Author's Preface
Morning of Saturday, 2nd week of June.
…Kuro-kun
He was looking ahead while we were running, right? I knew he was. He was always the kind to be very careful. Yet…
He tripped over a sign board just a few feet away from where we started running.
I would have fallen with him if he continued to grab my hand. But before that could happen, Kuro-kun let go.
Some people laughed when they saw it happen. But I wasn’t laughing. I was worried. Kuro-kun hit the pavement face first and now there was a visible bruise on his left cheek. As he got up, the first thing he did was look behind us to confirm if the guy was chasing us. When he saw him walking away, he slightly bowed toward me intending to leave.
Of course I was not going to let him leave like that. But no matter how many times I suggested for him to go to the hospital, he always refused. I had no choice but to drag him toward a bench in a nearby empty park so that at least he could rest.
I stood in front of him while he sat down on the bench. I pulled out the handkerchief in my pocket. Then I leaned forward slightly and started wiping the dirt off his face.
“Ow,” Kuro-kun said. But his expression remained the same.
“Which is it? Are you hurt or not?” I asked. “At least show it on your face if it hurts.”
He moved his head to look at me, but I held it steady with my hands.
“Don’t move, let me clean your face,” I said.
“...Sorry,” he replied.
It didn’t take that long to wipe the dirt. But I carefully took my time wiping around his bruised cheek. I tried to be gentle. He tried his best to not let out a voice of discomfort by shutting his mouth tight; that was understandable, but what I don’t comprehend was why he wasn’t showing the discomfort on his face.
When I was done, I sat beside him on the bench.
“Weren’t you supposed to be teaching Runa today?” I asked.
I had other things to ask, but my mouth chose to ask that question.
“It is Saturday,” Kuro-kun said, staring at me like it should’ve been obvious.
“I know it’s Saturday, but last time you had her in your apartment the whole day.”
“Last time, midterms were just a few days away. This time, we have time before the next exam.”
Oh…
That made sense…
I exhaled in relief.
“...But, what are you doing here?”
“Buying cake,”
I looked at the bag beside him. And inside were two slices of cake… completely ruined…
“...Sorry,” I said.
“They’re still looking edible,” Kuro-kun replied. “The aesthetics are ruined, but the food is still intact. There is no need for any apology.”
…I guess he was technically right. I smiled but immediately took it back.
“Earlier…” I paused for a moment, but I was already committed. Might as well ask. “...you walked away. Why? Were you angry at me?”
I… didn’t want to turn it into an interrogation. Why did I ask it that way? I should be grateful he came back, right? After all, he still ended up saving me. But I needed to hear why, otherwise, it would just remain in my mind for days.
“I wasn’t sure what to do,” Kuro-kun replied. “He might be your relative and I didn’t want to assume something was wrong. So I stood behind you for a bit to see if you actually needed help.”
“Seriously?”
Kuro-kun nodded.
I laughed… I laughed so loud the only person passing by the park looked at me. I didn’t care.
“You’re full of surprises, you know.”
Kuro-kun paused and looked up.
“I am not sure what you mean,” he said.
“Don’t mind it,” I replied. Then I looked him straight into his eyes. Very intently. I softened and I knew my smile was becoming wider. I didn’t care. “You were late!” I nagged, but I paused. “But you still saved me, so thank you,” I said smiling.
…Was thanking him enough? I felt a rush of urgency in my whole body. I shifted myself beside him and got closer. And slowly, when I felt his arm around mine, I stopped and let both of our arms touch slightly.
WHAT THE HELL WAS I DOING!?
“There’s no need to thank me,” he said.
My eyes gazed at him, then into my hands, and back at him. That urgency I felt earlier started brewing confusing emotions inside my chest. They made my heart beat faster than usual. It wasn’t bad. Supposedly it should feel that way. This was all new to me. When I was with Kuro-kun like this, it wasn’t always this way. I wanted to look at him, yes. To be near him, to talk with him. And I wanted him to look at me, to stay and listen. I would feel warmth rising to my cheeks and my heart would beat a little bit faster. But, while I sat beside Kuro-kun on this bench, I could hear those beats inside my chest. They were loud, louder than I had heard them before. And I started to hope that time would freeze, and that the moment we had would last just for a little bit longer.
…
“How is your studying going?” he suddenly said.
“Huh?” I replied as I got caught by surprise. “Why do you ask?”
