𝟭. 𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙄𝘿𝙀 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 || 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 [✔]

Chapter 11: Year 2 Class 3

𝖘𝖚𝖓𝖓𝖞𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖇𝖆𝖇𝖍𝖊'𝖘 𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞
#070722
•••

Aeris stood outside the faculty office, palms damp, trying to steady her breathing. The morning had been chaotic—oversleeping, rushing out the door, sprinting through the gates just as the bell rang.

Now she was here, straightening her uniform and forcing her heartbeat to slow down.

The door slid open, and a warm-faced teacher stepped out. Her hair was pulled neatly into a low ponytail, and her expression softened the moment she saw Aeris.

"Oh, you must be Kageyama Aeris?" she asked.

"Hai! Konnichiwa," Aeris replied, bowing politely.

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," the teacher returned the bow with a gentle smile. "I'm Fumiko-sensei. I'll be helping you settle in today."

Aeris bowed once more. "Thank you. And... sorry for being a little late. Something unexpected happened on the way."

Fumiko-san nodded understandingly. "Are you alright? You seem a little out of breath."

"I'm okay," Aeris assured her, even though her heart was still pounding.

"Well, I'm glad you made it," Fumiko-san said with a relieved smile. "And your uniform looks perfect. That was fast."

Aeris laughed lightly. "I got it yesterday."

"Efficient," the teacher praised. "Shall we head to your classroom? We should go before the next bell rings."

Aeris followed her out into the hallway, bowing to the other teachers before stepping into the corridor.

As they walked, Fumiko-san glanced at her. "Is it alright if I call you Aeris-chan?"

"Of course," Aeris answered, smiling. "I don't mind."

"Good. And I hope you'll like this school. The students can be energetic, but they're kind."

"I think I will," Aeris said honestly.

Fumiko-san gave her an encouraging nod before stopping in front of a sliding door with a metal label:

Year 2 – Class 3

"We're here," she said. "I'll introduce you first. Wait for my signal, alright?"

Aeris nodded, rubbing her palms discreetly against her skirt. Her nerves swirled, but she kept repeating silently: It's fine. You've done this before. It's a new start, just breathe.

She murmured quietly to herself, "Ganbatte... This is the beginning of my new journey."

"Aeris-chan, please come in," Fumiko-san called.

Taking one long breath, Aeris stepped into the classroom.

Dozens of faces turned toward her. Those few seconds felt painfully long.

"Okay, class," Fumiko-san announced. "This is your new classmate, Kageyama Aeris."

Aeris bowed politely. "Konnichiwa. Watashi wa Kageyama Aeris. Hajimemashite."

A mix of applause and excited whispers spread through the room.

"Shhhh, quiet down," Fumiko-san tried to calm them, though even she smiled at the enthusiasm. "Aeris-chan, please take the empty seat beside Ryota-kun."

"Lucky!" someone whispered loudly.

The class burst out laughing. Aeris chuckled under her breath and walked toward the indicated seat. Ryota, a boy with soft brown hair and a bright grin, gave her a friendly nod as she settled beside him.

When the bell rang, the room instantly filled with chatter and the clatter of chairs. Aeris began arranging her school materials, trying to keep her desk tidy and familiar.

Out of nowhere, the boy across from her suddenly turned around, eyes wide with realization.

"Wait—are you related to Tobio?"

Aeris blinked. "Um... yeah. He's my cousin."

The boy beamed. "Oh! Nice to meet you! I'm Tanaka Ryūnosuke—his volleyball senpai."

"Oh, konnichiwa," Aeris greeted, bowing slightly.

A girl sitting next to Tanaka leaned over the desk. "Hi! I'm Sakura. Welcome to Class 3!"

After that, more students chimed in, introducing themselves in friendly bursts. The questions came quickly:

"Where are you from?"
"Why did you transfer?"
"Do you live near school?"
"Is Tobio really that serious all the time?"

Aeris answered what she could, smiling through the harmless ones—but some questions made her stiffen, especially the ones digging too close to personal matters.

When a girl beside her asked, "So... why did you move here? Was something wrong?" Aeris forced a gentle smile.

"I just prefer quieter places," she said softly. "Tokyo was a bit too busy for me."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. Still, they accepted it without pressing further.

Suddenly, a shout came from the back:

"Everyone be quiet! I'm studying!"

The room went silent. Even the air felt like it paused.

After a moment of awkward stillness, the whispers returned—much softer this time.

A girl from the next row leaned toward Aeris. "Don't mind that. That's our class president, Naoko-chan. She takes her grades... seriously."

"Very seriously," Tanaka added in a whisper.

Aeris laughed quietly. The tension dissolved just as fast as it had appeared.

As the conversations continued, Aeris realized how different this classroom felt from the ones she'd known before. Loud, friendly, chaotic, warm.

It hadn't even been a full day yet, but she could feel the start of something new forming around her—new faces, new challenges, new stories waiting to unfold.

She glanced toward the window. The sunlight glowed through the glass, warming the room.

Karasuno High School, she thought.
A new beginning. Let's see where this takes me.

« ֪ ׅ ֹ =͟͞ ♡ 𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗.