Chapter 2:

CHAPTER 2: THE SIGMAS AND THE CORNER SEAT

Until We Find a Reason

The front door clicked shut as Minami stepped onto the porch into the crisp morning air. He turned

back, waving his hand with a bright, easy smile.

"I'm off! Bye-bye!" Minami called out warm-heartedly, before leaning back toward the closing gap of the door. "Yui, I swear I’ll bring those two melon buns back today!"

Silence answered him from inside. Not a single sound. She was definitely still holding that grudge.

Minami let out a soft, amused sigh, shaking his head as he stepped onto the pavement.

The morning streets were already alive with students in matching uniforms. Minami walked with his usual friendly demeanor, offering polite nods and cheerful greetings to several classmates he passed along the way.

Then, completely out of nowhere—

SLAM!

A heavy palm smashed into his upper back with enough force to knock the wind right out of his lungs. Minami stumbled forward two paces, wheezing as he clutched his chest.

"Gah—! Cough!"

"Ah! Shoot! Minami, bad! I'm so sorry, man! Are you okay?!"

Minami straightened up, rubbing his shoulder while glaring jokingly at the culprit. "Man, that hurt like hell... You dumbass, what if you killed me and I got isakai'd into another world?!"

"Not happening, you're stuck here with us," the boy snickered.

This was Ren Kuroda. He had messy, bright purple hair that stuck out in every direction, matching sharp purple eyes, and an energetic grin that rarely left his face.

The two fell into step, walking side by side down the tree-lined sidewalk toward the school gates.

"So, we're still hitting that station cafe after final bell, right?" Ren asked, slinging his arms behind his head. "Daiki said they have a stack of chocolate pancakes that's literally as tall as a building."

"Yeah, I'm in," Minami replied, smiling smoothly. "Wouldn't miss it."

As they walked, Minami cleared his throat, letting out a lingering, raspy cough from that heavy blow to his back. Ren glanced over at him, his energetic expression softening into something far more observant.

Ren leaned in closer, dropping his voice into a quiet whisper so none of the passing students could hear.

"Man... you really should stop smoking."

Minami didn't flinch. His polite, effortless smile stayed fixed on his face.

"I will, one day," Minami lied smoothly.

Ren let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "You always say that..."

"Hey, if I stop, who's going to supply you with half-eaten gum when you're bored in math?" Minami joked softly, cracking a quiet grin.

Ren burst out laughing, shoving Minami's shoulder lightly as the heavy weight of the topic dissolved. "Fair point!"

A few minutes later, the grand gates of their high school came into view. Minami and Ren slid open the wooden door to Class 2-B, stepping into the noisy morning classroom.

"Good morning, everyone!" Ren announced loudly.

"Morning," Minami added with a gentle wave.

Sitting near the window were the other two members of their squad. Ken Takahashi, who spent way too much time styling his brown hair and constantly tried to act like the coolest, most suave guy in the building (despite failing miserably whenever a girl actually talked to him), and Daiki Fujimoto, a tall, laid-back guy with short black hair who was currently eating a convenience store rice ball before class even started.

Minami took his seat in the middle row. Ren sat right beside him, Ken took the desk to Ren's left, and Daiki sat directly behind Minami, leaning his chin on Minami's chair.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Ken said, striking what he clearly thought was a dramatic anime pose in his seat. "The Four Sigmas are officially assembled."

Daiki snorted into his rice ball. "Stop calling us that, Ken. It's embarrassing."

Before Ken could argue back, the classroom door slid open with a sharp rattle. A young female teacher with her hair tied in a loose bun and a stack of papers tucked under her arm stepped up to the podium.

"Alright, take your seats, everyone. Morning homeroom is starting," she called out, tapping her chalk against the board.

The morning bell rang loudly across the courtyard, signaling the start of another long, repetitive school day.

The final bell echoed through the hallways, and within seconds, Class 2-B exploded into activity. Bags were zipped, chairs scraped across the floor, and students flooded out the doors.

"Victory time!" Ren shouted, practically leaping out of his desk. "To the cafe!"

The four of them strolled out of the building together. They called themselves the "Four Sigmas"—a ridiculously cringe name Ken had forced on the group chat—and while Ken spent the entire walk trying to walk like a cool lone wolf and Ren acted like a complete idiot jumping over sidewalk curbs, Minami just walked along, laughing in all the right places.

They reached the bustling station square and slipped inside the warm, sweet-smelling interior of the new cafe.

They picked a cozy booth in the back corner. The moment the glossy laminated menus were dropped onto the table, Ren's purple eyes practically sparkled with pure awe.

"Look at this! FOUR-LAYER CHOCOLATE TOWER!" Ren gasped, pointing violently at the picture.

"I'm getting the classic berry parfait," Ken said smoothly, running a hand through his hair. "A gentleman's choice."

"I'm getting two ORDERS of bacon sandwiches," Daiki deadpanned.

After ordering four massive items from the waiter, the table filled with loud, chaotic banter. Ken was rambling about how he was going to start a band, Ren was making paper-wrapper spitballs, and Daiki was quietly judging them both.

Minami sat with his hand propped under his chin, chuckling along at their antics, playing the role of the warm, reliable center of the group perfectly.

Then, his dark eyes casually drifted past Ken's shoulder toward the front row of tables near the window.

A girl was sitting there alone.

She was wearing the exact same school uniform as them, but everything about her vibe stood out like a stark thumbprint on a clean glass window. Her long, dark hair fell over her shoulders, her stance slouched back lazily against the seat, and a pair of white headphones rested around her neck.

Her face wasn't overly dolled up, nor was she trying to attract any attention. In fact, she looked like she was actively trying to look like someone who didn't give a damn about anything in the world.

It was Hoshino Yuki.

Minami watched her quietly. She was staring out the window at the passing crowd, holding a cold drink, completely isolated in her own quiet world despite the noisy cafe around her.

And as if sensing his gaze, Hoshino slowly turned her head.

Her sharp, dark eyes met Minami's across the room.

She didn't know who he was. To her, he was just another high school guy laughing with his friends in a crowded cafe, enjoying a completely ordinary afternoon. Her deadpan expression didn't change, but as her gaze swept past their table, she gave a quiet, unimpressed scoff before turning her head back toward the window.

To Hoshino, it was just another noisy corner of the world she didn't care about.

But somehow, that indifferent glance slipped through the smile he'd spent years perfecting.

For a fraction of a second, Minami's expression faltered.

'Why did she look at me like that?'

"Hey, Minami! You even listening?" Ren pulled him back, waving a fork loaded with chocolate pancake in front of his face. "I said, if I eat this whole stack in five minutes, you owe me a soda."

"You're going to give yourself a stomach ulcer, Kuroda," Minami said smoothly, his easygoing smile already back in place. "But sure. Five minutes."

End of Chapter 2