I looked down at my notebook and kept my head down the whole time to avoid any more attention from the boys.

The boys kept on looking at me, but I tried not to let their stares get to me.

It was definitely an awkward situation, but I couldn't do anything about it right now.

I was still keeping my head down and writing notes in my notebook when I heard someone calling my name.

Oh?

I raised my head up and was surprised to see Sora calling for me.

Usually, she wouldn't talk to me unless she absolutely needed to, so I was caught off guard by her sudden change of demeanor.

Sora whispered to me, making it so that no one else in the room would be able to hear us.

"Can I talk to you real quick? It's somewhat important..."

I was slightly puzzled by her sudden request, as she had never done this to me before. She usually kept her distance and didn't bother interacting with me.

I was a little anxious about what could've possibly been so important that she would come over to me for this.

"Can we go somewhere private for a moment?" Sora replied back in a whisper as well.

I wasn't sure why she wanted to talk to me in private though, as I didn't really think our conversation would be that personal.

The class had finally ended without any incidents, and I watched as everyone started leaving their desks and getting ready to leave the classroom.

I noticed that the boys were still staring at me though, so I kept my head down and ignored them.

Sora was still standing close to our seats, and she appeared to be waiting for me to agree to her request.

After everyone had left the classroom, Sora looked at me as if waiting for an answer.

I considered her request, and I remembered that she had said it was something important.

I nodded my head in agreement, as I didn't want her to wait around any longer.

"Sure, lets go."

"Follow me."

Sora had a confident look on her face, as if she was very determined to talk to me.

She started walking, and I had no choice but to follow closely behind her.

Sora led me to the rooftop, where we would have some privacy away from everyone else.

I couldn't help but notice that it was oddly quiet up here though, and I began to question if there was any reason for our meeting to be in this place.

The rooftop was very quiet, as if we were the only two people in this world.

I could tell that Sora wanted to talk to me in private here, but it didn't seem like she knew how to bring up the topic right away.

Sora stopped in her tracks for a moment, as if she was trying to find the right words to ask. Her body language was becoming more and more nervous as we stood there in silence.

I was starting to feel a bit anxious myself, wondering what she wanted to talk to me about.

"Ok, there's something I want to ask you..." Sora finally said to me, and even her voice was quiet as if she was trying not to make too much noise.

My throat dried up as my heart began to beat faster.

Now that she had brought up the topic, I was getting more and more nervous about what she could want from me.

I was also wondering if this had anything to do with the weird encounter I had with the girl with the red hair earlier...

"Um, you might think this is a strange request, but..." Sora trailed off as she hesitated to continue speaking.

She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she couldn't seem to get the words out.

I was curious, but I didn't want to push her to say anything she wasn't comfortable with.

The longer she hesitated to speak, the more nervous I became.

It was as if she were planning to ask something big of me, and I didn't like this uncertainty.

"So..." Sora began speaking again, and then she stopped herself abruptly.

"I know I'm probably bothering you with this request, but..." Sora said again before she went silent, looking down at her feet.

She was clearly struggling to get the words out, and it was clear that she was still thinking about what she had to ask me.

I looked over at Sora, and she suddenly turned bright red as she looked back at me.

"A love confession?" I whispered to her in a surprised voice.

But Sora was the popular girl after all, so it was understandable why I came to such a conclusion.

"No, it's not..." Sora replied back in an uneasy voice.

It seemed like my assumption had been incorrect, but I couldn't help but feel a bit relieved after hearing her answer.

" It's actually that-i"

" I-"

" Would like to be your friend!"

Sora had built up so much anticipation only to ask me to be friends...???

After waiting for her to ask me something big, she only wanted to be friends...

I wanted to be upset at how anti-climactic this was, but my curiosity got the best of me.

"Friends?" I repeated back in a confused voice.

Sora gave me a warm smile as she saw my reaction.

"Yes, friends." She replied to me in a gentle voice.

