Ayanokouji POV
The chairman ended the entrance ceremony right after he revealed my existence to the entire school. I made sure to slip into the massive crowd of students that left the gymnasium afterwards, because I'll only get caught if I leave ahead of everyone else.
To add to that, Matsushita and two other girls know who I am. If they called out for my name while we're still here, it'll lead to trouble. I should keep an eye out for them while we're still here.
I know this is pointless since a student introduction will inevitably take place in the classroom, but I'd like to treasure my last few moments of peace before it comes crashing down.
Peace-chan, you will be missed.
The walk to my new classroom didn't take long and thankfully, no one caught on to who I am. Once I got there, I scanned the seats that were available and I quickly noticed that there were nameplates on the desk. That saves me time from choosing where to sit.
The one that bore my name was at the last row, right beside the chair that was next to the window. It would have been better if I had that seat instead, but whatever.
The classroom was slowly being filled with students as I placed my bag directly above the nameplate on my desk to prevent it from being seen by others. I'm doing my bes
Before I could sit thought, another person had dropped their bag on the desk that was next to mine.
It was the same black-haired girl from the bus, the one who confronted me earlier at the campus entrance. It looks like we're going to be classmates, huh?
She must have felt me staring at her again which caused her to look up and meet my gaze. However, the moment she noticed who I am, her eyes widened and she looked away out of embarrassment.
I feel bad for being the one who caused her to be this way. I should try and defuse this situation before it gets any worse. We're classmates and we're supposed to work together, so I would hate to see her feeling uncomfortable around me.
Kiyo: If I made you uncomfortable with my words, I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention.
???: N-No, that's not it. I...... I was just caught off guard with what you said. The fact that you could say such a thing with a straight face was also surprising.
I guess she's not used to being complimented, then. All I did was tell her that she was beautiful, which was true, and it made her embarrassed enough that she didn't want to talk anymore.
Kiyo: Sorry.... this is how I normally am.
There are a few times where I genuinely hated that my face is like this, and this is one of them. Thanks to my usual apathetic expression, I can create misunderstandings without even trying.
As I said, we're going to be classmates, so I would hate it if our relationship ends up like this. It would be a shame too, because she seems like a smart girl and could be a valuable pawn in the future. Talking to her would be useless if she acts this way around me, so I have to fix this right now.
Kiyo: Why don't we start over then?
Forgetting her embarrassment for the moment, she turned her head to face me.
???: What do you mean?
Kiyo: We obviously got off on the wrong footing, so let's forget everything that happened before this. If me staring at you back in the bus offended you in any way, then I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to stare.
Suzune: V-Very well. I also apologize for suddenly walking away from our earlier conversation. That was disrespectful on my part.
.
.
.
Huh.
Why do I suddenly feel like I've achieved something impossible? She just apologized for her actions earlier, nothing more.
Kiyo: Since we're starting over, can I know your name? It'll be convenient to know since it looks like we're going to be with neighbors.
I somehow expected her to reject me harshly after that question because that's what I'm getting from her demeanor alone but surprisingly, she didn't. She only stared at me for a few moments before releasing a light sigh.
???: It's Horikita Suzune.
Kiyo: That's a beautiful name....
Suzune: What...?
What the hell am I doing? It's like I'm saying things out of impulse, which isn't supposed to happen. I have a stronger sense of self-control than this.
Kiyo: Er, sorry about that. I'm saying things carelessly. Anyway, my name is-
Chiaki: Hey, Ayanokou-
Hearing someone talk behind me, I quickly turned around and pressed a finger towards the lips of the person who just spoke to cut them off from saying anything more.
Matsushita stood before me with wide eyes, obviously surprised at how fast I acted. Her cheeks were also red, most likely because my finger was directly against her lips.
I've read about this instance before, actually. I think it was called the 'smooth moves'? Apparently, it's a big help in winning over girls if one desires to have a girlfriend.
I should remove her finger from her mouth now, but I can't risk her saying my name out loud. Plus, I think Matsushita's reaction is pretty cute.
Suzune: What did she just say?
Kiyo: Just a sec.
I turned towards Matsushita for now and leaned closer to her face, making her eyes widen even more.
Kiyo: I'll tell her myself. Don't say my name out loud because everyone will hear it. Nod your head if you understand.
Matsushita nodded slowly.
Satisfied with her answer, I removed my finger from her lips and turned back towards Horikita, who was staring at us in confusion.
Kiyo: If I tell you my name, could you not freak out?
Suzune: Why would I?
She frowned upon hearing my sudden request, which I returned with one of my own.
Kiyo: Just tell me that you won't.
Suzune: Fine, I won't.
Horikita looked annoyed that I'm asking her to do this, but I'm sure she'll understand once she knows who I am. It's not like she's some spoiled brat who thinks that she's on top of the world, right?
I threw a small glance at our other classmates. They were all too busy mingling with each other to notice me.
Kiyo: My name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Horikita POV
As soon as I heard those words come out of his mouth, I was immediately overtaken by shock.
This guy..... the same person who was staring at the bus...... the same boy who said some embarrassing things about me...... he's the one who achieved a perfect score in all of his exams?
I was almost tempted to call him out for being a liar because it was too ridiculous to be true, but then he removed his bag from his desk where his nameplate was supposed to be.
It's true. He's not lying at all.
My eyes widened even more when I saw his nameplate, before I looked at him. His expression didn't even change, as if he was expecting this kind of reaction from me.
