The song ended, the melody faded.
Satoru hopped off the windowsill, handing the guitar back to Anji. "If you're serious about music, practice hard. Don't half-ass it."
Anji blinked, dazed. "Uh… yeah, but Kobayashi, what was that song? Never heard it. Did you… write it?"
Satoru sighed. "…I have a friend…"
"That friend's you, isn't it?!" Anji pressed.
"Nope," Satoru said firmly.
The classmates didn't buy it:
"Damn, he's got skills!"
"Kobayashi wrote a song?"
"No wonder Miyajima-senpai and Yotsume are chasing him. Treasure boy! I'm smitten… gotta get close first…"
"You're nuts! You're a guy!"
Satoru's song, a mix of Mandarin and shaky Cantonese, was cryptic to these Japanese kids. They couldn't grasp the lyrics, but music's magic lies in its emotion, even without words. Satoru's tune dripped with bitter longing, like someone burned a thousand times yet clinging to first love. You don't sing like that without a dozen heartbreaks.
Didn't expect Kobayashi to have such a twisted past.
Satoru ignored their mixed gazes, casually pulling out Llama Princess to read.
His feigned nonchalance… Kobayashi's kinda amazing, they thought.
Clap.
Clap clap.
Clap clap clap.
"?"
Satoru looked up, baffled. Why're you all clapping?
"Great song, Kobayashi!"
"Awesome tune!"
"Stay strong!"
Classmates cheered, some with approving nods, others with thumbs-ups. The girl who'd spoken up for him earlier fidgeted, thinking, I'm no Miyajima-senpai or Yotsume, but I need Kobayashi to know my feelings.
She slipped off her hair tie and shyly offered it to Satoru. "P-Please keep going…"
"…Thanks?" Satoru accepted, confused. Is the whole class possessed?
Outside, Arisa stared at Satoru, silent until the applause, then joined in. "So good…"
Rena shot her a death glare.
Arisa swallowed her praise but stole glances at Satoru. She'd thought him a sleazy creep, but now—sharp jawline, refined profile, a languidly handsome boy. Underestimated him.
Though… Arisa mused, she had Tsubasa, but purely on looks, Satoru outshone him in height, face, features…
"What's he even singing?" Rena scoffed, nose wrinkling.
"Sounds… Chinese," Arisa ventured, catching faint hints.
"He knows Chinese?"
"Maybe…" Arisa said.
"Don't be ridiculous." Rena glanced at Satoru, now accepting the hair tie, her proud eyes narrowing. Just some random girl's attention, and he's grinning like an idiot? "Let's go," she said coldly.
"Okay…" Arisa followed, glancing back at Satoru. Rena's gaze chilled, but her lips curled into a haughty smirk.
She hated to admit it, but his soulful, heart-wrenching song moved her. A tale of unrequited love—who was he pining for? Hah, pathetic. He'd acted so aloof before, claiming he was "over" her. Lies. His voice betrayed his heartbreak. And that hair-tie girl? Don't get cocky. I'm the one who made him a whimpering puppy—I did this!
He's still hung up on me!
No one caught Rena's inner smugness. Class F settled down, and Anji packed his guitar.
"Oh, we got PE today," Anji said, plopping into the seat in front of Satoru.
"Oh." Satoru's eyes stayed on his book.
"Mikage-sensei's still sick…"
"So math again?" Satoru asked. Perfect. PE teachers, supposedly the fittest, were always sick, while balding math teachers were annoyingly spry.
"Nope," Anji said. "Scouts report a substitute PE teacher. Hope it's a hot one."
"We got any hot PE teachers besides Mikage-sensei?" Satoru asked.
Anji thought, then poked Matsubara Ayumu's shoulder ahead, turning back. "Scouts say nope."
"Then why're you hyped?"
"Damn you, killing my dreams!"
…
Satoru didn't care much about PE versus math—he just hated math. No hopes for a hot teacher, either. He changed into his sports uniform, feeling isekai-ready, and joined the class on the field.
Spring sunlight glowed, leaves rustled in the breeze—a perfect morning.
Until he saw the substitute PE teacher: a gorilla of a man.
Higashi strode forward, grinning maliciously, like a villain whose plan clicked. He barely lined the class up before launching his revenge, yellow teeth gleaming, saliva clinging.
"Anji Seiji! Step out!" he bellowed. "Run ten laps around the field!"
Anji stepped forward: ?
Higashi: ?
Who're you?
…
…