COTE: Self-Preservation

Y2V1: New Beginnings

The first day of school is off to a rather lackluster beginning since no one I know is here yet. I sat down at the seat I hadn't seen in a few weeks, beginning to scroll through my phone until I felt a sensation on my left shoulder.

"'Sup."

Akito said casually as we returned to the classroom for the first time in a while.

"I'd ask if you went anywhere on the holidays like I usually did the last few years when school started, but it doesn't really make sense now, huh?" he muttered with an awkward chuckle.

I never had that experience, so I can't say I feel the same.

"Come over today, I got a really bad game," he suggested.

Huh?

"Why are you saying that like it's a good thing? Aren't bad games, you know, not meant to be played?"

Akito blinked at me for a few moments blankly before he let out a small chuckle, "Because you get together with your friends then you rip them apart. Kinda like watching garbage movies or crappy sequels. It's fun."

Tearing things down like that is oddly liberating, I've seen it every time Kei comes over. She puts on a bad comedy and she spends an hour giving commentary on how bad it is.

"I admit, I'm curious. Also, I've got to ask you, why did you send that really weird video at 3 a.m. last night?"

Akito sighed, "Don't blame me, Haruka put me up to it."

Of course she did.

"Did you watch it at least?"

"I turned my phone off and went to bed like a normal person."

Akito pulled out his phone from his blazer pocket, went to his messages and found the video he sent.

"I think you'll find it really relatable," he added.

"I find that ominous."

I looked at his screen and it played out like a normal clip. A long drawn-out intro with orchestral music, then a cutaway to a piece of paper. The person in the video flipped the paper over and it showed one sentence.

"The person who sent you this thinks you're short."

This girl...

A week ago, Haruka commented that Akito was short. So, in response, he said he was the tallest person there. Haruka disagreed, contesting that I was taller. So they brought out the measuring tape and Akito was barely taller than me.

I sighed, "So she sent it to you and then asked you to send it to me."

She insults him, and then gets Akito to insult me. Two birds with one stone.

Akito shrugged, "Yeah."

"I guess I'll come over, don't have anything better to do anyway."

Akito nodded with a slight smile.

"Mornin~!"

A cheery voice rang through the classroom as Kei walked in, her long, blonde hair flowing behind her as she began to talk with her friends.

Moments after Kei's arrival, another classmate stood in the doorway, cutting the chatter to a halt.

A claustrophobic person would feel suffocated while Horikita approached her seat, the once long, jet-black hair nowhere to be seen. As she sat down and placed her materials on the surface of her desk, oblivious to the world around her, she looked at me with a blank expression.

"Ayanokouji, why is it so quiet?"

I shrugged, "I've got no idea. What do you think, Akito?"

"Yeah, I got no idea either. Maybe everyone's just a little tired because it's the first day," Akito spoke nonchalantly.