"Where are the teachers or someone with the power to switch us classes?" Ichika's frustration mirrored my concerns. The desire to be in the same class as the only person I kinda knew gnawed at me.
"Let's read the handbook, it might come in handy," I suggested, reaching for the school-issued guide. Opening it haphazardly, I accidentally landed on the fifth page before correcting to the first. Unfortunately, the initial pages were filled with mundane details, credits, policies, and the usual bookish formalities.
"Can we read together?" Ichika's proposal caught me off guard. I glanced at her with confusion. We both had identical handbooks. Why did she want to read together?
"Uh? Don't you have the same book as mine in your hands?" I questioned, perplexed by her request.
"Yes, but if we read it together, we'll be at the same pace. I don't want you to read it faster or slower than me!" Her concern, while endearing, felt a bit too much like we were forming a reading club.
"I see…" I responded, trying to grasp her perspective. Reading together in sync seemed trivial, but if it made her more comfortable, I figured, why not?
Ichika gracefully adjusted herself, eliminating the remaining space on the bench between us. The proximity was both thrilling and unnerving. We started to read the handbook, each page revealing the inner workings of the school. On the seventh page, a detailed map of the school caught our attention, the same map we had seen near the entrance.
As we traced the hallways and classrooms with our fingers on the map, the initial awkwardness began to fade. Reading together became less of a peculiar activity and more of a shared exploration. The map, while informative, also catalyzed conversation.
"Look, here's the auditorium. Do you think they have events or performances there?" Ichika pointed at a section of the map, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"I don't know, but it's worth checking out. Maybe they have clubs or activities we could join," I suggested, realizing that exploring the school together might be the better option.
"Look! The teacher's room!" Ichika excitedly pointed to what appeared to be the room where all the teachers congregated between classes.
"Do you think there are teachers there right now?" I wondered aloud, my curiosity piqued.
"The school is closing in about one and a half hours, so I don't think anyone will be there. We aren't supposed to have classes today," Ichika reasoned.
"It's worth a try," I insisted.
"Oh, come on, now we'll have to go there!" Ichika teased, half-exasperated and half-amused.
"Hold on," I interjected. There was a thought nagging at me, a feeling that we should explore the handbook more before taking action.
"Huh? What is it, Kenji?" Ichika inquired, curious about my sudden hesitation.
"I think we should check the handbook more before we go," I suggested, flipping through the pages, trying to locate the section we needed.
"It's like 200 pages! It'll take us more than a day!" Ichika exclaimed, showing her reluctance to dive deep into the handbook's contents.
"I'm not gonna read the entire book; I just need to find the right section," I reassured her as I continued flipping through the pages.
I began scanning the pages at a rapid pace, not really absorbing the words but desperately searching for any relevant information. Two minutes passed, and frustration started to well up within me. It seemed like my plan was falling apart.
"Ugh… Let's go," I conceded, reluctantly beginning to walk towards the teacher's room.
Ichika seemed to grasp my intention. She probably anticipated this moment as an opportunity to mock my failed plan. I braced myself for her to berate me with something along the lines of 'You're so stupid, you've wasted my time!' or perhaps even something harsher like 'I hate you!' But I'd heard variations of those sentiments before, and I steeled myself for whatever she had to say.
"No problem," Ichika said unexpectedly, her warm voice laced with understanding and empathy. And then, she hugged me from behind.
This was the first time I'd ever been hugged like this, no, it was the first time I'd been genuinely hugged. Family hugs didn't count; they were obligatory. But being embraced by someone my age, a girl my age, and a friend at that, stirred emotions I wasn't prepared for. It made me want to cry, yet I held back the tears.
'Not again.'
"Huh, w-what are you doing, Ichika?" I asked, a mix of surprise and discomfort in my voice.
"I thought… that you're upset… and hugs make people feel better…" Ichika explained, her voice shaky with uncertainty.
"I'm fine, it was a simple mistake. Let's go, we're wasting time," I responded, trying to dismiss the unusual wave of emotions her hug had stirred within me.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Ichika pressed, clearly still concerned.
"Yes, Ichika, I'm okay. Don't worry about me," I reassured her, though her unexpected gesture had left a lasting impact on me.
