June 20th

My phone's alarm went off to the time I set it, six and thirty. Although I felt like I wouldn't be able to get much sleep because of my anxiety the previous day, I felt refreshed and confident. Would this confidence turn out to be just a bluff, though?

I showered, brushed my teeth, changed into my "school clothes", which were just a skirt and a generic school shirt, both dark blue. I tied my black shoes. I brushed my light brown hair, which went just a little bit beyond my elbows. I didn't consider myself a particularly pretty person, but I did my best to at least leave a good impression on my classmates.

I opened my backpack and stuffed inside some school items by parents had bought me. I also put inside my diary, in which I wrote my feelings. It was at that moment that I noticed that I hadn't written anything in my diary since moving in. I thought about writing something after school, but I already had plans.

After getting ready, I went downstairs to have my usual breakfast with Mom and Dad. By the time I got down, I saw Mom already ready to leave for work. She noticed me and spoke:

"I'm leaving for work! Good luck in your new school!" She said it in a bit of a rushed voice, but I could understand. Her work was very tiresome, and she usually stayed many days without coming home, but it was what essentially sustained our above-average lifestyle.

I sat and had a quick breakfast with Dad. He had a reserved personality, and only really spoke if someone else started the conversation. I didn't really feel like talking with him, so we both just ate in silence. After I finished eating, I placed the dishes in the sink for Dad. I rushed upstairs and brushed my teeth again. After I came back down, Dad gave me a paper. It had a bunch of information regarding the school, like directions on how to get there, my class, my teacher and other things.

"Thanks, Dad."

"Good luck." Dad said with a slight smile.

I gave Dad a hug before leaving. Our mornings were always a bit fast-paced, but we were all used to it.

I didn't really need the paper Dad had given me since Hisashi had shown the way to school yesterday, but I still felt like it would be important to take it with me. As I walked to school, I felt the harsh sun hitting my whole body. It was a sign of the starting summer. Around me were people going to work and younger children going to elementary and middle school. Every once in a while, I saw some older kids wearing uniforms very similar to mine, and going the same way as I, so I imagined they were also going to Nikkou. For some reason, the walk from home to school felt longer than it had the day before. As soon as I saw the lustrous green leaves of the park's trees, I knew I was getting close. The breeze felt cooler under the foliage.

I had left even earlier than usual, so, when I arrived, the gate still hadn't opened. There were at least a hundred or so students chatting and walking about, enjoying the scenery. I looked for Hisashi, but I couldn't really find him anywhere. Had he still not arrived, I wondered? As my gaze traversed the place, I heard the sound of a loud school siren, signaling the opening of the school gates. Everyone stood up and started walking toward the school. Without being told to, they formed two lines, one with the boys, and one with the girls. I entered the girls' line. The students entered in pairs of one boy and one girl. It was a bit unusual, but there wasn't anything particularly weird about it.

After I entered the school, I wandered for a few minutes, until I saw a few teachers having a conversation and pointing at me. When their conversation ended, one of them came to talk to me. It was an older woman, with beautiful long black hair.

"Are you Shiroki Mitsune?"

"Yes. I'm the student that's transferring into Class 2-C."

"We were waiting for your arrival. Come with me, please."

As I followed the woman, the other teachers dispersed. The school was fairly large, and we walked through many corridors until reaching our destination. It was the Teacher's Lounge. She entered it and urged me to do so as well. Once inside, she introduced herself.

"I'm Yamada Akiko. I'm the homeroom teacher for Class 2-C, and therefore, I'm your homeroom teacher. I'm pleased to meet you." I responded with a greeting. I didn't think it would be necessary to state my name since I had already done so.

"I will be your biology teacher as well, so feel free to ask me about it." She had a bit of a motherly feel to her, which, honestly, was a bit overbearing, but I kept that to myself.

"I'll do just that." I responded in an animated voice.

"I brought you to the Teacher's Lounge because there are a few papers I need you to sign." As she said that, she showed me some contract-like papers. Skimming through it quickly, it seemed to be something about following the school rules and obeying the school's "moral practices". I couldn't really refuse to sign them, so I took a pen and tried making my best signature.

"Okay. I also have to give you these notices." Again, she gave a few papers. These were papers listing what, exactly, were the school's rules and moral practices. It felt a bit backward being given this only after signing a document agreeing to them. There were also other useful things, like a map of the school made in a cartoon-esque style and a calendar of the school's activities. "I'll show you the way to your classroom. When we get there, you have to introduce yourself to the class, so think about what you'll say."

