"Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart." – Fyodor Dostoevsky, "Crime and Punishment"
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「April 2nd︱Mourning︱Advanced Nurturing High School First-Year Dormitory
April.
April is a month that is considered special by the people of Japan. April, besides being known as the month of spring. April is also known as the month of beginnings. When April entered, all activities taking place in Japan seemed to have started again.
Education, Offices, and various other departments. Education will restart the process of learning activities. The office will re-carry out the latest records regarding work activities taking place in the office. Etc.
Flowers from cherry trees can be seen blooming in various places in Japan, especially in the city of Tokyo. The blooming of cherry blossoms from the trees adds to the beauty of every place located in Tokyo City.
Meanwhile...
"This is my first day at school, might as well leave earlier than I would prefer." - Yamasaki thought to himself.
Yamasaki was right in front of the mirror. Making sure everything is in order. After everything was taken care of, Yamasaki left his dorm room.
As Yamasaki was about to reach the lift, someone called him out.
-"Hey Yamasaki." - A firm, calm yet non-aggressive voice. It must be a guy.
-"Good morning, Miyake." - Yamasaki replied curtly to Miyake's greeting.
-"Good morning, Yamasaki. I didn't know you lived on this floor." - Miyake brought up the first question that came to his mind.
-"Same goes for you, Miyake. I am surprised that a classmate will reside on the same floor." - Yamasaki continued on the topic while passing the conversation to Miyake.
-"Fair enough. It is good to know that there is someone I know nearby." - Miyake reciprocated the sentiment.
Yamasaki nodded.
As the duo walked towards the lift, Miyake asked another question.
-"Yamasaki, do you remember Haruka?" - Miyake brought up an unexpected topic.
-"Hasebe Haruka? She is a classmate of ours. What about her?" - Yamasaki's response was concise and straightforward. He immediately noticed Miyake calling Hasebe by her first name and it was only the first day. Yamasaki already has an idea why that might be the case.
Regardless, Yamasaki was curious about where Miyake was heading towards the direction of this conversation.
-"I didn't tell this to anyone, but she is a childhood friend of mine." - Miyake revealed the truth with a straight face.
-It is surprising, yeah. In a school like this, the chances to encounter a close friend are slim." - Yamasaki commented on Miyake's statement about his relationship with Hasebe.
The duo entered the lift and Miyake pushed the button toward the ground floor. As the lift continued to slowly go down, the conversation continued.
"Indeed. Both of us knew beforehand that we would apply to this school, but what shocked both of us was when we realised that both of us got accepted." - Miyake wryly smiled reminiscing about an unexpected reunion with Hasebe. Miyake's eyes were expressed with joy, gratitude, and a bit of sentimentality while shaking his head left and right recounting the absurdity of the situation.
-"And what does your relationship with Hasebe have anything to do with what we are talking about right now?" - Yamasaki reiterated his question once more to Miyake.
Yamasaki was not by no means did not lack patience. He was simply curious about where Miyake was leading the conversation.
-"Haruka told me that both of you became friends." - Miyake told Yamasaki what he learned yesterday.
Yamasaki nodded. He saw no reason to say anything else.
-"We did exchange contact information, after all. I doubt she would have done it if she disliked me." - Yamasaki stated the obvious. Otherwise, a self-conscious girl like Hasebe would not attempt to ignite a friendship with an insufferable person, much less a boy.
-"It is more than that. Haruka is not one to open up to strangers, especially on the first day." - Miyake insinuates that there is a deeper meaning behind his words.
To be honest, Miyake was surprised. He knew Hasebe for years. They both attended the same middle school in Hiroshima City. To top it all off, they were in the same class for three years straight. As fellow loners, neither of them had little to do with their class's internal class dynamics.
Both of them kept to themselves. Limited interactions with their classmates and mostly out of necessity for class activities like annual expeditions, group projects and so on. Hasebe, in particular, put a distance from her classmates.
Yamasaki patiently waited. Indirectly asking Miyake to continue the conversation.
-"I don't think whether you realise it or not, but to Haruka, you are the first friend she has made in this school." - Miyake articulated the thoughts he kept to himself ever since he heard about him from Hasebe.
-"It is still a second day at school, it is not that Hasebe won't have opportunities to get acquainted with other classmates." - Yamasaki commented. He understood that Hasebe thinks more of their relationship than a normal person would.
