Fragment 2. First Day of School

Clack. Clack.

The sound of the Vice Principal’s shoes echoed down the hallway. Even though we had already switched to indoor shoes, the sharp sound of her heels still rang clearly—just like her personality.

Since she brought me in from the front gate, she hadn’t spoken a single word to me, except when she told me to change shoes. I just kept following behind her like a newborn duckling.

Ugh... this awkward silence is killing me.

I wanted to ask where she was taking me, but I couldn’t even open my mouth. All I could do was clutch my bag and trail behind her.

After walking around the school, we finally arrived at the principal’s office.

“Oh! We’ve been expecting you, Mibayashi Haruno-chan.”

A plump man with a round face greeted me warmly.

Cute—that was my first impression when I saw him. Still, since he was sitting behind a desk with a nameplate that said “Principal,” I MUST NOT say what I was thinking!

“How are your parents? Are they doing well?”

“Yes! They’re doing well.”

“Hohoho! That's good then.”

The principal laughed cheerfully. But then his expression turning somber, as if that earlier cheerfulness had been fake.

“I’ve heard the news. Your grandfather, Seiji-san, has passed away. I owe him a great deal from the old days. I can’t repay his kindness, but at least I want to help his granddaughter a little.”

“Ah! Thank you very much for allowing me to attend this school.”

I bowed to express my gratitude. Transferring schools on short notice is troublesome—there’s so much paperwork and consideration involved. But the Principal, who had attended Grandpa’s funeral, met my parents there. When the topic of my transfer came up by chance, he enthusiastically offered to accept me into his school.

My parents gladly accepted his offer, especially since this school—Hōseikan Girls’ Academy—was a rather prestigious all-girls institution. That’s what my parents told me about why I had to attend school so far away in the city center, even though our house was near the border.

While we were chatting, the lunch bell rang.

“It’s already that time, huh. Takatsuki-sensei, I’ll take it from here. Thank you for your help.”

“No problem. I’ll be going then.”

After giving a polite bow, the Vice Principal—Takatsuki-sensei—left the room.

“Haruno-chan, did you bring a lunch box?”

“Yes! My mom made it for me this morning.”

I took out my bento from my bag, but my face instantly went pale when I saw what was inside.

“What a wonderful lunch your mother made,” the Principal commented as he peered inside.

It must’ve gotten all jumbled from when I was running earlier. Luckily, nothing spilled, but it looked messy as hell.

“Would you like to have mine instead?”

“I couldn’t possibly do that!”

I frantically refused the principal's offer. How could I eat someone else’s lunch when it was my own fault mine ended up like this?

“Don’t be shy. My wife always packs extra portions for me.”

The Principal placed his lunchbox on the table before me. My face turned pale one more time—but for a different reason.

When he said “extra,” he wasn’t kidding. I mean, that wasn’t a lunchbox—it was a feast itself! The table before me was as long as both my arms spread wide, and now it was completely covered with food. If he ate like this every day, no wonder he was so well-filled.

“Please, eat as much as you’d like!”

He gestured grandly with both arms open. I could almost see light radiating from his smile. Seeing that, I couldn't possibly refuse.

“Itadakimasu.”

I picked up a piece of tamagoyaki and put it in my mouth. The moment I get a taste of it, I could imagine the scene of the principal's wife lovingly preparing this lunch for him.

“Go on! There’s plenty more!”

Lowering my chopsticks, I said, “You have a wonderful wife, Principal.”

For a moment, he froze. Then his face brightened—shining even more than before.

“You get it right! You know, she is….”

While listening to the Principal’s enthusiastic chatter, I quietly started eating my own lunch as well. My mom had gone through the trouble of making it, so I at least wanted to finish it.

After lunch, the Principal took me to the teacher’s office, where I was introduced to my homeroom teacher, Morioka Keiji. He was a man in his late twenties—friendly and laid-back—but he had a bit of a “tired of life” vibe, with unshaven stubble and a small, low ponytail tied at the back of his head.

“So, you’re the new transfer student they’ve been talking about.”

“That’s right, Morioka-sensei. Please treat her well!”

“Well, if the Principal says so,” replied Morioka-sensei unenthusiastically.

“You! Your name’s Mibayashi Haruno, right? Pretty bold of you to show up late on your first day.”

“I’m terribly sorry. I just moved to Tokyo and accidentally got on the wrong train. Instead of Ochanomizu, I ended up in Hachiōji.”

“Hachiōji? Pfft! That’s way off!”

Ah! He’s quite good looking, isn’t he?

Morioka-sensei’s laugh made his face look a bit more alive. He gave off the vibe of a reliable adult. If he’d just take care of himself a little, I bet he’d be popular among the girls. No, wait—maybe that unkempt appearance was part of his charm. Either way, I just hoped he was a decent teacher and not some kind of predator. After all, he is my homeroom teacher now.

“Yamada-sensei, can I borrow your time for fifteen minutes?”

“Make sure you return it,” Yamada-sensei replied dryly.

“How exactly am I supposed to return it?” Morioka-sensei grumbled.

“I’m kidding. Go ahead.”

“Thanks.”

Turning back to me, Morioka-sensei said, “Alright then, let’s head to class. The bell’s about to ring.”

“Yes!”

“Well then, I’ll leave you here, Haruno-chan. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to come talk to me.”

“I understand. Thank you for all your help.”

I bowed to the Principal before jogging after Morioka-sensei, who had already left the room.

We made our way to Class 2-C—my new class, it seemed. The bell had already rung, so everyone was seated neatly at their desks. Even so, the room was still noisy with chatter until we entered. The moment Morioka-sensei and I stepped inside, the class went silent, then quickly broke into murmurs.

“Erm... We have a new transfer student. She’ll be joining us starting today. Mibayashi-san, please introduce yourself.”

After thanking sensei for the opportunity, I turned to face the class.

“My name is Mibayashi Haruno. Due to some circumstances, I transferred to this school. I also just moved to Tokyo a few days ago. I might trouble you a little, but please take care of me.”

I finished my introduction with a deep bow. Moments later, the classroom filled with applause.

“Nice to meet you, Mibayashi-san!”

“Let’s get along from now on!”

Lifting my head, I saw the faces of my new classmates smiling at me. Their warm welcome made it impossible to hide the joy bubbling up inside me.

“Yes!”