Mei stood by the doorway of the classroom as Ms. Ishikawa handed her the folded note.

"Oh, Raiden-kun, could you please give this note to Hoshizora-kun? He stepped outside before I could give it to him," Ms. Ishikawa asked with a sheepish smile.

"What's the note about?" Mei asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Nothing too important. Since he arrived late, he missed the assignment paper I handed out earlier, and he stepped out before I could catch him," the teacher explained.

Mei nodded, taking the note carefully before waving Minako-kun over. "I'll be a little late for lunch. I need to deliver this to a classmate," she explained.

Minako-kun gave her a knowing smile and waved her off. Mei left the classroom, the folded note held delicately between her fingers as she headed toward the tree where Hoshizora-san was often found. Each step closer felt oddly nerve-wracking, as though she were approaching some live wire ready to spark.

She found him sitting beneath the tree, leaning back with his eyes closed. "Excuse me, Hoshizora-san? Ms. Ishikawa asked me to deliver this to you. It's the assignment paper you missed," Mei called softly, keeping her tone even.

Hoshizora-san's eyes opened lazily, and he stood up with a fluidity that seemed at odds with the bad luck that followed him. Mei realized, as he approached, that he was taller than her by only a few inches—enough to notice, but not enough to make her tilt her head fully to look up. She blinked, shaking off the idle observation as he reached for the note. Their hands brushed briefly as the paper exchanged ownership.

That was when Mei felt it.

It wasn't something tangible or overwhelming, but there was a weight—a subtle, almost imperceptible presence that pressed down on her in that brief contact. It wasn't hostile, nor did it evoke the creeping dread she'd felt around some people before. Instead, it was like the sensation of a piece of paper resting on your skin: insignificant at a glance but undeniably there.

Was this… his luck? Did it have a physical presence?

"You can let go now, Raiden-san."

Startled, Mei snapped out of her thoughts to realise she was still holding onto the note. Her face burned as she quickly let go, averting her gaze in embarrassment. She thought she heard something suspiciously like a snort, but when she glanced up again, Hoshizora-san's face was back to its neutral state. Still, there was a faint glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

Before she could process that, a loudCaw!rang out from above. Both of them looked up, spotting a sleek female crow perched on one of the tree's branches, staring down at them with an air of smugness.

"Ah," Hoshizora-san exhaled, his calm veneer slipping into one of tired exasperation. "Aaaaah, please stop talking," he muttered, running a hand over his face.

Mei blinked at the odd declaration before a question slipped from her lips, unbidden. "You… named the crowAaaaaah?" There was a teasing edge to her tone that she hadn't quite meant to include.

Hoshizora-san's eyes narrowed slightly, but there was no true heat in his expression. "First off, it'sAaaaah—four little As, thank you. Secondly…" He gestured toward the bird, which tilted its head in a mockery of innocence. "…this menace has the infuriating habit of showing up in places it absolutely shouldn't. Like… a locked apartment."

Mei's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, it gotinsideyour apartment?"

"Yeah. Don't ask me how; I still don't know. She refuses to respond to any name exceptAaaaah,so that's what she's stuck with," he finished, waving a hand dismissively. The crow let out another proud caw as if agreeing wholeheartedly.

Mei couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her. "That's… something, all right."

"Something is putting it lightly," Hoshizora-san muttered before glancing at his watch. "Speaking of something, the bell's about to go. We should head back before we're late, and I bet your friends are wondering where you've been."

Pulled from her amusement, Mei quickly checked her phone. To her shock, there were only ten minutes of break left. Her eyes widened as her stomach chose that exact moment to let out a loud, demanding growl.

Her cheeks flamed as she turned away, mortified.

Hoshizora-san sighed, reaching into his bag. He pulled out three neatly wrapped onigiri and offered them to her. "Here. Consider it an apology for taking up your time."

Mei hesitated, opening her mouth to protest, but her stomach's persistent growling betrayed her, forcing her to accept the food with a mumbled "Thank you." She took a bite. The flavour surprised her—it was simple yet delicious.

Hoshizora-san was already cleaning up, tossing his wrappers into a nearby trash bin and shooing the crow off with a light wave. As he turned back toward the school building, he paused, glancing over his shoulder with a faint smile that caught Mei off guard.

"You coming, or are you ditching?"

Flustered, Mei quickly followed, her pace hurried to catch up. She couldn't help but notice the low chuckle Hoshizora-san let out as she matched his stride. For the first time since he'd transferred, she wondered if there was more to him than just his string of misfortunes.

Chapter Management

So... fairly short chapter... Don't worry next one will be bigger.