in autumn, one portion is opened.

By the way, the class roster list was pasted at the entrance of the second building, which can be found immediately after entering inside from the main gate.

I avoided the crowd and entered the school building. Reaching my shoe rack, I changed my outdoor shoes for the indoor ones.

Class 3’s classroom is in the innermost part of the second floor in the second building. The interior of the school building is made of concrete and gives off a chilly and bleak feeling. When winter comes around, it actually gets colder than one can imagine.

The building itself is also old and there seemed to have been talks about its reconstruction. The principal of that time, liked the school building very much, resisted the opposition and let the buildings remain as they were.

From the point of view of a commuting student, I want the school building to be reconstructed quickly so I can take classes in a warm classroom.

Going up the stairs, advancing through the bustling corridor filled with conversations of students, I reached my destination. I opened the doors of the classroom without hesitation.

Not only in the corridor but due to today being the beginning of the new school term, it was also crowded in the classroom and my entrance didn’t garner any special attention.

But few seconds after I entered, a big cheer is raised at the back, from the girls who had seen Yuuto.

“I saw Yuuto-kun!” “He is looking good today, too” and etc., most of the girls were discussing with each other.

Although, it is not like I want to get noticed by girls but as one would expect, when looking at them who were watching here disinterestedly few seconds ago, getting excited suddenly and starting to shriek, made me a little angry.

Boys are also boys. Even a little, do you want to enter the girls’ sight? Or else, is it an action because you are thinking ahead for your school life? Or I don’t know if it is because of the gravitational pull of the invisible power of handsomeness, but suddenly they started gathering in front of Yuuto.

Looking at these guys, I had a hunch that there was no way I could get familiar with this class.

“Good morning, Minato-kun!”

Seeing that there was a student present who was willing to converse with someone like me, I buried a little bit of my anger towards the students of the classroom. Or rather, I can recognize whose voice it is, by listening.

“Morning, Shizuku. Your prince is a popular person even today…”

I looked towards the huddled students standing behind with a fed up expression and shifted my attention as it was, towards Kanzaki Shizuku.

Seeing that there are no students swarming around Shizuku, has her zealous reception already been finished? I can grasp a little bit of sympathy mixed in her eyes, looking at Yuuto.

“Prince, huh… Nevertheless, Ogiwara-kun is popular as ever.”

“Even you are not that different. From my point of view, you are similar companions.”

Both of them are the celebrities of school. If there was no common ground from the past, I don’t think I would have been able to talk with these two, like this.

Even now, many guys are watching me and Shizuku talking, unpleasantly.

“Look, Kanzaki-san is also in the same class.”

Somewhere a male student student said this to Yuuto and lowered his volume as if to open the path for conversation between Yuuto and Shizuku.

Is it like that? Everyone take care, because the protagonist will talk with the heroine?

“…Ha…Annoying”

“Because these two people will talk now, you should step aside”, I felt many gazes wanting to say this. As expected, this class is the worst, I complained within my inner thoughts and started heading towards my seat.

“Good morning, Kanzaki-san. I am happy to be in the same class.”

“Huh? Ah.. Yes, I am also very pleased.”

To look at the light greetings exchanged between these two, the mob characters.. err.. classmates, started gathering in the surroundings again. I wonder what fun is there, elevating people to high position?

While sitting at my designated seat, I looked at the clock in the classroom. There seems to be plenty of time left before the beginning of the entrance ceremony. I started the portable music player and blocked the incoming noise from the classroom with music.

The seats of classroom were not decided by order of names but randomly. Thanks to that, I was able to get the seat near the farthest window, the so called best seat.

I wonder if this the first joyous thing that had happened since the formation of the class.

The weather is clear today and there is a pleasant breeze flowing in from the opened window. It feels that the accumulated stress till now, is slowly dissipating.

While the sound is obstructed, the scene of students surrounding those two even now, is still being projected in my field of vision. However more than that, I am able to see a student sitting in the neighbour seat.

In this school, there is another person who is famous for her beauty, besides Shizuku. There is a student who is famous for her exceeding appearance.

The name of that student is Kirasaka Ren.

From my point of view, her beauty cannot be oudone by even Shizuku. However, she is called “Ice Queen” and such, from the surrounding people. Indeed, this way of calling, seems like the type of thing, second grade middle schoolers will think of.

Doesn’t try to talk with others, rejects the guys who confesses to her with sharp words and maintains constant aloofness. Is it because of this personality, huh… Although Shizuku is called as the most beautiful girl in school, her (Kirasaka) appearance definitely surpasses the rest.

Such girl was sitting next to me.

“……Hello”

To be honest, it is very scary. Since there is no acquaintance, I have never talked with her. However, since my eyes met with her while she was sitting, I thought it would have been bad to not greet her and unintentionally called out to her.

“Hmm… Good morning.”

Transparent like voice… Although it was not a loud voice, even within the noisy classroom, miraculously it could pass through the innermost portion of the ear.

“……..”

“What happened? You look like a pigeon who has been shot by a peashooter.*”

While I greeted her of my own accord, this is the first time I have ever seen her talking.

If it is the usual her, while being greeted by a student, she doesn’t even turn her eyes towards them. She just ignores the person in front of her, while reading a book. I have neither seen nor heard any other consequence than that. To be honest, I was quite troubled by this reaction.

*Idiom: Being surprised at an unexpected thing (鳩が豆鉄砲を食ったよう)