“Ah, Reo, was it?”

“Yeah…”

Straight to first name basis, huh?

As they entered the main building, Shuichi Totori, the shorter and more energetic of the two, abruptly came to a stop near the shoe lockers, prompting Reo to follow suit. 

“Wait here, I’ll be right back! Just gotta change out of these wet pants...”

“Wai—“

Before Reo could stop him, Totori had already taken off, quickly well out of his line of sight.

What was with this… weirdo? Reo thought to himself, as he removed his outdoor shoes, and slipped on the school-issued footwear. Along the length of the lockers, were some unceremoniously placed stickers. Most, if not all featured weird art of something… resembling a skeleton.

Was Halloween celebrated at a different time here in Hinami?

As he pondered, his gaze wandered, and he noticed several students sporting black and white sportswear—tracksuits or shorts, mostly. They were all heading in the same direction that Totori had disappeared into.

Speaking of which…

“Okay, I’m back!” 

“Where did you even come from?!”

Reo nearly jumped back, right as his new acquaintance reappeared before him like some sort of ninja.

“Nevermind that, let’s get going.”

Totori gestured down the hallway, leading the way. Although Reo had received a school tour from his homeroom teacher the day before, he still wasn't entirely familiar with the layout.

More importantly…

“What are you wearing, dude?”

As his eyes travelled across the hallway, a very obvious fact struck Reo like a bolt of lightning. Totori had come back wearing something other than his dirty pants. And that was…

“Ah, these are my football shorts. Cool aren’t they?”

His school uniform remained perfectly intact from the waist up, which, somehow, only added to the overall absurdity of the situation. 

“…”

The horror on Reo’s face spoke volumes all on its own.

“What?”

“Why?”

“Eh?” Totori chuckled and gave a shrug, “I mean, I didn’t have another pair of pants, and I couldn’t just walk around all dirty! Or with none for that matter, either…”

While the young man spoke animatedly, onlookers gazed at the two passing teenagers like an exhibit in the zoo. And rightfully so.

Really, what was with this weirdo?

Choosing not to pry further, Reo silently followed.

“So, you said you were a second year?”

“I am a second year, but I didn’t tell you that.”

“Oh, I must have guessed then!” Totori gave a cheeky grin. “Know what class you’re in?”

“B-1, if I’m not mistaken.”

As the two of them rounded a corner, the inappropriately dressed Shuichi beamed.

“Hah! We’re in the same class! I knew it was fate, the moment I saw you, partner!”

As he delivered those lines, Totori gave him the big ol’ friendly slap on the back. Was everyone here that overly friendly?

Right as they were about to enter a classroom labeled as such, a familiar figure emerged from within. Standing straight and rather tall, with her short brown hair swaying lightly behind her, was the girl Reo had seen in the school entrance a few minutes ago.

“Totori…” She stopped before them and sighed deeply, almost like a mother utterly disappointed in her son. “What are you wearing?”

Her earrings that resembled small stars seemed to jingle in the air, as she moved her head in a reprimanding manner.

“Ah, Shuna!” Totori’s breath caught on his throat for a millisecond. “You see, there’s a very good explanation for that!”

“There is?”

“But of course! First I need to show this transfer student to his class however, so you see I happen to be short on time!”

Presumably Shuna, turned her attention to the young man beside Totori. Their eyes met, almost at the same level, and her brows arched inquisitively.

With a scrutinising gaze that delved into his eyes, it appeared as though her face drew nearer to his for a second…

“Wait… you’re…” 

Reo froze and tensed. She couldn’t have recognized him, right?

“The transfer student?” 

Safe. The blonde young man softly let out a weary breath.

“…Seems like it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shuna scoffed a little, while Totori deflated, having managed to avert the attention away from his football shorts.

“Yuusaki Reo. That’s me.”

“Tsukimi Shuna. I’m the—“

“Class rep, school idol, team mascot, student council member, and oh, the daughter of Hinami’s coa—“

“Yep, that’s enough.” 

“Mphm?!”

While Totori was prattling about her, Shuna deftly taped his mouth shut in an instant. With… actual tape she seemed to have on hand.

