Lately, every day is fun. Uncle and Aunt don't do much anymore. I became good friends with Ken. Lenks plays with me often, and does various things for me too. It's really like a dream.

  Lenks even started saying I've become brighter. I feel like that might be true myself. But I was still too scared to talk to my classmates. Because everyone always teases me, I just couldn't feel like we could get along. I couldn't muster the courage.

  "Starting today, we have transfer students who will become everyone's friends. And what's more, there are two of them~."

  In the morning assembly, the teacher said so. The classroom buzzed. Transfer students, huh. What kind of people are they?

  The door opened and a boy and a girl entered one by one. The boy looked a bit ill-tempered and arrogant, and the girl looked cute and lively.

  "Now then, let's have them introduce themselves right away. Which one of you will start?"

  "I'll start then."

  The girl who raised her hand lightly took just one step forward and started introducing herself brightly.

  "My name is Hikari Endo. I transferred from XX Elementary School. I hope to get used to life at this school as soon as possible and become good friends with everyone. Nice to meet you."

  Applause rose from all over the classroom. I also clapped my hands along with everyone around me.

  Next is the boy. However, his self-introduction was outrageous.

  "I am Mirai Imaishi. That is all."

  It really ended with just that. Everyone didn't know what to do either, and was dumbfounded.

  "Umm, Imaishi-kun. A little more properly—"

  "Oh, there's a good seat."

  "Ah, wait! Imaishi-kun!"

  Not listening to the teacher trying to stop him at all, Mirai marched through the desks where everyone was sitting. And he sat down quickly in the empty seat in the very back row. It was so sudden that everyone fell silent.

  "Sigh... He did it again."

  I heard Hikari saying so while sighing as if exasperated. Could it be that the two are acquaintances? The teacher also gave up as if it couldn't be helped, and looked around at me.

  "Hoshimi-kun."

  "Y, yes."

  Suddenly called by name, I was a little surprised.

  "Since the seat next to you is empty, is it okay for Endo-san to sit there?"

  "Yes. It's fine."

  I answered so with my mouth, but nowhere was fine. My heart is pounding very hard. No way, she's coming next to me.

  Hikari, who knew nothing about me being nervous and scared, walked briskly toward me with a composed face and sat down right next to me easily. And immediately turned to me and spoke.

  "Are you Hoshimi-kun?"

  Uwah! She talked to me after all! W-what should I do. I can't keep silent like this. R-right. She's a transfer student, so she just came here, right? Then she definitely shouldn't know yet that I'm treated as a nuisance in the class. If so, maybe we can talk normally.

  But... once the next recess comes, it's over. If everyone tells her stories about me being made fun of, she will surely never talk to me again. Now. It has to be now.

  (Do your best!)

  I felt like I heard such a voice somehow. That's right. Do your best. Courage!

  "U, u, umm."

  "What?"

  "I, I'm Yu. Yu Hoshimi. Ni, nice to meet you."

  Ugh... Not good at all. I was suspicious and couldn't say it well at all...

  But Hikari didn't back away from me. Seeing me very disappointed thinking it was over, Hikari started laughing while suppressing her voice.

  "Ahaha! You're a funny kid!"

  "Eh?"

  Told something unexpected, I was dumbfounded. Seeing me like that, Hikari found it even more amusing. But, it doesn't feel that bad. Because she doesn't seem to be making fun of me, but really just finding it interesting. Since she laughed so heartily, I stopped being nervous before I knew it.

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  "Nice to meet you."

  "Ah, yeah."

  Good. It seems to end without incident like this. Just as I thought so, that wasn't the case.

  "If you talk to him, you'll be cursed~"

  "You'll catch Hoshimi germs~"

  The boys next to us whispered bad things.

  "That's right. He's always all alone."

  "Even in the pool, he just watches all the time. It's creepy."

  Even the girls joined in and said it. Hearing that, Hikari was making a displeased face. Ah. It got through. It's over now. She'll hate me too.

  Just when I thought so and became sad, Hikari said sharply.

  "Are you idiots? How trivial."

  Eh?

  "I hate that kind of thing."

  And to me looking blank, she said this with a gentle voice.

  "Yu. You shouldn't let stuff like that get to you."

  "Y, yeah. Thank you."

  I was happy, and almost cried.

  From then on, maybe Hikari cared about me. Whether it was recess or lunch break, she went out of her way to make time and talk to me. I was just happy to have someone to talk to at school, so I talked about various things engrossedly. I don't remember at all what I talked about, but Hikari listened relatively amusedly.

  While we were talking excitedly even after school, the other transfer student, Mirai, came. Mirai seemed somewhat in a bad mood.

  "Hey you."

  "W, what?"

  He has a scary face, so I was a little scared.

  "You got quite close with Hikari, didn't you? Sticking together forever. Do you like her?"

  Pointing at Hikari sitting in the next seat, Mirai laughed sarcastically.

  "I, it's not like that!"

  I denied it hurriedly. I don't have such feelings at all, I was just happy to be able to talk normally, so I ended up talking for a long time. As for Hikari, she didn't seem to care at all about what was said. She is watching us silently and happily.

