Making Friends
Shine and I toured the school under Rain's guidance. The building was massive, easily large enough to accommodate a vast number of students. It felt like it would take an entire day of walking just to get a basic grasp of where everything was.
"It's almost time for class to start," Rain said, checking the time as she led us. I nodded, looking out over the sprawling swimming pool. There didn't seem to be any swim classes today, as the area was completely deserted. With that, we turned around and began retracing our steps.
The students walking through the hallways were all incredibly well-behaved. And quiet. Though they conversed as they walked, none of them raised their voices more than necessary. Their behavior, so unlike typical children their age, felt a little uncanny.
"Are the kids who go here always like this?"
"I think it's because they're all so obsessed with saving face." Rain answered my question while looking around as if she found it novel too. The atmosphere seemed to have changed significantly since her own school days, making it feel entirely new to her.
"Was Amy like that back then too?"
"Amy? No way. She was never the type to put on fake, demure acts like that."
"Then what was she like?"
"If there was something she didn't like, she made sure to change it until she did."
As we headed toward the classroom, chatting about Amy, Rain suddenly came to a halt. Why had she stopped so abruptly when she had been walking just fine? Her eyes were trembling uncontrollably. As if facing something terrifying, she hesitated to take another step forward.
I followed Rain's gaze. At the end of it, Carmel, the teacher we had met an hour ago, was walking toward us with a book in his hand. Since his attention was entirely absorbed by the book, he didn't seem to have noticed Rain yet. Realizing this, Rain moved with lightning speed and hid behind my back.
"Um, Rain. I can still see you even if you hide like that."
"Huh? I know, so just be quiet for a second!"
I let out a soft sigh, feeling Rain clinging to my back. Was showing her current self really something to be that embarrassed about? Rain pulled off the school uniform perfectly. It meant that absolutely no one would look at her and think she was strange.
"Have some confidence, Rain. It looks really good on you."
"The fact that it looks good is the problem..."
The moment she muttered those words, Carmel raised his head. My eyes met his. His light brown eyes wavered slightly upon spotting me. His mouth parted a fraction, and his gaze shifted once more. Carmel's eyes began to drift toward Rain, who was hiding behind me. Even though she was trying to conceal herself behind my small frame, I couldn't block her from view entirely.
"Rain. I think he saw you."
"What? Who?"
"Your junior."
Carmel rubbed his eyes once more, then hardened his expression as if making up his mind, and began walking toward us.
"Gasp!"
The closer Carmel got, the more Rain buried herself into my embrace. With her head tucked low and her eyes squeezed shut, she slowly regulated her breathing, as if believing that if she couldn't see him, he couldn't see her either.
"Excuse me, by any chance..." Carmel stopped in front of us and spoke cautiously. He looked down at Rain, who was huddled in my arms, as if he still couldn't believe his eyes. I patted her head and spoke to Carmel.
"Is something the matter?"
"Well, by any chance, is the person over there... Student Rain? Or should I say... Rain? You're Rain-sunbae, right?" Carmel let out an embarrassed chuckle at his own words and averted his eyes.
"N-No, I'm not!" Rain replied to Carmel while tugging at my body to pull me away. She began to shuffle backward slowly. I let myself be dragged along, matching her pace. However, whenever we moved away, Carmel simply stepped closer again.
"Rain-sunbae. It really is you, right? I'm not seeing things, am I?"
"No. You definitely have the wrong person."
Rain denied it to the very end. But Carmel didn't buy it. He seemed entirely convinced that this tiny girl was indeed his former senior.
"Wow... You haven't changed a single bit. The moment I walked into the classroom earlier, I honestly thought I had traveled back in time."
Rain didn't answer. She merely trembled, her face flushing a deep, burning red. I hugged her tightly and let out a soft sigh. No matter their past connection, if Rain hated this so much, I couldn't just stand by and watch.
Shine seemed to share my thoughts. She stepped forward, blocking Carmel's path.
"Rain doesn't like it."
"Pardon?"
"She said she doesn't like you."
Shine's voice echoed through the hallway. As her words lingered in the air before slowly fading, Carmel's expression went completely blank.
"Go back. Don't come near us."
At Shine's command, Carmel began to nod dazedledly. Following her instruction, Carmel turned around and walked back the way he came. He stood in the hallway with a vacant expression for a moment, then, as if suddenly remembering something, hurriedly walked away. Neither Rain nor I said a word as we watched this unfold. Shine had told us before: never question anything she showed us. Since both Rain and I agreed with her, we didn't press the issue. Rain let out a long breath, looking slightly calmer now.
"Do you really dislike him that much?"
"It's not that I dislike him, it's just so embarrassing... I'm standing here wearing an elementary school uniform again. How do you think he sees me?"
If I were in Carmel's shoes as Rain's junior, I would have complimented her on how well the uniform suited her. If he had done that, maybe Rain wouldn't have pushed him away and would have greeted him back. At least, that was what I thought.
"Thanks, Shine."
"Jeff wanted me to."
