Just when I thought the atmosphere in the classroom was about to grow tense enough to be cut into pieces, everything suddenly stalled.
Estelle still had that sharp stare on her face, the kind that looked like it wanted to punch holes through people, and I had practically already prepared myself to get up from my seat. Not because I was planning to do anything dramatic, exactly. It was just that, in situations like this, continuing to sit there while someone glared at you was not exactly a pleasant experience.
Then, at that exact moment, footsteps sounded from the hallway outside.
Clack. Clack.
Not just one person.
Several.
I lowered my eyes slightly and glanced at the watch on my wrist.
12:48.
It seemed it was actually getting close to class time, so students had finally started trickling in.
I was not the only one who noticed that.
Estelle noticed too.
Stella definitely noticed.
The three of us stood in a very short, very strange silence, as if we had all reached the same unspoken agreement at once: alright, let's put this play on hold before too many people show up to watch.
Estelle sat down first.
I slowly relaxed my shoulders as well, then turned my head slightly toward the window as if nothing worth caring about had happened at all.
Stella, caught in the middle, hesitated for a few seconds before finally going back to Estelle's side. Before leaving, she still remembered to glance back at me.
"Um... sorry again, Rain. Both of us."
I gave a small nod.
Stella really was a good person.
And the more I looked at her, the less I understood how someone that cute could be friends with that... well, never mind.
I had promised myself I would be more polite.
Friends with that red-headed cat.
Mm. Calling her that sounded slightly less excessive.
This world really was strange.
And I sincerely hoped this would be the last kind of strange thing I ran into at the academy.
Still, a memory was a memory. If I looked at it from a slightly more positive angle, then this could probably count as a relatively memorable moment in my current school life.
Of course, it would have been much more memorable if it had not happened on the very first day of class.
I was still drifting through my thoughts when the footsteps in the hallway reached the door.
One person entered.
Then two.
Then three.
Then a whole lot more.
In a very short time, the classroom that had been mostly empty suddenly started filling up fast. Seats were occupied one by one. The sounds of chairs scraping, conversations, greetings, bags being set down on desks—all kinds of noise layered over each other, making the classroom that had been quiet just moments ago come alive in an instant.
Only then did I really take another look.
This class actually had a lot of seats.
At a rough estimate, probably around a hundred.
I looked from the front row all the way to the back of the room, then looked again as if trying to confirm I was not mistaken.
Don't tell me...
this class really has a hundred students?
If that was true, then the teacher in charge of this class had to have a terrifyingly good memory to keep track of that many faces and names. Of course, that was the teacher's problem.
Not a random guy like me.
I had no obligation to sympathize with their nervous system on the very first day of enrollment.
I rested my chin on one hand and watched the stream of people continue to enter. Every face carried a different kind of emotion. Some were visibly excited, finding every little thing new and interesting. Some looked overly calm, as if being accepted into Astral was the most normal thing in the world for them. Others looked so tense that even the act of pulling out a chair felt stiff.
A classroom, in the end, really was a very easy place to observe people.
About ten minutes later, among the steady flow of students entering the room, I spotted a familiar head of pink hair.
Selene.
The moment she stepped through the door, the first thing she did was scan the room. Her gaze swept over the rows of desks, the groups of students, then stopped on me. The instant our eyes met, she smiled.
And then, without the slightest hesitation, she came trotting over to my seat.
See?
That was how girls were supposed to be.
Not like that red-headed cat.
Actually, red-furred cat sounded more fitting. That was the last shred of respect I was willing to give her, Estelle.
Selene gently pulled out the chair and sat down beside me. The midday sunlight from the window spilled across her face in a thin layer, making the features that were already pleasant to look at stand out even more.
Honestly, that was a bit unfair.
Was she the heroine or something?
She was way too pretty.
Selene set her bag down, then tilted her head at me.
"Have you been here long?"
"Not that long," I answered. "About thirty minutes."
"Hm?" She blinked. "Thirty minutes and that's not long? That's pretty long, isn't it?"
Then she looked around the classroom a little, as if only just noticing that I really had been sitting here alone the whole time.
"You've been by yourself this whole time?"
"Mm." I nodded. "That's right. It's not like I have any friends, after all."
The moment those words left my mouth, I suddenly realized they sounded a little more pathetic than necessary.
But what was I supposed to say? It was also true.
Selene looked at me in silence for a moment, then smiled softly.
"Then I'm your first friend, right?"
Friend, huh.
I paused for a second in my mind.
For me, making friends had never been a bad thing. If I were being honest, in a completely new environment like this, having someone to talk to right from the beginning was already something worth being happy about.
Especially when that person was such a pretty girl.
Thinking that, I smiled a little.
"That doesn't sound bad."
