Kikukawa Kyo's first impression of Anon upon meeting her in person was surprisingly good.
Before this, through their chats on LINE and Anon's posts on social media, Kyo had naturally formed a mental image of her.
The most obvious label? Vain. That much was clear from social media alone. Anon had been to many cafes in London, but a simple search of the shop names revealed that she only chose trendy, Instagram-famous locations.
Sure, a few of her posts featured more classic, long-established cafés, but Kyo's sharp eyes caught some telling details in the pictures—
Take the coffee shops, for example. These "classics" prided themselves on tradition, often serving only authentic hand-drip coffee. For students who were more interested in a caffeine-sugar fix than actual coffee, these places were practically undrinkable—bitter, sour, and sometimes so stubbornly purist that they refused to provide milk or sugar.
And yet, in the photos Anon took at these places, one thing stood out—her cup was always full, practically untouched.
Kyo could imagine exactly what had happened.
Anon must have heard about some "classic, sophisticated" café and thought, If I check in here and post about it, people will think I have good taste.
Then, after taking a sip, she probably realized she couldn't stand the taste. But since she'd already made the effort to come, she had no choice but to take a picture, add some vague, generic caption to make it seem like she'd had a great experience…
Not just vain, but incredibly concerned with appearances too.
And she had no real perseverance. Back when she had just barely gotten the basics of brewing tea down, she was already rushing to ask Kyo about coffee-making. Kyo bet those tea leaves were now gathering dust somewhere.
Basically, based on everything she'd seen online, Kyo hadn't exactly formed the best impression of Anon.
But now…
Watching Anon sprint ahead, her bright pink hair bouncing with every step, Kyo picked up her pace to keep up.
From their brief conversation just now, it was obvious that Anon was the social type. Logically, someone so focused on appearances should crave being the center of attention, yet in conversation, she didn't force others to follow her rhythm or dominate the discussion.
Instead, she was considerate of her conversation partner's feelings—a natural at reading the room.
And she had a bit of a strategic side too. Kyo was certain that Anon wouldn't normally wear those chunky black-framed glasses. Maybe she was slightly nearsighted, but today of all days? It was probably more about crafting a softer, more approachable first impression in this new environment.
To Kyo, this kind of calculated move was actually a plus. Knowing how to present oneself and shape others' perceptions was a crucial skill for a bartender, whose job relied heavily on interacting with customers.
Completely unaware that she had just been thoroughly analyzed, Anon kept running ahead, occasionally glancing back to make sure Kyo was keeping up.
Before long, they reached the school building. After swapping their shoes for indoor ones, they started heading upstairs. Midway up the steps, Anon suddenly remembered—
"Oh! Kyo, which class are you in? I'm in Class A."
"I'm in Class B."
"Aw, what a shame! I was hoping we could become close with our classmates right away." Anon deliberately included Kyo in that "we," despite them having met just minutes ago, and then nervously sneaked a glance at Kyo's reaction.
Kyo, who treated social dynamics as an area of study, had used this kind of tactic herself before. She immediately recognized Anon's attempt to bridge the gap between them—but she wasn't about to reject it.
"The two classes are pretty close to each other. You can come find me anytime if you want. And, of course, if I want to see you, I can come find you too, right?"
S-So friendly! Kyo, love—
Hearing Kyo casually say "if I want to see you, I can come find you too," Anon's mood instantly brightened. It seemed like her luck was finally turning around after all the misfortunes she'd endured in London!
To be able to make friends with someone as mysterious yet kind as Kikukawa Kyo on the very first day—her wish for a fresh start was off to a dreamlike beginning.
"Of course!" Seizing the moment, Anon quickly pulled out her phone. "Let's add each other on LINE!"
Oh, you're walking right into this one, Anon.
Kyo blinked as she watched Anon take out her phone, curious about how she'd react once she realized that Kyo was already in her contacts—as 'Rainy Lady'—the very person who had known all along about her original plans to study abroad in London.
Just as Kyo was about to pull out her own phone, a voice suddenly called out from ahead—
"Kyo, where did you go? The classroom's almost full."
Both Kyo and Anon turned toward the voice. Standing at the door of Class B was a blue-haired girl.
"Sakiko, were you waiting for me?" Kyo asked.
"The teacher just noticed that a few students hadn't arrived yet and asked if anyone knew them or could get in touch," Sakiko replied matter-of-factly.
She glanced at Kyo's uniform—her vest was lazily draped over her arm instead of properly worn—and sighed, stepping forward with an exasperated expression.
"Put your uniform on properly. Do you have any idea how sloppy you look? Don't you care what people might say?"
"Yeah, yeah—" Kyo grumbled, shaking out the wrinkled vest before casually slipping it on.
Honestly... Sakiko sighed, stepping closer to straighten Kyo's uniform and smooth out the wrinkles with a few firm pats. At last, it looked somewhat presentable.
"You always dress so neatly when you're working—why do you turn into such a mess the moment you step into school?"
Anon stood there awkwardly as Kyo and this new girl, Sakiko, chatted naturally. The way they interacted—their tone, their body language—made it obvious that they were close.
But Kyo wasn't the type to ignore someone right in front of her. Without missing a beat, she turned slightly to introduce Anon—
"This is Chihaya Anon. We just became friends."
"I see."
Sakiko gave Anon a polite smile, nodding slightly before offering a small bow.
"Nice to meet you, Chihaya-san. I'm Togawa Sakiko. Please take care of me."
"P-Please take care of me too!" Anon quickly returned the bow.
So elegant...
In the span of a single morning, Anon had met three girls who completely defied the typical high school girl stereotype.
Had something changed while she was in London for those two months? Had Japanese high school girls all become this...distinct?