The Story of A Beautiful Girl I Rescued From An Attacker Who Became My Seatmate. - Chapter 1

The cherry blossoms are scattering, transitioning to cherry trees with leaves.

The new school year has started, and one week has passed.

Within the class, old classmates from the first year and newly formed acquaintances are gradually forming groups.

In the classroom, with the added free time, both boys and girls are lively and cheerful. Upon observation, there is a cluster of people resembling the popular ones in the center. And away from that group, smaller groups have formed.

Now, amidst all this, I have become what they call a “loner.”

It’s probably the natural result. Since I didn’t make an effort to actively make friends.

The stark difference in the atmosphere within this class has made me lose any motivation to try making friends.

“Hey, Kouji, why are you emitting such a gloomy atmosphere? It’s bringing me down too.”

I feel a pain running through my back as I lie facedown on the seat at the back of the classroom. I can immediately guess who the culprit is.

Yes, it’s one of my few friends, Suzuka Youta. We’ve been friends since the first year, or you could even say best friends.

When I entered high school and sat in my seat for the very first time, I got to know him. He was sitting next to me and casually struck up a conversation.

“Hello, Kurata Kouji~san? Can you react to me?”

“Ah, yeah, sorry about that. So, what’s up?”

As I lay face down on the desk, gazing out the window, Yota’s face appears in my field of view. I raise my head.

“Why are you so unfriendly? Even if you don’t have any business, it’s fine to talk, right? …Well, forget it. You haven’t handed in the math assignment, right? I handed mine in earlier, and the teacher told me to call you.”

“For real? Sorry about the cold response.”

Saying that, I started searching for the math assignment notebook from the materials and notes inside the desk.

“Hey, try making a few more friends. You’re always either facedown on your desk or reading a book.”

“You mean hang out with that group of people? It’s impossible for me.”

While glancing at the mainstream groups in the class, I make my appeal.

“Why do you belittle yourself like that? You barely have any friends in this class, right? Well, I do know about your situation too.”

That’s right. I did make a few friends during the first year. I spent last year with them, but unfortunately, everyone except Youta ended up in a different class.

By the way, Youta is a member (?) of that group. He says he’s like a “quasi-member.” I don’t really get it.

“Well, I’ve already given up on that. Besides, it’s just a waste of time to make friends and sacrifice study time to hang out. We’re already second-year high school students, you know? We should start preparing for university exams.”

“Listen, if you were at the top of the class, I would understand. But what place were you in last year’s final exam?”

I couldn’t find the words to respond. My grades weren’t particularly good. They fluctuated, but I was generally below average. By the way, Youta’s grades were higher than mine, but not significantly different.

“…Ah, I have to hand in the math assignment. Well then.”

“Sigh. See you later.”

Despite Youta’s exasperation, I left the classroom. Actually, I might be late for the next class.

***

“Thank you.”

“Yeah. Do your best on the upcoming exam!”

I expressed my gratitude to the slightly enthusiastic math teacher and left the staff room.

After school, I had some math problems I didn’t understand, so I went to ask the math teacher. Unfortunately, I’m not an excellent student, so this kind of thing happens occasionally.

As I descended to the first floor, I opened my shoe locker and took out my indoor shoes. Of course, there was no love letter or anything like that. I have absolutely no interaction with girls.

The sky had turned completely orange. There were few students around. Some pairs could be seen, presumably couples.

Ignoring such people, I made my way home.

On the way home. Suddenly, I felt the urge to urinate, so I decided to go to a nearby convenience store and borrow their restroom. The place where I live is generally considered an urban area, so there are quite a few convenience stores along my 20-minute commute route.

“Welcome~”

The voice sounded unmotivated, but that doesn’t really matter. I quickly headed for the restroom.

Feeling guilty for using the restroom for free, I decided to buy a drink inside the store. Well, I guess that’s part of Japanese culture.

Since I was running out of drinks at home, I bought a large 1.5-liter one.

“That will be 341 yen.”

“I’ll pay with my card.”

I tapped my card on the reader at the cash register.

With a cheerful jingle playing, the payment was complete. Ah, the wonders of modern technology.

“Thank you very much~”

I exited the convenience store and looked left and right.

Then, I noticed a man who seemed out of place in the quiet residential area. He was dressed in black tracksuits with a mask on. Clearly, something was off. Walking in front of him was a girl who seemed to attend the same school as me, reading a book. Unfortunately, I didn’t know her personally, but there was no doubt that she was a beautiful girl based on her appearance.

For some reason, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the aura of that man, so I stood still a little distance away from the convenience store.

Suddenly, the man pulled something out from his bag. It was clearly visible even in the evening glow of the residential area.

A shiny, pointed object. Yes, it was a knife. I immediately concluded that the man was a random attacker.

And then, inexplicably, I found myself running towards the attacker. By the way, the girl still hadn’t noticed the presence of the attacker. My body moved unconsciously. I truly think I’m an idiot. I should just escape from this situation as quickly as possible.

However, the presence of that beautiful girl had unexpectedly imprinted in my mind. I couldn’t just stand by and watch her being attacked.