Chapter 3: A wild encounter
After the entrance ceremony, they were all assigned to a classroom and Naoko felt lucky she got assigned to the same classroom as Yuto, they were both in class 1-A.
As the both of them were on their way to check out their classroom a crowd of people had stopped them, they seemed to be second years and third years. It looks like they're trying to get Yuto to join their clubs.
"Come on, Yu-kun! How about you join our volleyball club? We need your physique and we have this cute manager you'd like to meet"
"No! join ours! We know you like basketball more! "
"Amateur's, didn't you know? Yu-kun likes cooking more than all of that! "
"That's not true! Cooking is just one of Yu-kun's hobbies! He's not as serious with it, in comparison to his archery! He won a prefectural middle school competition with it! "
Yuto was overwhelmed by the sudden crowd that pestered him.
"Thanks, guys! but I don't plan to join any right now... "
He replied to them with a troubled look and they all left disappointedly.
"Wow, you're popular Minamoto-kun! " Nao jokingly teased him, though she soon overthink if it was too fast for her to act all buddy-buddy with him.
"You just realized? " He responded with a smug on his face, making her worries go away.
"Yu! I knew you'd attend here! " An elder woman exclaimed excitedly and hugged him tightly, she seemed to be a third year.
"Sis! You're choking me! " He frantically tries to get her off of him.
Sis?
Oh yeah, he did mention that before!
Now that Naoko looked closely she does resemble him a bit, although her hair color is bright pink in contrast to her sharp eyes that have the same red hue as his.
It seemed that she also noticed Nao, though the way she looked at her was as if she was analyzing Naoko, what she did, and how she grew up.
Nao didn't know why she was staring at her so intensely and so she got a little scared of his sister.
"Oh, I won't bite! It's just I've never seen you before! You must be a freshman, Are you Yuto's friend? " She asked genuinely showing she'd not harm her.
Friend...?
Is it right for me to call myself that?
We just met...
He'd probably think I'm weird if I said yes...
"No, we just met! We were both assigned to the same class, so I followed him to not get lost! " She responded frantically trying to not make Yuto feel uncomfortable.
Wait- followed? That sounds a hell of weird!
It's as if I'm stalking him!
Yuto fell silent, she didn't know why, he'd normally be talking a lot by now, she thought.
"Oh is that so? My name's Mayumi Minamoto! You can call me Mayu-senpai! "
she said gleaming with smiles and unlike Yuto she doesn't have any fangs.
Mayu was wearing the school uniform, albeit it was altered to her preferences from the skirt that was pulled higher by 5 cm to the blazer that she wrapped on her waist.
Ching-Ching
"Crap- It's the bell! I gotta go bye you two!"
She said, scurrying off, leaving the two of them alone.
Between the both of them, it was kind of awkward for some reason and Naoko was still confused by Yuto's action. He'd usually be talkative by now, how strange, she thought.
___________
When they reached their classroom, Naoko couldn't hold back any longer. She abruptly slammed both her hands against the wall, trapping Yuto, who was roughly a head taller than her.
"Why are you avoiding me, Minamoto-kun?" she demanded, her voice filled with frustration and confusion. Yuto's eyes widened in shock at her sudden action.
"What's this? Are you confessing to me?" he replied, teasingly, though he tried to act nonchalant. His ears turned slightly red, his smile became awkward, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Stop joking around, I'm serious right now," she said, glaring at him, her frustration evident.
Yuto's mouth fell agape, and he struggled to find the right words to respond.
"Are we not friends...?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"What? Can you say it louder?" Naoko asked, lifting her heels, closing the distance between them slightly, trying to hear him better.
"Do you not consider me as your friend?" Yuto repeated, this time in a louder voice, his nervousness evident. He looked at her with an expression resembling a puppy left out in the rain.
"What?" Naoko asked again, her hands releasing their hold on him as she put them down. She needed a moment to process what he had said.
"Did you not hear it?" Yuto asked, checking to see if he needed to repeat himself.
"No, I heard you loud and clear, but…" Naoko responded, her voice trailing off.
Did he ask that? She wondered.
"Is it okay? For us to be friends?" she asked, feeling a sense of self-doubt.
Yuto stood there, realizing that Naoko didn't hate him; rather, she seemed to have low self-esteem. "Of course, it's okay!" he replied, practically shouting.
"Why would it not be? I'd like to have you as my friend, Nao-san!" he said, his relief evident as he poured out his feelings.
Hearing those words made Naoko fall silent.
Her lips trembled,
her eyes turned glossy,
and she burst into tears.
It was the first time someone had wanted to be her friend this badly.
"I'm really happy to be your friend too, Minamoto-kun!" she said, smiling as her tears fell to the ground.
___________
They both took their seats in the classroom, feeling somewhat awkward and embarrassed.
To break the tension, Naoko decided to start a conversation.
"Um..." they both began simultaneously.
"Ah, you can go first, Minamoto-kun!" Naoko suggested, eager to hear what Yuto had to say.
"If you insist, I was wondering, are you going to join any clubs? It's going to be boring doing nothing for two weeks," Yuto asked since classes won't start until a week or two, to give students the time they need to adapt to their new life.
