New Friends

[Minami High School]

The first day of the last year of high school. Saki walks slowly toward her new school, her heart heavy and her thoughts filled with doubts. She wants to make friends but doesn't hold much hope. "People already know each other; they already have their groups," she thinks, trying to stay calm. "If I couldn't make friends at my previous school, what chances do I have now?"

She pauses for a moment in front of the building's entrance, feeling small, her hands tightly gripping the strap of her bag. "I don't want to go in," but she knows she has no choice. She lowers her gaze, sighs, and steps forward.

She walks slowly through the hallways filled with students. Laughter, chatter, and footsteps echo around her. Saki keeps her eyes down, trying not to draw attention until, finally, she finds her classroom.

When she enters, several people are already inside. The murmurs stop for a moment as they notice her presence, but soon whispers and some laughter begin. "Ignore them," she tells herself, pressing her lips together. Without looking at anyone, she heads to the back of the classroom and takes the last available seat.

The classroom fills up quickly. Saki remains in her seat, silent, almost motionless.

Soon, the first class begins, and the teacher asks everyone to introduce themselves. "Of course I have to talk…" Saki thinks, feeling a knot in her stomach. When her turn comes, she stands up, her shoulders tense, her voice low.

"My name is S-Saki Yoshida…" she says quickly, but the class remains silent, as if waiting for her to continue. After a brief pause, she adds, "I like manga…"

The words barely leave her mouth when she hears a few scattered giggles. A murmur runs through the students. Her face burning with embarrassment, Saki returns to her seat. "Idiot… Why did you have to say that?" she laments for blurting out that last part. The classes continue as usual.

When the break arrives, everything happens as she expected. The other students get up, forming groups that laugh and chat among themselves. Saki stays in her seat. "And so the cycle begins again," she thinks bitterly. "I just want to be normal…" Her gloomy thoughts are suddenly interrupted.

A small paper airplane lands on her desk. Saki cautiously looks up, surprised, and finds a group of girls watching her from the other side of the room.

One of them has black hair tied in a ponytail; another, more cheerful, is blonde and smiling broadly. The third is the most striking: she has purple hair with a purple streak and a choker. It's easy to assume she's the leader.

Saki's heart pounds. Her survival instincts kick in immediately. "Oh no. This is how bullying starts," she thinks, trying to control her panic. "I shouldn't have said anything about manga…"

A knot forms in her stomach as the girls watch her. The idea of running away crosses her mind, but her legs seem glued to the ground. "I don't want to be here," she thinks bitterly.

Saki tries to avert her gaze, avoiding eye contact. "I don't want to look at them…" she thinks as she feels her hands sweat nervously. But before she can do anything, one of the girls points to the paper airplane resting on her desk. The gesture is clear: they want her to open it.

Saki feels a knot in her stomach. "I don't want to… But it would be worse to ignore them," she tells herself, resigned. With trembling hands, she picks up the airplane and carefully unfolds it.

To her surprise, there are no insults or mockery inside. All she finds is a simple drawing. It's a basic portrait, made with simple lines, but it's clearly her: her smiling expression and her characteristic braids are there.

Saki blinks, bewildered, and looks up at the girls. But she gets distracted for too long. Before she knows it, she's already surrounded.

Saki gives a small jump and lets out a "Hic!" of surprise when they surround her. The blonde girl steps closer, invading her personal space with an animated smile.

"Oh, you're Saki, right?!" she says enthusiastically. "Why are you joining in the last year of high school and not before?"

Saki feels the weight of the attention. She doesn't want to talk too much. "I… lived in Shimizu and… we moved for certain reasons, so I was enrolled here," she says, trying to be as vague as possible.

But the blonde girl doesn't seem to stop. "What reasons?" she asks with more curiosity, leaning a little closer to Saki.

"I-I…" Saki begins to stammer. She doesn't want to remember, she doesn't want to answer.

"Ah!" The blonde girl's sudden exclamation interrupts Saki. The girl with purple hair has hit her on the head.

"Why did you do that?" protests the blonde, holding a hand to her head.

"Because you were bothering her too much," the purple-haired girl responds in a calm but firm tone. Then she turns her gaze to Saki and smiles. "At least have the decency to introduce yourself first."

"You're mean…" says the blonde, pouting as she rubs her head. However, she quickly returns to her cheerful state.

"I'm Aiko," she says, pointing to herself proudly. Then she points to the girl with black hair in a ponytail. "She's Yuna." Finally, she points to the purple-haired girl. "And this bully is Takae. Ignore her…"

"Ah," Aiko complains, interrupted by another hit to the head. This time, Aiko gets angry and fights back, throwing herself at Takae as the two begin to wrestle.

