A groupings huh. That's a great opportunity. If we're on the same group, Eli-chan wouldn't be able to escape from me.

But Eli-chan talking to me or ignoring me is a separate matter.

I tried to talk to her this past few hours but well, she's really slippery.

I came to school earlier than usual. Fog still shrouding the city and cold breeze blowing occasionally, I waited for her to come since 0500.

I was so bored because all I can do to past time is by reading novels and manga.

Yet she didn't come.

I with my other classmates went to the flag ceremony and there I saw Eli-chan's silhouette at the Gabaldon building.

I temporarily gave up talking to her then tried again by our morning break. But she was gone again. Including lunch of course.

To summarize, I couldn't talk to her in the morning.

And now with the first subject in the afternoon, with this groupings, I will take ahold of this opportunity to try and talk to Eli-chan.

The most probable method our teacher would use to divide us is through counting. That or she will just assign a cluster of seats as a group.

But even so, Eli-chan and I will still be in the same group so I don't really need to stress on it that much.

There's also the less likely to be chosen- Fishbowl method. But it takes too much time so it's less likely to be used.

So it's either by counting or clustering.

If it's counting, then I might need to change seat so that both I and Eli-chan will be put in the same group.

The common start where teacher counts began from the front row which has two ways of starting as well— from the left or from the right. It has lower probability but some teachers choose to begin from the last row.

However, our teacher gave us thirty minutes to prepare. So we will be given with an approximately five minutes reporting time per group.

To save time, she will most likely use the former method.

And currently, she's facing the class far from the front door so she's in our left wing. Therefore, she'll probably choose to count from her right.

However, although the odds are low, I still took the rest of the ways into account.

We have three absentees who are from the first row, my row, and Eli-chan's row. Which at first, I thought to be the variable that will put me and Eli-chan into a separate group. But they didn't really have that much effect.

Now, I'm done calculating and realized that I don't really need to do anything at all.

My current position has a 50% odds of being a ‘four’ and 50% chance of being a ‘five’. Eli-chan who is only separated from me by a row also has the same probability.

And whether if it's 5 or 4, we're always on the same group regardless. Unless our teacher unusually chooses to begin counting from the last row to the front row.

“I'll start counting now. 1..... 2.... Is this seat empty?”

“Absent.”

“Then you'll be in group 3... You're in 4......”

Our teacher begins counting. And as anticipated, she started from the left wing front row.

With this, both I and Eli-chan will be in group four.

But Eli-chan might change seat. She only needed to move once and we would be in different groups.

But I will of course could adjust as well. But the teacher will notice our movement and scold us.

That's perhaps the reason why Eli-chan is still not doing anything. I can feel her behind me not doing anything acting the same as usual like an unmoving robot.

The counting goes on and as expected, I am in group four. Eli-chan still didn't move and so she's put into my group as well.

With this, I have the chance to talk to her.

“Okay. Group 1, form a circle around here. Group 2 here in the front....”

She assigns places for us to work our reports with. Group 4 is assigned to where I am currently sitting so I didn't move places at all.

My groupmates gathers one by one then we arrange our chairs into circles. I deliberately made my seat faces Eli-chan who didn't moved an inch since earlier.

I wave at her but it seems like she didn't even see me. It feels like I do not exist at all.

Our other group members are still busy so I might as well take this chance to talk to her.

“!”

The moment I stood up from my seat, and so does Eli-chan. I walk closer but even though it's subtle, she seems alerted. So she immediately made her move.

She circles around choosing the route which will prevent me from physically stopping her. She used the chair as a barrier to stop me from reaching her.

Eli-chan then comes to ma'am saying something to her.

I sit back to my seat. I didn't follow her because I am well aware of why she didn't do anything until now.

I could do the same and request the same thing to the teacher but well... of course she's prepared for that. So it will be basically meaningless.

Besides, I don't think I'll be able to change group now.

“Hello Mark-kun. Eliza told me you asked the teacher to exchange me and her so that we could be in the same group. Although it makes me happy, is it alright?”

“It's fine it's fine. You didn't come with us when Lyn treated us for lunch so I felt bad for leaving you out. I'm just trying to compensate for it with this.”

“No no no. Don't feel bad. I have no right to be treated by her anyway. I wasn't there to help after all. Besides, you know that I dislike socializing.”

“Well you didn't help but it's not bad to be friends with other people other than me you know.”

“But... I...”

“Fufufu... I understand Jeremy. I'm just really suggesting it because it could help you greatly. But of course, it's just my opinion.”

“I appreciate it Mark-kun. But, I don't really think I will be able to become friends with anyone else.”

“Fufufufu. Don't conclude things too early. Who knows whether you'll meet somebody that could eventually be your friend. There's no absolute end anyway.”

“Right. But I think death is an absolute end, Mark-kun.”

Why are you so negative?

“Who knows Jeremy. We know nothing what's beyond death. Or even if there is really one. All we know is that we can't interact again to those that left us through dying.”

“That's why I'm glad you wasn't harmed. I just hope I was there. I would have beaten up those bastards!”

“Thank you very much. But I am not that weak. And we should focus first on our task at hand.”