"Watch out!" someone shouted.
I glanced up and saw a volleyball hurtling towards Travis’s head. Without thinking, I stepped in front of him and deflected the ball upwards.
"Hit it over here!"
I turned to see Katlyn, the one who’d yelled. As the ball descended, I spiked it back towards her. She caught it easily and walked over, grinning.
“Good hit, Y/n!”
“Thanks. Travis, are you alright?” I asked, turning my attention back to him. He stared at me for a moment, then wrapped me in a tight hug.
“Thank you! You saved my life!”
“No problem,” I replied, slightly flustered.
A notification popped up on my phone: *New path unlocked: Travis Valkrum*.
“Hey, is everything okay over here?” Garroth asked, approaching us.
I nodded. He glanced at Travis still clinging to me, a flicker of discomfort crossing his face. Travis finally pulled away, mumbling something about getting hit again before hurrying off with Aphmau. I remained with Garroth and Katlyn.
“Y/n, are you okay? That was a pretty fastball,” Garroth asked, concern etched on his face.
“Yeah, I’m fine. My hands hurt a little, though.”
“Well, you’re lucky most people can’t hit my ball without crying,” Katlyn chimed in.
“I’m tougher than most people, then.”
“Exactly! That’s why you need to join the volleyball team!” Katlyn exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
“What?”
Katlyn practically bounced with enthusiasm as she dashed off, leaving me alone with Garroth. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Oh no,” he muttered. She returned moments later, brandishing a clipboard and a pen. She thrust it towards me.
“Please, Y/n. You were able to hit my ball and serve it back to me with good hits. Please!”
“I—I don’t know, Katlyn.”
“Katlyn, calm down. She’s new, remember. She’s a freshman,” Garroth interjected.
“I know! That’s why she should!”
“Tell you what, Katlyn. I’ll think about it,” I offered tentatively.
“Alright, give me your answer before Friday. That’s when the tryouts are.”
“Okay, thank you.”
She nodded vigorously and returned to her booth. Garroth stayed beside me, taking my hand and examining the impact point on my palm. The skin was already reddening.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Garroth. It just stings a little. Nothing more.”
“If you say so. I agree with Katlyn, though. You hit that ball and protected your friend.”
“What’s special about that?”
“No one has ever hit Katlyn’s volleyball throws. They’re too scared to.”
“Well, too bad for them.”
He chuckled and waved, returning to his group. I wandered around, checking out the clubs. None of them particularly appealed to me, or they simply weren’t interesting. I stopped at the volleyball club booth, noticing Katlyn wasn’t present. I quickly signed my name on the list and left the gym, trying to figure out where my classes were.
I was searching for my English class when I bumped into someone. We both stumbled, falling to our backs. I quickly regained my footing, adjusting my backpack. As I looked up, I saw a boy with black hair and eyes, wearing the school uniform.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you. I didn’t mean to bump into you,” I apologized.
“It’s fine,” he replied.
He took my hand, and I helped him up.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks.”
He simply nodded and walked away. I shrugged and continued searching for my English class. Just as I was about to find it, the bell rang. I headed to my math class, finding an open seat in the middle row. I settled in, setting my backpack down.
‘I really need to find my locker,’ I thought. I checked the sheet of paper with the number.
‘216 on the second floor.’
‘Great,’ I groaned inwardly.
Someone sat down at the desk beside me. I glanced over and saw a girl with pink hair, a fluffy tail and matching ears. A me’fwa. Her eyes were a bright yellow. She looked adorable. The bell rang again, and the teacher burst into the room like a maniac.
“Students! Welcome to your first day in high school. Now I don’t want to do math, so talk!”
“But this is math class,” a student protested.
“Shut up, Jimmy!”
“My name’s not Jimmy.”
“I don’t care, Todd.”
I turned to the me’fwa and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Y/n.”
“Hi, Y/n~Sama. My name is Kawaii~Chan,” she chirped.
She’s so kawaii that it’s in her name!!!!!
“Nice to meet you, Kawaii~Chan.”