When You Least Expect It, It Strikes

“I found her.”

After slipping out of my street shoes, I steadied myself.

Fast!

Mahito, you have to run!

The noise in the hallway faded for a moment.

3
2
1

My pace increased as soon as I left the shoe lockers behind.

The stairs to the upper floor were on my right.

Okay, I just have to climb the stairs quickly.

Then, what should I do? First, I guess I have to find the first-year classrooms.

Gripping the handrail for support, I climbed the stairs.

I want to see her!

There was a signboard labeled “First-Year Classrooms.”

A few steps more!

Running down the hallway, I saw a teacher in front of me—but I rushed past her.

“Few more—”

“Wait!”

Seriously? Now what is it?!

“Yes?” I replied as I turned around, forcing a strained smile. “May I help you with something?”

“Are you the new transfer student?”

“Y-yes… I think.”

Go bother someone else!

Ask somebody else—I don't have time for this!

“Your name?”

“Mahito Ito.”

“Ito?”

She went silent for a few seconds.

Silence filled the hall around us—but the students’ chatter was still there.

This is awkward and I'm late! Say something!

“Ito-kun,” she said, holding textbooks in her hands. “Come with me.”

“I’ll take you to your classroom.”

Oh—that’s a good deal.

“Okay,” I said, calming my breathing.

As we walked in the hallway, a thought struck me.

It would be a smart move if I just asked her!

“Uhm, Sensei?”

“It’s Hana-sensei.”

“R-right… Hana-sensei.”

“I wanted to ask, by any chance—do you know which class Hanaoka Yuna is in?” I asked, scratching the back of my head.

“Hanaoka Yuna?”

“Yes.”

“I know, she’s in class 1-3.”

My luck!

“She’s absent today because she has a fever.”

Ehh?

“Uhm—how do you know she’s absent today, Hana-sensei?” I said as I hesitated.

“How do I know?” she said, placing a finger on her lip.

She smiled and looked at me.

“Because I’m the classroom teacher of class 1-3.”

“R-right.”

My luck…

A few minutes later,

Leaning against the wall of the classroom 1-3, I tapped my foot and sighed.

Well. For today, I should give my introduction.

A small giggle slipped from my mouth.

Tomorrow, I’ll meet Yuna!

Drool slipped from my mouth as I couldn’t stop giggling.

“Now, students,”

From inside the classroom, through quiet muffled voices, I heard the teacher and wiped my mouth.

“I’ll introduce the late transfer student.”

You can do it, Mahito!

As I took a step forward.

Wait a minute, how do I give an introduction? No bag, no class card, if I step into the classroom right now—will I not be marked as a delinquent?!

A weird thought crossed my mind.

A baseball bat resting on my shoulder with a toothpick stuck in my teeth. I stepped into the classroom.

“Hey, hey, hey!” I shouted, pointing at myself. “Your big brother, Ito-aniki has arrived! If you need any help, just call your big brother!” My teeth sparkled.

–

I crouched and placed my hands on top of my head.

What should I do?

…

An idea sparkled in my mind.

Yes!

“This can work!”

“Sensei, he’s not coming?”

“Silence. Ito-kun, enter the classroom—the homeroom will start soon.” As Hana-sensei said those words, I was prepared to step into the classroom.

You can do it, Mahito!

For me, I anticipated that I would step into the class like a main character lead of a pure shoujo-manga. Every girl’s heart would burst because of Ito traits and my high-end looks, but things didn’t go my way.

As I almost stepped into the classroom, the students’ chatter died down. I figured that if I closed my eyes, I would look even more breathtaking. I loosened my tie and my shirt collar to look cooler and wrapped the blazer sleeves around my forearm. I gulped hard.

I stepped into the classroom. “Hey!” I said, loosening my tie even more, waving my hand as I shot a finger pistol. A “sparkling” sound effect echoed in the background.

The classroom was silent, no one spoke. I smirked, and figured that their breaths were taken away from my shoujo manga entry. I gently opened my eyes, and what I saw… On the third bench of the last row, my breath was taken away—I gasped.

The opposite and the unexpected happened.

In the quiet classroom, sunlight streamed through the windows. Students were glaring at me and a few students started whispering already, yet—I only saw her—sitting on the third bench of the last row where my eyes were fixed as I slowly opened them.

In a single glimpse, I recognized her. She was the one—Hanaoka Yuna.

She was gazing at the sky as clouds drifted above, her slightly tilted face resting on her palm. Her eyes were light blue, almost dark enough to be mistaken for black, yet visible because of the sunlight that streamed onto her face with her long dark hair tipped with aqua ombré fluttering softly with the strong, yet gentle winds.