Going through another set of school corridors, and going up the stairs to the upper floor, we eventually arrived there. Right above the sliding doors, there was a plaque with "2-C" written on it. The teacher stopped and signaled for me to enter first. I slid the door and walked into the classroom. I could instantly feel dozens of curious gazes staring straight at me, trying to figure out what sort of person I was. Although this only really lasted for a few seconds, it certainly felt like an eternity. The teacher entered after me, at which point everyone in class stood up.

"This is the new transfer student. She is now going to introduce herself. I ask that you all be considerate and listen to her words."

Obviously, that was the moment when I had to open my mouth and do my introduction, but I was stunned for a moment, and it caused a bit of awkward silence before I actually said anything.

"Hello! My name is Shiroki Mitsune. I am 17 years old. I moved to Hoshigata-chou, and I lived in Shirogane-shi. I'm really happy to be here, and I hope we can all become great friends!" I tried bowing politely, but I could only muster a strange bow-like motion. Although I was a bit clueless in social situations, it didn't take a genius to figure out I had left a bad impression.

When I finished bowing, I looked around the classroom for an open seat, and I happened to see Hisashi sitting in the first row. There was an open seat right behind him, which felt very unusual. I went and sat there. After that, the class continued like normal, but I could hear people chatting behind me. They said scornful and mocking things about me. I pretended not to hear, but it hurt. Hisashi turned around and noticed my sad expression, and tried comforting me a bit.

"I know you tried hard, so I won't judge you." Though his words were supposed to make me happier, they only made me more ashamed, since it meant even he noticed my awful introduction.

"It's alright... I'm the worst at this." I said in a self-deprecating manner.

"The worst at what?" He asked me genuinely.

"Making friends."

"I don't think that's true." He said in a determined manner. I could sense he really did mean that. "I don't know you for a long time, but I know you're a nice person. I could tell from our conversations yesterday."

"Thanks. Seriously." I said, forcing a smile. As he said, he barely knew me. However, he really did think of me as a good person, and that made me want to try. After all the time I spent wanting to change my life, I couldn't give up just because of one failure. The teacher noticed our conversation and scolded the two of us. That only made me look even more pathetic, and I even dragged Hisashi into this. Still, I was happy at his words.

As the day unfolded, Hisashi turned around every so often to talk to me about this and that, and that brightened my mood. Because of our chats, the day passed by quicker, and I eventually forgot about the whole introduction fiasco.

"And that's all for today. Don't forget to study the circulatory system! It'll be on the test. Arteries, veins, capillaries. Remember the differences between the three and you'll do fine." Teacher Akiko said that as the school siren rang. It was noon, so school was over.

"Are you going home now?" Hisashi asked me as he put the stuff on his desk inside his backpack.

"Yeah. I'm going to have lunch with my father."

"When do you think you'll have finished?"

"Probably by one o'clock. Maybe even sooner."

"Then, we can meet up here at the park at one thirty."

"Okay. See you later." After we ended our quick conversation, we left the class together and walked together to the school gates. I followed Hisashi since I didn't know my way around the school.

If we were to consider the school's gate to be facing north, my house would be to the east, while Hisashi's house was to the west. That meant that we split up right after leaving school. Since it was about noon, the sun was somehow even worse than earlier. I thought about asking my parents for a bike. Though walking to school and back wasn't really very far or time-consuming, the summer heat was seriously not something to be trifled with.

When I got home, I opened the door and practically threw myself at the couch facing the TV. I was just that tired.

"Is something wrong?" Dad asked.

"Not really. I'm just really tired. This heat is unbelievable."

"You could buy a parasol."

"That's..." It wasn't an impossibility, but it just felt so strange. A parasol? Who even uses something like that this day and age? Only middle-aged ladies would do something like that. Feeling a sudden burst of confidence, I exclaimed my thought. "If I had a bike, the sun wouldn't really be such a big problem."

"Do you want a bike?"

"I wouldn't mind having one." I didn't want to admit it so straightforwardly, but Dad was right.

"I'll talk to your mother about it. Don't expect it, though." He said just that and finished setting the lunch table for two. I sat down and started chowing down on Dad's delicious food. Since Mom wasn't here to complain about my manners, I spoke even with my mouth full.

"I'm hanging out with a friend today. I think we're going to a cafe or something like that."

"Do you like coffee that much?" Dad asked me, knowing I only really drank coffee for breakfast, and only when there weren't other options.

"Cafes don't serve only coffee, you know. I'll probably get myself some juice."

"I'll hand you some money."

"Thanks." After explaining the situation, I went back to eating.