Shine shook her head at Rain's thanks. Her confident demeanor made it seem as though a feat like this was absolutely nothing to her, and it felt incredibly natural.
"Let's go back to the classroom."
With that, we returned to our room. The moment we stepped inside, the buzzing chatter vanished in an instant. The children's gazes darted toward us, yet none of them dared to make eye contact. I hated this kind of atmosphere.
"Shine."
"Yeah?"
"Amy said the reason she sent us to school was to develop our social skills."
"Yeah."
"But no one is trying to approach us."
"Yeah."
"Then shouldn't we be the ones to approach them?"
Shine's face twisted into a deep scowl at my words. She made no effort to hide her intense displeasure, her expression radiating discomfort.
"No."
"But Amy told us to."
"I still don't want to."
"Shine..."
I grabbed both of Shine's hands, speaking to her in an imploring tone. At that, Shine's gaze shook violently. My reflection was captured within her white eyes. My eyes curved gently, and my lips parted slightly. Between them, my bright red tongue twitched ever so slightly. I stuck my tongue out and licked my small lips. Watching me, Shine swallowed hard. My mouth felt dry. Come to think of it, I hadn't had any green juice or milk today. I smacked my lips, thinking of the dinosaur water bottle tucked inside my bag.
"Then... just one person..."
"One?"
"I'll only allow exactly one."
"Isn't just one a bit too few?"
"No. Even one is too many." Shine shook her head vehemently at my words, her white hair fluttering before my eyes.
"Alright." I nodded and began scanning the room for a potential friend candidate. Every time my gaze shifted, the children reacted violently. Their eyes darted away in a frenzy, refusing to meet mine even once. I sighed at their reactions. With them acting like this, I felt like if I actually approached one of them, they might start foaming at the mouth and pass out.
Just then, a girl with twin tails caught my eye. A large crowd of other kids had gathered around her, making the twin-tailed girl look like the leader of the pack. Perfect. My friend candidate had been decided. I tugged on Shine's hand while pointing at the girl with my other hand. Instantly, sharp gasps of shock echoed from all around us.
"Her?"
"Yeah. She was the one who spoke to me first."
"Hmm..."
At my words, Shine began to scrutinize the girl as if evaluating her. The atmosphere in the classroom grew bizarre. The children gathered around the twin-tailed girl began to disperse one by one, casting wary glances in our direction. Their movements looked suspiciously like they were fleeing, leaving me to tilt my head in confusion.
The twin-tailed girl had been whispering with her friends. But the moment I pointed at her, her conversation ground to a halt.
"Fine. We'll go with her." Shine declared, stepping forward. Her voice wasn't particularly loud, but because the room was so deathly quiet, there wasn't a single child in the classroom who didn't hear her.
I took the hesitating Rain by the hand and followed Shine. As we walked, the children parted to the left and right like the Red Sea. The twin-tailed girl's friends vanished in the blink of an eye. Left behind, the girl, who had just been chatting happily, looked around with a panicked expression.
"Gasp!"
The moment her eyes met Shine's, she jumped up from her seat as if she had suffered a sudden seizure, sucking in a sharp breath. She was trembling so violently that her hands and legs were shaking.
"You."
"Y-Yes?!"
The girl's twin tails, which looked like handles, shook wildly. Seeing them shimmer with a light blue hue made me want to reach out and give them a playful tug.
"Jeff wants to be friends."
At Shine's words, the girl blinked rapidly. I stepped out from behind Shine and added, "Hi."
"H-Hello!"
I frowned at her response. Normally, friends didn't use formal language with each other. At least, that was my understanding.
"Can't you speak to me like you did before? This is a bit uncomfortable."
At my request, the girl swallowed hard and nodded.
"Okay, let's try again. Hi."
"H-Hi..."
"I'm Jeff. You already know that from the introductions earlier, right?"
The girl kept her mouth tightly shut and nodded vigorously. She looked so incredibly anxious that it was painful to watch. I walked over and sat in the seat next to her. Just moments ago, plenty of her friends had been sitting nearby, but now there wasn't a single one in sight.
"Can I sit here?"
I had already sat down, but I asked for permission anyway. The girl merely nodded. I gestured for Shine and Rain to sit beside me.
"What's your name?"
"I-It's Appleton..."
Appleton. I rolled the name around in my mouth before nodding.
"Alright, Appleton. I want to be friends with you."
"F-Friends?"
"Yeah. I told you, you can speak casually."
"Ah, oh! I'm sorry! I mean, sorry!"
"There's no need to apologize."
The confidence Appleton had displayed at first had completely vanished. I felt incredibly bad for her.
"Speak to me cheerfully, like you did before."
At my words, Appleton held her breath. Immediately after, hot tears began to well up in her eyes. Her sudden tears were more than enough to throw me into a panic.
"U-Um? Why are you crying?"
Appleton couldn't answer my question. Suddenly, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. With a soft thud, Appleton fell from her chair and lay completely still.
"A-Appleton?!"
Panicking, I grabbed her fallen body and shook her frantically. Shine and Rain were just as stunned by the sudden turn of events, their mouths hanging wide open.