If I hadn’t seen her today, what would have happened to my heart? I couldn’t see anything but her. My heart was racing so fast that I wasn’t able to comprehend what I saw just now, and yet, I knew it.

She’d become even more beautiful over the years.

I… really love—

Huh?

Suddenly, the classroom grew distant from me. I felt a strange, relieved, yet a powerful pang of pain in my chest. Huh? I started losing my balance.

“Ito-kun?!” a muffled voice of Hana-sensei as I saw her slowly running to me in my sight while the students were staring at me.

I tried to maintain my composure by placing my hand onto the door handle and somehow—the pang of pain went away, my heartbeat stabilized and my breathing calmed down. I… am fine now?

“Wait a minute!” I muttered, raising a hand. “I’m okay!”

Letting go of the door handle, I slowly straightened up.

My vision returned to normal. I’m fine. I slowly sighed when everyone was staring at me, and suddenly—I felt blood running from my nose, slowly dripping out onto the floor. Huh? I tilted my head slightly as I wiped the blood and stared at my blood-dampened hand.

I see—the deadlift. It caused this. I’m such a fool—

“When we're older—

“Let’s get married—”

The memory flashed through my mind as I collapsed onto the floor backward with my straightened posture.

–

As I slowly opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a ceiling fan spinning at a slow speed as if it was adjusted to calm my nerves down.

I pushed myself up on my elbows. My spine was still hurting a bit but not as much as it was in the morning, surrounded by white curtains, slightly fluttering with a white bedsheet on me covering my legs.

Somehow, I knew what situation I was in—I was in the medical room of the school.

I peeked through the spaces between the curtains and I noticed a clock. Seriously? The time was past 4:00 PM. I realized that it was way past school time and I was lying on the bed for a couple of hours. After a few minutes, I stood up from the bed with my body feeling lighter from the morning as I stretched my arms. So light!

I softly pulled the curtain sideways.

The medical room was painted white and had three beds covered around with white privacy curtains—the room was on the second floor of the school with a window where you could gaze at students who were on the athletic field. Medical prescriptions were left on the shelves here and there with a desk and a chair in the corner.

My blazer coat was lying on the shelf, beside it, there was a note and some sweets. I wore my coat, the fabric had softened due to the time passed and it was lightened up, adjusting to my body.

After wearing it, I opened the bag of sweets and ate a candy—As I moved the candy around my mouth with my tongue, I grimaced. Too sweet! What's this? Artificial grape flavour? At once, I swallowed the candy, feeling relieved. I thought I would die! And when I read the note, my eyes glazed over.

Ito-kun, when you woke up.

Feel free to eat one of the candy that I left there, it’ll help you!
Hana-sensei.

Sensei, are you fine? I crushed the note into my palm.

After a few minutes, I was prepared to leave the medical room. I should leave now. I slipped my hands into my pockets—As I walked toward the door, I heard someone’s footsteps were heading my way.

Before I even checked it, the door opened. It was Hana-sensei, dressed in a blouse and slacks with her hand in her pocket and in her other hand—she held an unlit cigarette between her fingers.

“Oh, you woke up?”

“Yes, thanks to you—Sensei!” I replied, nodding my head slightly.

“I see.” She tilted her head slightly as if she felt relieved.

“So, what’re you going to do now?”

“It’s way past school time, most students have already gone home, except the club students.”

“Then, I’ll also leave for home.”

“I understand, be careful on your way home.”

Before I even replied, she said,

“I remember now!”

“Ito-kun, you were exceptionally good at volleyball in middle school, right?”

“Y-yes—I went to the finals once with my middle school volleyball team, what about it?”

“The principal told me that you’re interested in our high school volleyball team?”

“Yes, that’s one of my main reasons that I chose this school as my high school.”

“Then, would you like to join the volleyball club?”

Right now?

“Okay, then I’ll go to the club’s hall for applic-”

“No, Ito-kun.”

She tilted her head slightly, smiled and said,

“For today, go rest at home.”

“I’ll give you the club application form tomorrow, okay?”

My cheeks slightly reddened due to her soft voice and her gaze, I averted my eyes and murmured softly,

“Y-yes, then for today I’ll go home.”

“Okay.”

–

After I left the medical room, I went straight toward the school shoe locker area. By any chance, there was no one; every student had left already. I slowly exhaled and walked toward my shoe locker to change. I slipped off the school shoes and wore mine.

As I placed the shoes inside and closed the locker, I glanced at Yuna-chan’s locker and stepped outside the school’s entrance gate—with a resolve for tomorrow. I clenched my fists as my footsteps grew steady.

Tomorrow—for sure, I’ll talk to Yuna-chan!