Chapter : First Day Disaster
The first morning at Nekoma began with a tragedy.
"Why do school uniforms feel like tools of oppression?"
Mizuki, who was pouring coffee into a mug, didn't even glance back.
"Because you woke up five minutes ago."
Nazumi stood in the middle of the kitchen with messy hair and her ribbon hanging pitifully around her neck.
"They made the head hole too small."
"That's called a normal size."
"I'm being oppressed by the textile industry."
"You're being oppressed by your sleep schedule."
Nazumi let out a quiet hiss before dropping into a chair at the kitchen table.
The morning felt too bright.
The city sounded too alive.
And the uniform was far too... uniform.
A piece of toast landed on the plate in front of her.
"I'm not ready to become a functioning member of society."
"You still need carbohydrates."
Nazumi took a reluctant bite.
Mizuki glanced at her briefly.
Nazumi immediately pointed at herself with the toast.
Mizuki looked her over carefully.
The expression of someone moments away from fleeing civilization entirely.
"...You look like a victim of the education system."
Nazumi pointed the toast at her again.
"You look like you're about to stand trial for a crime."
"That's just my natural face."
Nazumi sighed and rested her forehead against the table.
Saying she was a little nervous would have been a lie.
Her stomach had felt strange ever since she woke up.
Just a small knot of tension that refused to disappear.
A new school meant new people.
New people meant new opportunities to embarrass herself.
And Nazumi hated making mistakes in front of other people.
"If I pretend to disappear today, is that legal?"
"What if I crawl into a sewer?"
Nazumi let out a dramatic sigh.
"You've only been awake for thirty minutes."