-"You don't get it. Even I, who knew Haruka for years did not get close to her as much as you did in one day. It took us quite a while to get a friendly, much less at a closer level. When Haruka shared she had made a friend, I was really surprised. Haruka is not the one to initiate the conversation." - Miyake remarked that Yamasaki underestimated the consequences of his actions.
-"That is surprising. Hasebe seems to be the type of girl who would get along with others." - Yamasaki told a half-truth statement. Yamasaki wasn't lying. He simply wanted Miyake to elaborate on the context behind Hasebe's tendency to put distance from others.
The one similarity Hasebe shares with another loner, Horikita Suzune. Even if they are loners for completely different reasons, neither of them wants to have anything to do with other people. Horikita is only more extreme.
At least, Hasebe would not antagonise others for no reason.
-"Well, she is not. She is the type to make one or a few friends and that's it. Even in the middle school, she has made no effort to get to know her classmates. Even if Haruka is surprisingly open and easy-going to those she trusts, she is quite reclusive to those she does not approve." - Miyake shared his insights on Hasebe. Being her childhood friend, Miyake understands Hasebe the way no one else could.
-"Well, we only exchanged a few words. You would better what Hasebe is like." - Yamasaki recognised Miyake's concern for Hasebe and the bond they share. Yamasaki was by no means condescending towards Miyake. He was simply curious about the reason behind Miyake's sudden interest in their relationship.
-"What I am trying to say is, be a good friend to her. This is a new school she came to. Even if she is content with who she is, it would not be bad for her to have one more friend besides myself." - Miyake shared his concern for Hasebe. He believed that it would be nice for Hasebe to have someone to talk to besides himself.
-"I understand." - Yamasaki acknowledged Miyake's feelings. He saw no reason to reject Hasebe's company after hearing her background. Not that he was gonna reject her either way.
-"Thanks, Yamasaki. This means a lot to me." - Miyake exhaled a relief. Deep down, he was a little concerned that Yamasaki might not take him seriously or simply reject his request.
Fortunately, that was not the case.
-"Sure."
Yamasaki and Miyake finished their conversation as they continued to walk towards the Class 1-D classroom.
There are still 20 minutes left until the homeroom starts.
10 minutes later...
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「April 2nd︱Mourning︱Class 1-D Classroom
Yamasaki and Miyake entered the classroom.
Meanwhile...
-"Good morning, Miyaachi, Yamasaki-kun!" - someone shouted.
There is only one person who could call Miyake in such a manner...
-"Good morning, Haruka." - Miyake replied casually with a neutral expression though a little bit annoyed by the nickname.
-"Good morning, Hasebe." - Yamasaki answered curtly with a small smile on his expression.
-" I am surprised to see you two together, not that I am complaining." - Hasebe remarked the first thought that crossed her mind.
-"We just met along the way." - Miyake shrugged, not mentioning what they discovered.
-"No need to be shy, Miyachi! I am happy that you decided not to become a hermit for the whole high school. I would not want to become your caretaker." - Hasebe smugly replied with an exaggerated body movement as if she barely avoided a life crisis.
-"As if that would ever happen. I am not like you Haruka." - Miyake flatly replied.
Though Miyake's facial expression and voice tone do not show any signs of emotional reaction towards Hasebe's playful teasing. If anything, he showed a strange mixture of exasperation and resignation happiness.
"Friendship based on natural ease and mutual respect. Hasebe and Miyake truly embody the connection that one is lucky to have at least once in their lives." - Yamasaki thought to himself.
-"Yeah, yeah... Anyway, thank you for hanging out with him Yamasaki-kun. I am glad Miyachi will have someone to talk to other than me. Honestly, he should be grateful to have someone like me, right?" - Hasebe playfully teased to get a reaction out of Yamasaki.
-"Of course. You are a good friend Hasebe" - Yamasaki answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Hehe... Glad to know that you understand." - Hasebe accepted the praise with no change in her facial expression.
On the inside though?
Well, that's a different story...
After 5 minutes of mindless bickering, Yamasaki decided to go to his seat.
As he headed towards his respective seat, he noticed Matsushita, Satou, and Mori discussing something.
He waved at them.
The girls noticed him and waved at him with smiles on their expression.
Karuizawa saw that her friend group paid close attention to someone else. After she met her gaze with Yamasaki, she immediately withdrew her eye contact and blushed immensely.
Yamasaki paid no mind to Karuizawa's uncharacteristic behaviour.
As Yamasaki continued to stare at the class, he contemplated to himself.
