Shadow Assistance

The boy with black hair and light gray eyes would go silent after that big slip up, trying to frantically think of something better to say.

I really screwed up big time now. To a very nice girl at that too.

"Eh… what I meant to say was that kind and polite girl from earlier…" He would awkwardly try to rephrase that.

Mayeda looks at her to subtly read her expression to see if the situation had changed.

Her face was as straight as a ruler.

Yup, she wasn't buying that shit.

Welp, this is awkward… he clearly needed to move this forward.

"So, uh, what brings you here?" He rubs the back of his head with a calm smile.

The white haired girl would regain her composure in response from that comedically bad excuse seconds ago.

She cleared her throat.

"I was just asking if you'd have the time to talk later. You are Mr. Sato's friend, yes?" She would gently say as if she was reading a book to a group of young children with such a nice smile.

Oh? She knows about Usui? Why did she refer to him as Mr. Sato?

The taken aback boy would clear his throat.

"Usui? Yeah, he's my best friend!" He said with enthusiasm, well, trying to.

My only friend actually…

Of course, he wouldn't directly say that to save face.

"Why? Did you need something from him or wanted to talk to him?" He would politely offer with his hands going down to his sides.

The short woman would blush a little again like earlier and swindle her fingers.

Mayeda immediately noticed this and looked straight at her face.

How odd. Whenever Usui is brought up, she ends up back into this state again…

Could it be? That she might actually have feelings for him?

Nah, no way. That sounds too cliche for even a visual novel.

Maybe I'm overthinking or reading too hard on this, but I'd like to be sure just in case.

He would look closely at her face.

The same flustered expression.

Playing with her fingers.

A shy look in her eyes.

Yup. It seems like she likes him if that was the act she was giving off right now, but I need to be sure first.

"Ah, sorry. Your boyfriend might be upset seeing you talking to another man suddenly, huh?" He plays a polite smile and bows a little.

The woman was taken aback from his comment, her ears would redden a little.

"A-ah, no, I don't have a partner yet!" She stammers out a bit, correcting him.

Ah, so no boyfriend. She said "yet" too…

Could she mean she has her sights on someone for the future? The phrase "yet" means she wouldn't be opposed to someone or has someone in her sights.

It could be possible as a hypothetical but usually people who don't think about partners yet don't usually say that unless they're very confident in finding someone eventually.

Considering her first impression right now, she doesn't seem to be that type. But I can't judge her yet just off of this, I'll need to know her more. Or I could just ask her directly…

Well at least that clears up the idea of her having a partner already, so it's possible she could like Usui.

"I mean, do I look the type to have a boyfriend by now?" Yoshikawa asked with that undying blush on her face.

"Absolutely." The boy answered with a very firm and confident nod.

Mayeda stood up straight and reassesses the situation.

Wait, why did she come up to him anyways? Could it be Usui or something else entirely? I don't believe I did anything note worthy other than the place before school.

Could they be friends perhaps?

He was too busy thinking and staring off into space that he didn't notice that the girl walked past him into a classroom.

Mayeda looked back a bit confused when Yoshikawa would suddenly begin to walk away.

"Huh? Where are you g-"

DING-DONG

Mayeda's eyes widened a little.

He had forgotten.

SHIT, THE SCHOOL BELL.

Mayeda looked around and noticed how he was still outside the hallway.

The tall man would quickly speed walk to the door before he saw her.

Miss Akemi.

Oh no… her expression says it all.

He slowed down his pace and just stops in front of the teacher with such an expression that looked like she was ready to disown her child without much thought.

I've never seen such disappointment on a woman's face before in my life. And I've seen plenty of that before.

"So? Why are you late?" The teacher in a black cotton jacket and a black skirt would ask.

Miss Akemi crosses her arms and sighed.

Mayeda just stared at her. Staring off into such deep space.

A hand would wave in front of him.

It would takes a few seconds before he snapped out of it and looked back down at her.

"I asked why you're late first thing in the morning. Are you purposefully avoiding speech class?" Miss Akemi questioned with an unamused expression.

Mayeda would quickly think of something before he looks at her with a gentle gaze.

"I'm sorry Miss, it's just that things haven't been well at home and I've been struggling hard with my own thoughts, it worries me…" Mayeda gently said with such a vulnerable gaze.

It almost looked like it was his first time having such an expression.

"Yeah, I'm not falling for that one." The female teacher responds with that unchanging unamused expression.

Shit, she saw right through me.

Mayeda sighed in defeat.

"Could you at least not look at me with like that? It makes me feel like I committed a terrible murder than simply being late to class on the first day…" He mumbles, a bit unsure to talk back to the teacher.

