It was pretty early. She wasn’t a nerd or anything like that but Mirai was always early to school. It was the first day! She was sure that there are people much earlier than her. Bridgeside was a large school. And it stuck to its name. The grounds were situated next to a bridge, connecting to a serene looking field. Only one more year until she said goodbye to this school. Gosh she was already a senior. It seemed like just yesterday when she was so afraid to go tos school. Now, she walked by herself to the classroom. Unfortunately, the room assigned to them was by a corner part of the building, that’s why they couldn’t actually see any light coming from the windows.

“Mirai!”

“Oof!” It felt like all the air from Mirai’s lungs was blown out. When she turned, she saw her bestfriend; Suzuka.

 “Suzuka!” Mirai greeted. “I thought you were going to be late?”

“Me? Whenever did I become late?” Suzuka laughed. Bringing their bags that weighed like bricks, they headed over to their classroom.

There were two ways to go to their room. If they wanted to tire themselves, they could enter Building 2 then cross over to Building 3 straight to their classroom. The second one was to enter building 3 and use the backstairs before heading to their classroom. And 3^rd, enter Building 3 then use the front but have to walk far since their classroom is by the backstairs. Of course they’d choose the 2^nd one right??Shortest and Fastest. Problem was, they couldn’t use the back stairs since it was near the faculty and they might disturb the teachers. What the heck was that!  That’s why they try the backstairs if they know that people were too busy to notice them.

Now that it was the first day, they chose the 1^st choice. At least they’d get to pass by their other batchmates.

Mirai already knew this was going to happen. There were so many students. She knew this would happen only on the first day and after that, well it was a contest for everyone to come in late.

“Mirai!!”

Both Mirai and Suzuka were surprised to see the little hurricane. The hurricane named Umika. Their friend was short in stature, even shorter than Mirai but made up for it by being so hyperactive..

“Unreal! 3 years! We’re classmates for three years now!” Umika shouted through the whole corridor.

People were already used to this.

“Umika…” Mirai laughingly whispered. “Of course the three of us are going to be classmates, doesn’t Suzuka request it to Koga-sensei?”

Suzuka’s uncle was the Art teacher and thus had the power to group them together whenever sectioning was done.

“I know that.” Umika rolled her eyes. “I’m just excited. But I feel sad too whenever I think that we’re all going to part when graduation comes…”

“Hey, it’s just the first day and you’re already thinking about graduation, take it easy.” Suzuka uttered.

They headed to their classroom which they named Spratley Islands since they were so far away.

 “Hey it’s Mirai and the gang!”

The three friends heard their classmate Saaya. The latter was known throughout the whole batch since she was such an amazing piano player and always performed during school assemblys.

“Saaya! I didn’t know you were our classmate!” Umika exclaimed.

“I know right! This is going to be fun!” Saaya answered. Saaya wasn’t alone, sitting beside her was the baby of the group, Yuri . Baby not because he was the youngest, Saaya was younger than him but Yuri did really have a baby face. He even had fair and smooth skin just like a baby.

“Ne Saaya ikuyou! Let’s meet Asami downstairs!” Yuri yelled.

Mirai and her two friends knowingly looked at each other. In their batch, Saaya, Yuri and Asami were known as friends; Asami being the voice of the batch. Yes voice, because if Umika was loud, Asami was louder.

“Okay okay! Hold your horses!” Saaya joked as Yuir bid goodbye to Mirai and the others.

But before disappearing from sight, Yuri peeked from the dorrway then turned to Mirai. “Ne Mirai, have you already heard?””

“Eh? Heard what?” Mirai confusedly asked. Should she have heard about something? Already? It was only the first day.

“Ah so you don’t know yet, well, see you later!” And in a flash, Yuri disappeared.

Mirai turned to her friends. “What was that?”

But both the two had no idea.

They chose three chairs at the middle of the class. Some of their other classmates had also entered the room. It seemed like their homeroom teacher wasn’t arriving any time soon.

“Girls, Let’s head to the comfort room..” Mirai said. She didn’t know but why was it somehow right when people say that girls couldn’t go to the comfort room alone?

This was another long walk. It was four room’s length to the nearest comfort room.

Mirai and her friends saw different students on their way; some they already knew and some Mirai would only recognize by face.

They were headed right to the rest rooms when Mirai saw someone at the first floor, being at the 3^rd, she could see everything downstairs. Wasn’t that…?

 “Mirai weren’t you going to use the rest room?”

Mirai lifted her head and saw Umika and Suzuka staring at her. The two were already next to the rest room’s door while she had stopped walking.

She turned again downstairs but the illusion she saw was no longer there. This was only first day jitters. And why was she thinking about him. He was out of her life right?

“Ah sure let’s go.”

The usual happened with them, answering nature’s call then fix themselves up before returning to their classroom.

Before they could even reach the door, they’d already heard Asami’s voice.

“Yuri you’re so cute”

Mirai and her friends laughed when they saw Asami pinching Yuri’s cheek while Saaya laughed at the sides..

“Mirai! Suzuka! Umika!” Asami greeted them all.

The three friends smiled back before returning to their chosen seats whereas Asami and her friends sat right behind them.

Asami whispered to Saaya, well, not really whispered since everyone could hear. “Our class will win the Junior-Senioe dance queen! We have Mirai!”

Chuckling, Mirai turned to her friend. “Me? Senior dance queen?”

“Yes!” Asami said, dramatically slamming the desk. “A beauty like yours and you don’t expect to win? And don’t the demure ones win? Of course scratch me off the list.” Asami joked, allowing her voice to deepen for emphasis. She was known to be boyish but everyone knew she was actually flamboyant.

Mirai only smiled before again facing the front. But the same time she faced front, the same time the door opened. Along with this, Asami greeted. “Ryosuke! You’re back! Okay! Now we know the Senior King is also with section 3B!”

For the second time that day, all the air was from Mirai’s lungs. Standing in-front of her was the persons he was not expecting to see again. Ryosuke.