Monday morning. The sun shines through the curtains, right onto Haruki Kurozawa's face. It's April, which means school is starting. It's his first day in high school, and his first week in this neighborhood.
After lying in bed for almost half an hour, just staring at the ceiling, he finally decided to get up and get ready for school.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Alright, time to get up, sleepyhead."
He says to himself.
He gets dressed in his new uniform and grabs a sandwich.
After getting ready, he puts an earphone in one ear and leaves his apartment. Since he lives close to his new school, he decides to take a walk.
On the way, he sees an old lady trying to cross the road, but not a single car stops. Haruki walks past her and steps onto the busy road where cars are speeding. He turns left and stands in place. A car is driving straight at him and is forced to brake, stopping just inches from his legs. The driver starts shouting at Haruki, but he ignores him. He looks back at the old lady.
Haruki Kurozawa - "There you go."
He smiles. The lady thanks him and crosses the road safely. Haruki continues his walk.
-
He arrives at his new school.
Haruki Kurozawa - "So this is where I'll be going. It's better than I imagined, at least."
He says to himself again, standing just outside the gate, watching the students walk through the school's entrance.
Petals from cherry blossom trees float everywhere. The scenery is beautiful. A slight cold morning breeze brushes the air.
As he stands still admiring the view, a girl bumps into him, she was looking the other way, and papers she was holding fall to the ground.
??? - "Ah! I'm sorry!"
Haruki Kurozawa - "Oh, are you okay? Wait, let me help you."
The girl has long dark hair, part of it tied up with a purple ribbon. Haruki kneels to help her pick up the papers and discreetly looks at her from the corner of his eye.
Haruki Kurozawa - "She's so beautiful."
He thinks to himself. She truly is. They stand up and Haruki hands her the rest of the papers.
Haruki Kurozawa - "That should be everything."
??? - "Thank you for helping me, and sorry for running into you."
She smiles awkwardly. It seems like she wants to say something, but before she can open her mouth, her friends call out to her.
Mio's Friends - "Mio! Hurry up! We're gonna be late!"
Mio - "Oh, I gotta go. Thanks again, bye!"
She runs to her friends, and they head into the school.
The opening ceremony will start soon.
Suddenly, Haruki hears a voice to his right. A guy on a bike is coming down the hill at high speed and starts screaming.
??? - "MY BRAKES STOPPED WORKING! AHHHH PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!"
Instead of moving, Haruki just stands there like an idiot. He hasn't realized the guy is headed straight at him.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Huh."
Then he realizes, but it's too late.
The guy crashes right into Haruki. Both end up on the ground.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Ouch... my leg."
The other guy somehow seems completely fine. Haruki looks at him and, out of frustration, shouts:
Haruki Kurozawa - "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?! YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME!"
The guy looks at him, but instead of getting mad, he grins like a kid and lights up.
??? - "Thank you so much for saving me! I'm so happy!"
Haruki stares at him in disbelief. "Is someone actually dumber than me?" he wonders. He feels like punching the guy for nearly killing him, but decides to brush it off.
The guy speaks again, now a bit calmer.
??? - "Actually, I'm really sorry... and please don't kill me!"
Haruki Kurozawa - "I'm not gonna kill you, dumbass. But next time fix your brakes, because if you run into me again, I'm gonna kill you for re-"
The guy cuts him off.
Daiki Shiranami - "Understood! I'm Daiki Shiranami, by the way. Nice to meet you! And from the looks of our uniforms, we're going to the same school! Amazing, right?"
Haruki sighs.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Oh god." He thought.
Daiki looks at his bike.
Daiki Shiranami - "And luckily, nothing happened to my bike. Thank god."
He inspects it closer and suddenly realizes something.
Daiki Shiranami - "Oh. I don't even have brakes."
He says it with a straight face, like it's no big deal, while Haruki's blood is boiling inside.
Daiki Shiranami - "Alright, now that we're friends, let's meet later after the opening ceremony. But first, I need to clean myself off in the toilets. See you later!"
Shiranami runs off to clean himself up. Haruki is still standing outside the gates.
Haruki Kurozawa - "So suddenly we're friends now, huh? Not that I mind..."
He jokes to himself. Then, after a short pause, he finally walks inside the school and heads to the opening ceremony.
-
After the ceremony, the new students are led to their classrooms. When Haruki enters, he sits in the back corner by the window. He puts on his earphones and waits for everyone else to arrive.
Just when he thinks everyone's here, the door opens. It's Mio, the girl who ran into him earlier.
When Haruki sees her, his heart starts pounding. He's happy.
Mio takes her seat, two desks to his right. She looks around and notices him. She walks over.
Mio - "Oh! I bumped into you this morning, right? Who would've guessed we'd be in the same class?"
Haruki Kurozawa - "Yeah, who would've guessed."
He smiles awkwardly.
Mio Takamine - "I didn't get to introduce myself earlier, I'm Mio Takamine. Nice to meet you."
She extends her hand for a handshake and smiles.
Haruki Kurozawa - "I'm Haruki Kurozawa. Nice to meet you too."
He shakes her hand. A slight blush appears on his cheeks. Her hands are soft, like a newborn's.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Oh, and by the way, on your way here, did you happen to see a guy with orange hair, glasses, and a hole in his pants?"
Mio Takamine - "I think I saw him through the window... and I think he was... talking to a bike."
They both look at each other in silence.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Yeah. That was him."
Mio Takamine - "I'm glad we're in the same class. Alright, I'll head back to my desk. See ya."
She returns to her desk. Haruki blushes after hearing those words.
Then the doors swing open, this time with a little force. From the hallway, Daiki bursts into the classroom like he's the main character in a manga.
He stands in the doorway for a dramatic pause, then adjusts his glasses and walks toward the empty seat in front of Haruki.
Haruki, resting his head on his hands, can't believe he met someone so ridiculous.
Daiki Shiranami - "We meet again, old friend."
Haruki Kurozawa - "Old friend? We just me-"
Daiki Shiranami - "Oh wait! We're in the same class, aren't we?"
Haruki Kurozawa - "You have an amazing sense of observation. I'm amazed."
Daiki stays silent for a moment, as if waiting for something.
Daiki Shiranami - "Uhh... so... what's your name?"
He scratches the back of his head, clearly embarrassed.
Haruki realizes he never introduced himself.
Haruki Kurozawa - "Oh right. I'm Haruki Kurozawa. Nice to meet you too."
He extends a hand. They shake hands and smile.
"Mom, I got a friend," Haruki says in his head.