Selene looked at me, her eyes curving very slightly.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Then go ahead and take it that way."
After saying that, I suddenly felt something inside me grow lighter. It was not anything dramatic. Just that tiny softening people felt when they realized they were not quite as alone as they had thought.
Right after that, as if suddenly remembering something important, Selene reached into her pocket.
I looked at her, a little curious.
She fumbled around for a few seconds.
Then took out...
a honey pancake.
I looked at the pancake.
Then at Selene.
Then back at the pancake.
Hm.
If only that were for me.
I really loved sweets.
If you gave me that, Selene, I swear I'd call you an angel on the spot.
Of course, that was only an extremely sincere thought inside my head. I was not actually expecting anything. We had only known each other for around two hours, after all. A honey pancake still felt like a bit much for a friendship that had only just begun.
And yet, contrary to my expectations, Selene held it out toward me.
"Here. This is for you."
I froze for a beat.
Angel.
She was absolutely an angel.
All the frustration that had built up from the cafeteria, from the academy's absurd prices, even the irritation that red-furred cat had caused earlier—it all almost dissolved in that single moment.
I was genuinely moved.
Selene, one day I swear I'll repay you with a pancake twice this size.
Assuming I haven't died from poverty by then.
"For me?" I asked again, even though inside I was already happy enough to take it immediately. "Then... thanks."
I had never really been the type to refuse something given to me by someone else.
That was rude.
If someone offered you something, you accepted it.
I took the pancake from Selene's hand. A faint warmth still lingered at my fingertips. Looking at the thin layer of honey over the surface of the pancake, I could feel my heart visibly soften.
Almost immediately, I made up my mind.
Alright.
If I fail to pay back this debt someday, then I don't deserve to be called Rain.
I felt like I was about to cry.
Not literally, of course.
But spiritually, it was pretty close.
I lifted the pancake and carefully took a bite.
The very first instant, the mild sweetness of the honey spread through my mouth, mixing with the softness and fragrance of the pancake so perfectly that I almost stopped for a second.
It was ridiculously good.
If I had a cup of black coffee with it right now, the taste would probably be even more perfect.
I was still sinking into that simple little happiness when I heard a small laugh beside me.
"Fufu."
I turned.
Selene was smiling at me.
Did I really look that funny while eating?
Well, whatever. I was feeling generous this time. Angels had the right to laugh at humans.
Before long, the pancake in my hand had been completely dealt with. I looked at the little bit of wrapper left with the faintest trace of lingering attachment.
I swear, the faintest trace.
Then I carefully tucked the wrapping into my pocket, partly to keep things clean, and partly because for some reason, I felt like I should not throw away something that had just carried another person's kindness too carelessly.
At that exact moment, a hand lightly touched my cheek.
I froze.
Selene leaned toward me just a little, her fingertips brushing gently over my left cheek as she wiped something away.
"Rain, you have to be careful," she said naturally. "You got some on your cheek."
I looked at her.
For a brief moment, my mind went blank.
I'm going to fall for her.
How could someone be this cute and this thoughtful at the same time?
"Thanks," I said.
"Hm?" Selene blinked. "For what? The pancake?"
For showing up.
I genuinely almost said that.
But in the end, I still did not let the words leave my mouth. Some things sounded perfectly fine in your head, but the moment you actually said them out loud, they became a little... much.
So instead, I merely lowered my gaze toward the classroom door and said,
"They're here."
"Huh?"
Almost right after the words left my mouth, the classroom door opened.
It did not slam open, and it was not the dramatic kind of entrance you saw in school novels, where the teacher always had to arrive carrying some overwhelming aura powerful enough to silence the whole room at once.
The door opened very gently.
The person who stepped inside was a relatively small girl.
I blinked.
Um... am I seeing things wrong?
To be honest, my first impression was that she looked more like a student than a teacher. Young face, small build, and none of that overpowering presence people usually attached to homeroom teachers the moment they first appeared.
But her next actions quickly proved that I was wrong.
She walked toward the podium.
And nearly tripped over her own feet on the way there.
I fell silent.
The class fell silent too.
Not the kind of silence born from respect.
More the kind where everyone had just witnessed something a little awkward at the exact same time, but no one knew how they were supposed to react.
Fortunately, she regained her balance almost immediately and continued walking to the front as if nothing had happened.
Then she picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a name on the board.
Chie
The handwriting was rounded, a little soft, and oddly fitting for her appearance.
She turned back around, hugged a small notebook to her chest, and then, in a voice so cute it was honestly hard to believe, she said,
"Welcooome to my Class 1-B. I'm Chie, and from now on, I'll be your homeroom teacher."
I looked at the petite teacher standing on the podium.
Then I looked again at the name Chie still written on the board.
And silently asked myself:
...Was this really how academy life was supposed to begin?