Day21

“She’s not the girl you spent Valentine’s day with, is she?” mom whispered to me, looking at Yumi, who was sitting across the table from us.

“That was Miya,” I laughed. “This is Miharu,” I added. “She’s usually by herself on Sunday so I thought I’d ask her to spend the day with us.”

“Yumi’s my first name!” Yumi announced, raising her hand.

“How nice,” mom replied. “She’s so cute too! I never knew I raised such a flirt,” she laughed. Yumi blushed. “By the way, I’m Kaori!”

“It’s not like that between us!” I complained. “She’s even younger than I am,” I added.

“Hey! There’s nothing wrong with a guy dating a girl two years younger than he is. I wouldn’t approve it if it was the other way around though,” mom replied.

I continued trying to convince my mom that Yumi and I were just friends. I thought mom was really joking, but I kept it up nonetheless as I noticed that Yumi was amused at what she was seeing.

“Since Kyosei asked such a cute girl over, we must commemorate this day. Let’s eat somewhere good today!” mom enthusiastically announced.

“Yeeey~” Yumi cheered.

“Woo, it already feels like she’s part of the family!” mom exclaimed. “Yumi-chan, would you be my daughter?”

Yumi just giggled in reply. Seeing Yumi play along convinced me to just play along with them.

Despite announcing that we’re eating somewhere good, all of us ended up just eating at home. Mom said she wanted Yumi to try her cooking. After eating, I washed the dishes. Yumi and mom remained at the table, chatting along. When I returned after washing the dishes, mom and Yumi glared at me as if I was interrupting them. I decided to just go to my room as it seemed like they didn’t want me there. I didn’t think the two of them would get along so well so quickly. But I was happy that they did. I lay down on the bed, falling asleep by accident.

I was woken up by the sound of the door closing. I looked at the door and saw Yumi standing there.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she apologized.

I shook my head, sitting up. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t really plan on sleeping.”

“Can I join you there?” she asked, looking at my bed.

“Huh?” I wondered. “You mean sit beside me, right?”

Yumi giggled. “Of course, silly!”

“What happened to mom?” I asked as she walked to my bed.

“She said she’s feeling tired and went to bed,” she answered, sitting down on my right.

I looked at the time. It was 3:17pm. “She usually takes a nap at 4pm. Looks like you really took a lot out of her.”

“I guess,” Yumi laughed. “She’s really fun to talk to.” Yumi looked at me, “I really appreciate your inviting me here.”

“It seems mom also enjoys finally having a girl to talk to. Feel free to drop by every Sunday.” I whispered.

“Thanks,” she replied as she reached out for my pillow. She hugged my pillow, burying her face in it, “I will…”

It wasn’t long after that until Yumi fell asleep, remaining on a sitting position. I gently laid her down and just watched her, her lips formed a peaceful, contented smile. Watching her like that made me feel like an older brother. It felt as if I wanted to make her happy all the time, protecting her from anything that might hurt her. That smile she had at the moment would be all the reward I will need.

It was around 5pm when the door silently opened. Since the room was very quiet in the first place, I quickly noticed the opening of the door. Mom peeked in and saw Yumi fast asleep. I stared at her, surprised she was already awake.

Giving me a thumb-up sign, mom whispered, “Nice!” winking at me.

I stifled a laugh and woke Yumi up, telling her that her playmate’s back. When Yumi woke up, mom asked us to join her in buying the groceries. Having nothing else to do, both of us came along with her.

While we were in the supermarket, I felt as if I was walking with Yumi and her mother, instead of mine. The way they continued talking to each other made it seem that way to me. Despite her looking cheerful and happy all the time, I always thought mom was actually feeling lonely inside. After all, I’ve been spending time with her only in Sundays. During other days, she’s usually too tired to talk. Yet, even during Sundays, we don’t really have much to say. With both of them being girls, Yumi and mom probably had a lot to talk about.

The three of us eventually walked back home, each holding a bag of grocery stuff. Mom and Yumi were still chatting until something suddenly caught Yumi’s attention. Her sudden silence made my mom look at Yumi, wondering what was wrong. I turned my attention to where Yumi was looking and saw a woman, on the right across the street, holding a mobile phone against her ear, looking back at Yumi. Yumi wrapped the grocery bag around her right arm and waved to the woman with her left hand.

The woman said something to whoever she was talking to on the phone and kept it on a purse which hanged on her left shoulder. Looking at both sides for any car, the woman crossed the street to approach us.

“Kaori-nee-san, Izaki-sempai, this is my mom.” Yumi introduced as the woman stood beside her.

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Yumi’s mom bowed a bit. Turning to me, she asked, “Are you Yumi-chan’s classmate?”

I was still surprised to meet Yumi’s mom at the time, so it took a while for me to reply. “Aah, no… I’m a senior at her school,” I answered, shaking my head. “My name is Kyosei Izaki. This is my mom,” I added, gesturing to my mother, who gave Yumi’s mother a nod.

“I usually spend time with Izaki-sempai and his classmate after school,” Yumi cheerfully told her mother. “It’s why I get back home late recently.”

Yumi’s mother looked at me with a surprised look. I suddenly realized that she must have thought that Yumi didn’t have many friends, if she had any, especially among guys.

“Miharu’s a nice girl,” I said, not knowing what else to say.

“She is, isn’t she?” Yumi’s mother laughed a bit. “Thank you for taking care of her,” she bowed again.

“Well, it’s getting late and I still have to prepare dinner,” mom nudged me, subtly gesturing to Yumi.

I turned to Yumi, who seemed like she was lost in thought. She was looking at the ground; her face had a deep expression. I couldn’t make out whether she was happy or sad. I walked toward her and took the grocery bag she was carrying.

“Go home with her,” I whispered to Yumi while her mother talked to mom. “You probably have a lot to catch up on.”

She turned to me with uncertainty. Smiling, she breathed out, “I will.” She then ran towards her mother, and pulled her arm. “Let’s go home.”

Her mother smiled at her and nodded. “It looks like we’ll be going first,” she laughed, waving to us.

Mom and I happily watched them as they walked away, talking to each other. We were both very happy that they seemed to finally get along. Hopefully, they will continue to get along forever.

The two of them stopped, not far from us, and Yumi turned around. “Izaki-sempai, looks like I won’t be making much use of your offer after all,” she smiled.

I knew she was talking about my inviting her over to our house on Sundays. “That’s fine,” I smiled back.

Day20

After what happened yesterday, I thought I would spend the entire Saturday just resting and probably think about stuff. Basically, I was planning on just wasting the whole day.

I didn’t think answering the ringing phone would completely change my plan. I half expected it to be Miya who was calling, but the voice I heard was much softer than hers.

I was asked to come to the school. I would have preferred the park, but she said it made her feel uneasy going there. Upon getting close to the school entrance, I was pulled into the side by someone. I was surprised by the sudden pull, thinking I was attacked or something. But it was just Hitori.

