I walked to my room in a bad mood. The karaoke just now didn't go as expected because everyone was teasing me to death. I mean, what did they expect? They're the ones who choose the song for me, a song that I've only heard two or three times, and when I sing badly they laugh at me? Fuck them all, especially Minami. That bastard laughed the loudest without mercy. Well in the end we still have some fun but I can't help but feel annoyed.
After entering the room, I quickly change my clothes and immediately opened my laptop. To fix my feelings, I intend to play Red Dead Redemption until late at night. After half an hour of playing, my mood is slowly getting better. Suddenly my cell phone rang so I paused my game.
Nee-chan : "You don't have any plans tomorrow, do you?"
It seems Nee-chan wants to ask me to do something for the weekend. Usually, she would spend time with her friends on weekends, but this time was different. Maybe she just wants to do some shopping and needs me to carry her shopping bags.
"No. I'll probably just play games all day."
Nee-chan : "Then tomorrow join me for lunch at Palette."
Oh, apparently not for shopping.
"Why?"
Nee-chan : "My friends, they want to meet you."
Huh? Meet me? Why do they want to meet me? Before my fingers could move to type a reply suddenly a new message came in.
Nee-chan : "They're just curious. It's not every day you get to meet twins."
Ah, so it seems. I still feel a little awkward but it's okay. I think it would be better if I got to know more students from other classes.
"Okay. I will come."
After sending my reply, I returned to my game. Class B, huh. During this week I haven't had the chance to meet students from other classes. To be honest I'm a little curious. What kind of people are they? How is their dynamics with each other ? This question will probably be answered tomorrow.
***
At first I was a little confused about what to wear but after a few minutes of thinking I decided to just be myself and wear whatever felt comfortable. I went down to the first floor and approached my sister who was waiting for me in the lobby. When I greeted her, she looked at me from head to toe, as if she was inspecting me. I'm starting to feel awkward about it.
"What? I look that bad?"
Nee-chan sighed. "Whatever. Come on, my friends are waiting at the café."
"Why don't we go with them?"
"Some of them have club activities on Saturdays, some need to take care of some business. It was better if we came a bit later anyway."
"Why?" I asked again but instead of answering she changed the subject. On the way, Nee-chan asked me to stop by at the volleyball gymnase. I don't understand why, but I decide to just go along with it.
From outside the gymnase I can already hear the sound of shoes squeaking and the sound of the ball hitting the floor. The inside is quite spacious. There are several volleyball courts so you can held seveal match at the same time. One of them is being used for practice by the girl's volleyball team.
"Why are we here?" I asked.
"Last night my friend left her ID card in my room, I'm here to deliver it."
"Which one is your friend?"
"The tallest one."
I looked at the court and there was one girl towering over them. Her body is slim and her hair is tied into a ponytail. I'm guessing she's must be around 185 cm (about 6 feet) or so. Incredibly tall for a high school girl.
"That one?"
"Yeah, really tall isn't she? She is even taller than the boys in my class."
With a physique like that she is indeed suitable to be a volleyball athlete. Not only as an athlete, she might be able to succeed as a model if she wanted to. Some men might feel intimidated with her but some might like it.
It didn't take long for their practice to finish. Nee-chan waved at her. When she saw us she waved back then ran over to us. God, she looks even bigger up close.
"Yukie!"
"Hey, Eri. You look amazing when you play."
"Hahaha, not really. I still need a lot of practice...and...who is this?"
"This is my little brother, Yukiharu. Yukiharu, this is my classmate, Nishida Eri."
"Nice to meet you, Nishida-san."
"M-me too. Nice to meet you, Yukiha—no, I mean Kurose-kun."
Nishida became flustered for accidentally using my first name. Despite her appearance, she seems to be a bit clumsy and shy. Meanwhile Nee-chan looked like she was enjoying her friend's awkwardness while giggling.
"I brought your ID card," Nee-chan took out an ID card from her small bag. "You should be more careful."
"Ah, thank you Yukie-chan. I'm really troubled by it." With a bit of caution she took her card. It seemed she didn't want her sweaty hands to come into contact with my sister's.
"Me and Yukiharu are going to Palette. The other friends were also waiting there. Are you sure you don't want to come?"
Nishida shook her head. "Sorry, Yukie, but I promised to have lunch with the other members after this. I still have to clean up after all."
"Well, all right then. I'll tell the others. Come on Yuki."
We say our goodbye to Nishida then leave the gymnase. On the way Nee-chan suddenly asked me. "What do you think, about Nishida?"
"Huh? What about her?" Did Nee-chan have some other intention? Or maybe she just wants to talk about her friend? "She's...pretty cool, maybe I'm judging her too early since it's the first time we've met her, but her personality isn't what I expected."
"Indeed, despite her appearance, she has low self-esteem."
"Why? She looks cool though."
"So you think she's pretty?"
"Of course."
"Hm..." Nee-chan grinned at me. Actually what does it mean. Don't tell me she's gonna trying to set me up with her?
"You like tall girls?"
"Well, not always. But I think that's a plus point."
"For some people her height is a plus point, but when she was in elementary school she was often bullied because of it."
