The first day of the spring semester always seemed to offer a heady mixture of excitement and nerves. Outside the windows, the cherry blossoms swayed gently, and petals were drifting lazily in the breeze. Students were loudly chattering, sharing stories of their vacations, teasing their friends, and rushing to hastily claim a seat. Haruto Sakamoto quietly entered, careful not to steal any attention.
His school uniform was of the simplest kind: a white button-up shirt, a navy blazer with the school emblem sewn onto a pocket, grey trousers, and black shoes. Adjusting his blazer nervously, he tried his best to be unnoticed. Most of his classmates scarcely bothered to look at him, which was exactly how he wanted it.
His heart sank at what he saw on the seating chart.
"Haruto Sakamoto — Desk 5, next to Yui Amane."
He froze; Yui Amane. Everyone knew about Yui—the bubbly girl who shone everywhere she went. She had medium brown hair tied in a low ponytail with soft bangs framing her bright eyes, and a smile that made people feel comfortable around her. She wore the standard uniform, but she made it her own with a light blue ribbon carefully tied around her collar, and on her wrist, a small charm bracelet.
Sitting beside her meant being…noticed.
Haruto adjusted his black rims and went to his desk. Yui was already there, arranging her books neatly before she turned around and greeted him with a dazzling smile.
"Hi! You're Haruto-kun, right? Looks like we're seat partners this semester!" Her voice was warm and friendly.
Haruto gave a nod and mumbling, "…Yes." His cheeks got warm.
A slight lean, her chin resting on her hand: "I'm glad! You seem calm. I think it'll be nice sitting together. Maybe you can help me stay focused when I get distracted," she added with a little laugh.
Haruto blinked. He didn't know how to respond but gave an almost invisible nod and proceeded to open his notebook. He wanted to focus on the morning lesson, but somehow, Yui made the classroom seem less daunting.
The homeroom teacher then commenced attendance while the classroom murmurs died down. Still, Haruto couldn't stop sneaking glances at Yui. She drew tiny flowers in the margins of her notebook and tapped her pencil against the desk as she thought. Everything-How detailed she was, how she listened when others talked, even the faint smile when something caught her eye-aroused his attention.
During math, Yui looked over at Haruto and whispered, "Um… do you have an extra pencil? Mine broke."
Haruto hesitated for a moment, then he opened up his pencil case to give her one. Their fingers brushed briefly, and he quickly pulled away, a warm glow spreading within.
"Thanks," Yui said in a soft voice with a sweet smile. "You're very kind."
The rest of the morning went by quickly, with Haruto listening a little more, chuckling at Yui's soft jokes now and then, and answering questions he normally would have kept silent on. When the lunch bell rang, he realized something strange: Today, he had actually enjoyed ever-so-slightly being noticed.
Being beside Yui didn't feel overbearing-it felt...comfortable. Cozy, even.
While packing his bag, Yui stared at him curiously. "You're not what I expected, Haruto-kun," she said quietly, barely loud enough for him to hear.
Haruto blinked, dumbfounded at how to respond. But there was this warmth inside him. A feeling that maybe this semester, regular-duty days would feel extraordinary.