Chapter 4
When I speak up I start walking to Sakayanagi who is still sitting calmly at her desk.
"So, Sakayanagi, do you want to become co-class leaders?"
"Oh, why would I do that exactly?" she asked a bit smugly, too smugly in my opinion, in response I kept walking towards her desk until I was a bit past it. Sakayanagi then adjusted her seating position to better accommodate my movement. My reason for my movement was simple, I did not want my face to be caught on camera. I removed my friendly 'mask' on my eyes only, what she saw must have been close to me with black holes for eyes. Nevertheless, it eliminated her smugness because she immediately sobered up. I leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"The question isn't 'Why would you?' it is 'Why wouldn't you?'. I am the one helping a snail cross a busy highway." This seemed to eliminate her previous attitude as when I stood back up she seemed to be shaking a bit. I doubt I scared her, maybe she's more fragile than she lets on.
"Sounds good Arisu?" I ask since she is stuck in her own thoughts, putting back on my 'mask' over my eyes.
"For now…" She gives me a forbidding response but it sounds like she is excited.
"Fantastic. Well, I think the first task as Co-Class Leaders has to be to grow influence on the inside and outside, I'll work on the outside you got the inside. K?"
"I'll try my best" She says but she gives a half-hearted bow while sitting so I know she wasn't being wholly honest.
"We should go to the entrance ceremony now, it's better to be early than late." I say offering my hand to help Sakayanagi up, she takes it and we slowly make our way there. None of us talk, we just enjoy the silence. The next thing I know we are at the gym and line up for the entrance ceremony, we made it right on time.
I scan the first years that were there so I can remember their faces. The ceremony itself was nothing special. Some words were said by the principal, but overall very similar to my previous life so I already started on the task I assigned myself and pinpointed about half a dozen of students that looked like they could become key players within the first years.
After a while the ceremony ended and I started going on my own way, but it only lasted so long. My classmates started hounding me to come with them and do things like shopping and karaoke. I decided to reject them this time.
"Everyone, I would like to do my clothes shopping on my own, maybe next time." I say and bow, some understood but were still a bit down, and some just nodded and went to do their own thing. I also noticed some stares from the first years coming in my direction, I elected to ignore them and continue my way to the mall.
I finished purchasing a couple of pairs of casual clothes and started to make my way to the dorms bags in hand on my way to the exit of the mall I encountered one of the people I flagged as potentially important so I decided to approach the group of 3 consisting of a girl with waist-length blonde hair that is tied in a ponytail and purple eyes, a girl with upper-back length brown hair that has bangs hanging on the left side, and blue eyes she was unique in the way that she was the only one within the group to not be wearing a blazer instead opting for an orange cardigan and a girl with long brown hair that has bangs swept to the right and blue eyes.
"Excuse me, girls, may you please point me towards the dorms? I seem to have turned myself around" The girls were surprised by my approach, by chance maybe they were appraising me before I approached or did they see me after the entrance ceremony? The one that stood in the middle of the three answered me.
"Sure! We'll show you the way to the dorms!" She said her tone was friendly, she looked into the eyes of her friends and seemingly started speaking telepathically to her friends. I decided to introduce myself before it got too awkward.
"I appreciate it. I am Doi Katsu by the way. Nice to meet all of you." I put out my hand for someone to shake.
"I'm Kei Karuizawa. Nice to meet you Katsu." The blonde-haired girl who was standing in the middle introduced herself first. She tried to give me a very firm handshake but it just lacked something in my eyes. After the handshake, I stared between the two others that have yet to introduce themselves questioningly until one of them speaks up.
"I'm Chiaki Matsushita. Nice to meet you Katsu." the brown-haired girl with blue eyes and bangs to the right gave a good friendly handshake, it felt a little dishonest though. I started staring at the last girl who hasn't introduced herself yet. She must have felt some invisible pressure because she started stuttering.
"I'm May-y-ya Sat-t-t-tou. Nice t-to meet-t y-you Katsu." It was very endearing to me, the gyaru being very nervous around a guy but I held firm and gave her a handshake. For the first time this meeting the handshake Maya gave felt correct, not dishonest or anything. I begin our short journey over to the dorms.
"Well, then Satou, Karuizawa, and Matsushita I think it is about time we get going to the dorms" They nod and start leading the way. Matsushita starts to ask me a question.
"Katsu, why did you turn everyone down right after the entrance ceremony?" I knew that almost everyone saw that, but I guess I'll have to explain myself as best as I can. I sighed and answered.
"I just hate shopping for clothes with people, anyone I have shopped with manages to make it into them playing dress-up with me, and since that was all I was gonna do, I didn't see a reason to go out with anyone. Since we were all classmates they can just ask me to go out with them another time, and I would be more than happy to." I gave my reasoning, and thankfully they seemed to understand my point of view as well as the context of the situation better. We spent the walk learning about each other until we arrived at our destination. They let me get my dormitory key card.
"What dorm did you get placed into?" Karuizawa asked me while trying to sneak a peak at the number on my key card along with the other two girls. I turned my card around to show them the number openly which they were not really expecting.
"My dorm is 107, why are you guys trying to get it sneakily? It's not that important." I say and the three start sweating, Karuizawa speaks up to avoid the question.
"Well, it was nice getting to know you, Katsu. See you later!" Karuizawa started pushing me but it didn't make me budge at all. I spoke ignoring what Karuizawa was doing.
"Before I leave do you mind giving me your numbers, girls?" They shook their heads and presented their phones to me so I could put in their numbers and sooner rather than later it was finished. I had the first phone contacts of my high school career.
"Well, I'm going to put my stuff away. Afterwards, you wanna get something to eat?" I ask the group and they all agreed since they were getting hungry, not wanting to stall anymore I went up the stairs to my dorm, since it was only a level above ground level. I found my room and opened the door, and what greeted me was a clean 8-tatami mat big dorm I didn't want to linger and check everything out so I just dropped off my bags and went back downstairs.
When I arrived back on the ground floor I saw Karuizawa, Matsushita and Satou talking with someone else a girl with short beige-coloured hair paired with gradient crimson eyes, and she was very well-endowed. I looked at her and the only thought I had was 'Is that all you could do'. The mask she constructed was an absolute disgrace. I yelled as I approached the group.
"Karuizawa, Satou, Matsushita. I'm back!" They all, including the girl I don't know, turn to me as I arrive, Karuizawa was the first to speak up.
"Welcome back, we were just talking to our classmate Kushida, she would like to join in on our plans if it isn't too much of a bother."
"Nice to meet you Kushida, I'm Doi Katsu." I do a little bow with my hand on my heart, a little bit extra.
"I don't mind if you join us at all." I say with a small smile, to which Kushida says.
"Please take care of me." Kushida says while bowing cutely.
"Well then, Let's GO!" Karuizawa says while raising her fist up.
We ended up going to Cafe Pallet to try it out. Not much happened for the rest of the night, I ended up with Kushida's number after she asked me for it. I talked with Karuizawa via text for a bit and did my workout and exercise for the day before clocking out.