While the two fight, Yuna, who has stayed on the sidelines until now, speaks for the first time. "We wanted to introduce ourselves," she says in a calm and kind voice. "You seem a bit lonely. Would you like to join us?"

Saki watches Yuna's warm smile as doubt grips her. "Accept or not? What if they see through me? What if I mess it up?" Negative thoughts overwhelm her, and she's about to say no, but something inside her resists. "I don't want to be alone." Against all her instincts, Saki decides to give them a chance.

Saki nods more firmly than necessary, accepting the invitation. Takae, who notices her gesture, smiles softly as she leans in and rests her cheek against Saki's. "Oh~ you're so cute~! Come on, get up. Let's grab something to eat before the next class starts."

"Yes!" Saki responds, standing up quickly.

As they walk down the hallway, Aiko, still brimming with energy, looks at her curiously. "So… you like manga?" she asks with interest.

Saki feels the atmosphere become a bit more relaxed, and for the first time in a long while, she feels the day isn't so bad.

[A Few Hours Later] 

Classes end, and Saki walks home with a smile she can barely contain. Every now and then, she even takes a small hop as she walks. "Today was a good day!" she thinks excitedly. Talking with her classmates was something new and thrilling, even though, truthfully, they did most of the talking. "That's fine," Saki reflects. "If they had left the conversation to me, we probably wouldn't have said anything at all." 

"Oh! You look cheerful." 

The familiar male voice interrupts her thoughts. Saki looks up and sees her neighbor, Aiden, in his high school uniform. "Oh, he's in high school," Saki thinks, glancing at him briefly before remembering she should respond. 

"Yes!" she answers, trying not to sound too excited. 

Aiden smiles, noticing her enthusiasm. "Did you meet anyone?" he asks with genuine interest. 

Saki nods quickly. "I met some girls," she says, feeling animated. 

Aiden observes her carefully. "New friends?" 

Saki takes a moment to think. "I'm not sure I can call them friends yet… but they were really kind," she admits with a shy smile. 

Aiden nods, satisfied. "That's already a step forward. Well done!" he says in an encouraging tone. 

Aiden's words lift Saki's spirits, and the two continue chatting as they walk through the neighborhood. Finally, they reach Saki's house. 

"See you," Saki says, waving goodbye before Aiden walks away. 

"See you," he replies with a smile, heading toward his gate. Before going inside, Saki steals one last glance at him, watching as he opens the gate and disappears into his home. 

Once inside, she finds her mother in the living room. Mrs. Yoshida looks at her, noticing her radiant expression. "How was it?" she asks, her curiosity evident. 

Saki, still smiling, answers honestly. "It went well." 

Mrs. Yoshida nods, clearly relieved and happy, as Saki heads upstairs to her room. Once there, Saki drops her backpack and lies on her bed, staring at the ceiling with a smile that refuses to fade. "Maybe… just maybe… this year won't be so bad." 

[Days Later – Minami Middle School] 

Saki is enjoying middle school, something she never expected to happen. But now, she's happy. She regularly talks with Yuna, Aiko, and Takae, especially Takae. Despite her intimidating appearance, Saki has discovered she's genuinely nice. She also shares short conversations with Aiden when they cross paths on the way home. They're brief exchanges, but for Saki, they're enough. 

Despite her usual shyness, Saki is determined to do something she's never dared to do before: invite her friends over to her house. During the break, she gathers her courage and approaches the group. 

"Um… I was wondering if maybe… you would like to come over to my house to hang out…" Saki says in a voice that trails off at the end, barely audible. 

The girls look at her in surprise for a moment, then exchange glances and smile. 

"Yes!" Takae responds enthusiastically. 

"I'd love to," Aiko adds, giving a thumbs up. 

Yuna nods, smiling warmly. 

Saki lets out a sigh of relief at their positive responses. When classes end that day, she and her friends head to her house together. 

When they arrive, the house is quiet. Saki's mother isn't home at the moment, but that doesn't worry her; she had already let her know she'd be having visitors. The girls follow Saki to her room, where Aiko's reaction is immediate. 

"Whoa! Manga!" she exclaims, running straight to the shelf full of perfectly organized volumes. 

"Ahaha…" Saki laughs nervously, though she doesn't really mind. 

"Oh, give me a moment!" she says before leaving the room. She returns shortly with a tray of snacks. 

When she comes back, she finds Aiko sitting on the floor with a manga in her hands, completely engrossed, while Yuna remains calm in her spot. But what catches her attention the most is Takae, who is standing by the window, squinting as if trying to focus on something outside. 

Saki sets the snacks on the table, which Aiko quickly digs into, and approaches Takae with curiosity. 

