Let's be friends!

The morning bell rang as Shiromi walked through the gates of school. Her footsteps were steady, but her mind was anything but calm.

The boy was already there. Standing in front of the classroom door, chatting awkwardly with a group of curious classmates. His dark hair fell just above his eyes, and when he smiled… it was disarming.

"This weird feeling again. Don't look at him. I'll be fine. Stay calm."

She headed straight for her seat at the back of the class, ignoring the whispers around her. She’d earned a reputation—“the quiet girl who could probably lift a truck.” Nobody dared to bother her.

But today, fate didn’t care about reputations.

“Hey… excuse me. This must be yours?”

His voice was softer than she expected. When she looked up, he was standing there, holding out a notebook she didn’t even realize she’d dropped.

“You dropped this.”

                                                                                She stared at him, frozen for a second too long. Then she snatched it from his hand, her fingers brushing his just for a moment.

 “...Thanks,” she muttered, eyes fixed on her desk.
He didn’t move away. Instead, he smiled that same calm smile. “You're welcome! We're classmates and seat buddies after all! Let's reintroduce ourselves! I’m Hayato. You're Shiromi right? Nice to meet you, Shiromi. Let's be friends!”
Her chest tightened. Hayato. To her, it's the first time someone would tell what their name is and the first person that remembers her name.
 “I don’t care,” she replied flatly. It was a lie, and she hated herself for it.
Hayato only tilted his head, unbothered.

“Hm? I didn't hear what did you said. Then we're friends from now on then!”

That made her glance up—nervous, like a shy little puppy. 

“I...I didn't said I agree! I...” Shiromi hesitated a moment and finally decided. "I...I want to be friends with you!"

He laughed. “Sure! We're friends from now on!”
 A few students looked over with a shocked face. Like just saw a sight that they didn't imagined it's real.

Her face turned red, heart racing. Trying to find a place to hide. "Um...can you please sit down...They're watching us..." Her voice turned soft, perhaps it's because it's an experience she never had before, perhaps it was the feeling she's having or perhaps it was something else changed a strong girl like her to become soft to others like Hayato, her first friend.

"The teacher is coming!" A student shouted to remind the others that the class is about to start.

"Hey, are you alright? Don't mind the others. You're fine now." 

She calmed down. "T...Thanks. I'm feeling better now.", "Let's listen to class."

From now on, she got a friend. She got someone to talk to, study with, just like any other classmates. She's not by herself anymore. A voice rings in her mind. "Let's be friends!", "Yes, let's be friends. Hayato."