"Good morning, students."
The deep, firm voice of Mr. Satoru resonated, instantly bringing the stirring classroom back to a state of quiet calm. His tall, imposing figure appeared at the doorway. His stern face swept across the room, his sharp eyes hidden behind thick-rimmed glasses. His black hair, streaked with gray, made him look even more formidable. The neatly worn dark gray suit further accentuated his strict and serious demeanor.
"Good morning, Mr. Satoru.")
The students' voices rose in unison, soft yet orderly. Everyone stood up straight, bowed their heads slightly, and then sat down together in perfect synchrony.
Mr. Satoru strode into the room majestically. He placed his briefcase gently on the teacher's desk, took off his glasses, and wiped them with a small handkerchief he always carried, before putting them back on. He straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the students once more, before continuing in a calm but authoritative tone.
"Alright, today we will have a small activity. Everyone will pair up to work on a science project together."
Mr. Satoru spoke plainly, but that single sentence immediately enlivened the entire classroom. A buzz started to fill the room. Students began looking for their close friends. A group of girls turned to whisper amongst themselves. Leo caught Lumine glancing towards Iris, who was sitting on the other side of the room. They exchanged a brief look, as if sending some kind of signal, before Lumine turned back to focus on her book. Himari, on the other hand, seemed particularly excited. She smiled broadly, looking around the room. Some boys gave a thumbs-up to friends sitting on the other side. Everyone's faces brightened with excitement, a feeling like getting to play a fun game during a boring class.
I, too, turned to look at Ken, but our eyes met Takumi's, who raised an eyebrow slightly with an almost imperceptible smirk. Meanwhile, Zeno waved at me excitedly from the other side of the room, as if we all understood we would group together as usual.
But then, Mr. Satoru's authoritative voice boomed again, shattering every student's dream in an instant.
"But—there will be no choosing your own partners."
The teacher emphasized each word, his eyes glinting with satisfaction at seeing the students' shocked expressions.
"I will use a 'lottery draw' instead. And since Lancaster-san is absent today, whoever gets paired with him will be responsible for catching him up and getting him to participate in the project. Understood?" Mr. Satoru said, glancing towards Riku's empty desk.
Suddenly, the once-lively classroom fell silent as if a switch had been flipped. Everyone froze for a moment. Disappointment was clearly etched on the faces of almost every student. Some let out a heavy sigh, some grumbled discontentedly, especially upon hearing that someone might have to partner with Riku, who was notorious for his incompetence. But no one dared to express it openly, fearing Mr. Satoru, who, though fair, was strict and fierce when angered.
"Sigh…" Ken's sigh sounded beside my ear. "This is bad. I'm not good at working with others, especially if I have to partner with someone like Riku."
I nodded in agreement. I also disliked working with unfamiliar people, especially on group projects like this, where work had to be divided, which often ended with one person doing all the work alone.
Mr. Satoru took out a clear plastic box from his briefcase. Inside were many small, folded pieces of paper. He placed it on the front desk before sweeping his gaze across the room again.
"Anyone with an 'odd' student number, please come to the front to draw."
That command made half the class stand up reluctantly. I was one of them, as my student number was 9. A line of students began to form in the middle of the room. Every step towards the lottery box felt heavy, as if walking towards an unknown fate, good or bad. Some had hopeful expressions, some were secretly worried. I, too, felt a little stressed, but tried not to show it on my face.
Names of pairs began to be announced one by one. The atmosphere was like waiting for lottery results in the school's prize draw. The first student drew a slip with the name of a close friend, making both of them smile broadly with relief. The second student drew the name of someone they had never spoken to, causing both to look at each other awkwardly.
"Ken Arisawa is paired with... Mikase Ozuki."
The announcement rang out, making everyone turn to look at Ken, who was standing in line. His face turned a strange shade, a mixture of disappointment and anxiety, because Mikase was a top student, and it was well known that she was very strict about group work.
"Damn… This is bad," Ken muttered, his face tense, as he walked back to his seat. "I'm dead if I don't finish the work on time for her."
I chuckled softly before teasingly consoling him,
"Maybe you won't just get a good grade... you might also get to experience hell on earth at the same time."
Takumi walked back with a slip in his hand. He stood still for a moment, his expression still as impassive as ever, but his eyes showed a slight hint of surprise.
"I got paired with Zeno..." he said softly, as if analyzing the probability of Zeno's invention exploding during the project. "Interesting... The project's success rate might fluctuate more than the stock market. Or it could be like pulling a gacha for an SSR. Who knows."
Zeno, still grinning broadly, seemed unfazed. He stood with his arms crossed, looking around the room with pride in his own invention. But when he heard his name, he flinched slightly and turned to look at Takumi with sparkling eyes.
"Oh, is that so... Awesome!" he said loudly. "Let's build a time machine powered by solar energy, Takumi! Or maybe a detector for aliens disguised as teachers! Or should we build a dimensional gate to another world like in anime!"
Takumi merely raised an eyebrow slightly. "I think we should start with something that... has a chance of succeeding in this century. And if we're really going to another world, I'd prefer one with delicious food."
It was Iris Mikazuki's turn. She walked out to draw with her usual graceful demeanor. When she returned to her seat, Himari, who was sitting nearby, craned her neck, curious.
"Iris-chan, who did you get paired with?" Himari asked with a smile.
Iris slowly unfolded the paper. "Hmm... Sakurai Ren," she replied in a flat tone. It was the name of a boy who sat in the corner of the room, usually engrossed in thick manga or wearing large headphones, seemingly in his own world all the time. Iris frowned slightly. "This looks like it will be a challenging task."
Himari giggled. "Come on, Ren-kun is good with computers, even if he talks a bit strangely. Maybe he can help with an amazing presentation! Good luck, Iris-chan!"
And then it was my turn... I stood up and walked straight to the lottery box in the middle of the room. My heart pounded softly as my hand slowly reached into the box. My fingertips touched several slips of paper, but finally, I picked one. It felt thin and light in my hand, yet heavy with expectation and anxiety.
One slip of paper was in my hand. I unfolded it slowly, my heart beating faster for no reason...
"Lumine Komori.."
I paused for a second. My eyes widened in shock. My hand trembled slightly.
Lumine Komori... That girl.
I turned to look at the front row desk. Lumine was still reading her book, as if she wasn't interested in this pairing at all, while other students were excited and anxious. Himari, sitting next to her, seemed to notice my reaction. She turned and whispered something to Lumine. Lumine looked up and met my eyes for a fleeting second. Those dark brown eyes met mine for just an instant before she quickly looked down at her book again. But I noticed that the tips of her ears had turned a delicate shade of red.
My heart pounded even harder. A strange feeling of joy welled up in my chest. It was a feeling I had never experienced before when having to do group work.
I took a deep breath, trying to contain my excitement, and walked straight to her desk.