Chapter 1

"You're really a lucky boy! And to get the best seat by the window in the back, it's like a miracle!"

It was morning, time for school.

Naruto Yuki was changing his shoes at the shoe locker when he was caught by his only classmate to talk to in the morning, Sokumi Keitaro.

Today, Keitaro, with his hair spiked up as usual, had his shirt unbuttoned to the second button and was fanning his neck with a fan, even though it wasn't particularly hot.

"The window seat is really the best, you know."

"The window is just a bonus! Why are you acting so surprised?"

As they walked down the hallway, Keitaro was making a fuss about the seat change that happened at the end of the last class period.

Yuki had drawn the seat by the window at the very back through a lottery.

And the seat next to him was occupied by Takuzuki Yui, who was rumored to be not only the prettiest girl in the class but also one of the most beautiful in the entire school.

"Everyone in the class is saying it, not just me. What are the odds? It's like you've used up all your luck for the next few years."

"Wouldn't it have been better if you won the lottery instead?"

"Why do you say things like that? You should be more excited! You're really cold, you know."

Honestly, Yuki didn't want to be seen as someone who uses up his luck so easily.

He's always told he's cold, but to him, Keitaro is the one who's too enthusiastic.

The last time he said, "You look like you're flipping through a hot calendar every day," Keitaro seriously replied, "What's wrong with flipping it?"

"Are you really that uninterested? I bet you've been thinking about it all night. What will you say if she talks to you? This introvert."

According to Keitaro, Yuki's reactions are always mild, and he always looks sleepy, as if he's in a daze.

Apart from that, he's just an ordinary, average high school boy. That's how Yuki sees himself.

"She won't talk to someone like me."

"That's not true. She has a habit of talking to the boys who sit next to her. Whether they're as inconspicuous as you or not."

"Is that a habit, like a bug or something?"

"It's rumored that every boy who has sat next to her has confessed, and all of them have been rejected. I think we've had this conversation before."

According to Keitaro, just because she talks to you doesn't mean she likes you.

She simply can't help but talk to the boys sitting next to her.

"Anyway, she's known as the 'Next-Seat Killer' in some circles. The class was betting on how long you'd last, and they said three days at most. But I have faith in you, so I said a week."

While being lectured and having his shoulder patted repeatedly, they arrived at the classroom.

As soon as they entered, Keitaro went around greeting everyone noisily and was being avoided. Most people find his morning energy exhausting.

Yuki, who doesn't show much reaction and often tunes out the conversation, is strangely well-liked by Keitaro.

Why are Yuki and Keitaro friends? It's just a coincidence.

In PE class, they were asked to form pairs, and Keitaro was left out because everyone avoided him, while Yuki was forgotten and left out. So they paired up.

This happened last year when they were freshmen, and this year, by coincidence, they ended up in the same class again.

Everything happens by chance, Yuki thinks.

So, it was just a coincidence that he ended up sitting next to Takuzuki Yui.

(If she's too noisy, I'll be annoyed.)

Yuki yawned widely and walked slowly to his seat by the window.