…
How?
…
“Because I noticed that you were not as attentive in class compared to before,” Kuro-kun continued. “And you had stopped studying on your desk during breaks.”
“Ah… well… I’m just… I’m just taking my time this time. You know, umm… to avoid burn out…”
…
Please…
…
“...But that’s not what I was seeing.”
…
Please, don’t be the first one to say it. Not you…
…
“H-how… Do you see it then? I mean, I don’t think I was doing anything wrong…”
…
Don’t say it…
…
“Mika-san. Are you really okay about leaving things like that?”
…
He said it… Kuro-kun said it…
I was careful not to let anyone know I was worrying about my grades. I was careful not to show that it affected me. Not after what Itsuki said, I didn't have anyone to tell me if I was fine with what I got…
Of course I wasn’t… “Of course, I wasn’t fine.” My eyes widened because I heard my voice say it. But I bit my lip. What difference would it make? Even though I was a little bit happy that Kuro-kun was the only one who noticed. But it also hurt me that he had noticed. Because if he were to tell me not to give up, it would tear me apart. Because I already decided… “...But I already decided to give up.”
I glanced up at him. And I smiled. The best smile I could muster. I was hoping that was it, just him accepting my answer.
“...I see,” Kuro-kun replied. “If you already decided, then all I could do is respect it.”
I stared at him for a moment. Then I slowly looked down. My smile turned weaker and my eyes half closed.
I…
I guess… I really was going to give up…
It was annoying how conflicted I was. Which was it actually? Did I want him to encourage me? Even after being dramatic like that… Which? I didn’t understand anything about myself…
“I know it’s not my place to say anymore than I should,” Kuro-kun said beside me. I raised my head slightly but I never turned to see him. I only listened. “But it was puzzling to me how you were doing well and then you just suddenly gave up—”
“I—” I interrupted him, but I wasn’t sure what to say. I only knew what I felt. So I just let my voice out from my chest. “I didn’t just suddenly give up. I had thought about it,” I continued.
I clenched a hand then I stared at it. “I tried to dream, I tried to reach a goal,” My head lowered further. “And since last year, I have tried very hard to achieve that goal. But no matter how hard I tried. I still ended up being worse than I wanted to be…”
I bit my lip and let the silence take over me for a moment.
“...and that made me realize that I was just ordinary.”
“I don’t understand—”
“Of course you don’t!” I looked at him, and he stared into my eyes so I looked away. “Of course you don’t understand. How would you? You’re special.”
I sighed then turned toward the sky.
“You are at the top of our grade. And I am just an ordinary student trying to reach out to where you are.” I stretched an open hand toward the sky. “But I wasn’t meant to be…” Then clenched that hand and pulled back to my chest. “I was only meant to watch. I wasn’t meant to drift with the clouds.”
“Is that really what you believe?” Kuro-kun asked. And I pulled my eyes from the sky to glance at him. His eyes met mine but this time I only smiled.
“I do,” I answered. “Do you know that the people around me were amazing?” I started to shift myself away from him. “My parents are amazing, I really admired them sooo much. I wanted to make them proud. So I tried to be like them. But I am failing every time. And what’s worse was that they would only smile and say ‘it’s okay’. Because that meant, they never expected me to be like them.”
I stopped smiling.
“And then there’s Hina. I only met her and Yui last year, but Hina already showed me how amazing she is. Not only is she tall, pretty, and mature. She is also great with studying. Before you transferred here, Hina was the one who was always at the top. And she never struggled. I always envied her for that.”
I couldn’t believe what I was starting to say, yet my heart convinced me to continue.
“And then Yui. I always looked down on her grades. But she was always smiling. She was always radiating with so much positivity I couldn’t look at her sometimes. No matter how bad of a day she was having. She would find the tiniest things to laugh about. And I would gravitate toward it too, and smile. I always liked her because of how she is. But because of how she is… I also envied her.”
My head started falling on its own. I closed my eyes. As if not being able to see would prevent me from listening to what was going to be said.
“And Runa…” I hesitated. “She was the prettiest wherever she goes. Everyone likes her, everyone admires her. And she kept taking me with her. She was always bad at studying, so she always came to me for help. That made me feel like I had a place to stand with her. But then I couldn’t help her anymore. And then you came along and replaced me from where I stood. I felt worried at first… about her… then I started worrying about myself. If I still serve any purpose to be with her.”
