ACT I - Calm After the Storm

And so, I was done with my evaluation test. I managed to complete it fairly well, which soothed my teachers' worries and also made it clear that it really was just my eyesight making things difficult. I also notified them that I had compared my notes with Rena the previous week, so I didn't think I'd have issues from now on.

They seemed to be satisfied; they all had this proud and relieved look on their faces. I couldn't help but feel a little bit delighted myself, you know? Despite my trouble making friends, at least my teachers seemed to be supportive of me, and that filled my heart with… A gentle, pleasant feeling.

"I'll be going home now, thank you! Have a nice evening."

I stepped out with a happy sigh, only for my breath to get sucked back inside from an unexpected sight: Ria Azuma was still waiting for me, leaning towards the wall.

"U-um, Azuma-senpai…"

She stepped forward, arms crossed. "Now don't get any weird ideas, I was not waiting for you. I just happened to be patrolling the corridors to see if everyone had gone to their clubs properly, and I just came back here."

"Ah, um, right…"

I didn't know what to say (although it was as clear as day that she had waited for me—it was time for club activities to come to an end, even!). It felt odd, but a few moments later I realized it was because she wanted to know the results of my test.

"Well, since you're here and all, I can tell you about how my test went."

She glanced at my eyes for a bit, only to look away immediately. She did seem interested, just not very… Honest about it.

I smiled. Maybe she wasn't all that demonic, caring about a random student's potential academic troubles and all.

"It went perfectly fine. Actually, I was making mistakes on my homework because I didn't have glasses for a while. Now that I have these, all is okay!"

I wiggled them up and down on my ears a bit to maybe make her laugh, but she just glared at me.

Right… I was being too much.

She turned on her heels, preparing to leave. "Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

"W-wait, Azuma-senpai…!"

I felt like I'd regret it if I didn't say these words coming from my thankful heart.

"Thank you for your concern, and for the praises!"

She turned towards me in shock. Her eyes were wider than I had ever seen. Combined with the pink blush coming back to her cheeks just like earlier, I thought she looked quite adorable.

"What? What praises? When?!"

"Ah, well, when you came to my class to bring me to the teacher's room, you specifically said 'your new glasses look silly', plus when the teacher said they suit me, you agreed—"

Her blush was deepening, turning into a dark red almost matching her eyes. It was a bit of a surreal sight that I didn't even feel like I was responsible for her blush. I simply stood and watched her attempt to defend herself.

"F-first of all, anyone would notice such a change, as your glasses are absurd! As for agreeing with the teacher, I… Just went with the flow, that's all!"

Ah, she was adorable after all. Quite unexpectedly. I chuckled softly.

"...what are you laughing about, did I say something funny?!"

"Haha, of course not," I pulled down my glasses and looked at them lovingly. "I just thought about how these glasses have brought me so much fortune already. I would have never thought I'd get to have a conversation with you like this, Azuma-senpai."

I put them back on and smiled. I felt so warm. "Thank you, once again."

She stood, unable to say anything for a while. I didn't know her school life all that much, but something made me feel like—just like me—she didn't have many opportunities to have friendly conversations with people. At the same time, I was preparing myself for the impact of her biting back at me for being all… Sappy all of a sudden but I couldn't help it. It was just my nature.

She turned on her heels once more, this time really walking away. However, a few steps in she stopped briefly, to mutter these words.

"No need to thank me. It was pleasant talking with you too, Yuujin Seira. Good luck with your studies, and… See you around."