"The first thing I wanted to do today was to find out what exactly happens during the school hours. Usually, high schools are constructed with six periods within the day; with each period being 45 minutes long in elementary schools, while it being 50 minutes during junior and senior high. Between each period, there are small breaks that last for around ten to fifteen minutes.
"In addition, there is a matter about the teachers outside of respective classes A-D. Teachers have a key role in this school. They act as the ultimate representative judge of all things that happen within the school. They were the ones who gave out punishments when students got into a conflict. They are the ones who oversee the special exams."
"Long story short, getting to know more teachers and forming connections with them would in the end benefit me in the future."
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[Yamasaki Isao's POV]
It was the end of class. Even though this was my first time attending classes, I didn't feel anything. In ANHS, there are seven periods at school, with a ten-minute break in between each of them. After the fourth period, there was the lunch break, which went on for about an hour. As a result, school started at 8:00 am and ended at 3:40 pm.
We were also introduced to the rest of the faculty members today.
From Year-One teachers, Chabashira-sensei taught Japanese History, Mashima-sensei taught English, Sakagami-sensei taught Maths, and Hoshinomiya-sensei taught Japanese, and acted as a part-time nurse.
But we also met other teachers from different year levels as well. Schools cannot function by only teaching four different subjects. According to the Japanese Ministry of Education, year-one high schoolers in Japan learn Japanese, English and Mathematics, along with Contemporary Societies and Science. In the second year, however, students are divided into two majors: literature and science. The literature major focuses more on the creative side, with these students taking modern and classic literature classes as well as subjects like history and politics. The science major focuses on mathematical subjects instead, like integral/differential calculus, and probability and statistics. Students in this major also focus on science like physics and chemistry.
Since the choice between the major you would choose would be very important for your future career path, elite students normally decide on the majors they will pursue before entering high school and only focus on the particular subjects that matter towards their grades.
For me?
The choice was obvious.
The first new teacher that I was introduced to was Takahashi-sensei.
Takahashi-sensei was a science teacher who taught Class 2-A. Her figure was similar to Hoshinomiya-sensei, maybe even a little shorter. She also seemed to have a similar bubbly personality to Hoshinomiya as well. However, unlike her, Takahashi-sensei's personality seemed genuine, and that she felt pure. At the end of the class, she let out a deep smile and wished us good luck for the rest of the year.
The second teacher that the class was greeted with was Kato-sensei. He was a humanities teacher who taught Class 2-B. My overall evaluation of this man is simple: he is lazy. Although he only seemed to be around the age of mid-20s, his attitude felt like a tired old office worker in his mid-40s. His appearance did not give that vibe out though. It was only his mannerisms that made him feel old. He spoke only when necessary and mostly in a monotone voice. Because of the boring nature of both the subject and the teacher, most students fell asleep during the class, even Yukimura. The only ones who managed to keep their attention were Horikita, Kushida, Hirata, Mii-chan and Koenji.
Or rather...
I am not sure whether Koenjii heard what the Kato-sensei said or if he was absorbed in his world.
Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that this was a completely new topic for me, I might have fallen asleep as well.
What surprised me the most about him was the utter lack of care he showed for anything. Although teachers are not allowed to comment on the student's behaviour, at least during their first month, every teacher still has some kind of reaction on their faces as students begin to mess about in class. For Chabashira-sensei, it was a wrinkle in the brow. For Takahashi-sensei, it was a small sigh. For Mashima-sensei, it was a frown.
But Kato-sensei had none of that. The patience to continue teaching even when 90% of the class was not listening was commendable. Maybe in the future, I could cooperate with him, telling him to turn a blind eye to things that I might do.
Today, we didn't get the chance to meet the rest of the Year 2 teachers, nor any of the Year 3 teachers. Right after Kato-sensei finished his lecture, he told us that the teachers rotate out of that class once the class they are currently teaching graduates. As a result, the current Year 3 teachers will be teaching the Year 1 students next year.
In the meantime...
"At five pm today, we will be holding a student club fair in Gymnasium No.1. Any students who are interested in joining a club, please gather at Gymnasium No.1. I repeat-" - a sweet voice endorsed the club fair.
As an aspiring high school, I have every intention to see it for myself. Even though I have no interest in club activities, there is no harm in checking it out. I have an opportunity to learn about the types of clubs and seniors who are in charge of their respective. Learning about people the clubs my fellow peers affiliate themselves is a nice bonus.
-"Hey, Yamasaki-kun!" - a girl's voice called out to me.
