As the classroom gradually filled with students, a steady stream of classmates trickled in, each occupying an empty seat. Before Kudo and I could exchange another note, the chatter in the room died down. A woman stepped up to the podium at the front of the class, clapping her hands once to signal the start of the day.
"Alright, everyone, settle in," she said, her voice cheerful but firm. "Welcome to your first year. I'm Takahashi, and I'll be your homeroom teacher. High school can be intimidating, but my goal is to make this class a place where we actually want to be. Since we're going to be spending a lot of time together, let's start by getting to know each other."
She picked up a piece of chalk. "We're going to go around the room. Stand up, give us your name, your favorite color, and a hobby. Keep it simple."
An involuntary sigh escaped me. I glanced over at Kudo, whose pale expression mirrored my exact internal dread. Icebreakers were a nightmare for someone like me. What was I supposed to say? If I said something weird or stuttered, those two toxic girls in the front row would absolutely tear me apart.
"Let's start here," Takahashi-sensei said, pointing directly at my row. "You there. What's your name?"
A prickling sensation spread across my skin as several heads turned in my direction. I froze.
"Uh... m-me?" I stammered, my voice barely audible.
Kudo subtly nudged my elbow under the desk. "Dude, she's talking to you," he whispered frantically.
Gathering whatever scrap of courage I had left, I pushed my chair back and stood up. "M-my name is Yamamoto Kenji," I mumbled, my gaze glued firmly to the floor.
"Nice to meet you, Yamamoto-kun!" Takahashi-sensei smiled brightly. "Favorite color and hobby?"
My mind went completely blank. What was I supposed to say? If I was being honest, I have a favorite color. But if I stood up on the second day of school and said my favorite color, those two toxic girls in the front row would absolutely laugh me out of the room. I couldn't handle that kind of attention. I just needed the safest, most boring answer possible so people would look away.
"Uh... green. And I like to play video games," I blurted out. It was a half-truth. I played sometimes, but calling it a hobby was a stretch. Still, it was generic enough.
She nodded, satisfied, and the collective gaze of the room moved on. I dropped back into my seat, my heart hammering against my ribs. Surviving one question felt like running a marathon.
"Who wants to be next?" the teacher asked.
"Me! Me!" an eager voice pierced through the room. It was a girl who had walked in with the teacher earlier, her hand waving enthusiastically.
"Alright, alright. Who are you?" Takahashi-sensei chuckled, hinting at a comfortable familiarity between them.
The girl flashed a mischievous grin. "I'm Sakura!" she declared, her voice clear and exuberant. "Hmm, my favorite color has got to be orange! And my hobby is photography! I love capturing moments and making them last forever."
The teacher nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Sakura. Photography is a fantastic hobby!"
As the teacher scanned the room, her gaze settled on my row again. "How about you, near the window there?"
With a slight tremor in his voice, he began, "M-my name is... Kudo Haruto."
The teacher's encouraging smile prompted him to continue. "And my favorite color... I think it's blue," he stated, looking down nervously.
"And a hobby?" the teacher inquired.
Kudo hesitated, unsure how much he wanted to reveal about himself. "I-I like to read books," he confessed softly.
There is no way that he reads books, it's most likely manga... I thought, a quiet sigh escaping me.
The spotlight shifted. A girl sitting a few rows ahead of me raised her hand tentatively. She seemed rather shy, her eyes darting around the room.
"Yes, you there. What's your name?" the teacher asked gently.
"I'm Suzu-san," she answered softly.
"Welcome, Suzu-san. What's your favorite color?"
Suzu-san's cheeks flushed slightly. "I like lavender. It's... calming," she replied with a small smile.
"And what about a hobby, Suzu-san?"
"I enjoy painting," Suzu-san admitted, her voice growing slightly more confident. "It's a way for me to express myself."
"Thank you for sharing, Suzu-san," the teacher praised.
The introductions dragged on. By the time the final student shared their incredibly boring hobby, the initial tension in the room had settled into a dull, collective lethargy.
Takahashi-sensei clapped her hands together, snapping a few kids awake. "Alright, thank you everyone. Now that the easy part is over, let's get to the actual work."
A collective groan rippled through the classroom. So much for a relaxing first day.
She picked up a stack of paper and a marker from her desk, a mischievous glint in her eye. "As much as introductions are a nice icebreaker, you don't actually learn anything about someone by asking their favorite color. I want you guys to actually talk to each other. So, I'm assigning a week-long project."
The groans grew louder. The two toxic girls in the front row exchanged annoyed glances.
"You're going to be randomly paired up with a classmate," Takahashi-sensei continued, completely ignoring the complaints. "You'll spend the next week interviewing each other. I want you to ask real questions. Find out what makes them tick. Next week, you'll stand up here and present your partner to the class."
My stomach dropped into my shoes. Interview a stranger? Present them to the class? This was my own personal flavor of hell. I practically started sweating on the spot. If I got paired with one of those girls in the front row, I wouldn't survive the week.
"I'm handing out slips of paper," Takahashi-sensei announced cheerfully, walking down the aisles. "Write your name clearly and fold it in half. We're going to draw names from a box right now."
The classroom buzzed with nervous energy as students quickly scribbled their names. I wrote 'Yamamoto Kenji' with a shaky hand, folded the paper, and dropped it into the box as she passed by.
Once she collected them all, she returned to the podium and gave the box a violent shake. "Alright!" she smiled. "Let's see who our first lucky pair is!"