Chapter 5: Morning roll call and duty

“Hey, are Yukikawa, Asakura, and that other girl friends?”

“Who?”

“The one next to the window. What was her name… Kurosawa?”

“Ah, the one from the public middle school who introduced herself yesterday?”

“I’m so jealous. Do you think they knew each other before?”

Whispers flitted between a group of boys glancing towards the window.

Yukikawa Aya and Asakura Mizuki. One, a pure-blooded East Asian beauty from the chairman’s family; the other, a mixed-race beauty with a noble Japanese father and a foreign aristocratic mother. They’d been inseparable since middle school, their closeness as natural as breathing.

So, the presence of an unfamiliar face between them was a jarring sight.

“Honestly though, Kurosawa’s pretty cute, isn’t she?” one of the boys ventured.

His friends readily agreed.

“Yeah, well… she is. But Yukikawa and Asakura are so striking, it’s easy to overlook her. But she’s definitely up there.”

“Yeah, it’s not just her face, but her aura… she’s kind of… cute? Something like that.”

“Maybe it’s because the other two are so tall.”

Yukikawa was 171 cm, and while Asakura kept her height a secret, rumor had it she was around 165 cm. Kurosawa, on the other hand, was closer to the average height for Japanese women, making her seem a head shorter when standing between them.

The boys continued their hushed discussion.

“But seriously, they’re like a beautiful painting. Seeing the three of them together… it’s intimidating.”

“Totally. A garden of flowers. It’s better to just admire them from afar.”

A quiet chuckle rippled through the group, but the atmosphere quickly returned to a hushed reverence. Their gazes drifted back to the window.

Kurosawa Rina. She sat quietly, head down, a notebook open before her. Her softly tousled bob and delicate aura drew the eye. While her posture might have seemed unassuming, it gave her a mysterious, natural charm. Had she been seated elsewhere, away from Aya and Mizuki, her appeal might have been even more pronounced.

“Sigh… a garden of flowers indeed,” one of the boys murmured.

No matter how hard Kurosawa Rina tried to blend in, her very presence placed her in a different realm, far removed from ordinary “us.”

Takamari Academy, often dubbed the “noble school.” Even among nobles, there was a hierarchy, and Yukikawa and Asakura occupied the highest echelons, akin to royalty. So, Kurosawa, an ordinary girl, seated between them, almost seemed… out of place.

“Should we… try talking to Kurosawa?”

“Nah, forget it. Trying to use Kurosawa to get to those goddesses? No way.”

“Right… who would dare step into that garden of flowers?”

The conversation died down, but their gazes remained fixed on the window.

Shortly after, the classroom door creaked open, and Ito-sensei entered.

“Alright, is everyone here? Good. Let’s get started.”

He closed the door and walked towards the podium. Today, he wore a shirt, sleeves rolled up, top buttons undone. He tossed a file onto the podium, looking thoroughly unmotivated. But despite his apparent apathy, his eyes scanned the classroom, taking in each student’s face.

“Nothing much today. Just taking attendance. Aoki, you’re here? Good. Sato… present. Yukikawa, Asakura, well, of course you two are here. Kurosawa?”

The students responded as if accustomed to Ito-sensei’s casual approach. All except one… or rather, two.

“Yes! I’m here!”

Ito-sensei glanced at Rina, then nodded. “Good, thanks. And Nishimura?”

“Here!”

“Alright, everyone. Don’t ignore the two who aren’t from Takamari Middle School. They worked hard to get here, so don’t exclude them. Try to be friendly.”

Ito-sensei’s words seemed aimed at easing the classroom’s atmosphere. But the students exchanged uneasy glances. Someone was probably thinking,

‘But there’s already a garden of flowers there. How are we supposed to approach them?’

Unfortunately, Ito-sensei wasn’t perceptive enough to grasp the nuances of the classroom dynamic. He did, however, notice Rina shrinking in her seat.

“Right, same as yesterday, no bullying. If you’re feeling unwell, physically or mentally, let me know so you can go to the doctor. Got it?”

He shuffled through the papers on his desk, then added, “Oh, and we’ll be discussing club activities today. Those from the middle school already know, but I’ll explain for the benefit of our two new students. Club activities at Takamari are linked with the middle school.”

