Uh, I'm not a talkative guy so... yeah. Anyway, I always wanted to write a slice of life and here you go! I hope you enjoy it.
Special thanks for my beloved proofreader, marmartar Inked! i love you!
Prologue
== Wacky Introduction ==
Hiya, all! The name’s Aki, Aki Kinomori. 17 years old. Single, not really handsome and just about average in every skill. I’m what you’d call ‘unsurprisingly mainstream boy MC’.
Though I’m not that smart, I’m good at cycling and arts, especially music. I composed a pop song when I was 15 and I still have it now in my cellphone. But now I’m not into pop anymore because choral music sent me an invitation to their glorious world. I don’t know, but listening to such music calms me down and I love how beautiful their voices are. It’s like the tenors, altos, sopranos and basses’ voices are blended into one.
From choral music, then to classical music. I happened to listen to a great classical one. The melodies, the composition and the unity charm me. How could one be able to compose such great music? My fascination becomes obsession. From simple classical music—Brahms’ Wiegenlied—to an advanced level—Bach’s Fantasia—I searched and listened to them all. Warmth fills my heart whenever I listen to classical music and my love for it grows rapidly.
I’m now listening to Beethoven’s works as I ride my bike to school. This is my first day and I promised myself to make a good impression.
Senki Private High School is one of the elite schools in the city of Fukukawa. Roughly speaking, Senki has produced many successful people and my parents suggested that I take the entrance exam here. They don’t care about tuition fee, as long as I can get a better education than them. How I love my parents…
Being an elite school, it’s no surprise that private cars go in and out the building. Most of the students here are from a wealthy family and the rest are just normal people like me, but I’m glad I belong to the latter. Being a normal person means that I won’t be stared at for riding a bike to school since I’m not alone. I see a lot of them riding bikes, too. Some of them even have the bike specialized in racing. I seriously want that. The body is terribly light, unlike my bike.
After parking my bike, I straighten my uniform. Senki’s uniform consists of a white shirt, a black tie, a soft yellow sweater on top of them. Boys wear black trousers and girls black skirts. There is no rule about how long the skirt can go, but the teachers will give you a long sermon if they find your skirt too short. Besides, I haven’t seen anyone wearing a long skirt before since it’ll make them look stupid. I guess the unspoken standard length is a little below the knees.
I stop walking when I see her. I saw her in the entrance ceremony and, to be honest, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Her dark brown hair is flowing beautifully in the wind. A white bandana graced her hair, making her voluptuous appearance divine. That calm yet mysterious expression of her draws me in and makes me want to know her more. I don’t know who she is, but I know that I have fallen in love with her.
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I seriously want to talk to her, but I restrain myself. What if she thinks I’m weird? If a stranger suddenly shows up and acts all friendly, I’d surely punch them in the face. With that painful thinking, I decide to take it slowly and walk several meters behind her. There’s no rush. I have plenty of time to make her acquaintance.
Act natural, Aki! Act natural!
I go to 1-B and sit near the windows (well, since the MC always sits near them) and gaze at the sky. The class is full of strangers and I feel deeply uncomfortable. I don’t have the courage to say ‘hi’ or to introduce myself to them. They seem scary. I just wanted the earth to swallow them all and leave me alone.
Yep, you’re right. I’m an introvert.
Suddenly that girl comes into my mind. She is a freshman, too. Is she having trouble making friends? It may sound selfish, but I want us to be in the same class so that… so that I have the reason to keep coming into this unfriendly classroom. So that I have the courage to study among strangers.
To my surprise, the girl comes inside the classroom and sits in the middle of the class. Her beauty stuns the boys and I feel my cheeks red with anger and jealousy. I should’ve known that beautiful people turn ordinary people’s heads, but I can’t help it but feel jealous and helpless. The possibility of us going steady is zero, null, nada. Let alone becoming her boyfriend, the thought of me befriending her is just… impossible.
The bell rings and my classmates quickly sit down on their chairs. Several minutes later a teacher comes inside. He wears a neat white shirt, black pants and a pair of slippers. His hair is a bit messy and he carries a folder that he now puts on the table. Looks like he’s a good person.
He lifts his hand in a friendly manner, “Good morning, all! I’m your homeroom and English teacher, Makoto Suzuki. You can call me Suzuki-Sensei or whatever, but those I teach call me Mako-Sensei. Well, on a happier note, congratulations for making it out alive! We purposefully made the exam difficult. For your information, I made the English test.”
Honestly I’m shocked. So this person is the root of all evil! The English test was too difficult for someone who just graduated from junior high. I gave up past number 12 and didn’t even care about it. What was he thinking?
Opening the folder, he says, “Well, let’s get on to business. This is your first day at school and I want you to introduce yourself in front when I call your name. After that, we’ll decide the captain of the class and the treasury. I think you already know what the captain will do. The treasury will collect money each week to spend on worksheets, yearly cultural festivals and such. You all get it?”
“Yes, sir!” the class choruses.
“Good! Chiba Sato, please introduce yourself,” a thin boy stands up and then goes in front. I really don’t care about introductions because I’m not that talkative. Maybe I won’t talk to them at all. But I do care about my introduction. First impression is important, they say.
“Endou. Endou Shin.”
Uwa, that’s some scary guy standing in front. His black hair is all spiky and his bang is messy. The muscles on his body and his expression clearly say ‘don’t mess with me or I’ll kill you’. Tall and scary; typical of a bully. My mind tells me to stay away from this guy and I definitely will. How is he able to pass the exam in the first place?
The bully-looking guy writes his name on the blackboard and then bows to us, “Nice to meet you all.”
Uh, I don’t think I’m happy to meet you.
“Next! Shindou. Shindou Naomi.”
Oh, it’s her! Her name is Naomi. The crowds watches in silence as she walks in front of the class. I can’t seem to get my pounding heart to calm down. She is as beautiful as I saw her near the entrance. I can’t wait to hear her voice. Beautiful girls like her must have a lovely voice.
With a graceful movement, she writes her own name and then turns around. “My name is Naomi Shindou,” oh what a beautiful voice… and she smiles gracefully to me, no, to the class. She truly looks like a goddess. She bows her head and then speaks clearly,
“…at your service.”
I’m left agape.
WHAAAAAAT?!!
…from that day onwards, Naomi Shindou has been dubbed ‘weirdo’…