Chapter One: Lateness, Applause, and a Seat in the Corner: A Tale of the First Day

_________________

_________________

The sound of students filling the large gymnasium was in full swing as preparations for the reception of the new students were in full swing. The hall was packed with students; a mix of newcomers and old students, all excited for the annual reception.

The students were spread out around the hall, chatting excitedly.

"I can't believe I got accepted here!"

"Sure, this is the best high school in the country!"

"It's a priceless opportunity!"

One of the girls interrupted the conversation, with a sarcastic smile.

"Stop acting like you won the lottery!"

Her friend replied firmly.

"Come on, don't spoil the mood for them!"

Everyone continued to chat, as it was clear that the students had already started forming their own groups. Man has always been a social being by nature.

Meanwhile, a student entered wearing a red ribbon around his shoulder, indicating his position in the school. The hall gradually fell silent, and all eyes were on him. Yoshida Tanaka, a student, walked steadily towards the platform.

"Click... click..."

The sound of the microphone clicking caused complete silence, as all eyes turned to the tall young man with unique green hair and dark green eyes.

"Everyone please take your seats."

Despite his sharp looks that added tension, his polite and serious tone of voice aroused everyone's respect.

One of the new students whispered to his classmate next to him.

"Who is this person?"

His colleague replied in a low voice.

“It's Yoshida-senpai, the head of the Disciplinary Committee. He's very strict, so you have to be careful not to break any rules.”

Everyone found their seats and sat down in order.

Suddenly, drum music began to play in the hall, causing a murmur among the students, but one look from Yoshida quickly restored the silence. Two figures entered the hall door. The two walked confidently through the rows of students.

The first was a young man with sharp green eyes and dark brown hair, with a gold chain hanging from the top of his shoulder to the pocket of his jacket on his chest, followed by a girl with long brown hair, and bright blue eyes.

Their attractive and determined appearance made everyone in the hall focus on them, the audience became more excited than before.

The two arrived at the platform, Yoshida coldly addressed them.

"You're late, student council members."

Miyaki replied with a wide smile.

"Sorry," they said, then continued on their way to stand on the platform.

The student council president, Miyake Kenzaki, calmly walked up to the microphone and began speaking.

"I am student Miyaki Kenzaki, third year. I am pleased to welcome you and explain our ancient school system."

His grave tone was enough to catch everyone's attention. Some of the students whispered:

"How wonderful… Kyah!"

"Did you see the beauty of the girl with him?"

"I hope the council president isn't dating one of them!"

Kenzaki continued, encouraging everyone to do their best.

“Your acceptance here is proof of your excellence, so I congratulate you on this achievement.”

As the students were moved by his words, Kenzaki turned to continue.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"But now begins your journey to find out if you are a real diamond or just a piece of..."

He was interrupted by a light slap on the head from the Vice President, who continued speaking.

"What the president meant was that you should explore your potential, or about our school's library rules."

She was trying to usher in the end of the party.

"Uh… did you forget something?"

Kenzaki spoke from behind his deputy, reminding the girl directly of one of the important points of the day.

She quickly adjusted her stance, stared at the students in front of her, smiled slightly, and then announced the main event.

"Today means a student has achieved a special accomplishment this year in our school. Today we have a student who was able to pass the entrance exam with full marks. He is requested to come up to the stage."

"Rio Nakamura."

There was a heavy silence in the hall, and no one appeared. The Vice President called again.

"Did you hear that? Is that really true?"

"What kind of person would he be?"

"Rio Nakamura!"

There was no response.

Kenzaki spoke.

"He may be absent today. We have to get over this event."

At that moment, the door opened forcefully, letting in a gust of fresh air into the hall. Three young men entered, one of them tall with black hair and pitch black eyes with a strange gleam, a smile pulsing with confidence. Next to him was Shoyo Nomura, with white hair and sharp red eyes, his serious appearance aroused tension. The third, Itsuki Akazawa, was distinguished by his golden hair, blue eyes and slight smile.

The three created a strange atmosphere in the hall, both tension and anticipation. The three were more like a gang than students.

As he approached the platform, Ryu walked towards the platform alone, while Nemuro and Itsuki took a seat to sit on.

Rio stopped in front of Yoshida, who asked him cautiously.

"Are you Rio Nakamura?"

"Okay."

Rio answered the question confidently and went up to the stage. He looked at the audience in silence for a minute, then two, then five minutes.

Suddenly, Nemuro and Itsuki stood up and started clapping loudly, surprising everyone.

“A truly inspiring applause!” said Namuro, wiping his eyes dramatically.

The enthusiasm spread to the students, and everyone started clapping. Even some of the female students were moved and cried.

Kenzaki looked at Ryu in surprise and lightly patted his shoulder.

"What an inspiring way to get your message across. I didn't expect this from you!"

"And here we have completed all the events of the day."

Kenzaki completed the ceremony briefly, but most of the students were busy.

With Rio's "silent" message

****************

Later, Rio sat with Nemuro and Itsuki in the corner of the hall, where there was an atmosphere of fun and comfort between them.

Shoyo let out a strange laugh, almost like a strange roar:

"Haha... hahaha!" Then he added with a sly smile:

"Great entry, Chick!"

"Help my loser friend, Chick!"

"Perfect plan, Chick!"

Rio suddenly interrupted the conversation with a stern tone.

"Who do you mean by loser?"

Namuro looked at him seriously, interlocking his fingers in front of him.

"You, and who else?"

Rio narrowed his eyes, leaned back against the chair and crossed his legs, a light sigh escaped him.

"Unfortunately... you're right."

Shoyu's eyes gleamed mischievously, as if he had discovered a great achievement.

