VIII — A Fluorescent, Porcelain Doll

The next day after...

The classroom was empty in the early morning, blinded by the sun.

Meanwhile, Anna Kanzaki walked into the class with her usual silent steps.

Those dragging sounds were gone, replaced by invisibility.

She then reached her desk. Again, as usual.

However, deep down inside... she was already bored to death.

Can time go much faster? If possible, it should have already run by now.

She tapped her fingers. Slowly at first, but then faster.

Her thoughts were swirling, stimming like those petals getting frozen, dying from the winter.

She couldn’t bear it, the fact that everything was so meaningless to her.

Or as if there had been nothing meaningful in her life.

Except maybe, and maybe... someone who attracted her.

Oh, there he is.

As usual, either Riku or Anna was always the quickest when it came to arriving at school.

Riku sometimes got delayed by house responsibilities, mainly cooking and fixing some items.

However, those never made him arrive too late, since he always adjusted his alarm.

Yes, always.

And Anna? She naturally didn’t need any of those.

Instead, she would get up at three, the time when not even God noticed she was awake.

Either way, they both woke up in their own ways, doing things according to what life had given to them.

However, for once more, maybe everything seemed boring.

Or maybe they wanted something more.

Anna still remembered that smile. That damn cheerful smile.

The smile of someone who didn’t want to come off as threatening her life.

Maybe I should thank him? For yesterday?

Wait, what for? For giving her that book? Or for smiling in front of her?

Anna felt so stupid. Her face blushed immediately while looking down at her desk.

Pretending that she never really saw him.

Meanwhile, Riku was wondering whether she had actually fallen asleep. Or something like that.

He walked into the classroom, already looking at her sitting there with her head resting comfortably on the desk, as if ignoring the wind or the awakened sun that had already shifted to brighten the morning.

Such scenery could only be described as youthful, charming, and fluorescent.

Either way, he never thought that a girl sleeping on her desk could be this poetic.

Though, the question remained: Did she really fall asleep?

If she was unable to wake up before class started, it would become a problem.

Maybe I should wake her up.

It might seem rude to give it a try, but he wanted to make sure.

So, slowly but surely, after dropping his heavy modern bag... he sneaked forward with silent steps, making sure not to make any noise while walking toward her.

And then... a poke landed on her cheek.

She really looks like a doll from here...

The one sold at the doll store his mother owns.

It had the same hair as hers too. Dark brown, mannequin-like, and with a small posture.

Out of curiosity, he then moved her head by tilting it—

Eh? This feels too heavy for someone who is sleeping.

Anna, who realized her head was about to be pushed, suddenly felt it.

Her shoulders locked. A chill ran through her spines. 

Her stomach tightened.

Overall, it was dreadful.

The thought of him poking her cheek when no one was around felt a bit too much to be a coincidence. She couldn’t resist the thought of herself as a mannequin.

No, he definitely thinks that!

Her head stiffened, refusing to move. However—

He applied more force, slowly but surely using both hands to slowly tilt her face upward.

And there she was. A face as red as a tomato, flustered in front of him.

The heat reached her cheeks all of a sudden. It was unbearable.

"Kanzaki-san?"

To his surprise, she wasn't asleep.

No, even more than that. She was fully awake.

She was painfully aware that those hands had never touched her before.

Let alone making any intimate contact. Not even one like this.

She faced upward, the distance between them close, as if they were about to kiss.

This is a bit too much...

Her heart froze, not wanting to experience this as the participant of the scene.

She pulled herself away, making sure nothing happened.

Ohba-san would feel ashamed by my unwillingness to experience something like this...

Euphoria, as she named it, was there for only a few seconds. However, it felt like an hour to her.

"Oh no, sorry! I thought you were falling asleep."

Reflexively, he released his grip from her head immediately.

Anna distanced herself, moving slightly away from his presence.

Soon after, he was about to apologize by bowing down in front of her.

However, the distance between both of them was still close enough for any contact.

Wait, is he going to apologize? He doesn't need to!

"Kanzaki-san, I'd like to apologize—"

Without saying a word, she lunged to stop him—

THUD.

Their foreheads collided, the sound echoing through the empty classroom.

"Ouch..."

Riku Reita fell onto the floor. Both of them rubbed their heads in silence.

For a few seconds, neither of them moved.

Only the faint hum of the ceiling fan filled the classroom.

Anna kept one hand over her forehead while staring downward, unable to process what had just happened. Her bangs had fallen slightly out of place. A few strands tickled near her eyes, but she didn’t fix them.

Too embarrassed to move.

Meanwhile, Riku sat on the floor in complete silence.

His bag had tipped over beside him. One notebook slipped halfway out, its corner bent awkwardly against the classroom tiles.

What exactly was this situation?

He had only wanted to check whether she was asleep.

That was all.

So why did it somehow turn into the kind of scene that belonged in those romance dramas his mother occasionally watched during dinner?

Worse, the classroom was still empty.

Meaning if someone walked in right now—

No.

Absolutely not.

Riku immediately looked away.

Anna noticed it.

And somehow, that made her even more aware of the closeness from earlier.

Her ears burned quietly.

They were still in pain after that unfortunate event. But then—

"Etto, ano..."

Anna opened her mouth for the first time in front of him.

The doll-like girl made of porcelain, whom he thought was mute, was finally talking.

Not just one sentence. 

But more, and fluently spoken. Unexpected, too.

"Reita-kun, are you okay?"

"Do you need some help?"