This is so random...
The lunch room was already packed, and the bell had only rang a mere two minutes previously. Just shows you how much the kids hated their classes.
The noise was almost deafening, but none of the kids seemed to notice; their own conversations took over all of their attention.
The lunch ladies, on the other hand, hated it.
Amidst all of the business, a group of girls slipped in through the first crack they could find, weaving their way through the myriad of other students to get to the lunch line they wanted to be in.
"Why does it always have to be so crowded?" Chiyo asked. "I can barely see over all these people..."
"If you grew a foot or so, you wouldn't have to worry about that," Tomo retorted. Chiyo's face started growing red, so the others could tell she was getting peeved.
"I'm only eleven, you know," she finally managed. "How tall do you expect me to be, like Sakaki or something?"
"Heck no," Osaka muttered. "I like having someone almost my size?"
"What?"
"What?" replied Osaka.
More weirdness, I guess...
"Hey, where did all those italicized letters come from?" Tomo asked.
"What?"
"The slanty letters."
"I know what they are- I just didn't see them."
"Come on, Kagura, they were just right there..."
What on earth is Tomo talking about...?
"There! There they were again! It said something about 'Tomo' and 'talking'...!"
Oh, are you serious...? She can see my thoughts like they're-
"Cut it out, Tomo!" Kagura cut in. "There is no way you can see letters floating in the air- much less slanty ones. Let's just go ahead and get our food."
They went on in the line, though Tomo was quite leery and on the lookout, just in case the slanty letters came back again.
In a few minutes, everyone had their food and was seated, munching happily.
Suddenly, Osaka spoke up: "Hey guys?"
"Yeah?" asked Yomi.
"What would you all do if you had a cookie right now?"
They all looked at her quizzically, not understanding the intent of her question.
What kind of question is that, what would we-
"God, there they are again!" Tomo screamed, pointing to a random spot above another student's head. Of course, everyone looked, and of course, nothing was there at all.
Kagura shook her head. "Those slanty letters again, Tomo? I told you-"
"I know what you told me, and I know what I saw- the letters were right above her head!"
Suddenly, everyone had an interest in Osaka's question, if only to divert their attention away from Tomo's stupidity.
"What was the question? What would we do if we had a cookie?"
"Yeah!" replied Osaka.
"Well..." thought Chiyo, "I'd probably eat it."
"Me, too."
"Same here."
Tomo replied, "I wouldn't."
Shock.
"Why not?" Chiyo asked.
"Cause I'd be too tempted to use it as a Frisbee and bean someone in the head with it."
That sounds like something Tomo would-
Tomo stood up suddenly. "Are you seriously saying you don't see those letters?"
There were only a few people who looked lazily over in their direction this time; once they discovered it was Tomo, all interest in the subject had waned considerably.
Kagura was starting to get a bit mad at this point. "If you don't stop talking about those letters, I'm going to-"
Yeah, Kagura, what are you going to do?
Kagura didn't finish her sentence, due to the fact that her jaw had dropped. "Th-there they were! I saw them, too!"
"Now you believe me?!" Tomo yelled. "Or are you just saying that-"
Yeah, she's just saying that...
Tomo wheeled on Kagura. "You're seriously just saying that? You don't actually see them?!"
"No, I-"
Tomo turned on her heels and stomped off. "Doesn't matter what you say," she yelled over her shoulder, "I see them!"
Chiyo just looked at everyone and shook her head. "Letters floating in the air- that's impossible..."
"Yeah," Osaka agreed, though she probably would have agreed to anything Chiyo said, the dreamy look she had in her eyes. Just then, the bell rang, and everyone began to file out of the lunchroom. No one looked behind them, though, so no one saw the thin, slanty letters following them, hovering over the head of one of the students walking away:
Crap, I didn't even get to eat dessert...
Told you that was random. Oh, and in case you didn't figure it out, the italicized letters were Sakaki's thoughts. :)