I can’t believe it is already Friday, as the entire week is a whirlwind of experiments and late-night preparations. Both of us have spent the entire week working on our chemistry project, trying to get as much information while balancing our other responsibilities. Now, as I sit at my desk, nervously tapping my pencil, I stare at the assembled presentation from last night. 

I could hear the classroom buzz with the clatter of students, all anxiously discussing who’s waiting for their turn to present, along with others arguing about them doing a poor job on the project. I can feel the anxiety, not just because I have to present this, but also because I have to work with Koemi, out of everyone, as we are forced to navigate through this project. 

Just to add to that, because we spent the time experimenting, making sure we got as much information out of it. We didn’t have the time to polish our presentation. 

As we both sat in silence, the bell rang. As soon as it did, Mr. Tanaka stepped to the front of the room, clipboard in hand, going around the room marking down students who either didn’t finish it or had a half-baked presentation. 

“Alright, everyone,” Mr. Tanaka announced to the class, his voice cutting through the murmurs. “Today, we’ll be presenting our chemistry project. I’ll be picking groups at random, so be prepared to stand up to the class.”

The nervous energy in the room intensified. My heart pounds as I exchange a glance with Koemi, who’s also as nervous as I am. She begins to lean into me and whisper. “We can do this, Kazuki.” 

I nod, trying to steady my nerves. This isn’t just about the project—it is about proving we could work together despite us being polar opposites to each other. As Mr. Tanaka finishes marking down the names, I took a deep breath, readying myself for whatever came next. 

While Mr. Tanaka was getting ready to call the first group, the nervous energy in the room grew. As I began looking around, I could see Rina Sato, the class president, thoroughly organizing her notes, her face showing a calm determination. She spots me looking at me, so she gives me a small smile to encourage me. 

Next to her is Haruto Suzuki, the school’s star athlete, looking bored. Haruto is number one on track and field in our school, as you can tell as he reminds a lot of  Naruto, making it hard to take his scornful looks seriously. He shot me one of those, probably thinking about the next opportunity to mock me. However, his expression softens when it lands on Koemi, who is busy reviewing her notes.

Aya Fujimoto, not the daughter of the mangaka, is a girl that Koemi is cool with in the classroom, leaning over to whisper something to her. She gave Koemi a supportive pat on the shoulder before returning to her preparations. Aya is paired with Natsumi Aoki, a quiet but incredibly smart girl who often stays under the radar in this class. I think seeing Aya’s personality mixed with Natsumi makes a very effective duo. 

“Alright, class.” he announces, taking a glance at the room. “Let’s start with… Nakamura and Watanabe!” 

My heart drops. Of course, we’d be the first. I begin to stand up, Koemi following right beside me. As we continued to walk to the front of the class, I could already hear whispers from the back.

“I can’t believe they pair her with him…” One voice said.

“Koemi doesn’t deserve this. I bet he barely contributes…” Another one muttered.

Although I tried my best to ignore them. Koemi’s presence beside me doesn't look good, though. Her confidence is infectious. 

We reach the front as I begin to set up the presentation, while Koemi stands there with confidence. I took another look at my notes, my hands trembling slightly. Koemi finally steps forward with a confident grin.

  “I can handle this, Kazuki.” She whispers to me before clearing her throat. 

As she takes a breath and, to my surprise, instead of presenting the project. She begins a Rakugo—a traditional Japanese storytelling performance. My heart sank as I realized she was going off-script.

She begins to dive into an exaggerated tale, her voice shifting between different characters, her expression animated. She describes our week of working on the project as if we went sailing in the great seas looking for the piece, complete with impossible obstacles and dramatic revelations. The class is stun, but confused as their eyes are wide open as they try to hang on to each of her words. 

I stand there awkwardly, clutching on our notes, feeling the temperature of the room rises as she continues her wild story. I’m torn between her admiration but the embarrassment as she strays from the truth.

As she reaches the climax of her tale, there’s a pause— then the erupts in applause, impressed by her performance. I look around, catching the reactions and mutter comments from everyone. All of them buzzing with disbelief. When Koemi finally finishes, she takes a dramatic bow before we both return to our seats, the attention still on us. 

As I sat down, I couldn’t shake the feeling of nervousness. Despite seeing people’s positive reaction, I couldn’t believe that just happened— and I hope that it won’t backfire on us…

The last presentation is Rina and Haruto, who are wrapping their presentation. Their project is solid, well-prepared, and completely normal— everything ours wasn’t. Yet, the buzz in the room isn’t about them; but about us, or more specifically, about Koemi’s wild storytelling. 

As I sit there, staring at the small note that Mr. Tanaka placed after we finish presenting. His words sounded upset: “Kazuki and Koemi, please see me in my office after class.” I can already imagine the conversation that awaits us.

As the bell rings, snapping me out of my thoughts, but I’m still frozen, the note clutch tight in my hand. As the other students start to gather their things, Haruto and Rina make their way over to us. Haruto has this easy-going smile as he slaps me on the shoulder. “Man, Koemi is truly something else! You must be lucky to have her!” 

As I force a smile, nodding along, even though I feel anything but lucky at the moment. Koemi, on the other hand, seems unfazed, like I haven’t told her about the note. She congratulates them on their presentation, being as enthusiastic as ever. “You guys did amazing! I really like the part when you guys did the reaction!”

Rina tries to brush off her compliment, as Haruto chuckles. “Thanks. But you two stole the show.”

As they head out of the classroom, I glance over at Koemi. She is packing up, getting ready to go back to the restaurant, completely unaware of what will be coming. I pull out the note from my pocket, handing it to her. “Koemi… You need to see this.”

She takes the note from my hand, her expression shifts from curiosity to surprise as she reads Mr. Tanaka’s message. “Ah…”

“Yeah,” I reply, my voice tense. “So… How are ‘you’ going to tell him?”

Koemi frowns, but then her usual confidence returns. “Don’t worry, Kazuki. I’m sure I’ll figure something out, aren’t we?”

I wish I could share her optimism, but I can’t shake the feeling that we’re in for a tough conversation. As we walk out of the classroom, my mind races, trying to come up with something… Anything… To explain this…. This isn’t going to be easy.