--- Here we are Yuki, at the start of another school year, aren’t you excited? I hear there are some new students coming into our class this year, I wonder what they’ll be like!

Yuki smiled at her best friend and tried to appear as enthusiastic as her. She was glad to see her friends again, and she hoped going back to school would take her mind off things... she hoped it would tire her out so much she wouldn’t have time to think about anything else, specially not those strange dreams she’d been having.

--- Yeah I´m excited to be going back, I hope they won´t give us as much homework as last year, though. Hey Hana, we need to hurry or we’ll be late to class!

They ran up to Yamasaki´s school gates into the set of double doors of the main building and up two sets of stairs into their new classroom. To their relief, they noticed they weren’t the last students to enter the classroom, a scruffy looking dark haired boy entered the classroom with them. Yuki didn´t recognize him from last year; he must be new, she thought. Hana and her sat with their other friends near the front and prepared for their first day of school.

Just as Yuki had thought, after the new term´s club announcements were made, Daichi, their teacher, cleared his throat one last time.

--- As I´m sure you´ll all be aware by now, this year Yamasaki High has the pleasure of welcoming two new students into our class. Please step forward and tell the class a little about you.

New students are always made to do this, its embarrassing and awkward to stand in front of a room full of strangers and talk about yourself. I don´t envy them, thought Yuki, as a pretty copper-haired girl bravely stepped forward.

--- Hi... my name Aimi, I moved here with my family from Tokyo this summer.

She smiled shyly at the class and then sat down at a desk near Hana, who played with her black curls absent mindedly. Then the boy that had caught Yuki´s attention came forward. He seemed very self-assured, and as he spoke his black eyes scanned the room; when they reached Yuki´s they stopped on her face for a few seconds and then moved on, his expression becoming more serious.

--- Hello, my name is Haru, I haven´t come from very far, I used to go to Kawazaki High School, a couple of streets away.

He hung his back-pack on his shoulder and sat near the back of the room. Hana sighed and arched her eyebrows at Yuki, it looked like Haru would be getting a lot of attention from his female classmates. He had straight black scruffy hair and big dark eyes, features which on their own wouldn’t have stood out, but there was something about the overall aspect of his face which made him very attractive. Yuki however, felt no interest in this new boy: his serious and collected expression made him seem like someone who liked to keep to himself, and there had been a flicker of disdain in his eyes as he looked around the room, which along with his confident air made Yuki think he might be rather arrogant.

That was something she often did when meeting new people, which she was aware wasn’t necessarily a good habit. Judging people on first appearances could often lead to her making false ideas about them... she'd give this boy a chance, he probably wasn't arrogant at all.

The day seemed to go by slowly, when lunchtime finally came, Yuki felt relieved to be getting a break from lessons... she couldn't seem to concentrate properly on what the teacher was saying and kept having to ask Hana for help.

--- Yuki, you keep spacing out, what's wrong? You kept staring at that new boy in maths... ahhh, I see, you like him, don't you? That's why you seem so out of it today!

--- No!! Of course not, I hardly even know him... and I didn't realise I kept staring at him... how embarrassing, I wonder if he noticed! Oh well, Hana, can we eat in the grass area by the tennis courts? I feel I've been stuck inside this classroom for too long!

--- Ha, typical, you can't stand being inside for too long, can you... I bet you spent most of your holidays outdoors. Sure, I'll just go get my lunch from the lockers, I'll meet you out there in a minute.

Yuki smiled at her friend and went ahead, wondering why she'd been staring at Haru absentmindedly... there was something familiar about him, yet she couldn't quite place what it was. Trying to think about something else, she walked past the girls toilets and stepped outside. The sun was shining brightly, yet there was a nice breeze blowing her way. She stood there a minute, watching other students play in the tennis courts, and was beginning to daydream, when some steps behind brought her back to reality.

--- Sorry to startle you, you looked like you were deep in thought there. My name is Haru, I'm in class 14 too. What's your name?

--- Oh, it's okay, I was just daydreaming. Yeah, you're one of the new students, I remember you from this morning. My name is Yuki. Erm... I know it sounds strange, but ever since I saw you this morning I've felt like I know you from somewhere... have we met before?

Just as she said this, she thought she saw a strong emotion flash accross the boy's eyes, but it was so sudden and brief that she couldn't quite grasp what it was. Haru looked at her intensely before answering, and he seemed about to say something, but stopped at the sound of steps approaching. Hana had come to meet Yuki. Haru saw her and smiled at Yuki:

--- I'm sure we haven't, maybe you've just been dreaming... I mean daydreaming again. Well, I have to get going, I want to get to the cafeteria before all the good food is gone. Bye!

Yet somehow she got the feeling that Haru had been about to say something else before her friend came... what had he been trying to tell her?

--- I'm sorry, did I just interrupt you two? What were you talking about, anyway?

--- Nothing much... I just wondered if we'd met somewhere before, he seems strangely familiar. Well, shall we go have lunch? I'm starving!

Hana and Yuki sat by their usual spot under the oak tree next to the pond. The rest of lunch passed quickly, Yuki let her friend do all the talking, her mind was miles away.

The following lessons were Moral studies and English. Yuki loved English, so she managed to pay more attention to her teacher there; it helped take her mind off her strange thoughts.

Finally, by the time the end-of-school bell rang, her thoughts had wandered far from the new boy. She felt cheerful while she walked home with Hana and Akane and Tomoyo, two other close friends.