Chapter 1:

To Exchange a Greeting

To Be Truly Happy


Have you ever had a stray thought that you just didn’t know the answer to? First, you think about normal things like ‘Do I have everything I need for school?’ or ‘Is my bed-head bad enough that I need to splash water on it?’ Sure, you occasionally think that the sandwiches your dad made you for lunch has a bit too much mustard, but it doesn’t stop you from packing it up and leaving the house. I’m talking about one of those thoughts that make you stop and stare at the morning sky. All you can think about is trying to find the answer:

I wonder how I can be truly happy.

It’s a simple thought. Is it something based on facts or reason? Is there a quest you need to complete? Or is it just the pompous ramblings of a high schooler counting down the days to graduation?

“Hey, did you see the new episode of Mysterious Things?”

“Don’t get me started! I can’t believe they left off on such a cliffhanger!”

Two girls on the opposite side of the street snap me out of such thoughts as the sun slowly rises behind them. A few cars whirl by on the street as I begin walking again, eavesdropping on parts of their conversation.

“Didn’t I tell you the show is amazing? They’ve already announced a fifth season coming out next summer!”

“Yeah, I just love almost everything about it!”

“Totally!”

Does watching a TV show make someone truly happy? Or is it just doing any activity in general? A few more minutes pass by, and I can start to see my destination come into view. Cars are lined up for hundreds of meters turning into the grounds of Omnichoice High School, or OMCHOI as the attending students call it. I reach into my back pocket and pull a piece of paper out. It lists all the clubs OMCHOI currently has.

“Math Games Club, Soccer Club, Archery Club, Manga Club, Music Club, …” I begin muttering to myself. It’s a bad habit, but the muttering helps me remember what I’m reading. Well, there’s no harm in trying them all. Maybe these are the kinds of activities that make me happy. I severely doubted that was the case, but I already gave myself the rousing “there’s no harm” speech, so there’s no turning back now!

OMCHOI is on the edge of a street corner. The road I’m walking on runs parallel to the four-story brick building. The school was refurbished from a texture mill, giving it an old and authentic feel in this small town. However, taking a step inside, the outside is contrasted with a modern interior like you’ve traveled into the future. Although it is basically a single corridor with no windows, the lights and simplicity in design make it feel spacious. Well, besides from the hundreds of students crowding up the place.

I hurriedly take a step towards the right and make my way over to the dimly-lit staircase. Only the freshmen have class on the first floor, so most of the students need to take the stairs to get to their classrooms. The students push me from all sides as I join the chaos. I take a look and see a few of the students panicking as they get pulled up the stairs with us. Those are probably the first years trying to get to their classrooms. I clasp my hands together to make a silent prayer and say, “Good luck!” as the crowd drags me towards the fourth floor.

The momentum starts to die down as the sophomores head to their classrooms on the second floor. There’s now enough space for me to walk without having to rub shoulders. As you pass by the third floor where the juniors jump off, the dim staircase starts to brighten. The sun streaming in from the windows is now able to light the staircase. They actually look quite nice when under the sun, compared to the cesspool of the first and second entryways.

As I pass by the second floor entryway, I can also start to pick out the individual conversations going on between some of the juniors and seniors. “So you’re in my class? Nice to meet you, dude!” some of the juniors say to each other as I pass by the third floor. A senior next to me says “I hope we can become good friends!” to another guy as I start reaching the landing of the fourth floor. Both of them are smiling, so they seem quite happy. Can you really be happy by greeting another person? I mused. All you need to do is shake hands and smile, right? That shouldn’t be so hard.

I finally arrive on the fourth floor and take a look down the corridor. It has the same spacious design, though the lack of students make it much more appealing. Following the right side, I stroll over to the second classroom: 4-2. OMCHOI breaks up students into five classes based on their academic ability. Since I’m slightly above average in my grades, I barely met the requirement to get into 4-2. It’s better than last year when I was in 3-4 though, acknowledging my own progress.

