Everyone in Class B

(Quick note: Some characters may differ a little from the original. Just consider it my own take.)

It should have been a short day, but it felt unusually long.

After washing up, I lay on my side in bed. It was almost midnight, but the class group chat was still buzzing.

I skimmed through it. They seemed to be talking about discovering a shop's signature dish or sharing some interesting new things they'd bought.

It didn't seem very interesting, so I set my mobile device on the bedside table to charge and curled back up under the covers.

I'd already put the materials away in the cabinet. I'd initially thought I'd learn more about each class.

After a moment's thought, I gave up.

Just sitting there poring over the materials was a little dull.

Besides, we were all students in the same year. Getting to know people in person was far more meaningful than reading about them in some report.

I'd never cared what the materials said about other people. I only cared about what I could see and feel for myself.

I vaguely remembered drifting off into a dream.

The next morning, I finished washing up.

It was still early before class, so I took my time, grabbed a piece of toast, and headed toward the classroom.

The boys lived on the lower floors of the dorm, and the girls on the upper floors.

I stood by the elevator, waiting for it to come down.

It descended from the seventh floor to my floor, the third. When the doors opened, a girl who looked full of energy stood inside.

Her brown hair was adorned with a cute hair clip, and her reddish-purple eyes seemed to glisten with moisture. Being watched by her felt as if some strange force might draw you in.

At first glance, she seemed merely youthful. Why, then, did her gaze stir a strange desire in me?

There was something oddly discordant about it, but for some reason, when I looked again, the feeling vanished.

Her appearance seemed to overlap with a photo I remembered.

As I tried to recall it, I stepped into the elevator.

Kushida Kikyo.

I thought that was her name.

I turned my head slightly to make sure.

She wasn't looking my way. She seemed to be replying to a message, tapping away at her keyboard.

After thinking it over for a while, I finally found a word to describe my first impression of her.

Approachable.

Even though she wasn't doing anything, I still felt a warm, reassuring sense of friendliness around her.

The elevator stopped on the first floor. She stepped out ahead of me and hurried away.

It seemed she was going to meet someone, but it was still early in the morning.

Had someone asked her to get breakfast with them?

My mobile device vibrated. I opened the chat app and saw that Tetsuya had added me to a small group.

There were only three of us. If I wasn't mistaken, the other person was Ryota.

A voice message soon appeared in the chat.

"Are you free today? Are you free today? My dear young master Ryota, when are we going to hang out?"

A reply came not long after.

"No."

"Don't be so cold, you jerk. We met so many classmates yesterday, and they were all really nice."

Tetsuya seemed reluctant to let Ryota miss out on the class's group activities.

"Do you have any plans today?" I asked.

"Nothing planned for today. Seisuke, got anything in mind?"

I mimicked Ryota's tone and replied:

"No."

"Hey, hey, why are you acting like that too?"

Huh? I hadn't even played the voice message. Why could I hear Tetsuya's voice?

Then someone tapped me on the shoulder. I instinctively turned around and saw Tetsuya grinning at me.

Every time I saw him, he had that same big smile on his face. This guy...

It always felt like I could sell him off and he'd still smile and give me a cut of the money.

"I invited Ryota to walk to school with me. Let's wait for him here."

I nodded and put my mobile device in my pocket.

Come to think of it, what were the odds of running into me first thing in the morning?

I asked him about it.

"How did you happen to run into me?"

Tetsuya rubbed his chin, pretending to think it over.

Then he stepped in front of me and stared straight ahead.

He was looking at something with intense concentration.

I followed his gaze.

There seemed to be students heading to school along the path. Nothing unusual about that.

"Someone was just standing here watching a girl walk away the whole time."

Tetsuya shook his head and sighed, sounding a little rueful.

"I was just spacing out."

Tetsuya leaned forward, folded his arms across his chest, and tilted his head. Every now and then, he made a "tsk-tsk" sound.

"Really? You were just spacing out?"

"You've already picked out your future kids' names, haven't you?"

"I have."

Tetsuya stared at me, looking surprised.

"What about Ichinose, then?"

He left that question hanging in the air.

I couldn't help thinking it over.

A guy in his prime like me could probably make him cry with a single punch.

I threw a few practice punches, and Tetsuya darted away.

"Ryota! Help me!"

I turned around to see Tetsuya running toward Ryota with his arms spread wide, only for Ryota to stop him with a hand against his head.

"If you'd quiet down, you'd be saving my life."

He dragged Tetsuya over, looking thoroughly fed up.

"Morning."

I greeted Ryota, then waved a fist at Tetsuya.

"Good morning."

He nodded at me.

"He's picking on me again..."

Tetsuya looked ready to cry.

Ryota sighed, patted his forehead, and turned his head away.

The day's classes were almost over. I watched the clock tick by, feeling sleepier with every passing second.

The lesson was a little dull, but not because the teacher wasn't explaining things thoroughly or with enthusiasm.

No one was disrupting the class, but everyone seemed to be doing their own thing.

Some were chatting on their mobile devices, while others were reading books unrelated to class.

My deskmate passed me a note in neat handwriting.

(After class, Teacher Hoshinomiya asked the two of us to go to the staff room.)

After reading it, I noticed her watching me with a bright, expectant look.

I gave her a questioning glance, and she hurriedly waved her hands.

(I understand.)

Should I tell Tetsuya and Ryota that I wouldn't be walking home with them?

I sent a message to the group chat. Both of them read it, but neither replied.

"Class is over. Let's go."

I nodded, stood up, and headed to the staff room with Ichinose.

As I chatted with Ichinose, a message came through on my mobile device.

It was a very long voice message:

Seisuke, it's okay. I'm not lonely.

I'm the one who wronged you.

No, no, Seisuke, it's a good thing we didn't walk home together. If we had, I would've held you back for the rest of your life.

I'm leaving now.

Take care.

Goodbye.

Goodbye...

Will we meet again, Seisuke? When we do, I hope you'll be happy.

All right? Seisuke, be happy, and be happy with Ichinose.

Your world won't have me in it anymore (sobbing). That's okay. Take my blessing with you and live a happy life with her.

Seisuke, Seisuke...

Seisuke! How can I go on without you...

Tetsuya and Ryota took turns speaking, as though they were pouring their hearts into every word.

My brain instantly short-circuited. I usually played voice messages through the speaker.

Ichinose didn't seem upset. She just curved her brows with amusement and covered her little mouth.

She seemed to find it funny, but maybe she was worried it might make things awkward.

I tried to speak several times, but nothing came out.

Ichinose bit her lower lip, trying hard to hold back, but the amusement in her eyes still showed.