"You..."
"You..."
"I..."
"I..."
The two of them always spoke at the same time. In the end, Asuka Youyou spoke first.
Since class was in session, she didn't dare raise her voice too much—after all, she didn't want to challenge the teacher's authority on her very first day.
"Hello, I'm Asuka Youyou. Please take care of me from now on."
Her voice, deliberately softened, sounded sweet and gentle, like a piece of fragrant cream pastry.
It actually made Akaya Kirihara feel a little hungry.
He had woken up too late that morning, and before he even had time to eat, he had hastily grabbed his schoolbag and rushed to school.
"I'm Akaya Kirihara! The ace of the Rikkai Tennis Club!"
*Ah, the tennis club—that means he's in the same club as Brother Renji! Maybe they know each other.*
Right after Akaya Kirihara finished speaking, a loud growl came from his stomach. He rubbed his cheek awkwardly and said, "I didn't eat breakfast this morning, so..."
"Is there something you need help with, though?"
"Ah, I just arrived today and I don't have a textbook yet, so..."
Akaya Kirihara understood instantly. He rummaged through his desk box for a long time and pulled out a crumpled textbook, though the handwriting inside was very neat and pretty—even if she couldn't read a single character of it.
She asked somewhat uncertainly, "Is this class history?"
She had just heard the teacher mention something about Alexander II, so it had to be history.
The seaweed-haired boy looked completely shocked. He glanced uncertainly at the Japanese literature teacher standing at the podium, then looked back at his deskmate's delicate and pretty face.
She didn't look like an idiot no matter how he looked at her.
Finally, he leaned forward over the desk to check the front row's books, only to realize that this class was indeed Japanese literature.
Before he could even sit back down, a piece of chalk hurled by the teacher struck him squarely on the head.
"Akaya Kirihara, pay attention to the class!"
"Yes, teacher!"
Akaya Kirihara obediently stood up, bowed to the teacher, and then sat back down.
He immediately turned his head and told Asuka Youyou, "This class is Japanese literature!"
Asuka Youyou felt a little guilty. Judging from his previous actions, she could pretty much guess that he got hit with chalk because of her.
She wanted to say something, but when she caught the teacher's sweeping gaze, she instantly shrank like a frightened quail.
No matter where you are, whether you're a good student or a bad one, an academic achiever or an underachiever—as long as you're a student, you harbor a natural fear of teachers.
She subconsciously shut her mouth, placed her textbook between the two of them, and, hidden behind the book, secretly used English to write a pretty little sentence on a piece of paper.
*I'm sorry.*
Although Akaya Kirihara's English was atrocious, even he recognized such a simple sentence.
After thinking for a moment, he wrote in Japanese right next to the English:
*It's no big deal, you don't need to apologize.*
What he didn't realize was that the person passing notes with him was none other than Asuka Youyou, a pure-blooded Japanese illiterate who couldn't recognize a single complex kanji.
Looking at those round, talisman-like scrawled characters, she felt dizzy.
How could there be such abstract writing in this world!
Finding a blank spot near the bottom of the note, she wrote:
*I grew up in America. Although I can speak Japanese, I don't know how to write Japanese characters, so I can't read what you wrote.*
Using his limited English vocabulary, Akaya Kirihara pieced together the general meaning.
*Ah, how pitiful! She doesn't know a single character, but the great Rikkai ace will help her!*
Japanese literature was the only subject he could actually show off!
Asuka Youyou watched his expression change from shock to sympathy and finally determination, feeling somewhat puzzled.
Had this guy's imagination run wild with something strange? Why was he looking at her with that kind of gaze!
Asuka Youyou raged powerlessly in her heart, but on the outside, she still wore that well-behaved, harmless smile.
She wanted to write something else on the note, but after a moment of hesitation, she made up her mind. Taking advantage of the student in front standing up to answer a question, she leaned closer to the boy and whispered softly:
"I said, it's okay, no need to apologize."
Pausing for a second, she continued:
"Also, if you run into any trouble, you can come to me. I'll help you."
There was still a lingering trace of toothpaste on the youth's breath, and the warm air he exhaled brushed against her ear. His voice was like summer mint—refreshing and carrying the scent of sunlight.
He spoke very slowly, his articulation measured yet exceptionally firm, making it inexplicably convincing. The eyes he turned toward her were utterly sincere.
After a long moment, she heard herself say a single word: "Okay."
Upon hearing her affirmative reply, the youth broke into a bright smile, revealing a few pearly-white teeth. He rested one hand flat on the desk while propping his cheek with the other, the sunlight streaming through the window and casting its glow over him so beautifully it almost looked unreal.
Stung by the glare, her eyes welled up with a few tears. She wiped her face roughly and reached up to pull the curtains shut.
It made a huge commotion, drawing the attention of the entire classroom and teachers alike. Akaya Kirihara's hand was still resting on the curtain, frozen in place.
Asuka Youyou: ...Ah well, looks like the earlier moment of beauty really was just an illusion.
Akaya Kirihara sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, sitting obediently in his seat and not daring to pull any more little stunts.
He swore that this was the most attentively he had listened in a class since starting middle school, bar none!
As soon as the bell rang for the end of class, the teacher packed up their things, stopped writing, and walked right out without dragging out the lecture for even a single minute.
The students filed out of the classroom one after another, and the noise level in the room gradually rose.
Asuka Youyou rummaged through her schoolbag and took out a pretty cupcake.
The cake was delicate and compact, resembling a blossoming flower. The top was covered in a layer of smooth buttercream like a soft, pure white cloud.
Altogether, it looked like a very appetizing cake.
She gently pushed the cake onto Akaya Kirihara's desk and said, "Have some cake."
Akaya Kirihara stared in disbelief at the cake that had suddenly appeared in his field of vision. His stomach shrieked wildly, and the sweet aroma of the cake desperately drilled into his nose.
He swallowed hard, his eyes shining with excitement, his voice brimming with gratitude.
"Asuka-san, you're an absolute lifesaver! If you ever need anything from now on, just come to me—I won't hesitate!"
With that, he buried his face right into the cake and started devouring it, completely unaware that the tip of his nose was smeared with cream.
Seeing Akaya Kirihara eating with his face covered in cream like a little kitten, Asuka Youyou found it somewhat amusing.
She felt full of anticipation for her future school life.
She pulled out a tissue and handed it to the youth.
The youth looked at her in bewilderment.
So Asuka Youyou pointed at her nose with her finger and told him:
"You got cream on your nose."
Akaya Kirihara's face turned beet red. In a fluster, he grabbed the tissue and wiped the cream off his nose.
He jumped up abruptly and said, "I'm going to throw away the trash."
Holding the dirty tissue and the empty cupcake wrapper, he walked stiffly toward the trash can with his arms and legs moving on the same side.
Asuka Youyou watched Akaya Kirihara, who had stiffened into a wooden puppet.
*He must be terrible at sports,* she thought. *He even walks with his arms and legs moving on the same side.*
She completely forgot that the boy had introduced himself as the ace of Rikkai earlier.
As soon as the bell rang for the end of the last class of the morning, Akaya Kirihara instinctively went to dash out, but then he remembered the person he was supposed to help.
"Do you want to go eat together? The bento I brought today is really delicious!"
Asuka Youyou shook her head and said, "My bento is with my brother. I'm going to eat with him. Maybe next time."
The thick-skinned boy felt no sense of disappointment at being rejected. He simply tossed back a "sure" and bolted away in long strides.