“What the heck are you doing?” I snapped.

“She’s there!” he cried, pointing to the school entrance. “I left my chemistry book under my table and thought I’d come to take it today. But now I can’t go in!”

I turned my attention to the school entrance, looking for who he might have been talking about. But there was only one person there, Yumi. “Miharu?” I asked.

Hitori grabbed me by my shirt collar. “Wha- You know her name? How?” he asked, shaking me violently.

He talked a lot about his crush. I never thought it was Yumi who he was referring to the whole time. “I know a dark secret she has. I told her to come meet me today or I’d tell everyone.”

This made him more violent. “What the heck are you planning on doing to her?”

I thought that if I kept it up, I’d get beaten to death. So I first made sure that wouldn’t happen. I hit his arms away, making him let go of my clothes. I moved a couple steps away from him before I continued. “You wouldn’t want to know,” I smirked.

Hitori knew me too well to believe it. After I said that, he just sighed, his face told me he didn’t believe me anymore.

I really wanted to play around with his imagination. I knew I had to do something. “Let me show you then,” I whispered then walked to Yumi.

Yumi was wearing a black shirt, which enhanced the paleness of her skin, and a red plaid skirt. A brown checkered shawl was wrapped around her shoulders. I was very close before she noticed me. She tried to wave, but I quickly grabbed her hand and gently forced it down. “There’s someone watching…” I whispered to her. “Just follow my lead,” I added as I placed my right arm around her shoulder. Pulling her close, we walked away from school. Yumi was too confused to do anything else.

We were around the shopping district when I asked her to go inside a girl’s clothing store. I went to a spot Hitori, who was following us the whole time, was trying to hide in. “Now do you believe me?”

“You sick bastard,” he furiously cried. “I never knew you’re such a scumbag!”

I couldn’t take it anymore at this point and just laughed. I thought I should tell him the truth before he really got violent. “I was kidding! Miharu’s a good friend of mine.”

Hitori quickly calmed down, as expected. “So how DID you know her?” he asked again.

“I bumped into her one day and we got to talk,” I answered. “She’s also a good friend of Miya’s and she asked me to go with her to buy Miya’s gift.”

“Let me come along! Introduce me!” he begged. “Please! I’ll be your best friend.”

Of course, knowing now that she’s the one he had a crush on, I agreed. I thought it would benefit both of them since Yumi’s short on friends. Hitori followed me into the store where I asked Yumi to enter. Both of us searched for her. The store was a small one. Since we couldn’t see her, I thought she might have been trying on some dresses. I was right, of course. She walked out from a dressing room, holding about three clothes on her right arm. She returned them to the store clerk, telling him something. Afterwards, she ran towards me.

“I couldn’t find anything that suits Miya-sempai. But I got bored, so tried some on,” she smiled. She then turned to Hitori, who was behind me. “He’s the one who was following us, isn’t he?” she asked worriedly.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her question. “Well, yeah.” Patting Hitori on the shoulder, and moving him to in front of me, I introduced him. “This is Hitori. He’s my best friend… Of course, he’s nothing compared to Miya.”

Being in front of his crush, my words had no effect on Hitori. “H-hello!” he stuttered.

Yumi looked puzzled for a while then laughed. “I see. Nice to meet you, Hitori-sempai.” She paused after that. “Wait… What’s his last name?”

“Takashiro,” Hitori answered. “But I’m not fond of it, so you can call me Hitori.”

“I find it kinda cool, though. But if that’s what you want, Hitori-sempai it is,” she smiled.

Hitori was overjoyed upon hearing her words. I knew I had to stop him before he completely shows his idiotic side and told them that we should start searching for Miya’s gift.

“So it’s Rinei’s birthday… When, exactly?” Hitori asked us, while we’re strolling down the shopping district.

“Today,” I answered. “It was Miharu who told me though.”

“Izaki-sempai’s pretty mean to forget his girlfriend’s birthday,” Yumi pouted.

“I can’t help it. The topic never came up,” I complained.

“When’s YOUR birthday?” Hitori asked Yumi. “I promise I’ll always remember it.”

“May 16,” Yumi smiled. “But don’t worry yourself over me. You’re graduating before then.”

“Oh, but it’s my pleasure to celebrate such a beautiful girl’s birthday,” Hitori replied.

We were walking in such a way that Yumi was between the two of us. Upon hearing Hitori, Yumi nervously inched closer to me. Hitori kept quiet after that. At least he knew better.

It took a while before we could find a gift for Miya. We got her a white bunny beanie. We had a late lunch in a hamburger restaurant after that, around 1:30pm. Hitori paid for himself and Yumi, saying something about a senior taking care of the younger students. He got to talk a lot with Yumi. I don’t really remember what it was that they talked about since I wasn’t paying much attention in the first place. Hitori left after lunch, saying he still has to go get his book.

I asked Yumi if she knew where Miya lived, as I didn’t. Fortunately, she did.

“I asked her a few days ago since I planned to surprise her for her birthday,” she chirped.

“Well, that’s lucky,” I replied.

Yumi led me to Miya’s house afterwards. Miya’s house was a mansion compared to my house. It was at least six times bigger than mine, and this was the house alone. If I were to include her yard, and the area behind the gate surrounding her house, I’d think it was around twelve times my house. At the sight of it, I felt so embarrassed that I even showed her my home.

“Miya’s richer than I expected,” I whispered to Yumi as I stared at the place. The gift on my hand felt so worthless.

Yumi turned to me, with a questioning look. “How poor did you think Miya-sempai was?” she asked.

“Uh… You’re not surprised by the size of her house?”

“Well, it’s a little bigger than mine. But it’s pretty much what I expected.” She answered as she rang the doorbell.

I felt like a peasant after hearing her. I wondered how Miya saw me when she saw my house. She must’ve seen me as a penniless vagrant. To think that, all these time, I’ve been spending time with people way beyond my class.

“Who is it?” a female voice coming from the speaker above the doorbell asked. I quickly hid the beanie behind me.

“We’re friends of Miya-sempai!” Yumi chirped. “Is she here?”

“Miya-sama?” the voice asked.

“Hai…” I answered. Hearing her mention the word ‘–sama’ made me assume she was a maid of theirs, impressing me all the more.

“Please wait for a moment,” the voice requested.

Yumi and I both waited silently for a few minutes. Finally, the door was opened by a man wearing a red polo shirt and black slacks. He had grayish hair and mustache, which made me think that he’s Miya’s father.

“Izaki and Miharu, I presume?” he asked. The tone of his voice made me nervous.

“Hai!” Yumi chirped. “We’re here to give something to Miya-sempai.”

“Miya’s not here at the moment, and she won’t be coming back anytime soon. Perhaps some other time.” He replied.

“Then…” Yumi looked at the beanie I was holding behind me. I pulled it out and held it out to him. “Can you please give this to her when she comes back?” Yumi asked.

“Okay,” he answered as he took the beanie. “Is that all?” he asked.

Yumi and I looked at each other. Turning back to him, Yumi answered, “Yes. Thank you very much!” We both bowed down and he closed the door.

Looking up, I could see the second floor window above the wall surrounding their house. Behind the window, I saw a concerned Miya, her fist raised to her chest, looking at me. We walked away from the house, to the direction of the school.

“I wonder where Miya is,” Yumi asked, worriedly, as we walked. “It’s her birthday. Yet, she’s not with her family or with you.”

To refrain from worrying her more, I decided not to tell her what I just saw. “I’m sure she’s fine. After all, her father was at the house. Maybe she’s with her cousins or something,” I answered, reassuring her.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she sighed in relief. Turning to me, she added, “Well, it’s too bad we couldn’t get to see her. Do you want to go tomorrow?”

Considering what I just witnessed, I declined. “I wasn’t able to spend last Sunday with my mother. I want to be with her tomorrow.”

“Aah, family day, is it?” she smiled. “That’s nice,” she whispered looking back in front of her.

“Don’t you have that with your mother?” I asked, turning to her.

She shook her head. “I think my mother is afraid of being with me,” she whispered. “She must’ve felt guilty at her trying to distance me from others and wanted to leave me alone. I tried approaching her several times, but each time I did, I only made her feel more awkward.” She turned to me with a small smile. “It’s like I’m the parent, isn’t it?”

I placed my hand on her head, rubbing it. “It seems that way. You’re really more mature than you look.”

“Have you fallen in love with me a little?” she playfully asked.

“You’re only mentally mature. Miya is mature in both mind and body!” I laughed.

Yumi pouted. “Not nice!” she whined, looking down.

“So what do you do on weekends?” I asked.

“I finish homework on Saturday and go out on Sundays,” she answered, looking back in front of her.

“All by yourself?” I asked.

She nodded in reply.

“So you’re going to do your homework tomorrow instead?”

Yumi shook her head. “I had a hard time sleeping last night, so I did them then. We didn’t get much homework for next week.”

I realized what happened yesterday must still be on her mind. I tried imagining how it must’ve been like living in her shoes. She was always alone. Her mother kept her from being with other people and also left her side. She must’ve felt so lonely strolling down the streets all by herself every Sunday, surrounded by other families and groups of friends. Suddenly, I didn’t feel poor at all. Even though our house wasn’t big, mom worked very hard for us to be able to live there. I was lucky to have such a loving parent.

“Do you want to spend the day with me and my mother tomorrow?” I asked Yumi.

Yumi turned to me, surprised by my offer. “Okay,” she smiled and nodded.

Day19

The three of us met on the school roof almost every day. There were some days when Yumi wouldn’t join us, probably because of homework. The times we’ve spent together were kind of awkward for me and Yumi. With Miya talking to Yumi as if they’ve been friends for a long time, Yumi was able to get used to being with her easily. Sadly, I wasn’t able to do what Miya had been doing, so a gap between Yumi and me remained. I guess Miya knew that. She often acted as the bridge between us, asking some questions that would allow us to talk to each other for a bit. But the conversations never lasted long.

It had been like that until this afternoon. Miya was absent for the day, so I thought I would just go home after classes. During lunch time, I realized that I should let Yumi know we weren’t meeting on the school roof after classes. I tried looking around for her outside the first years’ classroom after I finished my lunch. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find her. Not feeling like asking around, I thought of just telling her after classes.

The dismissal bell rang and I proceeded to the school roof. For a moment, I thought I saw Miya in her usual spot, waiting for me. I quickly realized that it was Yumi who was standing there. Yumi turned to me shortly after I arrived.

“Miya’s absent today, so she won’t be here,” I told her.

Yumi gave me a nod in reply. I was about to turn around and leave when I heard her ask, “So, you’re going?” her eyes were fixed at me.

That question stopped me. It suddenly dawned on me that despite all the time we spent together, I never really saw Yumi as my friend. Being alone in her class all that time, my merely being with her was probably enough for her to see me as a friend. All these time, only Miya was able to really give her the friendship we both wanted for her.

I closed the door behind me, acting as if I wasn't planning to leave in the first place. “No, but I guess it’ll just be the two of us today,” I answered. I walked to her left, my usual spot.

Yumi nodded, smiled, and turned back to the scenery. “Must be pretty boring for you,” she giggled.

“Let’s see who will bore the other,” I laughed. I leaned on the railing upon reaching it. Looking at the scenery, feeling the wind blow against me, I’ve felt as if I was with Miya.

“I’m afraid that’s a competition you cannot win. You can’t possibly bore me,” she turned to me with a smile.

“Hmph, we’ll see…” I replied, still looking at the scenery. I was happy if I could entertain her even just a little. Sadly, I couldn’t come up with anything else to talk about.

“School ends in a month…” I heard her whisper. Smiling to me, she asked, “We don’t have much time left, do we.”
That thought depressed me. After Miya and I graduate, Yumi’s going to be alone again. Hopefully, she would be able to find some friends. But I was afraid that might not happen.

“Izaki-sempai, would you listen to my story?” she asked.

I turned to her, only to see a depressed Yumi. All I could do for her was to listen to her. “Of course,” I answered.

What I’ve heard after that was similar to the story Miya shared, but a little more complete.

Just like me, Yumi never had a father. Her father left her mother shortly after their marriage, when her mother was pregnant, in order to go after some other girl. Yumi’s mother resented that.

Yumi’s mother wanted to prevent her daughter from suffering the same fate. Her chosen action was to keep Yumi from talking to boys as much as possible. From primary school to early middle school, her mother scolded her whenever she was seen being friendly to a boy. Her mother soon realized that it was a mistake to do so, but it had already been too late. Every time a boy approached Yumi, Yumi felt afraid to talk to the boy, much more to become friends with him.

“I spent most of my first year in high school like that. I’ve had a few female friends in middle school, but none of them went to this school. I was convinced I was going to be alone. But there was a time when I bumped into a guy,” she laughed softly. “He was hurrying to go to the school roof after classes, for some reason. He didn’t try to become friends with me, he didn’t even try to know me. But…” she paused. “For some reason, I didn’t want to just pass by him. I didn’t want everything to end with just a touch,” her voice started to crack.

My mind told me that this wasn’t going to end well. But I felt that I should really just let her finish her story. I just listened without even turning to look at her.

“Before he could leave, I was able to summon up the strength to ask him for his name. I guess you already know his answer… After all, it was you.” She stopped to take a few breaths before continuing. “After that time, I would hide in a room, waiting for him to pass by. Then after he did, I would decide if I would follow him to the school roof. But when I was early, I always saw a girl pass by before him. I realized she must have been very special for him to come meet her every day,” she started sobbing. “B-but I couldn’t accept that. I found out I really like this guy.”

