Disclaimer: tried to follow the humor in Sakamoto Desu Ga? Stupid comedy is prevalent in this fic. You have been warned.

Miho - Shrine maiden
Jinja - Shrine

'My name is Katagi Midori. I attend Gakubun Prefectural High School, and I'm from class 1-2.'

A dark green haired girl wearing the standard red sailor uniform of her high school entered her class, walking straight to the aisle two seats away from the window, taking her usual seat at the third table in the row. She placed her bag on the floor, tucking her skirt under her legs as she took a seat, adjusting her spiral glasses.

'Usually, in my old school, I would be talked about, but not here in Gakubun. That is because of…'

The door slid open, and a soft, well-mannered voice spoke. "Good morning."

The rest of the girls sighed, clapping their cheeks with their palms as their eyes followed the bespectacled black haired boy to his seat by the window. Within seconds of him taking a seat, girls swarmed around his table, vying for his attention, while the rest of the guys scowled at the back, plotting for his demise.

He is Sakamoto, the most stylish guy in the entire school. Because of that, not only is everyone in class smitten by him, so is the rest of the school.

'Thanks to Sakamoto's presence, no one spares me a second gaze,' Midori thought triumphantly to herself, adjusting her spiral glasses yet again.

The rest of the day went by, and soon, it was time to go home. The rest of the school milled out, heading towards the central area. She lagged behind, and slipped past everyone, taking a road at the back of the school. After a short walk, she entered the shrine of the city – the Midori Jinja.

'The second reason why nobody notices me is because…'

She slipped into her room, placing her bag down. Then she quickly got changed, replacing her skirt with long, red trousers, and pulling a white kimono jacket over her top. She pulled at the two red ribbons holding her braids in place, letting her green curls loose while fastening the ribbons at the top of her head. She run her left hand across her forehead, smoothening her bangs, while her other hand took off her spiral glasses, revealing red eyes.

She heard footsteps, indicating that worshippers and tourists alike have arrived to pay their visits to their shrine. She quickly exited her room, making her way to their front of the shrine to resume her daily duties as the shrine maiden of Midori Jinja.

'There is only one shrine in this city, and the shrine maiden is always named Midori. Midori Miho – the shrine maiden of Midori Jinja. To avoid standing out and being recognised in school and get made fun of, I wear a disguise to school.'

She smiled, bowing at the worshippers as they handed her their wooden plagues with prayers written on it, turning to hang them up.

'My current life is perfect – a quiet, unnoticed girl in school during the day, a shrine maiden taking care of the shrine and its visitors after school, and doing my work in the evening.'

The sun began to set and the last visitor left, holding on to their purchased Omamori good luck charm. She placed her broom aside, retiring to her room for the day, and picking up her workbook.

'Nothing can change that…

Or so I thought.'

- X -

"Hey, Katagi-chan!"

Midori swallowed, putting down her book and answering in a voice higher than her normal pitch. "Yes, class rep?"

The class representative, Fujita, smiled at her. "It's almost summer, so the class will be going to pay our respects at the shrine behind school! It's a really short walk, and we're going after school. Would you like to come with us?"

She felt her eyes widened behind her glasses. 'Dammit! Of course they'll go to the shrine sooner or later… No matter, I can't let them know I'm the Midori Miho!'

Controlling her voice, she replied, "No, I'm feeling rather under the weather… You guys go ahead! Leave a best wish on my behalf, haha!"

As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Midori bolted out of her seat and dashed home. No sooner did she set her bag down and hastily pull on her Miho attire and took off her disguise, she heard chattering, indicating the arrival of her class.

She grabbed a broom, plastering a fake smile and greeting them with her normal voice, praying that no one saw through her and recognized her as their classmate.

After a while, it seemed that it was working. The class was busy writing their prayers on wooden plagues and offering their respects. She heaved a sigh of relief while hanging up some of their plagues.

Kubota, Sakamoto's close friend in class, leaned over and whispered to him. "Sakamoto-kun? Is it just me or does the shrine maiden look a bit familiar?"

Midori nearly jumped out of her skin. Forcing herself to look natural, she strained to hear Sakamoto's reply.

There was a quick flash in his eyes. Midori held her breath, pretending to be engrossed in sweeping the floor.

Sakamoto pushed his glasses up his nose. "I believe that it is just you."

Midori heaved a second sigh of relief. Just as she did so, a particularly strong gust of wind blew.

"Ah!"

