12 Roses

3 | Names and Phone Numbers

There were some people who wore their uniform completely wrong, even if there was barely any thought into putting it together.

There were people who didn't even have backpacks, and you were suddenly doubting if they went here.

"Oi."

You were startled by someone touching your shoulder and you turned, being met with a stare the colour of sunsets.

She has long, dark green hair that she kept in a ponytail and eyes framed with pink glasses. She was very beautiful, but it was also hard to look past the look in her eyes as if she were irritated with you. Her brow raised and you saw her mouth move in a shape that seemed to say, "You look confused."

You nodded and held up your notepad, which she took and read, both her brows now raising.

I'm deaf, so I wasn't sure who to ask for help. My class is room 222.

She gave it back to you and she opened her mouth to speak... while also raising her hands to sign.

"That room's upstairs. I'm in the same class."

You almost forgot to follow as she turned around and began walking away.

"You can sign?" you asked once you caught up.

"Yep. My friend's mute, so that's the only way he communicates. He's in the same class as us, actually, since that's the only teacher that understands him."

"What class is it, exactly?"

"It's for the people who signed up for the sign language program. The teacher teaches while also signing, so me and my friends decided to join it for the friend I told you about."

"Are you a second year? You seem to know a lot."

"Nah, my family's just come here for generations. The Zenin family."

She waited for you to react but you simply nodded and faced forward so you would trip on the stairs and make a fool of yourself.

When you got to the top, she asked, "You've never heard of them?"

"Sorry, am I supposed to have?"

Her lips curled into a proud smirk. "Nah. They're nobodies."

The numbers from the stairs kept increasing, 209, 210, 211... until you reached 222, where the girl pointed. "I'll quickly go to my locker. I'll meet you in class."

As she left, she turned back to you and smiled. "I'm Maki, by the way."

"I'm Y/N."

"Pretty name."

Your face flushed and you quickly entered the class, seeing only four seats in a row at the front.

There were sign language posters that covered a bulletin board opposite to the window and plants.

Plants!

You cautiously approached the desks, seeing if someone had already claimed any of them, and sat at the one nearest to the window - or rather, the windowsill, where plants were lined up.

A while later, a boy with a black mask covering the lower half of his face entered, mid-length light hair threatening to touch his eyelashes.

He spared a glance at you before sitting down on seat away from you and staring straightforward at the blank blackboard.

You only knew of this school because of Nanami and Suguru. They had graduated from here, although their life plans were drastically different. At some point, Suguru was an attorney or something, then he moved to Chisai and became a tattoo artist. Not that he ever told anyone all that much about himself. Nanami became what he studied to be - typical of him.