I was a bit underwhelmed by her answer, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to become her friend.

"Alright, I'll be your friend." I replied in a whisper.

I asked her why she wanted to be friends with me

Sora gave me a sincere smile when I asked her this question.

"Well, it's because you don't treat me like I'm an idol." She replied.

She also seemed to be a bit relaxed around me compared to everyone else.

"Everyone seems to treat me like a celebrity... as if I'm not a normal person. I like that you don't treat me like that."

Sora's reply caught me by surprise, as I figured she would have some other reason.

But it was a nice feeling to hear from her that she didn't want to be treated like a celebrity or idol.

It was a simple reason, but I was happy for her.

"So, do you feel more comfortable around me compared to everyone else?" I asked her in a whisper.

Sora nodded her head in agreement, confirming that she felt more comfortable with me compared to everyone else.

"Yeah, it's a lot nicer being treated as a normal person instead of some idol." She replied.

"I have to be careful of my actions around everyone else, but around you... I feel like I can just be myself."

I felt a bit bad for Sora...

Being treated like an idol means that she had a lot of pressure to always be on her best behavior.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

It must've been nice to have someone who saw her for who she really was.

Well, at least that someone got to become her friend...

"That's good to know..." I replied back in a soft voice.

It was nice to hear that she felt comfortable around me, as it meant that she thought of me as a friend.

I also hadn't thought of the whole 'celebrity' aspect that she had to deal with, so it was interesting to know more about her situation.

Sora was usually reserved and formal around other people, I guess she does seem far more relaxed around me.

I had a hard time believing that Sora could be herself completely around me, as I knew just how popular she was.

But if she was being genuine, then I was happy to hear that.

"So, can we be close friends?"

Sora asked me in a whispering voice.

What

I just- h-how!?

Close friends!?

"So, can we be close friends?"

Sora asked me in a whispering voice.

As the popular girl, that request was somewhat shocking.

"Close friends?" I repeated back in a questioning voice.

"Yeah. Can we be close friends?" Sora repeated her previous statement in a soft tone.

The way she looked at me made it seem like she truly wanted to be close friends with me, which made my heart beat faster.

We barely talked! Like ever!

We hadn't really had the chance to talk much up until now, which was why the request was quite surprising.

But I was starting to wonder if Sora was planning to change that.

"I guess I wouldn't mind being close friends with you." I whispered to her, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Sora gave me a bright and sincere smile at my response.

"Really?" She whispered back.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that too." I replied in a soft voice.

Sora seemed to take my answer as a positive response.

"Well, that's great to hear." She replied with a smile.

"Is it okay if we exchange numbers so we can talk?" Sora asked me in a whispering voice.

Sora's next request caught me by surprise, as it was rather sudden.

"You want to exchange phone numbers with me?" I asked her back in a soft voice.

She was already asking me for my phone number after just becoming friends?

"Yes, I think it would be a good idea for us to be in contact after we go home."

Sora explained herself in a soft voice and gave me a bright smile.

I couldn't help but think that she was being a bit too optimistic about our friendship, but I couldn't deny that exchanging phone numbers could be useful.

Sora's sudden request was pretty forward, but I couldn't deny that having one another's numbers would make it easier to keep in touch.

"Sure, we can exchange phone numbers." I whispered back to her, hoping that my voice didn't sound too nervous.

Sora's face instantly lit up after hearing my acceptance.

As a popular girl, probably most people would be too intimidated to say yes to her request, so she appeared to be quite shocked at my response.

"Alright! I'll go add you right now!" Sora excitedly replied as she started taking out her phone.

Sora started adding me as a contact on her phone, as she was really excited about becoming close friends with me.

It felt slightly overwhelming how much she seemed to want to be friends with me, but I was still happy about the outcome.

"Okay I'm done! Can you text me right now so I can make sure I have the right number?" She whispering, her voice laced with excitement.

