1 A Transfer Student

Katsumi wakes up as the sun shines in the morning, he groans and leaves his room, filled with anime figures and videogames.

"Good morning!" His mom cheerfully greeted him.

"Is it time to go back to school?" Katsumi asks as he wiped his groggy dark blue eyes.

"Yes, it is."

"So eat your breakfast so you have a lot of energy for school!" His mom continued. Katsumi nods at her and goes to sit at the dining table.

"Hey, Katsumi. I really hope you have a better school year this time." His mom said

As he munches his breakfast he mumbled, "I'll try, mom."

His mother gave him a warm smile, "I'll take care of the dishes, now go wear your school uniform and go to school." His mother said as he takes the empty dishes to the sink.

"Got it, mom" Katsumi replies and goes back to his room to wear his school uniform.

He also takes his backpack and puts an Emilia and Rem keychain on his backpack.

After tidying up his uniform and readied his backpack, he goes downstairs.

"I'm going now!" He shouts.

"Take care!" His mom shouted back from the kitchen.

He leaves his house and runs to school.

Once he is near his high school, he wears his Beats headphones and plays anime music on his Spotify as he walks to the entrance of the school.

He goes in and walks into the hallway, many sounds of murmurs coming from the students are heard as Katsumi takes out his headphones.

"We're getting a transfer student?"

"Really?"

"No way!"

Those words were heard as he walks down the crowded hallway.

"Naka-san!" A voice is heard behind him.

A boy about his age, with a smile that can make anyone else smile with him waved to Katsumi.

"Yo" another person said next to Hatsuharu as he waves at Katsumi.

The other person is Miyamura Rei, Katsumi's best friend from 5th grade.

"Hello" Katsumi said.

"Come on, where's the energy in that 'hello'?" Hatsuharu said.

"It's really great that we're in the same class too."

"You guys are in class 2-1?" Katsumi said as his eyes widened in surprise.

"Yep" Rei said.

The three students arrive at Class 2-1 and sat at their designated seating.

Many students come into the classroom as well.

"Wait, is that Nakajima-san?" One of the girls said.

The girls scoffed and one of them said, "We're in the same classroom as that gloomy otaku, ugh."

Katsumi didn't care, he is already used to this by now, every time one of the girls always has to leave a hateful comment about him.

The teacher finally arrives and told the students to sit in their designated spot. "Class, today as you all know, we have a transfer student coming from the United States."

The class murmured as the teacher informed them about a transfer student.

"The United States?!"

"Miss, you can come in now," The teacher said, and the transfer student comes into the classroom and everyone, mostly the boys's eyes widened and their jaw dropped as they see a beautiful long brown haired girl with gorgeous brown eyes coming in the classroom.

"Introduce yourself" The teacher says with a warm smile.

"Hello, everyone. I am Hamano Eri, as you all know, I am from the United States. I am half-Japanese so yes, I can talk to you guys without a sweat." The transfer student said with a cheerful smile.

"Woah!" All the boys except for Katsumi is amazed.

"Now, Hamano-san, please sit in your designated spot" The teacher says, and Eri goes to her designated seating, which is right next to Katsumi.

'Oh great, since she's gonna be next to me, people are gonna crowd over here then I can't breath' Katsumi's eye twitched in annoyance.

"She's sitting next to Katsumi, the gloomy otaku."

"Well, I just hope she doesn't feel down because of him"

Eri hears all of the mutters about Katsumi and she decides to ask Katsumi, "Are you actually an otaku?"

"None of your business, transfer" Katsumi replies with a monotonous voice.

"Don't call me 'transfer', call me 'Hamano-chan', okay?"Eri said.

"Okay, Hamano-san"

Katsumi didn't listen to Eri. "Well, good enough" Eri said.

'Ugh, my social energy is running low already' Katsumi said in his thoughts.

"So, are you actually an otaku?" Eri asks one more time.

"Yes, I am, are you happy now?" Katsumi finally properly replies.

"What games do you play? What animes do you like?" Eri barrages Katsumi with a ton of questions.

