Chương 2: Limited Energy
Oreki walked toward the gym, fiddling with his bangs while pondering the information he had obtained and how to use it before others came to the same conclusion. At that moment, an idea occurred to him, but he would need others to carry it out. Personally, he already found it bothersome to go to such lengths, so he decided to set it aside for a few days.
Upon entering the gym, he saw all the classes lined up and noticed the difference between Classes A and B, who were waiting in an orderly line and paying attention to the stage in front of them. In contrast, Classes C and D were disorganized, noisy, and some students were missing. There, he realized the difference between the classes and also saw who his next target would be. To not hinder his classmates, he couldn't make a deal with Class A or C, as they were too close in the rankings. By elimination, it would be Class D.
Just as he was thinking this, a girl with short lilac hair, down to her shoulders, adorned with two parallel orchids, introduced herself: "Welcome to the school. My name is Tachibana Akane, I am the student council secretary. I am here to introduce some club captains and, at the end, the president will give a few words."
With that, several captains of basketball, soccer, tea ceremony, literature, and other clubs introduced themselves. Oreki wasn't interested, so he quickly went to the room he had been assigned, Room 407.
The room was simple but functional, with a bed, a desk, and a small window that let in the afternoon light. He dropped his bag and sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating his next move. The information he had gathered was valuable, but he needed to be strategic about how to use it. He knew involving others could complicate things, but he also recognized he couldn't do everything alone. For now, he would wait and observe, biding his time until the right moment to act.
----
Lying on his bed, Oreki browsed through the apps on his device, recalling what his teacher had said about their functionality. There were many general apps, but one in particular caught his attention: an anonymous forum. Intrigued, he decided to explore a bit more.
Entering the forum, he realized it was a space where users could post without revealing their identity. Most of the posts consisted of insults or criticisms towards other students, which didn't interest him much. However, as he continued browsing, he found some posts asking for information about certain people and offering payments in exchange for useful data. This piqued his curiosity, but he decided not to give it too much importance at the moment.
Already tired and aware that the next day he would have his first class, Oreki decided it would be best to save his energy. He turned off the device and settled into bed, letting the exhaustion take over. As he drifted into sleep, his mind continued reflecting on the opportunities and challenges that would arise at the Academy. With one last glance at the room, he let himself be carried away by sleep, mentally preparing for whatever the new day might bring.
The next morning, the sun filtered through the small window of his room, gently illuminating the space. Oreki woke up feeling more rested and ready to face his first day of classes. He knew he would have to be strategic and careful with the information he had obtained and the decisions he would make. With determination, he got up, quickly got ready, and headed towards the classroom, ready to face the challenges that would come his way and to seize the opportunities he would find along the way.
----
As he headed to the classroom, Oreki's journey was peaceful. He didn't run into anyone he knew, which was understandable since it was his second day at the school. He had only spoken to two people: his teacher and a student from another class. For him, this kind of journey was perfect. However, one thing bothered him: his heavy backpack. He felt it was like a lamp draining every last drop of his energy. He knew that if he had to carry it for three years, it would be a torture worse than school itself.
Upon entering the classroom, Oreki quickly made his way to his desk, located in the last row to the right, next to the window. He felt grateful for the place he had been assigned. As he sat down, he noticed a girl with short blue hair looking at him. He simply nodded, not fully understanding the situation. The girl returned the gesture with a smile and quickly introduced herself:
"Good morning, I'm Kobashi Yume. It seems we'll be neighbors, so I hope we get along well."
Oreki responded politely: "Hello, Kobashi-san. I'm Oreki Houtarou. I hope we get along well."
Then, Oreki turned to face the front, waiting for the math teacher to arrive. Kobashi, seeing that they had some time, wanted to start a conversation:
"Oreki-san, um... did you feel sick yesterday? Or what happened that you left so quickly?"
Oreki turned to look at her and replied: "Mm, yes, I was running out of energy. That's why I quickly went to the room."
The girl, surprised by his response, didn't know if she should ask more, fearing that Oreki might have a serious illness and not wanting to be insensitive. Nevertheless, she said with concern:
"Oreki-san, if you need help, you can count on me. I'll try to help as much as possible."
Oreki didn't pay much attention to her and nodded, but when he was about to look forward, he realized the opportunity he had been given. He slightly opened his eyes and looked at Kobashi:
"Kobashi-san, can I ask you something?"
