Chapter 2

In April, I was waiting for the bus in the early morning. I had said goodbye to my parents a while ago since they had to go on vacation at the start of the year as well. We had a big birthday party/farewell party for the school year, not gonna lie, I'm not gonna miss my parents that much. It's just they never really filled the shoes my previous parents had, on top of that they were pretty expectant.

While I was in my thoughts the bus was coming by I made some last-minute adjustments to my uniform and hair before boarding only to find almost no one on the bus, I sigh and take a random window seat and stared out the window letting my eyes drift closed.

A bus stop woke me up, I looked around and saw a lot of people in the same uniform as me. The bus was just about halfway to capacity. The only person that boarded this stop was a girl with long raven-black hair with one braid tied with a pink bow as well as gradient red eyes. She has a stern look on her face. She has a slim but well-endowed body which makes her stand out as being beautiful.

She looked around noticing that the only seats left were next to people while she was looking around we made eye contact, and she then went and sat next to me with a weird look on her face. I just looked at her questioningly since I knew that if I looked away it would have looked worse. Once she was sat down, and the bus started moving She gave some side eye and asked.

"Why did you look at me?"

"I really felt bad for you, my condolences by the way" I reply as I bow to the person next to me who is acting like a stuck-up princess, she gave a heavy sigh and asked me another question.

"Why did you continue to look at me after I caught you?"

"If any girl found out some guy was staring at them because of their bodies, the police probably wouldn't be able to find their bodies. I just tried to make it obvious that I was not looking at you for your body but rather the circumstances around your situation." I replied she seemed convinced enough to pull out her entertainment for the bus ride which was to my surprise the first book I wrote 'Cry For Exile' This time I decide to initiate a conversation.

"How do you like my book? Any constructive criticism?" She gave me some more side-eye.

"You expect me to believe that a high- no sorry middle schooler wrote one of the best crime mystery books in the last 10 years?"

"I don't expect you to believe me. I want you to answer the question that I asked you." I said unimpressed, this girl really gotta fix her attitude. She sighed and humoured me.

"I am enjoying it, it's good. There are some problems with the writing of the characters though"

I nod to myself and I get an idea, I take out a pen from my bag. Next, I snatch her copy of 'Cry For Exile' from her hands. Then I sign my signature on the first page then give it back to her on the page she was on before I took it before she could retaliate violently. She starts questioning me.

"Why did you do that?" I sigh and start answering

"Normally when people greet each other they exchange names. I-"

"What is the importance of that?" She cuts me off to say.

"Since you know mine already, I mean it is on the front page. I figured you would want something in return for your name, so I gave you an autograph"

"Why did you take it from me?" she interrogated

I just shrugged, it just felt right.

"To increase the value of your book, even a fake autographed book goes for a lot, you know right? So what's your name?" I say way more authoritatively than previously, this time it was her time to sigh and respond to a question.

"Suzune Horikita" she said, and what elation passed through my heart, I had won this battle.

"Nice to meet you Horikita, I'm Doi Katsu in the flesh" Similar to what I had expected, she seemed to have gone back to reading without acknowledging my greeting. Well, I'll just leave her to her own devices.

Some 20 minutes later and there was an issue where an old lady couldn't get priority seating because of some blonde-haired troublesome guy in the same uniform as me the situation was thankfully diffused thanks to a random office lady and a well-endowed school girl with yet again the same uniform as me and Horikita. I also caught a tall young man with brown hair, brown eyes, and a fair complexion giving Horikita a stare. I started praying for him right then and there.

We arrived at the school and started getting off the bus, heard the voice of someone familiar to me and truly felt bad for the poor soul that looked at Horikita.

"Wait a second. You were looking at me a while ago. Why?"

I was on my way to my class when I stumbled into a petite teenage girl with lilac-coloured hair wearing a black beret on her head with a gray ribbon connected to it as well as the school uniform, but this girl had a cane in her hand and was limping. Being the good samaritan I was, I steeled myself to help her.

"Excuse me, Miss! Do you mind if I help you?" I ask her from behind, the girl turned around and noticed that I was talking to her, she smiled and answered calmly.

"Thank you for offering, but I am quite alright."

"Hmm. How about I walk you to class then, sounds good?" I ask, she just nods and starts walking to her class again, I quickly catch up and match her pace, and initiate conversation.

"My name is Doi Katsu, nice to meet you"

"Doi Katsu like the author of 'Cry For Exile'?" She asked, how has everyone heard of it, I knew it was popular, but not this popular.

"One and the same" She giggled at my statement, maybe she thought it was a joke, well it's not important. She introduced herself.

"I am Arisu Sakayanagi, it's my pleasure really." I can't help but think that was said a bit teasingly. I continue filling in our walk with some conversation.

"What class did you get put into Sakayanagi?"

"Oh. Me? It's obvious I would get put into Class-A. How about you?" She seems sure of herself, not arrogant, but instead confident.

"We are in the same class, I'm in Class-A, what a coincidence." We fill the rest of the way with some idle chatter. She says she enjoys chess, and I offered to play her in a couple of games to which she agreed, it seems my school life is on the right track this time.

We entered our new class, only to find that we are the first two there and I found some cameras at the back of the class. Instead of lingering my eyes I looked at Sakayanagi to see if she saw them as well. She seemed to be staring directly at them. I ask her something to get her out of her daze.

"You noticed the cameras as well?" she just nods and looks for her nameplate on the desk, I find mine, it is the window seat at the back otherwise dubbed as the 'Main Character' seat. To the right of my seat, I find Sakayanagi's nameplate and call out to her.

"Sakayanagi! Your nameplate is right next to mine!" She wasn't too far away and walked over using her cane as support.

"Please take care of me. '' She gave a pretty deep theatrical bow.

"The sentiment is shared" I reciprocated her bow.

We sat down and were on our own devices. Slowly the class started filling up until a middle-aged man of average height with gray hair and green eyes opened the classroom door authoritatively.