Amouage Reflection

“Please allow me to formally introduce our guest student for today, Anon Kadekaru.”

The teacher introduced me to the rest of the class, and a quiet murmur spread among the students, but it stayed well within the bare minimum. From what little I could catch, their comments seemed more focused on the teacher’s choice of words than anything else.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” I said, offering a slight bow. “Though our time together may be brief, I hope we can get along and make the most of it.”

Maybe it was a bit more than necessary, but considering it would be the last time I’d see them, I figured I might as well go all out with the introduction.

Due to the sudden arrangement, I was assigned to sit next to Cloey, with a chair practically pulled right up to her desk. Meanwhile, Kira swapped seats with Cloey’s deskmate for the day.

In all honesty, the rest of the homeroom went smoothly, with very few people approaching me. It felt more like a series of brief introductions rather than genuine attempts at friendship, but that was to be expected. Honestly, it was more attention than I’d ever gotten in my own universe, to say the least.

It’s a little embarrassing to be more “extra” than I’m used to. I’m pretty sure Cloey and Kira are probably a bit taken aback by it.

That’s when my mind snapped back to the moments before I stepped into the classroom.

I guess I did act a bit differently in front of Viveka. I can only hope they notice the intentional shift in my behavior.

Homeroom came to an end, and the next class started.

“Math, right?”

“That’s right.”

Obviously, I didn’t have any materials for the class, but both Kira and Cloey were kind enough to lend me some of their things so I could at least follow along.

“You know I’m only here for a day, right? No need to have me actually learn all this stuff,” I muttered, keeping my voice low enough so only they could hear.

“Well, consider it a bit of a precaution on my part,” Kira explained. “If any teachers notice you clearly ignoring their classes, you’ll probably get kicked out.”

“Well aren’t you the caring type?” I replied with a small smirk.

“I just think it’s kind of fun being the smart one between the two of us,” Kira said with a playful grin.

“Letting my ignorance get to your head, I see,” I joked with a sly smile.

“You really have a sly comeback for everything, don’t you?” Cloey joked, a teasing smile on her face.

I nodded in response, and class continued on a bit longer before something caught my attention. Kira was still diligently writing down everything the teacher said, but her hand movements had slowed down compared to before. Maybe it was because she’d been writing nonstop, but it stood out to me for some reason. I wasn’t one to pay much attention in class, so I couldn’t really say what was normal for a top student.

Speaking of which, I realized I didn’t really know anything about Kira.

That is to be expected, considering I only met her earlier today.

But what about Cloey? I met her less than 24 hours ago, yet I’m in the same boat with her as I am with Kira. That made me wonder, under normal circumstances, I probably would’ve wanted to know more about them as people. Maybe even become friends.

It’s like being a kid who constantly moves from school to school. Why bother growing too close when I’m just waiting for a god to eventually intervene in our mortal problems?

“Since when did I start having such downer thoughts?” I muttered, barely a whisper, to be honest.

“You say something?” Cloey asked, glancing back at me.

“I only said, 'since when did I have to focus so hard.' That’s all,” I replied casually.

“Are you having trouble following along? You did get thrust into a random unit, so it's only fair,” Cloey said, raising an eyebrow.

She scooted a bit closer, peering at what I’d been writing to see where I was having trouble. I just pointed to what the teacher was talking about, it happened to be a random Calculus question.

“Honestly, I’ve barely got the hang of it,” she said, but still tried her best to help me follow along. She explained it slowly and clearly, breaking it down as simply as she could.

It’s a shame my eyes weren’t really focused on the question at hand. I had already figured it out, maybe even a bit better than Cloey. But my gaze just happened to drift, looking over at her as she explained.

It was definitely because we were so close, but I finally got a better look at Cloey's appearance compared to last night. Her amber eyes, which had originally struck me, now appeared much softer as they focused on the paper. Her darker skin stood out more in the daylight. She was noticeably taller than me, which made her lean slightly lower to match my height. If I had to guess, she was around 185 cm, while I was still 165, no growth in that short time. Her black hair had a little ahoge that swayed gently, almost as if it were thinking for itself. And last, but definitely not least, I noticed the freckles scattered across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, something I hadn’t been able to make out in the moonlight.

“You got all that?” Cloey asked, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow.

“But of course,” I replied, my tone confident.

“G-glad to hear,” she mumbled quietly, quickly turning back to face the teacher.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

“G-glad to hear,” I murmured quietly, quickly turning my gaze toward the teacher before anything else could be noticed.

Anon turned toward the teacher as well, looking completely innocent about the whole thing.

Why did he just stare at me the whole time?! I’m pretty sure he didn’t listen to a word I said, but why would he do that?

My mind raced through a few ideas, but none of them really made sense.

Do friends normally look at each other like that? Is it a cultural thing? Universal? Speaking of which, I don’t really know much about Anon either.

My eyes drifted to Anon, only to catch a glimpse of Kira, slowly writing down everything the teacher said.

I don’t know much about Kira either.

My eyes then scanned the entire classroom, and that’s when I realized something.

…I don’t know anything about anyone.

She flashed through my mind.

Besides her, of course…but that’s no longer something I try to worry about.

Either way, I started writing down the problems on the board, thinking through them carefully until I finished.

I do hope Anon is following along, even if it’s just for today.

Finishing my work and thinking about Anon…Finishing work and Anon…Finishing and Anon.

OH MY GOD!

My fingers tightened around the pencil.

Anon is here only because we’re waiting for Amy to return. Once she does, Anon will return to his own universe, completing the bond of friendship between the two of us.

My mind started to race, and then another realization hit me.

No, that wouldn’t end our friendship. We could still see each other by going through the pond…unless, of course, that's no longer possible.

My head was spinning with confusion.

What am I supposed to do? I don’t want to miss the chance to grow closer to Anon.

I released my grip on the pencil, my face tingling slightly.

Growing closer to Anon…that’s actually pretty nice. Maybe it’s because it’s been a while since I’ve hung out with someone, especially a guy. It feels good. And who knows, maybe Kira and I could grow closer too, like traditional girlfriends.

The tingling sensation faded, and a smile slowly spread across my face.

Growing closer to both of them feels great. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Guys…please, I’m begging you. Stop staring at each other in the middle of class right next to me. I can already feel a cavity forming from the sheer amount of sweetness.

My pencil moved slowly across the paper, even slower than usual, thanks to my own distractions. My ears, however, were more attuned than ever, and I found myself naturally eavesdropping on those two.

It’s a shame their words didn’t align with anything else, especially their eyes, which seemed to convey a thousand emotions all at once.

Either way, an unmistakable smile crept onto my face.

The two of them are just too cute.

"As my mind started to drift, a curious question arose, one I’d never really asked anyone before."

I wonder what they’re doing after school?

As I passed the time with classwork, I absentmindedly doodled along the edges.

Even if the worst happens and Anon truly leaves, at least there’s Cloey... assuming she’s okay with that.

My eyes drifted to the clock on the teacher's desk.

It was around 9:00... I wonder if he's already awake?