Subaru took a deep breath at the classroom door before stepping inside. His heart was pounding, his palms sweaty, and he could feel every single pair of eyes lock onto him the moment he entered. The silence in the room was almost tangible, broken only by the soft scratching of chalk on the blackboard.
At the teacher's desk stood a woman — Narberal-sensei — who slowly turned around. Her long black hair swayed gracefully, and a smile played on her lips that instantly made Subaru's face heat up. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Please introduce yourself, Subaru-kun~" she said in a soft, almost purring voice, winking and blowing a tiny heart-shaped kiss toward him.
Subaru swallowed hard and tried to speak normally.
"U-um… Hi everyone! I'm… Subaru. I'm really glad to be here."
His voice cracked slightly on the last word. A few quiet giggles rippled through the class.
Narberal-sensei leaned forward slightly, as if sharing a secret.
"Anything else, sweetheart? Any interesting hobbies? Secret passions?" she asked in a teasing, sultry tone.
Subaru felt his face burn even hotter. His ears were probably bright red now.
"Uh… I like shounen anime. And… well…" He hesitated, then the words tumbled out. "My parents passed away. Two years ago. My grandpa isn't really around either… he's always traveling around the world."
The classroom fell completely silent. A couple of girls let out soft, sympathetic "awws."
For a moment, the playful smile on Narberal's face softened into genuine sympathy.
"Oh, poor thing…" she whispered gently.
Subaru quickly shook his head and forced a smile.
"It's fine, really. It was two years ago. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. Let's just… forget about it, okay?"
Narberal studied him for a long second, then nodded and slipped back into her teasing tone.
"Alright, Subaru-kun. Take any seat you like, sweetheart."
"Y-yes… thank you," Subaru mumbled, already starting to head toward the back, when a calm, kind voice stopped him.
"Wait. If you want… you can sit next to me."
Subaru turned. Yuuto Kiba was smiling at him — that famously perfect, almost supernatural smile that usually made the entire female population of the class swoon. But this time, his eyes were honest, not performative.
Subaru hesitated for a heartbeat, then nodded.
"If… if it's really okay, I'd be really happy to."
Kiba's face lit up with a genuine, almost childlike joy that Subaru hadn't expected from the so-called "prince" of the school.
"It's no trouble at all. Come on."
Subaru sat down next to Kiba, who immediately continued in a quiet voice:
"You know… I understand what it feels like to be alone. I don't really have any friends either. People say I talk strangely sometimes… or at least that's what they tell me. So feel free to correct me if I say something weird, okay?"
Subaru stared at him, stunned.
"Wait… you don't have parents either?"
Kiba gave a small, sad smile but didn't look away.
"No. They passed away too. A long time ago. Since then… well, most of the girls just idolize me, and the boys… they hate me. They say I'm too perfect. That everyone sees me as some kind of prince, and that's why they're jealous. So… somehow, no one ever really wants to get close to me."
Subaru was quiet for a moment, then spoke softly but firmly:
"That's bullshit."
Kiba blinked in surprise and looked up.
"Sorry?"
"I mean it. The fact that girls are obsessed with you isn't your fault. And it's definitely not your fault that the guys are jealous and stupid. Honestly… I think you're the only normal person in this class so far. And if you ask me… that's exactly why someone should be friends with you. Because you're not pretending. You're not putting on an act."
For a second, Kiba's eyes shimmered. It was clear he hadn't heard anything like this in a very long time.
"…Thank you," he whispered, voice a little rough. "Really… thank you."
At that moment, a sharp voice came from the back row.
"Hey! You! What are you doing?! You made our prince cry?!"
Both Subaru and Kiba turned at the same time. The girl looked furious, though she seemed surprised herself that Kiba's eyes were actually wet.
Kiba quickly wiped his eyes and spoke clearly, loudly enough for the whole class to hear:
"I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because I'm happy. This guy… Subaru… is the first person here who talks to me like I'm a normal human being. Not a prince, not an ideal, not some idol. Just… normally. So leave him alone. Please."
The room went dead silent. Even the most obsessive fangirls shut up. A few of the boys looked down in shame.
Subaru leaned in slightly and whispered, just for Kiba:
"You know… I thought no one here would talk to me like a normal person either. That everyone would just stare at me weirdly because I'm new, because… I don't know, I'm weird. But you… you're different."
Kiba gave a small, real smile.
"So… friends?"
Subaru smiled back — his first true, relaxed smile since stepping into the school.
"Yeah. Friends."
But then another fangirl's voice cut through the quiet, mocking and dramatic:
"Oh nooo, wait a second… Our prince and the new cute boy… are they gay?!"
Chaos erupted instantly. Most of the boys looked awkward, some laughed nervously. Subaru and Kiba both felt deeply embarrassed and hurt at the same time.
Subaru's face flushed again — this time partly from anger.
"That's… that's really not funny," he said quietly but firmly.
Kiba's voice was much harder:
"I'm not gay. Neither is he. We're just friends. And if anyone says something that stupid again, they'll have to deal with me."
Narberal-sensei stood up abruptly, her voice cracking like a whip.
"ENOUGH!" she shouted. "I will not tolerate anyone playing with other people's feelings in such a disgusting way! If I hear anything like that again, the person goes straight to the principal's office. Understood?!"
The entire class froze. Even the mocking fangirl turned pale.
Matsuda and Motohama in the back row glared at Subaru and Kiba with disgust, but for the first time, they didn't dare say a word.
Subaru leaned close to Kiba and whispered:
"Thanks… for standing up for me."
Kiba smiled softly, sincerely.
"No… thank you for standing up for me too. I think… this is going to be the best friendship I've ever had."
Subaru nodded, and for the first time, he felt like maybe — just maybe — he was in the right place after all.