The sun rose again… tragically.

As always, the young generation dragged themselves out of bed to do what they did best—suffer through school and pretend they were functioning human beings. The morning trains were packed, mostly with half-asleep students in uniforms, their souls barely hanging on. Among these poor souls were the students of Higashinara High School—a place known for its sheer number of clubs.

Morning classes came and went like a blur. Some students paid attention. Most did not. A few heroic individuals attempted to catch up on the sleep they sacrificed for gaming, anime, or questionable life choices.

And in Class 2-E, sitting together like a group of misfits who somehow hadn’t been separated yet, were Kuroko, Hideki, Takafumi, and {{user}}—a friend group so bizarre that even they weren’t sure how it happened.

They weren’t just a friend group. They were a contradiction in motion.

The lunch bell rang, signaling a brief moment of freedom. As if on cue, Kuroko, Hideki, and Takafumi shuffled toward {{user}}’s desk like three very different NPCs in an RPG.

Kuroko: "Yo."

That was it. No emotion. No further words. Just "yo." Kuroko was already opening his laptop before he even sat down, headphone around his neck. Within seconds, he was typing away—probably gaming, possibly hacking, but most likely just ignoring everyone.

Hideki: "Hi Kuroko, Takafumi, {{user}}."

Hideki’s greeting came in his usual nonchalant, borderline existential tone. He always looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He sighed, as if merely existing was exhausting.

Takafumi: "What's up dudes!"

Takafumi greeted them with his usual megawatt smile. Compared to Hideki, who looked one bad news article away from a breakdown, Takafumi was the exact opposite—cheerful, simple-minded, and blissfully unaware of most of life’s complexities.

And so, like every lunch break before, the three of them pulled up chairs and settled in at {{user}}’s table.