Once lunch was over, I offered to wash the dishes as a means of thanking Dad. It took me not too long. I checked my phone, which I always carried with me. It was still one o'clock. I had thirty minutes to shower really quickly. I got myself ready, and I still had fifteen minutes left. Dad had given me enough money to buy myself juice and even something extra. Maybe a slice of cake? Or would that be too much sugar? Dad had already gone to his room to have his afternoon nap. He really was an old man. I took my keys with me and locked the house.

As a means of countering the sun, I had taken Mom's sunscreen and applied it to all of my showing skin. The shower I had taken also contributed. I had already noticed before, but even the air in this place was different from the city's. It was cleaner and it felt easier to breathe. I saw a few buses coming from the direction of the park and I wondered how far this main street went. The layout of the town itself was a bit odd upon further inspection. It was shaped like a tree, with one big trunk and a mix of small branches and big branches. As I thought about things that I was interested in, I eventually reached the park. Hisashi had told me the name of the park, but it slipped my mind. I saw Hisashi with the same book from yesterday. I guess he still hasn't finished it.

"Yo!" Hisashi spoke in a casual manner. It really did feel like we had already become friends in such a short time.

"Hi"

"So, you want to see some more of the town?"

"Yeah. This park is probably my favorite place yet." It seemed like Hisashi wanted to say something, but he couldn't choose the right words.

"This place is probably the best place here." After taking a bit of time to select his words, what came out was surprisingly blunt.

"Oh. Well, there's still Hoshiyama Peak."

"Yeah. Though, right now, there's probably nothing interesting to see there. It only really gets visitors around summer break. There's a festival there where people make their wishes and hope for a shooting star. It's a cool event, but it's a once-a-year sort of thing."

"When we get into the summer break, I'll definitely go to this festival."

"That's still a bit far away..."

I sat down near a pond surrounded by small pebbles. I saw my reflection there. Hisashi came up behind me and looked into the water as well. I could see his short hair fluttering because of the wind. The water was a bit tumultuous, so our reflections were twisted, but it was still really beautiful, like something out of a painting.

"So, where's the cafe you were talking about?"

"It's in the direction of my house. Let's go." We crossed the entire park and reached the other side of it, where the main asphalt street continued. After some more walking, we eventually reached a crossroads that formed a plus sign. In one of the corners was the cafe Hisashi was talking about.

"It's this cafe. Gateau Cafe, actually."

In this cafe, there were round wooden tables with round wooden chairs like a bar. Although it was not too long after lunch, there were an unusual amount of people there. It really did seem to be a famous place around here. We sat around one of the tables. There was a menu on the table, so I picked it up and read it. Like any other cafes, there were a bunch of coffee options, along with things like cocoa, tea and fruit juices. There were even milkshake options, which surprised me.

When I looked around, I saw a boy around our age sitting by himself in one of the tables. He was reading a book. It seemed like he still hadn't ordered anything.

"Do you know that boy over there? He seems kinda familiar." I said it to Hisashi.

"He's Makoto. He's from our class as well. He's a really quiet boy. I don't think I've ever seen him talk with anyone for more than a few minutes."

"Why don't we invite him to join us?"

"Huh" - Hisashi was surprised by my sudden proposal.

"I mean, we both are kind of loners, so why not invite a third one?" I had noticed that other than me and the teacher, not a single person had come to talk with Hisashi today. It made me realize that he was, in fact, a loner, just like I used to be. "He also seems to like books, so that's something we all have in common. I don't see why we shouldn't call him to our table."

"Well... I... That's..." Hisashi seemed to be searching for an argument, but there wasn't really anything he could say that wouldn't boil down to 'I don't want to'. I stood up and went to the boy's table. He noticed me and opened his mouth. His words were so weak I could barely hear them.

"Do you need something?"

"Your name is Makoto, right"

"Yes." He showed a shocked expression for a second before returning to his poker face.

"You study at Nikkou, right? Class 2-C?"

"Yes... Wait, aren't you the transfer student?" He realized who I was. I already knew who he was, so we were on even footing.

"That's right. Shiroki Mitsune, glad to meet you." I redid my greeting, this time making sure to do it correctly.

"Nice to meet you. You can call me just Makoto." After that, he asked again. "Do you need something?"

"We were wondering if you'd like to join our table. We also like books and cafes."

"Are you sure?" He didn't seem to oppose the idea, but he wasn't really in favor of it either.

"Yeah. It's always fun making new friends." I said that cheerfully, hoping to entrance Makoto.

