After what happened, Komi and Tadano walked down the school.
"So I was right about you having trouble speaking?" asked Komi.
Tadano gave her a gentle nod once more.
"Well if it's comfortable for you, do you want to talk about it?"
Tadano started to tremble a bit. He does want to talk about it, but is too nervous to speak.
"Hmm. I wonder if there's an easy way for you to communicate," Komi muttered to herself.
The silence between the two of them lasted for 10 seconds, until something came up in Komi's mind.
"Ah! I forgot something in the classroom. If you want, you could follow me there and we could try to talk about it on the way."
Tadano gently nodded. The two started to head to their classroom. However, none of them spoke dur to their current dynamic. Even with Komi not really looking at Tadano, she could still feel him staring at her for some reason.
Once they got to the classroom, she went to the desk that she sat in and found what she forgot. "Aha! I got it!"
It seemed like what she forgot in the classroom was a little cat keychain.
"Haha. It may seem childish to carry this around, but I don't really care. Anyways, we could go now-"
She then noticed that Tadano was staring at the chalkboard. He seemed like he wanted to write on it. It didn't take long for Komi to understand once she remembered that in his self-introduction, he wrote his name on the chalkboard instead of saying it.
"Ah! Do you wanna try to communicate through the chalkboard?"
Tadano was surprised that she knew what he wanted to do. Nevertheless, he nodded and walked to the chalkboard. He grabbed a piece of chalk and started to write.
"I'm sorry if I weirded you out."
"Well, you didn't really weird me out. I was just worried if I did anything wrong to you. But now that I know that you have social problems, I understand now," said Komi.
"Okay. That's good," Tadano wrote
...
The quiet silence between them made things awkward for both of them. They couldn't really work of each other in their conversation.
Tadano then started to write again.
"If I'm bothering you, I could leave."
"N-no you're not! I was the one who decided to talk to you. You're not bothering me one bit," Komi exclaimed as she shook her head and waved her arms.
(Something similar to this)
"You must be busy though," Tadano wrote down.
"Well besides of going home, I'm not busy at all! I honestly just want to get to know you right now," Komi said. She didn't want him to feel like she didn't want to talk to him.
With nothing to say against it, Tadano nodded and wrote. "Well okay."
The silence came once again. However, it didn't last that long when Komi started to speak again.
"Hey. Are you alright? You haven't answered that yet."
Tadano shook his head, telling her that he isn't. "Well, do you wanna talk about it?" Komi asked.
Tadano nodded and began writing.
"I'm afraid of what people think of me. I've heard them whispering in my self-introduction, and I think they dislike me."
"Ah I did hear it as well. They were mean."
"Honestly, I'm scared of this new school. Last year was already scary enough for me. I just want a normal school year where I don't feel self-conscious."
This reminded Komi of what she used to be like when she was young. Not that it hasn't until now.. She was kinda like Tadano. So she knows what it's like to have trouble talking to others.
"Well ya. The students here might sound scary, but there are still nice people here. I'm sure. Maybe some people here will take a liking to you."
"Are you only saying that because you're popular?"
Komi tilted her head in confusion. "Eh?"
"The students seem to admire you. You have it more easy because you know that everyone thinks you're great. You're only sympathizing with me because you feel obligated to."
Silence filled the room once again. But this time, it felt more tense. Tadano started to write again.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude. I'm just jealous. I just wish that I were you. You have a lot going on with you. People like you. But I'm just an average guy. I'm too shy to talk because I think it'd be better for others to deal with me. I haven't talked to someone for so long, to the point where I don't even know how to talk to others. And I think that's better for others to deal with me. But it feels really lonely."
"I envy you. I really do."
Tadano stopped for a bit, as he could be heard quietly breathing heavily. He began to write again after a couple of seconds.
"I want the amount of friends that you have."
Komi noticed his crying. She didn't really know what to say in the moment. The moment feels so tense for her.
Nevertheless, she reached down her pocket and grabbed her handkerchief. She lent her arm out with the handkerchief in hand.
"Here you could use this."