My mind was screaming at me. The girl beside me was giving me a confession of her feelings. I wondered if I should tell her I can’t accept her feelings as I already have Miya. But I was afraid of what saying that might do to her. I remained silent, hoping maybe she would say that she realized she didn’t like me after all, or something like that.

Pausing for a bit again, her voice calmed down. “There was a time when classes finished early. I found myself standing below the stairs, leading to the roof, just staring at the door. I thought that maybe I should just go up there and when the other girl arrived, I would somehow make her leave. That way, I could be alone with him.” She gave a soft, small laugh. “I was engrossed in my own selfish thoughts. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and brought me back to reality. She was very nice to me, unaware of the thoughts that were in my head earlier.” She stopped there for a while.

I wondered if it was time for me to say something. But she was the one who did. “Ne,” she called. “Do you love Miya-sempai?”

I turned to her to answer. She was leaning on the hand rail. Her eyes were blocked by the bangs of her hair, but I noticed a stream of dried tears on her cheek. There was an awkward smile on her lips, as if she was really forcing herself to smile. I had to answer. “I do…” I whispered.

“That’s good.” She turned to me with a smile, her cheeks were red and dry tears remained on them. “She’s a really nice girl…” She turned to face the scenery once more. “I wish I could become strong like her someday."

If Miya had been there with us, she would have hugged her after hearing her story. As Miya wasn’t there, I felt it was my duty to do it. I walked to her and wrapped my arms around her small body. I don’t think it would matter if she didn’t want a hug from me, nor if she even needed one. While holding her, I realized it was me who really needed a hug.

I felt her shaking arms wrap around me. “I know I don’t deserve it. I never deserved kindness from you nor from Miya-sempai. But if it’s okay… if it’s not so much to ask…” her voice shook.

“Don’t be stupid…” I whispered. “Miya and I would do anything for you.”

Her arms, wrapped around me, tightened. After a while, I heard her voice again. “Please let me continue being with you two.”

I moved my arms to my shoulder and she inched away from me. “Silly, you don’t even need to ask.” I wiped the dry tears from her cheek.

“Thank you…” she whispered.

Day18

There was a time, after getting my necklace back from Hitori, when I thought of showing it off to Miya. I cleaned the blackboard and arranged the chairs, waiting for everyone to leave. It was a few minutes after everyone was gone when I left the room. The reason I took too long was because I ended up deciding to really arrange the chairs properly. Not wanting Miya to wait too long, I started running. I took the necklace from my bag and hanged it around my neck as I ran. Quickly turning around a corner, I bumped into a girl. She fell backwards and I fell to my side. Looking at her to apologize, I felt my heart skip a beat. She was really attractive, yet she was someone I didn’t recognize. She had a short black hair; the left side of her hair was pulled back by a small hairpin with a flower-shaped design. As I pretty much recognize the face of most, if not all, the faces of the students last year, I thought she might be a freshman.

“I’m sorry!” she apologized as she struggled up. “I should have watched where was going more carefully.”

“No, it was my fault,” I said as I stood up. “I shouldn’t be running in the halls like I did,” I said, as I offered her my hand.

She looked at my hand and looked up to me. She just looked straight at my eyes for a while, as if she recognized me. Suddenly realizing what she was doing, she took my hand and pulled herself up, looking down all the while.

I picked up her bag and a couple of books she dropped. I suddenly thought of Miya and told the girl I was in a hurry and I had to go. I was about to run again but was stopped by something she said.

“Um, my name is Yumi Miharu!” she called out.

I turned to her. I noticed in an instant that she was nervous. I believe she wasn’t comfortable talking to someone older. But I admired her guts in trying. “I’m Kyosei Izaki, a third year,” I said.

She smiled a little and nodded. “I’m a first year. It was nice bumping into you,” she laughed softly.

I laughed, waved, and ran upstairs. I was sure that was the only time I would ever talk to her and quickly forgot her name. On that day, I didn’t see Miya on the rooftop. I assumed she either left after waiting for a bit or she didn’t go up there.

I was surprised to see her there on this day, in our special place, just chatting away with Miya. Miya must’ve heard the door open and turned to me, waving enthusiastically. Yumi also gave a small wave.

I didn’t recognize her immediately. I knew I saw her before, but I couldn’t recall when. I thought maybe Miya would introduce me to her since she probably didn’t know that I’ve met her before. I waved and approached them.

“It’s been a while, Izaki-sempai!” Yumi called out when I got near. Those words quickly blew my plan away.

Miya switched glances between the two of us. “Um, you know her?” she asked me, puzzled.

“Yeah, I’ve met her before. Well, actually, we more of bumped into each other,” I quickly recalled.

“Oh? I never knew that…” Miya replied, looking down, her tone filled with suspicion.

“I never did get to tell you, did I?” I was hoping I wouldn’t have to let them know I didn’t know her name.

“Ne!” Yumi called. “Do you remember my name?” she chirped. I wanted to just slam my head against the railing when she asked that.

Miya looked at me, awaiting my reply.

My mind rushed, I scanned my thoughts for any name that would seem right. “Um…”

Yumi sighed, “I guess not,” she muttered in disappointment, looking away. “Anyway, my name is Yumi. Miharu, Yumi.” She looked at me. “Please try to remember it this time,” she smiled.

I scratched the back of my head. “Ah, I’ll try to. I’m not very good with names.”

Yumi shook her head in reply. “Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Rinei-sempai. And it was nice seeing you again, Izaki-sempai,” she bowed to both of us. “I have to go home now as I have some homework to do. I hope to see you two again soon,” she said politely.

Miya and I glanced at each other for a moment and turned to her. “Ah, yes,” Miya said. “Please join us here if you feel like it.”

Yumi bowed again and left in a hurry. Though I felt that it would be nice to talk to her again in the future, I thought it would be awkward if she joined us in the school roof. I wasn’t comfortable being with a girl in the first place. Being with Miya almost every day made me used to her. But the thought that there would be another girl with us scared me.

“Well, she was a nice girl,” Miya laughed awkwardly.

I turned to Miya, hoping she wouldn’t misunderstand anything. “I should have told you about her. I guess it kinda slipped my mind,” I whispered.

Miya shook her head and looked me in the eyes. “Don’t worry,” she comforted me. “Though I was suspicious at first, the fact that you forgot her name means there’s nothing between you two,” she smiled. “Sorry I invited her without asking you first. It might be awkward for you,” she apologized, as if reading my mind.

“Why was she here in the first place? Did she just happen to go up?” I wondered.

Miya turned to look at the scenery. “Well, on my way here, I saw her looking from below the stairs, as if she wanted to go up. As a sempai, I thought it was my duty to help her, so I asked her what was wrong.” Turning to me, she added, “She told me she wanted to see what was on the roof, but was afraid she might not be allowed to, so I asked her to come with me.”

