"Ko, wake up or else you're going to be late for school."
Ko's dad yelled as he watched the game running on the monitor and the scattered controllers around Ko's head.
*He is not waking up, is he?* Dad thought.
"BLUETOOTH DEVICE CONNECTED."
"Itsu no ma ni ka Type: WILD!"
The sound system in Ko's room screamed at full volume.
Ko woke up to see his dad standing beside his bed, ready to whip him with a belt.
"Did you play games all night again?" Dad asked.
Hearing this, Ko panicked and asked, "What time is it? Is Kenika already here?!"
"She's not coming today. She just called and said she caught a cold, so she can't come to pick you up," Dad replied.
"Huh? She was fine yesterday. Is she alright? I should visit her after school," Ko said in a worried voice.
"Yeah, yeah, you should get ready now, or else you won't be able to visit her because you'll be busy attending extra classes," Dad replied with a sharp stare.
Ko got ready for school and started riding his bicycle.
Ko arrived at the school entrance, parked his bicycle, looked up at the sun, and said,
"You should behave like you did yesterday. Don't try to airfry everyone with your heat."
Ko went straight to the cafeteria from the parking area and bought his favorite iced coffee to fully wake himself up.
While walking to his classroom, Ko noticed that the whole school felt calm and beautiful.
As he approached his class, he heard the sound of laughter coming from inside and entered the classroom.
But this time, he did not act like a chuunibyou.
He simply walked silently toward his seat.
"Hey, Ko!"
A loud voice greeted him.
Ko turned toward the voice and saw May waving her hand from the center of a group of people laughing around her.
"Hey, Me— May. Good morning," Ko greeted her with a gentle smile.
"Did you seriously say 'Meh' again?" she asked while pouting.
"No, I'll never call you Meh. My tongue just slipped, haha," Ko replied.
"Everyone, greet the teacher."
The class representative announced from the first row.
Homeroom began.
After four classes, the bell rang.
Ko got up from his seat and called out to May.
She replied with a loud, "Haan?"
"Are you eating with your friends today?" Ko asked.
"Why are you asking? Aren't you going to eat with the rich senior today?"
Ko shook his head left and right with a smile and asked,
"Can I come eat with your friends too?"
"No. I am eating alone today," she replied, trying to hide her excitement.
They started walking toward the cafeteria.
On the way to the café, May leaned forward and interlocked her hands behind her back.
"I heard people talking about you. They say you're a chuunibyou who talks with the sun and the stars."
Hearing this, Ko laughed.
"Don't you people sometimes talk with your favorite toys and things?"
"Are you saying you like the sun and the stars?" May asked curiously.
"Not just the stars and the sun. I love everything about space. I am an astrophile by nature," Ko replied with a smug face.
They entered the cafeteria.
Ko ordered Lunch Set No. 2, which came with fried chicken, fries, rice, and a medium Limca.
May only bought a bottle of sparkling water.
"Is that all you need? Don't you want to eat chicken on a beautiful day like this? Here, have a bite."
Ko shoved a piece of fried chicken into May's mouth and waited for her to scream his ears out.
To his surprise, May simply took the bite while looking into his eyes.
"What?" asked a shocked Ko. "You're not going to yell at me?"
"Why would I yell at you?"
"Nothing," said Ko as he returned to eating his rice.
Then May tapped her sparkling water bottle on the table and asked,
"What is your relationship with that senior?"
"Hmm? You don't know? We are a couple. I thought the entire class knew we were dating."
"Oh..."
May went silent for a moment.
Then she asked,
"I thought you two were childhood friends since you always go home together and all."
"Do you want to know how we started dating?"
Before answering, May noticed that everyone in the cafeteria seemed to be in a good mood.
Hiding her sadness, she replied loudly,
"Yes!"
Ko started narrating the beginning of his love life.