"If you insist..." He gave in easily and came to sit with me and Hisashi. Our table now had three people around it. Hisashi was honestly surprised.

"How can you fail at an introduction but talk normally to someone as quiet as Makoto?"

"I don't know." I answered with my true feelings.

"Are you guys going to order something?" Makoto asked rather timidly.

"I'd like some strawberry juice." I said.

"I like my coffee with some milk and sugar." Hisashi said, embarrassed for some reason.

"I'll get some iced tea."

Hisashi waved and a man came over. They seemed to already know each other. He did say he was a regular here, I guess...

"Get us one strawberry juice, one iced tea, and my usual coffee." The man wrote it down, nodded and left. Makoto was reading again, and Hisashi seemed to be thinking about something.

"So, what sort of book is it?" I asked aiming at Makoto.

"It's a romantic tragedy."

"I see." I didn't expect someone like him to enjoy those sorts of books.

"It's really sad. A man and a woman like each other, but their families share a mutual hatred. With their love destined to perish as a result of their families, they devise a plot, but they both end up dying tragically..."

"Wait, isn't this that really famous book?"

"Which one?"

- You know, that one, with the poison and all!

"I don't know what you're referring to."

"Forget it!" I was getting worked up over something so meaningless... Still, this was exciting. When was the last time I had a conversation like this?

"Just kidding. I know which one you're talking about. Still, this book is only inspired by that. It's not the same." He said laughing at my agitation.

"What are you two talking about?" Hisashi finally picked up on the conversation.

"Books." I answered.

"What sorts of books?"

"Romantic tragedies." Makoto was about to start it again.

"Don't fall for it!" I warned Hisashi.

"I really have no idea what you two are going on about..."

After our lively chat, the waiter arrived. One strawberry juice for me, Hisashi's coffee, and an iced tea for Makoto. We three talked about books, school, and other stuff. Makoto seemed to be the opposite of Hisashi's description. He was talkative and threw sarcastic jokes left and right. As we sipped our drinks (my strawberry juice was really great), I decided to start a conversation.

"You know, we could do this more often." I exclaimed.

"I agree." Makoto said. Though this was the first time we three had gotten together like this, it felt natural.

"Well, we need to have a name." Hisashi was in on it too.

"What sort of name?" Makoto wondered out loud.

"What about 'Nikkou Book Club'." It was a cheesy name, but it had a bit of a special charm, considering we were all the "weird" kids in class, so a "weird" name suits us well.

"That's not too bad." Makoto said.

"Still, for it to be a club, we need some more members." Hisashi was more serious.

"I'm sure there are more people like us at school. We just gotta find them." I was really starting to get into it.

"Alright! Our mission will be to find new members for the Nikkou Book Club." Hisashi said it like a leader would.

This really was fun. For the old me, hanging out with boys and creating a childish club like this would be unthinkable, but it was so exciting I didn't even mind those things.

"By the end of this week, we gotta have at least five members." I spoke, like a vice-leader. What does vice leader even sound like? Makoto laughed heartily. He also seemed to be enjoying himself.

"How about inviting Saya? Not a lot of people are really "friends" with her." Makoto gave a member suggestion.

"Yeah. After the thing with her father, no one really tries befriending her. It's a bit sad." Hisashi said it a low voice.

"Then we just gotta invite her, right? That would already increase our numbers to four." I talked trying to dissipate the heavy atmosphere. It seemed to have worked.

"That's right." Makoto said it.

"So, tomorrow, we can start our recruiting of our member Saya!"

After a lot of talk about methods of convincing Saya to join our unofficial club, it got a bit late. It was already three and thirty, and we split up.

"See you guys tomorrow!" I was about to leave when Makoto came up and stopped me.

"Wait a bit! You guys still haven't given me your phone numbers. We can't be a club if I can't even talk with you two!" Like I did with Hisashi, we all shared our phone numbers.

After that, I went home. As I ventured deeper and deeper into town, my walk home became longer and longer. I was really hoping Mom and Dad would accept my request and give me a bike to move around.

I opened the locked door with my key. Dad was apparently still napping even at this time. I took this opportunity to watch TV. The game show program from the last day still hadn't started, so I settled for a movie. By the time it finished, Dad had already woken up, and he was waiting for me to leave the couch and watch his usual cooking show.

I returned to my room. I took my diary out of my backpack. I skipped all of the pages that were already used and stopped on a blank one. I used my set of colorful pens to write about today. It was a day filled with fun and happiness. If things were to continue like this, I wouldn't mind it.

