Amaya Yuu bowed slightly on the podium and said in a clear voice, “My name is Amaya Yuu.
Due to family reasons, I am transferring in at this strange time.
I hope everyone is willing to be friends with me.
Please treat me well!”
As soon as he finished speaking, warm applause erupted in the classroom.
Haneoka Academy had only switched to co-ed a few years ago, and there were still more female students, so the arrival of a new handsome guy was welcomed by the vast majority of the class.
“Amaya-san, you can take the last empty seat in the row by the window.” Sato-sensei pointed toward the back of the classroom.
“Okay, thank you, Teacher.”
Amaya Yuu walked down the aisle toward his seat, nodding in response to the friendly classmates on both sides and saying, “Please treat me well.”
When he reached the second-to-last desk, his pace slowed down unconsciously.
His seat was the last one in the row by the window.
As he walked toward his seat, he noticed a girl with long, light blue hair sitting in the seat by the window in front of him.
She seemed completely undisturbed by the commotion in the classroom, just gazing quietly out the window.
Whether she heard his footsteps or sensed someone approaching, she suddenly turned her head just as Amaya Yuu was about to pass by her desk.
A pair of golden eyes swept over him indifferently, devoid of any emotion, before turning calmly back to the window.
This made him pause in surprise; this classmate was indeed sweet and lovely, but she didn’t look easy to approach.
Out of curiosity and a desire to test it, with a few minutes left before class, Amaya Yuu sat down in the seat behind her and quietly used “Insight” on her.
『Character: Togawa Sakiko』
『Charm: 9』
『Intelligence: 9』
『Physique: 5』
『Strength: 3』
『Status: Devastated after suffering a major setback.』
As expected, her charm stat is very high, Amaya Yuu thought.
Just then, the mission module lit up with a new notification:
『Mission: The White Moonlight Fallen into Darkness』
『Mission Duration: Three months』
『Mission Content: Investigate why the once innocent and naive Togawa Sakiko has become so unapproachable.
』
『Mission Reward: 1 Attribute Point, Customer Service Skill (Basic), Piano Playing Skill (Master), Electronic Keyboard Playing Skill (Master)』
“Another investigation mission…” he thought silently.
“I have absolutely no clue…
these two time-limited investigation missions.”
The first day of classes ended quietly amid Amaya Yuu’s slight distraction.
Although he had said, “I hope to be friends with everyone” during his self-introduction, that was mostly just social pleasantry.
During breaks and lunch, he watched the fixed circles of friends the students had already formed and ultimately didn’t rashly try to strike up a conversation.
Instead, he chose to be alone, burying himself in catching up on the coursework he had missed due to transferring.
It was precisely during this quiet observation that he noticed Togawa Sakiko, sitting in the front seat, seemed to be in a situation quite similar to his own within the class.
She was also completely solitary, as if separated from the surrounding liveliness by an invisible wall.
After school, the students’ spirits were much higher; most of them were in small groups, carrying instrument bags and excitedly discussing which live house they were going to for practice.
“As expected of a high school in a big city.
On Shodoshima, after school, apart from those going to play baseball, the most common thing I heard was people asking me to go eat ramen together.”
Thinking of this, the phrase “Yo!
Aibo!
Let’s go for ramen!” seemed to linger in Amaya Yuu’s mind again.
As an islander from a small island, Amaya Yuu considered himself completely ignorant of music; added together over two lifetimes, he couldn’t even read simple musical notation.
Compared to playing in a band, he had a more urgent task at hand: his homeroom teacher, Sato-sensei, had required him to join a club as soon as possible.
So, after school, he decided to first go and inspect the club building.
Because class had just ended and it wasn’t yet time for club activities, the building seemed a bit deserted.
Amaya Yuu wandered in front of various club rooms, looking at the nameplates and muttering to himself, “Light Music Club, Literature Club, Track and Field Club…
Which one should I choose?
None of them seem particularly appealing to me.
If only there were a ‘Going Home Club’.”
He walked casually to the end of the corridor and stopped in front of the last huge activity room.
“Wind Ensemble Club?”
Not a club he was interested in, skip it!
He was just about to turn and leave, but his gaze caught a glimpse of a familiar light blue figure through the glass window on the door.
“Forget it, I’ll just do it to complete the mission.” Amaya Yuu took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the Wind Ensemble Club practice room.
Togawa Sakiko was sitting at the piano, her fingertips dancing fluently over the keys.
She was completely immersed in the music and hadn’t noticed anyone coming in at all.
It had to be said that her piano skills were truly exquisite; even to a tone-deaf person like Amaya Yuu, he could feel the wonders of the music through her playing.
As the piece ended, Amaya Yuu unconsciously clapped his hands softly.
The applause startled the performer.
Togawa Sakiko turned her head, her brows slightly furrowed.
This was the second day in a row she had been interrupted while practicing.
Togawa Sakiko did not want any classmates to catch a glimpse of her current situation.
She viewed this place as the last sanctuary where she could briefly forget reality.
Yesterday, when faced with the completely unfamiliar Chihaya Anon, she had at least maintained basic politeness.
But today, facing this new uninvited guest, she had exhausted even the last bit of her patience.
She stood up silently and walked straight toward the door, not even glancing at Amaya Yuu as she passed by him.
“?” Amaya Yuu was full of question marks.
“Did I get hated?”
Although Amaya Yuu wasn’t exactly as flawless as Misumi Uika, with a charm stat as high as 8, he considered himself a catch.
— This was the rigorous conclusion he had reached after a day of observation!
He had absolutely no idea where he had offended her; he didn’t even have a chance to say a word.
“Please wait a moment!” Amaya Yuu felt he should do something to salvage his image.
However, Togawa Sakiko didn’t seem to intend to give him that opportunity.
She stopped at the door without looking back, saying in a soft tone that betrayed no emotion, “The…
um, the Wind Ensemble Club’s activity time is about to start soon.
If Amaya-san doesn’t intend to join, please leave as soon as possible.”
After saying that, she left without looking back.
Amaya Yuu stood there stunned for a long while, feeling inevitably a bit depressed.
However, he was always broad-minded, with a heart as deep as the Mariana Trench, so he quickly cast this unpleasantness to the back of his mind and decided not to hold Togawa Sakiko’s rudeness against her.
Although there had been a small hiccup, the main task wasn’t finished yet.
Remembering the homeroom teacher’s requirement, he perked up again.
“There’s only the last floor left, which is all small clubs.” Amaya Yuu decided to go to the last floor and look around a bit more.
If he still didn’t find anything interesting after this round, he would hand the choice over to the Goddess of Fate and decide by drawing lots.