"I first met her during the entrance ceremony. She was the student representative for the second years. After the ceremony, while I was walking to class, she crashed into me in the hallway. She was in such a rush that she didn't even apologize. She left her notebook on the ground. I still don't know why she was in such a hurry.
Then I returned her notebook, and she kind of became interested in me. I don't know how, but she started talking to me out of nowhere. She also said she likes sci-fi too."
"Wait, wait. Are you telling me that the second-year school topper and model student is a weeb? That's suspicious. Are you making up stories now?" May cut in, looking confused.
"Yeah? She also plays games and watches anime. Why? Is that weird?"
"Not weird, but it's hard to believe," May replied in slight disbelief.
The two fell silent for a moment before Ko suddenly spoke again.
"Do you know her aunt? She's kind of scary and cool at the same time. Kenny said she's a terrible cook, but I ate her cooking yesterday. It was my favorite chicken curry with rice, and it was delicious. Hehe."
"Why do you sound more excited talking about her aunt? Eww."
May gave Ko a disgusted look.
"What? I only met her once during the entrance ceremony, but her demeanor felt like that of a military commander," Ko replied.
"Oh? That's an interesting observation for someone who 'only met her once,' isn't it?"
May looked at him suspiciously.
"Hehe. I've watched enough military and political films to catch things like that at a glance. It's basically my superpower. I've trained for years, you know!"
As they continued their banter, the bell rang and classes resumed.
Three hours later, the final bell rang once again.
Everyone got up from their seats and began leaving the classroom in groups.
May approached Ko and asked,
"Ko, are you free after this?"
"Hm? Why? Do you need something?" Ko asked curiously.
"Nothing serious. But can we go somewhere peaceful and talk for a while?"
"Yeah, sure. Why would I refuse to talk with a beautiful classmate?"
The two started walking toward the school grounds.
On the way there, Ko looked up at the sky and felt a heaviness in his heart while watching the shifting clouds.
The golden glow of dusk filled the grounds.
They walked toward a stone bench beneath the dim shade of a lush green tree.
As they passed the bench, Ko suddenly stopped, sat down, and said,
"This seems peaceful enough."
He gently tapped the surface of the bench, signaling for May to sit beside him.
She sat down in silence.
Ko broke the silence.
"So?"
He looked into her eyes, read her like a book, and realized her intentions.
May grew nervous and started kneading her fingers together.
"I don't know. It's my first time sitting alone with a boy like this, and it's kind of new to me."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Ko asked as he rested his arms along the back of the bench.
"You're experiencing something you've never done before. You should cherish that feeling. And remember, we can do this anytime you want. We're friends, right?"
Ko asked while looking at her face from the corner of his eye.
"Yeah, right. What am I getting all nervous for? Haha..."
She forced an awkward smile while saying this.
"So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Ko asked while looking at her forlorn face.
"Remember that one time you rescued me on the rooftop stairs?" May asked quietly.
Ko looked at her face for a moment, trying to remember the event.
"Are you talking about that time I forcefully dragged you back to class? But what do you mean by rescue?" Ko asked in confusion.
May replied in a calm, gentle voice.
"For me, it was you who rescued me from those stairs, and my life changed after that."
May paused for a second and looked up at the sky before looking back into Ko's brown eyes.
"So I don't want to let go of my only source of joy."
"I think you're talking to the wrong person. My battle shonen brain can't process that information," said Ko while acting confused.
"Nothing. You don't need to understand that."
May smiled warmly.
But this time, it was a genuine smile.
May got up from the bench and reached out her hand toward Ko.
"Shall we go home together?"
Ko took her hand and stood up.
"No. After this, I'm going to Kenny's house to check on her fever," Ko said with a straight face.
"Of course..."
May thought to herself.
"Okay then. Bye. See you tomorrow."
She waved her hand as she started running toward the entrance.
Seeing her in the distance, Ko looked up at the fleeting clouds and let out a sigh.
Then he started riding his bicycle toward the Raibon household.
To be continued...