That's a little messed up but not surprising. Elementary schooler can be quite brutal sometimes. They're usually too honest and will not hesitate to voice their opinions to anyone who looks different from them.
"She also went to girls-only school during junior high, so she's really not used to hanging out with boys."
"I see."
"That's why you must be nice with her, alright."
"...Okay, but why are you telling me this?"
"Because you're going to be hanging out with me a lot from now on. So, you're going to meet her quite often."
"But...what about my classmates? I also want to spend time with them."
"I'm not forbidding you to hang out with them, but you have to set aside time for me every week, otherwise I'll be mad, you know."
I sighed. I don't know what got into her but for some reason she really wants me to be with her every week. Even though usually when she's hanging out with her friends she won't even bother with me. Seriously what a troublesome sister.
***
We arrived at Palette just before lunch time. The majority of customers in this cafe are girls. Even if there were boys, it was because they came with their girlfriends. I don't know since when, but this cafe seems to have become a girl's spot. If it wasn't for Nee-chan I probably wouldn't have dared to come in here.
Her friends were already there. There were about six of them and occupied two tables that were deliberately brought closer together. Judging from their drinks, it seemed they hadn't been here for long. Upon seeing us, one of them immediately waved her hand.
"Yukie-chan, come here!"
We approached their table. Now I can clearly see what they look like. What surprised me a bit was the existence of a blonde haired girl. The same girl who tops the rankings in our year. Shiraishi Saki.
"Sorry for making you guys wait so long."
"That's okay. We haven't been here long either. Come! Sit."
We quickly took the two vacant seats. I felt even more awkward because I could feel their gazes on me. Plus the fact that I'm the only guy here only makes it worse.
"You must be Yukie's brother," the blonde said. "My name is Shiraishi Saki, nice to meet you."
This girl was much prettier when I see her in person. I would believe it if she claimed to be the princess of some country. After Shiraishi, the others also introduced themselves one by one. Starting from the girl next to Shiraishi. Meanwhile Nee-chan ordered food for both of us.
"I'm Hayashi Rika." the black haired girl said curtly. I see, she's the cold type. In contrast to Shiraishi.
"Kaname Mayu, nice to meet you little brother." This one seems like the bubbly and friendly type. Kinda remind me of Miwa, and please don't call me 'little borther'.
"Okada Ritsu," This one seems innocent and a little shy, but still better than Komugi from my class.
"I'm Haruno Kyouko," Calm and chill. I might get along with her quickly.
"Itsuka Miharu, nice to meet you" this one is small like a child. If I had met her outside of school, I would have mistaken her as an elementary schooler. I'd rather not say it out loud.
"Kurose Yukiharu, nice to meet you all."
They all look like good students. Among them, there are two people that caught my attention the most, and those were Hayashi and of course Shiraishi. The beauty of both of them is exactly what you usually find in the movies and drama. They are like the sun and moon. One seems brighter and warmer, while the other seems colder and a bit melancholic.
Is it fine to secretly judging them like this? Maybe. In the end I was just a growing boy. So of course I will appreciate the beauty that is in front of me.
"I thought you two were twins, but you don't really look alike. I mean...you guys still look the same, but not as much as I thought." Itsuka said.
Nee-chan rolled her eyes. "Not all twins are completely identical."
"Is that so. Well, too bad, because I want to see the male version of Yukie."
It seemed Itsuka's expectations were based too much on the media. Usually twin characters that appear in manga or movies always look the same. Not only their faces but their hairstyles and clothing styles are usually the same, with the biggest difference being the color. They are also always seen together all the time. The reality is not always like that. Just because we were born on the same day doesn't mean everything will be the same. We are not so different from ordinary siblings in general.
"Yukiharu, have you joined a club?" asked Shiraishi.
"No, I haven't."
"Why? Still can't decide?"
"No, he's just too lazy." Nee-chan chimed in. Of course she wouldn't miss the opportunity to throw a jab at me.
"Nee-chan..."
"What? Was I wrong?"
"Lazy is not the right word, I'm just not interested in all the clubs that exist."
"That's lazy in my book."
"Well it's your decision," said Shiraishi. "But I was hoping you would try joining a club. Our high school life only happened once, so I think we should enjoy it to the fullest."
Oh, God. Don't tell me this will turn into a lecture session. If that's true then this will be the last time I eat with them. After all I already enjoyed my high school life, but in my own way.
"I'm from the archery club," Itsuka said. "We are currently short of male members, if you are interested you may stop by."
"I'll consider it, but I'm not sure if I fit in there. I always felt I didn't have the ability or talent to join any club."
"Again with the excuses, I told you this kid is lazy." once again Nee-chan chimed in.
"Shut up."
"You don't really need talent or ability to join a club," Kaname explained. "Just look at, Itsuka. She joined the archery club despite her child-like feature."
"Hah!? What do you mean?" Itsuka immediately took offense.
"Exactly what I said. I mean you still join them even though they had to give you a child-sized bow and arrow."
"You want me to use you as my practice target?"
"Can you even hit ther taget with that bow?"