"Hamano-san! Please, the class is starting," The teacher said. Eri stops talking and some chuckling was heard.

'Thank you, sensei!' Katsumi said again in his thoughts with a sigh of relief.

After moments of class, lunch break is finally starting. All of the 2nd years went to the cafeteria to buy and eat lunch.

"Let's see here, I have about thirty thousand yen." Katsumi quietly murmurs to himself.

"Damn, bro, that's a lot of money," Hatsuharu says as he sees that Katsumi has thirty thousand yen (equivalent to $281.44, specifically).

"Guess I'll buy a barbecue beef combo, which is about 600 yen" Katsumi muttered.

Once he arrives at the server at the cafeteria, he orders the barbecue beef combo and once he got it, waited for Rei and Hatsuharu to finish their order and sit together.

Once Hatsuharu and Rei finished their order.

They sat together at the same table.

"So, Katsumi, you're the veteran otaku here, what are your anime recommendations in this season, O Master of the Animes," Hatsuharu asks.

Katsumi chuckles a bit and said, "I think for this season, I would recommend 'Rent-A-Girlfriend', I've already read the manga but the anime is really new. I suggest you watch it".

"Wow, you really are the master of the animes," Hatsuharu said.

"Wait you already read the manga?" Someone said behind him, Katsumi looks behind him, and he sees Eri, holding a lunch tray and smiling at him.

"Uh, yes. Is that all you need to ask cause if that's all, you can leave" Katsumi replies with a cold stare in his cold, dark blue eyes.

"So, who's your favorite girl in the series? Chizuru? Sumi? Ruka? Or Mami?" Once again, Eri barrages Katsumi with a bunch of questions.

"Hey, Hamano-san, maybe chillax on the questions?" Hatsuharu said.

"Oh, sorry. I just can't stop myself from getting excited that someone has read the manga" Eri calmed herself down.

"Wait, you read manga?" Hatsuharu asks. "Yes, and I love anime!" Eri exclaimed.

"Why is the transfer student meddling with the three otakus?" One of the girls said.

"I don't know but don't meddle with them too," A girl said. "Yeah, we know, Takada-chan."

"So, Nakajima-kun, what animes have you watched?" Eri asks.

"He watches too much anime" Hatsuharu replies to Eri for Katsumi.

"But his favorite anime is Re: Zero though".

"I can see that because I saw your bag having an Emilia and Rem keychain," Eri said.

On the other hand, Rei, who has been quiet this entire time. He's texting Katsumi and Katsumi is also texting him. They're not even talking at this point.

"So, are you ready to climb up the ranks in Valorant?" Katsumi texts.

"Sure, bro!" Rei texts back.

As Eri and Hatsuharu chat about anime, Katsumi and Rei are just quietly texting each other. Lunch break is finally over as the bell rings and all the 2nd years went back to their classrooms.

The rest of school has passed and the teacher dismissed everyone but she called Katsumi for a favor. "So, as you know, this transfer student is from the United States. Well, she doesn't have an apartment or a place to live yet." The teacher said.

"Huh?!" Katsumi's jaw dropped.

"Yes, and I only know that you have a big enough place since your house is huge," The teacher said.

'I wish my mom didn't let my teacher in my house that one time' Katsumi thought.

"So please, I beg you, give her a place to live at your place." The teacher pleaded.

"I'll give you a bump on your grades" The teacher bribes Katsumi.

"Okay, I will" Katsumi immediately said.

"Thank you!" The teacher said.

"So you heard, huh?" Eri said as Katsumi leaves the classroom.

"Yeah, why don't you have a place to live?" Katsumi said.

"Well, It was a sudden transfer so my parents didn't get to rent me a place to live" Eri replied but her cheerful tone was gone, which made Katsumi worry.

"Okay, I'll let you live at my place, only if you follow the rules," Katsumi said.

"Sure" Naozumi replied.

"Okay, I only have one rule, just don't come in my room without permission," Katsumi said.

"Easy" Eri boasted.

"Okay, let's go," Katsumi said.

As they both walk together outside of school, going to Katsumi's house under the warm evening sky.

"I'm home!" Katsumi shouts as he goes into the house.

