Ren left the chaos of the assembly and followed the signs for the 1st-year classrooms. The hallway was a roaring river of students, all shouting, laughing, and trying to find their new rooms. Ren just moved through the current, an island of calm, hands in his pockets.
He found the plaque: Class 1-C.
He slid the door open. The room was already half-full and buzzing with the high-pitched energy of new beginnings. Dozens of conversations were happening at once.
The instant he stepped inside, the volume dropped by half.
He could literally feel the eyes lock onto him. The girls who had been giggling in a circle suddenly went silent, their conversation dying on their lips. The guys who had been loudly comparing middle schools shot him sizing-glances.
Ren just blinked, unfazed.
He was used to it. He was tall for a 1st-year, and his dark, slightly messy hair—which always fell just right—was a stark contrast to his eyes. They were a clear, unsettling green. In a room full of brown and black, his were the first thing anyone ever noticed.
His gaze swept the room once, looking for an empty desk. He spotted it: back row, by the window. The perfect "protagonist spot," as Kaori would have mockingly called it.
He walked to the desk, his movements fluid and unbothered, and dropped his bag. As soon as he sat down, the noise in the room clicked back on, like a TV that had been muted. The whispering, however, had a new subject.
Before he could even pull out a notebook, the guy in the desk next to him spun around with a speed that was almost alarming. He had a messy tuft of brown hair, a wide, goofy grin, and the eyes of a golden retriever.
"New guy! You're new, right? I don't recognize you from Northwood Middle. I'm Yosuke Hanamura! Man, thank god. I thought I was gonna be stuck next to a potted plant all year. You're... like, ridiculously good-looking. Is that a rule in Tokyo? Wait, are you from Tokyo?"
Ren just looked at him, his face perfectly neutral.
A pair of glasses entered his vision from the front. The guy in the desk ahead turned around. He looked smart, tidy, and already exhausted.
"Hanamura, it has been thirty seconds. Please do not scare off the new student before homeroom even starts." He pushed his glasses up his nose, a movement that seemed practiced and weary. "Welcome to Northwood. I'm Kenji Ito. He's... always like this."
"Hey! I'm just being friendly!" Yosuke protested, leaning in conspiratorially. "So, what's your deal, new guy? You look cool. You're not one of those 'All I do is study' types, are you? 'Cause Kenji here has already got that covered."
Kenji sighed. "I just believe in being prepared, Hanamura."
"Boring!" Yosuke declared, turning back to Ren. "So? Are you?"
Ren considered the question for a beat, his green eyes unblinking. "...No."
Yosuke's entire face lit up. "He speaks! It's a miracle! I told you he was cool, Kenji! This is great! We're gonna be the ultimate trio! The Brains!" he pointed to Kenji. "The... uh... Wild Card!" he pointed to himself. "And... The Cool, Handsome, Mysterious... Guy! Okay, we'll workshop the names."
"Please don't," Kenji muttered.
"So, what is your name, anyway?" Yosuke asked. "I'm Yosuke, he's Kenji, you are...?"
SLAAAAAM!
The classroom door slammed open, hitting the wall with a crack that made the entire class jump.
In the doorway stood a man who looked like he had been created for the sole purpose of grading papers and crushing dreams. He was tall, thin, and wore a perfectly ironed but cheap-looking suit. His face was a mask of pure, monotone disapproval.
The room went from "buzzing" to "tomb" in 0.5 seconds.
"Good morning," the man said. His voice was flat. Lifeless. Terrifying. "I am Mr. Kobayashi. This is your homeroom. It is also your first-period mathematics class. This will not be fun. I do not believe in fun. I believe in the quadratic equation. You will learn to believe in it, too."
He walked to the podium and dropped a stack of textbooks so thick it shook the floor. "We will begin with 30-second introductions. You. Front row. Name. Middle school. Goal. Go."
One by one, the students stood up, stammering.
"S-sato Hana... Northwood Middle... my goal is to... make friends?"
Kobayashi just stared. "Vague. Sit down."
It got to Yosuke. "Yosuke Hanamura! Northwood Middle! My goal is to survive this year without dying of boredom!"
Kobayashi's eyes narrowed. "You are already failing. Sit down."
It got to Kenji. "Ito Kenji. Northwood Middle. My goal is to achieve the highest possible marks in every subject."
Kobayashi's expression didn't change, but he nodded. Once.
It got to Ren. He stood up. The room was quiet again.
"Ishikawa Ren. From... Tokyo." He paused.
Kobayashi waited. "And your goal, Ishikawa-san?"
Ren met his gaze. "...To be decided."
He sat down. Yosuke was staring at him, his mouth open in awe. "Ishikawa Ren... so cool," he mouthed, before getting back to his notes.
After the last student, Kobayashi scanned the room. "I need a class representative. Someone responsible. Someone who will not, like Hanamura, set a low bar for human achievement." His gaze landed on Kenji. "You. Ito Kenji. You're the class representative. You look responsible. Don't disappoint me."
Kenji just sighed and polished his glasses. "Yes, sensei."
"Good," Kobayashi said, picking up a piece of chalk. "Open your textbooks to page 10. The new year starts now."
He turned and began writing complex formulas on the board, his voice a droning monotone. The class was silent, frantically taking notes.
Ren just opened his book. He'd already covered this material two years ago.
He felt a tiny thwack against his arm. He looked down. A small, wadded-up piece of paper was on his desk. He glanced at Yosuke.
Yosuke was staring straight ahead, pretending to be the perfect student, but his shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter.
Ren looked at the note. He looked at Kobayashi's back. He looked back at the note. He didn't open it. He just gave Yosuke a deadpan "really?" look.
"HANAMURA! EYES FRONT!" Kobayashi snapped, without even turning around.
Yosuke jumped, his face a mask of perfect innocence. He leaned an inch closer to Ren, his lips barely moving as he whispered.
"This... is... hell."