Chapter 007: The Entrance of the Background Heroine

“Beep beep—beep beep—”
In the early morning, sunlight spilled across the windowsill. Struggling to open his eyes from slumber, Jiang Yu reached for the diligent alarm clock, pressed it off, and yawned as he rose from bed.
He shook his groggy head vigorously, made his way to the bathroom to wash up, and then began preparing breakfast.
He hadn’t forgotten that today was the first day of the new school term.
After putting bread into the toaster and frying eggs, while heating the milk, Jiang Yu woke up Little Mai, who was still fast asleep.
Little Mai, bleary-eyed, sat at the dining table, half asleep, finished breakfast, and promptly returned to her room to sleep again. After tidying up the dishes, Jiang Yu donned his long-unused school uniform and prepared to leave.
Before heading out, Jiang Yu paused, then left a message for Little Mai on Line, essentially telling her he’d be home late and she should take care of lunch herself, and so on…
Walking along the road to school, the swirling cherry blossoms resembled snow, yet somehow brought warmth and hope for life in the spring.
The early spring wind was still biting, carrying a chill that made Jiang Yu’s exposed skin tingle.
As Jiang Yu yawned and descended a long slope, the sound of gears and chain meshing came from behind, followed by the whir of tires on pavement. In the blink of an eye, the only person Jiang Yu could truly call a friend since entering high school appeared before him.
Jiang Yu mused inwardly: “Runya, your bicycle skills really are maxed out, huh? Newton must be rolling in his grave!”
Aki Runya, dressed in a tracksuit, turned back with a smile and said, “Yu, heading to school this early?”
“…Yeah. Runya, do you have a part-time job this early?” Jiang Yu asked, somewhat surprised at the stack of newspapers in the bike basket.
“I’m still working at the video rental store and family restaurant. I just added a morning shift.”
“Wow… That’s really diligent.”
“I’ve set myself a big goal, so I don’t have time to stand still!” Runya replied with an earnest expression.
Jiang Yu’s mouth twitched, sensing trouble ahead.
Runya continued, “So, Yu, please make sure to stay after school. I really need your help!”
With a silent sigh, Jiang Yu responded directly to his friend with a simple, “No problem.”
“Alright, see you soon. I hope we’re in the same class this year!”
“Yeah, see you.”
Watching Runya pedal away, Jiang Yu gave a wry smile and muttered, “Let’s hope it’s nothing too troublesome, Runya…”
Upon arriving at school, Jiang Yu checked the class assignment list posted near the entrance. He found his and Runya’s names under Class 2-B. As he walked to his classroom, he grumbled that Runya’s prediction had come true.
Entering the classroom, Jiang Yu looked for his seat—surprisingly, it wasn’t the second-to-last window seat!
He suppressed the urge to comment on the “main character seat” trope and sat at his place near the front, close to the podium on the left side, then took out his phone to start writing.
Not long after, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Runya.
The bespectacled boy greeted him energetically, “Hey! Yu, good morning. Looks like we really are in the same class!”
“Ah… Runya, good morning.”
After exchanging greetings, Runya didn’t mention his all-important matter, but simply returned to his seat and began scribbling away.

Jiang Yu, seeing this, felt a bit puzzled, but given his nature, he wasn’t one to dig for answers. Besides, his intuition told him this matter would be troublesome and he’d rather avoid it, or at least delay it as long as possible.
Soon, another classmate appeared—the one who played Runya’s “Friend A” in this story, perhaps also “Background Character A”—and the empty classroom was filled with their conversation.
“Yo, Runya. We’re in the same class again this year.”
“Shiyan, huh? I’m busy right now, don’t bother me.”
“Aw, come on… Are you working on the final review for winter anime? Or maybe a review of the light novels released in March?”
“Did that ages ago.”
For some reason, Runya’s voice was full of seriousness.
“Anime reviews must be done within 24 hours of the final episode airing, light novels within three days of release, games within a week. And you have to provide spoiler and non-spoiler versions, sharing useful info everyone can enjoy—that’s my mission!”
