The person who likes me is a yandere.

Come to think of it, Ayase mentioned she was my classmate. Why wouldn't she be wearing Jinbe today… I remember her name was Luo Tianyi? We just exchanged friendly greetings yesterday; she's our neighbor across the street. She lazily propped her chin on her hand, her calm gaze fixed solely on me.

"that……"

—Whoosh.

Before I could even approach her, she turned her face away. Her prickly back seemed to say, "Don't talk to me." Oh, oh, my childhood friend, who's always been so gentle and considerate, and with whom I get along so well, is as unfriendly and unfriendly as ever today. In that case, I guess I'll just have to find someone random. I looked around, hoping someone kind enough could tell me where to sit, feeling completely lost…

“……………………”

I turned around, but no one made eye contact with me. Am I doing neck exercises?

What's wrong with this class? Ayase said I'm the school idol, which I didn't quite believe, but is this really the attitude one should have towards a classmate who's been in the hospital for a week after a car accident and is now back at school? Shouldn't someone who's been in the hospital with a broken bone be popular after returning to class? I am indeed an oddball, but this feels a little different. Oh no, I'm about to cry. What should I do? Should I go back?

"Qianyu-kun..."

But isn't this just too tragic? I volunteered to come to school, but I was ostracized by my classmates and had to leave... How am I supposed to tell Ayase about this?

"Um, Qianyu-kun."

Right, I should act annoyed first before leaving; that'll make me look cool, right? It's not about being chased away, but about actively creating distance... Okay, let's do that.

"A simple, simple word! ...My lord!"

"Wow, that startled me!"

A girl shouted, interrupting my sorrowful inner monologue.

She stood behind me, wearing small-framed glasses and sporting a bob hairstyle that was quite rare these days. Her jacket was buttoned up all the way up, and her skirt was a standard knee-length, making her look like she had just stepped out of a "Standard Uniform Attire Illustration" in a student handbook.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

The girl with glasses seemed surprised by how loud she was, and covered her mouth with her hand, her face flushed.

No, it's nothing.

"Really? I'm so sorry, so sorry."

"I already said it's nothing, there's no need to apologize like this. It's really okay."

"Is that so? That's good. Um, Asahi-kun... are you alright now?"

"Ah, um. It's completely fine now."

"Oh, I see. It's good that you're really alright... Hahaha"

"Um, thank you... hahaha"

Uh, who is this person? I've only been at school for 10 minutes and I've already encountered my second Kansai accent. Finally, someone's willing to talk to me, which is good, but I have absolutely no idea what her name is. Given the special circumstances, asking her name wouldn't be too rude, would it?

"Um, excuse me, could you tell me your name? Um, I have amnesia..."

Immediately, the whole class burst into laughter.

What's going on?

Judging from the timing, the joke that should have been made by me should have been me, so why were they laughing? Those guys were hiding their heads and covering their mouths, chuckling, and it was a cold laugh that wasn't meant to be friendly at all.

"Um, Qianyu-kun, the lecture notes! The lecture notes from your break period are on your desk."

The girl with the glasses pointed to the table in the far corner of the classroom, as if trying to conceal the situation.

"...Huh? Oh, thank you."

"You're welcome. It's what a class monitor should do. Oh, by the way, my name is Hachiyo, Hachiyo Sara. I'm Hachiyo-sensei's younger sister... Hahaha."

"Oh, I see."

No wonder her accent was so strong, now I know why. Speaking of which, these two sisters are really alike; their personalities are completely opposite. Aside from their shared Kansai accent, you'd never guess they share the same blood.

Anyway, I'm saved. Helping me put away my lecture notes was a huge help, but I'm most grateful to her for showing me my seat. At first, I was completely lost and didn't know what to do, but it turns out there are still kind people in the class. Great, I don't have to slink home like a coward. Class monitor, I'll keep trying my best.

"Huh? What's wrong, Qianyu-kun? Why are you looking at me like that?"

When Hachiyo talks to me, there's always a hint of a wry smile on her face. She must be a simple, unassuming girl, not good at talking to people. However, I'm very happy that she's willing to talk to me like this.

"That's all I have to say. Take care, Qianyu-kun."

After saying that, Hachiyo quickly rushed back to her seat—

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo"

Then, like water that has been submerged for a long time finally surfacing, he let out a deep, deep sigh. "Hey, is it really necessary to exert so much effort? Does talking to people make you so nervous?"

"Sara, are you alright?"

The girls who were worried about Hachiyo suddenly gathered around Hachiyo's seat.

"Sara, cheer up! Do you need to go to the restroom?"

"How dare you talk to someone like that? No wonder you're the class monitor, you're so strong!"

"Seriously, it's a good thing you didn't laugh. I have amnesia... This is hilarious!"

"You can't say that. If you say that, Qianyu-kun... he's so pitiful."

Although she covered her mouth with her hand and lowered her voice, I could still hear her say the last sentence clearly.

...I understand. Hachiyo isn't afraid to talk to people, she's just not good at dealing with me.