He placed the papers aside, leaned against the podium, and propped his chin on his hand.

“So, if you see anyone you want to recruit, take care of them. Any questions? No? Moving on.”

A brief silence followed. The students knew better than to provoke Ito-sensei. Despite his laid-back appearance, he was meticulous.

“Okay, that’s all. Homeroom’s over. Get ready for your first class.” He waved his hand dismissively, grabbed his file, and headed for the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned back, as if remembering something.

“Oh, and Nishimura and Kurosawa, you’re on classroom duty. And boys, come with me to carry the textbooks.”

A chorus of groans followed Ito-sensei’s announcement about the textbooks. The groans were subdued, however, since it was the boys who were being drafted.

And I, who had been a “boy” just a few days ago, almost instinctively stood up. I hoped no one had noticed my flinch… but Aya, seated next to me, was watching me with an intrigued expression.

“You don’t have to go. It’s only for the boys on duty.”

“Oh, right. He only called for the boys.”

“Yeah. Sensei’s being mischievous, making the two transfer students classroom duty.”

Aya’s words gave me pause. Her concern about my duty assignment mirrored a scene from the novel.

Of course, in the novel, Aya’s concern was expressed internally, not spoken aloud. But now, perhaps because I’d taken the protagonist’s place, she was more open about her thoughts.

And this duty assignment… It was supposed to be Nishimura and Yamahashi (the protagonist), two boys. Through this shared task, they were meant to bond, becoming close friends as fellow non-Takamari Middle School alumni.

But now… It was unlikely that Nishimura and I would develop a similar bond.

‘It’s hard enough for boys and girls to become close friends, and it would be even stranger for me, originally a guy, to develop a romantic relationship with a guy.’

Lost in thought, I lowered my head, pondering the intricacies of this fictional world. Just then, the classroom door burst open.

“Man, that was exhausting.”

“What kind of exercise was that… why make us do that?”

The boys dumped several large boxes on the floor. They were overflowing with textbooks, looking incredibly heavy. Ito-sensei, effortlessly carrying a box by himself, said, “Good work, everyone. Leave them there and you’re free to go.”

Once the boxes were stacked at the front of the classroom, Ito-sensei turned to us.

“Alright, you two on duty. Kurosawa, Nishimura, come unpack these and distribute them.”

I flinched. I knew I was on duty, but the reality of having to do something in front of the entire class filled me with anxiety. Nishimura, who had carried the boxes, wiped his sweat and muttered something under his breath before wiping his brow again. I hesitated for a moment, then made my way to the front.

The heavy boxes were stacked high. Ito-sensei tapped one of them.

“Start with this one. Here’s a box cutter.”

He handed me a small utility knife. Nishimura took it and started opening a box. I joined him, carefully slicing through the packing tape.

“Um, Kurosawa-san,” Nishimura said softly.

I looked up.

“I’ll unpack this side. You can organize the books over there.”

“Okay.”

We worked in silence, unpacking the boxes and stacking the textbooks. The task was simple, but the constant stares from the back of the classroom were hard to ignore. My hands trembled slightly every time I felt Aya’s and Mizuki’s gaze.

“Kurosawa-san,” Nishimura called out again.

Startled, I looked up. He was pointing at a neat stack of textbooks. “Let’s distribute these first. One bundle for each row.”

“Okay.”

I gathered an armful of textbooks and began distributing them, walking down each row. Nishimura took another bundle and covered the other rows. Whispers rippled through the classroom.

“Kurosawa’s on duty. That’s surprising.”

“She seemed so quiet, but she’s pretty diligent.”

Their words made me stiffen, but I managed to distribute the books without any major mishaps.

“Alright, you two. Don’t distribute them individually. Just leave a stack for each row. And everyone, let me know if there are any mistakes with your textbooks.”

Ito-sensei organized the last box as he spoke. Once the distribution was complete, I returned to my seat, letting out a small sigh of relief.

Even this simple task had left me tense and sore. And Aya’s voice, from beside me, made my heart skip a beat again.

“Rina, good job.”

I could only nod, unsure of what to say. It had been an excruciatingly difficult homeroom period.