It was Mori.
Mori, together with Matsushita and Satou, headed towards me with gentle smiles on their expression.
I didn't miss the expressions of anger and jealousy from more than half of the boys in the classroom (at least 80%). Envious that they are not in my place.
So, this is the feeling of being popular, huh?
-"What is it, Mori?" - I inquired, curious about her intentions.
-"Do you want to club fair together?"- Mori asked with sparkling eyes and a gentle tone.
-"Sure. I am also curious to see the club fair." - Yamasaki accepted the invitation without a second thought.
-"Great! We have another guy on board with us!" - Satou declared proudly with a vibrant expression on her face.
-"Hirata is coming as well?" - I inquired for the sake of conversation.
"Hehe... not just Hirata-kun. Karuizawa-san is coming with us as well." - Mori included herself in the conversation.
"The more, the merrier, I suppose." - I answered, having no problem with Hirata and Karuizawa coming along with us. Though, I believe Hirata is the only one who will join the club.
"Why wouldn't you agree? You get a chance to have 4 beautiful girls all to yourself." - Matsushita teased with an amused grin to get a reaction out of me.
Unfortunately for her, she made a bad move...
"Indeed, I am very lucky to be blessed with the company of a girl as pretty as you, Matsushita." - I countered her remark and launched a full-offense attack on Matsushita.
"Of course, any guy would be lucky to have a chance to hang out with me." Matsushita cooly replied.
Try to say that when you are not blushing Matsushita.
It seems Matsushita is one of those girls who are strong on the offence but weak on defence.
"A second day, and already making a move on girl, and Matsushita-san of all girls. How bold of you Yamasaki-kun.." - Satou incredulously opened her mouth as if she caught me doing something scandalous.
Her smirk only ruined the impression, thought...
"I only said the truth, Satou." - I shrugged.
"Hehe... I know, I know. Yamasaki-kun is not that kind of person." - Satou cheerfully replied, saying she meant nothing bad. She was only teasing me.
"Hmm... I wonder about that. Maybe our Yamasaki-kun is a secret playboy, maybe we should watch out for themselves not to fall for you." - Mori teased me relentlessly, in hopes of throwing me off even a little bit.
-The same goes for you Mori, you too Satou." - I launched my attack on both of them without a moment of hesitation.
"H-Huh?"
"Both of you are very pretty, my opinion won't change the truth." - I smiled gently with a soft expression on my face.
Both girls were blushing to no end. Matsushita was still in her world, mumbling something to herself.
Me (1) - girls (0).
-"Anyway, let's meet up with Hirata, we don't want to miss out on the club fair." - I stated putting an end to the conversation. As much as entertaining this was, I spared them from further embarrassment.
-"Y-Yeah." - the girls nodded, trying to leave the embarrassment behind.
Matsushita, Satou, and Mori followed me as we headed to Hirata's desk.
-"Hey Hirata." - I called out to Hirata trying to garner his attention.
-"Oh! Good mourning, Yamasaki-kun! I saw you coming to the class with Miyake-kun. I wanted to say hi but I was talking to my classmates." - Hirata continues to engage in conversation with me.
-"It's alright. I was wondering if you want to come to the club fair with us?" - I immediately got to the point. There was no point in pleasantries.
-"Of course, Yamasaki-kun. you don't mind Karuizawa-san going with us, don't you?" - Hirata brought up one more person eager to join us.
-"Of course not. Karuizawa is free to join us." - I confirmed. I have no reason to deny her.
-"Thank you, Yamasaki-kun. Let me confirm this with Karuizawa-san." - Hirata being Hirata, was grateful knowing that Karuizawa won't be left behind.
Hirata went from his desk and headed towards Karuizawa. They exchanged a few words before getting to the topic.
Karuizawa looked at our group for a moment and nodded. Then both of them came to us.
-"Yeah, Karuizawa-san is coming with us, everyone" - Hirata addressed the whole group.
"Obviously! I am not being left behind, right Yamasaki-kun?" - Karuizawa playfully swung her finger around.
I couldn't help but chuckle seeing her antics.
"Of course not Karuizawa. Let's go, everyone. We don't wanna be late, won't we?"
We continued to stride towards the gymnasium as we left the classroom.
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「April 2nd︱Afternoon︱Gymnasium No.1
As Hirata's group arrived at the gymnasium, they were welcomed with an unexpected sight.
Mori and Satou gossip about boys.
Karuizawa and Matsushita discuss fashionista topics, clothes, and make-up.
