A unique world

"Hey Ryoichi, wanna hear what I found out?" The voice echoed inside my head.

"Come on, I know you're not sleeping."

"Indeed I'm not, because you're speaking next to my ear," I wanted to say, but then I would prove him right. So I chose to keep pretending to be asleep.

"If you keep pretending to sleep I'll have to resort to violence."

Violence? What does he mean by that?

The moment I thought of that, I felt a piercing pain on my left hand, as if someone were trying to stab me.

"Stop stabbing me," I muttered while laying on the desk with my arms around my head.

"Did you say something?" He replied, almost laughing.

"Stop stabbing me!" I said again, lifting my head from the desk and snatching the mechanical pencil from his hand with a swift move.

"See? I was right, you weren't sleeping," he said with a smile once I turned to look at him.

"You know, when someone's being stabbed, they can't continue sleeping."

"Stabbed? You're exaggerating; I was just lightly pinching you."

"Yeah, right," I replied, examining the mark the pencil left on my hand.

"So, wanna hear what I found out?" he asked again.

"No, I'm good. I prefer catching a bit of sleep before the lesson starts."

"I heard there'll be a transfer student joining our class. And she's a girl," he whispered, ignoring my response.

Knowing his penchant for gossip, I exhaled and replied, "Isn't it enough for you that almost every girl in our class wants you?"

"Oh, my little inexperienced Ryoichi, there's more to life than just reading manga."

I found that comment somewhat derogatory, but I was too sleepy to come up with a witty retort.

"Mhmm, I see," I said, burying my head in my arms once again, assuming my sleeping position.

To be honest, having a transfer student in the middle of the school year seemed odd, but I shrugged it off, opting to catch some sleep before class started.

But just as I settled into my thoughts, the door opened, and the teacher's voice filled the room.

"Good morning, everyone. Today, we have a transfer student joining us."

It seemed Tatsuya's information was spot on, as usual when it came to girls.

The sliding door opened again, revealing a girl standing outside. With graceful movements, she entered, closed the door behind her, and stood next to the teacher.

She had brown hair with silver highlights, paired with jade-like green eyes and a smile that could brighten anyone's day.

I'll admit, she caught me off guard initially, but I quickly dismissed any thoughts. She was clearly out of my league, so I resolved to carry on as usual.

"Please introduce yourself to the class," the teacher said warmly.

She nodded and swiftly took the chalk, writing her name "Emi Kurosawa" along with a "Nice to meet you, everyone!" below.

I found it a bit peculiar that she chose to write instead of speaking, but I supposed it was her preference.

Once she finished, the teacher instructed her to take the desk behind me.

Ah, so that's why that desk was vacant today.

I pushed aside any thoughts of the new transfer student and focused on the lesson, figuring I had nothing better to do. And for some reason, I found myself unusually attentive, perhaps wanting to make a good impression with her sitting behind me. But why? I had already decided it was pointless to try. Yet here I was, trying. It was frustrating.

My thoughts, which had consumed me during the lesson, suddenly vanished with the bell signaling the start of break.

Navigating through the class to leave was a challenge; everyone was surrounding Kurosawa, eager to get to know her better.

The girls were eager to include her in their circles, while the boys seemed to vie for her attention.

Tatsuya and I opted to keep our distance for now.

"How come you're not with the boys, trying to win her over?" I asked Tatsuya as he approached.

"That's a rookie mistake they're making. You have to find a moment alone with her or create one. Otherwise, she won't even remember your name, or worse, she'll think you're just like the others who don't know how to approach a girl," he replied, sounding smug.

"Wow, a real expert, huh? An expert at being an idiot, maybe," I said, barely containing my laughter.

"Laugh all you want, but you still haven't found a girlfriend," he retorted, smirking.

"Like you, the most popular guy in our class and one of the most popular in our school, who's still 'waiting for the right one,'" I said, air-quoting his words.

"Ahem, I'm still waiting for that special someone," he said, feigning seriousness.

"Yeah, sure... Let's go grab something to eat; I'm starving."

Before leaving, I stole a glance at Kurosawa, who was still surrounded by classmates bombarding her with questions.

They hadn't stopped talking, but I noticed she hadn't said a word, only nodding or shaking her head in response.

'I guess she's not much of a talker,' I thought as Tatsuya and I headed for the roof, hoping for some peace and quiet.

Tatsuya was unusually talkative that day, elaborating on his elaborate plan to approach Kurosawa, but I paid little attention, my mind wandering after the break.

Throughout the day, the teacher directed most questions to Kurosawa, who, instead of speaking, chose to write her answers on the board. She seemed peculiar, to say the least.

As the day progressed, Kurosawa's fame among the students soared, likely due to her striking appearance, while Tatsuya and I passed our breaks peacefully on the rooftop, or as peacefully as possible with his constant chatter.

When the final bell rang, the classroom emptied swiftly, everyone eager to head home after a long day. However, I realized I had left my bag at my desk and hurried back to retrieve it, leaving Tatsuya behind.

Fortunately, the classroom door was still unlocked, allowing me to retrieve my bag. But as I stepped outside, I was greeted by heavy rain.

"Damn, I forgot my umbrella," I muttered.

I mean, who can blame me, it was sunny, without a single cloud when I departed from home.

As I weighed my choices, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I found myself face to face with Kurosawa, who began gesturing with her hands, conveying something I couldn't quite grasp.

"If you're wondering why I'm still here, it's because I forgot my umbrella. Looks like I'll have to run home," I explained, attempting a friendly smile.

However, she shook her head, disagreeing with me, before gesturing again, this time indicating her umbrella.

"Is she offering me her umbrella?" I wondered, perplexed.

Seemingly understanding my confusion, she stepped forward, opening her umbrella and pulling me underneath it.

"So that's what she meant," I thought, taken aback by her unexpected gesture.

"Whait, what am I supposed to do now?" I pondered, struck by her bright smile as we stood together under the shelter of her umbrella.