Love, Hate, and The Bridges Between

Chapter 2

The class, 2-A, which Rin had found herself situated in, had a specific charm to it. It was the oldest room in the school-one of the only rooms left that hadn't been renovated yet-and it gave off a very distinct cozy feel. It's where you'd sit down next to a fire and eat cookies while you cuddled with a significant other. The room was very cabin-like, as most of its contents were of different types of logs and wood.

This room was built on the third story, and down the hall was not too far from the roof, which was used quite frequently as class 2-A's homeroom teacher was very lenient with roof access.

Hishiro, the homeroom teacher, was very popular among the students because of his leniency and laid-back attitude, but also because he was on the younger side of the teacher spectrum, with the appearances to match.

He had a lean build that accompanied a white collar shirt that he wore everyday-presumably he has at least 4 white collar shirts. Hishiro also wore a loosely fitting tie that he changed around daily based on small hyperfixations; like if it was raining or what food he had for dinner the night before. His eyes glowed an icy blue, and his hair was a scruffily organized light crimson hue that a lot of female students went crazy for, much like male students towards Rin.

Students often asked Hishiro for access to the roof. It was often used by a few of his students to eat lunch or hang-out, though sometimes he would lend the key to other students, too. He was also aware of the roof's use for events like confessions of love or whatever else highschool students do when they're alone. He happily obliged to organize with students who were determined, granted they-hopefully-weren't doing anything too against the school's conduct.

The seat Rin sat in was right next to the oversized glass windows. It was perfect for dozing off in the middle of class—which her teachers were not very fond of but couldn't scold her for because of her insane test results—as the room was at the end of the right wing of the school. This meant that it oversaw all of the fields and facilities including the over-extravagant gate of the school that made it obvious that administration was a little overzealous when it came to budgeting. The entrance was littered with sakura trees and first years that were tardy, which Rin always found enjoyable to watch.

Hishiro noticed that Rin dozed off a worrying amount, but when it came time for Rin to help out with distributing papers or organizing class plans or any other class rep tasks, she was very proactive.

He appreciated Rin for how hard she worked when it really counted, though sometimes he wished that she wasn't as scatter brained as she was. The other class rep, Toru, worked to no end, too. For this, he wanted to reward the two with a little trip down to the town's new bakery, as a way to show appreciation for their work-and to satiate his sweet tooth.

"Rin, Toru, come here you two. I'd like to have a word," Hishiro said, waving them over to the wooden teacher's desk in the corner of the room that he had always felt was too tacky. "I want to give you guys a little something; for working so hard."

Toru's eyebrows quickly perked up in disagreement. "You don't have to, Hishiro-sen-"

"Really?" Rin's eyes sparkled as she interrupted Toru's objection. "Taking us to the new bakery down the block?"

Hishiro let out a hefty laugh, one that came straight from his stomach. "Why is that the first thing that came to kind, Rin?" he jested.

"I know you've got a sweet tooth. You'll use any excuse to get your hands on a piece of cake without feeling guilty," she teased, her grin reaching her ears.

"Let's not be too accusatory now..."

Rin stared back blankly, completely positive that she had caught Hishiro out.