I turned to the scenery. “Oh,” I replied.

I was afraid that she might have wanted to see me. I remembered that when I left her, I went to the direction of the school roof, and thought maybe she expected to see me up here. Though afraid, I know that I was actually hoping that she really wanted to see me. She was truly attractive, so if she was really looking for me, that would be flattering.

I was ashamed of what I’ve been feeling and felt like I was betraying Miya by thinking of those things. The best thing I could do was not let Miya know I felt like that.

While watching the sun go down, Miya told me the reason she invited Yumi to join us. According to her, Yumi had been alone in her class. The only ones to talk to her once in a while were all guys. But she always had a hard time talking to them, so they too felt it hard to approach her. Yumi tried talking to the girls and making friends with them, and there were some who talked to her.

At one time, Yumi thought she made some friends. But she soon found out that even those who she thought were her friends didn't like her for some reason.

“She seems like a nice girl. And I want to be her friend,” Miya whispered, looking down all the while. “Also, she seemed to be able to talk to you well.” Miya turned to me, “I thought maybe we could help her feel more confident. Maybe give her some happy memories while we’re still in this school.”

I nodded. I felt the feelings I’ve had earlier fade away. What remained were the feelings and good intentions Miya shared with me. I, too, felt like I wanted to be her friend.

Day17

The weekend came to an end and Monday arrived. Miya acted the same way as she did when we were a couple. No, maybe she acted even closer than then. I felt happier than ever, the negativity I used to feel like waiting for the axe to fall never returned. It was as if, somehow, I really believed that Miya and I would never be apart. I knew graduation might change things between us, and probably separate us. But I have a feeling things would work out in the end.

Our classmates noticed the change again, and rumors kept on spreading. Puzzled eyes followed me around. It was unsettling for a while, but I quickly got used to it. I thought it would be harder on Miya, who kept a low profile before we first became a couple. But it turned out that she seemed to be able to handle it better than I did. The way she acted was as if she didn’t notice people talking about her, though it was obvious that she did as our classmates weren’t exactly experts in keeping things secret.

Miya and I talked about the rumors after classes, in our usual place. I asked her if the rumors bothered her even a bit. She just laughed it off.

“Let them talk. I enjoy the attention,” she proudly stated.

“Really? How come you were just ignoring them then?” I wondered.

“No, I wasn’t,” she blushed. “I was just… um…” she scratched her head, dodging my eyes.

“Just what?” I asked, now certain that she was lying.

“Okay… So I don’t like it!” she conceded. “But I’m sure it’ll die down sooner or later.” She then looked at me, her eyes flared with determination. “Our reacting against the rumors is our defeat! We must not give them that satisfaction.”

I sighed and shook my head, finding nothing to say to that. Miya always seemed to get excited over the strangest things, but this trait of hers only made me want to be with her more.

We just enjoyed the scenery for a while after that. It seemed as if Miya didn’t enjoy the silence and she asked me some things about my family, like they were like and what they do.

I told Miya everything there was to know about my mother. I saw no point in not telling her I didn’t have a father so I mentioned that as well. I’ve had so much to say that I kept on talking until it got dark. Miya just silently listened to me. I probably bored her, but she didn’t even show any hint of that. I just stopped later on and told her that it was time to go. She smiled warmly, nodded, and so we left.

Day16

I usually spend Sundays with my mother. With her being too busy six days a week, it had been difficult for us to find the time to spend together. I’ve always reminded her to take breaks every now and then as she always seemed to push herself. But every time I did, she would just smile at me, nod, and sometimes tell me to just keep doing my best so she could rest in the future.

Mom was born in a middle class family. Her parents passed away when she was still in high school. She used some of the money they left her to finish high school and saved the rest for her other needs. She had a hard time getting used to working. But she tried her best at everything. There was a time when her savings was almost depleted but her hard work brought it back up.

She met my dad while transferring companies. He helped her adjust to her new company and she felt very happy there. They both loved one another and dad decided to propose to her almost two years after meeting one another. Unfortunately, dad’s parents hated mom as they wanted dad to marry someone wealthy, being a rich family themselves. Dad persisted and still married mom, even when it was against his parents’ wishes. Because of the unhealthy relationship between mom and dad’s parents, they decided to cut her off when dad passed away, saying she brought misfortune upon their family.

It was a hard time for mother. Losing dad made her feel like she had lost everything. She continued to live lifelessly, just waiting for her time to come, until that one day, when she collapsed in her office.

I’m not so sure. But according to mom, finding out that she was pregnant to me was what brought her hope. She wanted to do everything to raise me and give me a great life. According to her, my birth brought back her determination to live.

Today was different from the usual Sundays. It was Valentine’s Day. She had been talking to me about some guy in her office who kept asking her out for this day, despite her repeatedly turning him down. But before leaving for school last Friday, I told her to accept the guy’s proposal. After all, based on what I’ve heard about the guy, he seemed like a nice guy and she seemed to like him. I closed the door after telling her that.

Because of what I did, not that I’m complaining, mom did go out with him for the day. I was ready to waste the day away by sleeping or watching TV when Miya texted me, asking me to go to church with her and meeting her parents while I’m at it. I felt like refusing. But I felt that she was going out of her way to invite me. Turning her down would be betraying her, so I accepted. She sent me another message, telling me to go to the park.

The last text message she sent me reminded me of the day she broke up with me. But the park was just near the church so I understood why she picked that place. I wasn’t sure as what would be the appropriate thing to wear when going to the church so I ended up just wearing casual.

I didn’t see Miya when I arrived at the park. There were a lot of people walking around, carrying flowers. I assume they’re waiting for their dates. I’ve thought of buying some flowers myself, but decided it would be a bad idea. After walking around for a few minutes, I sat down a park bench and just watched the people passing by. A few moments later, a bouquet of flowers blocked my path, startling me. I turned to the person holding the flowers to complain, only to find out it was Miya. She was wearing a cute pink dress.Her bangs were lifted to the side by a couple of yellow oval hair clips.

I was confused, of course. I, myself, decided against getting flowers for her since she was going to be with her parents and we were going to the church. I half-heartedly accepted the flowers, speechless.

“I’m disappointed,” Miya pouted and sat beside me. “I would really think my boyfriend would bring along flowers or chocolates on our date.”

“D-date?” I exclaimed, turning to her. “You told me we were going to the church with your parents.”

Miya examined my clothes disapprovingly. “So you thought you were going to meet my parents and you wore t-shirt and jeans?”

I felt myself flush at those words. She was right. I didn’t think of wearing something better for her parents. Suddenly, something she said sunk in. “Wait… What did you mean ‘I thought I was going to meet your parents’?”

