Linmu Fujimiya held a Peko fruit lollipop between his lips and watched Kikyo Kushida hurry to catch up with him. His newly risen urge to slack off sank even deeper.
The two walked side by side toward the academy's registration office, surrounded by boys and girls dressed in the same new-student uniforms as they were.
Curious glances came their way as they passed. After all, Linmu's sharply defined, handsome face had a cool edge to it, and with his striking short white hair and tall, 178-centimeter frame, he already stood out in the crowd.
(Not even half as good-looking as you, dear readers.)
Then there was the lollipop always dangling from the corner of his mouth, his slightly puffed cheeks, and those seemingly languid, half-lidded eyes.
Together, they gave him a peculiar, intriguing air. Quite a few girls stole glances at him and whispered things like "Who's that?" and "He's so handsome."
The registration process was simple: verify their identities, then collect their dorm keys and student handbooks.
When the staff member pulled up their records on a tablet and read out "Linmu Fujimiya, Class 1-D" and "Kikyo Kushida, Class 1-D," Kikyo's eyes lit up.
A broad smile spread across her face. With a hint of excitement, she even gave Linmu's arm a light bump.
(Man—Black Flash.)
"Linmu, we're both in Class 1-D! What a coincidence!" Her voice was sweet and full of energy.
Linmu gave a muffled "Mm" around his lollipop, but inside, all he felt was resignation.
Even our class assignments lined up... At this rate, it looks like I won't have much luck keeping to myself and slacking off during the school year.
He took the materials and a cold metal key from the staff member, his fingertips absentmindedly tracing the fine grooves on its handle.
All he could think about was getting to the dorm, putting his things away, and, if possible, catching a little more sleep.
As for classmate bonds and the like, to him they were nothing but a potential source of extra socializing and the trouble that came with it.
"Since we're both going to the dorm to drop off our things, let's go together!"
Kikyo suggested with easy familiarity, briskly moving to Linmu's side. Her tone was full of natural, expectant warmth, as though they'd been friends for years.
Linmu didn't refuse.
It wasn't that he was particularly keen. The dorm was simply in the same direction, so they might as well walk together.
Going out of his way to avoid her would only look deliberate and take more effort. That went against his principles of slacking off.
He couldn't be bothered to say much the whole way. The only movement came when his tongue occasionally nudged the lollipop, rolling it along the inside of his mouth.
The sweet-and-sour fruit flavor slowly spread, barely tamping down the faint irritation he felt at being unexpectedly "paired up" with someone.
Just as the student handbook indicated, all first-year students were assigned to a relatively new dormitory building.
(The school built the new dorms and track after I graduated.)
The floors were strictly separated by gender: the boys' floors were below, on the first through third floors, and the girls' floors above, on the fourth through sixth. There was a dorm supervisor's office by each stairwell, and the rules seemed fairly strict.
The paths were crowded with new students carrying luggage or wearing backpacks, their faces a mix of excitement, nerves, and curiosity.
Kikyo seemed born to be the center of attention. As they walked, she naturally nodded and smiled at the students they passed.
Every so often, she even greeted someone with a cheerful "Hi!" Her innate friendliness was impossible to miss.
As they walked, she suddenly turned to look at Linmu, her eyes shining with undisguised hope.
"Linmu, we're so lucky to have met like this. Why don't we become friends?
It's my wish to be friends with everyone at the academy!"
Linmu's steps faltered almost imperceptibly. He turned his head to look at her.
The girl's eyes crinkled at the corners, and her smile was so sincere it could melt snow. Her eyes were clear; at least on the surface, there wasn't a trace of deceit or calculation.
(He was using the lollipop to suppress his ability, so he hadn't read the minds of anyone at the academy yet.)
If any ordinary teenage boy had been faced with a sweet, adorable girl warmly inviting him to be friends, he would probably have agreed at once, perhaps even secretly thrilled.
But deep down, Linmu was something of a chronic slacker.
To him, making friends meant investing time, effort, and emotion in maintaining the relationship. It was a form of "expenditure."
Back at the orphanage, his inability to fully shut off his mind-reading ability had let him "hear" too many people's private thoughts far too early: their pretense, their selfishness, even their malice.
Seeing people too clearly had only made him less and less inclined to maintain relationships that seemed warm but were actually fragile or full of ulterior motives.
Rather than waste effort navigating false pleasantries that could turn sour at any moment, he'd rather have some peace and quiet alone and save his energy for things he genuinely cared about—drawing, making desserts, playing games, or simply spacing out.
And yet, looking into Kikyo Kushida's bright, hopeful eyes, seemingly sparkling with stars, stirred the kindness in him that didn't want to hurt others.
She hadn't shown the slightest ill intent. Turning down someone who sincerely—at least by all appearances—wanted to make friends seemed a little too cold.
In the end, he merely tugged at the corner of his mouth, letting the plastic stick of his lollipop wobble slightly against his lips. In his usual lazy, nasal drawl, he mumbled, "Whatever."
It was hardly a promise. It even sounded a little perfunctory.
But Kikyo reacted as if he'd given her the greatest gift imaginable. Her smile instantly grew even brighter, and she pulled out her phone from her uniform pocket.
She moved so quickly, as if afraid he might change his mind. "Then let's exchange contact information! That way we can look out for each other in class and keep each other up to date!"
Linmu sighed silently. His expression remained unchanged as he obediently took out his phone, unlocked it, and pulled up his social media QR code.
They added each other quickly. Looking at the new name "Kikyo Kushida" in his contacts, along with her cartoon avatar, Linmu could only think that the item on his pre-enrollment slacker-life plan that read "Keep socializing to a minimum, preferably zero" would probably have to be officially scrapped on the very first day.
They parted at the stairwell and headed to their respective floors.
The academy had assigned them standard single rooms. They weren't large, but they came fully equipped with a bed, desk, wardrobe, and mini-fridge, as well as a private bathroom.
The south-facing window let in plenty of light. The room was much better than he'd expected a student dorm to be.
Linmu wasn't in the mood to inspect or arrange it in detail.
He quickly hung a few frequently worn clothes in the wardrobe and put his daily necessities where they'd be easy to reach.
Most important of all was the tin filled with lollipops in assorted flavors—milk, strawberry, grape, orange, and cola. He carefully placed it right in the center of his desk, where it would be impossible to miss.
(Event period: May 1 to May 5.)
Before you continue