It took me a few moments, but I managed to keep my surprise contained so that we wouldn't attract attention. No wonder he didn't want me to freak out but unfortunately, I did. Ayanokouji-kun doesn't need to know that, though.
I wonder how long he's willing to keep this up. Sooner or later, his identity will be known to everyone in the class, and even he can't stop them from reacting strongly. For sure, a lot of them will be even loud about it.
Kiyo: You didn't freak out. Good.
Suzune: As a matter of fact, I'm very surprised that the person who was staring at me in the bus also happens to be the student who scored a perfect 100 in the entrance exams. I just hide it very well.
Wait, why did I say that? I just thought that he doesn't have to know that I was shocked!
Kiyo: That's fair. So do you have questions that need answers?
Suzune: Questions?
Kiyo: Now that you know my name, I'm sure you have questions that you want to ask.
I thought of what he said and it's true. I did have questions to ask him like how he managed to get a perfect score in every exam, but not now. Honestly, I'm still shaken that the same Ayanokouji whom the chairman mentioned in his speech was actually my classmate.
Suzune: Perhaps later. I can tell that your other neighbor wants to talk to you ever since she made her presence known. I wouldn't want to take too much of your time.
Kiyo: Okay.
As soon as Ayanokouji-kun turned away from me, I sat down and took all of this in. I need to think about this new information deeply, and I didn't want Ayanokouji-kun to distract me.
Ayanokouji POV
After finishing my conversation with Horikita, I turned towards Matsushita next, who seemed to have recovered from her earlier embarrassment. However, she was struggling to even look at me right now, and I can understand why.
Kiyo: I'm sorry if I caught you by surprise. I didn't want you to say my name carelessly.
She shook her head.
Chiaki: N-No, it's fine. I-I-I get why you didn't want me calling you out...
Kiyo: Even so, I think that what I did was rude and out of place. What did you need to talk to me about?
Matsushita took a few moments to calm herself, before she flashed a smile.
Chiaki: Well, first things first, it looks like we're going to be neighbors, Ayanokouji-kun.
She pointed to the nameplate on her desk, which showed her name, so I guess she and Horikita are indeed going to be my neighbors.
Kiyo: I can see that.
Chiaki: Secondly, and I think this is obvious, but why didn't you tell me that you got a perfect score in your entrance exams? Now I feel bad for thinking that you're just some loner that I met on the bus.
Kiyo: Please don't feel bad. That was exactly what I was trying to do.
Matsushita raised an eyebrow as I sighed. Being a loner was fun and peaceful while it lasted, but I didn't want to be like that for the three years that I'll be here. I want friends like everyone else, as well as someone to love.
Kiyo: ...and the reason why I didn't tell you is because it wasn't really important.
Chiaki: Hmm, I don't think scoring 100 in all of your exams can be considered not important. Do you?
I shook my head a few times.
Kiyo: The entrance exams are just a way of measuring what you know up until the time you answer them. It's not a big deal compared to the exams that the school will give us within the year. Only then will our true capabilities as a student be tested.
Chiaki: I guess that makes sense, but.... what you did is still nothing short of incredible, Ayanokouji-kun. The chairman himself said it. You're the first person to get a perfect score in everything.
Kiyo: I'll take that as a compliment from you then.
I took my seat and rested my face on my hand, as I noticed that Matsushita sat down as well.
Chiaki: So... got any idea what we'll be doing on our first day?
Kiyo: If I had to guess, our sensei will just explain how things work around here and let us introduce ourselves to everyone else. It's what every school does on their first day, right?
My brown-haired neighbor began to chuckle.
Chiaki: Let me guess, you're not looking forward to doing that last one.
Kiyo: That's right, but it's not like I have a choice. I can only hope that everyone doesn't behave like an angry mob when I introduce myself in front of them.
Shifting my attention to my other classmates, I observed them closely from where I am so I can get an idea on what they're like early on.
Kushida was standing in front, already making friends with everyone else. With her confidence and personality, I'm pretty she'll be able to win everyone over before the day is done. At least she's too busy to recognize and call out for me like what Matsushita did.
A lot of the boys were alone, doing their own thing and ignoring everything else. Blondie from the bus trip earlier was also here, staring at his reflection in the mirror with a smug look. It seems we're classmates, huh? I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Only two of the guys were being quite loud and annoying, and they were in front treating Kushida as though she was some kind of goddess. I'm gonna make a mental note to keep an eye out for them just to be safe. I'm getting the feeling that these two spell trouble in all capital letters.
While I was lost in my thoughts, the school bell rang. At the same time, a brown-haired woman had entered the classroom with a very serious look on her face.
Almost immediately, everyone quickly raced back to their seats as the woman stood before us. Her eyes darted towards every corner of the room, as if she was scanning the students one-by-one.
???: Good morning, students. My name is Chabashira Sae, and I'm the homeroom teacher for Class D.
~XoX~
Horikita is OOC??? Well, we gotta take in some key stuff, right? First was Kiyo's answer to her when she asked why he was staring. That obviously caught her off guard and because he didn't have any sort of expression while saying it, it just made it worse for her. Plus, even though everyone knows she has her dumb moments, she's not mentally ill to the point that she'll think walking away isn't her fault. She was the one who walked away after he told her that she was beautiful, and so she apologized for it.
And now, she just found out the same guy is the one who scored a perfect score in the entrance exams. The one who complimented her, is the one who managed to do what she couldn't. Where will this lead her? Who knows but for sure, their relationship isn't anything like canon from now on.
愛しています！