New Leaf

And that one is the... science building number four? That seems wrong. Wait, no it doesn't... Does it?

I took another look at the map of the campus, but I came to the conclusion that I still don't know which building this is. It's one of the engineering ones for sure. The only problem is that there are fifteen of them.

"Tch... Why do I even bother?" I muttered to myself.

For the past hour or so, I've been trying to familiarize myself with the campus. The only paths I've ever known are the ones I take to get to my classes, so I thought it was about time I learned more about this place.

It's not so bad. The weather is chilly today, so it was a rather nice walk. Still, it's annoying me that I can't properly read a map. Kind of sad, now that I think about it. After all, I'm supposed to be a second-year college student. Yeah, my ass.

Suddenly, a couple of students bolted past me as if they were running away from a threat. I turned around, but nothing was there. What was that all about?

It took not a second longer for me to see that a small crowd was gathered just up ahead. That's probably where those students were running off to.

"Hm... What's going on...?"

Curiosity got the better of me before I even realized it, as I was already walking toward the crowd.

When I reached the source of the commotion, I found myself both surprised and unsurprised at the same time. Taiyori Ayaka was sitting alone on a bench, completely absorbed in her homework while listening to music through her earbuds. She seemed blissfully unaware of the small mob of fans that had gathered, watching her from a distance.

Seriously? This is too much. They're even snapping pictures of her without her knowledge or consent. That's got to be illegal, right? Then again... I'm not exactly in a position to judge.

Just then, Taiyori twisted her head. She must've sensed that something was off because she was now locking eyes with the crowd.

"Whoa, she's looking over here," someone said in awe.

"Nah, man, she's clearly looking at me," another chuckled.

"Who the hell would bat an eye at you?" his friend scoffed.

This only serves to validate my claim that the normal world is a cesspool for weird happenings. Do they genuinely not see anything wrong with this? Call me crazy, but this doesn't seem normal at all.

Suddenly, Taiyori's eyes visibly twitched. She stood up, and thereafter, our eyes locked. Is she looking at me? No... Why would she ever? There are about two dozen other students here. I'm sure she must've spotted a friend or something.

With that, I turned around to walk the other way. That was until her voice petrified me instantly.

"Stop."

Is she talking to me? Hah, of course not. So, I took another few steps forward, but then I heard her aggressive voice once again.

"Hey, didn't you hear me?"

With each second, her footsteps became louder and louder until it came to a stop... right behind me. Slowly, I tilted back to see her standing there with her arms crossed and displeasure oozing from that expression.

"What?" I asked.

"What do you mean, 'what?' You're the one who was staring at me," she grumbled.

"Among many others, but it looks like you've decided to single me out. Why is that?"

"You tell me. Why do you think I singled you out?"

While we stood there with our auras clashing from the tension, the crowd was watching as if this were some kind of dramatic performance. They're certainly not making it any easier.

"Well?" she asked.

"Am I really expected to answer that" I scoffed. "How am I supposed to know what you're thinking?"

"I thought you'd know since you're always assuming how I'm feeling all the time."

"Not this time, it seems. At the very least, I'll tell you that I was just curious as to why a crowd was forming. That's why I was looking, though it was only for a few seconds. My mistake, I guess. I should've realized sooner that you were the cause."

A smirk appeared on her face. "You sure that's it? Just admit it already, Tsuki. I won't blame you."

"Hah. Admit what? You're really pushing your luck with me, Taiyori."

"Oh, I don't know about that."

She threw her arms into the air for a stretch and let out a prolonged moan.

"Ah~ that felt good," she smiled with contentment. "Anyway, what were you doing before I caught you red-handed?"

"...I wasn't staring at you," I muttered.

"Heh. Yep, I totally believe you. So?"

I sighed, though it didn't do much to quell my annoyance. There's no winning against her, so the best option is to just move on.

"I was looking around campus. Figured it was about time I tried to get familiar with this place."

"And? How's that going?"

"No such luck yet. This place is too damn big."

Her eyes trailed over to the map in my hand. "Are you seriously carrying around a whole freaking map? You know you can use your phone, right?"

"In case you forgot, I didn't even know what 'Line' was. I'm not exactly the smartest person when it comes to technology."

She let out an amused chuckle, before snatching the map out of my hands. When I tried to take it back, she moved her arm away.

"Doesn't seem like you're the smartest person. Period," she winked. "That's fine, though. Since I'm in a good mood today, I'll show you around. Won't be needing this anymore when you've got me, hm?"

After that declaration, she tore the map in half and tossed it into the nearest garbage bin. That... legitimately broke my heart. I had to find my way to the information center just to get it. That alone took almost thirty minutes, and now it's gone.

Goodbye, my map... You were very helpful to me and my endeavors.

"What are you standing around for?" Taiyori asked. "Come on!"

"It's fine," I sighed. "Just tell me how to pull it up on my phone."

"No, thanks. I need to stretch my legs anyway, and this gives me a decent reason to take a break from my homework."

"There's no need to bother yourself."

"Hey. In case it completely went over your head, I'm being nice here. I wouldn't do this for just anybody, you know, so be grateful and accept it. Now, hurry up!"

What's going on all of a sudden? As if forcing me to the mall wasn't enough, now she's forcing me into this? Granted, it was Saki who pressured me into it, but that didn't make it any less annoying since I had to deal with Taiyori anyway.

I suppose she has calmed down a bit compared to before. I half-expected her to blow up at me again. Who knows? Maybe she turned over a new leaf. I doubt it, though.