Artem Academy. That's the name of the school I'd decided to transfer to. A school known for its love of music, cooking, and art... Although I suppose it values other talents as well, what with its slogan being "A Place of Infinite Possibilities". For some reason, I've loved music ever since I was little, so this academy is kind of fitting for me...
... But that's not really the reason why I decided to transfer here, though.
Honestly, it was simply my most convenient choice. The entrance exam was easy, and for a private academy, both its tuition and dorm fees are pretty cheap. It's also easy enough to find a decent job around here, which is good since all I really have get around with is my moped.
I was doing fine with my education before I came here, and I got along fairly well with the people who raised me, but I wanted a change of pace. I wanted to go out on my own, and maybe find out what I really want to do with my life. I don't have any particularly high hopes for this place to be honest, and I'm not sure if my life will change all that much by coming here, but... I thought I could at least give it a shot.
Maybe this time, my life will take a positive turn for once...
--
Ail
So I'm finally here, huh?
Ail
At Artem Academy...
It was only the night before that I had arrived at the school grounds. I only came here yesterday to unpack my things and settle myself in to my new dorm room, so I'd never actually been in the school building itself before now. Even though I had just seen it the day prior, it was surprising to see how large it was, especially when compared to the neighboring dorm buildings.
Ail
This school's so big that it's got two dorm buildings... So I guess it isn't all that surprising that there are so many people entering the school at the same time as me...
Despite the large amount of people entering the building at once, most of them walked forward without paying much attention to the others around them, save for a few of them who were chatting with each other. As I realized that most, if not all, of them had made this walk to school routine by now, their behavior didn't surprise me. Of course, since I had just transferred here today, I decided to be a bit more cautious.
Ail
With all that's going on around me, I'd better be careful. I don't want to crash into anyone...
Just as I had thought that, something white came out of nowhere and blocked my vision.
Ail
... Or have this piece of paper come flying at me...
??? "U-u-uh, I-I'm really sorry, sir!"
Once I had removed the paper off of my face, I saw a boy in front of me, with a nervous and worrisome expression on his face. I assumed he was the one who was previously in possession of the face-latcher that was currently being squeezed by my right hand.
Ail
"..."
???
"U-um, I-I'm so sorry..."
I figured he was around my age and was a student here as well, although he was pretty short and effeminate-looking. I'm not sure if it's because of what just happened or not, but he also looked very uneasy and timid. Even though it was fairly warm outside, he was wearing a sweatshirt for some reason.
Ail
"Do you normally toss random pieces of paper at people you don't know?"
Sweatshirt Boy
"N-no, the wind did that, h-honest! A-also that's m-..."
Ail
"What's this anyways? A map?"
I opened it up, and noticed that it was, indeed, a map. There was some writing on it, which I assumed didn't come with the map, although it was written very nicely.
Sweatshirt Boy
"U-um, yes. Y-you see sir, I-I jus-..."
Ail
"It's Ail, not 'sir'. I'm not an old man."
Sweatshirt Boy
"O-oh, right. I-I'm sorry..."
Ail
"Whatever. Anyway, what were you saying?"
Sweatshirt Boy
"U-um, I need that map. I just transferred here today, so I haven't remembered where all of my classes are yet..."
Ail
"Transferred?"
Sweatshirt Boy
"Y-yes, that's right... I-I know transferring at this time of year is pretty weird..."
Ail
"... You too, huh?"
Sweatshirt Boy
"H-huh? 'Me too'...?"
Ail
"The thing is, I'm also transferring to this school today..."
Sweatshirt Boy
"W-what!? Y-you're also transferring to this school today?!"
Ail
"Yeah, that's what I just said..."
Ail
I can't blame him for being surprised, though; it is pretty weird that we both transferred here at the same time. I know a lot of people go to this school, but is it popular enough for this to be a normal occurrence?
Ail
"... It seems that we have the same homeroom class, too; room 208, which I guess makes sense. They're probably going to have us go through some of their previous lessons, so it'd be a lot more sensible to just have one class do it instead of two."
