"Ayanokoji, read this passage for us!" The English teacher at the front of the classroom was a burly, middle-aged man whose face had never once shown a smile. Hoshino couldn't even imagine what he would look like smiling. Though, come to think of it, Chabashira-sensei was the same.
What was up with this school? It was one thing for the students to have problems, but the teachers too? Hoshino felt a little worried about what his future here would be like.
"Yes!..."
Hoshino turned around and saw the boy in the corner stand up.
So his name was Ayanokoji! Hoshino suddenly understood.
"Ayanokoji-kun, could I bother you for a moment? Would you have some time to talk?" After school, Hoshino went straight to the boy's desk in the corner.
The boy was hunched over the homework the teacher had assigned that day. He worked quickly, barely pausing to think. He must have been good at studying. Hoshino had only caught a brief glimpse, but he'd noticed that much.
"Hm? Um, who are you?" The boy in front of him raised his head and looked toward the voice without expression.
"My name is Hoshino Hoshiya. Ayanokoji-kun, could we become friends? Would you have some time to talk?" Hoshino got straight to the point.
"Uh... Sure. Could you wait until I finish this?" A hint of wariness flashed in Ayanokoji's eyes. After thinking it over briefly, he relaxed and gestured toward the textbook on his desk as he asked.
"Of course. I'll head back for now. Come find me once you're done, Ayanokoji." Hoshino stared intently into Ayanokoji's eyes.
"Okay."
Back at his seat, Hoshino took out the "stick-figure" picture book he'd drawn before, ready to add some new content. He'd just come up with a few good ideas...
"Um, Hoshino?" A familiar voice sounded beside him, and Hoshino snapped out of his own little world.
He looked up. Ayanokoji stood by his desk with his schoolbag in hand. Though his face was expressionless, Hoshino could tell he was awkwardly trying to start a conversation and didn't know how.
"Sorry, sorry! I lost track of time!" Hoshino hurriedly apologized.
"It's fine. Where should we talk? Or should we stay here?" Ayanokoji asked, sneaking a glance around the classroom. There were quite a few people still there, many of them chatting away. It really wasn't a good place to talk.
"Then let's go to the café in the nearby mall! I know a really nice place."
As a model "loner," Hoshino had found a few spots where he could enjoy some time alone. He'd stumbled across this café while wandering around one day.
As soon as they entered, a staff member at the counter came over to greet them and led Hoshino and Ayanokoji to a pretty good table.
Ayanokoji looked around curiously. The café really was nice. Its décor suited young people, and everything had a clean, artsy feel. The booths were semi-enclosed, making them welcoming for people with social anxiety; they wouldn't have to meet anyone's eyes.
"Hey, Ayanokoji, let me introduce myself properly. My name is Hoshino Hoshiya. I'm not very good at starting conversations, and I sometimes noticed you were alone too, so I wanted to be friends. Would that be okay?" Hoshino stumbled through the unfamiliar words, looking awkward, with a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.
"Sure. My name is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka!..." Ayanokoji seemed about to say more, but realized he didn't really have anything to talk about, so he fell silent.
This was awkward. Was this what it was like when two people with social anxiety tried to talk? Hoshino was at a loss.
"Can I call you Ayanokoji? And you can just call me Hoshino, or Hoshiya." Sensing things were going badly, Hoshino hurried to pick up the conversation.
"Sure, Hoshino."
"Ayanokoji, what do you usually like to do?..."
"..."
They talked about a few topics that didn't amount to much. Hoshino wasn't in a hurry. He knew a thing or two about making friends; on the first day, people mostly just talked about meaningless things. As long as it brought them closer, that was enough.
But Ayanokoji wasn't having such an easy time. Ever since Hoshino had approached him in the classroom, he'd wondered whether Hoshino was an "assassin" sent by that place. He'd thought briefly about how they operated, then ruled out the possibility!
But now Hoshino was doing things that didn't fit his image, and Ayanokoji couldn't help growing suspicious again. The confidence that had flickered across Hoshino's face during his introduction, along with his practiced conversational skills, made it hard to believe he really had social anxiety! Had he approached him for some other reason?
Half an hour passed, and they spoke less and less often. Hoshino really didn't know what else to say. Whether Ayanokoji was doing it on purpose or not, it felt like they couldn't keep the conversation going. Still, things had gone about as Hoshino had expected, so he decided to call it a day. He'd done enough for one afternoon.
After a few more pointless topics, Hoshino drained the coffee on the table and said goodbye. Once he'd paid, the two of them left the café.
The coffee was pretty average! Hoshino felt a little disappointed.
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