"Welcome home, Onii-chan." Katsumi's little sister grunted.

"Oh, you finally talked to me, my little sister" Katsumi said as he takes off his shoes.

"Hmph, as if! I'm just here because mom told me to welcome you back" His little sister scoffed.

"Please excuse my intrusion!" Eri said while bowing down.

"Mom! Onii-chan brought a girl home!" His little sister shouts as she sees a girl behind Katsumi and Katsumi gets flustered and said, "Oi, Izumi!".

"Huh, really?!" His mom shouts back and rushed downstairs.

"Welcome, Katsumi's friend!" His mom said.

"Or should I say, 'girlfriend'?" She muttered quietly.

"Oi, Mom! I heard you, and no, we are not" Katsumi said.

"Also, mom, I have to talk to you about something" Katsumi continued.

"Hamano-cha, I mean, Hamano-san, make yourself at home," Katsumi said to Eri and she nods.

Then, Katsumi and his mom talked about Eri and how she doesn't have somewhere to live.

"Ah, I see." His mom said.

"Well, she can stay in the room next to yours. That room is cleaned and is only used for guests anyway" His mom continued.

"Thank you, mom," Katsumi said.

'Free points, baby! WHOOOOO!' Katsumi thought and partied inside his mind.

Katsumi goes back to where Eri is and he sees Eri and Izumi talking.

"So, what do you like about Onii-chan?" Izumi asks.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Eri replies, not knowing what Izumi was talking about.

"Hey, whatcha guys talking about?" Katsumi pops in.

"None of your business, Onii-chan," Izumi said.

"Well anyway, Eri, you can stay, I talked to my mom," Katsumi said.

"Alright," Eri said.

Katsumi goes upstairs to his room, as he enters his room, he turns on his gaming pc and sat on his gaming chair. "Rei, get in Valorant" Katsumi texts Rei on Discord, and Rei gets on and they both played Valorant.

His mom came into his room to give him his dinner, "Thank you, mom" and his mom smiled. "He's in there," his mom said to Eri.

Eri comes into his room and sees Katsumi focusing on his game. She gets closer and she sees the game that he's playing, which is Valorant.

'He also plays Valorant?' Eri thought.

"Check that corner," Eri said with her instinct.

In the call, "Was that a girl just now?" Rei said. "Huh?" Katsumi said and looked behind him and as he looked on his side, he sees Eri, really close to his face.

"EHHH?!" He yelled.

"Kya!" Eri flinched due to how loud that yell was and distanced herself.

As the yell is heard even from downstairs, the mom chuckled.

"W-w-w-why are you here?" Katsumi stutters as his cheeks turn red.

"I was helping you!" Eri said.

"Well, I don't need your help. I can do it myself! Now you can leave" Katsumi said while pushing her away.

"Okay but if you need help in the gam-".

"Okay, got it but I don't need help" Katsumi interrupted Eri.

He closes the door, all flustered.

'Wait, why am I getting flustered?' Katsumi thought to himself then he goes back to his pc and played more Valorant until he is tired.

He slept on his computer desk, with the gaming pc on. Eri opens his room's door to check on him because his mom told her. She sees that Katsumi is sleeping on the computer desk, plus his computer is on. She walks over to his computer desk and turned off his pc. She drags the soundly slept Katsumi to his bed and puts the blanket on him and left his room and went to her room.

The mom then checks Katsumi's room and sees that Katsumi is sleeping on his bed.

"She's caring, huh?" His mom muttered.

"Even if she's not close with the person, she's still caring." His mom continued.

"That's what I call a good 'wife'" His mom said and smirked.

Then his mom also went to bed.

'Why is he despised by almost everyone in the school? He's a good person so why?' Eri thought as she laid down on her bed, all this time she was thinking why is Katsumi hated by everyone.

'Wait, why did I do that to Katsumi?' Eri continued.

As Eri finally realized what kind of things was she doing, she blushes.

'I was like being a girlfriend to him...' She thought.

'Well, I wouldn't mind if he is my boyfriend' She smiled at the thought of it then she went to sleep.