Sweatshirt Boy
"Y-yeah, I suppose you're ri-..."
Sweatshirt Boy
"W-wait, how did you know what class I'm in!?"
Ail
"Your map? There's a big red circle drawn around room 208, with 'DON'T FORGET!' written next to it..."
Sweatshirt Boy
"O-oh yeah... N-now that you mention it, I did write that..."
Obviously embarrassed by what had just happened, he hung his head in shame. I didn't know how to respond to him at that point, so I decided to just hand him back his map, which he accepted without looking up at me.
Ail
Is this guy going to be okay? I'm kinda worried about how he's gonna do here all by himself...
After giving the map back to the odd, sweatshirt-clad boy, I looked around and noticed that the amount of people entering the academy was starting to decrease.
Ail
"Speaking of room 208, it's about time I headed over there. It'd be kind of embarrassing to be late on my first day."
Sweatshirt Boy
"U-uh, right. I'm coming, too!"
Ail
"Do whatever you want. I'm not gonna wait for you."
Sweatshirt Boy
"O-okay..."
At that point, I had finally decided to join the (smaller) mob of people entering the school building. I noticed that the boy had decided to follow me for some reason, so I figured it wouldn't hurt if I continued to talk with him.
Ail
"Since our class is in the 200's, it should be on the second floor, right?"
Sweatshirt Boy
"U-um, yes. That sounds about right..."
Ail
"That means we'll have to climb up the stairs every single day for homeroom?! That's gonna be a pain..."
I couldn't help letting out a groan as we started climbing the stupid stairs.
--
Sweatshirt Boy and I eventually made it to class 208; on time, thankfully. When I opened the door and entered, I noticed that, to my unsurprise, that almost every seat was already occupied by another student. None of them seemed particularly shocked to see us newbies, but a few seemed at least mildly curious, looking over at us for a few seconds before focusing their attention back to whatever they were doing before we arrived.
Ail
"Darn, looks like the best seats have been taken already..."
Sweatshirt Boy
"Huh?"
The only seats left were all in the front row... in the middle of the room no less. Even though I wasn't happy about it, I sucked it up and sat at one of them.
Ail
"I'd rather sit somewhere that doesn't draw so much attention to myself, but oh well..."
Ail
I would've at least liked a window seat, but whatever...
Sweatshirt Boy
"..."
Not seemingly very happy about it either, Sweatshirt Boy slowly took a seat at one of the desks next to mine.
Ail
Great, here I am; a new, transfer student, sitting in the front row. Is there anything else I could possibly do to bring more attention to myself?! What a pain...
Ail
They're probably going to make me introduce myself in front of everyone too, like at my old school. That's definitely not going to make things any better...
Despite my complaining though, no one seemed to be paying any attention to the two of us at all anymore. It was pretty muggy today, especially in this cramped classroom. The type that drains all of your energy, before the day even truly starts. They probably just didn't have the energy to care, honestly. You'd think by the end of September it'd start to cool down, but apparently this part of the region's weather is just weird like that.
Most of the students that weren't busy talking to their friends were either slumped over on their desks, practically melting in a pool of their own sweat, or were attempting to fan themselves with their hands or sheets of paper. With that sweatshirt of his, Sweatshirt Boy obviously wasn't taking it very well either, even though he'd just entered the room. It made me wonder why he didn't just take the stupid thing off.
Before I could question it any further though, a woman entered the room.
Ail
Ah, it's the teacher. It's about time...
But it wasn't just her though; two more of them walked in after her.
Sweatshirt Boy
"W-whuh?! That's...!"
Ail
"Wait, does this class have three teachers...?"
The two of us weren't the only ones who thought it was weird. The other students, in their confusion, began talking amongst themselves so loudly that they started to become completely inaudible... and yet they continued to chat amongst themselves anyways. However, this made me realize that three of them appearing at once like this was not the norm.
Female Teacher
"Silence, all of you!"