“Why do you carry tape around…?”

Reo couldn’t help but question.

“I’m supposed to be putting these up.” Shuna waved a handful of rolled up posters she held in her other hand, “So, see you in class. If there’s anything you need help with don’t hesitate.”

“...And don’t rely on that weirdo too much, or else you might catch anything.”

“Smfa? Cfrgtgl ghft!”

Totori was surely protesting beneath that tape.

With a small, guarded smile, Shuna moved away from the doorway, letting her two classmates pass. Like given permission from the gate keeper, Totori and Reo shuffled inside.

“Pwah!” Right as he managed to rip the tape off his mouth, Totori motioned towards Reo.

“It just so happens there’s an empty seat by the window, so—“

“The hell are you wearing?” 

A deep, gruff voice shattered the light-hearted tone in which Totori spoke. From the back of the class, a towering high school student, a veritable mountain with his legs casually propped up on his desk, stood up.

Was this the typical bully and bullied trope? Reo’s mind couldn’t help but wonder.

The tall teenager, sporting a weird and messy spiky hairstyle that was certainly hard to get right in the mornings, walked over. His eyes were a menacing deep orange, and his hair had a hint of dark brown.

“Hehe, you see, long story short…”

Instead of cowering in fear however, like the trope demanded, Totori kept his nonchalant cheery attitude as he gave the short version of this morning’s incident.

And the presumed menacing bully, at the sound of all that...

“Haaah…” Sighed. Exasperatedly so. “I have a clean pair, I’ll lend you them after homeroom.”

“Wooh! Thanks Take!”

While Totori cheered, Reo cocked his head to the side.

“Take…?”

Were they actually friends?

As if only now realizing, the one nicknamed Take, raised his thick eyebrow, and fixed his trained eye on Reo.

“Oh, forgot to introduce you.” Totori shuffled between the two. “He’s a transfer student.”

“Yuusaki Reo.” Reo gave a slight smile, beneath the scrutinizing gaze of the tall and brawny student.

“Takefusa… Toraichi.” The tall young man answered back, as his eyes narrowed slightly. “I am sorry…”

Naturally the sudden apology caught Reo slightly off guard.

“…For what?”

“That this weirdo had to be the first person you meet…”

Unable to contain it, Reo snickered at the unexpected dig. Toraichi smiled a little too.

And of course, Totori had to whine.

“Oi! Don’t bond on my expense!”

While the lively chat, and the new face in class attracted quite the attention from his new classmates, their homeroom teacher cut the moment short.

After a brief introduction on Reo’s part in front of the whole class, during which a few whispers were passed around, the newest addition was seated behind Toraichi, at the far end of the room.

It was barely the second week of the new school year, and yet Reo’s appearance was still a little startling for his classmates. It’s not like it was everyday someone transferred into their school in the middle of nowhere. Hinami as well as the rest of Shinrin seemed to be more than a little… closed off from the rest of Japan.

Despite that, Reo didn’t seem to mind that. Instead, he reveled being in the middle of nowhere, being nobody in particular.

<O><O> !’’’! <O><O>

“Hnghhh! Finally!”

Totori stretched overhead, letting out a childlike exclamation of content.

Thus concluded Reo's first day at school. Despite the peculiar introduction to the day, spending time with Toraichi and Totori made the rest of the day play out quite smoothly. Unlike those tropes in modern anime, Reo the transfer student didn’t get any particular special attention, but the person in question didn’t mind one bit.

Although the sun was still hanging high up in the sky, Reo’s duties for the day had already come to a close.

Or so he thought…

“Reo!”

Totori banged his hand against his desk, and shot up from his seat like a coiled spring.

“The time has come.”

“The time… for what?” Reo narrowed his eyes at him, as he sorted out his belongings in his backpack.

While Totori was positively trembling in anticipation, Toraichi merely smiled knowingly.

“It’s time for your tryouts.”

“Tryouts?”

Totori snickered as everyone shuffled out of the classroom. The three of them remained rooted in their seats, as if a blanket of anticipation lingered in the air before he spoke.

“Of course, we’re talking about football.”