So he was on his own here at this party. Feeling out of place wasn’t a new feeling for Kouji. The boy was used to it during his younger years, not to mention it was hard to ignore how he stood out every time he walked into the school. Though this time felt a bit different.

Perhaps it was because of the context. This is a formal event, which is different than the more casual days of going to class. Everyone here was pretty tense, both from the grade, and the social pressures. He wasn’t sure on where to go, or who to talk to. There were a lot of fine young ladies around here, but flirting certainly was not on his mind.

No, he should be focusing on finding some of the other girls, so that he could at least not have to worry on if they’d do well. But where were any of them? How was he going to find them in the sea of people in this room?

Sure, there were less students here than a traditional school, but this room still felt rather packed from the dozens of people here. Perhaps even over 200 given all the staff and graders.

“Oof.” He had been working his way through the crowd. Not an easy task, especially when he ran into a girl much smaller than him. “Sorry about that.” He apologized to the young lady.

A young lady who was absolutely beautiful. Lately, Kouji tried his best to not think too much about the appearances of other girls. With three girls vying for his attention, now was not the time to be concerned with others. Though, it was rather difficult to ignore this girl standing before him.

Her jet black hair was well combed, not a strand out of place, as it flowed down her back. Those green eyes were a sight to behold, like real emeralds. Her yellow dress sparkled in this warm light. If he were to compare her to any of the girls here, she certainly was above most in appearance.

“There you are Kouji.” She said. That puzzled him, since she didn’t seem like anyone he knew. Obviously, she knew him, but that wouldn’t be hard to tell seeing as he was the only boy here. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Yeah, that’s me.” He responded, bewildered. “And you are?”

“What? It’s me, Waa.” She answered.

Wait a second, that’s Waa? No way, this had to be some type of sick joke, he thought. Though, the only person who would even consider pulling a trick like that in this school would be her. Still, that couldn’t be right. This looked to be a complete tranformation.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Her voice showed signs of frustration. “Obviously it’s me, I’m the only one who knows that you’ve borrowed my copy of the first volume for ‘Everyone’s After me’.” It was a very popular manga, specifically for girls.

“All right, All right.” He hushed her in embarrassment. “Maybe we should be a little more quiet.” So this really was the same girl as that slob he knew. “I’m surprised this is really you. I knew that we were getting dressed up, but I never thought you could change so much.”

“I see.” He would’ve thought the compliment would make her happy. However, it seemed that she wasn’t’ in the mood to talk with him. “Anyway, I’ll see you later.”

“What?” She caught him off guard, and walked past him. “Hey, did I…” He didn’t get the chance to stop her, as she disappeared into the sea of people surrounding them. Kouji wanted to chase after her, but something stopped him.

“There are you.” Or rather, someone. That someone being Anastasia. “I was looking for you ever since this got started.”

The trend of how gorgeous these girls were continued with her. He really shouldn’t be surprised at their clothing, since they were all high end brands. The best that money could buy. With Anastasia, the effect was a little less noticeable compared to Waa or Teru. Not that those two were ugly in any sense, but rather that they didn’t care to look feminine most of the time.

“It’s nice to see you too.” He said. It looked as though he was going to have to forget about Waa for now. Hopefully, she wasn’t mad at him. “I have time to do one thing with you, but I’ll have to look for the other girls too.” Kouji made clear that he was concerned about their grades here. So the boy planned on searching for all of them to ensure they were doing what was needed.

“That is perfect with me.” She said. “I was looking for you, so that I could show off my ability to dance to the teachers.”

“Dance?” There was an open spot for dancing, of which some girls had already paired up with a partner. Well, that was one thing that people did at balls. “Sure, I can help with that.”

“Great.” She got excited and pulled him along by the arm. He had to remind her that they needed to appear proper. Something like this is highly inappropriate to do in this circumstance. Fortunately for him, she listened this time. So for once, he didn’t need to be dragged along by her. Something that had been occurring far too often with this girl.

“So, I’ve never danced before.” He told her as they entered the designated spot. “I’ll try my best, but hopefully you know a little more than I do.”

“Do not worry.” She said to him, as she took his hands. “I do not know anything either.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better!?” Maybe she should’ve rethought her choices, he thought.

They began, and were poorly out of sync. There were a number of times where he even accidentally stepped on her toes. Things were looking a bit disastrous here, and Kouji worried that this was going to hurt her grades a lot. So he took time to observe the other ladies dancing around them. A lot of attention was closely spend on their footwork, which he then tried to implement into his dance with Anastasia.

There was no holding back when he realized what to do. The boy had to take the lead, and she was more than willing to follow his footsteps.

“Ooh.” She responded when he twirled her around. “You really make me feel like a princess.”

“I wouldn’t consider myself a prince.” He replied. “But, if you’re happy, then I can be happy too.”

“That is good to hear.” She gently laid her head onto his shoulder. Kouji could smell the light scent of lavender from her hair, as she quietly spoke into his ear. “I am really happy to be here with you.”

“Anastasia…” He sensed something from her tone. “Are you…”

“Heheh.” She giggled, gently pushing him from her. “We are good friends.” The girl had her lips pinched, suppressing her smile. “And I wish you could stay longer, but you need to see the others, correct?”

“Right.” He took a good look at her. There was more he would’ve liked to say, but at the same time. Kouji knew he had other important priorities. Plus, thinking of her like the way he was right now. It would only lead to more problems. “I’ll see you later.”