After she'd yelled at them, all of the others settled down immediately. I assumed this wasn't the first time she'd had to do this, either.
Fancy Teacher
"If you all aren't already aware, two new faces have joined this class today. You see, they both have made the decision to transfer to our fine academy! As a transfer student has already joined this class previously, we thought by putting them in this class it would be easier for them to adjust to this new environment, and for the rest of you to adjust to your new classmates."
Colorful Teacher
"And that's why I, Ms. Pensil, and he, Mr. Musico, have decided to pay a visit to your class today! For those of you that don't know, Mr. Musico is a music teacher, and I'm an art teacher. We'll have one of them each as part of our own class from today onward, and we can't wait to see what talents and potential they possess!"
Ms. Pensil
"To my new student, hello and welcome~!"
Ail
I've got no interest in art, so she must be Sweatshirt Boy's teacher. Given his neat handwriting, I guess it's not all that surprising that he picked that class...
Mr. Musico
"I offer my greetings to my new student as well. I look forward to seeing you again in my class later today."
Ail
... Which means that he's going to be my music teacher. Not what I expected, but oh well...
Ms. Reachet
"I'm sure everyone is wondering who these new students are. So, could the two of you in question stand up and introduce yourselves?"
Ail
Yep, I knew it. Here we go...
Even though I saw this coming, I couldn't help groaning to myself. Sweatshirt Boy didn't too happy about it either, as he looked even more nervous than usual.
Ms. Reachet
"You. Introduce yourself first."
Ms. Reachet said, as she sat down at her desk and pointed her finger in my direction.
Ail
Ugggh. Of course I got picked first...
I groaned even louder and slowly got up, heading towards the front of her desk. I could Sweatshirt Boy breathe a sigh of relief, one that I was very envious of. Once I had made it to the desk I turned around and faced the rest of my peers. I then said aloud my "well-thought-out" intro.
Ail
"I'm Ail. I'm 16 years old, and I recently moved here from southern Neturus. Nice to meet you all or whatever..."
Deciding that would satisfy the class, I decided to make my way back to my desk...
Ms. Reachet
"Wait a minute. Is that really all you're going to say?!"
Ail
"Why, wasn't that enough? What else do you need to know, my blood type?"
Mr. Musico
"It would be nice if you told us about your hobbies or interests. Things of that nature."
Ail
"Interests? Well, I like music, I guess..."
Mr. Musico
"..."
Ms. Pensil
"..."
Ms. Reachet
"..."
Ail
"... Um, that's it."
Ms. Reachet
"You call that an introduction?!"
Ail
"Yes, I do. Can I go back to my seat now?"
Ms. Reachet sighed, apparently deciding to give up.
Ms. Reachet
"... Very well, then. Return to your desk."
I said nothing in response, returning to my seat like I had originally planned to.
Ms. Reachet
"Alright, then. You, the other transfer student sitting next to Ail. It's your turn, now."
Sweatshirt Boy
"E-eep...!"
Now that she was done tormenting me, Ms. Reachet turned her attention to Sweatshirt Boy next. He stood up slowly, looking downward as he walked towards the teacher's desk. It was pretty obvious that he was looking forward to doing it even less than I was.
Ms. Reachet
"Introduce yourself, please."
Sweatshirt Boy
"U-um, okay..."
He looked up, silently looking at us with a concerned expression on his face.
Ms. Reachet
"... Well?"
Sweatshirt Boy
"..."
It seemed he was too nervous to even speak at all at that point, and Ms. Reachet's remarks and glares towards him definitely weren't helping. Noticing this, Ms. Pensil gently placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
Ms. Pensil
"What's the matter, sweetie? Are you alright?"
Sweatshirt Boy
"M-Ms. Pensil..."
Ms. Pensil
"There's no need to be so nervous. All you need to do is talk to them from the heart, and the words will flow out naturally. Imagine you're creating a work of art for them, with words instead of paint."
Sweatshirt Boy
"I-I'm sorry, but I don't really understand what that means..."