“It was a joke,” she sighed. “Well, it surprised me and made me happy that you accepted. Sadly, it’s not going to happen today.” Rolling her right hand into a fist raising it, she continued, “Those two decided to take a parents-only date for today and left me all by myself. What? They thought little Miya’s going to just sit there like a good little girl?” I watched her expression change to a vengeful one. “I’ll show them the error of their ways… Mwahaha…” she laughed, what seemed to be a poor attempt of an evil laugh.

Though it was enjoyable to see another side to Miya, I felt weird holding a bouquet. I was certainly not going to go around the city, showing off that I had been given flowers to. “Then, I’ll just go home to-”

“Stop!” Miya cut me short, tugging my shirt. “Is my beloved also going to leave me to face this cruel day all by my lonesome?” she cried dramatically. How she could say all those embarrassing lines so naturally is beyond me.

“No, actually, I was just-” I tried to explain, though was cut short once more.

“Good! Let’s go!” she exclaimed as she stood up and pulled my arm. “I’m not going to let you go until you give me flowers or chocolates or both,” she said in a very persuading tone. Turning to me, she added, “By the way, if you’re going to give me only flowers, it has to pass my high standards and you have to pick them up yourself. If, on the other hand, you decide to give me chocolates alone, you have to make them yourself.”

“Eeh?” I complained, while feeling silly being pulled around by a girl and holding a bouquet in my other hand. “So I pretty much have no choice but to give you both?”

Stopping, she turned to me again. “Can you bake chocolates?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No…”

“Then, yes, you have to get me both.” She turned and pulled me again.

I wasn’t sure where she planned to drag me to. But she stopped when we reached a crepe store. She looked longingly at the crepe displays that I knew I had to get her some. “Which one do you want?” I asked.

Examining each one carefully and answered, “I can’t choose! How can anybody choose from all of these?” she exclaimed like a kid.

“I’ll take the cheapest one with chocolate that you have!” I called out to the shopkeeper.

“Nooo!” Miya complained. “I’ll take that one!” she pointed to a crepe with banana and strawberry toppings, covered with chocolate syrup and topped off with whipped cream.

“Fine… Switch the order to two of those, please!” I called to the shopkeeper while pointing to the same one.

“With vanilla ice cream, please!” Miya added.

“Coming up!” he replied.

After paying and taking the crepes with us, we walked away, nibbling on our snacks. “Well, you got your chocolate. Let’s go look for your flowers,” I told her.

Miya pouted and muttered, “I’ve been cheated…”

As it was very difficult to eat and hold the bouquet at the same time, I told Miya we have to take a seat somewhere. She agreed and we returned to the park. But when we arrived, the park benches were already full. Miya already finished her crepe and was staring at mine.

“Let’s drop by my house for a while to-” Before I could finish my sentence, Miya suddenly moved towards me and swallowed my ice cream, almost whole. “Waaah!” I cried.

After swallowing, Miya placed her hands together and said with a serious face, “The ice cream was melting. I didn’t want to dishonor its sacrifice.”

“I could’ve eaten it myself!” I complained.

“You were saying something about going to your house?” she asked, reverting back to her usual expression.

Giving up, I told her I have to leave the flowers in my house to free my hands. She agreed and we went on our way. Upon arriving, I removed the flowers from their wrapper and placed it in a jar. Of course, I poured some water on the jar to let the flowers live longer. I turned to Miya, just to find her peeking from outside the doorway.

“What’s the matter? Come on in!” I called.

She entered the house, saying something about it being impolite to enter a house without permission. That was the same weird person I was with earlier, right? I took a scoop of vanilla ice cream from our freezer and placed it on my crepe, before finishing it.

“I want ice cream too,” Miya whispered to my ear as I was throwing the crepe’s paper wrapper away.

“No, you already finished two scoops,” I said. “Too much ice cream will be bad for your health.”

“But one of them had almost melted,” she complained.

I placed my hand on her head. “Greedy people reap unripe fruits.”

Miya walked to the corner near the door and sat there.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Sulking…” she answered.

Her childishness really amused me. Since I’ve freed my hands, I thought it was time to continue our date. “So, where do you want to go to next?” I asked.

She stood up, and pondered. “How about we do everything we did on our last date?” she suggested. “But this time, we’ll end it right.”

Honestly, that was one suggestion I really didn’t want to follow. But not having a better idea, and knowing I had fun that day before she broke up with me, I accepted anyway.

We skipped the park and just had lunch first at a seafood restaurant near the park. We just paid for what we individually ate. After that, we moved to the arcade, where we also played a few shooting games, then to the karaoke booth, where Miya sang the theme song of “Yuki no Kisetsu”, the movie we watched before, among others.

Instead of watching a movie, Miya wanted to go window shopping, so we did. I bought some flowers while Miya was browsing inside a store and gave them to her when she went outside the store in a panic, just noticing that I was gone. She was ready to bash me with the flowers, but just hit me lightly. She looked really worried that time.

As we did before, we sneaked into the school, arriving at the rooftop at around 6:45pm. We looked at the beautiful scenery, lit up by the light of buildings, houses, and streetlights. It wasn’t as beautiful as the scenery before. But being with Miya made it breathtaking, nonetheless.

Miya sighed deeply then spoke up. “Did you enjoy the day, Kyosei-kun?” she asked in almost a whisper.

I was reminded of that dreadful day with those words. But knowing Miya, I played along. I turned to her, smiled, and nodded. “I enjoyed it a lot.”

“I'm glad...” she said softly.

Miya walked to the railing and placed her crossed arms on it. “How do we end a Valentine’s Day date?”

I walked to the spot next to her and said, “I tell you that I love you?”

Miya laughed softly. “Let’s be more original… I know!” Miya turned her head my way, “Why do you love me?”

The question caught me off-guard, but there had to be a reason. “I’m not really sure. Maybe it’s because I love talking to you and spending my time with you. Maybe it’s because you made me feel like there’s a place where I belong.” Suddenly recalling many things from the last few days, I added, “Maybe it’s just that I love everything about you.”

Miya looked disappointingly at me, “You just went back to the question.”

“Well, it’s hard to answer! How would you answer something like that?” I complained.

Miya pointed at herself. “Are you asking me why I love you?”

Suddenly, I felt as if I was being vain. After all, Miya just accepted my love for her without really saying if she loved me or not. “Well… do you?” I asked.

“Yes!” she answered without hesitation.

Her answer cheered me up. But I wasn’t going to let myself be distracted from the topic at hand. “Well, why do you love me then?”

Miya closed her eyes and faced the city view. “It’s simple. I love you because I love the me that’s with you.” She turned back to me and smiled.

Her answer was surprisingly simple. But, at the same time, it made perfect sense. Her answer left me speechless, pondering on the thought.

“Well, let’s go eat dinner. My treat!” she called me as she walked to the door.

“Okay, but I’m treating!” I replied, following her.

