The next portion of the school day felt impossibly long for both Marin and Wakana.
Marin found it hard to focus on the teacher's lesson, her thoughts bouncing between the exciting possibility of finally getting her wish to come true.
Wakana, meanwhile, tried to absorb the new class material but found himself constantly aware of the girl in front of him, feeling a pleasant, grounding stability that he hadn't expected from his first day.
Finally, the bell for the morning break rang, a welcome, jarring sound.
Hanaoka-sensei gathered her papers. "Alright, ten minutes for a quick rest. Everyone, be back on time."
She left the room, leaving the students to immediately erupt into a flurry of activity.
Marin was ready.
She mentally counted to three and prepared to spin around and launch her conversation.
But she wasn't fast enough.
Before she could even turn, the back corner of the room was completely saturated with curious classmates.
Wakana was instantly surrounded, creating a dense, friendly blockade around his desk.
"Hey—Wait!" Marin protested, trying to pivot and push her way through the throng, but her voice was immediately swallowed by the louder, more assertive voices of the crowd.
She sighed dramatically, defeated, and had to slump back down into her chair, blocked by a wall of elbows and uniforms.
Wakana felt the immediate crush of bodies and questions. He was suddenly the focus of intense, collective junior high curiosity.
He raised his hands in a polite, calming gesture.
"I'm happy to meet all of you, but please, one at a time!" he suggested, his voice gentle but firm.
The students, however, were too excited to be orderly, and the questions came tumbling out in a rush, overlapping and mixing together.
Unlike the teacher's office, these questions were less about the past and more about the present reality of the transfer.
"Where did you move here from? Is it a big city or a small one?"
"What high school are you planning to enroll in? Is it the Kashiwanoha high school division too?"
"Do you know anybody else at this school, or just Kitagawa-san?"
Wakana waited for the initial rush to subside, taking a calming breath. He gave quick, direct answers, ensuring everyone felt heard.
"I didn't move cities; I'm also from Saitama. I just decided to move schools for a new experience."
"Yes, I plan to enroll in the Kashiwanoha high school division next year, just like I told sensei."
"No, Kitagawa-san is the only person I know in this school so far."
The concise replies seemed to satisfy the initial, urgent questions, and the crowd began to relax, giving Wakana a little more space to breathe.
Nowa Sugaya, ever the organizer, saw the chance to structure the chaos.
She confidently stepped forward. "Okay, that's enough random questions! Gojo-kun is going to feel like we're interrogating him. Why don't we all introduce our names properly so he can put faces to names? I'll go first!"
Wakana watched her, grateful for the intervention, and focused intently on each person.
This was the moment to memorize their features.
Nowa stepped up, her energy bright and friendly.
She was a cute girl with black hair tied into pigtails, the style made unique by the parallel red streaks on the sides and the inward sections of her hair. She had black eyes, which were accented by the two piercings in both her ears, just like Marin. She wore black painted nails and a simple white-studded bracelet on her right wrist.
"Nice to meet you, Gojo-kun! My name is Nowa Sugaya. I'm one of Marin's closest friends, so I guess you're stuck with meeting me a lot, too!"
Next was Daia Yahiro, who followed Nowa. She was fair-skinned, with shoulder-length light brown hair that was neatly parted and swept to the right by her bangs. She had soft greenish-brown eyes and a single black hoop earring on her left ear, giving her a slightly mature look.
"I'm Daia Yahiro," she said with a calm, polite smile. "Welcome to Class 3-5."
Then Rune Yamauchi, another of Marin's close friends, stepped forward. She was a pretty girl with wavy, light orange-colored hair that looked soft in the classroom light, and medium brown eyes that were full of warmth.
"Hi, I'm Rune Yamauchi! We're all happy to have you here, Gojo-kun!"
The remaining two girls from the group introduced themselves quickly. Seira Kasai, a ditzy-looking girl, had striking platinum-colored eyes and medium-length, light-colored hair with bold black highlights.
"I'm Seira Kasai! Hope you like our class!"
Karen Otsuka followed. She had brown hair tied into a high ponytail, styled neatly with face-framing tendrils to soften her appearance.
"Karen Otsuka. Nice to meet you," she said simply.
The girls retreated slightly, and the boys took over, led by Kensei Morita, who introduced himself with a loud, friendly energy.
Kensei was a good-looking guy with a strong build, medium bluish-black hair, and black eyes that held a confident gaze.
"Alright! I'm Kensei Morita! Loud and proud, as they say. Welcome to the class, Gojo-kun. We look forward to having you," Kensei announced with a booming voice.
Before Kensei could move on, he grabbed the nearest friend, Shiki Kashiwagi, and pulled him close, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "And this is Shiki, my partner in crime—"
Shiki, annoyed, quickly elbowed Kensei in the side, cutting him off. "Hey! I have my own mouth, you know! I can introduce myself!"
A wave of laughter rippled through the gathered students, including Wakana, who couldn't help but smile at their easy banter.
Shiki Kashiwagi adjusted his black square glasses. He had blond hair styled in a side part, which, along with the glasses, made him look like a serious, studious student.
"I'm Shiki Kashiwagi. Don't listen to Kensei. It's good to meet you, Gojo-kun."
Next came Takeru Koga. He was also a good-looking guy, well-built, with messy black hair and two piercings on his left ear, giving him a cheerful, slightly rebellious air.