To get to class 4-2, I need to walk past…4-1. I slightly frown. They say the classrooms are broken up to better improve efficiency in the school. Supposedly, class 1 students are the “cream of the crop” when it comes to model students. Though, in my opinion, most of the class 1 students are…how do I put this nicely…stuck up, annoying, rich jerks. They say that it’s best to avoid class 1, and I wholeheartedly agree.

Getting closer to class 1, I notice one of its students is giving me that snooty, superior grin. The kind that sort of makes you want to punch them. Though, I don’t really want to get expelled because of some annoying kid.

Wait. Now two of them are giving me that look.

Scratch that. Three of them.

I think I should just keep my head low and quickly walk past them. I start a quick shuffle past class 1, making sure to avoid eye contact with any of their students. Reaching the door to class 2, I take a quick glance behind me just to make sure the annoyances aren’t keeping tabs on what I’m doing. The annoyances seem to be eyeballing someone else now. A small sigh of relief escapes my mouth. I turn back to the door leading to class 2, preparing myself for the main challenge. Okay, now remember. Try to shake hands and smile with someone. Then I’ll know whether it can make me happy. Plastering on a smile, I swing open the door and take a step in.

The classroom contained thirty desks: six per row. There was also a podium in front of a whiteboard at the head of the class. The first thing that caught my attention was one seat away from the opposite window in the second row. A girl was calmly talking to another student dressed like a biker.

“Take your feet off the desk. It is unbecoming of a student of this school,” the girl expressed.

“Hmmmm?? Who died and made you queen? Piss off.” The air instantly chilled. Maybe “calmly” is not the best way to describe what’s playing out here.

“Would you care to say that again?” Her voice spoke with undertones of confidence and authority. It made me shrink slightly, and I wasn’t even in the direct line of fire.

“Like I said, p–” The biker-child looked up just before he finished repeating himself. His face began to contort in agony staring at the towering figure overhead. She stood 185cm tall, an entire head taller than me. Her crimson hair was like static lightning had frozen just above the biker-child’s face.

I turned my head from side to side, looking for someone that could potentially break up this one-sided war. However, it seemed like half of the people in the room were looking at her with…awe and respect. I thought the more appropriate reaction was like the biker-child’s and other half: terrifying.

I’m not sure how long I was standing there petrified, but I suddenly felt a sharp pinch on the back of my neck. I brought my right hand to where I was pinched and spun around. A pair of hazel eyes peered into me a few centimeters from my face. I instinctively thought Oh crap, now I’m the target and took a few steps backwards into the classroom. However, what greeted me was highly unexpected.

In front of me was a girl exactly my height: 165cm. Looking at her, she dressed like your typical bookworm. Well, minus the glasses. If it wasn’t for that pinch or what she said next, I would’ve figured she was shy as well:

“Ogling for a while. Move.”

I realized I was in the doorway blocking her from entering. I felt a little embarrassed as I said “Oh” quietly and quickly moved to the side to let her by.

“Sorry, umm…”

“Aito.”

“Well, sorry Aito.” I bowed my head slightly to show her a bit of respect. Aito nodded her head back and lightly stepped to the seat in the fourth row by the window. For some reason, I thought that would go worse. I pondered in my head on the matter a bit more. Wait a second. Did she just imply I was deviant? I wasn’t sure how else to interpret Aito using the word “ogling”, but I put it out of my head and made my way to my seat: the second row next to the door.

As I slumped down into the chair, I saw that the crimson haired girl was no longer facing the biker-child and instead towards the whiteboard in nearly perfect posture. I slightly looked up at the ceiling. I’m not sure who broke the ice in the room, but thank you for it.

Then, the school bell rang twice, indicating the start of class. The students who were still standing made their way to their seats. The teacher entered a few moments later and began setting up on the podium at the front. Well, it seems as though I didn’t get to greet anyone. The classroom atmosphere just wasn’t good for socializing today. Yeah, that’s the excu– I mean reason. I felt a tiny bit guilty for chickening out on my resolve. Okay, fine. I’ll try again at lunch with whoever is left in the room.

