Chapter 2 - After the First Bell
Friday mornings were always a bit louder at Tensei High. It was the kind of day that hovered between the promise of the weekend and the last push of the school week.
For most students, it was a chance to relax a little—talk louder, move slower, and slip in the occasional whisper of plans for after school.
For Nanami Murakawa, however, Friday was the same as every other day—at least, it used to be.
Today, everything felt different.
She stood at her shoe locker longer than usual, her indoor shoes in hand, staring into the empty box as if it might whisper her fate. She hadn't slept well.
Her mind kept replaying yesterday—Yoshiro's words, his eyes, the walk home, and the quiet way he had said her name.
No one had ever said her name like that before. Like it meant something.
With a soft sigh, she slipped on her shoes and walked down the hallway, clutching her bag a little tighter.
Her classroom felt louder than usual, filled with idle chatter, laughter, and the thump of a basketball hitting the wall outside. She slipped in quietly, hoping to make it to her seat unnoticed.
"Morning, Murakawa-san."
Her steps froze.
Yoshiro Takahashi stood near the back row, his usual spot, surrounded by a few guys from the soccer team. He smiled at her, casual and warm, like greeting her was the most normal thing in the world.
A few heads turned.
She bowed her head quickly. "G-Good morning."
Her voice was quiet, nearly swallowed by the sounds around her, but it was enough. Yoshiro's grin widened a little, and he turned back to his friends, leaving her to rush to her seat with her cheeks burning.
She sank into her chair, pulling her book out as a shield. But her heart refused to calm. Why did he talk to her in front of everyone? Now they were all looking. She could feel the subtle glances, the quiet whispers.
"Wait, did she just talk to Takahashi?"
"I've never even heard her voice before."
"Is she in this class?"
Her stomach twisted. She hated this. She hated attention.
But then, against her own instincts, she looked up.
And there he was—Yoshiro, stealing another glance her way before turning back to a conversation about tomorrow's soccer match. Noticing her. Again.
...
The morning lessons dragged. Even classical literature, usually her favorite, couldn't hold her focus. Her pencil tapped lightly against the edge of her notebook, her eyes occasionally flickering up to the front where Yoshiro sat tall and attentive.
She tried not to think about the way his hair fell just over his forehead, or the way his shoulders shifted beneath the thin fabric of his uniform blazer.
She tried not to think about the quiet confidence in his voice or the way he looked directly at people when he talked, like every word mattered.
She failed.
At lunch, Nanami considered staying in the classroom to eat as usual, but the whispers had grown louder.
Curiosity was a dangerous thing in a high school, and now she felt like a specimen under a microscope.
She escaped to the library, her usual refuge, carrying a small bento box her mother had prepared.
She sat at her favorite corner table, between the philosophy and poetry shelves, where the sun always hit just right around midday.
She was unwrapping her chopsticks when she heard footsteps.
"Mind if I sit?"
She didn't have to look up.
"…Takahashi-kun," she murmured.
He slid into the seat across from her with a sheepish smile.
"You remembered my name."
"You said it yesterday."
"Still, that counts."
Nanami looked at her food, picking at a piece of tamagoyaki.
"I didn't think you'd find me here."
He raised an eyebrow. "You always eat here, right?"
"…You noticed that?"
Yoshiro leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on one hand. "I notice a lot more than people think."
That made her chest tighten again. She didn't know if it was flattery or just honesty, and that made it even more dangerous.
They ate in mostly silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Occasionally he asked simple questions—what book she was reading, if she drew anything new—but never pushed when she gave quiet answers. There was something gentle in the way he didn't fill the silence too quickly.
After a while, he leaned forward.
"Can I ask you something kind of... weird?"
Nanami looked up warily.
"Why do you always hide?"
She blinked. The words hit harder than she expected. Not because they were cruel, but because they were honest.
"I don't like noise," she said finally.
"People?"
"No. Just... the way they look at you. Expect things. Want things. It's easier to disappear."
Yoshiro nodded, thoughtful.
"But you don't disappear to me."
Her cheeks burned again. She couldn't handle this.
She looked down. "You shouldn't sit with me. People will talk."
"They already are."
She didn't have an answer for that.
He leaned closer, resting his arms on the table. "Let them talk. I'll still be here."
After lunch, the day passed more quickly. Maybe it was the way he smiled at her again before class, or how she caught him watching her as she flipped through her sketchbook.
Something about the space between them felt... closer. Like the invisible wall she had built around herself had started to crack.
After the final bell, Nanami was packing slowly, unsure if she should wait for him again. Would it be too forward? Did he expect it?
"Murakawa-san."
She looked up. Yoshiro was already by her desk.
"Walk home again?" he asked.
She nodded slowly. "Okay."
This time, the walk was a little less quiet. He told her a story about his childhood dog, about how he once broke a window playing soccer, and she listened with small smiles, even laughing once under her breath.
When they reached her street, they paused again.
"I'll see you Monday," he said.
She looked down at her shoes. "You don't have to walk me every day."
"I know. But I want to."
She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "Okay."
He grinned. "That's the third time you've said 'okay' to me."
She rolled her eyes softly. "Don't get used to it."
As she turned toward her house, she could feel his gaze lingering. And for the first time, she didn't mind the weight of someone watching her.
In fact... she kind of liked it.