The first home room class was over. The students' sitting arrangement was made. Akari and Fumiko were put in the same class. Not only that, but they also sat next to each other.
Things were starting of great. The new students had an easy time making friends and kicking of conversations. At that point, Fumiko had already made a couple of new friends whom she introduced to Akari.
But she noticed how her mind was always thinking about something. The reason was obvious. Taneki was put in their class. And something was off about him.
Some of their classmates tried talking to him. Everyone already knows him since he had the highest score in the entrance exams. Though his speech was obviously scripted in the opening ceremony, people were able to catch a glimpse of his character.
The silent smart type. Girls love that. And a lot of them tried to hold a conversation with him, but he never responded. At first, they though it was mysterious, but later on, they found it to be weird.
Some guys also tried talking to him, but he still never responded. After sometime, they just started ignoring him.
For others, high school had gotten normal after a few weeks, but not for Taneki.
One time, Fumiko found Akari looking at Taneki who was seated at the left side of the class, second desk of that column.
She noted how much he had changed since the last time they saw him. Akari stayed quiet. Fumiko couldn't stand how much her best friend was torturing herself mentally because of something that wasn't her fault.
She was about to say that when the teacher walked and class had to settle.
It had only been a few weeks since the start of the school year and there was already a new student. So, in order to curb gossip amongst the students, the teacher clarified that he was supposed to go to that school but joined late due to personal issues.
The new boy was welcomed and asked to introduce himself.
"Nice to meet all of you. I'm Riku Sota and I just moved into the neighborhood."
His name was quite peculiar, as did his classmates think. Two first names. You don't hear that everyday.
"What's the reason behind your name?" One person from the crowd surrounding him after class asked.
"Well... you see, the orphanage I was raised in never knew my parents' family name, and once I was old enough for them to ask me, I told them to just write two first names instead. Besides, Sota works as both."
After hearing his answer, people started to take sympathy on him. Their words become sweeter, so were their actions.
The one that asked that question even apologized for bringing it up when he saw the new student looking down and avoiding eye contact. He thought he had brought back painful memories. Little did he know, that judging from his facial expression down there, that was exactly what he wanted.
And guess who noticed the face he was making. Both Taneki and Akari.
When he looked to his side, he immediately recognized Taneki and was caught in a stupor.
One of those surrounding him saw the way he looked at Taneki.
"Ignore him." He must've thought that he was feeling bad for him since no one talked to him. But what he said next was not what they expected.
"Is that you, Taneki? I didn't know that you came to this school."
The others wondered what kind of name that was. Maybe he confused him with someone else, they thought. After all, he doesn't talk to anyone else.
"It is you." Addressing the others, "His real name is Takumi, right? Takumi Nakahara? We were in the same middle school on the last year."
"Woah. No way. You do know him. What was he like? Did you just call him Taneki?"
He explained how he once heard his sister call him that when she visited school.
Akari and Fumiko were surprised. They never knew that he had a sister. But Taneki didn't seem too happy about the fact that his sister was brought up in the conversation, all the more proving Riku's claim.
His other classmates laughed.
"Why does that word sound like Tanoki?"
"Doesn't it mean raccoon dog?"
They couldn't help but laugh. It's not your average nickname for a person, after all.
"Maybe I should have stopped calling him that back then." Fumiko told Akari.
"What even compelled you to come up with it?"
"I don't know. I was young."
From then on, his name caught on, and his classmates started mocking him because of it. As the days went by, they looked for more reasons to shame him, one of them being because of the eye patch.
They started talking about how goofy it looked and came up with theories about his secret life.
Could he be an otaku? Maybe he likes reading nude magazines. His bedroom must be filled with them. Some were even willing to bet that he reads yuri manga.
He heard all of these allegations, but never reacted them, giving his classmates more motivation to just keep going.
What they didn't know, was that it was all planned by Riku, who always watched from the sidelines, with a smile on his face. It seemed that everyone else was blind, because only Akari could see through his act.