One of her ribbons at the top of her head came undone, and the wind carried it away. Midori sighed, chalking it up to bad luck before resuming her duties.

Sakamoto adjusted his glasses again.

- X -

The next day, Midori went to school with her usual braids and spiral glasses, although one of her braids was missing a red ribbon. She took her seat, and when she looked up, she met Sakamoto's gaze. On reflex, her hand flew to the braid missing the ribbon.

"Midori…"

She froze. Was her cover blown?

"… Is your given name?"

"Y-Yes," she squeaked in her false voice.

"Katagi Midori." He adjusted his glasses, the lens flashing as he did so. "A very mystical name. Almost spiritual. Almost... fit for a shrine."

She swallowed.

The rest of the girls in class glowered at her. Midori couldn't care less – all she was thinking about was if Sakamoto already figured out her true identity.

Hours past, and soon, it was time for physical education. The class quickly got changed, meeting at the field.

"Alright students!" The teacher shouted. "Today we're going to play baseball! Get into your teams!"

After much shuffling, it was Midori's time to play as batter, and throwing the baseball would be Sakamoto. The bat has been broken by the resident delinquent of the class, Atsushi, and the girl were sorely disappointed as it meant they were unable to witness Sakamoto display his throwing skills.

"No worries," Sakamoto coolly replied.

No sooner did the words leave his mouth did a broom come hurtling in Midori's direction. By reflex trained after years of cleaning the shrine, she caught the broom by its handle, wielding it expertly.

"If the batter is familiar with a broom, we can substitute it easily for a bat," Sakamoto said, readying the baseball. "Is it alright with you, Katagi-san?"

The girls (and Atsushi) squealed. "Sakamoto-kun, you're so cool! Kya!"

'He knows that all shrine maidens are good with brooms! Does he know that I am –'

Engrossed by her worries, she tripped mid-game. Sakamoto was crouching in front of her in a heartbeat, asking if she's alright, and extending a hand to her.

(The girls shrieked in the background.)

"Yeah, I'm oka-"

She stopped when she saw what was in his outstretched palm. Her red ribbon that flew away yesterday!

"How-"

"On my way home from the shrine yesterday, I saw this on a branch of a tree. The wind must have carried it there." He dropped the ribbon in her hand. "Tie it properly in the future, Midori Miho."

That moment, while clutching onto her ribbon, she had an epiphany – Sakamoto knew that she was the Midori Miho all along. 'But he didn't care. The rest of the class – no, the school – wouldn't care either; I was the one over-thinking things all along.'

- X -

The next day, Midori went to class as herself – no glasses, hair undone, curls to mid back, and her two red ribbons at the top of her head. She entered class and went to her seat – there was no stares, no whispering whatsoever.

"Katagi-chan!" Fujita called. "You're on cleaning duty today!"

"Okay!" she answered.

'And that was the story of how I realized that I did not need to hide my identity as the shrine maiden, the Midori Miho, of the Midori Jinja behind Gakubun Prefectural High School here in school.'

Days passed and Midori was settling into her new routine with ease. The class did not bother much with her despite knowing her identity (which was great), and some classmates even dropped by time to time after school to help out with the shrine occasionally. It was a routine Midori did not mind at all.

One day in class, during break, the door slammed. A tall, second year blond male walked into class with big, purposeful strides. He brushed his bangs not tied in his ponytail out of his eyes, and the earring on the ear with braids tucked behind shone as the sunlight caught it. He scanned the class, his blue eyes glinted once he locked eyes with his target at the far end of the class – Sakamoto.

Some girls sitting in front of Midori squealed.

"Isn't he handsome?" the first girl gushed.

"But not as much as Sakamoto, though!" the second sighed.

Midori, being one of the only few girls in school who did not see Sakamoto's appeal other than beyond a simple remarkable classmate, could not agree with the second girl. However, the first girl's words… were something Midori found herself agreeing.

He was Hayabusa, better known as Hayabusa-senpai, the leader of the delinquents of the second years. He was curt, intimidating; but at the same time, charismatic.

A memory flashed through her head. Her looking up. Hayabusa's sharp blue eyes softening. Her eyes, glazed behind the spiral glasses she worn before the class knew her true identity.

She snapped out of her reminiscence quickly, watching the scene in front of her with interest. Sakamoto handed Hayabusa block of clay with the mold of his face on it, and upon seeing it, the girls in the class went wide, charging at the latter in hopes of grabbing the mold.