“Yet,” I continued. “The worse part is… I still envied her. I envied her because she found you first. I envied her because she got the help that I never knew I needed. And because of that, I hesitated to approach you. And because of that, I blamed it all on her.”
I stared at Kuro-kun’s eyes. I felt tears trickle down my cheeks. But I tried to smile.
“Aren’t I horrible?” I said and then I closed my eyes and covered them with my hands. I didn’t make a sound. But I felt my body shaking as I tried to stop myself from sobbing. And I stayed like that for a while.
…
The quiet was deafening…
…
And I knew Kuro-kun was waiting for me to calm down. So after a few minutes I wiped the last tear from my eyes and took a deep breath.
“I’m not going to pretend that I can comprehend everything that you just said about your friends and family,” Kuro-kun said. “And I am not in the position to judge if you truly are a horrible person or not.”
“I know,” I replied, expecting he would say that. I still remember when he said the same thing. That was why I was able to open up to him so easily. Because I knew that he would listen, and I knew he wouldn’t judge me.
“But, will you allow me to speak my mind regarding matters I do have an opinion with?” Kuro-kun asked.
I didn’t say anything, I just nodded.
“In my opinion, you’re wrong when you call yourself ordinary,” Kuro-kun said. “I had seen your efforts and hard work during class and during breaks. And you tried very hard to study. That’s not something an ordinary person can do. Ordinary people would wait until they get home to study. But you weren’t afraid to ask questions if you didn’t understand the lecture, you were always the first person to answer the teacher’s question, regardless of whether you were right or wrong. And sometimes you answered wrong. But that did not deter you from trying again…”
I listened. But warmth suddenly overwhelmed my cheeks. I didn’t know how to process the idea that he was always watching me.
He was looking at me…
Somehow… that made me… felt calmer…
“...I thought that you were special based on all that I had observed,” Kuro-kun continued.
“But Hina or you wouldn’t get a question wrong,” I replied.
“I don’t think that is true.”
“How?”
“Because to get to where I am right now, I had failed many times before. I know I will fail a lot more going forward. It’s just that, I never was scared of failing. And I was always ready to face the consequences of failing.”
I slowly glanced toward him.
“I don’t know about Asakura-san, but I always thought that you were the same as me,” Kuro-kun said.
“Same? I—” I hesitated, I didn’t think he was right. But…
“Did you really decide to give up just because your rank wasn’t what you expected?” Kuro-kun asked.
“I… no…”
“Why is that?”
“Because… I thought I could do better…” I answered. “...I felt frustrated seeing how low my rank was. But I did not immediately give up.”
“In that case, something must have happened afterward.”
I… didn’t actually… give up…
It was because of Itsuki that…
But… he was right… everything he said made sense…
I am… ordinary…
Yet…
“Here’s another thing that I would disagree with,” Kuro-kun continued. “You said I am special. But I don’t know the reason why you gave up, unless I asked. I don’t know how to help you regarding the matter of your friends. Those are just examples, but there are a lot more things that I don’t know about. And earlier, I was also wrong to think the guy you were with was someone you knew, even though you clearly needed help. By that standard, then it means, You shouldn’t be saying that I am special. Just because I had good grades.”
“But—”
“Everyone starts to be ordinary. Even talented musicians or high IQ people were just ordinary babies when they were born. For us that are ordinary a lot longer than them, it all comes to whether you keep on moving or not.”
“But it’s hard—”
“Every goal wasn’t meant to be easy. Otherwise, everyone would achieve success instantly. And a part of the success was the satisfaction that you tried to reach that goal. But even for those people that failed, I wouldn’t call them ordinary.”
“...Even so… I… am scared…”
“Mika-san,” Kuro-kun said. “Do you like studying?”
I nodded.
“Then that’s the only answer you need. I won’t say that you shouldn’t get scared. After all, failing is scary, regardless of how ready you are to face it. But don’t let it consume you, allow yourself to get scared, but also allow yourself to fail. So that you can start over again, with more courage than last time.”
“Can I… really start over?” I stared at his eyes to see if I should believe what his response would be or not.
Instead, for the first time. I saw him smile. Just meekly. But a smile I had never thought I would see.
“I don’t think I am the one who you should be asking that question,” he said. “But I have a feeling that if you ask it to the right person, you already know what the answer will be.”