Ms. Pensil
"In other words, just be honest with them, sweetie!"
Ail
Huh... Even though she has weird hair, Ms. Pensil seems pretty nice. That's good, I guess...
Sweatshirt Boy
"..."
He took a deep breath, and then finally began to speak.
Sweatshirt Boy
"U-um, h-hello. M-my name is Tear... I-I'm a 15 year old boy that's just m-moved here to Neturus. N-nice to meet all of you..."
Ail
His name's Tear? Weird name for a boy... And he just moved to this region? So he's a foreigner, huh?
Ail
... Hey, wait a minute...
Ms. Reachet
"... And?"
Unsurprisingly, Ms. Reachet seemed as dissatisfied with his intro as she did with mine.
Tear
"O-oh... A-and I, u-um, like to paint..."
He turned his head to at Ms. Pensil, probably hoping she'd give him the okay to finish and return to his seat.
Ms. Pensil
"... I see! Thank you for coming up here to introduce yourself, Tear. You can sit down now."
Fortunately for him his wish was granted, and he returned to his seat without any more comments from Ms. Reachet. Although it seemed like she still wasn't happy with his introduction; but since Ms. Pensil said it was okay, she didn't object to it.
... However, there was still something about it that bugged me...
Ail
"You..."
Tear
"H-huh?!"
Ail
"You totally copied my intro, didn't you?!"
Tear
"... S-sorry..."
Tear didn't deny my accusation, and instead lowered his head in apology. The other students then began to take notice of us again, annoyingly conversing with each other about the two of us.
Classmates
"Uh oh, he's dead meat..." "That scary new guy's already starting to pick on the shy new guy!" "He's totally a goner!"
Tear
"...!"
I turned my attention to them and glared at the nosy students. Thankfully it was enough to get them to shut up.
Tear
"..."
Ail
Hey, don't look relieved; you're not out of the woods yet!
After I was done with the other students, I turned my attention back at Tear...
Tear
"H-huh...?"
Ail
"... Hmph..."
I decided to let it go, focusing myself back to the front of the room.
Ail
... Never mind. It's not worth it...
Ms. Reachet
"... Well, that's it for the introductions, I suppose. I had hoped they had been more... proper, but I hope you all are able to accommodate yourselves to the new additions to our class."
Ail
Whatever. I'm just glad that's over and done with...
??? "If you need someone to show our new classmates how to do a proper introduction, then just leave it to the Master Chef!"
Some dude at the back of the room randomly stood and yelled up, with an annoyingly smug grin on his face.
Ail
The heck...?!
???
"The given name of yours truly is Barry Fesch. But the title that I should be always be referred to as is, of course..."
He suddenly took out and held up a spatula for some weird reason.
Barry
"... the Master Chef!"
Other than me and Tear, no one else had much of a reaction to the boy's random shouting. It's as if this was far from the first time they had seen something like this happen in class, which worried me more than anything.
Barry
"The Master Chef's favorite passion in life is cooking, an-..."
Ms. Reachet
"I never asked you to introduce yourself, Barry. Sit down, please."
Ms. Reachet told him off in a manner that suggested this was almost an everyday occurence. I could hear a couple of the others trying to hide their laughter.
Barry
"The Master Chef is aware that you did not ask for his assistance; I merely wanted to help show our new classmates how to properly introduce oneself..."
Barry
"Not only that, but these two transferees have not had the pleasure of hearing the Master Chef's introduction, have they? The Master Chef merely felt sorry fo-..."
Ms. Reachet
"I don't care. Sit down please."
Barry
"Y-yes, ma'am..."
Immediately losing his bravado, he followed Ms. Reachet's instruction and sat back down.
Tear
"..."
Ail
"What an imbecile..."
Ms. Reachet
"Alright, now that the introductions and that unnecessary interruption are now finished, let's begin today's class. As you might have already guessed, the reason this class is listed as being double the length as normal on your weekly schedule is to help your new classmates keep up with our current lesson. Of course, we will spending all of today's class going over previous material, but I hope you all still pay attention to today's lesson as they'll be a pop quiz for the rest of you before the class ends."