Hirata and Yamasaki talk about the club fair.
As the group was talking with each other...
"Thank you for waiting, students. We will now begin the club fair. My name is Tachibana, the secretary for the student council. The leader of each club would come up to the podium and explain their club activities. A representative from each club, please line up on the stage,"
Tachibana-senpai concluded the announcement.
One by one, seniors from each club began to line up on the stage to give a speech about their clubs. Yamasaki carefully analyzed every one of them and began to fill out a database for each student in my mind.
Among the second-years. There were a few distinguishable individuals:
A blonde-haired male student.
Silver-haired female student.
and a chocolate-brown coloured female student.
Orange hair drooped below her shoulders, swaying about as she made her way towards the centre of the stage. On her hair, a golden amulet glistened through the crowd of students.
"Hello, everybody~!" She said brightly to the many students awaiting her. "My name is Asahina Nazuna, and I run the tea ceremony club. Although you may think that the tea ceremony is outdated in the modern era, the skills and etiquette you learn from it are still used in many business meetings within Japan, due to its ingrained nature in the country. If you would like to give it a try, feel free to sign up!"
Some are for serious clubs, mostly related to sports. Here, competition is fierce. Unless you are an exceptional talent, you will end up as a bench member most of the time. Not exactly the most thrilling way to spend your high school days.
Others are those with a more carefree lifestyle. A place as a means to pass the time, make friends,
-"Hey, isn't that Horikita?" - Yamsaki remarked as he saw Horikita in the gymnasium.
-"It is. I am happy that Horikita-san is here. Maybe she will join a club and make friends." - Hirata smiled warmly as if he was talking about a close friend or a significant.
Horikita was neither of them, though...
"Come on, Yamasaki-kun, Hirata-kun! Let's leave Horikita-san be on her own. She clearly would does not want anyone to go near here." - Karuizawa interrupted the boys' conversation with her analysis on Horikita's character.
She wasn't necessarily wrong.
Horikita is an aloof, overly blunt, reserved demeanour, arrogant, and somewhat awkward personality. In many ways, Horikita and Karuizawa were the complete opposites.
It was not surprising that most people would keep their distance from Horikita. After all, no one really enjoys being looked down upon.
The only people who would continue talking to her despite continuous rejections is either a sincere person or a person who harbours ulterior motive.
"That's not nice thing to say Karuizawa-san. I am sure if we talked things through, Horikita-san is is really a good person" - Hirata gracefully disagreed with Karuizawa's evaluation on Horikita.
"Yeah..Good luck with that."
"Listening to a self-righteous attitude and misguided arrogance is not my idea of good time."
"Karuizawa-san is right, Hirata-kun. I tried to initiate a conversation with Horikita-san but she rejected right away - Satou grumbled as she recounted the time when she tried to befriend Horikita.
"Hirata-kun, we understand you want the best for everyone, but some people just want to be left alone. I think Horikita-san is on of those people" - Matsushita gave a mature perspective on things.
Some things are better left as they are.
As the popular saying goes "Let the sleeping dragons, rest".
"Even so, I believe if we try our best, our words will reach Horikita-san." - Hirata said with unwavering conviction as if he had unbreakable foundation for his faith in Horikita's interest towards other people.
-"Let's leave at that. Personally, I would not be too keen on talking with Horikita-san, but if she approached us instead, I can hear her out, at least." - Mori settled for a middle-ground. Eventually, conversation led to a standstill.
-"I will go greet Horikita. You guys can go ahead without me" - Yamasaki remarked as he headed in Horikita' direction.
"Hey, Horiki-"
Before Yamasaki had a chance to share a word with Horikita, an influx of crowds began to move out of the gymnasium rapidly. This separated me from both Horikita and Karuizawa's group, pushing me back further and further.
Before he felt it, he quickly sidestepped out of the crowd and let out a sigh of relief. He canned the view to see what everyone was up to.
Hirata and Matsushita both went toward the respective clubs that they wanted to join, Karuizawa, Satou, and Mori each following one of them. This left Horikita alone, who was still stunned looking at the crowd. Somewhere near the entrance, Yamasaki found that a person had fallen due to the massive crowd moving at the same time. He went towards them to give them a hand.
"Hey, you okay?"
The person in question took him and stood up. At that moment, he saw the person in question.
"Thanks for giving me a hand!" she smiled brightly.
It was a blond-haired girl Yamasaki saw at the entrance ceremony.
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