The smile was gone as soon as he stopped talking. But his eyes were still on me. His eyes that only looked into mine whenever we stared at each other. His eyes that never strayed away whenever he talked. His eyes that always melted me whenever I looked at them.
I stood up and slowly walked in front of him.
“I—I need to wipe your face a little bit more; there’s some dirt left on it,” I said.
Did you know, Kuro-kun?
“You don’t need to,”
Ever since we met, you have always occupied my mind.
“Close your eyes,”
I thought you were scary at first, a trouble maker. And I would never even think about looking into your eyes.
“Why?”
But slowly, every time I knew more of you. And every time I would think of you after. I started to feel uneasy. But not in a bad way.
“Please…”
And now, that uneasiness is making my heart beat faster.
“...Okay.”
And so, I am overwhelmed. With happiness, with longing, and with curiosity. These feelings that I carry, those words that you said. Made me realize something that I should have admitted before.
Yes, I like studying.
Yes, I don’t want to give up.
And Yes, I like—
As my face and my thoughts get closer to where my heart wants me to go closer to. Someone from behind yelled.
“Is that you, Tojo-san!?”
I immediately straightened up and stiffly backed away from Kuro-kun.
“Mika-san, are you done?” Kuro-kun suddenly asked.
“Ah! Y-y-y-y-y-y-es!” I said, my voice was slightly higher pitched than usual.
“But, I didn’t feel your hands—”
“T-t-t-there was n-no dirt after all, I w-w-was wrong.”
“Okay,” Kuro-kun said as he opened his eyes.
I turned away from him and walked nervously away. I squatted down and hid my warm face inside my hands.
Oh my god! WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO!?
“Tojo-san?” The voice earlier was now closer.
I looked to where it was, peeking inside my hands. It was Katou-san.
“I saw you with someone, who’re you with?” Katou-san asked and when he turned to see Kuro-kun I saw his eyes frown and expression sharp.
Katou-san, for some reason, jumped in front of me.
“Tojo-san, you should stay away from him,” Katou-san said.
I stood up.
“Ah, sure,” I said reflexively. At that moment, I just wanted to run away. “I remember I have some errands to do. So I’ll be going now,” I continued and started walking as fast as I could.
“Then, I’ll be going as well,” Kuro-kun said before me.
When I heard his first step, I walked faster. I turned the other way after I exited the park and started almost running. But then I stopped. I turned around to look behind me. I saw Kuro-kun’s back walking slowly the opposite way I was going.
I looked inside the park. Katou-san was still there. But it was strange. He was staring at Kuro-kun. I had never seen anyone from our class stare as long as Katou-san did toward Kuro-kun.
Nevertheless. I touched my face once again. And finally walked to finish my errands.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morning of Monday, 3rd week of June.
The second period just ended. I had my notebook open on my desk; beside it was my textbook. I was trying to check some inconsistencies from the notes that I had written during class and verify them from my textbook. Then suddenly someone in front of me flipped a page.
I looked up. It was Katou-san.
“Tojo-san,” he said. “You can just study at home, right?”
I sighed.
Ayane was absent today for the modeling job she landed on Saturday. I congratulated her because she made it. But I wished that she would be here right now, since Kanoko was still occupied with Sakamoto in another seat.
“I’m just trying to review the lecture from earlier,” I replied.
“Come on, it’s not that important. I mean, you can just do that later.”
I frowned.
“Are you trying to annoy me again?” I asked. Just as I was beginning to see him differently, he reverted to his old nosiness.
“Ah, sorry! I was not meaning to,” Katou-san said as he waved his hands at me.
“Then, let me just do the things that I want to do.”
“Sure, sure,” he replied smiling.
Katou-san was quiet for a second. But then…
“So, Tojo-san. What were you doing at that park on Saturday?” Katou-san asked, his voice didn’t sound like teasing like earlier. Rather, it felt colder.
I looked at him. And he was still mindlessly smiling.
…
Maybe it was just my imagination then…
“None of your business,” I replied.
“...You looked like you were trying to kiss someone out there.”
My eyes widened.
“Haaa!?” I reacted loudly. “W-what a-are you t-talking about? I was just trying to clean his face!”
Katou-san was quiet for a moment.
“Oh, that makes sense. I mean, Kuroiwa-san had some kind of bruise on his cheek that day, right?” Katou-san replied.