Although, She wasn't sure if he was actually crying or if it was something minor, like hiccups. However, he grabbed the handkerchief. It seemed like she was right.
He wiped his face with the handkerchief and handed it back to Komi.
"Oh no, you can keep it. I don't mind."
Once again having nothing against it to say, Tadano nervously nodded and put the handkerchief in his pocket. He then continued to write.
"I'm sorry if I'm burdening you with my problems. You don't have to feel bad for me because you feel obligated to. I'm no one special to talk to."
"It would be better if you just forgot about this."
"We could stop talking today if you don't want to read my nonsense anymore."
"See you tomorrow."
Tadano grabbed his stuff and was gonna leave the classroom. Komi looked at him and the chalkboard. Just before Tadano stepped out of the classroom, he heard Komi writing something on the chalkboard. He turned around.
"Try not to be so hard on yourself!"
Tadano slowly went back to the chalkboard, as Komi wrote down more.
"Just because you think you don't have anything special, that doesn't mean you can't talk about your problems with me. You're dealing with a lot and I want to help you."
Tadano looked at her writing, then started to pick up some chalk and started to write once again.
"Are you sure you want to?"
"Ya! Y'know, you gotta think a bit more positively of what others think of you. Maybe that could bring you out of your shell a bit," Komi wrote down.
"Okay. I'll try. But it might take long for me to get out of my shell. Do you really want to help me even if it'll take a long time? You have a lot of friends already, and I'm worried that I'll get in the way," Tadano replied, still thinking that he's bothering Komi with his burdens.
Komi wrote down some more. "Nonsense. You won't be getting in the way of anything. Besides, I don't really have that many people I'd call my friend than you think. I haven't really made friends yet."
Tadano seemed surprised. To him, it seemed like she already got many friends.
"Wait, really? It looked like you had a lot of friends already."
"Well it may look like it, but they're mostly just people who want to interact with me because they admire me. And as nice as that may be, I don't want to just call someone a friend when they just want to talk to me because I'm popular," Komi wrote down.
I don't really blame you for thinking that I didn't understand you because I was popular. I would've thought that too if I was still unable to socialize.
Tadano felt slightly more suprised from her last sentence. "What do you mean by still?"
"Well when I was young, I kinda had the same problem you have. But as time went on, I tried to get out of my shell until I was fully outside of it. So I understand what you're going through," Komi wrote.
He's astounded that Komi wasn't what people led on. Instead of being a goddess that he heard people talk about, she's just a normal person.
"Sorry for not having the mindset that you were just like everyone else," Tadano wrote down.
"Again, it's fine. Most people already have that mindset about me. And you were no different. But at least you know now," Komi wrote.
Tadano seemed to be enjoying their conversation. Komi seemed to be too. They chatted a bit more through the chalkboard for about 30 more minutes, both being immersed in their conversation.
"Hey Komi. Do you have a goal for this school year?" Tadano asked, curiously. "Well I do, but I think I already accomplished it," Komi replied on the board.
"Well would you still mind telling me what it is?" Tadano asked.
"I wanted to make at least one new friend. I thought it was gonna take long, but I think I already reached it just now," Komi replied.
Tadano felt a bit flustered and started blushing. He didn't expect to make a friend today, especially in his first day. But he's still glad that he did.
"Do you also have a goal?" Komi wrote, turning the question to him.
"Ya. At first, my goal was to read the room and just stay out of everyone's way. But I think my goal has changed."
"I want to make 100 friends."
To Komi, that seemed like a big goal for him to handle. Wanting to makr 100 friends sounded difficult for him to reach. Especially with his problem to socialize.
Tadano quickly erased it out of embarrassment and wrote something over it.
"Haha I was just joking."
He then looks away from Komi, embarrassed of Komi maybe not liking his joke. But actually, Komi was more relieved that wasn't his real goal. It didn't take long for Tadano to relax and continue writing.
"Anyways, my actual goal is to try to be more social and regain my social life. Maybe I could try to make more friends.
"Well I'll be happy to help you if you need it. I'll do my best to be a great friend!" Komi wrote down.
