• Side: Toru Nakamura 

The class was buzzing in excitement, especially the girls. And I know exactly the reason why.

“Toru, there’s a new transfer student today. It’s Akio Shin!”

“Yes, you’ve repeated that the third time.”

Among all the students, only me and Mika were not excited. Partly because I have no interest. Mika, on the other hand, gritted her teeth as if someone had punched her.

“Akio Shin! As if taking my popularity wasn’t enough!!!”

Mika was on the verge of crying out loud. Eiji combs her hair with his hand in order to calm her down.

Akio Shin. He was an idol as well, and sings very well. He had good looks, a nice voice and a rigid build. Everything a girl wants from a man. I had known him since little, he was the son of a friend of my father, so we’re basically childhood friends.

The worst part of it was that he was one of the people that knew Shizuka and I were dating. Plus, he didn’t know that we had broken up.

I looked over at Shizuka, it seemed that she was looking at me though. The words were written all over her eyes, ‘control him when the time comes.’. I nodded in agreement.

I hadn’t notice that Eiji was looking back and forth between me and Shizuka. He raised his eyebrows.

“You two really are familiar with each other, huh?”

“None of your business.”

“I get it. I get it.”

“You totally do not get it.”

He mocked me in a teasing voice, and I hit him on the head as he howled in pain.

“That hurt.”

“My hand slipped.”

“Sit down, class. We have a new student joining us today!”

A boy with blonde hair and playful smile entered the classroom, earning squeals from girls and a scowl from Rei Katamura. I knew from one look that it was Akio alright. 

He wore his school uniform, which suited him very much, but thinking of it, every piece of clothing in the world suits him. He had his usual playboy smile, and emits an aura similar to Eiji, only that it was more playboy like.

Akio Shin was a playboy since the ice ages, and would continue being one until the Styx freezes over. But he was still as popular as ever, being the number one male idol and all. Whenever he breaks up with one girl, the girl takes the blame for being not good enough for him. In other words, he is a scumbag, but a good friend, nevertheless.

“My name is Akio Shin. Nice to meet you all!!!”

He winked and made a heart sign with his fingers. The boys furrowed their eyebrows and the girls’ squeals got much louder. Mika’s face turned into a somewhat scary scowl. I sighed in exasperation, I looked over at Shizuka, she was sighing as well.

He scanned the classroom and smiled broadly as he spot me.

“Toru-chi! Long time no see!”

Don’t shout, you idiot!!!!!!

“Huh? Akio knows that gloomy kid?”

“Well…the Shin family and the Nakamura family are pretty close, right?”

Finally, the teacher regained her posture and talked.

“Ara, you two know each other? Very well, Akio-kun, you may sit next to Nakamura-kun.”

“Thank you!”

He winked at the teacher, earning a blush from her and strolled towards his seat next to me, which was behind Mika. Mika threw me a scornful glare. He continued speaking in a loud voice.

“It’s so good to see you again, how are you and Shi-.”

I clamped my hands over his mouth just in time. Shizuka places her hand over her chest as she sighed in relief.

“We’ll talk about this later, all right?”

“Mnph...guah...all right.”

I retracted my hand and continued listening to the teacher. Not noticing that Eiji Haru was looking back and forth between us again.

Time flew by, and it was time for lunch. I asked Eiji to pass this slip to Shizuka. Written on it was ‘Eat lunch together in science lab 2, explain to Shin.”

She understood it immediately, and wrote an okay slip back to me. She wanted to end this matter fast, eh?

“Let’s go to the science lab.”

I whispered to Akio as girls started flocking around him, he nodded with a smile on his face.

Stop smiling, you idiot!!!!!

We walked towards the science lab and had to stop at different corners to avoid the chasing girls.

That was the charm of the number one male idol.

We arrived at the science lab a little while later, Shizuka was already waiting for us with a lunch box she had bought earlier in the canteen with her.

“You’re late.”

“Sorry, the girls were so persistent.”

She nodded, as if she understood. And she did, she had avoided men on her way here as well.

“So, are you two good?”

Akio did not understand the tension and politeness between the both of us. I dropped this on him.

“Akio, we broke up.”

“Eh?”

“Yes, we broke up.”

Shizuka intervened in our conversation, and spoke with an impatient and unpleasant voice. Akio, doesn’t look the least bit fazed.

“Ah I knew it.”

“Wait, you already knew that.”

“I knew that both of you were on the verge of breaking up. The both of you didn’t speak to each other for the last two months of middle school!”

“Ah…”

So it was that obvious, even the dense and naive Akio Shin could figure it out. He continued speaking.

“Does that mean I get a chance?”

“You could try, I’ll break your third leg.”

Shizuka stuck her fork hard into the box of food and spoke in a harsh tone. She had always looked down on Akio, so dating him would be out of the question. 

“Ouch.”

Akio fakes his pain by clutching his left leg. I smiled, it was just like the old times. 

Shizuka eats her lunch box while speaking to Akio with a harsh tone. Me teasing both of them and Shizuka would headbutt or slap me on the arm. 

Except this time, there were no physical contacts between us. Well, Akio did slap me on the back a few times. He was as tall as me, but his looks made me feel inferior to him, I acted as if I was his sandbag.

We had a blast with a few embarrassing silent moments, until the bell started to ring, we then went back to class using separate routes, as to avoid rumours going about.

It was good to have an old friend back.

.

Profile

Name: Akio Shin

Age: 16

Summary: Has a sister (will be a character in the story), blonde hair and blue eyes, typical foreigner. Family owns a link of hotels.