As soon as she had added me as a contact, Sora was eager to ensure that she had the correct number.

It was pretty cute to see her being so excited about this whole thing, but I couldn't deny that I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Sure." I whispered back, as I took out my phone and sent her a text message.

After I sent her a text message, Sora quickly checked her phone to see if it came through.

She was clearly looking for a confirmation text from me, and when she saw that it was there, her face was filled with joy.

"Great! Can I save your name with a nickname?" She whispered excitedly, waiting for my response.

Sora's request caught me by surprise, as I wasn't sure if she really needed a nickname for me.

But she did ask for my permission, so I decided to let her do it.

"Yeah, I mean, you can use a nickname if you'd like. What did you have in mind?" I whispered back, feeling slightly interested in how she would address me.

This time, it seemed as if Sora was thinking deeply about what kind of nickname to give me.

I could see her taking a closer look at my face, as if she was scanning me for any personality traits that stood out to her.

I was curious about what she would come up with, but I didn't want to make things awkward so I stayed quiet until she came up with something.

Sora's nickname for me ended up being "Yamato-kun".

It made me feel a bit shy when she said it, since it was the first time anyone had ever called me by my first name in school.

Once she had decided on the nickname, and we had finished exchanging phone numbers, Sora looked like there was still something that she wanted to say to me.

I got the feeling that she had something else in mind, but I didn't know what it was.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked her in a whisper, wanting to know what else she was planning to bring up.

Sora's next sudden request caught me off guard.

"Do you mind having lunch together with me until the bell rings?" She asked me in a soft voice.

The request itself was slightly odd since we had just become friends, but I didn't mind eating lunch together with her.

"Sure, that's fine by me." I responded in a whisper.

It was clear that Sora really wanted my company during lunch, which was a bit surprising considering our lack of interaction thus far.

But I decided to roll with it as she didn't seem to have any malicious intentions and was just being somewhat clingy.

Sora and I ate lunch on the rooftop, as she didn't seem to want to eat lunch in the cafeteria.

I figured she had some kind of reason for this decision, but it also made me wonder why she had chosen the rooftop specifically.

Our conversation was pretty light-hearted as we mostly talked about random things. It was a nice and peaceful atmosphere, and we talked pretty casually since we had become friends.

It was easy to forget that Sora was a popular girl with how she acted around me.

I was pretty comfortable with Sora by this point. We were starting to become close friends, and I felt like I could trust her.

"Can I ask you something a bit random?" I whispered to her, feeling curious about her thoughts on something.

"Go ahead." Sora replied back in a soft voice, ready to hear whatever I had to say.

We continued eating as she waited for me to ask my question.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I suddenly asked her out of curiosity, as her response to this question could give me some insight onto how she views relationships.

Sora's face instantly flushed, but she kept her cool and quickly replied back with a straight face.

"No, I don't have a boyfriend." She answered back in a soft voice.

From her reaction alone, it was clear that she had been asked this question by people before. But the fact that she gave me an honest response made me respect her more.

"You're popular, so you must get quite a few people asking you out." I mentioned to her.

Sora nodded her head in agreement, as she knew that this was a fact.

"That's... actually true. Not everyone has been respectful or understanding though." She replied in a soft voice, looking slightly agitated.

"Do you mean... some guys have tried to hit on you?" I asked her, wondering what she meant by people being disrespectful to her.

"Yeah, it's not uncommon for people to confess their feelings for me." Sora replied in a whisper, sounding a bit sad.

"The problem isn't that people tell me their feelings, it's just that some of them have been extremely aggressive about it. They don't respect me, and they expect me to say yes to them."

Sora's reply was pretty shocking, as I hadn't expected that she had had such experiences with guys confessing to her.

It made me feel pretty bad for her, as it seemed like people were putting her in uncomfortable situations despite knowing how popular she was.

"So even knowing how popular you are... they still try to be pushy about it?" I asked her, feeling slightly irritated by this fact.

