"Sounds bad that your parents want you to marry someone different than you want but don't worry about me, I will not tell it anyone" In his voice was a kind of trustworthiness for Sota.
"Thanks!"
"Hello, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing important I think I should go now it's already late."
"Okay sure should I bring you, I mean I can bring you with a limousine, Hehe!"
"No, it's good, there is a bus station near, right?!"
"Yes, but if you don't want to its no problem."
"No, it's okay, I really need to go now, see you guys tomorrow in school!"
"This was an important day, I am pretty proud of myself, I only needed one day and I am already friends with the most popular from class 2-1, if this pace holds on I am popular in this class in only a few days, then I can already start becoming popular in class 2-3!"
"I also still need to make files about the four I met today."
The next day
"Hey Sota, how are you?!"
Hello Julian, I am good and you?"
"I am also good, class starts soon, I better go in my classroom, bye!"
"Sure, see you later!"
"Having a short conservation with him had obviously a plan behind, I was talking with him in front of the his whole class, this can bring a positive connection, they like Sota, someone talking and spending time with associates that the one who interacted with him is also connected with what they like on him."
Later in the lunch break
"Hey Julian, do you want to eat with us again?"
"Of course!"
"Hey Sora, we haven't exchanged phone numbers yesterday do you want to know?"
"Oh yeah we forgot."
"Today also someone else is with us eating, he is not popular but maybe if he thinks good of me, he is telling others in class that I am, okay?!"
"Hey Julian, today is Friday, right?"
"Yes why?"
"Every Friday I invite my whole class to eat something at a restaurant, I would like to invite you, do you come?!"
"Nice joke, I am inviting the whole class, I am mean for a joke that's almost a bit to exaggerated, Hehe!" Julian laughed lightly warmly, he looked at Julian serios, quickly he thought if he did something wrong, but they more looked at him like what Sota said was something normal.
"D-did I say something wrong?" Now Julian was a bit nervous.
Then Sota begins to giggle softly and playfully. "I mean this completely serios, that's normal for us, I mean I know that does not do every class, but we do it."
Julian looked at Sota like Sota is crazy, he still couldn't tell if it is a joke or not, after they saw Julian looking so perplex, they all needed to giggle.
"I am, I am sorry I don't mean this as an insult but your face, hahaha!"
"W-wait is this now a joke or not?!" At that moment he said that the giggles turned into everyone bursting in laughing beside Julian.
They needed their time to calm down, the laughed for minutes, Julian was still very unsure "Are they laughing about me or what is it?!"
"No but Jokes aside, it was not a joke, also people that are not from our class can come if they are invited or allowed from me, or Sora."
Ding, dong, ding.
"I-I think we should go now to our classes,
"Yeah, sure." Sora said with tears in his eyes from all his laughing.
"What the fuck happened right now? Sigh, I need to see it positive, the whole class is invited, that is obviously a big chance!
Later in the restaurant
"We are finally here, it looks like a fancy restaurant, it would be more disappointing slowly if it wouldn't be a fancy one to be honest, we have four big tables that are all with students from class 2-1.
A few hours later…
"Hey Julian, you were telling me that you live near school, from the restaurant to you place it would take too long, should I bring you home."
"Yes please, if it doesn't make any problems?!"
"No, it's okay, we just bring you home and then I drive with Sora because he lives next to me."
They were taking a seat in the limousine and then Julian was interested that they were neighbors "Thanks for taking me with you, I didn't know you were neighbors?!"
"Yes, that's why we are so close, we grew up together, you remember, Sota?"
"Of course, how could I forget, we were already best friends then!"
"Did your parents introduced each other?"
"Yes, I can remember that very well, feels like it was yesterday!"
"It really does!"
"Julian, we don't know anything about you, tell us something about you?!"
"I don't think I can tell much exciting about me, but what do you want to know?"
"I don't know…hmm, how was it before you came to Japan?"
"I was in a normal school, not a school like now, uhm, I don't know if there is much more to talk about, äh, I had one of the best grades in the whole school…beside that there was nothing so special…"
"Hmm, I think you are lying, were you someone who was doing party all the time or did other exciting stuff, what are you hiding, Hihi, in a normal school there are far less restrictions and rules right?"
"No, I wasn't really doing any of this stuff, but it's true there really more rules in this school, we didn't need to wear a uniform, we didn't even have one."
"What really, I almost can't imagine school without uniform, you mean you can be in school what we wear today in the restaurant???"
For Sota and Sora, this was a completely different world.
"Oh, I can go alone from here, thanks again for bringing me, see you guys' next week again!!!"
"Sure, see you and if you are ready to tell us about some stories from your school call me!!!"
"Hehe y-yeah, bye!"
"Good grief…"
"I mean should've I say? I didn't wanted to say the truth to be honest, but anyways; the evening itself was fun and I think the class likes me, I talked with everyone, maybe they all already like me, soon I will be very popular in this class and go on to the next one, class 2-3, class 2-3 is going to be different, I don't know a thing about them, I am not sure if I even know someone from this class.
"I am not sure about one thing, at what moment can I keep going on to the next class, until I am also popular in that class but how exactly am I going to find this out?"
"I think until Monday I can't do any over progress in becoming more popular in class, I should take a break the weekend, maybe meeting up with Tsubame…"
One weekend later
"I am late for school I should hurry a bit!"
"The weekend was pretty nice, and I could regenerate a bit, I wonder if my popularity got higher in this class?"
"Hey Mercer!"
H-hi!"
"I remember this guy, he was also eating with us in the lunch break, I am mean he recognized me and remembered my face, which sounds pretty good?!"
"Class 2-1 is right next to mine so it's natural that many from the class are going in a direction like me, some people from class 2-1 already greeted me, I think around seven or something, means I am probably already a bit popular?!"
"Hey Sota, do you want to eat to lunch today again?"
"No, I am not hungry today…"
"O-okay…" Julian just walked away after that.
"Did I something wrong??? Is it because maybe I didn't want to tell much how school was back then???"
"And why is Sora not here today?"
The school the itself was like always, beside that he got recognized and talked a bit students from class 2-1; when he wanted to leave school he saw Sota standing there like he waits for someone, Julian was going by him and tried to stay positive and said "See you tomorrow!" Also trying to have a gentle expression, but Sota still wanted to talk with him.
"Julian, do you need to go somewhere important?"
"No, why?"
"Could we go drink something, as an apology that I was a bit harsh to you?"
"It's okay everyone has his bad days."
"Could we still drink something, there are multiple cafes here."
"Okay sure if you want."
On the walk to the café Sota looked very pensive, Julian thought if there was a rumor that someone was telling Sota, or something else.
"Hey, you look very pensive you know that, also already in school…"
"I know, it's because Sora is sick again, he has a disease that is called SCID or Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, to make it short, you become much more often and stronger sick than others on top of that he is also very short and thin, like you probably already seen; already back then I needed to protect him because other kids were often bullying him also because I am the difference of him when it comes to the physical aspect, I just always worry when he is sick…"