Kobashi quickly nodded: "Yes, anything I can help with."
"Well, I want to use your desk to store my books and for you to keep my pen in your pencil case. Can you do that?"
Kobashi, puzzled by Oreki's request, thought about what had happened the previous day. They had just introduced themselves and he already had no energy. She was convinced he had a serious illness and looked at him with pity, nodding:
"Of course, and if you have other things, don't hesitate to tell me."
Oreki clearly saw there was a misunderstanding, but he didn't want to waste energy explaining it. "Thank you...," he murmured.
He had to quickly avert his gaze, realizing he was taking advantage of a good person. But it was that or suffer with the backpack every day.
At that moment, the math teacher entered. Today, they would have math all day, which wasn't a problem for Oreki since it was his strongest subject, followed by chemistry and English.
----
Time passed considerably quickly
until lunch break. Oreki was in an internal crisis, debating whether to eat or take a nap at his desk. Without wasting much time, he rested his head on his arms and began to sleep. After a few minutes, he felt someone tapping his shoulder. He slightly opened his eyes and was surprised to see the "class angel," Ichinose Honami, waking him up.
When he sat up, he looked at her and asked, "Ehmm, do you need something?"
Something that annoyed him greatly was being interrupted during his nap, but he couldn't get mad at others because he knew he shouldn't sleep in class. Ichinose, on the other hand, looked at him with pitying eyes. Oreki couldn't understand why she looked at him that way. He turned his head and saw Kobashi next to Ichinose, giving him the same look. Clearly, she had told Ichinose something.
Ichinose, with a gentle voice, said, "Well, I was wondering if you're feeling okay. By the way, I'm Ichinose Honami."
"Yes, I was just a bit tired. Nice to meet you, I'm Oreki Houtarou."
At that moment, Oreki's stomach betrayed him, making an audible noise that his two classmates in front of him heard. A blush of embarrassment appeared on Oreki's face. Ichinose quickly resumed the conversation to avoid any awkwardness:
"Um, I was thinking of going to the cafeteria to get some food. Would you like to join us?"
Oreki, as if giving up, said, "Sure..."
And with that, the three of them headed to the school cafeteria. On the way, Ichinose tried to start a conversation, but Oreki wasn't very interested. He responded with brief "yes" or "no" answers, and sometimes just nodded. Most of the way, Ichinose and Kobashi talked about their own things while Oreki immersed himself in his thoughts.
Ichinose and Kobashi chatted animatedly about trivial topics: the best cafes in the city, the movies they liked, and the subjects they enjoyed the most. Oreki, for his part, tried to keep his mind blank to save as much energy as possible. At one point, Ichinose asked:
"Oreki-kun, what do you like to do in your free time?"
Oreki, shaking off some of his sleepiness, replied, "Sleep..."
The girls laughed, thinking it was a joke, but Oreki was completely serious. When they arrived at the cafeteria, Oreki let Ichinose and Kobashi handle ordering the food. He stayed behind, trying to find a place where he could sit and perhaps sleep a little more.
When Ichinose returned with a tray of food, she handed it to Oreki with a radiant smile. "Here you go, Oreki-kun. I hope you like it."
"Thanks..." said Oreki, taking the tray. He sat down next to the girls, though he would have preferred to be alone. However, he knew that joining them was the best way to avoid further questions about his well-being.
As they settled in, Ichinose couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and asked her companions, "Did you see the sign that said free food?"
Oreki nodded while looking at his food, which made Ichinose sigh inwardly. Then, she turned her attention to Kobashi, who put a finger to her lips, thinking, until she finally said, "Mmm, I'm not sure."
Ichinose insisted, "Don't you think it's weird? Why would they give out free food when they give us so much money? Also, when we were walking to the table, I didn't see anyone buying it, so I'm quite curious. What do you guys think?"
Oreki understood her curiosity, so he decided to help her a bit. Noticing it was the first time Oreki had paid attention to her since they left the classroom, Ichinose couldn't help but hope he was going to answer her.
"Mmm... I don't know if it's weird or not, but over there I see at least five people with that food," said Oreki, subtly pointing with his finger.
Ichinose and Kobashi turned to see where Oreki was pointing, but they didn't quite understand where he was indicating.
Ichinose frowned, "I don't see where you're saying." She stood up and sat next to Oreki to get a better view. "Mmm, I still can't find it."
