Here you go.
A sudden bump woke me up from my beauty sleep. Who knew buses were so bumpy? Or was it the road's fault? Either way, it was probably impossible to go back to sleep again. Noting the time on my phone, it seemed I had slept through half of the 90 minute trip.
The bus, when I boarded it, was almost empty except for a couple of people. Now the seats were filled with all sorts of people. Many adults going to their jobs were in it, while also a lot of high school students with similar uniforms like me were on the bus. Seeing as the school didn't allow any outside contact, they were probably the same year as me. Which means many potential friends were sitting on the bus.
A chilly breeze broke me out of my thoughts. Even though it was April, the air was unnaturally cold. Not that I minded. A cool breeze was a perfect temperature for any white room attendee. Although the black haired girl sitting on the opposite side of me didn't mind it too. Engrossed in a book, she had a frozen blank expression on her face. Or maybe she also had trouble expressing herself?
The other seats were filled too, including the priority seats. Surprisingly, a priority seat was occupied by a blonde haired student who looked more like a high-school graduate than someone who was going to start attending it. He had earphones on his ears, ignoring any and all commotion outside.
The empty seat in front of me gave off a weird feeling about it though.
Glancing at it again, someone was clearly sitting on it.
A blue haired boy of my age was sleeping peacefully on it, somehow being able to sleep through the bumping bus ride. Looking around, he was naturally ignored or looked over by all the people on the bus. I would have ignored him too if his presence had not been giving off a weird feeling. What an unusual person to meet.
Looking around, an old lady seemed to have boarded the bus and was going to sit on the seat in front of me. She had probably not noticed the sleeping blue haired boy on the seat, confirming my suspicions. He just was easily overlookable.
The blond haired boy, seeing the lady go towards the seat in front of me, seemed to come to the same conclusion as me.
"Old lady, can't you see that someone is sleeping in that seat?" His rude yet helpful statement stopped the lady in her path. She focused a bit more to notice the sleeping boy in the seat. Her face showed a surprised expression with a few traces of disappointment at missing out on a seat.
Coincidentally, the blond haired boy was also sitting on a priority seat.
Another lady, probably on her way to her office job, looked at the blond boy with few traces of anger at the way he spoke to the old lady without any traces of respect.
Uh oh. I sense a disturbance in the peace and quiet of the bus.
"Don't you think you should give up your seat? Can't you see that she is having trouble?"
Damn it. I was correct in my suspicions. It seemed that she wanted the boy to give up the priority seat to the old lady. In the quiet bus, her voice got louder and attracted the attention of the other people in the bus.
"That's a really crazy question, lady."
The boy might have been angry, ignorant, or perhaps brutally honest, but he just smiled and recrossed his legs.
"Why should I give this seat to an old woman? There's absolutely no reason for me to give it up."
"Isn't it natural to hand over the priority seat to the elderly?" Please don't argue with him, lady. You are obviously fighting a losing battle.
"I don't understand. Priority seats are just priority seats, and there is no legal obligation for me to move. Whether or not I move should be decided by me, who is currently sitting in this seat. I am a healthy young man. Certainly, I don't feel that standing up would inconvenience me. However, it is obvious standing up will consume more physical strength than sitting down will. I don't want to do such a useless thing. Or maybe, are you telling me to be more lively and energetic?"
What an unusual way of talking for a high school student. Although it was to be expected as I was going to a school for Elites.
"What kind of attitude is that towards your superiors!?"
"Superior? It's obvious that both you and the old woman have lived longer than me. There's no doubt about it. However, that 'above' refers to height. Also, I have a problem with you. Even if there is a difference in age, isn't that an awfully rude and impertinent attitude?"
"Wha...! You're a high school student!? Honestly, just listen to what adults say!"
"It's fine, it's fine..." the old lady was certainly a kind one, speaking with a sensible tone in her voice. The only problem was that her attitude was an invitation for people to come walk over her.
Or maybe she just didn't want the situation to escalate.
"Apparently the older woman seems to have better hearing than you do. Oh dear, I guess Japanese society isn't completely useless yet. Enjoy the rest of your life to your heart's content."
After showing a uselessly refreshing smile, he put headphones in his ears and began to listen to loud music. The office lady who spoke up was clenching her teeth in annoyance.
His self-important attitude annoyed her as she tried to argue with him.
Personally, I didn't get myself involved because I agreed, at least in part, with the boy.
Once the moral problem is solved, the obligation to give up a seat disappears. That's just how Japanese society worked.
"Sorry..."
The office lady tried to hold back her tears while apologizing to the old woman. Dramatic much?
The disturbance ended with the boy who won with his big ego. At least, everyone thought it was over.
"Um... I also think that the lady is right."
An unexpected helping hand was extended. The owner of the voice stood next to the office lady and bravely spoke her opinion to the boy. She wore the same school uniform as me.
The situation which had finally been resolved was once again brought up. The girl, in her overflowing kindness, had requested the other people in the bus to give up their seats. A clever method to invoke the guilt feeling of people and prompting at least one of them to give up their seats.
The situation finally resolved when another lady who was probably on her way to her job gave up her seat saying that her stop was just the next one.
Amazingly, the blue haired boy had slept through the whole commotion.
I stared out of the window with my thoughts wondering. The clear sky with clouds covering the sun from our view was also calming to look at.
Finally arriving in view of the school the bus started slowing down. All of the students on board started preparing to get off it as I glanced at the boy in front of me. Still asleep, it was better to wake him up.
Shaking him slightly, he twitched a bit before his eyes opened. His eyes were also blue in colour. What a coincidence. Although I should explain why I woke him up.
"You should probably wake up as the school is in view."
His eyes widened a bit before he nodded in thanks. Shouldering his bag, he stood up as the bus stopped in front of the school. The rest of the students got off the bus as we too got off the bus, mixing with the crowd as we entered through the school gate.
"Thank you for waking me up. I am Kuroko Tetsuya of class 1-D." His expression remained unchanged throughout his introduction. Maybe he had problems expressing himself. Or maybe something traumatic?
"It's no big deal. Also, I am Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from class 1-D too. What a coincidence. Please take care of me." I replied back. It would be good to have a friend from the start.
"Indeed, such a coincidence. Please take care of me too." Speaking as such, we went towards the school hall, where the much awaited entrance ceremony was supposed to take place, all the while making small talk and getting to know each other. He seemed like a pretty straightforward yet overlookable guy. Although how people overlooked him with his hair colour was another thing I didn't understand.
Talking to him, it was barely noticeable but he was an expert at guiding the conversation out of dangerous topics like personal questions. Whenever there was an inkling of the topic switching to his past, was the moment he changed the topic subtly. Just like me.
Apparently Kuroko was an athlete during his middle school but stopped in the middle of his 3rd year for unknown reasons. He was pretty mysterious but who was I to say that.
All things aside, this school life was not bad.
Word count= 1546
A.N.= Sorry for the delay. I picked up the Mahouka LN and it's difficult to stop. It also gives some good crossover vibes with cote.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Any ideas are appreciated and Follow and Fav if you like it.
That's all, Bye!