Tonari no Kimi de Atama ga Ippai - Prologue

“Good morning!”

“Good morning. The term has just started and you’re already brimming with energy, eh?”

“I’m brimming with energy because it’s a new term! You know what? We’re both second years now, so wouldn’t it be great if we were in the same class this year too?”

“That’s right. I think they’ve already put up the class distribution list, so let’s go check it out.”

(Why do I have to be in the same class with you two years in a row? I don’t want to be in your class! Ah, if there is a God, please, please let me be in a different class than them)

(Woah, it’s Kisaragi-san. Eeh, I wonder if she’s reading my thoughts right now. I know I shouldn’t believe in the supernatural and things like that, but it’s rumored all over the school… It might really be true…)

I found my name on the class distribution list posted in front of the lockers. There wasn’t anyone else in my grade who had Kisaragi as their surname, so my name was easy to find. I saw that I had several classmates who were also in the same class as me last year. Then, I headed to my designated class.

“Ah, nice! It looks like we’re in the same class 2 years in a row. Feels great man.”

“Hah? Who the hell cares about stuff like that.”

(Thank God. I don’t know what I’d do if we were separated into different classes, and it’s been tormenting me since spring break, but it looks like my worries were unfounded. I’ll be in your care this year too, man.)

(Kisaragi-san is as beautiful as ever today… There are lots of rumors about her, and she kind of has this unapproachable air to her, but that’s another good point of hers!)

(I don’t know anyone in this class at all… I’m sure everyone’s already in groups with their friends, and it’s probably going to be difficult to make new friends. I guess I’ll just have to go to the other classes during breaks and such.)

(I’m in the same class as my longtime crush! I’m really happy, so I’m going to work really hard this year!)

When I opened the door to the classroom, everyone inside turned around and looked at me. But, shortly after, they all looked away and went back to what they were doing, as if they hadn’t seen anything.

(That Kisaragi-san is in the same class as me, huh.)

(So basically, she’s going to be reading our thoughts for an entire year? Wow, that sounds like a bad omen.)

(A classic beautiful girl, but she looks like she’s the embodiment of the saying that “beautiful roses have thorns”.)

Well, not all of them. One of the boys was still looking at me. His thoughts didn’t reach me, so I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I decided not to worry about it since it was a regular occurrence as I checked where my seat was on the blackboard. It looks like my seat was located behind that boy who was looking at me earlier. When I turned to look at him again, he had already turned his attention back to his book. Of course, it was only natural for him to do so. I started walking towards my seat, passing by the boy along the way.

Suddenly, my mind grew quiet. The thoughts I had been hearing from everyone were cut off, and my brain was unbelievably clear and calm. It was as if I could no longer hear anyone’s thoughts. However, I soon heard the sound of someone sighing. Right next to me, I saw the boy who had been staring at me earlier.

(I didn’t know there was such a beautiful girl in my grade. She’s not my type, but I’m sure she’s a popular person.)

The only thing that echoed in my brain was the thoughts of a single person. This person expressed their thoughts as if they knew nothing of me.

This oddity I had never experienced before disappeared the moment I got to my seat, and everything went back to normal.

It wasn’t just something I could chalk up to as a figment of my imagination, and in fact, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it changed my world. I wondered how my mind could’ve gotten so peaceful and quiet. No, I did have a vague idea on what caused it. It must’ve been the boy in front of me who was still reading his book. My sixth sense was telling me that that must be it. I wanted to check my theory as soon as possible, but it’d look suspicious if I wandered around too much, so I quickly took my seat. One could tell how excited I was just from how deeply I sighed in my seat.

Surprise and astonishment made my heart beat fast, just like the rumors I heard where one’s heart would beat fast when they fell in love, and I couldn’t help but think, “I hope no one else finds out what I’m feeling right now!”

○

Later, I found out that the name of the boy who didn’t know me was Usami Hokuto, and that his hobby was reading. Similarly, I managed to confirm that “when I’m near him, he blocks out all other thoughts except for his own”. Knowing that a mere high school boy like him was such a valuable being, I decided to approach him out of curiosity.

“Usami Hokuto-san.”

It was now after school. He was alone in the classroom, silently focused on reading as I called out to him. He slowly looked up from his book, which was called a “light novel”. It was a volume from a series he’d been reading lately. The story was about a heroine who had a certain ability and the main character who could nullify it, and how the bond between the two deepens as their adventures unfold. When I found out that this was the kind of story it was through his thoughts, my heart started beating faster, thinking that the story was just like us. Me, a person who could read the thoughts of others, and Hokuto-san, a person who nullified my ability by blocking out all other thoughts except those of his own. This was only a personal wish of mine, but I sincerely hoped that the two of us would be able to build a good relationship, just like the two in the light novel.

“…Yes?”

“I can read your thoughts.”

He was silent as he thought in his head, “What the hell is she saying?” But still, I stayed resolute and stared into his eyes. When he saw that I had no intention of leaving, he opened his mouth and spoke.

“…Well then, can you tell me what I’m thinking about starting from now?”
“Of course. I’m willing to follow along no matter how long you want to do this.”

“Alright. Well then…”

And so, he put together various different thoughts. It was quite fun to read them, and they were pretty interesting. It was hard to pinpoint what exactly was interesting about them, but at any rate, they were very interesting.

It might be short-lived, but I’ve decided to become the heroine of the story called “life”, with him as the protagonist. He may not like it, but he seems to be a kind person, so I’m sure he won’t object to it too strongly. I’m sure we’ll be just fine.