“Y-yeah, so can you stop bothering me now and let me study in peace?”
“Sure, but not until you agree.”
“Agree to what?”
“Coming with us to karaoke this afternoon.”
“...With who?”
“All of us, Yuuta, Kenji, Kanoko-chan, and Ayane-chi.”
“Ayane? Isn’t Ayane busy today?”
“Ah, I messaged her this morning about it.”
I thought about it for a second. It sounded strange. Because Ayane told me that she would have her phone turned off the whole day today. But I also did talk with Ayane this morning via text messages on Line.
“What time did you ask Ayane?” I asked to confirm.
“Hmm… I think around 7 am,” Katou-san answered immediately.
That lines up, because it was the same time that I was messaging Ayane as well. But why did she not tell me about it?
Maybe because she was in a hurry at that time? After all, we were only able to exchange messages twice. Maybe she forgot to tell me.
I turned around toward Kanoko. But it looked awkward to ask.
Sigh.
“Please, come,” Katou-san begged. “I’ll leave you if you agree.”
…
“Fine,” I said.
“Alright!” Katou-san celebrated. “You already agreed so no taking it back.”
“Yes, so please, can you give me space?”
“Sure, sure.”
I looked at him walking away. Then I turned back toward my notebooks.
Outside, the dark clouds covered the sky. It had not rained yet, but according to the forecast, there was a 70% chance that it would rain this afternoon. I had brought my umbrella with me to prepare. But, it was a stick umbrella, one that I had to leave in the umbrella stand. I wished I had taken a folding one instead. Now, I had to worry about someone stealing my umbrella once it rained.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the karaoke box. Ayane wasn’t there. Kanoko and Sakamoto-san weren't there as well. But there was Takeda-san who had already sung about three songs already. And then Katou-san who was sitting across from me.
This was too awkward.
“Are you sure Kanoko and Ayane will come?” I asked Katou-san for the third time already.
“Yeah, they were just getting late, you know. Ayane-chi is busy, while Yuuta and Kanoko-chan went on a detour. See Kenji is here with us after all.”
Katou-san pointed at Takeda-san.
I looked toward the glass of orange juice I ordered earlier instead. I grabbed it and held the straw to stir inside the glass. I felt really bored. If I knew it would turn out like this, I should have just gone home.
“Akihiko, your turn.” Takeda-san handed the mic toward Katou-san. Then Takeda-san looked at me before he sat down. “You better pay attention, Tojo-san. Akihiko entered his best song today.” He winked.
“Ah… umm… sure,” I replied.
I had nothing against Takeda-san, but I just didn’t know how to interact with him. He didn’t look like it but he always acted nice toward me. But we never actually talked that much. So I really was not sure what to do.
Katou-san started singing. I looked at him for a moment. He really was good. But, I wasn’t interested in the song he was singing. So I paid attention to my drink.
A few minutes later and the song already stopped. Next thing I knew, Takeda-san was the one who was already singing.
“How was it?” Katou-san asked me.
“Ah, yeah. It’s good,” I casually replied.
“You didn’t cry this time though.”
“What do you mean?”
“...Nothing.”
I took my phone out of my pocket, I tried calling Kanoko a bunch of times earlier but she wasn’t answering. Ayane too. I turned on the phone screen. It was 4:16 pm. I stood up and wore my bag’s strap on my shoulder.
“I’m going home,” I said. I wasn’t really; I was planning to go somewhere instead to study. It was still early, and I didn’t want a repeat of what happened last time when I walked in the house with Itsuki having a girl in. I had to leave because the atmosphere inside the karaoke box was getting more awkward the more I stayed.
“ALREADY?” Takeda-san said on the mic. I raised an eyebrow when I looked at him. “Sorry,” he said while turning the mic off. “But what about the others?” he asked.
“I’ll just apologize to Kanoko and Ayane later on Line.”
“Then, how about we go out to study instead?” Katou-san suggested.
“Akihiko!? Are you going to ditch me too?” Takeda-san almost yelled.
“Sorry, but you have to stay, Kenji.” Katou-san winked at him. “Someone needs to wait for the others, you know.”
“...Fine,” Takeda-san replied. “Man, if I knew it’s going to be like this, I should have just stayed at school before going home,” he complained.
“Don’t worry about it,” Katou-san said.
“Go enjoy your study session,” Takeda-san grumbled.
