#11 Lunch Break
"Silence, please."
The murmurs quieted down at Erica's commanding gaze.
"Anastasia-san. Please take a seat anywhere."
The Russian beauty nodded, and slowly walked down the rows of seats... eventually stopping before me.
"..."
"... ...Uh... ?"
She paused for a second, and frowned after scrutinizing my face.
"...dad forgot... about me."
The girl just muttered something inaudible under her breath.
...What? Was there something about me she didn't like?
Just as I was about to say something, Anastasia-san turned to the seat behind me.
Ah, Togayama Ruika. That fake gyaru, she's... trembling?
"Seat."
"Aah... e-ehh?? But..."
FG stares at me with an expectant look, but her line of sight was blocked as Anastasia came up to her desk in the next moment.
Whispers all around seem to intimidate her even more. She was even writhing in her seat. That look on her face... did she just pee a little?
"Uuu... I-I understand..."
With a defeated look, Togayama moves out of the desk and took an empty one a few seats away.
I would feel bad for the girl, but it was also a bad idea to get too close to a heroine candidate thoughtlessly. Togayama-san might not realize it, but she has an innate talent. This gyaru was a natural at making friends... although it would be nice if she simply stopped there.
As I had experienced types like hers before in another school, I understood that these kinds of ambiguous 'skinship-sharing' relationship could easily turn into a misconception of 'love'. Indeed, that was one of the few times I had failed.
Sayuri-chan. The nightmare last night was probably a product of the regret I had back then.
"-Ana."
A voice brought me back to my senses. Was it my imagination that it was filled with a tinge of dissatisfaction? I'm pretty sure I've done nothing to offend her. For now I guess I should return the greeting.
"...Nice to meet you, Anasta-"
"Ana." Her gaze intensified.
"...Ana-san."
No good? Then...
"...Ana?"
Ana promptly became seated immediately afterwards, and the pressure I thought I'd felt from her eyes became weaker.
...Haaah. What can I say, as expected of a daughter of the mafia. How do I even find a guy that's supposed to handle her.
"Okay class, let's take it easy for the first day and get to know each others' names. Without further ado let's begin with self-introductions shall we?"
Class resumed.
... ...
—Stare.
Our curriculum didn't deviate much from any other schools. It was, however, a little harder. Yandere High had a high cut-off around this neighbourhood and was considered a prestigious school with high median results.
Although the lessons in the morning were only refreshers from junior high, some of us were already beginning to lose their focus.
—Stare.
As the lessons meant nothing to me, I spent the time working out the new itinerary underneath my desk.
To summarize everything, Erica had roped little Anastasia into a cultural exchange program, meaning she was in charge of Ana's wellbeing during her temporary stay here in this school.
From the account, the russian firm we were working with has plans to stay in the city for at least 3 more months. Their daughter Aurora seemed to have raised the suggestion of attending a local school on her own.
—Stare...
I see. So you decided that it was a good idea to bring her here.
"Meguri, can you-"
"-No can do, Kyou-sama. The daughter of the Anastasia family clearly insisted on sticking to this school during her stay in Japan. To reject her intentions is to also reject the goodwill of the mafia, I know Kyou-sama also understands the implications of the matter."
...Haaah... Why was she so fixated to this school?
"...I understand. Also, inform that woman to drop by later. We need a long talk about this."
I turned off the connection and returned my gaze at the whiteboard. The math teacher was a young and diligent man, but sadly the subject he taught was something unpalatable for high school kids. Many were already dozing off, including Togayama whose face had already plastered itself under a puddle of drool.
—Staaree...
Yeah, I have to do something about this. Is there someone capable of taking this girl off my hands?
Ana had been staring at my back the entire time for some reason.
Uun... this feels a little weird. Does she want to tell me something? Associating with the girl out in the open might not be the best idea however. Ana has clearly the charisma and looks of a class leader, and the looks gathering from the surroundings seem to be in consent with my thoughts.
To determine her parameters as a variable necessitated interaction, but I would have to do it without the privy eyes of my classmates. After all, it was generally not a good idea to stand out too much as cupid. I was aiming to become a side-character, not the one guy that the Russian transfer student hangs out with all the time.
Adding too many traits to my character creates more variables that I cannot control.
The bell came before long.
"Finally, lunch break~"
"Anastasia-san, you came from Russia right? How is Russia like?"
"Ne, let's eat together? We can join desks here."
"Hey, hey, Anastasia-san, how old are you? Are you single? What are your hobbies?"
"Dude, this ain't a marriage interview!"
A round of laughter ensued around the albino girl. Looks like she's doing pretty well.
Taking the chance when a crowd flocked her for introductions, I left the classroom with a bitter smile.
Her eyes never left me the entire time.
... ...
I wandered around the school canteen to do some profiling. As a result, my candidate list had been increased by a bit.
As I finished the yakisoba bread in my mouth, I decided to make my way back since class was starting in ten minutes.
I passed by the school courtyard, where I saw a guy eating his lunch with a girl on a bench. From the color of his necktie, he seemed to be a second-year.
A westerner with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His panicky expression were paired with his hand gestures that seemed to border on desperation. The girl on the other hand, appeared irritated and dismissive of his efforts.
Hmm? Is this a couple?
From the looks of it, they're definitely arguing over something. Or rather, the guy seems guilty of something and was trying to appease his girlfriend?
I glanced at my watch, and smiled.
Well, I guess this won't take too long. To take my mind off the matters of dealing with Ana, I should do something nice for the couple. After all, it pains me to see lovers fight~
Cracking my knuckles, I slowly made my way towards the couple.
Without further ado, let's begin the performance!