NOVEL WEB Chapter 7: One Chopstick and Two Friends
Walking along the streets, you could see a tall-ish boy with good looks for his age.
Nothing strange at first glance... but that boy is Akira!
And yes, he's smiling on his way to school. That's right—a smile!
[You're growing up just fine. That's my boy.]
Ignoring everything and everyone, Akira keeps walking, smiling from ear to ear.
Everything was going well… until he reached the school gates.
"Man, I don't know if I can keep smiling like this."
Feeling conflicted, Akira tried to mentally adjust.
"Maybe things will go well today. I don't need to stress that much… I think."
Things had been going surprisingly well lately. No way everything's going to fall apart today, right?
With that logic, Akira stepped through the gates and entered school.
"No rush. Let things happen naturally."
Waiting for the convenience of time, Akira spent the entire first period alone.
"Maybe things aren't going so well after all. Sigh!"
Sighing, he grabbed his lunch and looked for a quiet spot to eat.
He found the perfect place under a tree and sat down.
What he didn't notice was that someone was already there: Yuu Ishigami—a guy who, in some ways, was oddly similar to him.
Yuu noticed Akira's presence but didn't bother starting a conversation.
However, fate (and comedy) had other plans.
As Akira sat down and grabbed his disposable chopsticks, one of them suddenly flew straight at Yuu Ishigami's face.
> Wait, what? Is that even physically possible? What kind of anime logic is this?!
Mentally cursing the bizarre event, Ishigami was left stunned.
Still, he politely returned the chopstick.
"Hey, dude. Your chopstick flew over here. Here you go."
> Yes! He started the conversation!
"T-thank you."
"No worries. Don't overthink it."
> This convo is going to die fast at this rate!
And then, in a sudden burst of bravery, Akira speaks again:
"Uh, I'm Akira Kurosawa. W-what's your name?"
"Yuu Ishigami. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too. Uh… what class are you in?"
> I just asked a normal question in a normal conversation! Hahaha, cry mortals, I can talk now!
[I'm so proud… I'm crying here!]
"I'm in Class 1-3. You?"
"I'm in Class 1-2, right next door."
Against all odds, Akira manages to hold a normal conversation.
"Do you like games, Ishigami?"
He's already moved on to hobbies? Look at our boy grow!
"Of course. I like playing Red Dead Redemption."
"No way! That's my favorite game!"
Finding a shared interest, the two keep chatting excitedly about games.
"Sometimes I also play PUBG. Helps relieve stress."
"Totally get it, man."
Suddenly, Yuu's phone vibrates. He checks it and quickly turns to Akira:
"Sorry dude, I gotta go. Student council stuff."
"No problem… Wait! You're part of the student council?!"
> How did I forget who he was?!
Akira's surprise was genuine. After all, how could he forget someone as iconic as Yuu Ishigami, aka Ishigoat?
"People are usually surprised. Anyway, I'll catch you later."
Waving goodbye, Yuu heads to the council room.
> That went way smoother than I expected. Maybe because we have similar interests. But yeah…
> Maybe we can be good friends too. I already liked him in the anime, but in real life, he's just as cool.
As Akira packs up his lunch to leave, someone calls his name.
"Kurosawa-san?"
Turning around, Akira gets a surprise.
"Shiina-san! I-I didn't know you went to this school too!"
> Man, I keep forgetting this world's all mixed up. Anything's possible here.
"Actually, I've known you go here for a while."
> So you've been watching me? Trying to learn my weaknesses? Waiting for my guard to drop? Hahaha, Mahiru… you still have much to learn.
"I don't leave my class much. That's probably why I never saw you around."
"Still, I'm glad we can talk here at school, Kurosawa."
> Glad? Why would someone be glad to see me? What a strange girl…
> But still, what a beautiful smile. No wonder she's called an angel.
"I-I'm glad too. Actually… I don't have many friends here."
Stop lying! You don't have ANY friends!
> Hey! Don't be so mean, I have feelings too!
While Akira argued internally with the narrator, Mahiru looked a little more cheerful.
'So we are friends… I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way.'
To Mahiru, despite Akira's odd behavior and tendency to space out, there was something about him that caught her attention.
'I don't know how to explain it… but he feels different from the others.'
"Hey, Kurosawa."
She gets his attention and says:
"Wanna go home together after school today?"
> Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on, girl! That's a bold move! Is this the power of the popular ones? I'm not ready for this…
"Shiina-san…"