"I want to see what's available first. How about you, Minamoto-kun? I know you turned down offers earlier, but have you changed your mind?" Naoko replied, her head tilted to the side in curiosity.
"I am planning to join a club. I want to submit my application right now. Want to come with me?" Yuto asked, inviting her along.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I still want to explore a bit longer," she responded, looking at him with a bright smile.
"Suit yourself. I'll see you later, Nao-san," he said, waving as he headed off.
She sat alone in the empty classroom, her palms resting on the tabletop, savoring its cleanliness and smooth surface. The room itself was rather ordinary, resembling any typical classroom found in Japan. It featured the customary elements, such as the two blackboards, one at the front with the teacher's desk, the other one at the back with the lockers, and the rows of student desks in the middle.
Seated near the window, she cherished the solitude within the empty classroom until her tranquility was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of a group of people.
"Whoa, it's more ordinary than I expected!" remarked a girl with short blonde hair.
"I agree, I thought it'd be more spacious" chimed in another girl, taller and with tanned skin, her silver hair tied in a small ponytail.
"That's to be expected, given the large halls and the fact that there are at least fifty more classrooms like this," added a guy who bore a resemblance to the tanned girl, with tan skin and silver hair.
"Nerd," the girls said in unison, their expressions unimpressed.
Naoko briefly considered making a discreet exit through the back door. However, her plan was thwarted when they noticed her sitting in the corner.
"Hey! What's your name?" the girl with short hair asked as she approached.
"My name? It's Naoko Ito. What's yours?" Naoko replied, her voice quivering.
"I'm Yumi Kawano, but call me Yumi. She's Shiro Oyama, and he's her twin, Kuro Oyama! Nice to meet ya, Naoko-san!" Yumi responded with a friendly smile.
This is the second time someone called me by my first name today, I'm so happy!
Does this mean I have to get used to this from now on? That sounds nice.
Naoko thought to herself.
"You can just call us Shiro and Kuro! It will get confusing if you call the both of us by our family name" Shiro suggested, pointing to herself and Kuro.
"I got it. It's nice to meet you guys! I hope we'll get along well," Naoko replied, a warm smile gracing her face.
"What's your hobby, Naoko-san? Are you planning to join a club? Mine's swimming, and I plan to join their club later" Yumi inquired as they all took their seats.
"I like swimming too, but it's not my hobby. I enjoy drawing and reading. I plan to check out the clubs first before joining one. What are both of your hobbies?" Naoko asked, turning her attention to Shiro and Kuro.
"Well, the three of us have always been active. I'm into soccer, and this dork here likes volleyball" Shiro replied, teasingly.
"I prefer reading, though, and I can give you some book recommendations later, Ito-san" Kuro added in a monotone voice, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Really? I'm looking forward to it" Naoko exclaimed, her excitement evident. She couldn't help but feel elated that they were all enjoying each other's company, discussing topics that didn't particularly matter.
It was clear that the three of them had known each other for a long time, given that their questions were primarily about Naoko.
They chatted for quite a while, and by the time they left the classroom, the sky had transitioned into a canvas of yellow, pink, and purple hues.
They all walked together to the dorms, given that it had grown dark, although they separated from Kuro first since the guys' and girls' dormitories were different.
_________
"Naoko-san, you mentioned that you want to check out the clubs, right? We can go together tomorrow! What do you say?" Yumi suggested as she walked away with Shiro.
"That'd be nice. I'm looking forward to it!" Naoko replied, waving them off.
She then proceeded to check the dormitory names, searching for her room. Finally, she found it. Room 17 on the second floor. Her curiosity was piqued as she wondered about her roommate, Ema Takane.
"Room 17?" a girl whispered behind her.
Judging by the sound of the voice's source, she seemed taller than Naoko.
Startled by the sudden voice, Naoko let out a small shriek, her face flushing. She turned to see the girl, who was as tall as Yuto—6 feet—and had super short dark blue hair, a stark contrast to her soft face. She was wearing a long black dress with a white puffer jacket.
"I-I'm fine," Naoko stammered, slightly backing away. Then, it dawned on her. This girl must be Ema Takane, her roommate.
"Sorry if I'm wrong, but are you Ema Takane?" Naoko asked, looking directly into her eyes.
"How did you know?" Ema responded, surprised by the direct question.
"I heard you mumbled something about room 17, So I assumed that it was your name beside mine. I'm your roommate, Naoko Ito. I look forward to getting to know you." Naoko said honestly, though she appeared a bit tense.
"Oh, so you're my roommate! I feel the same way, Naoko-san! I hope we can get along" Ema replied, smiling at her new roommate, the person she'd be sharing her space with for the next three years.
"Takane-san, do you know where our rooms are?" Naoko asked, hoping for Ema to lead the way.
"I'm ashamed to say this, but I'm just as lost as you are. But let's try to find it together" Ema said, sighing.
"Yeah, that sounds good" Nao replied.
Together, both girls, though somewhat disoriented, managed to locate their dormitory room.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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