After Rika got to her class, she first checked the student ID number posted on the blackboard, then headed to the seat assigned by that number.
Damn it... I really wish Mei would be a little more careful.
No matter how you looked at it, she had a careless, or rather carefree, side to her.
I really hope that doesn't lead to a fatal mistake...
Well, as long as I, as her girlfriend, stay by her side and keep reminding her, that should be enough.
Rika and Mei were a lesbian couple... so helping each other was only natural.
Thinking that, Rika sat down at her desk.
In the classroom, there were people who had been friends since last year and people meeting for the first time today, all of them deep in conversation.
But not a single person came over to Rika.
Not only was she seen as someone who hated boys because she always kept her distance from them, but the girls also treated her like an untouchable beauty. Because of that, nobody wanted to talk to her.
"(...Lonely?)"
"(No, no.)" Rika shook her head.
I still have Mei. So I shouldn't be lonely.
......But Mei had a lot of male friends. On the other hand, because she was popular with boys and liked to act cute, there was also a side of her that made the girls keep their distance.
"(...If possible, I'd rather get along well with the girls than with boys.)"
As Rika thought that, she glanced to the side.
"......!?"
There was a wall of muscle.
The kind of developed musculature no woman could ever hope to get.
Faced with that overwhelming mass of muscle she had never seen before, even the usually expressionless Rika was left speechless.
If she lifted her gaze, it felt like staring up at a mountain...
"(Ah, it's that guy......)"
She still recognized that face.
Since Rika didn't usually interact with boys, honestly even the faces of the boys in her own class were hard to remember.
But this man was someone she'd just met, and she was even thinking that she wanted to apologize to him someday. She wasn't going to forget his face.
"(S-scary......)"
She didn't like skinny boys, but she liked men built like that even less.
But in kind-hearted Rika's mind, not apologizing was not an option.
"U-um......"
"Hm?"
So Rika had no choice but to go over and greet him.
Her voice came out tiny, but he turned around at once.
Facing that stern-looking face, Rika's slender body couldn't stop trembling.
She took a deep breath and steadied herself.
It's fine, it's fine...
"Ah, um... about earlier, I'm really sorry......"
Rika gave a small bow to show her apology.
What a serious man. He might even ask me to do something outrageous.
That was the first time Rika had ever felt such fear...
"Ah, don't worry about it....Besides, you apologized too just now, didn't you?"
"Huh, ah......"
Rather than answering the way Rika expected, the man responded in a deep voice no woman could have made, saying something considerate.
"What I'm concerned about is whether you're all right. As you can see, I'm built solid, so you didn't get hurt, did you?"
"......Yes, I'm not hurt."
Rika nodded.
What was that? He's a man, but he's pretty decent.
I thought a lot of unfair things about him. That was rude of me.
"Is that so? Then that's good."
"......Um, is there anything you'd like me to give you as an apology gift?"
Rika asked that partly because she still felt guilty toward this man, and partly to make sure he couldn't use this incident to blackmail her later.
Sure, this man was looking out for me, but I still didn't know anything about who he really was.
So it would probably be better to clear away all my worries.
"No, I don't need anything......"
"......I want to give you something."
The man clearly frowned in annoyance.
But Rika still pressed on....Of course, because she hated men, she wasn't physically pressing him.
After thinking for a moment...... the man nodded.
"I see. Then don't use polite speech with me anymore."
"Huh...?"
"We're in the same year, and we're classmates too. We'll be in the same class for a whole year from now on, so wouldn't it be strange if you kept speaking so formally?"
Rika's eyes went wide.
Because she hated men, she didn't go out of her way to approach them, and the boys all knew that, so they never came to her either.
So even though she used polite speech, she rarely ever spoke with boys, and Rika thought it was no big deal...
But she hadn't expected him to ask her to change how she addressed him instead of asking for money or some object. That made her break into a sudden little laugh.
If anyone were lucky enough to see her usual expressionless face bloom into a smile, man or woman, they'd surely fall for her.
"......Yeah, I understand."
"Ah, that's enough then. I look forward to getting along with you from now on."
Seeing Rika nod, the man smiled warmly too.
His expression was stern, but Rika thought his smile was childish.
Maybe because she wasn't thinking straight, even words she would normally never say came out of her mouth.
"...Your name"
"Hm?"
"We still don't know each other's names, right? If we're classmates, I think it'd be better to know them."
Hearing Rika's words, the man nodded with an "ah."
"I'm Eiji Ogiwara. Nice to meet you."
"......Rika Onizuka. Nice to meet you too."
As they said that, they gave each other a faint smile.
I still don't like men after all, but if it's this man, Eiji, I can interact with him fairly normally.
......Of course, I won't become close friends with him the way I am with Mei.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The air had been calm and still, but just then Mei burst in.
Her brakes screamed in a shrill screech as she tried to stop her wild momentum.
She wedged herself between Rika and Eiji.
"Don't get this close to my Rika-chan!"
"......Who the hell is this?"
She protested by shaking her ample breasts, then immediately hugged Rika.
Eiji frowned as he looked at her.
Because Mei was so popular with boys, she'd already built up an idol-like status.
Rika was shocked that a boy would even show irritation toward Mei.
But Mei's huge breasts were already pressing on her face and almost suffocating her, so she decided to pull Mei off first and worry about the rest later.