Background Character A laughed, “That’s what a famous blogger would say, alright.”
“…Alright, time to focus on my writing…” Filtering out their chatter, Jiang Yu shifted his attention to his phone.
So passed the leisure before the opening ceremony, the lengthy speeches during it, and the first lessons after. Jiang Yu spent most of the day typing on his phone—except during class, when it was less advisable to be blatant about it—so his progress slowed, but nothing of note happened.
When the end-of-day bell rang, students still immersed in holiday mode grabbed their bags to head home. Being the first day, most clubs hadn’t started up yet, so the classroom quickly emptied.
Jiang Yu blinked his dry eyes, flexed his tired wrists and fingers, and was just about to head home when a hand slapped down on his desk.
“—! Runya, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“Ah… Sorry, sorry, Yu, let’s go?”
“Go? Where to?”
“Hey—! Didn’t I book your time after school this morning?”
“…Oh, right, I vaguely remember that.”
“So let’s hurry up and go to the AV room!”
“…Sigh—alright, alright…”
Rubbing his increasingly sore brow, Jiang Yu helplessly followed Runya’s lead.
Halfway to the AV room, a calm female voice sounded behind them.
“Ah… There you are. Teacher Hasumi is looking for you, Runya. She wants you in the office right away. Oh, Yu, you’re here too.”
Unfamiliar Female Student No. 1 spoke, simply passing along the homeroom teacher’s message.
“Kaeno’s looking for me? Why?”
“She wants you to move some textbooks to the AV room. Says they’ll be used for tomorrow’s lesson.”
“Huh… So she wants me? I’m not class president or anything…”
Jiang Yu’s eyes lit up—maybe he’d found a way to escape whatever trouble was coming. He chimed in, “Isn’t it because you always hold anime screenings there without permission?”
Hmm… Looks like the protagonist’s getting pretty good at ribbing his only real-life friend.
“That’s not without permission—I always get the teacher’s approval.” Runya retorted, full of righteous indignation.
“Because you visit the office again and again and again and again, so eventually they give in to your persistence…”
“What’s wrong with sharing the excitement of great works?”
“…Anyway, shouldn’t you repay the teacher for letting you use the AV room? If you end up banned, wouldn’t that be a pain?”
Jiang Yu was still trying to persuade Runya to help the teacher, hoping to dodge whatever trouble lay ahead.
Runya sighed and said, “So… Is anyone coming to help out?”
Jiang Yu smiled, “I need to go home and take care of my sister, so…”
“No! Yu, I really need you to stay—there’s something important I have to tell you…”
“…How am I supposed to refuse when you put it like that?” Jiang Yu muttered, unable to resist.
So he replied, “Alright, alright…”
Unfamiliar Female Student No. 1 finally found her chance to speak, “Um… well…”
“Ah, you can go. I won’t ask you to help.” Runya pushed up his glasses and said.
That’s not how you find a girlfriend, Runya… Jiang Yu thought silently.
“Ah, but even if you asked, I wouldn’t agree anyway.”
“I-I see…” Runya said with an awkward laugh.
Jiang Yu raised his eyebrows, thinking the girl was pretty forthright.
“See you tomorrow,” Jiang Yu said, steering the conversation away from the previous awkward remark.
“Mm… Oh right, Runya.” Unfamiliar Female Student No. 1 suddenly remembered something, pausing as she was about to leave.
“Thanks for before,” she said seriously.
“Huh? Thanks for what?” Runya responded absentmindedly, lost in his own thoughts.
“That time during spring break, didn’t you pick up my hat? The white beret.”
“Oh~~ Did I? Sorry, I don’t remember at all.”
“Well, I thought so. It’s been a month, after all. Bye then.”
“Yeah, see you.” ×2
After a few steps, suddenly Jiang Yu saw Runya’s eyes widen, as if he’d realized something incredible.
Runya spun around, dashed forward, and intercepted the girl in one swift motion.
Leaving behind a startled Jiang Yu and a bewildered Unfamiliar Female Student No. 1.