Class Assignment

"Hmph, whatever. It's got nothing to do with me anyway. I just hope I don't end up in the same class as you." Horikita Suzune said this, then turned to leave.

She had already completely written off Amasawa Yuto as a creepy guy who peeped at pretty girls.

Just as she was about to go, Horikita Suzune suddenly locked eyes with Tsubaki Yuki, who was approaching.

"Looks like there's going to be a storm brewing. You might end up famous school-wide on your very first day."

Horikita Suzune's words sounded like she was gleefully fanning the flames. She was simply annoyed at having to be classmates with a guy like this, so she deliberately jabbed at him.

She wasn't usually the type to mock people, but maybe she didn't realize that what she was doing was exactly that—sarcasm and ridicule, lost in her own actions without self-awareness.

From the start, Amasawa Yuto had never responded to her, which grated on Horikita Suzune's sky-high pride, making her say things she normally wouldn't.

Leaving behind those cutting words, Horikita Suzune prepared to leave. She had no interest in watching a scene unfold.

But to her slight surprise, the girl called out to her, offering a gentle smile: "Excuse me, could I bother you for a moment?"

Horikita Suzune met her gaze, sure she was being addressed, and frowned: "You've got the wrong person. I think you're looking for that guy behind me."

"Yeah, you're right. I do have something to talk to him about later, but right now—" The girl wore a troubled expression, but before she could finish, a voice came from behind her.

"Yuki."

"What are you on about? It's April, there's no way it could snow—" Horikita Suzune snapped back impatiently.

But to her surprise, the girl's face lit up as if a lightbulb had gone off. She bounced over to his side, her voice cheerful: "Yuto!"

Amasawa Yuto had expected Tsubaki Yuki to be upset, but for some reason, she didn't look angry at all—if anything, she seemed relieved.

"Hey, Yuki, did you need something from her? It looked like you were trying to stop her." Yuto pointed at Horikita Suzune.

Horikita Suzune was still processing the sudden flood of information, frozen in place.

Yuki shook her head: "It's obvious now. No need to ask. By the way, was she bothering you earlier?"

She had thought Yuto stood her up to walk to school with that girl, but clearly that wasn't the case, so she no longer cared about Horikita Suzune.

"Not really. She seemed to think I was some kind of stalker..."

"Huh? Were you looking at some girl just now? Why else would she think that?"

"Of course I was looking at you."

"At... me?!" Yuki's mouth formed an O shape, looking a little shy—

"Wait, wait, wait!" Horikita Suzune finally snapped out of it: "What's going on here?"

Yuki frowned, annoyed at being interrupted.

Yuto tugged at her arm: "As you can see, we actually know each other."

"Know each other?" Horikita Suzune's brows knitted together as her gaze darted between Yuto and Yuki: "Then why were you staring at her like that earlier?"

Before Yuto could answer, she turned to Yuki, her tone sharp: "And you—one of you blocks the school gate, the other blocks the bus stop. Do you think the school is your own backyard?"

She sounded like she'd been gravely deceived and was here to demand an explanation.

"You, seriously..." Yuto was speechless, while Yuki was already getting angry, holding back only out of good upbringing.

"What? Got something to say?" Horikita Suzune's tone remained harsh: "Spit it out!"

"Forget it, Yuki, let's go." Yuto said, grabbing her sleeve and pulling her forward.

Yuki followed immediately, and the two of them elegantly ignored Horikita Suzune.

"You—" Horikita Suzune stomped her foot in frustration.

Nearby students whispered: "What's going on? Drama on the first day?"

"A love triangle? Or cheating?"

Horikita took a deep breath. No need to mind the gossip, and no need to bother with ants beneath her notice.

Don't forget why you came to this school, Horikita Suzune.

After all, you came here to follow in your brother's footsteps, didn't you?

Calming herself, Horikita entered the campus.

"What was that girl's deal? Even I couldn't stand her." Yuki followed a couple steps behind Yuto, starting to complain.

"No idea. She just popped up out of nowhere. I didn't do anything to her." Yuto walked on without looking back.

"Yuto sure has it rough." Yuki couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him, wondering how long he'd had to listen to that black-haired girl ramble on.

She felt like she was forgetting something.

It was like driving out of a dark tunnel—the forgotten thing was the blinding white light at the exit, growing bigger and bigger...

"Yuki."

"Huh? What?" Yuto's sudden call snapped her back to reality.

"We're at the class assignment board. Let's see which class we're in."

Four bulletin boards stood in a row, each displaying the class rosters for the four grades. Students crowded in front of each board, eager to confirm their assigned classes.

"Alright, I'll start from the right, Yuto, you start from the left."

That way, dividing the work would let them find their names faster.

Ah, lucky—she spotted her name right away. She was in Class D.

She scanned the full list with hope, then felt a little disappointed. Amasawa Yuto's name wasn't there.

Guess her luck wasn't that good.

But she quickly perked up. It was just a different class, after all. They'd still be classmates for three years.

"Yuki, did you find yours?" Yuto had come up beside her at some point, looking at the Class D roster.

"I'm in Class D. What about you, Yuto?"

"I'm in Class A." Yuto said, quickly scanning all the names in Class D, then comforted her: "It's fine, we're still in the same grade."

"I'm not that upset, really... it's just... if I could be in the same class as you for all three years, that would've been perfect."

Yuto wasn't too surprised that Yuki had been placed in Class D. He had a rough idea why.

After leaving the White Room, Yuki had developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder, which triggered depression so serious she needed hospitalization.

He didn't find out until he himself graduated from the White Room. By then, Yuki had been out for eight years.

Six of those eight years, she had spent in the hospital.

Even a year ago, she was still hospitalized.

It was only after Yuto and Yuki met again that her symptoms slowly improved, turning her into the cheerful, approachable person she was now.

After the opening ceremony in the auditorium—which was really just listening to Student Council President Horikita Manabu's speech—

Yuto parted ways with Yuki at the stairwell and stepped into his own classroom: Class A.