Tamiya Emi

The classroom fell into an oddly profound silence after Professor Mashima left.

The only source of sound was the crisp crunch of Seishiki Otonashi biting into a potato chip.

The bald man beside him seized the moment of quiet and stood up.

Otonashi flinched slightly like a startled cat, eyeing him with confusion.

The little-gravel-bald-head walked up to the podium.

"Hello everyone, my name is Kohei Katsuragi. I'm glad to meet you all and to grow together in this class. How about we start with self-introductions to get to know each other?"

Ugh, so old-fashioned... Is this the kind of thing where everyone chants 'Youth is the best!' in unison? Otonashi grumbled inwardly. It's downright creepy.

He observed the expressions around him. Most seemed agreeable, a few were indifferent with blank faces, and one person wore a look of clear displeasure and disgust.

Everyone's really interesting...

As a member of the class, Otonashi naturally wanted to leave a good impression. Since he was already an outlier in terms of clothing, he couldn't afford to be one in his mindset too.

As for his persona in class? Of course, it had to be the harmless boy. Not currying favor, not inviting dislike—just radiating the aura of a harmless mascot. Maybe a plain guy like me could get discovered by a pretty girl and win her heart. That's how it goes in galge and light novels, right?

"How boring. Don't you think so?"

The silver-haired girl's remark left Otonashi puzzled.

"It's not so bad. Self-introductions at the start of class help everyone get closer quickly. You can judge people by their speech, logic, word choice, hobbies, and the personality they reveal. Picking companions based on self-reflective labels—like choosing a starter Pokémon—isn't that a good thing?"

The silver-haired girl gazed at Otonashi with a calm smile, as if a child had spotted a gift, full of surprise and anticipation.

"What an interesting way of thinking."

"Huh? Um, why are you looking at me like that? Sakayanagi Arisu-san."

Feeling that gaze tinged with a bit of warmth, Otonashi turned his head.

"Nothing. I just find you quite interesting."

"Interesting?"

Otonashi scratched his cheek, a little confused.

Thanks to the nameplate, he knew the girl's name.

Sakayanagi Arisu slowly stood up, leaning on her cane.

"Are you okay? If you have a heart condition or something, it's better to stay seated."

Otonashi looked at the frail girl before him. She gave off an airy, delicate impression—the type that might be blown away by a gust of wind. That was the feeling.

Sakayanagi Arisu paused for a moment, her pink-purple eyes widening slightly. Then she switched back to that composed, confident demeanor, always wearing a self-assured smile.

"Thank you for your concern. I just wanted to get some fresh air."

"Then be careful."

"Mm."

After all, they'd be classmates for three years, so Otonashi figured he should at least put on some surface-level social grace. But he hadn't expected his desk mate to be such a cute girl—her voice soft yet rational, with a proud tone. It felt like something a professional voice actress would deliver...

Even with a congenital heart condition, she maintained that elegance and composure, a smile on her face. He envied that. Her family must be well-off, at least raised in a loving environment, not feeling inferior because of her illness. He really envied that...

Snapping back to reality, Otonashi blended into the lively discussion with the class atmosphere.

"Um... My name is Seishiki Otonashi... I'm a boy... My hobbies are reading books and manga, playing games, watching movies... And... uh... that's it..."

"A boy? So cute! Otonashi-kun, do you usually take care of your skin? It looks so fair."

"Otonashi-kun, your hair is so pretty! Do you have a recommended shampoo brand?"

"Otonashi-kun! Are you one of those rare trap-type guys?"

Otonashi found himself surrounded by curious girls...

"I don't really take care of it... Maybe it's just because I don't get much sun."

"As for shampoo, it depends on your hair type and situation."

"Trap-type... No way!"

Otonashi hadn't expected his appearance to be so popular with girls. At least he thought girls nowadays would prefer stronger or taller guys.

Right now, Otonashi was basking in the gentle embrace of being surrounded by girls. What philosopher wouldn't marry? Does Otonashi look like a philosopher to you?

"This is why I hate pointless events like the opening ceremony."

He'd only stood for a short while, but Otonashi was already out of breath. He bent over slightly, exhaling some stale air to ease his body.

Looking at the students in the gymnasium, the lively boys and girls had quickly formed groups. Some were eating together and chatting, some went to karaoke to bond, and others agreed to stroll around the academy.

Otonashi's stomach let out an embarrassing growl. His top priority was to fill his stomach.

"Um... Otonashi-kun, would you like to have lunch with me?"

It was Tamiya Emi-san...

(Tamiya Emi only appears in the anime version, in the Command Tower mental arithmetic scene. Check the comments for the image.)

Her long, deep purple hair framed a delicate, refined face. If Classmate Sakayanagi was the style of a noble lady from Central Europe, then Tamiya was the epitome of a conglomerate heiress. Poised and graceful, beautiful in appearance, with an excellent figure... she carried none of the arrogance of the wealthy when interacting with others. If she were dealing with an ordinary guy, he'd probably have already fallen for her. Especially that mole at the corner of her mouth, so captivating... drawing others' eyes to her face and those lovely crimson lips...

"Sure, by the way, Tamiya, do you know where the cafeteria is?"

Star Color's little head had taken control of the big one.

"Mm, I've studied the map carefully. Follow me."

"Okay~."

Star Color followed behind her. Tamiya's height, around one meter seventy, already put her at a level that looked down on the crowd—even some guys would probably feel inferior when they saw her. Anyway, Star Color could only look up at her. (This height is the author's own setting.)

"Tamiya, you're really tall, and truly beautiful."

"Well, being too tall isn't always a good thing. I had a pretty nasty nickname in middle school. People called me [Godzilla]."

"Huh? That's so harsh. You're clearly beautiful, Tamiya. I think tall girls have that unique, steady, and graceful aura. But that's just how the world works—ostracizing the minority to satisfy their own pathetic vanity. Maybe those people were just jealous of you."

Star Color turned his face to the side, trying not to meet Tamiya's gaze. Under the sunlight, he had a slight blush.

"It's all in the past. I don't dwell on it."

"That's good."

The two of them arrived at the cafeteria like that.

"By the way... Tamiya, why did you choose to come with me? I'm a guy, you know... Shouldn't you be building good relationships with the other girls in class? Everyone seems pretty friendly, not the type to joke around."

Star Color held a tray with 'a burger, fries, and a cola combo' and sat down across from Tamiya.

"Because you were the first person to talk to me."

Thinking back to the self-introductions Classmate Katsuragi had organized earlier, he had indeed spoken to Tamiya... but it was only at the level of a greeting.

"Eh... is that so? But compared to guys... wouldn't it be better to get along with the girls first?"

Tamiya tilted her head slightly, looking at Star Color with those captivating, drooping eyes.

"But I want to get along with you first."

"Well, I'm truly grateful for that. This is the first time I've made a female friend... it's a bit embarrassing."

Star Color shyly scratched his cheek.

At the same time, Star Color keenly noticed a student who looked like an upperclassman, staring their way with envious eyes. The food on his tray was the free vegetable set meal.

That senior gave a first impression of being lifeless, with an expression that seemed utterly hopeless about the future.