Since it was the first day of school, the teacher pretty much went over the syllabus for each class, what papers we needed to get our parents to sign, any required orientation. You know, the typical things they make you do every, single, year. Nothing really interesting happened during this time. Not that I was paying attention anyways. I’m definitely more curious about why the podium has three legs instead of four. I write down that note in the agenda they handed out for future questions.

A few hours later, the bell rang once again. Finally! I began stretching my arms in the air. It’s time to have lunch! Most of the students in the class stood up, including the biker-child, and began to leave the classroom. They were going to buy and eat lunch at the mall across the street as OMCHOI didn’t actually have a cafeteria. Though, since there are so many students who buy lunch, they do give us a comfortable hour to enjoy it. This is why you pack your own lunch. A slight smile appeared on my face. Okay, now it’s time to try and greet the others still here! I took a quick scan of the classroom and saw that Aito was still sitting down, pulling out a notebook and a pen. There was also a blond guy with a rugged look sitting in front of her.

Oh, and the crimson haired lady was here as well.

My instincts slowly kicking in, I try to shrink into the wall to hide myself from her. I know she’s on the other side of the classroom, but she’s still very scary. The blond guy stands up to face the girl and begins a conversation.

“Did you really have to bring down lightning on Randy?”

“I would not have if he stopped before cursing me out. Though I still would have reported him to the teacher.”

The blond haired boy sighed. “Yeah but, Mona, you need to remember that not everyone here knows who you are. You scared half of your classmates.” The boy then turned towards me, setting off warning signals in my brain. He then pointed at me and said, “Like him.”

Urk, I’ve been spotted. The crimson haired lady, or Mona, turned her eyes towards me. The warning signals were now starting to blare even louder as she gave me a once over. She started to walk briskly towards me. In my irrational state of panic, I first thought She’s definitely just walking towards the door to leave and go to the bathroom. It was an insane thought, but as far as I cared, it made perfect sense. Nope, she’s definitely coming here. She stopped a few meters in front of my desk, prompting me to quickly stand and crane my head upward to look at her towering figure. A few beads of sweat trickled down my cheek as I waited for something to happen.

“I apologize for making you uncomfortable.” Mona looked me straight in the eyes. I instinctively wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. Not sure whether that was out of respect or fear. She then continued, “I did not mean to involve the class in my argument.”

She is being genuine, at least that’s what I thought. Mona never once spoke in a harsh tone nor did she ask for forgiveness. She just did what she thought was right. I think I may understand why that deserves respect.

“No, no, no. It’s fine! I understand you were doing what you thought was right.” I put my hands up to show it wasn’t that big of a deal and tried to give a big smile as well.

“Pfft.” I turned my head to the source of the sound. The blond guy was covering his mouth like he was laughing. He then walked in between the rows of desks to me. “You don’t have to be so nervous dude! Though I completely understand if it’s the first time meeting the crimson witch.” Although it was in a joking tone, I saw Mona slightly glare at him. The guy just simply shrugged and smiled it off. That’s some serious confidence if that glare didn’t scare him a tiny bit. “Though I guess she is better than a single phrase bookworm,” he continued with a smirk. He then swiftly stepped left as a pen came flying from behind and landed next to my left ear.

“Eep!” I let out a tiny shriek. Aito had thrown her pen when she heard the comment and was frowning. How can he just smile through all that?! It’s like he expected it! He then turned back towards me and stretched out his hand. I was a tiny bit confused about what was happening. Though, what he said next cleared it up:

“My name is Katlego, though everyone just calls me Lego. It’s nice to meet ya dude.”

A greeting. Lego was smiling at me and reaching out to shake my hand. Huh, I thought. So this is what it's like to perform a greeting. Though I wasn’t the one to initiate it, I'll take the win anyways. A small grin appears on my face. I thought back to the unanswered thought in my mind:

Is this how I can become truly happy? Whether this is true happiness or not, I don’t know yet. It feels like I’m starting to go somewhere at least. Maybe the answer I seek is lurking around the corner. Or maybe it’s still hidden away deep underground. Or maybe I still need an extra miracle or two to figure it out. At least for now… I stretch out my hand to grab his hand and smile back.

“It’s a pleasure. My name’s Lucas.”

…I am definitely happy.