Hayabusa stared at the girls in alarm, dodging them as they lunged at him. The prettiest girl in class, Aina, even went as far to pull her arm back, throwing a punch at him.

"Senpai!" Midori called.

Just as Hayabusa looked up, Midori tossed a broom at him. The broom sailed past the heads of the rabid girls, and Hayabusa caught it expertly. Using it, he fended off the girls with ease and hurled the mold towards the entrance.

While leaving, he stepped on the clay. "Sakamoto, meet me at the riverside at two. We have unfinished business."

The girl in front of Midori shivered. "So scary."

"I thought he was pretty cool," Midori shrugged.

- X -

After school, Midori was at her shrine as usual, when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Oh," she said once she saw that her newest visitor was Hayabusa.

His eyes displayed recognition once he saw her. "You're the girl in class 1-2."

"Yes," she said, holding onto her broom with one hand while the other rested at her hip. "After school I'm the Midori Miho of this shrine."

Hayabusa walked to the front of the altar, kneeling and clasping his hands together. After a prayer, he stood up.

"I didn't peg you as the religious type," Midori commented.

"It is only right to pay respects to those no longer in the land of living," he said while dusting himself off. "Besides, that Sakamoto is no ordinary first-year. I need to be at my best."

After hearing Midori's non-committal hum of reply, his eyes darted to her. "Say, you were one of the few, if not the only girl in your class who wasn't busy trying to come at me. Why did you help me?"

"The question is, why not?" she asked, while resuming her sweeping.

"Aren't you taken aback by Sakamoto, too?"

She shook her head, her ribbons bouncing as she did so. "He is unique, and indeed remarkable. But… not my cup of tea."

(She lifted her eyes from her sweeping to glance at his face as she said that.)

Hayabusa grunted in reply, and began to head towards the exit. "Well then. I must be on my way to prepare for my match-"

"Please wait!"

He turned around to face her. She held out a red Omamori charm out to him. He looked at her imploringly.

"For good luck," she said. "To make sure your prayers get answered in time for the match. This is one of my best good luck charms; of course, I can't just get it to you, so I'll loan it to you until after your match."

He took the charm and pocketed it in his jacket's front pocket.

- X -

The last visitor left, and Midori bowed to her. The sun set, and the stars were beginning to shine, marking the start of the evening. It was her cue to light up the lights at the front of the shrine and retire to her room for the night.

Just when she finished turning on the last light, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be Hayabusa.

"Senpai…?"

He walked up to her, holding out a plastic bag. She took it from him, and opened it, revealing her red Omamori charm sitting on top of two neatly wrapped Onigiris.

Midori felt a sense of déjà vu.

She thought back to the first day of school, where she was still bumbling about the hallways with her spiral glasses and braids, unfamiliar with the compound. While trying to locate her class, she accidentally bumped into an upperclassman.

"Oof!"

The force of the collision and the mass of the upperclassman she bumped into caused her to fall backwards, landing ungracefully on the ground.

"Oi!" The bulky upperclassman shouted. "Watch where you're going! Hayabusa, did you see the nerve of this first year?"

"I'm sor-" she stammered.

"Hey," the blond male beside the upperclassman said sharply, cutting the latter off. "It's not cool to yell at a girl, much less a first year. Have you got any honor?"

He took hold of her upper arm, pulling her up to her feet while the bulky upperclassman scoffed. He scanned her for any injuries, and upon seeing her otherwise unscathed, he nodded, eyes softening.

"The first year classrooms are that side," he said, pointing to his right while handing her bag she dropped during the collision.

She looked at him, eyes glazed with gratitude.

Since then, Midori has always harbored that gratitude and a certain fondness to this mysterious Hayabusa, although their paths never crossed. Until today – and she had to thank Sakamoto for that.

"Treat this as payment for lending me your charm," he said. "It helped me during my fight."

("Along the way," Sakamoto said earlier during their fight while gently nudging Hayabusa into the cab he hailed. "I decided that you weren't the one I needed to fight. Besides," he looked at Hayabusa's jacket pocket, where a part of Midori's charm was hanging out. "… if the shrine maiden of our city's Midori Jinja – a shrine where all the sparrows flock to - considers you worthy of her blessings, you cannot be a bad person. I can't have you catch a cold if we continue this… So, I called a taxi.")

As soon as she thanked him, he turned his heel and started to make his way home.

Midori smiled, almost to herself. "Good night, Senpai."