Math class began. I still had that absurd goal stuck in my head: recruit Ren so Haruka would finally leave me alone. Obviously, easier said than done. I hated the idea of "sucking up" to a guy like him, but given my situation, I didn't really have a choice.
First Attempt (During Math):
I squirmed in my seat to turn toward him, putting on my best fake smile.
"Hey, man..."
Ren looked up at me while continuing to write, unflappable. "Do you need me to give you the notes for the classes you missed?" I asked, hoping to build a bridge.
He smiled and lightly lifted his notebook.
"No, don't worry about it. I already copied Mizuki's," he replied.
"HEY, SALKONY!"
The teacher's voice made me jump. I spun around abruptly. "Since you seem so eager to chat, why don't you come solve this problem on the board!" he barked, arms crossed.
I let out a long sigh of disgust. First attempt: total failure. And as a bonus, a complex math problem to solve in front of everyone.
"Sorry, sir..." I muttered, standing up.
After scrawling the solution on the board, I went back to my seat, more hesitant than ever. Trying to get close to him felt exhausting, but the idea of enduring Haruka's daily harassment was even worse.
As I desperately searched my brain for another solution, I felt a gaze weighing on me. Mizuki. I would've sworn she had turned around to watch me, but when I looked up, she was already staring at the board, straight as an arrow.
I turned my head toward Ren again. He had noticed me. Still with that smile on his lips, pen in his right hand, he gave me a quick little hand gesture telling me to turn back around.
Too late.
I whipped back and came nose-to-nose with the teacher. He was staring at me, hands on his hips, nervously tapping his foot on the floor. The whole class was watching me again. Mizuki had turned around too, but her stare was so dark she looked ready to execute me on the spot.
Seriously, why do I keep doing this? Everything I do only seems to lead to misery.
After getting chewed out by the teacher, classes finally came to an end. But of course, my punishment was waiting: I had to clean the classroom from top to bottom. Goodbye to my plan of going home early, goodbye to my hope of avoiding the club. If I did a bad job cleaning, the teacher promised an even harsher sanction.
This whole thing was starting to seriously drain me.
Everyone had left the class. I was the only idiot left, officially labeled as
"The student who talks too much," despite having absolutely zero friends in this school. The silence of the empty room was almost heavy.
Armed with my mop and broom, I began my sentry duty. As I swept, I realized with bitterness that I never should have turned my desk into a paper-wad cutting workshop, and I deeply regretted scattering eraser shavings all over the floor. You learn your lesson fast when you're the one who has to pick up your own mess.
As I was hunched over, mopping between the rows of empty desks, the creak of the door echoed behind me. Someone had just walked in.
I turned around. It was Ren. Still with that unshakeable smile plastered on his face.
"Yo!" he said casually.
I stood there stunned for a moment, mop in hand, trying to figure out what the hell he was still doing here. I raised an eyebrow before drawing my eternal fake smile of politeness out of reflex.
"Hey, Ren. What are you doing here? Did you forget something?"
"No, I came to help you."
"To help me?" I repeated, incredulous. "Yeah. I felt a bit bad... You got detention when you were just trying to help me with the notes, right?"
I continued to smile stupidly while scratching the back of my head.
"Yeah... heh heh. You didn't have to, you know."
"I did, I had to," he replied, smiling even wider.
An angel. A literal angel had come to my rescue. But guys like him were way too perfect. So perfect it was suspicious. It was too good to be true, but I couldn't let this chance slip by. My mission was looping in my head.
"If you say so... Thanks a lot for the help," I said, trying to sound sincere.
"Don't mention it."
Without another word, he grabbed the broom and started cleaning by my side.
"So, did you catch up on the material okay?" I asked Ren, trying to keep the thread going. "Yeah, thanks to Mizuki."
Here again. Those two really know each other inside out.
"I noticed you two were very close," I continued, scrubbing a desk.
"Yeah, we've known each other a long time," he replied after finishing his sweeping.
"I see. And what do you think of the class?"
"It's good," he tossed out simply.
At this point, I was already running out of ammo. I am officially the worst in the world at fueling a conversation, and the worst part was that we had almost finished cleaning everything. Ren headed toward the board to erase the last traces of chalk.
"And about your flight delay... were you coming back from a trip?"
"Yeah, I was in Germany. Spent my vacation there."
"Was it nice?"
"Yeah, it was nice."
Radio silence. I had nothing left to say. I frowned, desperately searching for a question, any question to make this exchange a bit more alive. But nothing came. And since I had finished my share of the work, time was working against me.
Ren finished cleaning the board and turned his head toward me.
"Hey, Salkony."
I looked up, surprised that he was finally taking the initiative. I immediately drew my emergency fake smile.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Why are you forcing yourself so hard to try and get close to me, Salkony?"
His smile wasn't the same anymore. He wasn't the friendly angel from a moment ago. He had a darker, sharper glint in his eyes.
The shock was brutal. I had just been caught red-handed. He had known from the very beginning that I was putting on an act. I felt trapped, like a rat cornered in a bag, unable to find an escape route.