Tadano took a bit to look at her response. He started to feel a bit flustered again. He wasn't really used to being treated so nicely from someone, especially after a long time of pushing himself away from social interaction.
Tadano started regain his composure after reading Komi's writing. He was gonna respond, but suddenly got startled from Komi's phone going off once again. She was so focused on Tadano, that she forgot that her mom texted her.
After quickly responding to her that she was fine, she then looked at the time. Both realized how late it was. She started to speak.
"Ah. It looks like we have to stop here. I enjoyed our talk. I hope I'll do a good job helping you reach your goal!"
Tadano then wrote one last thing on the board.
"Thank you for wanting to help me."
Komi smiled. "Haha. No problem. Now, let's clean this board up."
Both started to wipe all they wrote down from the board. After they finished, they headed on their way. Komi noticed Tadano looking a bit nervous.
"Hey. Don't be nervous to talk to me. Okay?"
Tadano gently nodded.
Both stepped out of the school grounds, when suddenly...
"Onii-Chan! Where were you!"
A girl suddenly popped out of the corner, making Komi and Tadano jump. She kinda reassembled Tadano, but felt like the exact opposite of him.
"Try not to be this late! I was getting worried!" the girl said to Tadano. Komi then realized it. She turned to Tadano, then to the girl, then to him, then to her.
"Are uh.. you his sister?" Komi asked. The girl then noticed Komi being there.
...
She was stunned.
"Uhh, hello?" Komi said as she waved her hand to the girls face. Once she was called back, she responded, "AH yes, I'm his sister! Sorry, I was just suprised that my brother already got a friend. Which, you are, right?"
"Mhm," Komi said as she nodded. The girl then turned to Tadano. "She is?" the girl also asked him. Tadano nodded as well.
The sister felt suprised, yet relieved. "Well that's nice to know that he's made a friend. Oh! I'm Tadano Hitomi by the way! You can just call me Hitomi." She lent out her hand for a handshake.
"I'm Komi," she said as she lent her hand out as well to complete the hand shake.
"Well we best be going. It's getting late. Thanks for being nice to my brother!"
Komi waved goodbye, and so did Tadano. Both went on their separate ways home. As soon as Komi got home, she was approached by her mother. Komi Shuuko.
"Shouko! Where were you?" her mother said, feeling a bit concerned on her pretty late arrival.
"Sorry sorry. I was caught up in a conversation with a new friend," Komi replied.
"Oh? You already made a friend? That's great!" Shuuko said pretty excitedly.
"Ya. He was a bit scary at first, but he's actually really nice." Komi said. "He?~" her mother teasingly said to her.
"M-mom! Not every boy I interact with is someone I like!"
"Alright alright, sorry. It's just nice knowing that your first day went great," said her mother. "How's Najimi by the way?"
"They're the same as usual. Except, they were wearing a girls uniform for some reason and told me that they were now a girl. It's confusing, but you already know that they're pretty chaotic," Komi said.
"Well he better at least know some sense of fashion. Anyways, I'll let you off now. I need to cook dinner."
"Alright," Komi responded to her mother.
Komi went upstairs to her room. She put down her stuff and laid on her bed. She was thinking of how her school day went. She's sure that everything will go well through the upcoming school years.
She then remembered the promise she made to Tadano, about how she'll help him through his social problems. It might be more easier for Tadano with Komi's help because she's popular. She could finally use her popularity to her advantage to help someone.
No matter how long it'll take, she'll help him. She reached her goal. Now she'll help Tadano reach his.
"Hmm. I wonder if I still have those books under my bed..."
_________________________________________
Hi. I'm the person who wrote this. And this is the last chapter that I fully wrote out so far. I hope you enjoyed this so far, and look foward to the future chapters.
Like I said in the description. Feel free to critique this. I'm not an experienced writer. So criticism would be greatly appreciated. And if you have any suggestions on how I could make the other characters befriend Tadano, then let me know. I'd like to flesh out this concept as much as I can.
Anyways, goodbye and I hope you enjoyed what I wrote. Sorry if you didn't