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It took me 54 seconds to reach school.
It went as the following:
I ran past the gate, flashing my student ID hurriedly in front of the dean, then ran off. I sprinted through the hallways, looking for the gymnasium where the entrance ceremony was held. I followed the sound of voices singing the school's anthem.
That means the principal has already finished his speech! Darn it!
My stomps echoed as I ran and ran. The hallways felt like they wouldn't end any time soon. But against my expectations, I found the door and I barged in. The music was high, so nobody heard or noticed.
I ran through the crowd to the row where kids of my year stood. I stumbled at the end of the row, where I gasped and panted like a dog. I clutched onto my knees and glimpsed at my watch: I arrived at exactly 8 o'clock and 20 minutes and 56 seconds.
As I tried to regain my breath, the only word I managed to utter from the anthem was the last one.
"...and joy," I murmured, and the anthem ended.
Applause echoed throughout the gymnasium like the fire of canons.
The principal stood on the stage and dismissed us, and we bowed, and walked out in an orderly fashion. I took that time to fix myself; I dusted my clothes and my backpack, then took out a handkerchief and wiped my shoes from the mud and the stubborn bird poop. I had to, or else I would give a humiliating impression to my peers.
I had to hold onto my glasses as some guys bumped into me as they ran to their own classrooms.
"Look where you're going, birdnest!" One of them shouted and ran off.
I huffed, but brushed it off.
Kids.
We arrived at our classroom. Each student went to their desk according to the class seating. I happened to be n° 10, so I was practically seated in the center of the class.
I sat on the chair and organized my stuff meticulously on the desktop, then leaned back with a sigh as I stared up at the wooden ceiling of the classroom.
So much had already happened within the span of two hours: I rode on the wrong train, I emptied my lungs running up to Yokugama, I had my clothes and backpack dirtied, and I almost got run over by some guy who didn't even apologize for ignoring the huge, bright red STOP sign in front of him. But then again, I met that nice lady from Aogashima. That encounter was comforting in the midst of all the chaos today.
I felt like I was melting on the chair already, and it was still... what? Fourty minutes into school? Is this what it feels like to be in high school?—you get drained before you know it?
Upon closer inspection, the ceiling looked like it was rather painted with hazelnut butter instead of being built using wood. Strange. Was I already hungry? Did the running affect my little stomach?