"What are you…?" she starts to ask, but Takae interrupts her in her characteristic, melodious tone:

"Oh~ it's Aiden~!" she exclaims with a soft smile, her eyes still fixed on the window. 

The other girls turn at the sound of her voice. Immediately, they drop the manga and snacks to discreetly peek out the window alongside Takae. 

And sure enough, it's Aiden passing by the house. 

"Oh! Yes, it's him!" Aiko says, clearly excited. 

"What is he doing here?" Yuna asks curiously, studying him intently. 

Saki, confused, moves closer to the window to take a look as well, though much less discreetly than her friends. As soon as she peeks out, Aiden spots her clearly. With a friendly smile, he raises his hand to greet her. 

Saki hadn't expected to be spotted so quickly, and as a reflex, she drops to the floor. Yuna and Aiko follow her example, leaving only their eyes at the edge of the window, while Takae, indifferent to the chaos, continues to stare. 

"He's cute~" comments Takae with her usual playful tone before being yanked away by Aiko, who tries to pull her away from the window. 

"Lower down, don't be obvious!" Aiko whispers, pulling her. 

Still embarrassed, Saki moves away from the window and returns to the table, trying to calm herself, but questions are already forming in her mind. 

"Do you know him?" she asks, looking at the girls with some curiosity. 

"Yes," Aiko responds immediately. 

"No," says Yuna calmly. 

"'Know' is a strong word," Takae interjects, crossing her arms as she returns to the table with the group. 

Saki is now more confused than before, so Takae sighs and takes her time to explain. 

"He was at our middle school, but he was a year older, so now he's in high school," Takae explains.

Aiko, excited, interrupts. "He was really popular! Though he didn't really talk to many people," she quickly explains, gesturing enthusiastically. 

"He didn't date anyone either," Yuna concludes, as if closing a report. 

Takae focuses her gaze on Saki with a playful smile. 

"Since he waved at you, I guess you know him." 

Saki hesitates for a moment before replying. "Yes... he lives across the street." 

Aiko, upon hearing that, dramatically crawls across the floor to look toward the house across the street. 

"Dammit!" she exclaims, frustrated. "I can't see anything, the wall is too high!" Then she slumps to the ground with a defeated expression. 

Saki smiles a little at the scene but continues speaking. "We sometimes talk after school, when I run into him." 

Takae raises an eyebrow, grinning mischievously. "Look at that! The shy Saki turned out to have an adventurous spirit~," she says with a teasing tone, before adding, "You should ask him for his number~." 

Saki, feeling a bit uncomfortable, responds without thinking too much. "Actually… I already have his number." 

The reaction is immediate. Aiko pounces on Saki, clinging to her with all her might. 

"You have to give it to me, Saki! Please!" Aiko holds onto her as if her life depended on it. 

"Let her go, you pest!" Takae exclaims, pulling Aiko by the collar of her uniform while Yuna helps separate them. 

"Don't give it to her," Takae says firmly. "She'd probably stalk him." 

"I wouldn't!" protested Aiko, crossing her arms and giving Saki pleading eyes. 

Takae ignores her complaints and crosses her arms. "Seriously, don't ask her," she says, looking at Aiko with severity. 

This further discouraged Aiko, who let out a dramatic sigh and fell to the floor again. 

"Have you asked him out yet?" Takae suddenly asks, with a sly smile. 

"No! I… I don't think he's interested in me like that," Saki responds, shaking her head. 

"You should try," Takae insists, smiling mischievously. "I mean, he talks to you and gave you his number. When he was in middle school, he didn't give his number to anyone." 

"Yes," Aiko interjected, now animated. "He doesn't give his number to just anyone." 

"Not even to Aiko," Takae remarked. Aiko initially nodded, but then stopped dead. 

"Hey, wait a second!" she exclaimed, turning to Takae. "That's a secret! You said you wouldn't tell anyone!" 

Takae simply shrugged. "You cried a lot that day too," Yuna added calmly. 

"You too, Yuna!" Aiko exclaimed, now attacking her. "Traitors!" 

As the two fought, Takae moved closer to Saki and lowered her voice so only she could hear. 

"You should try," she said in a reassuring tone. 

"I… I don't think I should," Saki responded, lowering her head with uncertainty. 

"I think you should," Takae insisted. "When he smiles at you, it's like someone who's interested~~." 

Saki thought for a moment before replying in a low voice: 

"I'll consider it." 

-/- 

Author's note: This should stay this way, all sweet, until the end, where I'll laugh a lot, or sooner if anyone catches on.

I just came up with the best idea for another arc that includes Raven. Just look up the Teen Titans episode: Spellbound. It practically writes itself; I just need to figure out some kind of magic for the MC. [Image]

Leave a comment, I like reading suggestions. 

Kisses and hugs.