High school (1)

8:50 am. Sakugawa Middle School. Principal's office.

Kanaru was chatting with a fierce looking middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was reading a document.

"You call this a justification Hikari-kun?

The middle-aged man knew Kanaru.

After all, Kanaru was very collaborative with the teachers and him.

"Regardless of what was written there, you wouldn't have fully believed it, so it doesn't matter at this point, don't you think? Aikawa-sensei."

Aikawa sighed.

He signed the document that Kanaru gave him.

Then he opened a drawer on his desk.

Shortly after he gave a document to Kanaru.

Kanaru received the document and read it.

"It seems you have been prepared for this day, Aikawa-sensei."

"You can take it that way. But you must thank Daigo, he was the one who insisted on making a certificate for you despite your disappearance." Aikawa said in a serious take.

Kanaru was speechless.

After a while Kanaru put the document inside his blazer, then he leaned in a bit and finally, he left the office.

From beginning to end Aikawa didn't ask him about those rumors that were circulating around Kanaru. He also didn't ask him about the change in his appearance."

"He no longer stutters and now he can speak in front of me without shaking." Aikawa mumbled upon seeing Kanaru leave his office.

He remembered a boy with black hair and brown eyes who constantly helped the teachers in organizing the documents. That boy who often played video games in class. That boy was always nervous and on the verge of tears when he was caught playing with a PSP.

'He was also always by Karui's side… it's a shame. I hope he's gotten over her already." Aikawa sighed.

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Kanaru drew attention again as he left the main building.

He walked normally until he was stopped by a girl with long black hair.

"You... You owe Uiharu an explanation!" She exclaimed

Kanaru ignored her and he kept walking out of the school.

At the exit was Uiharu with a nervous expression. She didn't want to be a part of this so she tried to get away from Saten.

Kanaru stopped next to her.

"Huh… I've certainly been a bad friend all this time. Do you think if I invite you to have a juice?" Kanaru asked.

Uiharu looked up from him and she looked into his red eyes.

"Ehhhh… just the two of us?" She was very nervous.

Kanaru shook his head.

"That crazy girl behind me will accompany us, although I'm not very willing." Kanaru said.

"Who did you call crazy girl!" Saten exclaimed.

Uiharu smiled a little.

"Well… it's decided. Let's go." Kanaru said.

Three people walked together. Although one of them wanted to hit Kanaru with all his might.

Arguments between Sakugawa's students escalated even further after the three of them left together.

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Kanaru and company were at Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant.

The restaurant was almost full even though it was still relatively early.

But luckily the three found a place to sit.

Kanaru sat across from them. The three were divided by a small table

There were three glasses filled with fruit juice in front of them.

Kanaru was being questioned by Saten for a long time.

"Name?"

"Hikari Kanaru."

"Age?"

"More than yours."

"Where do you live?"

"In my room."

"Why is your hair gray?"

"Why is your hair black?" Kanaru replied.

"Why are your eyes red?"

Why are your eyes black?" Kanaru answered him with another question.

"..."

Kanaru only answered his name.

"Let me give you some advice, when you want to meet someone you should at least introduce yourself first and not ask a round of questions." Kanaru said somewhat annoyed.

"Saten-san, Hikari-senpai is right." Uiharu added.

"Why are you on his side? He ignored you all this time." Saten said with an annoyed tone.

"Take it easy, I had my reasons. Can we put that aside?"

Kanaru started drinking the juice in front of him.

"Hikari-senpai, is it true that you once won an international tournament of a very popular shooter game when you were only 12 years old?" Uiharu asked after a while.

Kanaru finished drinking.

"Yep… it was very difficult." Kanaru said.

"Hum... but in the article I read it said that you didn't die once." Uiharu replied

They both started talking about video games.

Saten shook her head at this situation.

She joined the conversation after a while. This happened after she found out that Kanaru is very bad at dating simulation games.

Shortly after, they started drinking too.

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They talked for an amount of time.

Saten and Kanaru exchanged numbers, the latter showing a wry smile as he did so.

In the end, Kanaru paid the bill for the drinks and he and the two girls went their separate ways.

Before that, they asked him where he would go, but he avoided the question.

He touched his silver cross necklace for a moment.

"I guess it's time to go to my future school." Kanaru muttered as he kept walking.

He had already decided which high school to go to since he saw Index's memories and Misaki's reaction to seeing the spiky-haired young man.