  "Hmph. You, what's your name?"

  "It's Yu. Yu Hoshimi."

  Since he had been asking me in a strangely aggressive tone since earlier, I also answered bluntly.

  "Yu, huh. Hahaha! A girly name for a girly guy!"

  Those words ticked me off.

  "What did you say! Even you, although you don't look like it, Mirai is a girly name too!"

  When I retorted like that, Mirai also snapped.

  "What did you say! Making a fool of me! You want a go?"

  "You're the one who made a fool of me first! Fine! Bring it on!"

  Usually I wouldn't feel like fighting, but I absolutely didn't like his attitude of completely looking down on people, so forgetting I was weak, I accepted the fight on the momentum. I regretted a little after saying it, but I can't back down anymore.

  Leaving the seat, I headed to the back of the classroom where there were no desks with Mirai. Hikari is still watching us amusedly as usual. It seems she has no intention of stopping us.

  Me and Mirai glared at each other, and the fight started immediately. Starting with punching each other's faces with fists.

  "You!"

  "Take this!"

  It was like punching and getting punched, getting hit and hitting back. Since neither of us has a very strong punch, we are just going poka poka, and although it hurts, it doesn't settle easily.

  Eventually it becomes a grapple. My and Mirai's strength were almost equal, and we couldn't move on the spot while grappling. Putting strength into our arms, pushing and pulling.

  "Oraa!"

  "Whoa!"

  Caught off guard for a moment, I was pulled sideways strongly. Pushed down on my back skillfully just like that, I was mounted.

  "Kukuku. My win."

  "D, dammit!"

  I struggled desperately, but with his weight fully on me, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move Mirai. Having even both arms pinned down finally, I thought I lost in my heart as expected. But because it's frustrating, I won't say I give up even out of stubbornness. I won't say it.

  Since we moved quite a bit, both I and Mirai were panting heavily. Mirai, with a triumphant face, peered into my face intently from above. Eyes meet eyes. He keeps staring at me like that, and won't look away easily.

  "What. Staring at me so much."

  When I glared back, Mirai laughed as if amused.

  "Nice. That rebellious look. I like it."

  And this guy started saying something unbelievable.

  "I decided. From now on, you are my toy."

  Toy!? Why do I have to become such a thing!

  "Haa!? Don't screw around!"

  I'm pinned down and can't move properly, but that doesn't matter. Anyway, I was pissed off. Just as I started struggling desperately again, a voice flew from the side.

  "Your phrasing is bad as usual. Will."

  Looking in the direction of the voice, Hikari was standing with her arms crossed, looking annoyed. Does he listen to what Hikari says? Mirai clicked his tongue in a bad mood, moved off me, and stood up. And complained to Hikari looking dissatisfied.

  "Don't nitpick my way of doing things."

  Belatedly, I stood up too. Since I was angry, I tried to complain to Mirai. Before that, Hikari blocked me with her hand to stop me.

  "It's okay, Yu. His toy remark is a roundabout way of saying 'be my friend'. You don't have to worry."

  "Hey. Don't say unnecessary things."

  "Is that so?"

  "Hmph."

  When I looked at Mirai, he looked away with a face saying his rhythm was thrown off, but he didn't deny it. What. So that was it. Don't say weird things. Geez. My simple anger subsides immediately.

  Calming down, I noticed Hikari called him by a name I hadn't heard.

  "Hey Hikari. Who is Will?"

  Hikari pointed straight at Mirai.

  "This guy. Because it's Imaishi Mirai (Future), Ima (Now) Ishi (Will) Mirai (Future), so Will."

  Eh? Why does that make Will? I have no idea.

  "I don't really get it."

  Then, Mirai taught me with a feeling like 'good grief'.

  "It's English. Both I and she are what you call returnees. Well, she's just getting carried away being Americanized, so don't mind her."

  "What. You don't have to say it like that."

  "It's a fact, isn't it?"

  The two started arguing just like that. This time it's them, huh. But the two arguing seem somewhat happy unlike their tone. Hikari and Mirai are very good friends, aren't they.

  "Heeh. Will, huh. Sounds kinda cool."

  "You think?"

  To Mirai tilting his head, I said my honest feelings.

  "Yeah. It sounds like a foreigner and it's cool."

  Then Mirai shrugged as if amazed.

  "I can't understand your sense."

  Not minding it, I held out my right hand.

  "You'll be my friend, right? Nice to meet you. Will."

  "Don't you call me that too."

  I was glared at sharply by Mirai. From those eyes, I wonder why. I felt something like being sucked in, and involuntarily flinched for a moment.

  "Now, now. Isn't it fine."

  When Hikari soothed him, Mirai clicked his tongue and stopped glaring.

  "Tch. Fine."

  Mirai, looking a little displeased, still gripped my held-out hand firmly.

  "Yay! I made another friend!"

  "Getting that happy throws me off."

  "Nice. Do it with me too. Then we're friends. Okay?"

  "Yeah!"

  I exchanged a handshake with Hikari too. I made two friends.