"Chihaya-san, are you in Class B too? If not, you should hurry to your own classroom now." Sakiko kindly reminded her.
"Ah, shoot." Anon's face twisted in frustration—she had wasted way too much time. Her original plan to get to class early and prepare in advance was already ruined.
"I gotta go! Kyo!" Though she was in a rush, the hallway rules prohibited running, so she could only walk as fast as she could while hurriedly calling out, "I'll come find you when I have time—"
As they watched Anon disappear around the corner, Sakiko commented with mild surprise, "She's a bit frantic, but she actually pays attention to details."
Even in a hurry, she still followed the rules. That awkward fast-walking posture—clearly wanting to run but restraining herself—was far from elegant, but it left a decent impression on Sakiko nonetheless.
By then, Kyo and Sakiko had entered their classroom as well. After apologizing for being slightly late, their teacher waved it off with a kind smile. There was still time before they'd actually be marked tardy, and the teacher's main concern was simply making sure all students had arrived safely.
After asking for their names, the teacher pointed to their assigned seats—conveniently placed in the back row by the window, with Kyo sitting in front and Sakiko right behind her.
"Ah, Kyo! You got placed in this class too?!"
"Good morning, Kikukawa-san."
Just as Anon had predicted earlier, Haneoka was a unified school, meaning Kyo had moved up directly from its middle school division. Naturally, many of her classmates already knew her—and judging by their reactions, they seemed to get along quite well.
As Kyo and Sakiko made their way to their seats, nearly everyone who noticed Kyo greeted her enthusiastically.
Kyo responded to each greeting with a friendly wave or a nod, smiling all the while.
Sakiko, on the other hand, was a complete stranger to them. But her refined looks and elegant, almost aristocratic demeanor still drew a few curious glances. If not for Kyo being an even bigger attention magnet, more people probably would have approached her.
Sakiko didn't mind, though. In fact, she was rather relieved that no one recognized her. The last thing she wanted was to run into Taki from her middle school days at Haneoka.
Once they sat down, the greetings and chatter gradually died down.
"You're really popular, Kyo." From her seat behind, Sakiko took the rare opportunity to observe Kyo from this angle. Her carefully styled pearl-gray hair, the light sheen of sweat on the nape of her neck, and the way a few strands near her skin had started to stick.
"It's not easy maintaining this level of popularity, you know~" Kyo tilted her head slightly, gazing out the window with satisfaction. Getting assigned a window seat had put her in an excellent mood.
Just imagining herself resting her head on her arm, watching raindrops trickle down the glass on a rainy day… Kyo was already looking forward to it.
"You're not just well-liked—you seem to enjoy making friends too."
"Do I?"
"In the short time we've been here, you already befriended Chihaya-san and even arranged to meet up later." Sakiko recalled Anon's bright, friendly demeanor. "She's definitely the outgoing type, but you must have made an effort to talk to her first for things to progress so quickly."
Kyo hummed noncommittally, then countered with a question of her own. "What do you think of Anon?"
Sakiko furrowed her brows slightly, unsure why Kyo was asking. Kyo should already know that she wasn't particularly interested in forming deep friendships right now—maintaining neutral relationships with those around her was more than enough.
Still, she answered, "She's very cheerful and outgoing, but she also maintains appropriate social boundaries and doesn't overstep. I only interacted with her briefly, so that's all I can really say."
"So, you think she has a good personality too, huh?"
"…I suppose."
That's promising.
Kyo took a sip from the thermos she'd brought, the warm aroma wafting up and catching the attention of the student in front of her, who turned around curiously.
Maybe… Anon really could become a good friend for Tomori.
At this moment, Kikukawa Kyo had yet to consider Anon as a key figure in forming a band. However, based on what she had observed so far—Anon's strong social skills and her attentiveness toward others—perhaps she really could become friends with Tomori…
...
The first day of school was just the usual formalities: teachers going over school rules and policies, followed by student self-introductions.
The process passed uneventfully. Soon after, the homeroom teacher began handing out small red flowers for the students to pin to their uniforms—a symbolic blessing for the new students. In a little while, they would all be heading to the auditorium to listen to the freshman welcome speeches.
As the students filed out of the classroom, Kyo brought along her thermos, walking side by side with Sakiko. They followed the flow of students moving forward—until suddenly, from behind them, a soft "Ah" sounded.
It was barely more than a whisper—so faint that it was impossible to tell whether the person meant to call out to someone or had simply let the sound slip unintentionally.
And yet, both Kyo and Sakiko reacted immediately, recognizing that the voice had been directed at them.
Sakiko knew this voice well.
It was Takamatsu Tomori, the vocalist of CRYCHIC.
Why is she here?
Tomori hadn't attended Haneoka Middle School… but then again, even though Haneoka was a unified school, transfer students weren't exactly rare.
Still… why her?
Sakiko's mind was a mess. Even if she had run into Taki instead, she wouldn't have been this shaken. Taki, for all her impulsiveness and blunt words, would likely have lashed out at Sakiko a few times before deciding to keep her distance. Even if they crossed paths, Taki probably wouldn't have spoken to her first.
But Tomori…
Sakiko gritted her teeth, steeling herself.
When she turned around, she was met with Tomori's hesitant, soft gaze.
That was enough to make up her mind.
Jaw tightening, she forced herself to look away—abruptly, almost harshly. She didn't even glance at Kyo before picking up her pace and vanishing into the crowd, leaving Tomori behind.
Kyo sighed as she watched Sakiko disappear. She made no attempt to follow. Instead, she turned against the flow of students, making her way back toward Tomori.
"…Tomori, are you okay?"
Before Kyo could say anything more, she noticed someone already standing beside Tomori, trying to console her despite not fully understanding the situation.
It was none other than Chihaya Anon—the very person Kyo had just been considering as a potential friend for Tomori.
Are they in the same class?
Kyo hadn't expected Anon to connect with Tomori so quickly, but judging by the concern in her expression, she was genuinely worried. Then again, maybe it was just Anon's nature—her inability to leave someone alone when they were clearly upset.
When Anon noticed Kyo approaching, she leaned in and whispered, "Kyo, do you and Sakiko know Tomori? She froze the moment she saw you two, and then Sakiko just walked off without a word. What happened?"
Kyo absentmindedly ran her fingers over her thermos, considering how to respond.
In the end, she simply said, "Don't worry about that stubborn idiot. There's no bad blood between her and Tomori… probably."