Walking back to the classroom a familiar face stood at the door, it was the impulsive redheaded Sudo-kun.
"Yo."
They were a little surprised to see that he was engaging in conversation, Sora greeted him with a simple gesture.
"Avoid meddling in other people's business like you did yesterday please. It will scare the little one, that's all."
Sudou said before straightening up properly and joining the class. They didn't know what to expect with someone like him but Sora had concluded that it was just his clumsy way of saying thank you.
Once they entered the classroom, they found themselves in a lively atmosphere, groups of friends here, loners there. At the back there was a young student named Ike who was trying to convince Sudou to join the swimming pool so he could admire the chicks' tits. At the front there were some serious students working on their lessons right next to some loud girls who were talking about their karaoke outing.
Returning to their chairs Sora wondered if her tablemate would finally decide to speak to them but all she did was read on and on. Well, almost...
"Did you want something?"
The ice witch spoke to Sora for the first time since they came, he had taken a little time to realize that the question came from her.
"No why?"
"Yesterday and again today, you keep looking at me from time to time, if you have something to tell me do it otherwise stop, it's unpleasant.
Her words cut like the blade of Excalibur, luckily he had gotten an idea of her personality otherwise this surprise attack would have nailed him in place. In the end, despite its brutal form, there was finally a conversation between the two and Sora couldn't let this opportunity go.
"Yes it turns out I have something to tell you, aren't you interested in getting to know people from your class?"
"Not especially, I don't see the point, I grew up alone and I'm fine with it."
Wow, she was laying out her answer without batting an eyelid, after this second attack the conversation was going to be difficult to pursue.
"Don't you think it's important to know the people you'll be spending the next three years with?"
"Again I don't see the point, all I have to do in this school is work and graduate. Whether I know the people or not doesn't change that fact."
"That's true, just like you can limit your diet to a few basic foods and live decently, but why deprive yourself of the luxurious meals?"
"Who told you that friendship is the equivalent of a luxurious meal for me?"
Sora didn't understand the value of a friendship more than she did, so he understood why she wasn't interested, but unlike her, Sora had his little sister, which was quite different from a lonely life. Sometimes he imagined his life without Shiro but these thoughts brought him a feeling of emptiness every time. He found it as hard to understand Kushida's state of mind as he did Horikita's, living alone and living surrounded by everyone were two radically different ways of life. When Shiro and Sora were separated they panicked, when they were together they felt ready to face any obstacle, it was like a middle ground between Horikita's and Kushida's choice, they didn't try to bond with others because their bond was enough for them. So what was the point of following Kushida's idea and increasing those bonds? Why was loneliness enough for Horikita? Sora didn't have an answer to these questions.
"You can't know until you taste it."
"You don't know if I've tasted it or not."
It was entirely possible for her to be in the same situation as Shiro and have a connection with her brother that was enough for her, but in that case why was she hiding it? Did she have her own reasons for not mentioning her relationship with the council president? Was the family name a coincidence and they were not related? Many questions kept spinning in Sora's mind.
"Did you?"
"I don't see the point of this conversation. Whether I have experienced it or not does not change the fact that I currently see no point in it."
"In that case why is solitude enough for you?"
She didn't answer this question and plunged back into her reading, Sora then understood what Kushida had been through. The teacher arrived and everyone took their seats, nevertheless their focus had not improved since last time, many students kept doing anything but listening in class.
The course schedule seemed rather normal, there was a lot of information but nothing really unexpected considering the prestige of this school. This obvious fact made Sora think again. In addition to the lack of reaction from the teachers about the students of this school, Sora also inspected the students' profiles. There were those who were serious and those who seemed to have no business in this school. Sora wondered if these students were really incompetent slackers or if they had some hidden potential that the school had noticed. Since a third of the class fell into the category of incompetent slackers, Sora thought that this theory did not hold water.
On one hand, there were people like Kouenji who, since yesterday, had been thinking only about himself, as if he was in his own world disconnected from reality, which was an admirable position because it made him someone who only went after what he wanted. This was the kind of person that appealed to Sora and Shiro who had made a similar decision at a young age, but this type of personality didn't really fit in with a standard educational system.
On the other hand, there were people like Hirata who immediately bridged the gap between the different students in the class, he was a means of communication as was Kushida, some guys rejected Hirata out of jealousy so Kushida's presence solved that problem. Plus he was serious in his academics so his abilities fit perfectly with the profile of this kind of schools.
This contrast in the various student profiles was a peculiar choice, not to say strange, but not knowing the methods of this school yet, Sora could not think too much of it.
The lesson passed quietly and so did the following ones, it was still daylight at the end of the day's lectures so the students took the opportunity to go for a walk, well the average ones did, Sora and Shiro had decided to go home and spend time with their new game. The strategic choice was to buy a long term game that could be played by two people so that they could wait until their next point payment to buy more games.
As Sora was about to leave for home, he received a message from Kushida, who had confirmed his request.
"Wow she is pretty fast."
Sora had asked Kushida to put them in touch with a sophomore or senior student, the appointment was set for tomorrow during lunch break. Sora smiled as he saw his plan going into motion.
Walking towards the dormitories, down a road in the park full of students, a person with blond hair dyed a light pink who was walking slowly with her friends turned her gaze towards Sora and Shiro. It was the student from class B that they had seen at the homecoming ceremony. With a small innocent smile on her face, she walked towards them elegantly with a jaunty attitude, a light perfume emanating from her face.
"Hello to you both! How are you doing? I don't mean to pry, but you're the new guys we heard about, right?"
She spoke in a soft tone and gave off an air of confidence, even Shiro who used to hide behind Sora was more relaxed. Sora was all glowing, was it because of the sunset visible in the distance or something else? That's a big question.
"Yeah, that's us they were talking about. If my memory serves me right you're a student of class B right? My name is Sora and my little sister here is Shiro but I guess they already told you our names."
"You have a good memory, I am indeed from class B my name is Ichinose. This is somewhat an unusual situation but I hope Shiro-chan will have a good time, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me!"
"That's nice of you. I must admit, I didn't expect such kindness."
"It's nothing, we'll be frequenting these same grounds for the next three years so it's important that we all have a good time there, the more the merrier."
Sora and Shiro still had some trouble with the kindness shown by the people around them, on the one hand it was due to their rather pessimistic view of humanity, on the other hand it reminded them of all those hypocritical people they saw in games, series and books. Those girls who talked to you only to insult you behind your back, or those guys who just made fun of you. It was stupid to say that all people were like that and the most obvious thing to do at that moment was to make an effort and accept others, while remaining on guard and taking the time to get to know them better. Trusting people was one thing, doing so at the first exchange was a danger. That was the conclusion they had come to for their future life in this school.
"Well in that case I wish you a good evening!"
She said as she walked away, greeting them with a small hand gesture before disappearing into the small crowd of friends that surrounded her. It was only the second day and she already looked like a popular girl. Was she the Kushida of their class? Probably.
After that Sora and Shiro went home quietly, they had nothing to do until tomorrow so they made some delicious pizza, turned off their lights and threw themselves into their games, having fun until midnight.