Ch 20

POV Shinji Makoto

"Aaah, back to school." I yawned while walking to school. For some reason my spidey senses are tingling, and not in a good way.

My premonition came true during the homeroom class itself.

"Okay class, we are going to have a transfer student joining our class from today onwards." The teacher announced after taking our attendance. "Kei Shimabukuro san, please enter."

A girl with auburn hair and a moderately beautiful face walked in the classroom.

"Hello everyone. I am Kei Shimabukuro. Please take care of me."

My instinctive alarms started going off, and not without reason. One look at Nishikawa\'s face and I could tell the situation. Headquarters we have a code CF here, send reinforcements, I repeat send reinf-.

My thoughts were cut off by the unexpected development.

"Ha chan!" Shimabukuro san said loudly waving at Nishikawa.

Nishikawa made a wry smile and waved back at her. "Long time no see Shimabukuro san."

The teacher using her 100 IQ brain then said, "Since you are already acquainted with Shimabukuro san, you will have no problem showing her around school during lunch break, right?"

Is that even a question? It\'s like your mom asking you to do the dishes, if you refuse you will suffer the wrath.

"Of course," he replied meekly.

Thank god there was no empty seat near Nishikawa, otherwise Shimabukuro san might just sit there.

Soon the classes started. However, my focus was not on the class but on this new girl. Yes, I was analysing her from top to bottom. I could already tell from her earlier exchange with Nishikawa that she was a childhood friend or something of that sort. That was not the issue here. The issue was how was their history and how close they were. Have you never wondered why most of the childhood friends are already in love with the MC when they are introduced? Is a childhood friend born to love the protagonist?

Let me first give you a lecture. The fact is, most of us have childhood friends, both male and female. But then why is it that the protagonist\'s childhood friend is such a reputed position? After long hours of observation and experience I can tell you that there are a few reasons. One, their families might be very close making the two children to be very close, because of which she might either mistake that close feeling for love or it might mutate overtime into love due to the sense of closeness between the two. Two, because of remarks of careless parents and classmates saying how they look good together and should marry when they grow up. This might cause what I like to call induced love. The third reason is a very common reason — promises. We all know how women expect their boyfriends to remember every little promise they made. What about a boy who has promised to marry his childhood friend? This is a course set for destruction. From now on if someone asks you why a protagonist\'s childhood friend always loves him you know the reasons — Mutated love, Induced love, and Promised love.

During break Shimabukuro san was surrounded by students not only from this class but also from others. After all a transfer student is a rare commodity, and she is even more rare than the standard transfer student. She is a cute female transfer student. To be honest seeing the students act like this reminded me of a flock of pigeons coming to your hand when you hold bread-crumbs to them.

I also went into the crowd of students who were surrounding Shimabukuro and asking questions to observe her conversation and behaviour. She seemed to be answering the questions pretty well.

"Shimabukuro san, why did you transfer?"

"Ah, it\'s because of my father\'s work."

"Shimabukuro san, how do you know Nishikawa kun?"

"We are childhood friends."

"Shimabukuro san, do you have a boyfriend?"

"No, I don\'t and I am not interested in having romantic relationships right now."

Alright. She doesn\'t seem to be very bad. I mean at least she doesn\'t seem to be the violent type. No point in observing much more than this. She seems to be a very sweet girl that can lie with a straight face. I mean just see how she answered the last question without even blushing even though the truth is obvious if you observed the face she made, when she looked at Nishikawa. She\'s kind of like me.

I went to Nishikawa who was glancing at Shimabukuro san from time to time.

"Are you two close?"

"Well, we were neighbours when we were little, but then because of her father\'s job she had to go to a different prefecture. I never expected her to return though." He explained to me.

Well, the situation doesn\'t seem that bad, since normally childhood friends stay together all the way until high school. If she transferred out then her feelings can weaken and sizzle out due to the lack of contact between them.

During lunch Nishikawa took Shimabukuro san to show around. As they were leaving the class, a figure was staring at their back in deep thought. This is the reason I am not completely against competing characters. The act of competition has the ability to ignite dormant feelings. Here, the involvement of Shimabukuro san may force Hiwari to develop some feelings for Nishikawa.

If the water is not moving, instead of letting it sit like that, it is better to drop a stone to disturb it.

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POV Nishikawa

"Shimabukuro san, I didn\'t expect you to join this highschool. I mean the level of this school is high, and in the middle of a term it must be really difficult to join." I asked her as we walked through the hallways together.

"It\'s because I worked really hard to join this school." She smiled at me sweetly. "Also why are you calling me Shimabukuro san? Call me like you used to."

"But that\'s when we were kids right? I don\'t think that\'s good." I refused her.

"Are you saying we aren\'t good friends anymore?"

"But people will misunderstand if we call each other like that. Didn\'t you see people were asking if we were a couple because you called me Ha chan in front of everybody?"

"Who cares about other people. You should do as you see right."

Listening to her words, I realized I was acting like a coward. Her words reminded me of the things Hiwari san had said to me that day. I guess I still am weak. If I want to change my demeanour, I should start from the small things.

"You\'re right Shima- I mean Kei chan."

"Have you had lunch yet Ha chan?" She asked me, as I was showing her the rooftop

"Not yet, I was planning to eat after I gave you a tour."

"Then how about we eat now?"

"Ah, so that\'s what you were carrying. I need to buy a sandwich from the cafeteria though."

"There\'s no need for that. You can eat from mine. I have enough for two people."

"Is that alright?"

"What are you saying? We used to eat at each other\'s house all the time."

"Guess you are right." We sat down in the shade with the wind ruffling our hair gently.

When she opened the cloth wrapping around her lunch box what came out was a triple layered bento box. I guess she wasn\'t kidding when she said she had enough food for two.

"Wow, it looks delicious."

"Hehe, thank you" She blushed slightly.

I took a bite of the jelly filled donuts (onigiri). They were filled with tuna and mayo.

"It not only looks delicious but it tastes good as well."

"Here say aah-" She said, picking a rolled omelette with her chopsticks.

"T-this is not good. If others see us there will be a problem." Especially if Hiwari san learns of this my chances of getting with her is likely to be over.

"It\'s fine. I didn\'t see anyone around while coming to the roof." She said while putting that omelette in my mouth.

I had no choice but to eat it.

"Here. How are the rolled omelettes?"

"They are good as well. Please thank aunty for them."

"Hihi" She giggled. "The omelettes were made by me.

"Really?! I never would have thought that you learned to cook. I guess you have changed in all these years."

"I\'m not the only one though."

"Hmm? Have I changed that much?"

"Forget about it, here." She put another rolled omelette in my mouth.

After having lunch, we went around the other places like the science labs, language rooms and staff room. Just as we returned to class lunch ended and we went back to our seats."

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POV Shizuo Hiwari

"Here Suzuki kun, aah"

"Goddamn couple. Go take your love somewhere else, we\'re in deep thought right now." Makoto kun said jokingly.

But my mind was already ignoring them. Who is she to Nishikawa kun? Calling him Ha chan out of nowhere. And who am I to question their relationship? These two thoughts were clashing in my mind as I had lunch with Akari and Hinata. Even Suzuki kun and Makoto kun were sitting with us.

"Nishikawa kun is taking a long time huh. Wonder what he might be doing." Akari said all of a sudden. "Ah, I didn\'t mean anything by it."

But my mind was already running simulations of Nishikawa kun and Shimabukuro san feeding each other like lovers.

Aaaah, it felt like my heart was being pricked.. Do I like Nishikawa kun? I asked myself for the umpteenth time as I remembered the picture I took of him, and his beautiful smile.