Sunny did not swim, it was a habit ever since she could remember. Water terrified her, for an unknown reason she didn't care about.

Sunny knew of what the other students said she was doing it on purpose to get close to Matsumoto. The popular boy swam neither and nobody ever asked him any questions. Sunny hated the special treatment some had at her high school.

Matsumoto is probably sleeping on the other bench, Sunny thought whilst turning her head to check her theory, her eyes fell upon a glaring Masumoto. Yikes, he is staring at me! He looks angry. What should I do?

Sunny finally opted for an ordinary silly timid smile before turning her head and reflecting on 20 things at once. I'm putting my life on the line right now the Matsu-fans will kill me. Maybe it's my imagination, he probably thinks badly of me. He was there last year when Saitama Senpai dumped me in front of all the basketball team, stop it Sunny you are being paranoid.

°°°°°

What was it Saitama said again? The girl thought, Sunny didn't have a hard time remembering the embarrassing moment as the flashes of her being dumped by the senior came cascading into her mind.

"You are odd, your friends are weird and even you behavior is strange. You would kiss anyone on the cheek, but you would almost push away your boyfriend," Saitama had said.

In the corridor with all his teammates standing in ambush, Sunny felt like dying. She had nowhere to hide and she was without backup. The freshmen trusted him, he knew everything about her: The fact she was born abroad and she was still trying to integrate the essence of her Japanese roots and culture, his remarks were uncalled for. All Saitama said was so unjustified, he was popular and he was so proud of having a catch like her.

That was what she represented to him, a stupid catch like the goldfish you win at the town's Matsuri [festival]. The relationship was frustrating; Saitama scolded her all the time. Sunny was supposed to act as he desired. She was not used to it and she was not counting on adopting an all kawaii way of life for any boy what's so ever or for the love of his handsome being. Even if it was difficult to obey these little cultural codes, she refused to pretend to be someone she was not.

"My friends, what's wrong with them? They are more human than you!"

Sunny screamed in a desperate attempt to not be crushed by the hundred kilos weight of shame which he bestowed upon her. Not mouthy or a feisty girl and with an understandable net not perfect Japanese, Sunny could not hold a fierce argument. So back then, it was all she could retort. Saitama had just turned on his uwabaki slippers [indoor slippers for school] and left with his basketball team following his lead. Only one person, turned back to look at Sunny on that day, it was Matsumoto with a nameless stare.

°°°°°

Sunny never discovered the significance of the stare he gave her and she forbade the idea of asking him to cross her mind. With her luck, she found herself stuck in the same class as Matsumoto in her second year of high school. Shota Matsumoto was popular and destined to succeed to the throne which would be vacant after Saitama's graduation as the school's ultimate ikemen [handsome guy], if he did not possess a Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality.

In a crowd but without any real friend, Matsumoto spoke with everyone and acted ultra friendly one day. And then he took a few days off school, when he came back cold and distant as if he were someone else, he sometimes got upset for no reason. No one said anything about his days off school; Matsumoto Industries sponsored all the school's clubs. His name was everywhere, you had: Matsumoto phones, Matsumoto TV, Matsumoto cafés and even a Matsumoto shopping mall. To be honest, his unpredictable behavior scared many, yet no one ever said anything because he was a MATSUMOTO.

At the same time, the mystery which reigned around his persona drew one to pay attention to him. You never knew what beat you should dance with him. It's weird how mysterious people pull you in like a magnet and like everyone else Sunny was curious. The only person who ventured to hang around Matsumoto was the nonetheless peculiar Haruka Choki.

°°°°°

On Sunny's side, after last year's dumping incident, the hype around the hafu-gurl [half-girl] from Europe had definitely been blown like candlelight. She went out of her way, putting in a maximum effort to fit in and fitting in meant not being noticed. But her voice was still too loud, her hair still too light and apparently, she was still too tall! Those who envied her height made remarks on how grotesque it was for a girl to be tall. A girl almost as tall as a guy did not give off a kawaii aura.

Sometimes in class, her gaze fell upon Masumoto's and she found herself wondering if it was not her who secretly wished to meet his gaze. The girls in her class established a rule which you would only find in a Shoujo manga: No one had the right to try to seduce Masumoto in any way; he was the one would decide on whom he would grant the girlfriend title. Those who were caught attempting as such foolish deed were severely punished. Sunny's punishment was every Wednesday after swimming class.