That morning, Hara Kei, as usual, walked to school with his headphones on, listening to the radio.
Headphones were a brilliant invention.
Just slip them over your ears, and you could create a thin "AT force field," cutting off the outside world.
Because of his appearance, Hara Kei had suffered his fair share of unwanted small talk. Ever since mastering the ultimate trick of "pretending not to hear while wearing headphones," the frequency of interruptions had dropped drastically.
Yet, as he immersed himself in the soothing world of music, he noticed something unusual—students walking toward school had stopped. They looked back over their shoulders at him; a few boys stared with something approaching awe.
"…Kei… wait…"
Through his headphones, Hara Kei caught a faint, familiar voice. He seemed to remember something, and his expression changed; he quickened his pace.
But it was too late.
A flash of pink hair shot up beside him, yanking off his headphones in one smooth motion.
"Hara Kei, I told you to wait! Why are you walking faster?!"
"Sorry… I didn't hear you."
"You're lying!"
The girl glaring at him was the class president of Hara Kei's class: Fujiwara Chika.
The Fujiwara family was a political dynasty. The former head—Chika's great-grandfather—had served as Prime Minister Sakurajima, while the current head—her uncle—was the provincial minister, a position roughly equivalent to a cabinet-level official in China.
Even among the heirs of wealth and power that populated St. Eden Academy, she was at the very top.
Being born into such privilege, it would have been natural for her to become arrogant and self-important.
But Fujiwara Chika was not like that.
Even at the pinnacle of school hierarchy, she treated everyone with the same cheerful openness. She smiled no matter who she spoke to, radiating warmth like spring sunlight.
Good family, kind personality, beautiful face.
Chika was undeniably the heartthrob of the class. But to Hara Kei, she was an enemy.
Because she seemed determined to befriend him.
This wasn't a case of Chika having a crush on Hara Kei—her worldview simply drove her to do this. Born into a political household, Chika had been raised with a unique education that instilled a somewhat strange principle:
She wanted to make friends with people.
This value system combined her family's pragmatic approach to social connections with her innate kindness. It was part of her charm—but also what made her Hara Kei's "enemy."
Before Shizuka Hiratsuka arrived, it had been Chika who regularly disturbed the peaceful rhythm of his life, sending ripples through his otherwise calm existence.
"Sorry," Hara Kei said honestly, admitting the impoliteness of pretending not to hear her.
"Alright, I accept that," Chika said immediately, her face lighting up with a smile.
"Well, then I'll head off—"
"No—you won't!" Chika grabbed his arm without hesitation. It flowed naturally, with the grace of a girl used to command, born of her political pedigree. "We finally met, so let's walk to school together."
Tch. Such a willful woman.
…
"I have to say, Hara Kei, I'm impressed," Chika chirped happily, walking naturally beside him. Unlike Yukinoshita Yukino, Chika didn't need the "rainy day" or "sharing an umbrella" conditions to unlock such intimate closeness; some people simply had a way of moving through the world differently.
"So you've become friends with Yukino?"
"…Ah, that explains why she's more enthusiastic than usual today," Hara Kei thought silently.
"I've always wanted to be friends with Yukino, but she's very cautious," Chika said with a slight frown. "People from Tokyo seem a bit… closed off, which must have hurt her a lot." Her expression darkened for a brief moment, empathizing with Yukino's situation. "But fortunately, Hara Kei, you're here."
The shadow on her face vanished quickly, replaced by her bright smile. "As they say, 'the first step is always the hardest.' Lonely Hara Kei and lonely Yukino have taken that first crucial step. Now, if they gradually learn to interact with others, they can enjoy a school life full of friends and happiness."
…Hara Kei could not believe it. Somehow, he and Yukino had been arbitrarily categorized as a "mutually warming each other's lonely hearts" pair. He glanced at Chika's face—
It was full of affection.
Like offering an umbrella to a stray dog caught in a downpour. Like handing warm food to a shivering homeless person in a winter park.
Just that expression.
Unwittingly, Hara Kei stopped walking.
Chika, slightly slower, noticed this and also paused, looking back at him with a puzzled expression.
There was no malice in her. She genuinely rejoiced in Hara Kei and Yukino's progress and sincerely hoped the two could make more friends and live a colorful school life.
In her eyes, loneliness was unquestionably a misfortune. A solitary life was inherently dull. Lonely people must surely long for friendship.
This was a common viewpoint—but common did not mean correct.
At least for Hara Kei, this assumption was entirely wrong.
"Fujiwara Chika," Hara Kei said, perhaps for the first time uttering her full name with such gravity, "you may be cute, come from a prestigious family, and have a good personality—but does that mean your judgment is automatically correct? Isn't that a little arrogant?"
"Wait… are you complimenting me? Or scolding me?"
"I hate you. Can you please stop bothering me from now on?"
"Eh?"
This was the first time Hara Kei had so directly and unambiguously rejected someone—the class president and most popular girl in class, no less. Completely unprepared, Chika froze in shock, as if struck by a heavy blow.
By the time she recovered, Hara Kei had disappeared into the crowd, leaving only concerned glances from passersby.
"Was I… too arrogant?" she murmured softly, a whisper only she could hear, carried away by the wind.