Since Nora lived in a house that was far away from the dormitory, I needed a better way of transportation that wasn't walking. I could've taken the bus or train, but they didn't arrive until another half an hour, so I decided to ask Himeji Kazuto if I could borrow his bicycle.

Himeji was a 2nd Year and the aide of Fumio Nazuna, our dorm's manager. His most striking feature was the streak of white in his hair. I couldn't tell whether it was natural or dyed. Despite his punk looks, he was a helpful person that you could rely on.

As I went to the dorm lobby, I saw Himeji carrying a bag of rice over his shoulder. I stopped him just before he entered the dorm kitchen.

"Himeji-senpai, do you have a moment?"

"Oh, what's up kouhai? You can call me Kazu-kun y'know."

Every time I call him "Himeji", he insists that I call him "Kazu-kun", a nickname that everyone else calls him by. While I usually accept any offers to call people by their first names, for Himeji, that was impossible due to how much better his last name fit his personality.

Technically, "Himeji" was a girl's name. Considering how overbearing and clingy he was at times, it was fitting that he gets called by such a feminine name. "Kazu-kun" was just too cool for a guy like him.

"You take the bike to school, don't you?"

Every morning, I would see Himeji ride past me in a dark blue bicycle on my walk to the train station.

"Yep! It's speed and exercise wrapped up into one. Leg power, baby!"

"Is it alright if I borrow it? I need to run some errands."

"Sure, let me get it out for you."

Himeji put the sack of rice by the kitchen doorway, and signalled for me to follow him outside, where the dorm garden was. I've never been here before, but it was certainly impressive. They had a whole farm set-up.

Since it was the summer season, they were growing vegetables like cucumbers, potatoes and beetroot. Some of the 3rd Years were taking care of the field right now, but surprisingly, one of my own classmates were farming alongside them.

It was Tadokoro Yumiko, a girl from the countryside. She used to sit next to me, but Yukina swapped seats with her, around three weeks ago. Since she's a country bumpkin, Tadokoro must feel at home planting all these veggies.

"Takanori-san!"

Tadokoro, who noticed me staring at her, greeted me with a huge wave. While in class she was reserved and timid, out in the fields, she was cheerful and smiling.

We became acquaintances while we sat next to each other, as she would constantly ask me questions during English lessons due to my fluency.

"Well, you gonna keep her waiting?"

Himeji pushed my back playfully. I looked at him over my shoulder.

"Huh...?"

"That's an invitation from her to go over."

"But the bike..."

"I'll bring it over from the shed. Just go talk to your classmate. She's a good girl, that Tadokoro-chan. Ever since finding out about the garden, she's been spending a lot of time taking care of it and helping us out. It honestly puts us upperclassmen to shame."

I had no idea this side of Tadokoro existed. I knew her mainly for her natural talent in mathematics. Even if she didn't understand everything, numbers naturally came to her. She could easily rival Nora's mathematical abilities.

I headed over to Tadokoro, trying not to trample on any of the crops by accident. I could feel the tense stares of the other farmers as I entered their sacred sanctuary of root vegetables and flower beds.

"Hey, Tadokoro-san."

As I made my awkward entrance, I greeted her with a light wave. Tadokoro signalled for me to squat down next to her.

"Takanori-san, look!"

She excitedly pointed under the large leaves that coiled around the plant. I leaned in, trying to see what she was referring to. Something was glistening; hanging off the stems. It was a dark green vegetable, ripe for the taking.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

I nodded in agreement. She reached in, gently plucking the vegetable from the plant. In her hands was a large cucumber, crisply shining under the sun.

"That's impressive. Did you grow it yourself?"

"Yep! It took a lot of nurture and care, but these are perfect for picking now. You can't beat fresh cucumbers."

Tadokoro cheerfully snapped the cucumber in half. It was kind of scary, seeing such a petite girl cleanly break it in half. She must've had quite a bit of strength in her arms to be able to do that.

Presenting one half of the cucumber to me, she smiled cutely.

"Try it! I want you to have a taste of nature!"

Well, there was no reason to refuse. It smelled like summer and had a nice shade to it. Inside, it was practically leaking with moisture.

"Sure."

I took Tadokoro on her offer, and bit into it. A zing went through my head as the crunchy cucumber exploded in my mouth with a natural, sweet flavour.

You could tell it was homegrown, as it lacked the slightly bitter taste of store bought vegetables. This could probably turn someone who hates vegetables into someone who loves them.

Above all else, I could taste just how much love and care Tadokoro put into her produce. It was admirable that she could make such high quality vegetables while only being a 1st Year high school student. She should pursue a career in farming.

"This is really good... Tadokoro-san."

"I'm glad. Think of this as a thank you present."

Tadokoro finished her half of the cucumber, licking the juice on her fingers like a cat.

"For what? I didn't do anything special for you."

"Well... you were always nice to me, even though I asked you a lot of questions. You never once looked annoyed at me, and always answered my questions calmly and clearly. To be honest..."

Tadokoro looked away shyly.

"You weren't scary to talk to."

"Uh... I don't understand what you mean?"

"It's the look in your eyes. They're not scary, which made it easier to talk to you. You see... I was really nervous coming to GEN Academy. Since I come from a small farming village, no one really expected anything amazing from me. My parents were content if I inherited their vegetable producing company, so they taught me a lot about farming from a young age."

That'd explain why she could make really tasty produce.

"That's why, when I received my invitation to GEN Academy, not only were my parents surprised, but everyone in the village was as well. They were shocked that I was chosen, and everyone encouraged me to go, even though I'd never been to the big city before. Going so far away from everyone I knew... I was really scared. But not for the reasons you might think."

Tadokoro laughed derisively at herself under her breath.

