I applied the ice pack to the area on her leg that was swelling. Every time I did so, a painful moan escaped her mouth. Looking at the swelling around the injury she was without a doubt in a lot of pain.
“Does it hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Your fault.”
“I am sorry.”
After I finished applying the ice pack, I wrapped another bandage on her leg.
“This should do for now.”
I put the remaining ice pack back in the fridge and when I returned to check up on her I heard a grumbling sound. The sound of a stomach grumbling. No, it wasn’t me.
When I looked at Nakamura, with a somewhat embarrassed face, she said, “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to say sorry for. Have you eaten anything since noon?”
“No.”
No wonder she would feel hungry by now.
“Got it. I will whip something right away.”
Saying that, w
I was stunned into silence.I looked at the girl on the bed in disbelief.It was only moments ago that we were having a cheerful back and forth and she was smiling but now, suddenly, out of nowhere, she started crying. The change was too abrupt.It took me some time to fully take in the fact that Nakamura was now crying.I took slow steps towards her and sat beside her.The bed bounced a little when I sat.“What’s wrong, Nakamura? Why are you crying?”She looked at me. Her face was scrunched up.She opened her mouth. Then closed it again. Then she covered her face with her two palms and started crying again.I didn’t have any words to comfort her. Of course, since I didn’t know why she was crying in the first place.I extended my hand and just patted her head twice.For a moment, she stopped sobbing. Then, she started crying. Without trying to hold back her tears and voice.
The golden week was now over and today was the first day of school after a week-long holiday. And as is the case always, many students were heading towards the school will reluctant faces and scowl. The vacation syndrome. The condition when you don’t want to go to school on the first day after the vacation ends but have to go anyway which puts you in a sour mood all day long. It was a common disease that affected every student and every person. However, there is nothing to fear about. After a few days, they will get used to the normal, hectic life again and the syndrome will fade slowly.The school building was the same. The road leading to the school was the same. I looked up at the hot, burning sun.“You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”Ever since I was a child, whenever I looked up, the sun was the same. Not changing. Unchanging. Not being able to change. But, in my opinion, that was a good thing.I could feel what the
The bell rang, signaling the end of the fourth period and the start of the lunch period.From the first period till now, Aina had been doing her best to ignore me. The effort she put astounded me. It was so exciting to watch her hold her ground.Aina was keeping her books in her bag, preparing to leave for the cafeteria.“Hey.”“What?”She answered, without looking back at me.“Why are avoiding me?”“…I am not.” I didn’t fail to notice the pause in her response. “I just don’t have anything to talk to you about and so I am not talking to you. That’s all. Is there anything wrong with that?”“No, nothing. If it were just that, that is.”“What else is it supposed to be then?”“I can see you are deliberately trying to avoid me. Is there a reason for that?”“No. It’s not deliberate.
That small interaction between me and Aina was the last time the two of us talked.It had already been a week since then.It seems Aina had talked to our homeroom teacher and she had been able to change seats which, to be honest, wasn’t that far from her seat before. She had just exchanged seats with Nakamura Yui. That meant Nakamura will be taking Aina’s previous seat and vice-versa. To me, that change was as good as not changing seats at all. But, for Aina, even that may have been a good option. After all, now she can just focus straight ahead, and as long as she doesn’t turn her head back the chances of our eyes meeting will be significantly less.Talking about the one who would be on the seat next to me, Nakamura Yui, she hadn’t come to school yet. Two days ago, I had gone to check up on her out of curiosity and she said she will be able to come to school from next week. It seems she had also called a doctor to check her condition whi
The news had spread all over the school like a wildfire.Within two days, almost everyone in the school knew about it. The student council president Shizuku Aina was dating a second-year transfer student Miyamoto Sota.This news earned different reactions from different people. There were boys who were immensely displeased. They were those who were gunning for Aina. And the number was overwhelming. Though it wasn’t surprising. Aina was a beautiful girl with her long brown hair and captivating pair of blue eyes. Her gait, her demeanor, and the aura surrounding her hit the boys like a lightning arrow to their hearts. So, it was no surprise that many boys were jealous and shot daggers at Miyamoto. He was a poor little guy.On the other hand, there were also those who thought of them as a perfect fit. Both were good-looking and said looked better together. I had also heard that some people have made Aina and Sota fan club (as weird as it sounds) and started wo
I see. Miyamoto Sota. He knew me. I didn’t know him. He went to the same school I went to. I went to the same school he did. But I didn’t know him. Though he knew me. That means. That meant. That could only mean. He knew about my past. My past. My dark past. My twisted past. A past I have left behind. A past that still haunts me. A past that is a part of me. A past that tells who I am. A past that shows what I am. A past where I ruined lives. My own life. Those girls’ lives. Everyone’s lives. I ruined. I destroyed. I broke. I sinned. I regretted. I didn’t regret it at all. Those girls. Those people. I don’t care about them. But, they care about me. Miyamoto said. “I hate you.” Yes. They hate me. I am indifferent but not them. They are human. Unlike me.
What had transpired in the classroom had reached far and wide.The students in the whole school started hating me. Whenever I passed by, they will give me disgusted looks and say mean things to my face. They cursed me on my face.Some even threatened me. Some beat me up to. I didn’t retaliate. I just faced that one-sided beating without uttering a single word. I can't even remember the number of times I have passed out. It was my punishment. For having hope. For trying to divert from my original goal. This made me realize that I was a bad person. Which I was aware of already.The case had reached far enough that the old hag had called me to her office.Without knocking, I went inside the big wooden door.The director was not in her seat. She was resting her upper body on the large, wooden table facing the door as if she had been waiting for me.“Sorry for making you wait.”“What’s this ruckus with Shizuku
The light from the street lamps faintly illuminated my face. There were some small creatures flying around that light for whatever reason.“She hasn’t called me for a while now, has she?”The last time we talked was about two weeks ago. After that, she hadn’t contacted me and I, because of things happening here and there, didn’t have time to think about calling her.I pulled out my phone and dialed the only eleven-digit number that I had memorized.Two rings later, she picked up.“Yo.”“Oh, it’s Kageyama. How are you doing?”“If you really wanted to know how I was doing maybe you should have called me?”“Aah, sorry, sorry. I have been busy lately with all this work and don’t even have the time to rest properly.”I heard the sound of a yawn from the other side.“Were you sleeping, perhaps?”