While listening to the teacher’s voice, which sounded like a chant, Sakuna Koizuka was holding back a yawn.
The teacher for the current Japanese class was in his forties, Sakagami. He always wore a white shirt and slacks, and while he appeared serious at a glance, his lessons were dull. The lectures were just readings from the textbook, with no passion or enthusiasm. From Sakuna’s perspective, he was a disappointing teacher, but for some people, he was considered a “good” teacher because he wouldn’t scold anyone for dozing off.
Sakuna thought it was ridiculous to listen seriously, so she started thinking about what she’d talked about with the “God of Love” yesterday after school.
Sakuna had hoped to hear about romance so she could write a novel she had stopped working on, but due to the flow of the conversation, she ended up having to help solve the problem of the person who had asked for advice.
(Well, that’s fine, but…)
She had said she would look into the person, Akizuki Takuji, but she had no idea how to go about it. Even if she searched online, there was no information about Akizuki. He was an ordinary person, so of course, there wouldn’t be anything. The only thing left to do was to ask another ordinary person, but that was tricky.
Sakuna didn’t have any friends. Not a single one.
She wasn’t completely isolated—she could talk when necessary, like for basic communication—but she didn’t have anyone she could call a friend. During lunch, she ate alone in a quiet place, and after that, she read in the library. She did the same in middle school, so by now, she didn’t feel the need to make friends.
Still…
(When it comes to things unrelated to studying, it’s a problem…)
Recent trends, rumors, or information that wasn’t in books or online could only be found through friends. Until now, she hadn’t been interested in such useless information and hadn’t needed it, so it hadn’t been a problem.
(Well, I guess I have no choice…)
If she didn’t have friends, she had to ask someone. The problem was, who should she ask?
She glanced at Manami Konoe. From Sakuna’s seat, Konoe sat at the front of the classroom, so she could only see her back.
Konoe dyed her hair just enough to avoid getting scolded by the teacher, and her glossy hair always looked like it belonged to an actress in a shampoo commercial. She was also considered the prettiest girl in class.
Her large eyes with double eyelids were full of strength, and her face was small overall. Although she wasn’t very tall, her proportions were good. She looked like a model.
From Sakuna’s perspective, Konoe had an aura that made her seem unapproachable just based on appearance, but her personality was gentle. Konoe’s group was at the top of the class hierarchy, but she wasn’t the center of attention within that group. She was usually quietly smiling while others around her were excited. Occasionally, Konoe even spoke to Sakuna, who was outside of the social hierarchy.
Sakuna didn’t want Konoe to be unhappy, and she wished Konoe would break up with someone like Akizuki, who was a player, as soon as possible.
That said, Sakuna couldn’t directly ask Konoe, “What kind of person is Akizuki Takuji?” Although Konoe was kind, not all the people in her group were. If it was misunderstood that Sakuna was interested in Konoe’s boyfriend, things could turn bad for her. There was no doubt she would be attacked if that happened.
Therefore, it would be best to exclude girls from Konoe’s group.
Girls from the lower social tiers in class were also out of the question. This was a complete prejudice, but Sakuna didn’t think they would know much about rumors. They might know more about anime and manga than Sakuna, and their conversations might be more in line with her interests, but that wasn’t what she needed for this situation.
So, it would have to be a girls’ group from a club. Especially those from sports clubs, who were more focused on their club activities than the class hierarchy. She needed to find someone who wasn’t too close to Konoe’s group but was still positioned higher in the social ranks. Additionally, it had to be someone with a good personality.
(Maybe Tashiro-san…)
Tashiro Miku’s seat was to the left, one row away. With her short black hair and athletic build, she was on the track team, and as expected, she was slightly tan. She had a bright personality, and she was friendly with both boys and girls. Although she would talk to Konoe and the others if they approached her, Sakuna had never seen them chatting for long.
(Miku is probably the only one. Since she’s in a club, I’ll try talking to her when she’s not in the classroom.)
Just as she was thinking this, the bell rang.
Sakagami, the teacher, closed the textbook before the students, saying “That’s it for today” as he left the classroom. The sound of textbooks being closed echoed, mixed with the noise of chairs moving as students began chatting. Sakuna quickly packed her notebook and textbook into her bag, trying to blend in with the noise.
She glanced at Tashiro. She was talking with some friends, smiling. It wasn’t even the right time to approach her yet, but Sakuna’s heart began pounding as if it were yelling.
