Following Instructor Eve's instruction, the heroes immediately began forming teams. Andre and Fatty were searching for a suitable group when Andre spotted Reina approaching them.
"Let's head over there, Fatty," Andre said quickly, steering his friend in the opposite direction, deliberately avoiding Reina's path.
"B-but I see Reina walking right toward us. It looks like she wants to join," Fatty protested, slowing Andre's pace.
Andre turned, his expression etched with raw pain, and dragged Fatty along. "Don't be dense. She already has a group, and if she joins us, we'll only be a burden. Our skills are mediocre. We need to find people who complement our weaknesses. I can't cause her any more trouble, Fatty. Please, let's go."
"Okay, okay, if that's what you truly want. I understand." Seeing the genuine conflict in Andre's eyes, Fatty reluctantly complied. Andre is always being saved by Reina. It must be destroying his pride, he realized.
Reina tried to catch up, but two of her existing friends quickly intercepted her.
"Rei, why not join us? We still lack one member," one friend suggested.
"B-but I—" Reina tried to turn them down, but when she glanced up and saw Andre and Fatty disappearing into the crowd, she forced a tight smile and accepted the offer.
'Is he still angry with me?' Reina's heart ached. The distance between her and Andre had been growing ever since that painful conversation, and it was the very last thing she wanted. She desperately hated being ignored by him.
Reina's Anchor
For Reina, Andre was more than a friend; he was her absolute family, closer to her than her own parents. He was her savior and her truest comfort. The pain of his rejection was devastating.
When they were children, she was aggressively boyish—a fact that led to constant bullying in elementary school. Because of her short hair and aggressive manner, she started to hate everyone, withdrawing into a life that was nothing more than school and home.
One afternoon, in an unexpected twist of fate, she met a boy by the riverside. She had just finished crying when the boy approached her, confidently swinging a wooden baseball bat. She was terrified; she thought he was going to attack her.
"Hey, you! Want to play baseball?" the boy asked, his chin held high in a proud challenge.
"Huh?" Reina looked at him with an annoyed expression.
"Don't 'huh' me! Instead of sulking there like some old man, why don't you play with me?" the boy retorted with a slight mock.
"Tch! I'm not an old man! I'm a girl!" Reina shouted, puffing out her chest.
"Oh, you're a girl?" The boy paused, genuinely surprised by the revelation.
"You also thought I was a boy, right? You're all the same! I'm going to punch you!" Reina snapped, winding up her fist, but the boy's next words stopped her.
"I don't really care if you're a girl or a boy. What's important is, I challenge you to a battle! Are you scared?" he declared, pointing the bat at her.
"Is that so! Then I'll show you my fastball! Try to hit it, you... you gay!" Reina retorted, cheeks flushed with a mix of fury and excitement.
"What 'gay'?! You tomboy!"
In that moment, Reina realized she was actually having fun. It was her first genuine argument with someone that felt exhilarating, not painful. It had been years since she felt such pure enjoyment.
"What are you doing? Do you even know how to play this game? You haven't hit anything yet!" Reina mocked, winding up to throw the ball.
The boy gripped the bat tightly. "Spinning Tornado!"
He swung the bat with all his might, spinning his entire body into a frenzy of motion, but he missed the ball entirely. He collapsed dramatically onto the grass, his eyes momentarily dizzy.
"Hahaha! What 'Spinning Tornado'? Are you an idiot?" Reina laughed, doubled over, watching him struggle to catch his breath.
"Shut up! It was my first time today!"
"You are so weak, hahaha!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get that a lot," the boy admitted, still winded. "But I won't give up. I have to say, for a girl, you're pretty strong. I couldn't even touch those fastballs."
"Well, I play baseball with my father!" Reina said proudly, collapsing onto the grass beside him.
"I hereby declare you my equal. Let's play again sometime." The boy's declaration made Reina's eyes sparkle brightly.
"A-are you sure? You really want to play with me? People call me a tomboy and don't want to play," she stammered, afraid to believe him.
"Isn't that great that you're as strong as the boys? They always think I'm a girl, which is sad, you know. But it doesn't even matter if you're a boy or a girl, as long as you enjoy what you're doing." The boy glanced at the orange-tinged sky.
"Yeah, I guess so. Well, I thought you were a girl at first, too," Reina admitted, smiling. A profound sense of peace washed over her as she looked up at the same sky as the boy beside her.
"Ouch, that hurts! Well, I'm used to it. By the way, I don't even know your name. I'm Andre." He smiled and offered his hand for a fist bump.
"So your name is Andre. My name is Reina. Nice to meet you, Andre." Reina returned the fist bump. In that simple collision of their hands, their friendship began.
"Reina, huh? It means 'Queen' in Spanish, and 'Reyna' in Tagalog," Andre mused. "My first friend in this town! I'll call you Rei—it's short, punchy, and it rhymes perfectly with my name! Rei, Andre! Hahaha!"
"If that's what you want... AN-DO-REI (Slave)-KUN!" Reina teased, laughing joyously as she jumped up and ran away.
"Why does that sound so degrading, you! What does that mean? Are you mocking me?" Andre scrambled to his feet, running after her.
"Hi-Mi-Tsu! (Secret!)" Reina winked playfully, her tongue sticking out.
"W-what's that? I don't understand!" Andre stopped, dumbfounded by the foreign word.
"I'll be here tomorrow afternoon! Let's play again! I'll make sure to hit your throws tomorrow!" Andre shouted as they parted ways.
Reina walked home with a genuine smile on her face. Today, she had found a friend—a real friend. The lonely, isolated days were finally over.
The next morning, Reina was walking to school when she saw a familiar face right next door to her house.
"W-why are you here, Andre-kun?" It was the same boy she met by the riverside, wearing the same school uniform.
"Oh, it's you, Rei! Well, I didn't expect to be living next to your house. We just moved in yesterday. Oh, that's great! We're going to the same school! I'm glad to be at the same school as you! Please, take care of me!" Andre smiled radiantly, making a cheerful gun-pose with both hands aimed at her.
From that day on, Reina and Andre were inseparable best friends. Andre had fundamentally changed Reina's perspective on life. That's why, for her, Andre was the very reason she was the person she was today.