Shizuka Hiratsuka: I'm Jealous

"I think Kotomi is easier to get along with..." Mashiro Shiina didn't back down. She took a step forward and continued.

"I don't want to swap seats with you, thanks for understanding. Also, it's best not to use someone's first name when you've just met them. Haven't you only just met Kotomi?" Megumi Kato smiled, but her words carried a chill.

"It's true it's our first time meeting, but I feel close to her, so I wanted to call her 'Kotomi.' Is there a problem with that, Kato-san?" Mashiro tilted her head, seemingly confused by Megumi's comment, then turned to Kotomi Izumi. "Kotomi, is it okay if I call you that?"

"Uh... yeah, it's fine," Kotomi replied, nodding. She didn't care much about how people addressed her.

Hearing Kotomi's agreement, Mashiro nodded slightly, then bent down and picked up the pencil Kotomi had dropped earlier. Ignoring Megumi, she held it out to Kotomi.

"Is this your pencil?"

"Yeah, I dropped it earlier. Thanks." Kotomi took the pencil back from Mashiro.

After returning the pencil, Mashiro asked curiously, "The tip of this pencil is shaped like it's used for drawing. Do you always use this pencil for drawing? But this isn't exactly a drawing pencil."

"Oh, this is just something I use for sketching casually. When I draw seriously, I use proper pencils."

"I want to see your drawings. My cousin said you're really good."

"Stop! Kato, Shiina—this little drama you two are having over Kotomi needs to end now! This is class time!" Shizuka Hiratsuka finally interrupted, cutting off the conversation between Kotomi and the other two. Ever since this exchange started, Shizuka felt like she, the homeroom teacher, had been completely ignored.

Damn it, is this what they call a "love triangle showdown"? I'm thirty years old and haven't been in a single relationship, and now I have to watch my students go through this like some rom-com? Seriously?!

Is there no justice in the world?!

Shizuka's frustration grew the more she thought about it, but not knowing how to properly scold them, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her flaring temper.

"Shiina-san, the situation is what it is. Kato-san doesn't want to give up her seat, and you don't have the right to force her," Shizuka said sternly.

"I want to sit with Kotomi," Mashiro looked at Shizuka, her request plain and simple.

However, that simple request was difficult to grant.

Why? Just look at Megumi's expression.

She appeared calm on the surface, but anyone could see that beneath her composed exterior was a volcano ready to erupt.

Sigh... Shizuka thought, Chihiro Sengoku, you're really giving me trouble here. Mashiro Shiina's cousin, Chihiro, happened to be the advisor for the school's art club, and she had somehow ended up enrolling Mashiro in Shizuka's class.

Chihiro Sengoku was a well-known figure among the art club members, as she was their supervising teacher. However, not many people at Sobu High School knew that she was also Mashiro Shiina's cousin.

Perhaps it was their shared love for alcohol that made Chihiro and Shizuka close, though neither would ever openly admit it.

"What if I say you can't sit with Kotomi?" Shizuka asked, trying to be firm.

There was a brief flicker of disappointment in Mashiro's orange-red eyes, but she wasn't ready to give up. She glanced at Kotomi again and asked, "Then, can I sit close to her?"

"Close, huh? Fine, where do you want to sit?" Seeing Mashiro finally willing to compromise, Shizuka exhaled in relief.

"Here. I want to sit alone, here." Mashiro pointed to the space directly behind Kotomi's desk.

Even though the window-side sixth row was technically the last row in the classroom, there was still a considerable amount of space behind it. If fully utilized, the room could easily accommodate two more rows of desks.

"Here? Alright, then go grab a desk and chair from the first floor. Kotomi, help her out. After all, you two are now the only art club members in Class 1-F," Shizuka agreed to Mashiro's request.

"Got it." Kotomi stood up and left the classroom with Mashiro.

"Ugh... Chihiro, you really owe me one. I'll definitely make her treat me to something expensive after school today," Shizuka muttered to herself as she returned to the podium and began her lesson, already planning to order the most expensive tempura when she met Chihiro for drinks that evening.

Walking side by side down the hallway, Mashiro's expression remained as calm as ever, with no obvious emotions on her face. She was the type who, if left alone, probably wouldn't initiate a conversation.

"Uh, Shiina-san, how did you know my name?" Kotomi asked, curious.

"On the way to the classroom, Hiratsuka-sensei showed me the Class 1-F student list. You were the only one listed as being in the art club."

So that's how... Kotomi thought. She had briefly wondered if she had left a deep impression on Mashiro in the past, only to have forgotten about it herself. But now that Mashiro had explained, Kotomi realized she had simply seen her name on the class roster because of their shared art club affiliation.

After selecting a desk and chair from the first floor, Kotomi carried the desk while Mashiro carried the chair, and they walked back to the classroom.

On the way, Kotomi asked, "Shiina-san, have you always lived abroad?"

"Mashiro..." Mashiro didn't answer Kotomi's question directly but instead said her own name.

"Huh?" Kotomi was confused, unsure of what Mashiro meant.

"Mashiro. I want you to call me Mashiro," she clarified, her orange-red eyes looking up at Kotomi with a cat-like innocence. "Is that okay?"

Kotomi felt her cheeks grow warm at Mashiro's intense gaze.

"S-sure, I can do that."

"Call me."

"Mashiro..."

"Mhm, I heard you, Kotomi."

When they returned to the classroom, they placed Mashiro's desk behind Kotomi's.

And so, from that day onward, Class 1-F had a new, unofficial seventh row by the window, with Mashiro Shiina seated behind Kotomi Izumi.

Despite being seated in the "seventh row," Mashiro was the only one sitting there.