Kuroki and Satsuki entered the school building.
"Alright, I'm going to homeroom," Kuroki said as he headed toward his classroom.
"Okay," Satsuki replied before walking off to hers.
She reached her classroom and opened the door.
"Hey, Satsuki."
"Good morning, Satsuki."
Several classmates greeted her as she stepped inside.
"Heyyyy~ Satsuki!"
Before she could react, someone suddenly hugged her.
"Oh—Hina! How's it going?" Satsuki said, surprised but hugging her back.
"Nothinggg~" Hina replied cheerfully. "I was waiting for you to come," she said with a smile.
"I see," Satsuki said as she walked over to her desk and sat down.
A girl with orange hair also went to her seat, which was right in front of Satsuki's.
"Sooo~" the girl said, turning around.
"Mm? What?" Satsuki asked.
"Who was that boy yesterday?" the girl asked with a big smile.
"Who?" Satsuki said, confused.
"Don't play dumb," the girl teased. "The boy who bought you lunch."
"Ohhhh, him," Satsuki replied as she realized who she meant.
"Is he your boyfriend?" the girl asked, grinning widely.
"Pfft—hahahaha!"
Satsuki suddenly burst out laughing like she'd just heard the funniest joke ever.
The orange-haired girl stared at her, completely confused.
"Oh… oh my god…" Satsuki said, trying to calm down. "You really think he's my boyfriend?"
"Y-yeah," the girl replied.
"Hahahahaha!"
Satsuki started laughing again, even louder this time. The whole class turned to look at her with confused expressions.
"Not—not in a million years would I date that guy," she said, finally calming down.
"Then what is he?" the girl asked.
"What do you mean?" Satsuki replied.
"Well, I just thought that since he brings you lunch, he was like a boyfriend. But if he's not, then what is he?" the girl asked sincerely.
Satsuki paused for a moment, thinking.
"Well…" she said proudly, "he's my slave."
"Y-your… slave?" the girl repeated, her face filled with confusion.
"Yep, my slave—"
Before Satsuki could finish, the classroom door slid open.
"Alright, everyone, take your seats," the teacher said.
The class immediately rushed back to their desks.
"Today, we have a transfer student," the teacher continued. "Alright, Nozomi, please come in."
All eyes turned toward the door.
The door opens.
A tall figure stepped inside the classroom.
"…Wow."
"That guy is huge…"
The class murmured in disbelief.
Satsuki's eyes widened.
That guy… it can't be…
It was the same guy from yesterday—the one who chased her and Kuroki.
The tall student walked to the front of the room and bowed slightly.
"U-um… m-my n-name…" His voice was so quiet that no one could hear him.
The teacher leaned closer and whispered, "Nozomi, you need to speak louder so your classmates can hear you."
He stiffened, took a deep breath, and—
"U-UM! MY NAME IS NOZOMI RENJI!!! N-NICE TO MEET YOU!!!"
The sudden shout echoed through the room, making everyone jump.
"…Ahem," the teacher cleared his throat. "N-Nozomi, please take your seat over there."
"O-okay…" Blushing deeply, Nozomi shuffled to his assigned desk and sat down, shoulders hunched.
"Alright," the teacher said, trying to recover, "let's move on with the lesson."
—
The moment the bell rang, students crowded around Nozomi's desk.
"Nozomi!" a girl asked. "Do you play sports by any chance?"
"Hey, where are you from?" a boy added.
"U-um…" Nozomi froze, overwhelmed by the attention.
"Sssstop~!" Hina suddenly jumped in front of him, spreading her arms. "You guys are bothering him. Give him some space, please!"
"O-oh… you're right."
"Sorry, Nozomi."
"Yeah, my bad."
The students slowly backed away.
"Nozomi, are you okay?" Hina asked gently.
"Y-yeah… I'm fine." He quickly stood up and walked out of the classroom, slouching as he went.
"…Huh?" Hina tilted her head. "Did I do something wrong?"
She glanced over at Satsuki, silently asking the same question.
—
Later that day, P.E. class began. It was the girls' turn first.
"Here! Pass it!" Satsuki called out.
"H-here!" A girl tossed the basketball to her.
"Thanks."
Satsuki dribbled across the court with ease, sprinted forward, and leaped high into the air.
SLAM!
The ball went cleanly through the hoop.
"Yes!" Satsuki made a small gesture of victory.
The gym erupted.
"Kyaaaaaaaaa!"
"You're so cool, Satsuki!"
"That was amazing!"
"She's incredible!"
Cheers echoed through the room.
Grinning, Satsuki turned to the crowd. "Alright, alright~ I'll give you some fanservice."
She blew them a playful kiss. "Chuu~"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
The screams grew even louder.
"…Wow. She's seriously playing into this, is she?"
Hina watched from the sidelines, her expression completely uninterested.
Whiiiiiistle!
"Alright! Boys, you're up next!" the gym teacher announced.
The boys took their positions on the court, the game starting almost immediately.
"Nozomi!" one of the boys shouted, tossing the basketball toward him.
"H-huh?!"
Standing frozen in place, Nozomi barely had time to react as the ball landed in his hands.
"W-what…?" His palms grew sweaty, his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears.
The opposing team suddenly rushed toward him.
"Nozomi!!" someone yelled.
"H-huh??" Panicking, he turned toward the voice.
"Pass it!!!" the boy shouted again, waving his arms.
"Y-YES!!!"
With adrenaline surging and his mind blank, Nozomi hurled the ball with all his strength.
"Wha—"
WABWAK!
The ball slammed straight into the boy's face.
"AGH!"
He collapsed to the floor instantly. Blood began dripping from his nose.
The gym fell dead silent.
"…!"
Then chaos erupted.
"Oh my god!"
"Are you okay?!"
Students rushed toward the fallen boy.
Nozomi stared in horror, his entire body trembling. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"I—I'm sorry!" he stammered, rushing over. "I'm so sorry!"
"Hey—he's waking up!" someone said.
"Ughhh…" The boy groaned, holding his nose in pain.
"I-I'm really sorry!" Nozomi apologized again, bowing repeatedly.
"N-no… it's fine…" the boy muttered weakly, still dazed.
"That's enough!" the teacher shouted. "Alright, that's it for today! Everyone, do whatever you want. I'm taking Kouki to the nurse's office."
"Okay," the class replied in unison.
The teacher helped Kouki up and escorted him out of the gym.
Nozomi remained standing where he was, staring at his hands, guilt weighing heavily on his chest.
And just like that, gym class came to an end.