Chapter 2- New friends

The lunch bell rang, filling the classroom with cheerful chatter as students opened their lunch boxes or headed toward the cafeteria.

Andriette quietly picked up her lunch and walked to one of the empty desks by the window.

She liked quiet places.

Sitting down, she rested her chin on one hand and looked outside.

The clear blue sky reminded her of home.

A small sigh escaped her lips.

I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing...

It had only been a few days since she arrived in Japan, yet she already missed them.

Studying abroad had always been her dream.

She had worked harder than anyone for the scholarship, and her parents had supported her decision despite worrying about sending their only daughter so far away.

She smiled faintly.

I haven't even called them yet...

Ever since arriving, she had been busy settling into her apartment and preparing for school.

I'll call them as soon as I get home today.

Just then, a voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Hello."

She blinked and turned around.

Three boys were standing beside her desk.

For a moment, she simply stared at them in surprise.

"Umm..."

She pointed at herself.

"Were you talking to me?"

The boy with round glasses smiled brightly.

"Yep."

"Oh..."

She quickly stood up.

"Hello."

A small smile appeared on her face.

"It's nice to meet you."

For a second, silence settled between them. Now what do I say...?

Her fingers tightened around her lunch box.

Please don't mess this up again...

Talking to strangers had never been easy for her especially in a new country.

She could handle difficult exams.

She could even beat up bullies if she had to.

But simple conversations? Those always made her nervous.

The boy with the glasses spoke again, breaking the silence.

"We should introduce ourselves."

He pointed to himself.

"I'm Nobita."

Then to the boy beside him.

"This is Suneo."

Finally, he pointed toward the quiet black-haired boy standing next to them.

"And you've already met Kaito this morning."

Andriette nodded with a smile.

"Yes."

Nobita smiled warmly.

"Welcome to Japan."

"Welcome," Suneo added with a small nod.

Kaito smiled as well.

"We're glad you're here."

The simple words warmed Andriette's heart more than she expected.

"Thank you very much."

She gave them a small bow.

Nobita rubbed the back of his head with an awkward laugh.

"You looked a little lonely while sitting here. So I thought we'd come say hello."

Andriette blinked.

"I... looked lonely?"

"You kind of did," Suneo admitted honestly.

She laughed softly.

"I didn't even realize."

She had only been thinking about home.

Beside her, Kaito quietly stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Would you like to be friends with us?"

Andriette looked at his hand before lifting her eyes to the three smiling faces in front of her.

She had only arrived in Japan a few days ago.

Everything was new.

Everything was unfamiliar.

She had expected it to take months before making even one friend.

Yet here they were...

Reaching out to her first.

A gentle warmth spread through her chest. A genuine smile slowly appeared on her face.

"I'd love to."

She placed her hand in Kaito's.

Nobita and Suneo smiled even wider.

Before anyone could say anything else—

Ring!

The lunch bell echoed through the classroom.

"Looks like lunch break is over," Nobita said with a smile.

"We'll talk again later."

"See you," Kaito said.

"See you," Suneo added.

"See you," Andriette replied with a small wave.

As the three boys returned to their seats, she looked down at her hand for a brief moment.

A quiet smile remained on her face.

For the first time since arriving in Japan... She no longer felt alone.

The final bell rang, bringing the school day to an end.

Students quickly began packing their bags as conversations filled the classroom.

Nobita zipped up his bag before turning to Kaito.

"Kaito."

"Hm?"

"I want to introduce you to my brother, my sister, and the rest of our friends. Would you like to come with us?"

Kaito hesitated for a moment.

"I..."

Seeing his expression, Nobita smiled reassuringly.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought it'd be nice for you to meet everyone."

Kaito shook his head.

"No... It's not that."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I'm just a little nervous."

Nobita chuckled.

"There's nothing to worry about."

"They're all really nice."

Before they could leave, Suneo looked toward Andriette.

"We should invite Andriette too."

"Good idea."

The three of them walked over to her desk.