As a result of this, all of the students in class (understandably) groaned.
Ms. Reachet
"Silence! You will be quiet for the rest of the class."
Classmates "Yes, ma'am..."
Ms. Pensil
"... I suppose it's time for the two of us to go, then. I look forward to seeing you in my art class after lunch, Tear!"
Mr. Musico
"I look forward to seeing you in my music class later as well, Ail."
Ms. Pensil happily waved at Tear and Mr. Musico politely bowed before leaving the classroom.
--
Our first lecture for the day was pretty long, almost lasting three hours. It kind of sucked, but I'm sure it was even worse for my classmates, who had gone over everything in today's lesson already.
Well, it's not like I really cared anyways.
On the bright side, we all got to have lunch break right after. Because I thought we got out a bit early, I figured I could take my time getting to the cafeteria, but there were actually a bunch of tables taken already. I'm sure most of those tables had some empty seats left, but I prefered not to eat with other people, especially ones I wasn't familiar with. Considering the reactions I got from my fellow students earlier, I knew they probably wouldn't be very comfortable sitting with me anyway. So I had no choice but to hunt for a completely vacant table, among the gazillions of them occupied by other people.
Ail
Eureka!
I almost shouted out loud, as soon as I found a table no one was sitting at. It practically felt like a miracle that among this sea of people, I actually found one I could have all to myself so easily. It almost seemed too good to be true...
... and that's because it was.
As soon as I took a seat, I noticed that one of the other chairs next to me had a bag placed on it. I was sure it was done so by someone else to "call dibs on" that seat while they were away buying lunch.
Ail
Ah, screw it! I finally found somewhere to sit, so I'm staying right here. If they don't want to sit with me, it's their problem; they can just move if they want!
Ultimately deciding to stay put, I took out a bottle of water and a sandwich I'd bought yesterday.
Ail
I do wonder, though... Who exactly left their bag here? It's the only one here, and since there was no one at this table when I got here, I'm guessing they must prefer to be alone... Or maybe they just haven't been able to make any friends?
Ail
"T-that's... just like..."
Ail
... N-no, I'm sure I'm just overthinking it. Who cares about who's bag it is, anyways!
As soon as I stopped thinking about it, the bag's owner returned to the table they "claimed". And that person was...
Tear
"I can't believe I did something so embarrassing in front of everyone... And I didn't even get any food in the end..."
Ail
Tear?! That was his bag!?
Ail
Actually, I guess that would explain why it was at a vacant table. Today's his first day too, so he must not have been able to make any friends yet... But seriously, what are the chances I'd pick the same table as him?!
Tear slowly walked toward the table, sitting next to the chair that his bag was on. Somehow, he didn't seem to notice me right away.
Tear
"W-well, at least I still get this table all to myself..."
Ail
"Sorry to disappoint you, but you're wrong."
Tear
"E-eeeyah!"
Tear yelped in shock, reacting to my voice and presence in an unneccessarily exaggerated manner.
Tear
"A-Ail...?!"
Ail
"Yeah, that's my name."
Tear
"W-what are you doing here?"
Ail
"Eating, obviously."
Tear
"Um, I n-noticed that. That's not really what I meant..."
Ail
"This was the only table I could find that wasn't occupied by anyone... Well, unless you count that bag as a 'someone'. But since bags don't talk, I figured I could have a nice, quiet lunch at this table."
Tear
"A-are you uncomfortable sitting with people you don't know?"
Ail
"I wouldn't say it makes me 'uncomfortable' per se, but I'm not too fond of chatting up a storm with any random group of people I meet, especially on my first school day."
Tear
"I-I see..."
Ail
"That being said..."
Ail
"I don't care if you put that bag there in order to claim it for yourself; this table's mine now, fellow newbie. So beat it, or else."
Tear
"W-wha...?! I..."
Tear
"I-I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll leave right away!"
He grabbed his bag in a hurry, got up, and tried to leave...
