Satoshi Sugimoto looked a bit nervous as he walked towards Takamori High School. It was his first day of high school, and Takamori was one of the most prestigious private schools in the Kanto region. As he approached the gates, he hoped to make new friends and get a good start to this new chapter of his life.

"Good luck, Satoshi-kun."

"Thanks, author-san, but honestly, who wouldn’t be nervous on their first day of high school? Weren’t you nervous on your first day?" Satoshi asked.

"Well, I don’t exactly remember," replied the author.

"Haha, obviously. You’re probably an old man now."

"You insolent child! I’m still very young!"

"How old are you anyway?"

"That’s a secret."

"Are you a girl then?"

"I don’t know, hehe."

"Hmm, well, enough of that. Stop breaking the fourth wall every time."

"Alright, alright," the author relented.

Back to our main story: as Satoshi was entering his new high school, he ran into some of his classmates from middle school.

"Hey, Satoshi, how’ve you been, man?" a familiar voice called out.

"Hey, Ryo! I’m good. How about you?" Satoshi replied, a smile spreading across his face.

"Yeah, same here. Can’t believe we’re finally here."

"I know, right? Feels like a dream. I still can’t believe I got into Takamori High so easily."

"Well, your grades were good, bro. Of course, you got in."

"Still, getting into such a prestigious high school feels really good, you know?"

"Yeah, true. By the way, did you catch the latest episode yesterday?"

"Yeah, it was awesome. I hope they release season two soon."

"Same here! I never expected the last episode of season one to end on such a cliffhanger."

"Hey, you weebs, do you really have to talk about anime first thing in the morning?" a third voice interrupted.

"Who’s that?" Satoshi asked.

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"Your liege," came the playful response.

"Akira!" Both Ryo and Satoshi exclaimed, excited to see another middle school friend.

"Are you really one to talk, Mr. History Buff?" Ryo teased.

"Come on, history is the best subject, right, Satoshi-kun?"

"Yeah, I mean, it’s fascinating to read about history that isn’t taught in school."

"Not you too, Satoshi," Ryo groaned.

The three friends continued their light banter as they made their way to the school auditorium for the opening ceremony. As expected, the principal gave a standard speech, and the students were soon directed to their respective classes. Satoshi was fortunate enough to get a window seat in the last row.

"Come on, author-san, stop being lazy and properly write the scenes!" Satoshi protested.

"Why are you like this, Satoshi-kun? I’m just saving some energy," the author replied, trying to defend his approach.

"More like being lazy," Satoshi shot back.

"Whatever," the author muttered.

The homeroom teacher, Mr. Atsushi Tanaka, soon arrived. "Good morning, everyone. I hope your first day of high school has been good so far. I’m Atsushi Tanaka, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher for the next three years. In our school, the homeroom teacher remains the same throughout high school. While this is a time to enjoy, it’s also important to start thinking seriously about your future..."

And so, a long lecture followed. The rest of the classes were mostly introductory, as was typical for the first day.

During lunch break, Ryo suggested, "Hey Satoshi, let’s go to the cafeteria."

"Yeah, let’s go. I can’t believe all three of us not only ended up in the same class but also sit near each other," Satoshi replied, surprised but pleased.

They found seats in the bustling cafeteria, and soon, other students were looking for a place to sit. Ryo, ever the friendly one, invited them over.

"Thanks, Ryo-kun, we wouldn’t have found seats without your help," one of the students said gratefully.

"No problem, dude. Since we sit next to each other, we should look out for each other," Ryo responded.

The boy introduced himself. "I’m Haruto Nakamura, and these two are my childhood friends, Kenji Yamazaki and Yuta Ito."

"Nice to meet you guys," Ryo said. "I’m Ryo Kanzaki, and these two are my middle school friends, Satoshi Sugimoto and Akira Kimura."

As the boys introduced themselves and started talking, Kenji noticed Satoshi’s diverse interests. "Is that so, Satoshi-kun? You seem to get along with everyone so well, and you have similar interests with each of us."

"That’s just how Satoshi is," Ryo chimed in. "He likes anime and manga, just like me."

"And he likes history, just like me," Akira added.

"Well, I also like soccer, just like you, Kenji-kun. And I’m into baseball, just like Haruto-kun. Plus, I have an interest in politics, just like Yuta-kun," Satoshi explained.

"Wow, you really are a jack of all trades," Kenji said, impressed.

"I get that a lot," Satoshi admitted with a smile.

As the lunch break ended, they returned to class. The rest of the day passed uneventfully, with classes slowly coming to a close.

At the end of the day, Satoshi said goodbye to his friends. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Hey, Satoshi, want to grab something at McDonald’s?" Ryo suggested.

"Sorry, but I have to prepare dinner when I get home," Satoshi replied.

"Oh yeah, that’s right. Both your mom and dad are at work, huh? It must be pretty handy for them that you can cook since they’re both busy," Ryo remarked.

"Yeah, though Mom was really busy this morning. She accidentally gave me an empty bento box. Good thing I had some money with me, so it wasn’t a problem. Anyway, bye guys, see you tomorrow," Satoshi said as he waved goodbye.

Once home, Satoshi prepared dinner, and his parents arrived just in time to eat together.

"How was school today, Satoshi?" his dad asked.

"It was good, Dad. Since both Ryo and Akira are in the same class as me, there was no problem," Satoshi replied.

"It’s nice to have friends from middle school still with you," his mom added.

"Yeah," Satoshi agreed.

After some family time, Satoshi went to bed. Lying in the dark, he once again thought about fulfillment. He felt a little happier knowing that his two best friends from middle school were still with him, and that he had made some new friends today.