Oreki calmly said, "The last three tables in the cafeteria, they seem to be seniors."
Ichinose's eyes widened in shock, "Are you sure? I can barely see some heads." She didn't want to doubt her classmate, but the distance seemed unbelievable to her.
Oreki, noticing her doubtful look, suggested, "Why don't you go confirm it?"
Ichinose shook her head, "No, I trust your words," she said, pursing her lips.
Oreki responded, "We'll wait for you here, won't we, Kobashi-san?"
Kobashi simply nodded. Ichinose, with a smile, nodded as well and said, "Well, I won't take long." She got up and walked quickly.
As Ichinose walked away, Oreki and Kobashi exchanged a look of understanding. Oreki knew Ichinose was too curious to let something like this go, and Kobashi simply enjoyed the spectacle.
Meanwhile, Ichinose reached the last tables and confirmed what Oreki had said. Indeed, there were several seniors eating the free vegetables. Satisfied with her discovery, she returned to the table with a triumphant smile.
"You were right, Oreki-kun! They were seniors and they were eating the free food!" said Ichinose, excited.
Oreki smiled slightly, satisfied that his observation had been correct. "I'm glad you confirmed it."
Ichinose, still full of energy, continued, "We should investigate more about this. Who knows what else we can discover at this school?"
Oreki sighed inwardly, knowing that his school life was about to become much more interesting and probably more exhausting.
Oreki, resigned to his fate, accepted with a sigh, "Alright..."
And so, the trio left the cafeteria, with Ichinose and Kobashi leading the way while Oreki followed, wondering if he would ever get to sleep in peace again.
---
"Now they went out to see what they could find, but as they walked, many people approached Ichinose to talk. She couldn't ignore them, so they talked for a brief moment. At first, Oreki didn't pay much attention to the situation. He walked a little behind Ichinose and Kobashi, watching how Ichinose's popularity kept her constantly busy.
"It's like she's a celebrity," Oreki thought, with a mix of resignation and amazement.
As they moved forward, a soccer club student approached Ichinose, asking for her opinion on a new uniform design. Ichinose, always kind, smiled and dedicated a few minutes to him. Then, a group of girls from the art club stopped her to ask for advice on an exhibition. Ichinose responded to them patiently and courteously. And so the walk continued, with Ichinose stopping every few meters to attend to someone else.
Oreki, seeing this from afar, wasn't bothered at first. "Well, at least I don't have to do anything," he said to himself, trying to find the positive side. But as it repeated constantly, he was visibly tired. Every time Ichinose stopped, he let out a sigh longer than the last.
Kobashi, noticing Oreki's state, commented, "It seems like Ichinose-san is quite popular, isn't she?"
Oreki, with a wry smile, replied, "She's a people magnet. I didn't know popularity could be so... exhausting."
Finally, after Ichinose was detained by a group of student council members who needed her help with an event, Oreki could no longer hide his tiredness. He slumped against a hallway wall and rubbed his eyes with his hands.
Ichinose, finally noticing Oreki's state, felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Oreki-kun. I didn't realize how tired you were," she said with a genuinely concerned expression on her face.
Oreki looked at her with a mixture of exhaustion and relief. "Don't worry about it. We can do it another day," he replied, taking the opportunity to close his eyes for a moment longer.
Ichinose nodded, feeling relieved. "Okay. Let's rest for today. I promise I'll be quicker next time."
Oreki could only nod with a weak smile. "Thank you, Ichinose-san."
On the way back, Ichinose and Kobashi kept the conversation light, trying not to overload Oreki with more information or questions. Occasionally, Ichinose glanced worriedly at Oreki, who seemed lost in his thoughts.
"Maybe I should bring a folding chair," Oreki thought humorously, imagining the next time they went out to investigate. "Or better yet, a sign that says 'Do Not Disturb.'"
Upon reaching the classroom building, Ichinose bid farewell to Oreki and Kobashi. "See you tomorrow, Oreki-kun. Rest well!"
"Yeah, see you," Oreki replied, grateful for the end of the day.
Kobashi also said goodbye to Oreki. "See you tomorrow, Oreki-san!"
"Goodbye, Kobashi-san."
At the end of the day, Oreki felt relieved to return to his room. "At least I survived another day," he thought, sinking into his bed. Before closing his eyes, he promised himself that next time, he would be better prepared for Ichinose's popularity.
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