Ail
"Where the heck are you going?!"
... And probably would've if I didn't yell at him. He instead stayed put and looked back at me in confusion.
Tear
"U-uh... huh?"
Ail
"You do realize I was joking, right?"
Tear
"E-eh?!"
He slowly sat back down, still hugging his bag.
Tear
"U-um, yeah. O-of course I knew that... Heheh..."
Ail
"Oh, is that so?"
He didn't respond, deciding instead to put his bag back on the seat he'd placed it on earlier. Then he just sat there, avoiding my gaze.
Ail
"You're kind of weird, but you're also pretty quiet, so I don't mind if you sit here with me."
Tear
"O-okay..."
Ail
"What about you, though? Are you okay with me sitting here?"
Tear
"I-it's fine..."
Ail
"Good. Glad that's settled."
I said, although it's not like I would've actually left if he'd asked me to.
Ail
I don't think he'll talk to me unless I say something to him, so I should be able to finish my sandwich in peace...
After that, I went back to eating my lunch. While I was enjoying the silence, I was curious as to what Tear was doing, so after a while I eventually looked over at him again.
Tear
"..."
He seemed to be staring in my direction for some reason. Not at me though, but at my food.
Ail
What is he...?
Ail
"... Hey."
Tear
"H-huh?"
I decided to take another break from eating to talk to him again, which seemed to have surprised him.
Ail
"Aren't you going to eat anything...?"
Tear
"O-oh, well, I went to the lunch line to buy something, but I didn't know I needed to get a lunch ticket first... A-and I don't think I'll have time to get one and go back in line before lunch break ends..."
Ail
"You need to get a ticket just to buy lunch?! That's wicked stupid..."
Tear
"I didn't know it was like this for high schoolers..."
Ail
"Uh, I don't think you being in high school is the issue here..."
Ail
"Well, at least you know that now... And I guess I do too. Not that I really plan on ever buying cafeteria food, but it's still some nice info to have, I guess. Sure sucks for you, though."
Tear
"I-it's not a big deal. I'm not that hungry right now anyway..."
Almost immediately after he had uttered those words, his stomach made a rather loud growling noise.
Tear
"A-ah!"
He hugged his stomach and looked away from me again, obviously embarrassed by what happened.
Tear
"..."
Ail
Ah, jeez... I can't just leave him like that...
I decided to take something out of my bag, and threw it at Tear. Because I didn't warn him in advance, it ended up bouncing off of his head.
Tear
"O-ouch!?"
While rubbing his head, he picked it up and looked at it in confusion.
Tear
"A-a... pear?"
Ail
"Yep. What, you've never seen one before or something?"
Tear
"What's this for?"
Ail
"For eating, obviously. That's what you normally do with pears."
Tear
"Y-you mean... Are you giving this to me...?"
Ail
"That was the idea, yes. If I wanted to chuck something at your head that badly, I wouldn't have picked a fruit, of all things."
Tear
"I-I..."
Tear
"..."
Ail
"H-hey! What's with the waterworks?!"
Tear
"I-it's just... You sacrificed some of your food just for me..."
Ail
"It's no big deal. This sandwich should be enough to satisfy me for now, anyways."
Tear
"B-but, I..."
Ail
"But nothing. It's yours now."
Tear
"I-I..."
Tear
"T-thank you... T-thank you so much!"
For the first time ever he smiled at me, happily holding the pear close to his chest.
Ail
"W-whatever... It's no problem..."
Tear
"I'll treasure it forever...!"
Ail
"Don't! Eat it, you moron!"
He eventually did as I'd asked him, and started eating the fruit. Even though he seemed to be really hungry, he only took a rather small bite out of it.
Tear
"Sooo good~!"
Ail
"Calm down; it's just a pear..."
Tear
"W-well, it's a really yummy pear~!"
Ail
"Is it now...? Maybe I should've kept it for myself after all..."
Tear
"..."
Ail
"Don't worry, I don't plan on taking it back. Especially since you already took a bite out of it..."
