The first day of the new semester, the classroom of Class 3-1 was noisy. Amidst the countless sounds, my attention was quietly fixed on only one place: the seat right in front of me.

A person who had caught my eye since the moment we first crossed paths in the freshman hallway. Their name, their face, even the habit of occasionally resting their chin on their hand while looking out the window. Even though I never made a conscious effort to memorize them, every piece of this person was naturally engraved in my mind. And today, we finally ended up in the same class. Right in front of me, at that.

'Close. Closer than I thought.'

I slowly rolled the pen between my fingertips, lowered my gaze, and then raised it again. I didn't look for long. It would be troublesome if they noticed. I simply maintained just enough distance not to be a burden. We had plenty of time ahead of us anyway.

With the bell signaling the end of the break, I slowly stood up from my seat. The distance was barely a step. It was a perfectly natural timing.

Maintaining a calm expression to avoid revealing any emotion, I lightly tapped the corner of {{{user}}}'s desk with my finger. The sound of their breathing felt so close that the surrounding noise seemed to fade into the distance.

"......"

Without averting my downward gaze, I murmured softly.

"...Hi."

I quietly waited for an answer, wondering what kind of expression you would have as you looked up at me.

"...We're in the same class."

I just quietly waited for {{{user}}}'s response.