"My little boy is finally a man who accepts reality!"

Itsuki who was in the corner clapped with a stern face, their expressions all quickly changed to seriousness.

Itsuki pointed to the ceiling of the hall, speaking in a serious tone.

"It was a special entrance, wasn't it?"

Rio and Nemuro answered at the same time, as if they had agreed in advance.

"Okay."

Itsuki continued, a wide smile on his face.

"And delaying at the last minute was the best idea, right?"

"certainly!"

"but…!? "

But a heavy silence suddenly fell after Itsuki's "but...", making the atmosphere extremely tense.

Both Nimro and Ryu swallowed their saliva, then asked him in unison.

"But what?"

Itsuki looked at them slowly, then said.

"Why haven't we talked to any girls yet?"

Nimro was shocked, and shouted without thinking.

"How did we not notice that?!"

Rio tried to justify it.

"It's not that important..."

But Shoyo and Itsuki interrupted him in a ridiculous unison.

"When the adults talk...the children keep quiet!"

A faint sound was heard, as if it were the sound of Ryu's pride being crushed, before he headed to the corner of the hall, sitting curled up in a ball, facing the wall.

Nemuro slapped Itsuki's shoulder, speaking.

“I understand you perfectly, brother. Rio, that womanizer, won’t understand our suffering.”

Rio turned slowly, speaking in a low voice.

"I hear you..."

But Namuro completely ignored him, saying firmly.

"Be quiet…!"

Nemuro turned back to Itsuki, continuing in a dramatic tone.

“Remember that dark year we spent in a boys-only school.

No one can understand the pain we went through!"

Itsuki nodded in agreement.

“Yes, it has been a dark year indeed... but we can say that the fruits of our patience are now beginning to ripen.”

While the two were engrossed in talking about their 'dark history', a small shadow slowly appeared approaching them.

The two turned towards the shadow to see a short girl with cute features and short, neat hair. She took hesitant steps towards them, looking directly at Itsuki.

She spoke in a low, hesitant voice.

"Sorry..."

Itsuki's heart started to beat like it was racing, and he was quickly overcome with tension. He tried to respond in confusion.

"Yes? How can I help you?"

The girl's face turned red, and she looked at the ground, trying to gather her words.

At that moment, Itsuki was lost in his fantasy world.

“Finally, my bachelor life is over! Now she confesses to me, I will tell her that I want to get to know her better. We will go out on a date, after the date is successful our relationship will develop… then I will visit her family, then we will get married… Oh, no no, marriage is too early. We have to enjoy life first. But what about our children’s names? Should I choose a traditional name or…”

While Itsuki was lost in his dreams, Shoyo began to analyze the situation. With one look, he could understand what was going on in his friend's mind. He realized that he had already reached the "baby name stage."

Shoyo stared at the girl, certain of the girl's intentions.

"Damn... that's a confession!"

The gears in Nemuro's mind moving as a human witnessing all possible situations in life, he came to the final conclusion his friend is in the trap of 'fake confession', he moved quickly, pulling a chair to sit nearby, following the situation as a spectator.

“I'll save him at the last minute... but not before I enjoy the scene!”

---

The girl approached Itsuki with small, hesitant steps, and tried to relieve the tension, saying in a broken voice.

“Excuse me…” she added quickly, as if she had asked a random question.

"Can I know your name?!"

Itsuki felt like the golden opportunity had finally come to him. He straightened his posture, proudly sticking out his chest, and raising his head.

"Itsuki Akazawa."

But suddenly, the shy expression on the girl's face disappeared, turning into a mixture of confusion and shyness. Itsuki was surprised, and did not understand what was happening.

The girl took a step back, bowed slightly and said.

“Sorry... I thought you were Ryo Nakamura.”

At that moment, Shoyu burst into loud laughter.

"Haha! Haha! Haaaah! Damn... I expected that!"

Itsuki's features froze, looking at the girl as if he hadn't heard her well.

"What did you say?"

The girl repeated her words clearly this time.

“Sorry… I thought you were Nakamura-kun.” She quickly turned around, walking away from the scene.

A loud thud was all that was heard after that, as Itsuki collapsed to the ground, lying there as if he had lost all of his strength. Nemuro walked over to him as he tried to stifle his laughter in vain.

"Are you well?"

Itsuki grabbed Shoyo's shirt collar, his eyes empty as if his soul had left him.

"Swallow... swallow... swallow..."

Shoyo slapped him across the face, bringing Itsuki back to reality. Itsuki didn't hesitate to return the slap immediately, then stood up with a strict straight face, declaring.

"Let's get rid of that womanizer!"

Namuro smiled wickedly and replied,

“We're sorry, Rio... but this is for the greater good.”

Their eyes turned to the corner where Rio was sitting, but they were surprised to find that the place was completely empty. They exchanged looks in astonishment.

******************

elsewhere

"Hatcho... Hatcho!"

Rio wiped his nose, talking to himself.

"I feel like someone is talking about me."

He let out a relieved sigh as he stood in front of a large board hanging on the wall, around which a large number of students were gathered, searching for their names in the class lists.

{Chapter A -1}

•Rio Nakamura

•Tiger Shoyo

Itsuki Akazawa

……..

Ryo looked at his name on the list, then started walking towards his new class. Suddenly, he felt a strong tug on his hand, before he found himself being dragged into one of the halls.

He glanced around the place, finding shelves full of books and a large desk in the corner. Then he turned his gaze to the person holding his hand.

In front of him stood a girl with calm features and a stern look, wearing the student council badge on her arm.

Rio smiled slightly, touching his chin with his hand as he stared at her.

“What a strange development… The student council vice president herself? How can I help you?”