Ail
"So hurry up and finish eating it; lunch break is going to end soon."
Tear
"O-oh, okay..."
He seemed upset that he couldn't savor his food, but he did his best to finish it quickly... Although even his "best" was about as fast as a small rabbit. While he was doing that, I took out the other bottle of water from my bag to drink with the rest of my sandwich.
Tear
"U-uh, wait. That water..."
Ail
"No way, this is mine. You should be happy enough that I gave that pear to you..."
Tear
"U-um, that's not what I meant..."
All of a sudden, the school bell began to ring again.
Tear
"A-ah! That's the school bell!"
Ail
"Yes, that is indeed the school bell."
Before the bell finished chiming, all of the other students got up and headed to each of their next classes. As I had just finished my lunch, I decided to do the same, grabbing my bag and getting up from my seat.
Ail
"Well, time to go."
Tear
"W-wait! I-I'm not done yet...!"
Tear decided to eat it even faster this time. It didn't seem like he was used to eating that quickly though, and as a result he almost started choking on it.
Ail
"Jeez, slow down! Don't kill yourself over that thing!"
Once he was finally done, he quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin he found on the table, and stood up.
Tear
"P-phew..."
Ail
"... You done? See ya, then..."
Tear
"W-wait!"
Ail
"What?!"
I exclaimed in annoyance, upset that he could potentially make me late to class a second time.
Tear
"U-um, uh... W-will... Will I... s-see you around...?"
Ail
"Listen, don't get the wrong idea here. Just because I gave you that pear doesn't mean we're pals now or anything."
Tear
"Y-yeah, you're right... I-I understand..."
Ail
"..."
I sighed, turning my back to him.
Ail
"... But sure. Maybe."
Tear
"A-ah!"
Before he got the chance to respond, I walked away from him, towards my next class.
Ail
What the heck am I doing?! Didn't I decide to stop trying to be so chummy with other people...?
Ail
"..."
--
After lunch, I only had two more classes left today, one of them being a "Special Lesson". I didn't really get what that was, although I assumed it had something to do with my transfer here. But I didn't really care about that at the moment, as I was too busy trying my best to not be late for my next class; that class being Music. And of course, the class was being held in the audiotorium today, which had to be at the opposite side of the school as the cafeteria...
Ail
"Of course, this kind of thing is what happens when I'm nice to someone... 'No good deed goes unpunished', indeed..."
??? "Ailey!? Heyo~! You still haven't gone to class yet?!"
Suddenly, a girl approached me while I was walking through one of the halls.
Loud Girl
"Are you planning on skipping? Naughty boy~!"
Ail
"Of course not! You... Uh..."
Ail
"Um, what was your name again...?"
Loud Girl
"Seriously?! It's Chelsea! We met each other just yesterday; how could you have already forgotten!?"
Ail
"Whatever. Could you leave me alone, please? I've got enough to worry about without you around annoying me."
Chelsea
"Oh, as irritable and rude as always! You're such an aloof bad boy; I like that~!"
Chelsea
"Anyway, if you're gonna cut class, mind if I come with?"
Ail
"I already told you I'm not cutting! I had something that preoccupied me for a bit, and my next class is all the way at the other end of the school!"
Ail
"Honestly, whose bright idea was it to have music class after lunch anyways?!"
Chelsea
"W-wait! Your next class is music, Ailey?!"
Ail
"Yeah, that's right. Why do you care?"
Chelsea
"Omigosh, omigosh~! What a super lucky coincidence, my next class is music, too!"
Chelsea
"I'm sooo glad I decided to wait until lunch break was over to go pee~!"
Ail
"Wow... Too much information..."
Chelsea
"It's your first day, so you've probably never been to the audiotorium before, right? Why don't I show you the way there?"
Ail
"No thanks, I'm good..."
Chelsea
"Awww, c'mon! We're going the same way, anyways!"
Chelsea
"It's not every day you get a guide as cute as me~!"
Ail
Aren't you modest...