Sure enough, after trying to get some fresh air, I figured out the new facts within 10 minutes of arriving at school. It was so stupid of me to be so worried about whether I could fit in.

I was already extremely ostracized in my class.

Chapter 18 Don't I have any pride?

"Uh, that's all. We understand that the less dense BCC (body-centered cubic) structure can dissolve more carbon than the originally dense FCC (face-centered cubic) structure. Then, does anyone know of a structure that can cool at a rate that γ-iron, containing more carbon, cannot diffuse at...?"

The physics teacher scanned the entire classroom, his gaze settling on the only student whose eyes did not waver.

"Qianyu, do you know?"

"...Martensite"

"That's right, it can form a martensitic structure that becomes harder and stronger through a diffusionless phase transformation. Okay, that concludes today's lesson."

Oh.

A soft murmur filled the classroom. Then, the loudspeaker rang out, announcing the start of lunch break to the noisy classroom.

The atmosphere in the classroom suddenly changed, and the boys who ate in the cafeteria rushed to the corridor. I watched those hungry bastards leave and casually flipped through my textbook.

...Wow, I'm actually that amazing.

After missing school for a week, I was able to keep up with everything without any trouble, and I could even understand the parts that were a little behind. Surprisingly, before the accident, I seemed to love learning quite a bit.

Then again, this situation is truly unbelievable. I have absolutely no memory of my own life, yet I remember this kind of thing perfectly. Dr. Shinya said that common sense and essential survival memories are not lost, but looking at my current situation, putting the content of my school lessons alongside information about myself, which is more indispensable?

Glug glug glug glug glug glug glug.

My stomach's loud protest interrupted my thoughts. When I'm upset, my stomach gets hungry. It had been growling incessantly during the third period, demanding sustenance. I had a bento box from Mengmeng for lunch, so there was no need to go to the cafeteria… Okay, so how am I supposed to eat this bento box from my beloved sister?

You think eating with chopsticks is enough...? Actually, it's not that simple. Looking around, the classmates were all happily opening their lunchboxes, having pushed their desks together with their close friends.

"Namie, let's eat."

"Okay, let's eat!"

"Oh, Ryota, you have fried meat patties. Give me one."

"Who wants to give it to you? There's only one, okay?"

...The problem is, how am I supposed to eat my bento in this cheerful atmosphere?

Judging from the atmosphere in the classroom this morning, the chances of me joining the class group are extremely slim. Clinging to a sliver of hope, I tried fiddling with my textbook to buy time, but there was absolutely no indication that anyone from other classes would invite me. So, am I going to eat alone?

Wait, no way. You expect me to watch everyone else enjoying their meal while I eat alone like I'm being publicly executed? Your mental fortitude must be incredibly strong, at least that's what I was like before the incident.

Even so, I couldn't keep staring at my textbook. I nervously took my lunchbox out of my bag and looked… no, something still felt off. Because everyone was glancing at me every now and then. Their expressions were like, "Huh? Are you going to eat there?"

My actions now are probably different from before. If that's the case, what's the point of me forcing myself to come to school? What should I do? Can't I stay in this classroom? Surely I'm not supposed to eat in the toilet? Please spare me, that's too humiliating... Ah, but that might be the chance to regain my memories. Huh? Is that possible? Regain my memories by eating in the toilet... Is there any hope for my life? But anyway, I can't stay here any longer... Hmm?

As I was getting up, I saw something strange while raising my waist.

These are numbers. The left and right corners of the table are marked with ① and ② in marker. Upon closer inspection, the window frames on the side wall also have numbers written in pen. It's like some kind of assembly marking.

...Assembly markings?

I tried moving the table. I rotated the table ninety degrees, chair and all, to align the numbers on the wall with those on the table. Unsurprisingly, the numbers matched perfectly… But what does this mean? From here, you can see the sports field downstairs and the nearby streets.

Wow, this feels like a Starbucks window seat! Oh, I see. That way I don't have to worry about other people's stares, and I can just enjoy the beautiful view while eating my lunch. Me before the accident—were you a genius?!

"—Yeah, right!"

I slammed my head on the table with all my might.

What a pathetic scheme! Instead of using your intelligence on something like this, you might as well eat in the toilet. Ugh, I'm so frustrated!

I stood up with a tragic resolve, but at that very moment—

"Wow!"

"Huh!?"

Suddenly someone bumped into me from behind, and I fell forward.

"Hey, why did you bump into me?!"

Suddenly, a voice that habitually yelled rushed towards me, followed by a sudden yank on my chest. It was a slender girl with calm eyes.

"Huh... Luo Tianyi?"

It was that neighbor who was known for his gentleness, thoughtfulness, and harmonious relationship.

"What are you so surprised about? You've ruined the bread! How are you going to compensate me?"

Luo Tianyi's brows furrowed like the Grand Canyon of Colorado, and the plastic bag in her hand rustled.

Even if you say that, you were the one who bumped into me, weren't you?

"Enough with the nonsense, give me my bread back."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Okay, let's go"

"Hey, what's going on?!"