"No," Uesugi Sakura answered shortly.
"I don't believe you," Ayaka Rie wrapped her arm around Hanamaru Hanabi's neck, casting a suspicious look at Uesugi Sakura, "You must have bullied Hanabi again, this has happened so many times."
"I'm telling the truth," Uesugi Sakura argued with facts.
"What do you think, Hanabi?"
Seeing she couldn't get anything out of Uesugi Sakura, Ayaka Rie turned to ask Hanamaru Hanabi, full of anticipation.
Hanamaru Hanabi blushed and after a moment said:
"N-No, it has nothing to do with Uesugi-kun."
"Ah~"
Ayaka Rie complained, leaning her face close to Hanabi's hot cheeks and rubbing twice,
"Hanabi, you always stick up for your family's idiot, don't you care about your best friend anymore?"
"I'm not sticking up for him... Uesugi-kun never bullied me..." Hanamaru Hanabi was honest; she wouldn't joke about things that weren't true.
"So, you don't like me anymore?"
"How could that be, Rie-chan is important too," Hanamaru Hanabi said firmly.
Ayaka Rie smiled and led her forward.
Uesugi Sakura followed them silently without a word.
One lively and one shy, the two girls in black sailor uniforms walked side by side ahead, the sunlight highlighting their youthful figures; just seeing their backs lifted one's spirits.
The two had very different demeanors, and seeing this, even Uesugi Sakura couldn't help but start to observe closely despite feeling bored.
Ayaka Rie and Hanamaru Hanabi were about the same height.
In the past, Hanabi liked to let her hair loose, draped behind with two strands left in front, naturally smooth.
Now she had cut her hair short, making her look even more adorable.
Ayaka Rie liked to tie her hair into two braids on top of her head, looking more refined.
Hanamaru Hanabi walked with very steady, rhythmic steps, while Ayaka Rie was different, taking little hops every few steps, quickly disrupting Hanabi's pace.
The three soon arrived at the station, which was still 10 minutes away from Kamigoe High School by train.
After a quick swipe of their cards to enter, Ayaka Rie pulled Hanamaru Hanabi into the women-only carriage, leaving Uesugi Sakura to squeeze in with a bunch of office worker uncles.
After a cramped and stuffy ride, they got off at around 8:10.
"By the way, Uesugi,"
Ayaka Rie, walking ahead, suddenly turned back and curiously asked, "What did you write for that 'free study'?"
Uesugi Sakura didn't answer.
"Fine, don't tell me if you don't want to,"
Ayaka Rie looked increasingly frustrated at Uesugi Sakura's lack of response and turned to whisper to Hanamaru Hanabi:
"These so-called high-IQ humans always wear a pretentious mask. Actually, while he was walking behind us, he was staring at our legs."
A few male classmates walking along glanced at Uesugi Sakura.
Silently, they showed a look of camaraderie.
Uesugi Sakura ignored the looks around him. His hearing was excellent, so he defended himself, "I wasn't looking at your legs, but your movements."
"Another excuse!"
Ayaka Rie completely disbelieved this answer, continuing to hold onto Hanamaru Hanabi's arm as they walked forward.
The trio passed a park covered with blue morning glories. Unfortunately, it wasn't summer yet, so there were only green leaves in the park, looking a bit plain.
Before long, they arrived at Kamigoe High School in Shinjuku District.
As usual, a cane-wielding teacher and a Discipline Committee member stood at the entrance.
It was their job to check students' appearances; those who didn't meet the standards wouldn't be allowed through the gates.
The three of them had no issues with their attire, and after a brief glance, the two at the gate continued with their duties.
Today being the first day of the term, with both an entrance and an opening ceremony, there would be no classes in the morning.
There was no class rearrangement for Kamigoe High School's second years either.
After changing their shoes and reaching the fourth floor of the teaching building, they found their classroom, and Uesugi Sakura naturally sat by his window seat.
8:18:31
"Yo, Uesugi, good morning."
Uesugi Sakura glanced at Goto Iwao, who stood beside him grinning, and casually replied:
"Mm, morning."
Goto Iwao shifted his chair, sat in front of Uesugi Sakura, leaned over, and whispered:
"Today is the entrance ceremony, we're seniors now. How about helping the new freshmen get familiar with the school?"
"Get Tsubokawa. He'd be interested."
Uesugi Sakura knew this guy was trying to use him as a charm to attract girls, as this wasn't the first time.
"No way, no way," Goto Iwao quickly shook his head, "Tsubokawa isn't good-looking enough to be a wingman."
"Not going."
Uesugi Sakura refused outright; why should he act as the bait when the wingman doesn't offer any benefits?
"Come on, don't be like that!"
Goto Iwao looked unwilling, quietly and softly saying, "You don't know, I saw some super cute new classmates this morning that I've never seen before!"
"If you've never met them, you'll see them eventually since they're at the same school. You can ask for their info later."
Goto Iwao, with his smooth talking and stylish dress, had no idea how many girls' LINE contacts he had on his phone.
But he mostly just chatted without pursuing relationships, insisting it was the essence of the high school experience.
"It's a no-go... "
After a long internal struggle, Goto Iwao slapped the table with a "smack," deciding:
"I'll do the cleaning for you this morning."
"Deal."
"Ah, looks like I'll have to work hard again," Goto Iwao sighed, but quickly reconsidered, "No way, I must get Tsubokawa in on this too; why should I suffer alone?"
Goto Iwao scanned the classroom but couldn't see Tsubokawa Takahiro, so he immediately left to search for him.
The morning of April 1st at Kamigoe High School featured a freshman entrance ceremony. As their seniors, the second-years not only had to clean their own classrooms but also help the underclassmen with theirs.
Uesugi Sakura disliked this task, finding it very troublesome. But with Goto Iwao's promise, he could relax and take it easy for once.