She was looking down at her phone, typing a message.

"Andriette," Nobita called.

She looked up.

"Hm?"

Suneo smiled.

"We're going to meet our other friends after school. Would you like to come with us?"

"Sure."

She smiled back.

"I'd love to."

She looked at the phone in her hand.

"But I need to make a quick phone call first. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up."

"No problem," Nobita said.

"Don't take too long."

"I won't."

The three boys left the classroom while Andriette stepped into the hallway.

She leaned against the corridor railing before calling her mother.

The call connected after only a few rings.

"Hi, Mom."

As she listened to her mother's familiar voice, the small homesickness in her heart eased.

They chatted happily for a few minutes.

While talking, Andriette casually glanced through the classroom window.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Two girls near the back of the classroom had quietly shared a goodbye kiss before quickly pulling apart.

"..."

Andriette blinked once.

Then, pretending she had seen absolutely nothing, she calmly looked away and continued walking down the hallway while finishing her phone call.

I'll just... leave them to their moment.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

After saying goodbye to her parents, she put her phone away and started looking for Nobita and the others.

It didn't take long before she spotted them standing with a larger group of students near the school entrance.

Those must be their friends.

She walked over.

Meanwhile...

Daiken, Dekisugi, Gian, Daiya, and Jaiko were waiting near the entrance.

As soon as Nobita appeared, Daiken smiled.

"There you are."

Nobita grinned.

"Brother!"

"I made two new friends today."

Daiken reached over and gently ruffled his hair.

"Already?"

"That was fast."

Nobita laughed.

"I wanted you all to meet them."

Kaito had been standing quietly behind Nobita and Suneo, almost hidden from view.

"Well?"

Daiken asked with a smile.

"Where are they?"

Nobita and Suneo stepped aside together.

"There."

For a brief moment...

Everything seemed to go quiet.

Daiken's eyes met Kaito's.

Neither of them spoke.

Neither of them looked away.

It only lasted a few seconds... Yet somehow, it felt longer.

Neither of them understood why.

They had never met before.

So why did it suddenly feel like the world around them had disappeared?

"Kaito?"

A familiar voice broke the silence.

Both boys blinked at the same time.

The moment ended.

Andriette had finally reached them.

She leaned slightly toward Nobita and whispered, "Did I... interrupt something?"

Nobita looked from Daiken... to Kaito... then back again.

"...Maybe."

Andriette tilted her head.

"Huh?"

He scratched his cheek.

"I'm... actually not sure either."

She looked even more confused.

"...Okay?"

Suneo laughed quietly.

Nobita clapped his hands once.

"Anyway!"

"Let me introduce everyone."

He pointed toward Kaito first.

"This is Kaito Tanaka."

Then toward Andriette.

"And this is Andriette Maylor."

"They're both new students."

"Today was their first day at our school."

The group smiled warmly.

"Nice to meet you."

"Welcome!"

"It's great to meet you both."

Kaito and Andriette bowed politely.

"It's nice to meet everyone."

Daiya suddenly clapped excitedly.

"Yay!"

"Now our group has two more members!"

Andriette blinked.

"Huh?"

"But..."

Before she could finish, Daiya clasped both hands together and looked at them with sparkling puppy eyes.

"I like you both already. Please join our group!"

Kaito smiled awkwardly.

"But... we've only just met."

Daiken smiled gently.

"You don't have to decide right away."

"But if you'd like to..."

"We'd be happy to have you."

Kaito glanced at Andriette.

She smiled back.

After a moment, they both nodded.

"We'd love to."

"Thank you."

Daiya pumped her fist into the air.

"Yay!"

"Now there are four girls in our group!"

Daiken chuckled and gently patted her head.

"You've already started counting?"

"Of course!"

Andriette looked around in confusion.

"Four?"

"I only see three... including me."

Nobita looked around as well.

"Oh."

"You're right."

"Where's Shizuka?"

Just then—

"I'm here, Nobita."

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***