"My main fear was... fitting in with everyone else. I was scared that I would be the only person from the countryside who was invited. On the run up to our entrance ceremony, I was praying everyday that I'd meet someone else at GEN who was also from the countryside, so I wouldn't feel alone. But... unfortunately, I really was the only person from the countryside. Everyone else was from the big city."

As she recalled her disappointment and fears, her voice became shaky. She hid those emotions really well, as I never noticed them, despite sitting so close to her back then.

Come to think of it, she didn't introduce herself on the first day. She was part of the half of the class that left after Yamaguchi's provocations at Sakigamiya.

"I wanted to fit in with everyone else so badly, I tried to get rid of my accent, but that didn't really work. I tried to join the popular girls in conversation, but they talked about things that didn't interest me. Slowly, we stopped hanging out with each other. I felt kind of... isolated from everyone else."

Even though she hung out in the same popular clique that Yukina did, she felt more like an outsider than a close friend. In that aspect, I related to Tadokoro. We were both outsiders due to our differing interests from everyone else.

"Then, I discovered this garden. I finally found a place where I could fit-in and flourish. I could show off my true skills to everyone else without judgment. Naturally, I stayed here for hours on end, taking care of the vegetables... because I felt accepted here, like I really did fit in. Even so... I still yearned to find a place in our class."

I could tell how much she was in her element in this garden. She looked genuinely happy. At the same time, this garden gave her the confidence to open up about her thoughts and be vulnerable without fear.

"It would be nice to fit-in, but why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because... I'm not scared to tell you these things, Takanori-san. When I sat next to you in class, I felt less nervous. When we talked, I felt like I wasn't alone. Those worries I had vanished for a little bit. It was a brief moment of peace in this intense whirlwind of a school."

Even though I could barely remember our interactions, Tadokoro had took them to heart. She genuinely appreciated every moment we spent together, even if they weren't very important.

I wouldn't call us friends, but the way she talked about me gave me the impression that she saw me as a friend, which surprised me. Considering how similar we were, I guess it was only natural.

"If I tried telling any of the girls about it... I think they'd laugh at me."

Tadokoro began drawing the kanji for "person" in the soil with her index finger. I think it was some sort of calming mechanism for her, as I've seen her write this kanji plenty of times on the palm of her hand in class.

"But you listened patiently without judging me. I don't think there's many people in the world that can do that like you do."

I had a strange urge to pat her head. Tadokoro reminded me of my little sister before she turned rotten.

"Do you consider us friends?"

"Of course. We might not be deep or anything... but we're still friends."

Tadokoro's answer made me feel like I've been blind to my surroundings. I had a friend this entire time, but didn't realise it because I was too hung up on my own personal struggles.

"Yeah. I feel the same way. You made anymore friends with the upperclassmen?"

"Mhm! Kazu-kun's been especially helpful. Shinomiya-senpai and Hashimoto-senpai too."

My eyes widened slightly as I heard that familiar name. It caught me off guard that Hashimoto also worked in this garden. I scanned my surroundings quickly to see if he was here, but it seemed like he wasn't at the moment.

Considering what type of girls Hashimoto seemed to be into, Tadokoro might be another target for his harassment. Like Shimizu, she was a shy girl that could be taken advantage of very easily.

"Do you know them too?" She asked.

"I know who Hashimoto-senpai is. What's he like?"

"Oh, he's been really nice to me! Him and Kazu-kun helped me get acquainted with everyone. He likes to take photos of my vegetables often too."

I guess he really was a photographer. Still, the way Tadokoro worded that sentence sounded like an innuendo. I did worry for her safety a little, so I left her with a warning.

"Can I offer some advice? I'd be more wary around Hashimoto-senpai. Earlier today, I saw Hashimoto-senpai harass a D Class girl who was similar to you. I don't know what his intentions were, but I'd hate to see something bad happen to you."

Tadokoro rubbed the tips of her fingers together. Particles of dirt fell to the floor.

"Don't be ridiculous, Takanori-san. He wouldn't do something like that."

With a light laugh, she stood up and patted down her dungarees.

"But it's true..."

As I muttered that, I felt a pit in my stomach. I guess I can tell Matsushita about it or something... maybe I should go see Yamamoto too. He could scare Hashimoto into not harassing Tadokoro for me.

Would he listen to reason though? I'm in E Class and he's in A Class. Though, he was walking to class with Yogen, and I know her deeper than the surface level... maybe I should talk to her?

In any case, I hoped nothing bad would happen to Tadokoro. She was a good person.

"Hey, Takanori-kun! I got the bike!"

Himeji called for me to come over. In his hands was his bicycle, painted in stunning metallic blue. He had real fashion sense.

"Ah, I gotta get going now. Thanks for the snack, it was great."

"No problem! You should come to the garden again some time, I'd love to show you more of my crops!"

"Sure. See you in class."

"See you later!"

With Tadokoro's peppy parting, I headed over to Himeji and took the bike off his hands.

"Thanks, Himeji-senpai. Do you have a helmet I can borrow?"

Safety is number one priority.

"Yep, it's right here."

He knocked on the matching blue helmet put half-haphazardly on his head.

"Also, I said you could call me Kazu-kun..."

"Is it really necessary though?"

"Everyone else calls me "Kazu-kun", why wouldn't you as well?"

I'm not a sheep... is what I would say. I held back my tongue and shrugged in response.

Himeji took off the helmet and tossed it my way. Catching it, the smell of sour sweat pierced my nose.

"This stinks..."

"Hey, that hurts!"

I strapped on the helmet reluctantly. Guess I'll take another shower when I get home.

"Thanks, again. I'll return it once I get back."

"Sure thing. Stay safe!"

Himeji waved me goodbye as I hopped on his bike and rode off to Nora's house.