Chapter 1: April 18th - Transfer Student
Today was a disaster.
On my very first day at my new school, I overslept.
I ended up sprinting through the front gates with a half-burnt piece of toast hanging from my mouth like some kind of character from a bad anime. By the time I reached my classroom, I was sweaty, out of breath, and thirty minutes late.
I slid the door open.
Every head in the room turned toward me.
Mr. Yamada adjusted his glasses and let out a long sigh.
“Nice of you to join us, Toki.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Just introduce yourself.”
I walked to the front of the room and wrote my name on the chalkboard.
Haruto Toki.
The moment the chalk stopped moving, a sharp gasp echoed from the third row.
A mechanical pencil slipped from someone's hand and rolled across the floor.
I glanced over.
A girl with long dark hair and striking blue eyes stared at me as if she'd seen a ghost.
The room was completely silent.
Confused, I picked up the pencil and walked over to her desk.
“Uh... you dropped this.”
She took it without a word.
Our eyes met for a second.
Her expression froze.
It was like she was looking at someone she never expected to see again.
Before I could ask if she was okay, Mr. Yamada pointed at the empty desk beside her.
“Haruto, you'll sit there.”
Of course.
Right next to the mysterious girl.
Her name, according to the seating chart, was Aoi.
For the rest of the day, I could feel her staring at me from the corner of her eye.
Did I have chalk on my face?
Was my tie crooked?
Did I accidentally insult her somehow?
I had no idea.
But somehow, my first day at this school was already getting weird.
