The sound of the heavy doors opening echoed through the empty auditorium. Mei stopped what she was doing and looked toward the entrance—at me. She didn't gasp or look surprised. Instead, she offered a gentle smile.
"Ah… what are you doing here, Hoshino? I wasn't expecting to see you here."
I matched her expression with a smile of my own. "Well, I just felt like being a good person today, so I asked the teacher if he needed any help. He entertained my motivation, and here I am."
Mei giggled softly. "Hihi, is that so? Well, as you can see, the chairs are already here. We just need to set them up," she said, gesturing behind her.
I followed her gesture and saw a mountain of folded chairs stacked together. I couldn't help but sigh.
This is… way too much work for two people—let alone one.
I didn't let my displeasure show, though. I walked into the room, grabbed two armfuls of chairs and got to work. We began setting them up in silence. It wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't awkward either. It was just neutral—boring.
"So… is anyone else going to be here?" I asked after a long pause, finally addressing the elephant in the room. I kept unfolding chairs, the metal screeching loudly as I slammed them onto the floor.
"Hmm, I don't think so," Mei replied as she gently unfolded a chair and rested it on the floor with a soft *thud*. "From what I heard, the usual helpers are either helping with something else or absent today."
My grip tightened around the chair leg, the cold steel biting into my palms. Lady luck is on my side? I should've known better.
"So you just agreed to do this on your own?" I asked flatly. "I know you're perfect and everything—but doesn't this seem too much, even for you?"
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Mei shaking her head. Yet, not even a single hair on her head fell out of place. "Well, I don't think I can finish this. I'm not crazy. But at the same time, I can't not do it, either. The school really needs this done, so I offered a helping hand. It's nothing serious."
I didn't respond. If this was her choice, then there was nothing more to say. I personally didn't get it. I'd never sacrifice my own time to help people I don't know—much less the school.
We continued setting up the chairs wordlessly for a few moments before it was Mei who continued the conversation. "Well, that's why I'm here. But what about you?" she asked politely.
"I already told you, I just felt like being productive," I said, keeping my gaze fixed on the chair I was working on.
"Oh, c'mon! That can't be the only reason."
I shrugged. "What do you want me to say? That my sister—who's on the student council—forced me to come help her? Yeah, no. I always do the exact opposite of whatever she tells me."
Mei laughed. "Haha, I guess not."
I played it off with a joke, but the truth was, I didn't have an answer. I could have left the moment I saw the chairs. I didn't even need to offer help to the teacher in the first place. Yet, here I was.
I expected the conversation to end there since there was nothing left to talk about, but to my surprise, Mei kept it going. "So, did you enjoy your nap in class?"
My movements faltered for just a moment as I unfolded a chair. "You were watching that?" I asked, masking my surprise.
Mei gave me a small nod. "Of course I was," she said brightly. "I think it's always so funny how you sleep in class even though you get in trouble for it all the time."
I turned my gaze toward the ceiling, the auditorium lights piercing my retinas as I carefully picked my next words. "Most of the time I do it, it's just to pass the time. Today, though, I was genuinely tired."
Mei paused and looked at me, concern flickering across her face. "Are you okay?"
I casually waved my hand, dismissing her worries. "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not dying or anything. I'm just tired."
A relieved smile spread across her face. She let out a deep breath and went back to work. "That's good. If you end up feeling tired again, you can leave whenever you want."
"Well, if you say it like that, now I can't," I joked. "You should know by now that I don't run from a challenge—especially one from you."
Mei moved methodically as she placed a chair and grabbed another one from beside her. "True… I guess I shouldn't have said anything."
We chuckled together. The sound bounced off the high ceiling and the empty walls, redirecting back into my ears. So this is what we sound like…
When the laughter died down, the silence returned—broken only by the sound of metal chairs scraping the floor. Then the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch.
Almost immediately, the auditorium door swung open. The principal stood there, head slightly bowed. "Thank you so much for your cooperation! As an apology for taking up your lunchtime, we would like to give you ten minutes to relax. You deserve it!"
Mei responded in a heartbeat. "No, it's okay," she said gently. "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't want to. If you need any more help, just let me know!"
I couldn't help but scoff as I watched her do these things. Spoken like a true honour student. I couldn't give the same reply.
I stretched my arms wide obnoxiously, letting out a tired groan in the process. "Well, I won't be doing this ever again. My motivation is over. Thanks for those ten minutes, though."
The principal looked up at us. I expected a witty remark, but instead, he gave us a weary, appreciative smile. "I'll let that slide just this once, Julie's cousin. Don't get used to it. And again, thank you, Mei, and you too, Hoshino."
With that, he left. Mei and I stood there for a moment, relishing the sudden freedom—or at least I was.
Suddenly, she jabbed me in the arm. It didn't bother me, but I turned to her with an annoyed scowl. "The hell was that for?"
She laughed it off. It wasn't the giggles I always heard from her—but it sounded like a real, genuine laugh. For a brief moment, I was caught off guard by the way her dark purple eyes, streaked with pink, gleamed. "Oh, nothing, I just felt like it."
Before I could respond, she began walking away. Her long pitch-black hair with an undertone of dark magenta swayed lightly behind her.
I rolled my eyes. You're just like Lily… it doesn't hurt to say thank you, y'know?
Even as I complained, I followed her out of the room. The ten minutes passed quickly. She grabbed her lunch and headed for the roof; I accompanied her the whole way.
We didn't say a single word, and we didn't need to. There was no point in forcing a conversation to fill the space all the time.
With anyone else, even I would have found it to be awkward. But this time, the silence was strangely peaceful.