On the way out, both of us kept insisting on treating the other. But both of us ended up just agreeing on going dutch, as usual. We returned to the seafood restaurant since Miya enjoyed the fish. I wanted to walk Miya home, but she didn’t want to and persisted in walking me home instead. On the way home, I asked her how long it took her to think about her answer to the question earlier. She just smiled and told me she knew it from the start.

My mom was home when we arrived. She was surprised to find out that I had a girlfriend. She wanted Miya to stay in the house a bit longer, but Miya refused, saying her parents would be worried about her. After that, she left, leaving me with a Valentine’s Day I would never forget.

Day15

A new day arrived. Everything was finally back to normal, though not the same as when Miya and I were a couple. When Miya and I greeted each other this morning, I saw a puzzled Hitori looking at the two of us.

Hitori acted like a kid playing spy games for the whole day, peeking at the two of us when we talked, while hiding behind a book. Of course, I played along with him, pretending that I didn’t notice him doing what he’s been doing.

He seemed contented by what he saw after classes and didn’t tell me anything about his findings. Hopefully, he concluded that he imagined the distance between us yesterday.

I saw Miya at her usual place again. I silently closed the door behind me and went to the spot beside her as stealthily as I could. It didn’t seem to me like she noticed my entrance. “The sky seems so close, isn’t it?” I asked.

Miya seemed startled and quickly turned to me. “But even if we extend our hands as far as we could,” I continued as I extended my hand in front of me. “We can’t even come close to touching it.” I finished dramatically.

“What the heck did you eat?” Miya exclaimed while laughing.

“What? I thought it was cool!” I replied.

Miya crossed her arms and placed her right hand on her chin. “Hmm… Maybe if you had a background song. Something slow at first but will change later on.” She hummed an unfamiliar tune. “Kinda like that.”

I stared at her for a while. Turning my head to the view in front of me, I answered, “Maybe I’ll work on it.”

I heard her stifle a laugh before asking, “So, what’s up?”

I wanted to ask her how she feels about the two of us being together again, but I couldn’t find the courage to say it. “Do you want me to help pair you up with Hitori?” I asked instead, turning to her. I felt so stupid asking that, but there was no way to take back my words.

She looked at me with a concerned face before turning her head away and looking down. “That’s not necessary,” she answered. Lifting her left hand to tuck her hair behind her ears, she continued, “I’m already over him.” The wind blew her hair and her hair danced to the wind.

Hearing those words boosted my confidence a little. If I were to ask, I thought it was the best time. “So, does that mean we-”

“I can’t get back together with you,” her words cut me short. She turned to look at my eyes and looked away. “We should just stay friends.”

Her words hurt a lot. But those words only meant she didn’t love me anymore, so I didn’t want to urge her to change her mind. “Ouch, got it.” I tried to laugh, turning to the view in front of me again.

We stayed silent for a long time after that, just watching the sun sink behind the buildings. But I felt that if I didn’t say anything to make us feel better, things will become awkward again. “If there’s someone else you like, I would be happy to help you.” I told her with a shaky smile.

An upset Miya looked turned to me and turned away again. “A person like me isn’t allowed to love and be loved. I mustn’t be selfish anymore.”

Those words of hers depressed me. I realized she was still punishing herself for breaking up with me, and I can’t just let her be like that. “Then why are you being so selfish?” I asked.

“Huh?” she turned to me. “How am I selfish?”

I smiled and placed my hand on her head. “You’re carrying all the pain by yourself. If you really wanted me to be your friend, then you should share your pain with me.”

Miya crossed her arms on the railing and rested her buried her face in her arms. “You know I’m still feeling guilty about breaking up with you, right?”

“Of course,” was my reply.

“Then you should know that it was me who wavered and is at fault,” she said with a shaky voice.

“True,” I sighed. “But there were two hearts that were broken that night. Is only one allowed to cry over it?”

Miya slowly turned to me. Tears streamed down her cute face. At that moment, she looked so fragile and innocent. It was as if she was ready to shatter with just a small impact.

I reached for her head and pulled her a little. She moved along with the smallest strength and I wrapped her in my arms. “I’m not asking for permission to love you as I know I will continue to do so even if you refuse. What I’m asking is whether or not you would return the favor.”

She lifted her arms to wrap my body before whispering, “I guess I can’t escape selfishness. Then allow me to be as selfish as I want.”

I continued holding her. She was so soft that I wanted to hug her as tightly as I could, but, at the same time, so fragile that I felt like I have to hold back. When I felt a little content, I tried asking what I’ve wanted to ask for a while. “Does that mean we’re together again?”

Miya pulled her arms then pushed herself away from me. ”Huh?” she asked.

Her reaction made me nervous. Scratching my head, I asked, “I mean… Are we… I mean are you…” I couldn’t manage to finish my sentences as I looked at Miya’s angry expression.

“You think I’m your girlfriend again?” she asked.

She was smaller than me. But I felt so sheepish and small in her glare. Sighing deeply, I finally answered, “Yes! That’s what I wanted to ask.”

Her angry expression didn’t hold out and she giggled. Smiling at me, she asked, “Would you take me?”

I felt so happy and relieved that I pulled her and hugged her tightly, forgetting to hold back. I listened to her laughter as she hugged me back.

In just that afternoon… no

In just the past few days

I’ve witnessed different sides of Miya. A strong girl, who carried all her pain behind a smile; an honest girl, who revealed to me everything she went through with just a look; a distant girl, who seemed so far away with her thoughts; a cheerful girl, who I always looked forward to seeing; a confused girl, who seemed so lost; a cold girl, who seemed so different from the Miya I knew; a loving girl, who looked at me so longingly; a selfless girl, who shouldered all the pain; a depressed girl, who felt she had no right to be happy; a fragile girl, who seemed ready to shatter at any moment; a scary girl, within whose eyes I felt so weak and helpless in; and the girl I just embraced in my arms, whom I don’t want to ever let go of. Every side of her was different from the rest, yet all were fragments which complete the girl I fell in love with.

Day14

On the way home yesterday, I wore the necklace. I glanced at almost every girl I see. I saw some of them glance back at me, though they were nothing but strangers’ glances. It was a stupid thought after all… The thought of it really being a magic necklace.

I also brought along the necklace today, thinking it might help boost my confidence or something, though I kept it in my bag the whole day. Miya acted really distant from me during class hours. The way she acted was as if she hated me and was pretending I didn’t exist. Hitori also noticed it, which is strange as Hitori’s not really the observant type.

Everyone ate lunch outside today. The air was nice and Shinji, our class president, asked everyone if they wanted to eat outside together this lunch. Everyone accepted, of course. I didn’t enjoy having lunch outside, unfortunately, so I ate as quickly as I could. Hitori also finished lunch early and he followed me to the classroom. I knew something was up. So after taking my seat, I asked him what was bugging him.

