COTE: A Mute Person

Vol. 1 Chp. 2: Club Fair

'Italic': Writing

Although this school is challenging, the entrance ceremony is like any other school. I was relieved to finally leave, as it felt dull and dragged on for ages. Afterward, I went to the convenience store to buy some essentials for myself, but I didn't expect to run into Horikita there.

"What an unpleasant coincidence..."

I did nothing wrong, so I don't understand why she's hostile toward me. I only came here to buy necessities.

Horikita was examining a bottle of shampoo she grabbed from the shelf.

I observed Horikita grab the cheapest necessities and put them into her basket.

Horikita glared at me, "Could you not look at other people's stuff without permission?"

It's already difficult for me to get people's attention with my voice, and I don't want to wave my notebook around frantically just to be noticed. I also feel that Horikita wouldn't be open to conversing with me. 

Instead of trying to argue or initiate a discussion, I decided to walk away and explore the convenience store instead.

I saw individual portions of food and supplies in the corner of the convenience store.

At first glance, they looked the same as everything else, but with one significant difference.

"Free...?"

I turn my head and see Horikita holding an item and looking at it with interest.

'Why are you following me?'

"I'm not," Horikita glared.

"I tried to get your attention, but you've been standing like a statue."

I focused my attention on the bin. I found daily necessities like toothbrushes and bandages in a container labeled "Free of Charge." The bin also had the phrase "3 items per month" written, indicating that these items were distinct from the other goods.

"This is insensitive, but are you mute?" Horikita bluntly asked.

'You can say that.'

It seemed Horikita wouldn't push the matter further as she brought her attention to the item she held.

"I wonder if this is emergency relief for those who have used up all their points. What a surprisingly lenient school," Horikita muttered.

I grabbed three necessities.

"Hey, just wait a bit! I'm looking for it now!"

A loud voice from the middle of the store interrupted the peaceful background music.

"Hurry up! Everyone's waiting!"

"Oh?! Tell them to complain directly to me!"

It seemed like there was trouble brewing. Two boys were glaring at each other as they began to quarrel. One of them, with a disgruntled expression, was the familiar red-haired boy. He was clutching a cup of noodles in one hand.

I assessed the situation and noticed that the red-haired guy had left his student card behind. I approached the area and scanned my student ID card. 

A beep sounded as I walked away. The red-haired guy appeared confused, trying to understand what had just happened.

Horikita seemed amazed, "You're a pushover even from the first meeting. Are you going to be his obedient servant? Or is this how you're trying to make friends?"

I stopped, 'Pushover? I stopped a commotion.'

With that, I walked out of the convenience store.