The time elapsed since we started doing the pair work until this moment had been no more than twenty minutes.

While half of my brain was trying to concentrate on finishing my part of the job, the other half couldn't stop thinking about everything related to that email.

I looked up for a moment in the direction of Kubota-san APA face, to my surprise, he was watching me.

—Is something wrong, Kubota-san…?

[Uh…? N-no! N-nothing happened! I was just wondering why you had been staring at your laptop screen without typing anything for quite some time...]

—Ah! I-I'm so sorry! I guess I was a bit lost in my thoughts for a while... I'll continue doing my part of the job without distractions!

Once again, we were both silent. Then I took advantage of that time and stopped to think, "should I try to Kubota-san?" I'm pretty sure I've already invited her on other occasions, still, "will she be upset if I ask her once again just like I did with Tamaki-san?"

—Kubota-san, by the way... Do you have some free time after this class is over during the second recess? I'd love it if we could talk, even if it's just the two of us for a little while... Maybe it would be more convenient for you at lunchtime?

"I've had enough of you". I suddenly remembered the words Tamaki-san had said to me which made me hesitate immediately. However, I decided to continue anyway.

—I know very well that I have made this kind of invitation to you before and that you are probably tired of always hearing it... If you want me to stop talking to you after we finish our pair work, I will understand very well....

[I have always wondered..., what is the reason why you do all these things? Why do you take the trouble to talk to each one of us? Why do you insist on making all these invitations over and over again? Even though you are always rejected... What is it that motivates you so much to keep going?]

Kubota-san words in reply completely shocked me, never before had a classmate asked me all those questions.

—This is something strange..., it's the first time someone asks me that kind of question here at school. Well, it's not something very difficult for me to explain either.

I said to Kubota-san while scratching my right cheek, then I explained.

—Don't you think our life as a student is a bit boring? Every day in the morning we get up and connect to our APA to go to school, during the classes the only thing we do is listen to the teacher in charge explain the subject and then do a work which is almost always individual, when we finish with the classes of the day, we disconnect from our APA to then repeat the previous thing during all our school life. No one here is interested in talking to anyone else, even if we are all sharing the same classroom.

Then, although somewhat fearful of what kind of reaction she might have after hearing me, I flashed her a small smile.

—All I want is to talk to a lot of people, have the chance to make a lot of friends so that I can create good memories together with them. I'm sure that's the only way to change our boring student life once and for all, am I right?

Kubota-san APA was silent as he kept his eyes fixed on my face, then he said.

[Maybe now I can understand a little bit of the reason why you act like that every day… You really are a very good-feeling person Ichikawa-san, and that makes me feel very relieved.]

At that moment my body was frozen. I didn't know how to explain it, but, although his APA face showed no expression, I got the feeling that Kubota-san was smiling from the other side as he said those words.

[I would have liked to be that person you can call a friend, however, I'm not the one...]

—¿…Eh?

[I will continue to do my share of the work.]

—W-wait a moment!

Piip—

During the rest of the class, Kubota-san never logged on to her APA. When there were only ten minutes left to submit the pair work, she sent me her part through the school's internal chat.

Nothing else of relevance happened for the rest of the hours until finally the day's classes were over.