Katou-san laughed then turned toward me.
“Let’s go, I know a cafe nearby we can go to,” Katou-san said.
I thought about declining for a second. But even as easy-going Katou-san was, it was still undeniable that he ranked 14th in the midterms.
Maybe I could take that to my advantage. Besides, we’re going to a cafe anyway.
“Okay,” I answered.
Katou-san grinned. But I dismissed it with a sigh. And then we went out of the room. Leaving Takeda-san pouting as we closed the door behind us.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s gone…
My umbrella is gone!
Someone took it! I placed it in the middle of the umbrella stand earlier before we entered the building. I knew I should’ve taken the folding one I had at home. At least I could have secured it inside my bag. And looking just outside, the rain was pouring like crazy.
“What’s wrong?” Katou-san asked as he spread the umbrella he had.
“My umbrella,” I replied. “Someone took it.”
“Wow, we live in a crazy world nowadays huh.” Katou-san smirked.
“It’s not funny!” I yelled and frowned.
“Sorry,” Katou-san said. “But since you lost your umbrella, we can share mine.”
I looked at him, still frowning.
“Ah, uh, the cafe I mentioned is nearby, so we’re not going to share that long.” He smiled awkwardly. “My umbrella is wide enough for two people inside, as well.”
I sighed.
“Fine, just until we reached the cafe, okay?”
“Sure.”
Katou-san lifted his umbrella up and I reluctantly went inside.
“See, it’s wide enough right?”
I didn’t pay attention. I was starting to get annoyed. For some reason, everything was turning bad for me. And it felt like Katou-san had been able to drag me around all afternoon. I didn’t like the idea, but, for sure, even as annoying as he was, I never thought he was the kind of person that would do something terrible like hiding my umbrella, perhaps.
After a few minutes of walking, we already passed by a few cafes. But he was only looking ahead or his phone whenever I glanced toward him. I asked him several times and all his answers were, just a couple minutes more.
I looked toward him another time. Still grinning while looking at his phone.
“Is there something funny?” I asked.
“...No,” he replied, not looking at me.
I finally gave in to my curiosity and tried to peek at his phone. But he managed to pull it away.
“Nuh-uh,” Katou-san said. “Privacy.”
I frowned. I didn’t like how his tone was starting to sound smug the farther we walked ahead. But then my phone buzzed inside my pocket. I glanced at Katou-san and again he was glued to his phone.
I pulled my phone out and quickly turned on the screen. It was a notification from Ayane from Line. I opened the app and read the message.
Ayane: Mii-chan, where are you?
Mika: I’m with Katou-san, we’re going to a cafe to study.
Ayane: Just you two?
Mika: Yeah, actually we already passed by a few cafes on our way, but we still kept walking. I started to think that he might be lying, but I can’t escape since I have no umbrella and we’re using his. And the rain was getting heavier.
Ayane: Umbrella? The pink one with your name on it?
Mika: Yeah. How did you know?
Ayane: I’m here at the Karaoke place, I saw it hidden behind the vending machine near the umbrella stand. You can’t see it when you exit the building, but it is clear as day whenever you enter.
Huh? My feet started slowing down.
Ayane: Ken-kun messaged me earlier and complained that you ditched him.
Ayane: But my phone battery died right after since I was so nervous for my first modelling job that I forgot to charge it last night.
Ayane: I rushed to school afterward to look for Kanoko, but she wasn’t there. Yuu-kun wasn’t there as well.
What is the meaning of this? The more I read Ayane’s incoming messages, the more I felt disturbed.
Ayane: We then got here via a taxi.
Ayane: Which direction did you go?
…
Mika: We went left and continued to walk straight, we never turned a corner.
Ayane: Mii-chan. Be careful. Aki-kun lied. He never messaged me like Ken-kun said. And he never messaged Kanoko as well. I would know because Kanoko would’ve stayed with you even though he was too clingy toward Yuu-kun.
My feet finally stopped. I had my phone, my bag and myself getting drenched by the rain. I stared at Katou-san, still grinning toward his phone. And when he realized I wasn’t walking beside him anymore, he turned around.
“Tojo-san?” Katou-san said. “What are you doing? You’re going to get sick like that.”
When he took a step forward. That was when my whole body shivered. I turned around immediately and ran.
But then… not even getting far… I felt my arm being grabbed from behind…