"Huh… what is this? An anime song?"
"So funny, Rinako, you actually like that kind of stuff?"
Even half an hour later, the Gyaru–Popular Girls' voices—dripping with disdain and mockery—still echoed painfully in Amanori Reinako's ears.
"Ugh… just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt again. I feel like throwing up."
Pale-faced, Amanori Reinako leaned weakly against a wall. Hoping to salvage her mood, she stopped by a game store to buy the newly released Destiny Summon: 21st Edition. Normally, the thought of holding the new disc would have filled this usually energetic Genki girl with excitement, but today even that didn't help. Instead, the pressure and embarrassment from earlier churned in her stomach.
After that disaster at karaoke… would they even talk to her tomorrow?
She had spent the entire summer meticulously trying to change her image, only for everything to end up like this.
It's over… my new school life is completely over…
Her chest tightened as another wave of nausea hit her. Dizzy and unsteady, she felt her legs give out—and just when she was about to collapse, a gentle strength caught her by the shoulder.
"Amanori-san, are you alright?"
Huh? A boy's voice?!
Rinako snapped awake instantly. Ignoring her discomfort, she jerked her head up and found herself staring straight into Kazama Haruka's deep, calm eyes.
"Tha… thank you, Kazama-san. I feel much better now."
Kazama Haruka helped her sit on a roadside bench and rest. After about fifteen minutes, some color finally returned to her face. Through gentle questioning and piecing together the half-truths she offered, he managed to roughly understand what had happened to her earlier.
To be honest, it was… a little pathetic.
"If you didn't want to go, you could've just refused. Why force yourself?" Kazama Haruka sighed softly. Buying a bottle of Pocari Sweat from a vending machine, he casually handed it to her. "Here. Drink."
"But… if I refused, I'd lose the chance to become friends with them later," she murmured, staring at the bottle as if it held all her problems.
"Is that so? Girls really have it tough," Kazama Haruka replied sympathetically.
But while her tone seemed subtly gloomy, her heart was in absolute chaos.
Idiot, Rinako, you huge idiot!
Did your brain melt? Why are you telling a boy you barely know all this?!
Are you trying to announce that you're a socially hopeless, pathetic otaku who giggles over otome games?!
Rinako glanced at Kazama Haruka guiltily.
Woah.
Not good. This guy is super handsome.
In her mind, she gave him a thorough evaluation: if a person's charm could be quantified, he'd get a perfect 10 out of 10. Even if he looked down on her, that expression alone would probably be delicious to behold.
And why was she—an introverted, anxious mess—sitting on the same bench as someone this handsome? To outsiders, would they look like they were on a date?
Life really was unpredictable. Just hours ago, she was being toyed with by annoying gyarus, and now she was experiencing something straight out of a romcom.
She couldn't resist sneaking a few more glances at him. This time, Kazama Haruka noticed and smiled gently.
Doki!
Her heart skyrocketed. She clapped her hand over her mouth, barely suppressing a scream.
Not good. This guy is seriously dangerous!
Oddly enough, she didn't feel the usual suffocating nervousness she felt when facing boys. She could actually look him in the eye. It must be because he helped her, she reasoned. Definitely not because he was ridiculously handsome and impossible to look away from.
Yes. Definitely that.
As she regained some calm, she suddenly realized the air between them had grown awkward.
Kazama Haruka, you're the Genki type, aren't you? Aren't you supposed to move the conversation along? Why are you being so useless?!
No matter how much she silently cursed him, Kazama Haruka remained relaxed, sipping his cola without making the slightest attempt to start a conversation. He seemed perfectly content enjoying the quiet.
Feeling the pressure, Rinako nudged herself mentally.
Think of something, Rinako! Your looks, brain, and athletic skills are average… but you've got an F-cup! You can definitely handle this awkwardness somehow!
Bolstered by this strangely unhelpful pep talk, she began assessing him more boldly.
Got it!
Her eyes landed on the black guitar case strapped to his back. Triumph glimmered faintly on her face as she finally spoke:
"Kazama-san, what you're carrying—is that a guitar? Are you in a band?"
Kazama Haruka visibly relaxed, relieved she had finally started talking again.
To avoid saying something insensitive and potentially triggering her slight fear of men, he had been deliberately keeping a careful distance—close enough not to seem cold, but not too close either. He believed this would help her feel safe.
Now that she was speaking comfortably, maybe he could lighten the mood with a joke?
With that in mind, he shook his head and said, "Wrong, Amanori-san. It's not a guitar. It's a bass."
Rinako: (ｷ ｀ ﾟ Д ﾟ ´)!!
It's over. According to the internet, bassists fly into a rage when someone mistakes their bass for a guitar.
Was Kazama Haruka about to explode on her?!
But when he saw her expression instantly drain of color, Kazama Haruka realized his joke had backfired.
"Haha, sorry, sorry. I'm just kidding, Amanori-san. It is a guitar."
I swear, I'll murder you.
If Kazama Haruka didn't have that national-treasure-level face, she would've chucked her bag at him on the spot.
Although dramatic, their awkward exchange somehow made them feel closer.
Rinako noticed it too.
"Ahaha… just a joke, huh," she said, forcing a polite smile while swallowing her inner complaints. She used the opportunity to keep the conversation going:
"By the way, Kazama-san, who are you in a band with? Anyone from our class?"
"Yeah. Takamatsu-san, from Class A."
"Takamatsu… ah! That gentle, tiny girl who's like a small animal, right?"
After some thought, Rinako matched the name Takamatsu Tomori to the quiet girl who always played with pebbles on her desk. Despite barely talking to anyone, she was adored by the entire class. She was practically their class mascot.