"Wow! Hi there, classmate! You really stand out."
A lively voice full of amazement rang out right beside him.
Ryosuke's tightly wound nerves loosened a little. He let out a breath, unclenched his sweaty hands, and turned his head.
A face was right there—way too close.
!!!!
Even though he'd braced himself, seeing a face that close still made Ryosuke jump. He hurriedly stumbled back a few steps, his curly hair practically puffing up from the shock.
Is this how people greet each other now? Getting this close to say hello? Ah… was I just rude? Is he a senior? Am I acting super weird…
His mind was instantly flooded with frantic inner monologue.
(Hanyu has a lot of inner monologue.)
Tsutomu Goshiki, who had also just enrolled, looked at the boy in front of him with curiosity, silently marveling.
"He really does stand out… though he kind of looks a bit absent-minded…"He's been wandering around here in circles for ages.
Ryosuke finally snapped back to his senses and stammered,
"Y-you—hello, I'm Ryosuke Hanyu, a freshman who just enrolled today… P-please take care of me!"
Ahhh, I stuttered again! That's so embarrassing, waaah.
In one swift motion, Ryosuke bent into a full ninety-degree bow.
Tsutomu Goshiki was startled by the reaction too and laughed awkwardly.
"Ah… haha. I'm Tsutomu Goshiki. Um, actually, I'm a freshman too."
"Huh?" Ryosuke froze, staring at the person in front of him. That bowl cut—yes, definitely a bowl cut.
"Oh… you're not a senior."
His ears instantly turned red.
Goshiki watched the suddenly silent classmate with interest.
His ears are red… that's kind of unexpected.
Wait—hold on. Something feels off.
…?
Did I scare him?
Being the kind-hearted guy he was, Goshiki spoke up generously.
"Ah, sorry about that. Did I scare you?"
"Eh? Y-yes… you did."
The two exchanged painfully awkward pleasantries.
Inside, Ryosuke was screaming.
Why are we standing here making small talk?! This is way too awkward… We just met for the first time!
It was too awkward. So Ryosuke activated a skill he'd mastered long ago: Silence Is Golden.
Goshiki, meanwhile, had no idea why the new classmate had stopped talking.
Is he challenging me to see who can stay quiet longer?
…Alright. You asked for it.
Goshiki also went silent.
The two stood facing each other without a word, looking like they might start fighting at any second.
Students passing by slowed down, curiously watching to see if things would escalate.
And so, an extremely strange scene appeared outside the classroom corridor—
Two boys staring each other down in silence. One tense and on edge, the other completely mute. Meanwhile, the rest of the students gathered around to watch, ready to enjoy the spectacle.
So weird…
Ryosuke thought quietly to himself, Maybe I should speak first…
He opened his mouth, about to say something.
Goshiki's eyes lit up.
He's going to talk! He opened his mouth! Hahaha, he lost.
Suppressing his competitive instincts, the surprisingly considerate Goshiki asked,
"Which class are you in?"
"Huh? Oh—um, I'm in First-Year Class Three."
Goshiki blinked.
"Huh? Me too. I'll take you there."
"Okay, thank you, sen— thank you, classmate."
He was definitely about to call me senpai, wasn't he?!
Goshiki strode ahead confidently, leading the way. Ryosuke followed behind his newly acquainted classmate.
The students who had been ready to keep watching quickly looked away.
Phew… even now, I still get nervous when people stare at me.
But Goshiki is actually really easy to get along with. I'm super grateful he helped me find the classroom. Yeah, he's a genuinely kind classmate.
Goshiki had absolutely no idea he'd just received a mental good person badge from Ryosuke's inner cat.
After stopping and starting along the way, the two finally found their classroom. It was a little awkward at first, but overall… not bad.
As soon as they entered, Ryosuke was met with yet another wave of stares.
He immediately tensed up again.
Noticing this, Goshiki quietly stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Ryosuke without a word.
…So being too good-looking really is troublesome, huh.
Ryosuke looked gratefully at Tsutomu Goshiki's back and sighed inwardly once more.
Goshiki really is such a nice person.
Despite being over 180 centimeters tall, Ryosuke shrank back and hid behind Goshiki in the aisle seat.
Naturally, the two ended up as seatmates.
It was only then that Tsutomu Goshiki finally realized—
Ryosuke Hanyu was incredibly timid.