Day10

Christmas arrived. The air felt colder than usual. Coffee shops were getting more crowded than usual. Street vendors got more and more customers. Some people sought warmth from the trash cans they used as fireplaces. Looking around the streets, one would find people warming themselves however they can. Maybe I should do the same, having lost the warmth I've had in the days now gone.

The day started from a call I received from her. I arrived at the park, where she told me she’d meet me, at around 1pm. She was already there waiting for me, wearing a pink sweater underneath a light white jacket. She waved at me when she noticed me, showing a smile I’ve almost forgotten about. Seeing her smile like that again made me feel really happy and relieved, as if something really heavy inside me was lifted. I’ve began feeling what I’ve felt when I was with her before.

The day passed by quickly. It always does when one is having a great time. We started out with a walk around the park, talking about different things. Then we proceeded to the arcade, where we played a few shooting games. Miya then dragged me to a song booth there, where I was awed by her heavenly voice. I joined her in a couple of songs. After that, we watched “Yuki no Kisetsu”, a romance comedy Miya’s been dying to watch. It was a great film, we both laughed a lot at the beginning and Miya cried at the end. I was having a hard time holding back my tears, actually. Anyway, we had dinner afterwards then Miya convinced me to sneak into the school.

We went over the gate, sneaked into a window with a broken lock, and then went up to the school roof. What came next was the last thing I’d expect. Miya walked to her favorite place and I followed her. We looked at the beautiful evening view from there. Everything was lit up by the Christmas decorations and fireworks. Miya sighed deeply then spoke up.

“Did you enjoy the day, Kyosei-kun?” she asked in almost a whisper.

I turned to her, smiled, and nodded. “I enjoyed it a lot.”

“I'm glad,” she said softly. “I wanted to give you a good memory, at least. That way, it would be easier for me to do this.”

“Huh?” I wondered what she was talking about. At that time, I had an idea of what was to come. Inside me, I was sure that this was the axe I’ve been expecting the past few days. But I didn’t want to face it.

“I'm… probably in love… with Hitori.”

I was shocked at what I’ve heard. In my mind, I kept telling myself that she was going to laugh suddenly at my expression. I told myself to change it quickly as she was just joking. But looking at her distant expression kept me from evading the truth. I felt a lump in my throat as she looked straight at me.
“You’re not kidding, are you?” I asked hopefully.

She shook her head slowly in reply. I looked back to the view, which seemed to have become a depressing view. “I’ll be leaving first,” I heard her say, followed by her fading footsteps.

When I heard the door shut, my view began to blur. I sighed deeply and wiped my eyes. Turning to the door, I saw a snowflake fall in front of me.