"I'm Takeru Koga! We're always looking for new people to hang out with. Let us know if you want to join our lunch group sometime," Takeru said with a cheerful grin.
And last was Kouki Murakami. He had short, spiky gray hair and brown eyes, a look that might make him seem like a "bad" student at a glance, but his warm expression showed he was kind and friendly.
"Kouki Murakami. Glad you're here."
Wakana thanked each of them sincerely, feeling the tiny bit of anxiety completely melt away.
The students were genuinely welcoming, and their friendly energy was infectious.
Finally, with the formal introductions done and the crowd having thinned slightly, Marin was able to slip in and lean against his desk.
"That took forever!" Marin exclaimed, but her face was alight with pure, focused excitement. "I'm so happy you're here, Gojo-kun! I can't believe you can design and make clothes! Like, actual clothes! That's so cool."
Wakana laughed softly, happy to talk to her again. "It's a lot of work, but I enjoy it, Kitagawa-san. And it's nice to see you again, too."
Suddenly, Seira Kasai, ever the curious one, raised her hand again.
"Gojo-kun, wait! I need to know. How exactly do you know Marin? It looked like a big reunion when you walked in."
Before Wakana could answer, Nowa Sugaya cut in with a mischievous grin.
"Oh, it's a great story. He's Marin's knight in shining armor."
Shiki and Kensei, overhearing the dramatic description, exchanged confused looks. "Knight in shining armor?" Kensei asked.
Nowa nodded, loving the attention. "Gojo-kun saved her from bad guys on the train this morning. Total hero material, right?"
The crowd made a teasing, collective "Ooooh" sound. Wakana felt his face flush again under the exaggeration.
He threw up his hands in a gesture of gentle surrender.
"It was nothing like that, honestly," he explained, laughing helplessly. "I just saw some people bothering her and asked them to leave. I just shooed away people harassing her, that's all."
Kensei laughed loudly, clapping Wakana on the shoulder. "Doesn't matter! Kitagawa needs protection! She attracts trouble like a magnet because she's, well, Kitawaga! You'll definitely be needed again."
The conversation immediately shifted away from Wakana as Marin began to complain playfully about Kensei's observation, arguing that she could handle herself just fine.
Wakana smiled, watching the lively class interact.
He felt immense gladness that he had transferred to Kashiwanoha.
These classmates, loud, friendly, and completely unreserved, felt exactly like the welcoming environment he needed.
Marin noticed his easy smile, and their eyes locked for a quick moment.
They exchanged a simple, heartfelt smile of mutual acknowledgment.
The rest of the morning and afternoon classes passed quickly.
Wakana found himself comfortable in his new seat, occasionally exchanging small talk with Marin in front of him.
Finally, the school day concluded, and the final bell rang out, signaling the start of the after-school break.
Marin jumped up from her seat, grabbing her bag.
She spun around to face Wakana, her eyes bright and expectant.
"Gojo-kun! You have to come this way! We have to talk more now!" she announced, her voice full of suppressed energy.
Wakana was already gathering his things. "Yeah, I'm ready, Kitagawa-san."
But just like the morning, the crowd beat her to him.
The rush of curious students, who hadn't gotten a chance to speak during the brief break, converged on Wakana's desk.
Marin threw her hands up in exasperation as she was completely blocked from reaching her goal.
"Hey! Wait! That's cheating!" she complained, her voice getting drowned out by the eager clamor.
Wakana, resigned but still smiling, was once again surrounded.
The remaining students eagerly started asking questions about his new life.
"Question 1: What did you think of the first day? Was it what you expected?"
"Question 2: Are you a night owl or a morning person, Gojo-kun?"
"Question 3: Do you have a favorite spot in the school yet, or did you already check out the cafeteria food?"
Wakana waited for the chaotic energy to subside, then calmly answered them.
"Answer 1: It was much livelier than I expected, but I really enjoyed it. Everyone is so friendly."
"Answer 2: I'm definitely a night owl. I usually work on my designs late, so the mornings are tough."
"Answer 3: I haven't seen much yet, but the classroom view out the window is very nice. I'll definitely check out the cafeteria tomorrow."
The simple, honest answers once again calmed the group, and a few students started to disperse to talk about their own plans for the afternoon.
Nowa, who had been watching the exchange, stepped forward again, taking charge. "Okay, Gojo-kun has places to be! Marin has been dying to talk to him all day. You all can ask more tomorrow!"
She winked at Marin. "Go get your design consultation, Marin."
Kensei laughed and clapped Wakana on the shoulder one last time. "See you tomorrow, man! Welcome to the class!"
With the immediate crowd satisfied, Marin finally had her chance.
She pulled Wakana away from the remaining well-wishers and started walking towards the door, her excitement practically buzzing off her.
"Come on, come on! We have to talk about fashion designing!" Marin urged, practically bouncing on her toes. "That's so cool that you make clothes! Do you make them for fun? You have to tell me all the details. I've always been super interested in clothes and style and all that."
Wakana laughed, matching her pace. It's been my dream to become a fashion designer since I was younger. My grandpa has a shop that makes and sells Hina dolls, and when I first laid my eyes on their clothing, I just felt like I wanted to make something as beautiful."
As they walked out of the classroom together, the sight of their easy, natural interaction put a final stamp on the first day.
Marin had found an exciting new friend with an incredible skill that she was interested in learning more about, and Wakana had found several new friends and a completely new, welcoming home in Class 3-5.