Sora nodded her head in agreement, confirming that this was indeed the case.

"Even though they know that I'm popular, many guys seem to have this misconception that I'll say yes to them if they're persistent." She replied in a whisper.

"But they're completely misunderstanding everything. I don't want to be with someone who is so pushy and doesn't respect boundaries."

"Those guys sound awful..." I muttered, feeling pretty annoyed on Sora's behalf.

It sounded like she had had some pretty shitty experiences with guys in the past, and I felt really sorry for her.

"Have you ever dated anyone before?" I asked her, somewhat curious about her past relationships.

Sora seemed to hesitate before she began talking, as if she wasn't sure whether she wanted to disclose this information with me or not.

After a few seconds of silence, she finally responded with a gentle tone of voice.

"Um... no, I haven't." She whispered, making her response clear and short.

So Sora hadn't ever been in any formal romantic relationships before.

That was pretty surprising, as I figured she would've had at least one by now.

"That's... surprising. I would've thought someone as popular as you would've had a boyfriend by now." I mentioned to her, still feeling somewhat curious.

Sora's face turned slightly red, indicating that she took offense to my comment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked with a bit of a sharp tone.

"You're making it sound like it's a given that I *should* have a boyfriend. It isn't that easy, you know." She replied back in a slightly irritated voice.

"W-well, that's not what I meant." I whispered back to her, feeling a bit embarrassed.

It was clear from Sora's response that I had struck a nerv, as she was probably used to people making similar comments about her not having a boyfriend.

"I just meant that you're very popular, so I figured it would be easy for you to find someone." I tried to explain myself as I looked away from her.

"Well, it isn't for me. Not everyone likes seeing me for who I am..." Sora whispered to me, looking somewhat upset still.

It was clear that my statement had bothered her, but I still couldn't quite understand what she meant.

"Are you saying... people only like you because you're famous?"

"Well, yeah, a lot of people like me because I'm famous." Sora responded to my question in a soft voice.

She seemed a bit upset, but she wasn't being angry at me. Her irritation was directed at some people that she knew.

"Some people will say... really nice things to me because they know I'm the idol, but behind my back, they just see me as someone they can get clout from being with."

"Oh... so most people don't even like you for who you are?" I asked her, feeling slightly shocked by this news.

To have someone as popular as Sora being seen as nothing more than a "clout magnet" was quite saddening.

"Yeah, that's... pretty much the case..." Sora whispered to me as she looked down at her lunch.

"That sucks..." I quietly muttered to myself, as it was pretty depressing that Sora wasn't able to connect with people in a deeper manner.

I couldn't help but feel a bit bad for her, as it seemed like she was having a hard time making actual friends.

"Yeah... it's pretty annoying and tiring." Sora responded, as it seemed like she didn't want to talk about this topic anymore.

Sora seemed to feel tired from talking about this topic, so I decided to change the subject to something more lighthearted.

"How about... we talk about something else instead?" I suggested to her.

It seemed like she just wanted to have a nice relaxing lunch without any stress, so I figured I should respect her wishes.

"Yeah, sure. I'm good with that." Sora quickly agreed to my proposal, as she seemed happy that I was willing to move on from the topic.

The atmosphere between us became lighter, and we continued to eat our lunch together until the bell rang.

Once it was time to return to class, Sora and I had to part ways.

We said our goodbyes to each other, as our lunch time was now over.

I was feeling pretty good, as I had had quite a nice lunch with Sora.

I had learned quite a bit about her during our time together, and it seemed like she was beginning to open up to me more.

I was starting to feel quite fond of her, and I was looking forward to our future interactions.

Once our lunch was over, I went back to class, feeling pretty content with what had happened during that time.

I couldn't help but feel slightly closer to Sora after our lunch together, and I was looking forward to becoming even better friends with her.

After class, I returned to my dorm and got some rest, feeling quite satisfied with my day.

Close friends?

Huh...can that really happen?