Prologue 03: Tadano Hitohito

The day of enrollment.

Komi is currently sitting in the classroom, next to Tadano Hitohito.

Although barely a day has passed, having received no further news from Akiyama worried Komi to no end.

It worried her to such an extent that it afflicted her everyday life. Lately, she's spacing out a lot, for example she's bumping a lot into students (not that they mind, in fact, they are in seventh heaven being bumped into by the school madonna), having a hard time recalling what the teacher just said. All that just because Akiyama hasn't sent a response.

"Self introduction time, Himiko-san, you're up" the teacher said.

"M-M-My Name is Agari... ummmmm.... Nice to M-M-Meet you all!!!" said the glasses wearing girl with her hair tied up into a bun ponytail.

"Alright, now Komi-san."

"..." Komi, not listening but instead thinking about Akiyama, didn't hear what the teacher said.

Receiving no answer, the teacher asked again.

"Hellloooo? Komi-san? Your self-introduction."

"!" Komi, now woken up from her stupor, was flustered being stared down by her classmates. Still haven't picked up on what the teacher said, Komi was clueless as to why they are staring her down.

Tadano Hitohito, the epitome of average-ness, was sitting next to her.

"Komi-san, self-introduction." Tadano whispered to her.

Komi, now standing, was, at the moment, the embodiment of awkwardness.

"..... !" Komi, obviously not being able to introduce herself vocally, walked up to the chalkboard.

"!!!" In 27 strokes she wrote her name on the board, swift, and elegant, as her classmates would say. Or as Tadano Hitohito, a self-proclaimed expert at reading the atmosphere, would say: flustered and embarrassed.

Komi's entrance was applauded by the class, furthering her embarrassment. Komi swiftly going back to her chair, sat down, and closed her eyes trying to hide from the gazes her classmates gave her.

...

The class went on without a hitch, in the afternoon only Komi and a sleeping Tadano were left in the classroom.

'Are?.... I hear voices.' a dozing Tadano woke up.

"Nyaa..." the absentminded Komi voiced out.

Tadano, surprised by the school madonna, kept quiet. Observing the situation.

Komi, thinking about Akiyama, didn't notice Tadano and kept playing with a cat-plushie.

"... Nyaa..... !" Komi, now perceiving Tadano looking at her in the edge of her peripheral vision, visibly flinched.

Tadano, now being stared down at by Komi, felt the need to say something.

"Oh... I didn't hear nor see anything..." Tadano said unconvincingly.

Komi, now back to being at the peak of embarrassment, tried to bolt out of the classroom, at least until Tadano said something that made her freeze in place.

"Ahh... Wait. Komi-san, are you bad at speaking with others?"

"!!" Komi, surprised at being seen through, turned around and started vibrating in place, all the while laughing menacingly.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH"

Tadano, the expert at reading atmosphere's, deduced the truth.

Noticing that trying to speak won't bring the both anywhere, Tadano suggested using the chalkboard to communicate.

"How about you write what you want to say on the blackboard?"

Komi, seemingly agreeing, went to the chalkboard and erased the previously written notes.

*How could you tell that I have trouble speaking to others?*

"I just drew the conclusion from how you react to things... I guess? Is there anyone else who knows about this?"

Komi, thoroughly impressed by C*nan's, eh, no, by Tadano's deduction ability thought about his question.

'Apart from Akiyama and my family no one I guess...' Komi thought.

*None*

"Oh, I see" Tadano, now running out of ideas, tried to escape from the awkward Situation.

"Welp, we're supposed to go to gym, I'll be going first then"

Tadano, having taken two steps, was stopped by Komi. Komi vibrating in place again had some more things to say.

*I couldn't eat my lunch*

"? So... you're hungry?"

*But actually, I want to chat*

...

The next 15 minutes were spent with Komi writing to Tadano about her communication disorder, this is the first time she has told this to someone apart from her family and Akiyama.

Tadano, to make Komi more comfortable, also started to communicate by writing on the chalkboard.

*Komi-san, what's your dream?* Tadano wrote.

*Having a hundred friends.* Komi replied.

*Okay, then, I'm your first friend. And I'll help you get 99 more.* Tadano proudly declared.

*... You're my second friend. But, thank you, and please take care of me.* Komi replied once again.

Tadano, reading this, felt happy but also somewhat disappointed, as it turned out, he isn't her first friend. The human psyche is weird, isn't it? He is happy now being acquainted with the school madonna, but not being her first friend bugged him.

Komi, happy to have made a new friend, swiftly left the room.

'I made a friend, my first friend apart from Akiyama..... Akiyama... I wonder where he is, is he fine? Is he eating properly?'