Fragment 5. Strange Encounter

Lunch break had arrived. Unlike my old school, all students still stayed orderly until the teacher ended the lesson. Only after the teacher left the classroom did the students split into several groups. Some moved their desks to eat their lunch together, some went to the cafeteria, and some went to the toilet or somewhere else. I myself was in the first group since my mother packed me a lunch.

I ate my lunch together with Hana, Chono, and the others. The sound of chatter and laughter filled the classroom, while the aroma of lunches mixed with the warm breeze entering through the window.

After finishing my lunch, I stood up and tidied my lunch box. My stomach was full, but my throat felt dry. I decided to go to the vending machine outside.

After inserting the money and pressing the button, the sound of something dropping echoed near my feet. I picked up my drink and sat on a bench in the nearby garden.

The taste of peach filled my mouth along with the fading tightness in my chest, washed away by the water running down my throat. After I got what I came here for, I didn’t immediately return to the classroom. Instead, I sat there while looking at the sky.

“What a nice weather.”

I keep staring at the migrating clouds when suddenly…

“Hyaan!”

A cold sensation stung my cheek. I instantly jumped and took a defensive stance. To my surprise, Himeji was standing there with her hand extended, holding a bottle. Her face looked confused as if she hadn’t expected my exaggerated reaction.

“Himeji-san?! What are you doing?”

“Sorry. I heard this is one way to greet a friend. Did I surprise you?”

Greet? By pressing a cold bottle onto someone’s cheek? I mean, there are people who do that. But it’s more of a prank than a greeting! Wait, does she consider me a friend? I thought she didn’t care about me.

When I was about to protest about how Himeji “greeted” me, I realized she was staring at me intensely. I mean, her face was really close!

“W-What?” I asked, taking a step back.

“I didn’t notice it before, but Mibayashi-san, you have beautiful eyes! Like sparkling blue topaz.”

“Eh?!”

I frantically turned my face away. What Himeji admired was something I feared. Something inside me that would run out of control if I failed to keep my emotions in check.

Was it the cold sensation that triggered it? Or because I was startled? No, 'she' reacted to coldness and fear. So yes, it must be because of the sudden cold.

After calming myself, I faced Himeji again.

“You must have seen wrong, Himeji-san. My eyes are blue, but a dark blue.”

“Huh? I’m sure they were bright blue just now.”

“It must be the light. Today's sun is shining brightly. So maybe that made you think my eyes were light blue.”

“Is that so?”

Himeji didn’t seem convinced by my answer. Even I wasn’t sure I with the excuse I just made up. Before Himeji pressed into this matter further, I tried to change the topic.

“By the way, what are you doing here, Himeji-san?”

“Me? My throat felt dry, so I bought a drink,” she said, lifting the drink bottle in her hand.

My eyebrow furrowed when I saw her drink of choice.

“Do you like coffee, Himeji-san? Especially the bitter ones?”

“Hmm… rather than liking it, it’s more like I need it. The human body experiences a decrease in cortisol levels during the afternoon. That’s why we often feel sleepy and struggle to focus during those hours. I drink coffee to deal with that, so I can keep following the lessons optimally.”

I was dumbfounded. I didn’t expect such a detailed answer. Usually people drink coffee because they like it, or just say, “so I don’t get sleepy.”

As expected from the number-one student. Hm? Wait a minute.

“Himeji-san, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Don’t you dislike talking to other people?”

Himeji looked confused at the question before making an expression as if she understood.

“Are you talking about Hana-san? It’s not that I hate talking to people, it’s just that I’m not good at speaking in front of many people.”

Ahhh… I see. So Himeji has some kind of social anxiety disorder? She can talk normally when no one else is around, but she immediately turns into a shy princess when people are around. It’s like being nervous before presenting in front of class, except Himeji-san feels nervous all the time.

“I get it. Then should I be your conversation partner once in a while? Of course only when it’s just the two of us.”

“Will you do it for me?”

“Of course.”

“In that case, I gladly accept your offer,” replied Himeji with a smile. Even though it didn’t look like a wide smile from the outside, I was sure it was the sincerest smile Himeji could express.

Yep. She’s just awkward.

When the bell rang, the two of us returned to class. Hana, who was already seated, immediately stood up and slammed her desk when she saw us walking together. She looked like she wanted to say something, but since the teacher had arrived, she sat back down without being able to venting out her frustration.

After school, I encountered a strange person. He was wearing a neat black suit complete with a black tie and white shirt. He also wore a black fedora hat covering half his face, making his expression hard to read and adding to the enigmatic impression. His long silver hair contrasted sharply with his dark clothing.

What was stranger than his appearance was his aura. He emitted such a thick dark aura that I could almost see it clearly.

Besides that, he was standing right in the middle of the school gate. Yet, no one noticed him. Some female students even walked past through him, as if he didn’t exist.

As I got closer to him, I felt as though I had just walked through some kind of barrier. But this barrier was different from my grandfather’s or the one I entered the other day.

The moment I walked past the mysterious man, I saw his teeth as he grinned widely. Seeing that, I knew I was in danger. I immediately did what my grandfather taught me before the man patted my shoulder.

However, his hand passed right through my shoulder without touching it. He could only stand there, stunned. Faintly, I could hear him saying, “Did I make a mistake?” while looking toward the school as if waiting for the person he was looking for.

Once I was far enough and turned at the corner, I let out a sigh of relief. I also regulated my breathing, which I had desperately held back so he wouldn’t notice.

After making sure I wasn’t being followed, I went to the train station where I usually commute to and from school and boarded the train that had just arrived.

I immediately threw myself onto an empty seat and rested my head against the glass window behind me. Staring blankly at the city scenery through the window across from me, I recalled what had just happened.

Thankfully my guess was correct. I had a feeling the reason his presence wasn’t noticed by others was due to a barrier placed around his body. That’s why I quickly “stepped out” of it. But why is it? Ever since I moved here, my grandfather’s teachings keep saving me.

Only two days have passed since I started attending school in Tokyo, and during these two days I’ve always encountered mysterious figures. Sobbing, I miss the peaceful and quiet life I had before.

Mou! I just want to go back to my hometown at this rate!!