Itsuka hit the table. Our drinks almost spilled because of it. "Just because my bow is small doesn't mean my shots aren't accurate! I've been practicing since middle school."
"Now...now," Haruno tried to intervene. "No need to mind her words."
"Yes. You too Mayu-chan. Stop teasing people like that." Shiraishi scolded her but Kaname only responded to her scolding with a mischievous smile.
Itsuka was still grumbling but Okada and Haruno tried to calm her down. Luckily their argument was quickly forgotten as our food came. Mine and Nee-chan's food came a few minutes later because we arrived later. Itsuka, who had been frowning, now had sparkling eyes when she saw the pasta she received. Unlike Nee-chan who used to take a few pictures before eating, Itsuka devoured her food right away.
During their meal, Nee-chan and the other girls started discussing the drama they watched last night. I thought I would just eat in silence after this, but apparently Shiraishi still wanted to talk to me. She leaned closer to me and spoke in a slightly lower voice.
"Despite all her unnecessary babbling to Itsuka, what Mayu said is true. You don't need any special talent to join a club. Besides you don't need to make that kind of excuse. I know that you're quite talented."
"Me? Talented? What makes you think that way?"
"Your sister once said that you're quite athletic. You are also the only student who managed to uncover the truth of the S-system."
Apparently Nee-chan told her classmates. No, of course they would be told. As a member of class B she will definitely help her classmates. As an 'outsider' I don't have the same obligations so maybe I'll be a little humble.
"Truth, huh. All of that is just speculation. It's too early to call it the truth."
"But that is in accordance with the facts. I'm sure you're right."
"You put too much faith in my theory."
"If you really still in doubt with your theory, then why share it to your sister?"
"She was with me while I was inspecting the freebies at the convenience store. She's my closest people after all, so it's fine for me to tell her even if it's wrong."
"Hm, good point, but it looks like you also spread your idea to your classmates."
How could she know? No, that's a stupid question. Satonaka is an outgoing person and has many friends. Just like how I have been friends with Teiichi, it's not surprising that she also had some friends in other classes. I also never told her to keep our conversation a secret from other class students. Even though I'm more or less understand what was happening, but it wouldn't hurt to try and confirm it.
"How do you know that?"
"Don't underestimate the girls' information network," she smiled proudly. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but what's clear is that there's no use playing dumb in front of this girl. I saw the other girls were still busy with their own conversations but it was different with Hayashi. Even though she's been quiet since earlier, I'm sure she's listening to our conversation carefully.
"Even if your theory is wrong," she added. "It can't be denied that your way of thinking is quite interesting. I think we should chat more often."
Chatting with her? Does she really just want to be friends with me? Or she just want to dig up information? The latter is the most likely. Shiraishi Saki has established myself as a person worth to pay attention to and is trying to get close to me. Due to her high OAA score, I was expecting a lot from her, and so far I'm not disappointed.
"Aww! Look at that. Don't you two look pretty cozy with each other? Saki-chan, you move quickly." Kaname started teasing us.
"What do you mean, Mayu-chan. We were just talking."
"Yeah, talk." Kaname smiled mischievously at us. I saw Nee-chan also smirking at me. Now I'm starting to think that Nee-chan really wants to set me up with one of her friends.
"By the way," Itsuka interrupted. "What about our plans tomorrow?"
"Cinemas are currently having weekend discounts for a certain movies." Haruno explained. "What do you think?"
"How many?" Nee-chan asked.
"Wait a minute," Haruno looked at her cellphone. "50 percent for purchases of more than three tickets."
"Really? That means we have to go!" the other girls also seemed to agree.
Kaname looked at me. "Tomorrow you have plans? If not, then come with us."
Before I could answer, Nee-chan had already opened her mouth. "Don't worry, tomorrow he will come"
"Hey, don't decide it on your own."
"What is wrong with it? You like movies, right? Also after watching we'll probably do a little shopping, so we need a strong man to carry our bags."
Of course I'm gonna end up as a baggage carrier. I wanted to refuse but Nee-chan glared at me. No matter what I say, Nee-chan will probably still drag me to the movies. In the end I could only surrender and accept their invitation.
Despite my irritation, at least I learned something from the encounter. Shiraishi is definitely the most intelligent and influential person, not only among her clique but probably in their class as well. Kaname was a teasing master and Itsuka has a short fuse. I didn't see anything special about Okada and Haruno but Hayashi made me curious enough. She didn't say much, but she was intently listening to my conversation with Shiraishi and they also seemed quite close. The point is, I probably wouldn't mind spending time with them.
***
We finally meet some characters from class B. Since his sister is in that class, Yukiharu might grow a little closer to them. The image that I used to represent Shiraishi dan Hayashi, were a fanart of Akamatsu Kaede and Harukawa Maki from Danganronpa V3 (probably).
Now we get know a little bit of class B leader. What's your first impression of her? Let me know If you had something to say.
Also for Kaname Mayu. I know her characters sound pretty similar to Amikura Mako. I just love a teasing-type side character so I can't help but put her in my fanfic. I think that's it. I hope you enjoy this chapter.