Hitori slammed his hands on my table. “Something’s wrong…” he said as he glanced around the room. He tends to make useless things dramatic. His idiocy makes him fun to be with.

Deciding to play along, I leaned close to him and whispered, “So you noticed it too… I’ve been feeling it the whole day.”

“What are you talking about?” he exclaimed. His loud voice completely ruined the atmosphere he created.

“I was just messing with you,” I sighed. “So, what did you notice?”

“Miya’s acting colder than usual toward you,” he answered. “After winter break, you two acted differently. But you soon acted a little friendly with each other again. Right now, you seem invisible to her.”

I was shocked by everything he said. He was surprisingly able to notice so much for a person who seemed self-centered. “You’re imagining things,” was all I could say.

“No, there’s really something going on with you two. Tell me what it is. Wait, don’t tell me…” he paused, to make a dramatic effect. Slamming my table again, he exclaimed, “Miya’s been seeing somebody else?”

I admit, he was quite sharp, for an idiot. But I didn’t feel it was right that I pair him up with Miya. After all, I might just ruin her chances by trying. Leaving her romance up to her is the best choice. “You’re letting your little mind go too wild. That’s dangerous, you know?” I sighed again.

Crossing his arms, he gave up. “Fine, I still think something’s up though,” he said as he walked back to his seat.

Our classmates returned to the room a few minutes after the conversation, which was lucky. The commotion he made might cause rumors to spread.

Honestly, after yesterday, I thought Miya wouldn’t come to the roof for a few days. But when I arrived, there she was, resting her arms on the handrails, as usual.

“Hello there, young lady,” I greeted. “What are you doing up here alone?” I asked, trying to mask my voice.

I thought it might amuse her, but it seemed like it just irritated her. Burying her face in her arms, I heard her mutter, “Quit it, Kyosei.”

I stood beside her, also resting my arms on the railing, and looked at her. Hearing those words made me feel as if I was with a totally different person at the time. “What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned now.

“Sorry… I’m just bothered by some stuff,” she whispered.

“Care to talk about it?” I asked. I was relieved she didn’t seem as cold anymore.

She shook her head, “No thanks…”

“C’mon, it’ll make you feel better.” I urged, feeling like I have to make her talk.

She just sighed deeply and shook her head once more, still buried in her crossed arms. I stopped trying. I knew pushing her will just make her mood worse. I rested my head on my crossed arms on the hand rail, looking at her direction. She looked like she was crying, though I knew that wasn’t the case as she wasn’t sobbing and her breathing seemed normal.

After some time, she turned her head a little to look at me, who was looking at her. “Miya-chan wants to talk now?” I asked in a babying voice.

She returned her head back to the previous position and stifled a laugh. Raising her head, she turned to me with a smile, “I’m afraid if I tell you, I’m going to have to kill you.”

“Fair enough, proceed,” I said with another voice, imitating a secret agent.

Resting her head on her arms, looking at me, she whispered with a small smile, “I hate myself.”

“Because you’d have to kill me?” I joked.

Letting out a small laugh, she answered, “Because I don’t know myself anymore.” She pushed herself away from the railing and sat down, resting against it now. She looked at me and patted the ground beside her, motioning to have me sit down.

Of course, I took her offer. I sat down beside her before she continued, “I feel as if I’m not the person controlling this body anymore. It’s as if I’m just watching myself from a distance.”

I fingered my chin, pretending to think deeply. “Hmm, I do feel distant with you this whole day.” I looked at her, “Maybe I was watching you alongside you…”

“I really love talking to you,” she giggled. “You always seem to manage cheering me up.”

“Don’t stop yourself from doing so then. I love your voice, you know,” I whispered.

“Well, sometimes a person should be left upset,” she whispered. “In joy, it is easy to lose sight of what’s important. In sadness, you learn to appreciate what you’ve lost.”

“Words of wisdom from my cute little pessimist.” I patted her head, “If you were happy all the time, should anything else matter?”

She closed her eyes and hugged her knees, “Sadly, yes…”

The sun went lower and everything was enveloped by darkness. The almost vanishing sunlight gave enough light to surround us, protecting us from the vast darkness. I watched our shadows on the ground stretch toward the wall beside the door. I turned to Miya, “It’s getting late isn’t it?” I pushed the ground and tried standing up, but I was pulled down by a tug on my sleeve.

“I’d like to stay here with you for a few minutes. Would you honor me this humble request?” she asked in a voice, softer than I’ve ever heard her before.

Of course, I agreed. “Oh yeah, you still have to kill me…” I replied.

She laughed softly and rested her head on my arm. “Granting my request has spared you your life.”

The sun was already long gone when we both decided to go home.

Day13

After the crying incident, Miya and I have been meeting on the school roof regularly. The way we act was similar to how we did before, but I know things are different between us. Miya never mentioned anything about Hitori, nor did it seem that she had any intentions to be closer to him. There were a few times when I would accidentally talk about Hitori in our discussions. Every time I did so, Miya would have a look of momentary surprise and become quiet. I can’t blame her for that.

Hitori returned my necklace three weeks ago, telling me how stupid everything about it was. When I asked him if he did use it on his crush, he answered no, mumbling something about it being something that’ll make him look like an idiot in front of his crush.

I haven’t worn the necklace in front of Miya ever since I got it back. For some reason, a part of me was afraid to. I didn’t believe it was magical or anything. I’m not sure what it was that made me hesitate. Today, just for the heck of it, I brought it along in my bag.

I wasn’t planning on wearing it today. But for some reason, Miya seemed too distant this afternoon. Thinking it would be something fun to talk about, I took the necklace from my bag and wore it around my neck.
“Hey, check it out!” I called.

Miya half-heartedly turned to me. The expression on her face slowly changed as she took eyed the necklace. “Waa, you got it back!” she cheerfully exclaimed as she approached me to look at it carefully.

I felt myself flush as she held the ugly growth attached to the thread and examined it. “As I thought,” she looked up to me, “I really like you more with this on.”

I was struck with surprise when she said that. Miya blushed and let go of the necklace. With a confused look, she staggered backwards, whispering something I failed to hear. She stopped and held her head with her right hand, as if she was having a headache.

I stood there, looking at her, shocked at what just happened. Several thoughts flashed in my mind.

Does that mean she still has feelings for me? What will happen then? Do we just get back together like that? Doesn’t she like Hitori now? What just happened? Is this real? What am I going to do now? What should I do? What should I say? Wait, it was the necklace right?

Suddenly shifting my thoughts to the necklace, I removed it and called Miya.

“Hey,” I said as I stepped towards her.

“Stop! Please… Just stop,” she pleaded, her hand covering her face now. “I-I have to go.”

With that, she took her bag, which was laid besides the door, and left. I stared at the necklace on my hand. Was it really the necklace that changed everything?