I could believe it too. In the brief time while Shohei related this little story to me, I’d watched one of our other classmates go up to the new girl and try to talk to her, only to be shot down with “Could you not? I’m trying to read here.” “Well… Guess I can see how she became such a loner.” I shook my head with a sigh of laughter. “Too bad, though… She could be really cute if she were a little more friendly,” Shohei lamented. “Whatever. I just hope no one tries to mess with her.” “Eh, I’m sure she’ll be fine. She seems way too headstrong to let anyone get under her skin,” I replied. I had more important things to focus on today than some new transfer student; there was a quiz coming up next period. I pulled out my math textbook and notes from my book bag. However, before I could even start my little last-minute cram session, the bell rang, and second period began. Despite her not-so-minor personality quirks, the Hanashiro girl quickly proved to be surprisingly adept at just about everything she did. She answered every question the teacher threw at her in no time flat, and in gym class she outran the fastest kids on the track team. Yet when the other girls in class praised her accomplishments, she never once bragged or boasted; she simply gave them a cold, uncomprehending stare, as though she were judging them for finding something so trivial impressive. A few of my more daring classmates attempted to invite her to join their respective clubs or sports teams, but she rejected them all with the same curt disinterest. By all accounts, Anzu Hanashiro seemed to have no intention of making friends with anyone at school, and she spent pretty much every minute of free time between classes reading her book. Normally, you’d think people would be quick to sneer and reject a standoffish nonconformist outsider like her, but it seemed the academic and athletic prowess she displayed were enough to take her from “awkward weirdo” to “misunderstood prodigy” in most of my classmates’ heads. By the time lunch rolled around, she’d settled firmly into her niche as a quintessential example of the “lone wolf” archetype, and most were content to leave her be