School and Friendship

Every day, we walked to school along the road, while our father preferred to drive to his office as it was quite a distance from our house.

As we walked down the street, Alda struck up a conversation.

"Hey, brother," Alda asked, her voice full of curiosity, "did you really save a girl yesterday?"

I paused for a moment, considering her question. "I can't say that I really saved her," I replied, my voice tinged with doubt.

"She could have tried to do the same thing again, but at least I did what was expected in that situation." I sighed softly. "I'm also not sure if I really helped because the root of the problem is still there, which means the problem is still not solved."

Alda's eyes widened in shock as her brother expressed his thoughts.

"Since when did you stop being a loser?" she said with a smirk.

I sighed, feeling a little defensive. "Give me a chance," I replied, frustration evident in my tone. "I know you hate seeing people weak or being a loser. But I don't have a choice, you know? I'm not as good as Ryan, who's very popular at school."

Alda raised her eyebrows, a teasing smirk on her lips. "You're trying to compare yourself to the school idol, Ryan? Brother must think very highly of himself if he believes he can compare himself to Ryan."

I felt a hint of annoyance, but quickly brushed it off. "Hey, cut it out, okay?" I said, trying to keep my tone steady. "I want to be popular too, but there are already people who outshine me, so it feels like there's no place for me to go."

Alda's smile faded, replaced by a more serious expression. "Sounds like an excuse to be a loser," she retorted.

I sighed in defeat. "Yeah, yeah," I reply, recognising the truth of her words.

We continued travelling along the road to the school. After a while, we unexpectedly bumped into Kazuki, one of my close friends from junior high who happened to attend the same high school.

Kazuki was known as the school idol among the boys. He had a handsome appearance, a well-built body, and outstanding athletic ability. Sometimes, I wondered why I could be friends with him.

"Hey Valdo and Alda, how are you?" Kazuki greeted us, his eyes focused on Alda. "Alda, are you planning to tease your brother again?"

Alda replied, her tone defensive, "It's none of your business. You're not even my friend, hmph." With that, she walked away, leaving Kazuki and I who were still standing there.

"Valdo, why is your sister acting like that?" Kazuki asked, there was a hint of confusion in his voice.

I shrugged, a little resigned in answering. "I don't know. Maybe she hasn't been able to accept the fact that I'm her brother."

Kazuki patted my shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry about it, Valdo. You've done your best as a big brother. Be grateful to have a caring older brother, unlike my older sister in elementary school."

I nodded, a hint of longing in my voice. "At least she's cute, unlike my annoying older sister who likes to tease me."

Kazuki grinned. "That's how siblings are, mate. You'll appreciate it one day."

I sighed, daydreaming. "I wish I had a clingy, cute little brother who adores his big sister."

Kazuki raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips. "Stop daydreaming, bro. This is starting to sound a little creepy, if you ask me. Oh, and just so you know, my sister is in elementary school, so I hardly ever see her outside the house."

"Well, whatever. We should hurry up now because I think I need the answers for my maths homework," I said, feeling urgent.

"Damn, thanks for reminding me. I've been struggling with it for almost three hours yesterday," Kazuki replied, realising that he also needed the answer.

We rushed towards the school and entered the classroom, breaking the door with a loud noise.

"You sit down and prepare everything. I'll ask someone for help," I instructed Kazuki.

"Yes, sir. I'll prepare everything. Now go, mate," Kazuki replied while saluting.

I scanned the room, looking for someone who had finished the homework.

"Hey, mate. Do you know the answer to this question?" I asked, expecting a favour.

"Why should I give you my answer? I know you'll just copy it," a classmate replied and walked away.

"Damn, I'll have to find someone else," I muttered in frustration.

Konohana entered the classroom, catching my attention. She was my close friend since junior high, always there when I needed her.

With her shiny black hair and slightly shorter height, she stands out in the room. Her beautiful dark blue eyes, which are rare in this country, add to her captivating appearance.

A glimmer of hope shone through as a potential saviour entered the scene. Without hesitation, I immediately headed to Konohana's table and approached her.

"Konohana, can you do me a favour?" I asked, looking at her with a pleading gaze.

"Geez, I knew you'd ask. This is my homework. You should start thinking about..."

Before she could finish her sentence, I intercepted her.

"Thank you, Konohana. You're a true saviour," I thanked her.

"Wait! I haven't even finished..."

Her answer was interrupted, she stopped because she thought that a boy is still a boy. And usually, boys are impatient.

Hastily, I copied Konohana's answers for her homework. Cheating is not something I endorse, but with classes about to start and a stern teacher, I'd rather avoid trouble.

"Wow, our junior high school friend turned out to be quite reliable," Kazuki commented.

"Don't say that. I feel guilty for doing this. I don't know the answer, and I can't do much. Yesterday, I intended to do my homework, but I ended up going straight to bed after dinner. My back hurts a lot too," I replied.

"What happened yesterday? Did something go wrong?" Kazuki asked, his curiosity piqued.

"There was no accident as I recall, just a crazy woman trying to..." My words were interrupted by a girl approaching me.

"What did you just say?" the girl cut in, her eyes looking at me with a cold stare.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," I replied quickly, trying to defuse the situation. "You can get on with your business."

I leaned closer to Kazuki and whispered, "I don't think this is the right time. Can you hurry up? I feel like this girl is going to hit me or something."

Kazuki whispered back, "Oh, I understand. It's complicated. I hope you make it out alive, mate. I'm already done. Good luck."

With that, Kazuki immediately ran back to his desk. Now, I was left alone to face this unpredictable girl.

"I know you're talking about something bad behind my back," she accused, her tone sharp and accusatory.

It turned out that she was the girl who had almost fallen off the building, falling on my back when I wanted to save her and almost breaking my back.

"No, I didn't say anything bad about you," I managed to say, trying to focus on my writing.

"You mentioned 'crazy girl' earlier," she retorted, her voice laced with anger.

"I didn't say 'crazy girl'. You might have misheard. I meant 'caring girl'," I replied quickly.

The classroom became uncomfortably quiet, with the sound of crickets seemingly amplifying the awkwardness. I inwardly cringed at the answer I had just given, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"You'd better watch your mouth. I'll be watching you, especially after what happened yesterday," she warned, before turning around and walking away.

She looked like the type of person who could hurt someone. Despite her beauty, her behaviour is so toxic. I didn't understand why she only directed her aggression at me. I'd seen her engage in conversations with others, but never so openly and aggressively.

"Oh my God, I almost forgot. I have to finish my writing quickly before the teacher comes," I whispered to myself, feeling something urgent.

A student near the entrance looked towards the aisle and exclaimed, "Hey, the teacher is almost here. Back to your seats, everyone!"

I breathed a sigh of relief, as I was finally able to finish my writing. Now, I had to return Konohana's book. I stood up from my desk and walked towards her.

"Thank you, Konohana. You really are my saviour," I thanked her.

"No problem, but don't forget to pay me," she replied with a witty smile.

"Wait, what?" I looked away, realising that I forgot about our agreement. "Alright, I'll buy you an ice cream."

"Agreed. Now, go back to your desk. The teacher will be here soon," he ordered me.

I returned to my desk and sat down just as the teacher entered the classroom.

"Good morning, class," Mr Takeshi greeted us as he placed his book on the desk.

"Good morning, Mr Takeshi," we replied in unison as we stood up from our seats.

"Please take your seats, everyone. Let's start class," he said.

Class went on as usual until the entrance bell rang.