The Day of Enrollment

It was April, the season of blossoms, and time for the students of Sakurajima to start a new school year.

The upperclassmen had enjoyed a brief, lovely spring break, and a hint of reluctance still lingered on their faces.

The new students, meanwhile, were filled with anticipation and anxiety about their new surroundings, new friends, and new challenges. Those feelings were even more pronounced on this bus.

By the window in the back row, a handsome boy with a smile on his face watched the passing cars, bored out of his mind, and yawned.

As expected, riding the bus is always so boring...

Suddenly, a woman's voice caught his attention:

"You there, don't you see how uncomfortable this old lady is?"

The voice came from the front of the bus. The woman was scolding a blond boy sitting across from her. Under normal circumstances, nine out of ten high schoolers would probably nod along if an unfamiliar adult sternly criticized them in front of everyone.

Unfortunately...

Shintō Katsuya glanced at the target she'd chosen, raised an eyebrow, then shook his head and muttered to himself:

"You sure know how to pick 'em... Still, is he planning to spend three years at this school too? Don't tell me my peaceful days are going to be shattered before they even begin..."

Katsuya clearly knew who the boy was.

But everyone else's attention had been drawn to the argument, and no one paid any mind to his muttering.

Since boarding the bus, the tall boy sitting in the priority seat had either taken out a comb to fix his hair or quietly closed his eyes to rest.

He slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the old woman, then closed them again. Raising his chin, he said:

"What a crazy question, lady~"

"Why should I give up my seat for this old woman?"

The boy's answer took everyone by surprise. Not only did he have no intention of giving up his seat, he openly explained his reasons.

"You're sitting in a priority seat. Of course you should give it up for an elderly person!"

The woman clearly wanted him to offer the old lady his seat.

"I don't understand. Even if it's a priority seat, the law doesn't say I have to give it up, does it? Whether to give up the seat should be decided by its current owner—in other words, me!"

"Ha, I'm a healthy young man, but obviously standing takes more effort than sitting. I have no intention of doing something so pointless. Or are you planning to tip me?"

The boy's arrogant tone infuriated the woman, who was dressed in office attire.

"Th-this is how you speak to your elders?!"

Faced with an adult's intimidating glare, the boy showed no sign of backing down. Instead, he scoffed.

"Elders... An elder is someone with ability and experience. You and this old woman have obviously lived longer than I have. But as elders, aren't you still acting all high and mighty?"

His words clearly struck a nerve. After a long pause, all she could manage was:

"What did you say?! Y-you're a high school student, aren't you? When an adult is talking, you should listen!"

Seeing that neither side was willing to give in, the old woman finally couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up.

"Um, it's all right. Thank you for speaking up for me, but I don't mind standing for a while."

"Haha, it seems this old woman is the more reasonable one."

The boy laughed twice, then put on his headphones and went back to listening to music. That only made the woman even angrier.

Shintō Katsuya clearly had no intention of getting involved either, since he was a self-interested person himself.

He had to admit that the boy's argument was a bit sophistic, but that was just the way society on Sakurajima was now: everyone had to look out for themselves.

Just when everyone thought the matter was settled, a sweet voice broke the silence:

"Actually... I think the lady is right."

The speaker was an extremely cute girl. Her uniform gave away her status: like the boy across from her, she was a new student about to start school.

"Oh? A pretty girl this time? Seems I'm quite popular with the opposite sex today~"

The girl spoke in a tone that was seven parts pleading and three parts pitiful.

"This old lady really does look uncomfortable. Could I ask you to give her your seat? Maybe I'm sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong, but I think this could be a way to contribute to society."

Snap!

The boy snapped his fingers.

"Contribute to society? I see. Giving up your seat for an elderly person does count as contributing to society. But unfortunately, I'm not interested in contributing to society. I think it's enough to make sure I'm satisfied. Besides, in this crowded bus, I may be sitting in a priority seat, but what about all those people who don't care and just mind their own business? If they cared about the elderly, they could give up their seats even if they weren't sitting in priority seats, couldn't they?"

His argument sounded arrogant, but no one could deny that it made sense. The girl couldn't sway the boy in front of her, but she didn't give up.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke to the passengers who had seats.

"Everyone, would anyone be willing to give this old lady a seat? Anyone at all, please!"

Shintō Katsuya narrowed his eyes. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that there were really fools in this world who could treat other people's happiness as their own.

But reality was often cruel.

If anyone had wanted to give up their seat, surely they would have already stood up.

As Shintō Katsuya looked around at the other passengers, he noticed that someone seemed to be watching him.

He quickly turned his gaze, and their eyes met.

The other person was an expressionless boy with a Flying Fish hairstyle. Neither of them looked away. Slowly, their scrutiny turned into a stare.

Shintō Katsuya couldn't say why, but the boy across from him seemed strange. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about him was odd.

At last, the other boy ended the staring contest with a nod, then turned away.

Could this guy... have some kind of weird fetish?

Even Shintō, who had seen plenty, couldn't help getting goosebumps at the thought.

Before long, a woman stood up on her own. She had been sitting near the old woman and had probably had enough, so she offered her seat.

"Thank you!"

The girl smiled brightly and bowed her thanks, then helped the old woman over to the empty seat. The old woman thanked her repeatedly as she slowly sat down.

At last, the matter was settled.