I continued the rest of the day like usual. I had dinner with Dad; I studied the subjects we studied at school; I slept thinking about the fun things we could do tomorrow...

June 21st

I completed my usual morning preparations and walked to school as usual. I thought about the girl named Saya that both Makoto and Hisashi mentioned in the cafe. What would she look like? Which things did she like? Would she actually join our club?

I passed by the library and remembered I had to pick up my library card tomorrow. I'd probably do it on my way back from school.

This time, the gate was already opened by the time I arrived, and there were no teachers to take me to my class, so I had to use the map I was given. I successfully made my way to Class 2-C. This time, I noticed Makoto. He was sitting on the seat horizontally farthest from Hisashi, which made him a bit distant from both of us. He waved his hand a bit, as a "good morning" gesture. Hisashi greeted me with a "morning". Before the teacher could arrive, I talked to Hisashi.

"Which girl is Saya?"

"The one in the middle row, three seats counting from the front." Following his directions, I could see the girl. She was by herself, but she didn't seem particularly lonely.

"So, how are we going to convince her?"

"I'm not sure yet. We gotta talk to Makoto and decide on a plan. She usually leaves right after school ends, so we have to be quick."

"Got it!"

The teacher arrived, putting a stop to our chit-chat. It was a normal school day, and just like the day before, Hisashi and I talked frequently when we had the chance.

We heard the school siren, and as the teacher left, we nodded to each other. We stood up and went to talk with Makoto.

"So, it's time." I said.

"We gotta recruit her for our club!" Makoto was pumped.

All three of us moved close to Saya's seat. She was about to stand up and leave, but we blocked her path.

"Excuse me." She said firmly.

"Before you leave, can we talk a bit with you?"

"Please be quick."

"The three of us are thinking about starting a club, but we don't have enough members, so we were wondering if you'd like to join us."

"A club? What sort of club?"

-"We read books." Makoto said.

"We also hang out at Gateau Cafe." It was Hisashi's turn.

"Just that?" Saya seemed a bit let down.

"It's really fun, though!" I said it, trying to make our mundane activities look interesting.

"I can do that by myself." She was straightforward.

"Like I said, our club is still in development, so we can do other things too. Whatever you like!" I was really desperate to have new members, so I said whatever I felt would convince her.

"Do you guys like photography? Like, sight-seeing?"

"I really enjoy sight-seeing!" Hisashi answered. He had, in fact, told me he liked looking at the night sky. I guess that also applied to other scenic-looking views.

"Then, do you know some good places to take pictures of?"

"I do! It's a place close to my home. I can take you there!" Hisashi's hobbies were really helping our case.

"Okay then." She accepted our proposal. "I can't hang out with you today or tomorrow, cause I have some things to take care of. But I'm free on Thursday, so you can show me this place then."

"Sure!" Hisashi turned around to look at me and Makoto. "Are you two free as well?"

"Yeah."

"I don't have anything in particular."

"Good! Then, all four of us can go." Hisashi took his phone out. "I don't think you know my address. I can message you, so if you could give your phone number."

"Of course." After another phone exchanging sequence, we unblocked her path, and she left.

"We actually did it." I said slightly shocked at how easy it was.

"I can understand it." Hisashi spoke in the same low tone as the time he mentioned Saya's father. "She probably feels lonely, but she wouldn't let it show."

I didn't want to pry into matters, so I didn't make any remark about it. Makoto also refrained from commenting on it.

Today, the teachers had been especially rough on us, giving a bunch of homework to do, so we all returned home for the rest of the afternoon. That was a bit of a bummer to me, but I didn't want to leave my homework for later since I knew it would eventually pile up and become a huge pain.

At home, it would get considerably more silent in weekdays, since Mom was almost never around. I thought about asking Dad how my bike idea was going, but he'd probably just say "I'm thinking about it". He only ever really did the things I asked if I had Mom's approval.

As I studied, I thought about Saya and her photography idea. It seemed a bit different from the usual hobbies people around our age might have. Our club gathered all sorts of people, with many interests. That was, in a way, admirable. Instead of rejecting differences, we embraced them and explored those interests together. Of course, I was just patting myself on the back, but it was still a good idea. Were it not for a club like ours, the students who didn't fit in would probably just be left out of everything and treated like weirdos for the rest of the school life. However, the club offered the possibility of making some new friends, which was something none of us could just reject, especially since we were all aware of bad it felt to be rejected only because you're different.

I finished my homework a bit late, and only really had time to dine and go to sleep. I reminded myself that I had to pick up my library card on the way home. I slept well, and I was happy at how nicely this new life seemed to be going.