43
Like everyone else, I’m now a high school student, sitting in my assigned seat like everyone else.
I let myself get swept along and ended up going to high school, and now I’m being forced to interact with other people.
“――――from middle school――――. My hobby is soccer, and I hope to――――at this school, too.”
I don’t want to change, but is it contradictory to try to adapt to a new environment?
I can’t help but wonder.
“I’m――――, and my friends are――――”
I’m starting to have these thoughts because I find the self-introductions of my classmates to be terribly boring.
Prompted by the teacher, we stand up one by one and go through this time-honored tradition of a new class.
Some people keep it simple, while others try to get a laugh.
“I’m looking for a girlfriend, so anyone who’s interested—what, no way, teacher. I didn’t mean it like that. Come on, don’t laugh—“
See, like that. Of course, most of them just end up falling flat.
They say first impressions are important, but do people really want to stand out that much?
From Noble mtl dot com
I guess I’m just a born introvert, since I find myself thinking such twisted thoughts.
But the small chuckles and giggles that reach my ears aren’t unpleasant.
It seems like the students around me didn’t have any negative feelings.
I think it’s because they could tell that he was desperately trying to fit in.
This was a good way to make a positive impression. No, it’s probably a success for him if he could leave an impression at all.
Anyway, there were students who were already desperately trying to secure their position in the class.
“I’m Tsujimura Beniya from Kitachu. I look forward to working with you.”
In the midst of all this, my greeting was way too safe.
It was too shallow to make an impression, and it didn’t give any information about what kind of person I am.
I just uttered a formulaic phrase. I’m sure my classmates won’t even remember it.
They probably don’t have any questions for me, so they’ll just sit down and that will be the end of it.
But that’s fine. I don’t need to put on a fake persona.
I don’t need to be a part of the class. I just need to get through it without any problems.
“Hey, hey, question! Tsujimura-kun, aren’t you looking for a girlfriend?”
But of course, there are always people who don’t read the mood.
The person who raised her hand with great enthusiasm and asked me that question was the twin-tailed girl sitting next to me.
Needless to say, it was Mihara. She had a big smile on her face, as if she was having a lot of fun.
“…No, not really. Well, I wouldn’t mind having one, though.”
“Oh, is that so? Got it.”
I felt like my cheeks were twitching as I said that, but I managed to keep my face calm.
It was good that Mihara backed down so easily, but… no, that’s not good at all.
What if she thinks I’m interested in her?
I don’t plan on getting a girlfriend in high school.
No, I don’t even know if I’ll ever be able to get one…
My childhood friend’s words were still burned into my mind.
“Okay, thank you. Next…”
“Yes! I’m Mihara Suzaka from Kitachu! I was in the same middle school as Tsujimura-kun, who just introduced himself! But all my female friends are in different classes, so I’m kind of a loner! I hate being lonely, so I want to have a lot of fun in high school! So, I’m looking for lots of friends! I’m open to exchanging contact information with anyone, so please feel free to talk to me!”
In contrast to my depressed mood, she was very energetic.
Mihara stood up before the teacher told her to and started introducing herself… Well, she’s a natural extrovert, so in a sense, she’s just doing what’s expected of her.
“Really? Then will you exchange with me too?”
“Okay, okay! I’m even okay with exchanging with all my classmates!”
“Alright! I’m so lucky! I’m glad I’m in this class!”
The classroom was exciting. Being able to liven up the atmosphere, for better or worse, is a kind of talent.
She’s a completely different breed from me, who got it over with as quickly and casually as possible.
She greeted everyone cheerfully and energetically, and she even looked confident doing it.
The boys were already teasing her and asking her all sorts of questions. She’ll never be isolated…
“Ehehehehe♪”
As I watched Mihara sit down after finishing her greeting, she noticed my gaze and winked at me with one eye for some reason.
I looked away instinctively. Her behavior was so strange that I couldn’t understand it.
As always, she didn’t seem to have a single worry, but what was she thinking?
(Sigh…)
Well, let’s forget about Mihara. It’s a waste of time to think about her.
Looking around again, some people stare at the students introducing themselves as if they are trying to identify the future leaders of the class, while others, like me, are yawning and barely paying attention.
It’s a mixed bag. In this classroom of less than 40 people, individuals with completely different thoughts, genders, and abilities have gathered from all over.
A small world of our peers, where we will share the same time for a year, was certainly beginning to form.
Clang, clang, clang, clang
“Okay, that’s it for today. Tomorrow, classes will officially start, so go home early today. You can hang out a bit, but don’t do anything bad right away.”
With those words, our homeroom teacher, Mr. Sato, left the classroom.
Since the self-introductions had just finished, it was probably a good time for the teacher to end it.
I had a feeling that the teacher’s steps were a little lighter than usual, perhaps because even adults are happy to finish early.
“Well, then…”
I looked at my watch and saw that it was just past noon.
Apparently, the first day of high school ended in a flash with the entrance ceremony, orientation, and a light homeroom.
I had heard that many schools that focus on academics start classes on the first day, but this school was not like that.
It seemed that the school didn’t have a strict policy, and I was a little relieved by that.
“The teacher seems nice.”
“Yeah, he seems like a good fit. I’m lucky he doesn’t seem like the preachy type.”
“Do you want to go somewhere? It’s a waste to go home right away.”
The classroom, now that the teacher has left, is quickly regaining the buzz it had before.
“Hey, is what you said in your introduction true?”
In one corner of the classroom, there was a group of people gathered.
Several girls were surrounding one student’s desk.
“Oh, yes…”
“That’s amazing! Hey, what’s it like in Tokyo? Have you ever met any celebrities?”
“Me too!”
It was Akanishi’s seat.