Chapter 1

"Senko-kun! If you have time, would you like to have lunch on the rooftop together?"

The sudden shout made the man, who had just walked out of the classroom, come to an abrupt stop.

Putting aside the idea of holding the bento box in front of his chest to examine it, the young man named Senko couldn't help but raise his head and look in the direction of the voice.

A girl in a pure white uniform—her black hair tied in a side ponytail—could be described as having a fair complexion if one were to comment on her appearance.

Unfortunately...

She was just too noisy.

Being caught in the chatter of the girl in front of him, he felt nothing but confusion in his mind, not a bit of surprise at being invited to lunch.

He needed to find a way to get out of it quickly.

This thought almost immediately led to action:

"Sorry, I don't have any free time right now." Senko firmly rejected the girl's invitation.

Just as the person was about to add something, a figure emerged from the classroom door Senko had just walked out of.

As expected, Senko, whose gaze had been on the person in front of him, immediately thought of a way to escape when he saw the figure.

A gentle and refined girl stood at the classroom door—she was his classmate.

Senko immediately turned his attention away from the persistent classmate and focused on the other classmate.

"Hey... classmate? Would you like to have lunch together?"

The girl, who was suddenly called, seemed to shudder as if electrocuted for a moment but quickly recovered.

"Eh... W-What?"

"Since you forgot, I'm reminding you on purpose." Walking quickly to the girl's side, Senko switched to a friendly tone and, while walking back to the classroom with her, turned his head to apologize to the girl who had invited him: "Excuse me."

Watching the two leave, the girl frowned in frustration and let out a sigh.

"Tch..."

"What's wrong? Wasn't that Senko from Class 2?"

Seeing the invitation rejected, another girl, who seemed to be a friend, came over to comfort the disappointed one:

"The new transfer student, Senko Miyako from Class 2-2," it was clear that they had a detailed understanding of the boy named Senko Miyako, "he's a bit of an odd character, hard to get a date with... so you might as well give up."

Glancing at the two figures gradually moving away, the girl, who had accepted the rejection, had to abandon the idea of inviting him again.

Half-forced to be taken back to the classroom, the girl, after a moment of daze, finally calmed down and gathered her thoughts, then asked a question that had been bothering her for a long time.

"Um... Senko-kun. Although you're a new transfer student who just arrived last week... this is our first time meeting, right?"

Before she could revel in her escape, the girl, who had been passive, suddenly asked a question, pulling Senko Miyako's thoughts into another environment.

Just having escaped the invitation from a half-acquainted classmate, he now had to explain to the girl he had suddenly used as a tool...

Both situations were not easy to face.

Fortunately, the current one was easier to handle.

Senko Miyako pursed his lips and quickly recounted what he had thought of.

"Didn't you see? Someone suddenly appeared and invited me." Seeing the girl nod slightly in response, Senko Miyako felt satisfied and much more relaxed, "So, I turned to you."

Walking into the classroom, both of them had the opportunity to observe each other more closely.

Having been here for only two weeks, he had already memorized many of his classmates' names and identities through daily attention and deliberate memory, such as the girl standing beside him.

The girl in front of him was a classmate.

Her personality, like her appearance, exuded a gentle and submissive aura, like a meek lamb.

From this brief interaction, Senko Miyako had a preliminary sense of her surface personality.

It seemed she was someone who needed guidance to continue the conversation.

Seeing the atmosphere between them becoming somewhat stiff, Senko Miyako quickly initiated a topic, saying, "Anyway, thank you for helping me out."

While expressing gratitude, Senko Miyako saw a flash of surprise on the girl's face and understood why she reacted that way.

He had used her as a tool to get out of an invitation, yet she ended up being the one to help him out, a move that was truly despicable.

Fortunately, the girl, with her lamb-like personality, didn't take offense at such a shameless act.

Through this interaction and previous observations, Senko Miyako had a more three-dimensional impression of her.

"As a thank you..." Senko Miyako's thoughts turned, and he quickly came up with a practical way to show his gratitude: "I can take some free photos for you... how about that?"

"P-P-Photos?"

Glancing at the girl's surprised expression, which made her look endearingly innocent.

If it were the old Senko Miyako, he wouldn't have explained so much to a stranger, but since she had helped him a little, he was patient enough.

"That's right." Sitting back in his seat, Senko Miyako calmly said, "I used to be a member of the photography club, so I'm quite confident in taking photos..."

At this point, Senko Miyako paused and changed the subject: "By the way... what club are you in?"

"Ah, this." Suddenly being asked to speak, the girl was caught off guard, and even her response was flustered, "I'm in the brass band club. Photos... if Senko-kun is willing, could you take a promotional photo for the brass band club?"

"Since you helped me with a troublesome matter... of course, no problem."

"Right—what's your name...? I just transferred here and haven't memorized everyone yet."

"O-Okay." Her emotions returning to calm, the girl, without questioning Senko Miyako's probing, obediently answered, "Endo. Endo Sakura... I am."

Endo Sakura...

A very common name.