FFD 7

Hayama was the shining star of the class, not only being handsome and excelling in academics but also holding the title of the school's soccer team's super ace. As he entered the classroom each day, he was met with a wave of warm greetings.

"Good morning, Hayama."

"Morning, Hayama-kun."

"Hayama, meowpasu!"

Sitting beside him was Kato, who was the complete opposite.

Kato was a cute girl, but surprisingly, she had an almost invisible presence. Despite more than half a month passing since the school started, only a handful of classmates recognize her. Even the class teacher often calls her name wrong, creating a stark contrast to the popularity enjoyed by Hayama.

"Hey, Kato, you're here so early." Hayama said as he settled down next to her, relishing the comfortable feeling of being in her presence. It wasn't that he had any particular motives towards Kato, but her mysterious aura was undeniably powerful. Whenever he stayed close to her, he also seemed to fade into the background. As long as he remained quiet, no one would bother him.

"I think you're the one who's arriving late, Hayama-kun," Kato twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers.

"I have to do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and run 10 kilometers every morning. There's no way I can show up early." he chuckled.

"No wonder you're a beast on the soccer field. You've been secretly grinding every day. Sneaky, sneaky!"

"It's only been like a month of keeping at it. It's not as crazy as it sounds."

She turned her head and shot a quick glance at him. "Don't downplay yourself, Hayama-kun!"

He locked eyes with Kato and teased, "Well, well, look who got rid of those dark circles. Congrats, Kato."

"Oh, I thought no one would notice! Hayama-kun, you really are one sneaky student."

After the first class, another well-known classmate, Tomoya, climbed on top of a desk, clutching a copy of "Love Metronome."

"Hey, everyone! I've got a serious recommendation for you all! Check out this awesome light novel called 'Love Metronome'! It's the debut work of the super talented author, Kasumi Utako. Trust me, I've been devouring light novels for a solid ten years, and this one's a gem! It's all about the hilarious and heartwarming rom-com adventures of high school girls and boys. I guarantee you'll love it! You can borrow it from me anytime. And hey, if you're interested, swing by the Bookstore and grab a copy. They've got a sweet deal going on too! Spend over 3,000 yen and you get a shot at their lucky draw!"

Tomoya's classmates in the class were already accustomed to his behavior. This wasn't the first time he had preached about something in class. He was a passionate ACG (anime, comics, and games) enthusiast who dedicated all his resources to collecting novels, games, and figurines.

Originally, Toyogasaki was a prestigious private school that strictly prohibited students from taking on part-time jobs. However, it was Tomoya who had humbly knelt in front of the teacher, pleading for a whole hour, until the teacher finally made an exception and allowed him to work. Now, Tomoya juggled three jobs every day, earning a modest monthly allowance, but still had to live on a tight budget because of his hobby.

"Hey, Hayama-kun, did Tomoya's book recommendation catch your attention?" Kato asked, noticing his expression.

"Not really. It was more of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I happened to pass by the bookstore last night and decided to grab a copy," he replied casually, reaching into his bag and pulling out his own copy of "Love Metronome" from his desk.

"Well, Hayama-kun, once you're done reading it, do you mind lending it to me? I'm curious to see what kind of book catches your interest."

"It's just a romance novel written by a female author who's never been in a relationship, targeting high school students who've never been in one either. But if you want to give it a go, Kato, you can borrow it for now."

As she took the book, a poster of Sayuka slipped out from between the pages, gracefully floating down and landing on the floor. The poster featured a beautiful girl, her hand gently covering her heart as she smiled gently.

It was unclear whether it was because the dropped item wasn't shielded by Kato's invisible aura or if Sayuka's poster was simply beyond the range of her aura, but Tomoya's eyes caught sight of the poster.

"Hayama-kun, where did you manage to score this Sayuka poster? Each bookstore only gets, like, ten of them!" Tomoya exclaimed, promptly dropping to his knees on the floor, clutching the poster in his hands as if it were a precious treasure. If they weren't still in the middle of class, Hayama had no doubt that Tomoya would've given it a lick or something equally disturbing.

"Well..."

"So, Hayama-kun, we're kindred spirits! I thought I was the only Otaku in the entire class, but little did I know you also have a burning passion for ACG! My path is no longer lonely!" Tomoya exclaimed with excitement.

Hayama thought to himself, 'Who said I'm an otaku like you? Just because I bought a light novel, does that automatically make me an otaku? By that logic, if I purchase a scratch card, am I suddenly a gambler?'

"Can I borrow this Sayuka poster from you for a couple of days? Or even just for one day? I'd love to hang it up on my wall and appreciate it for a day! Initially, I wanted to buy it from you, but if you were to lose Sayuka, it would crush you, right? So, all I'm asking is for one day to bask in her beauty. Just one day is enough to fulfill my life!"

'This guy is beyond help. But if I do lend him the poster, he won't do anything weird with it, right?'

"Hayama-kun, my devotion to Sayuka is sacred. I'll cherish her quietly and won't engage in any disrespectful behavior. You can trust me on that. But if you still have doubts, I sincerely invite you to come to my place tonight. We can talk about ACG culture all night long! I've got a ton of collectibles at home!"

'Stop embarrassing yourself with these self-made declarations! When God was handing out wisdom to humanity, you must have brought an umbrella, right?'

As the class bell rang, its familiar sound came to his rescue, ending the conversation. Tomoya, wearing a wistful yet reluctant expression, carefully returned the Sayuka poster to Hayama's desk.

"Sayuka, our encounter was destined, but now we must go our separate ways. However, know that I will never easily give up on you," Tomoya whispered, his voice filled with determination and a hint of longing.

Hayama let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't anticipated that the poster would stir up such a commotion. Originally, he had intended to give the Sayuka poster to Tomoya, but Tomoya spoke in such rapid-fire bursts like machinegun that he couldn't find an opening to interject.

In a discreet gesture, Kato slipped a small note to Hayama. It read, "I'm sorry, Hayama-kun. I didn't expect to cause you so much trouble."

He replied with a reassuring smile, scribbling a response on the note. "Don't worry about it. If anyone should take the blame, it's Tomoya."

"If I hadn't borrowed the book from you, the poster wouldn't have fallen out, and Tomoya wouldn't have discovered that you're an otaku. I'm truly sorry."

"Kato, I assure you, I'm not an otaku," he insisted.

"Then how did you end up with that poster?"

"The bookstore I happened to visit was quite small, and they had some leftover posters. They gave one to each person who purchased the book."

"I see..."

"Kato, you know, passing notes feels a bit silly."

"Oh, you're right. We could just chat on Line instead."

"No, what I meant was, you can talk to me directly. I don't think anyone would really notice even if you shout."

"That's too much!" Kato's little mouth pouted.