"If you say so…" Ichika admitted, walking beside me as we headed towards the teacher's lounge. I discreetly wiped the sweat from my forehead, feeling a mix of emotions that had never surfaced before.
As we walked toward the teacher's room, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. It was a section in the handbook, nestled under the classes section, the dorms section. The train ride had taken about 30 minutes, and if I rented a dorm near the school, the daily commute wouldn't be such a time-consuming ordeal. I had to share this insight with Ichika.
"Hey, Ichika…" I began.
"Yeah?" she replied, her curiosity piqued.
"Are you planning to rent a dorm?" I inquired.
"Huh? Don't we already have a dorm?" Ichika responded, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"What do you mean by 'already'?" I probed, genuinely intrigued.
"Well, my mom told me we'd get a dorm when we enroll," Ichika explained. "I noticed they didn't talk about that at the ceremony…"
My heart sank at her revelation. "What? No way… How do I even know where my dorm is?" I muttered, my voice tinged with anxiety.
"I'm pretty sure it's tied to your student ID number. But, you know, we don't have a key yet, so it doesn't matter for now," Ichika reassured me, her tone calming my racing thoughts.
Relief washed over me as I realized that, at least for the time being, the dorm situation wasn't an immediate concern. However, the prospect of living on my own was still a novel and slightly intimidating concept.
Inside the teacher's room, the atmosphere felt different from the rest of the school. It was quieter, with only a handful of people scattered around. Since classes hadn't officially started, these individuals were likely the school staff or administrators.
"I wonder why there are teachers here when there are no classes scheduled," I mused, voicing the question that had been lingering in my mind.
"They're probably the staff or managers," Ichika replied, echoing my thoughts. It was reassuring to know that we were on the same page.
As we approached what appeared to be the secretary, a woman in her forties typing away at the keyboard, the reality of our situation hit me. I was walking next to Ichika, and the door was closer to me. If we continued walking, I would have to enter first and, inevitably, initiate the conversation.
I crouched down to tie my shoe. Took her a second to realize, just enough time for her to pass me. Exactly what I needed.
Ichika graciously stopped, and I pretended to fuss with my shoelaces, even though they were perfectly fine. A quick and awkward retying later, I was ready to face the secretary.
"Thanks for waiting," I said, playing it off with a casual smile.
"It's okay!" Ichika responded with a friendly grin.
We resumed our walk, and Ichika took the lead, entering the room first. I followed, bracing myself for the conversation ahead.
"Excuse me, miss. I wanted to ask you something," Ichika confidently addressed the secretary, who looked up from her work.
'How can she be so confident with someone she hasn't even met before?' I wondered, marveling at Ichika's ability to navigate social situations effortlessly.
"Yes?" the secretary replied, seemingly open to our inquiry.
"My friend and I are in different classes. Is there any way we could change classes?" Ichika inquired, cutting straight to the point.
The secretary gave a polite but firm reply: "I'm sorry, but all the classes are already full, so switching isn't possible right now."
A sense of disappointment washed over us. "T-Thank you," I said, but.. "What if someone from my class switches with him?" Ichika asked, still trying to bargain. "That way it's fair, right?"
The secretary sighed. "I get what you're trying to do, but this school doesn't work like that. We value friendship, yeah, but if everyone switched just to be with their friends, what about the kids who don't have anyone? It wouldn't be fair to them. Try to make some new friends in your class. You can still meet your old ones after school."
She went on like that for a while, kind of like a lecture. Honestly, I was scared.
"But that's not fair either," Ichika pushed back, still calm but clearly frustrated. "Some people already have their friends with them, and some don't. We're not asking for a lot, we just want to be in the same room."
The secretary stayed firm, but I could tell Ichika wasn't done yet.
"I admire your honesty," the secretary finally said. "And I get that this means a lot to you. But the answer is still no. I'm sorry."
"I understand… thanks anyway," Ichika said, trying to stay polite.
As we walked away, the weight of our thwarted attempt lingered, casting a slight shadow over the enthusiasm we had felt at the start of the day. The challenge of navigating high school just got a bit more complicated.