Quick heads-up:
( ) = Takuya Kaze's inner monologues
An average morning. Takuya Kaze woke up as usual.
He walked past the corner where he and Itsuki would normally meet. But this time, she wasn't there. On his way to school, he found no trace of her. It was as if everything had reverted to the way it was before the new transfer student arrived — his old, normal school life. Yet, something felt off. Ironically, what he had once most desired had become the last thing he wanted.
He spotted the Class-F students in the hall. They greeted him, and he returned the gesture. Some of them were still bragging about the rumor involving him and Itsuki. He ignored it.
(Zombies.)
After all, zombies were still zombies. They never changed because their environment didn't either. They simply adapted — blindly, stupidly.
When he reached his classroom, he noticed a girl beside his seat. For reasons he couldn't explain, his heart stirred with a flicker of excitement. He walked over, only to find Kazumi Yagami. She was sitting on the edge of his desk, her skirt riding up just slightly as she crossed her legs, revealing a teasing glimpse of smooth thigh. He feigned indifference — one of his expected outcomes — and ignored her greeting as he set his bag down.
"Yo! Kaze-kun~" She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, the neckline of her blouse gaping just enough to show the curve of her collarbone.
"..."
"Tsk. Anyway, can we talk?"
"No."
She pouted, her lips forming a perfect, glossy bow. "Why? What are you planning to do, then?"
"Be unavailable."
"You just talked."
"..."
"Fine, fine. Just keep acting cool." She slid off his desk, her hand brushing against his arm as she moved, and crouched beside his chair.
Kaze rested his head on his palm, his hand acting like a pillar supporting his skull on the desk. His head slipped as he dozed off for a brief second. He didn't bother to catch himself, letting his neck go limp as he leaned the side of his head against the wall. Kazumi watched the whole thing, speechless.
She gently patted his head, then softly slapped his cheek — not hard, but enough to sting.
"Kuh — What's your problem?"
"My favorite boy is ignoring me. I need you to fix yourself."
She continued before he could speak. "Y'know, you seem off when she's not around..."
"What's so off about me? I thought I was just being myself, like every day."
"Grumpier? I don't know, I can't really tell, but my sixth sense is never wrong!"
She patted the side of his thigh softly — her fingers lingering just a moment too long. "Move over. Give me some space."
He didn't resist, willingly giving her half of his seat. She sat down beside him, close enough that their hips pressed together. The warmth of her body seeped through their uniforms, and she didn't pull away. In fact, she leaned into him slightly, her shoulder brushing against his, her chest pressing softly against his arm. No one talked. No one whispered. It was normal now — the class had gotten used to it after months.
A few moments later, Itsuki finally arrived. She looked a bit angry as she entered, and when she saw the scene — Kazumi practically snuggled against Kaze — her expression darkened further.
"Yo! Good morning, Suki-san~" Kazumi raised her arm mischievously, the motion causing her blouse to tighten across her chest.
"Yeah. Morning is really good today, huh?" Itsuki replied, fury flickering in her eyes.
"Oh, you think so too?"
After putting her bag down, Itsuki walked to the front of Kaze's desk and slammed her hand on it — not loud, but firm.
"Where have you been this morning?"
"On the roof, screaming."
"...Oh. I thought you were at school?"
"Then why ask?"
"Ugh, whatever. Why didn't you message me if you woke up earlier?"
"Because you were sleeping."
"I could slap your blank face right now..." She paused, then glared at Kazumi, who was now resting her hand on Kaze's thigh. "Can you leave now?"
"Come on, that's not the way to start a conversation."
Kaze fell silent.
(I don't know why, but they feel distant... Are they even human to me? I feel like they've been zombies all along, while I was just being oblivious about it...)
They felt his silence and stopped arguing for a moment.
"Kazumi-san..."
"Don't call her by her first name!" Itsuki quickly intercepted.
"Let me finish first..." Kaze paused briefly. "So, Kazumi-san, can you go back to your seat now?"
Kazumi sighed dramatically, then slowly stood up. As she did, she deliberately let her hand trail across his thigh before she pulled away. She walked to the seat in front of his and sat down, crossing her legs.
Itsuki felt a pang of unease. Normally, Kazumi would have joked and refused to let go. But she just... tolerated it? And that was it?
For the rest of the morning lessons, Kaze remained quiet. It was typical of him, but Itsuki subconsciously sensed a boundary between them all of a sudden. It wasn't Kaze-like quiet — it was different. The thought lingered in her mind, making it impossible to concentrate. She drifted through the lesson, lost in her own world.
"Have you all decided your groups?" Izumi-sensei's voice suddenly snapped her out of her daze.
"H-Huh?" She looked toward Kaze, curious.
But Kaze had already paired with Kazumi — though he'd been forced into it. Itsuki tried to join them, but the teacher said groups were limited to pairs. Kaze's group was full. Itsuki narrowed her eyes at Kazumi, who gave her a sweet, innocent smile and adjusted her skirt, smoothing it over her thighs.
"So, who still needs a partner?"
"Me..." Itsuki raised her hand.
"And me!" A masculine, familiar voice came from the back row. It was Masakami Kento.
"Aww... I expected Kaze-kun to be with Sato-san..." Izumi-sensei pouted. "Well then, how about you two pair up?"
As the teacher finished, the class began whispering.
"Don't you think they're compatible?"
"The perfect girl with the perfectionist — such a natural couple!"
Suddenly, another voice cut through the chatter.
"I want to pair with Masakami Kento."
The class turned toward the source. Unexpectedly, it was Takuya Kaze.
"Huh?"
Murmurs spread. Why would a gloomy guy give up the second prettiest girl in the class to pair with a guy?
"Are you homosexually attracted to Masakami-kun?"
"Watch your words, Izumi-sensei... And I don't think it's bad for boys to pair with boys, or girls with girls, right?" Kaze said, side-eyeing Kento. "What do you say, Masakami-kun?"
"I think we should follow what's been decided, no?"
"I think we should follow what's been decided, no?" Kaze repeated, holding his gaze. He knew Kento would understand what he meant — not the other zombies, but he knew Kento would.
"...Then I'll pair with Takuya-kun," Kento said after a moment of thought.
"Well then, Masakami-kun will pair with Kaze-kun, and Sato-san with Yagami-san. That's the final decision."
As the class settled down, Kazumi turned in her seat, looking back at Kaze with a playful glint in her eyes. She slowly ran her finger along the edge of her desk, then licked her lips. "Looks like it's just us girls, Suki-san~" she said, her voice dripping with mock innocence.
Itsuki's eye twitched.
End of Chapter (Part 1)