Miss Akemi would pause, thinking back on his words.

The woman's face would drop and soften a little.

"You're right, I'm sorry. It's just the first day of the last quarter, so I'm disappointed when students skip the first day." She nodded in understanding and walks back to class.

Mayeda lets out a sigh of relief and walks in as well.

This teacher seems passionate about her subject, she must really love what she does if she gets upset about students skipping her class.

"But I wasn't skipping tho-" He was saying in response in front of the class before he froze.

He turned to the side to see the entire class already sat down, staring at him from wondering what was going on. Though some were having quiet, subtle chats with friends in the back.

God, this is so awkward.

He looks around and sees an empty seat at the back corner of the room on the window side.

Oh look! An anime protagonist's seat!

That was all he could think about and quietly began to walk there.

"Wait just a second."

Mayeda froze and looked back at the front of the class to see Miss Akemi seemingly looking for something.

Huh?

He would fully turn his body and walk up to the teacher's desk.

Miss Akemi is looking for something… does she wanna give me something?

After a few more moments, she would find a small piece of paper and hold it out to him with a polite smile.

She looked almost like a high school girl that way.

"Hm? What's this?" The tall male student known as yours truly, Mayeda as he looks at her face.

Well, that's weird. She's smiling now? What could it be?

He flips the paper and noticed hearts on the paper. No way… could it be…

Mayeda noticed a small message in the middle and read it in his head.

"Have fun in detention :)"

…

Wait what.

Mayeda just stared at the paper with a blank expression before looking back up at her face.

That small smile was now smug as can be.

"You were late to class remember? You have to serve your time." Miss Akemi crossed her arms.

…

Right…

And here I thought she was kind enough to let this slide, but she's cold to the bitter end.

Why were the hearts even on this note anyways? Is this supposed to be some method to ease the burden of being sent to detention after school?

What a bitch, am I right?

Mayeda sighed with a small nod before turning around with the note filled with hearts and the message of doom.

Well, at least the best seat is mine.

PLOP.

Mayeda heard a faint sound and looks at the seat to notice the beautiful girl with soft white hair would be in that seat.

Yoshikawa?!

Yoshikawa herself had just sat down in a seat she seemed to like after she was almost late from their small talk earlier.

The salty boy would stare at her with blank eyes that had a subtle of betrayal behind them.

Yoshikawa would notice his gaze and quickly looked out at the window and twirled her hair like nothing happened.

That girl… the nerve to steal the seat that she knew I had my eyes on and act like nothing happened…

Mayeda felt more salty now from her action before he soon realized something.

Wait, I'm standing in the middle of the class like a complete idiot.

Mayeda was still bummed from seeing his favorite seat being taken until he quickly looked around to see if another seat was available in the classroom.

His gaze would purposefully look at the back of the classroom with only white walls, desks filled with students and him being in the center of it all to see if an empty seat was still available.

God, the gaze of dozens of people is so nerve wracking.

Mayeda turns around and noticed an empty seat.

FINALLY-

This seat was in the front of the class and in the middle.

Dear god, please no… not this one…

He would quickly look around again more thoroughly to see if there were any more empty seats.

None.

"Please hurry up and pick a seat. You've already wasted nearly ten minutes of our time." Miss Akemi tells the hopeless boy with a hand on her hip.

Mayeda felt a hint of despair, looking around and noticed the dozens of gazes on him, waiting for him to just sit down.

Mayeda sighed.

Man, I fucking hate this class already.

He reluctantly walked to the front of the class and sat down with a face of regret for being late.

Damn it…

The front of the class and being in the middle at that too, this is the worst seat imaginable for a quiet virgin like him.

"Perfect! So welcome to Speech and Communication Class! I'm Miss Akemi."

Miss Akemi would write her name on the chalkboard with a white chalk.

What. She's using chalk in this day and age?

Mayeda crossed his arms and glanced back at the side of the class to see the thief, Yoshikawa Manami, looking out the window in her desk.

Her white hair was glowing a little in the sunlight, her flawless skin being shone, that gentle smile that made her look like an angel with such a relaxed smile.

Mayeda looked back at the front of the class and rests his head on his desk.

That just pissed me off even more. I can't hold it against her. She was only looking for a seat and she was too cute to hold something against.

This is why I hate beautiful women.

Mayeda quietly huffs and crossed his arms, reflecting back at his morning.

A slap to the face, tardiness to class, a detention slip, his favorite seat being taken, looking like an idiot in front of 22 of his classmates and now his new chair being in the front seat of the class…

Yup.

Mayeda nodded to his thoughts.

Make that three extra large cookies now…