When asked why he never defended him, Riku said that they were never friends in the first place. The way he is now is the same as he was back when he joined their middle school.
At that point, hearing his voice had become a pain for Akari. But for some reason, the others liked him. It was as if he had placed them on some kind of spell.
"He's really annoying." A male student told Akari.
"Yeah. He is." Akari faced him. "And you are..."
"We're in the same class and you don't even know my name?" She didn't respond.
"I'm Daichi Hagiwara."
"Nice to meet you, Hagiwara."
"He works part time at the convenience store close to the city." He said referring to Taneki. "I saw him once a while back. He gets off pretty late."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Why indeed." He walked away.
Akari found him to be a bit strange. But she might have gotten the opportunity she wanted this whole time.
A lot of questions had clouded her mind for a long time. She wanted to know a lot of things. The thought of getting her questions finally answered made her impatient.
When school was over, she searched for convenience stores in the area to find him. She went through every store, looking at people who walked in and out, and checked to see the people who worked into them.
After two hours, the sun was almost completely down. She searched every store in the area, but never found him. At that point, she thought that she was played.
Then she remembered that he said a store close to the city. She knew the exact one. One once the sun was completely down, she found it. And as soon as she peered through the door, she saw him.
He was the cashier of the store. She got excited and wanted to run in, but what would she even say. How will she begin.
She finally noticed how late it was and called her mother to inform her that she'll be late. While talking, Taneki seemed to have noticed her.
She then sat at a bench outside the store and waited.
Customers kept walking in and out of the store for a long time. After another hour, he still didn't show any sign of leaving, but she didn't give up.
Finally, after half an hour, he came out with some groceries. He walked as if he didn't notice Akari seating on the bench.
When she saw him, she was about to call him, but realized that she still didn't know how to start.
Taneki kept walking away without even looking back. Akari didn't him to just go like that, but her mind was too jumbled up to say anything.
She kept thinking what she could say then noticed that she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. When she looked a head, he was standing not far from her and looking at her.
Their eyes met. For a while, no words were said until...
"Long time no see, Akari."
That was the first time she heard his voice for years. It was deeper than she remembered. And soft too.
Her emotions went on a rampage. Tears rolled down her face. She cried silently, while still looking at him.
"Did you talk to him?" Hagiwara asked Akari during lunch. He sat in front of her desk in class.
"Why are you talking to me, should be the bigger question."
"That's harsh. What did you talk about?"
"It doesn't concern you. But you did help me so I might as well."
"Go on."
"To be honest, he pissed me off."
"Huh? Why?"
"I had to wait until almost nine for him to come out."
"Nine? Wow. That's a lot earlier than usual."
"Earlier?"
"He usually leaves around midnight. I could see him from the window of my bedroom every night."
"Midnight?"
Her widened eyes and blushing face said it all.
"Oh, I see. He got off early because of you."
She was embarrassed. "Sh... Shut up."
"That's cute."
"How could you say that with a straight face." That line struck something in her. A memory.
She remembered how Taneki asked her the same question back in middle school. When they walked together under the cherry blossoms. It almost brought her to tears.
"What are we talking about?" They were interrupted by a familiar unpleasant voice. It was Riku. They were disgusted, internally.
"Nothing." Akari said. "We just finished."
"I was only getting to know her."
"Really. I want to know you too, Akari." He grabbed a seat and forcefully joined them.
Akari was not happy about it.
"Like I said, we just finished." She got up and walked out of the class.
"I have to go too." Hagiwara followed.
Riku was displeased by how the two of them were treating him. His delusions began to kick in.
"Everyone should love me. Only I deserve attention. They should all be looking at me. So why do the two of them not do so? Why!"
His eyes scanned the class until they landed on someone. Taneki.
"It's him. It's always been him. I've had enough."
His piercing gaze, his diabolical smile. It looked like he had something planned for him.
Something evil.