《The Day I Noticed Her》


 Prologue

    I will never forget that day.


    School just ended. I was sitting on my table, waiting for my friend to finish shoving books into his backpack. My eyes wandered around the classroom to see what everyone else was doing.


    That¡¯s when she first caught my eyes.


    While everyone else in the classroom was showered with the fiery golden ray from the window, she alone, standing near the black board, had a calm azure light enveloped around her whole body. My eyes were drawn by the tranquility of the light, and my heart was captivated by its beauty. It was as if the world around us had vanished, leaving only the two of us surrounded by that light. Noticing my continuous gaze, the girl looked back at me from underneath her hair bangs.


    It was the first time our eyes met.


    She broke eye contact almost immediately after, probably while thinking how creepy I was for staring at her. But I couldn¡¯t shift my gaze away from her. Only after the girl walked out of the class, and out of my sight, that I snapped out of my trance. I immediately received a slap on the back from my friend. He told me that he had been calling my name repeatedly but I never responded. I just apologized and walked home with him, keeping what I saw and the fact I didn¡¯t hear his voice at all, a secret to myself.


    As soon as I got home, I tried to find an explanation about the blue light on the internet through my computer. Making throw away accounts to ask around. Looked into some scientific papers. Researching stuff about cults, and even the mages. Though there were very few of them due to the new law implemented recently. But, in the end, none of them could explain what the light was, let alone why I only saw it around that gloomy girl.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Frustrated, I threw myself to my bed, and my mind wandered to the girl. We never talked with each other. Hell, like many others, I barely noticed her existence before that. I just knew that her name was Aoi and that she liked reading novels.


    Something changed in me that day. I felt it. But I didn¡¯t know what changed until the very next day.


    At school, I tried to not pay attention to Aoi or the light, keeping them out of my sight as often as possible. But no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did, my eyes kept unconsciously drifting back toward her. Even when I cover or close my eyes, I still see the azure light in the shape of her. It was like the light was in my eyes rather than actually around her


    On PE, I got laughed at because a single glance of her made me trip in a relay run. Another time I accidentally caught a glimpse of her, I crashed into the class door. But those were not the worst part. Since Aoi sat near the door in front of class, she and the light kept appearing in the corner of my eyes, taunting me to look at her and causing me to lose focus in class.


    My friend noticed my odd behavior and teased me, but I just brushed it off as an effect from lack of sleep. There was no way I could tell him I saw the loner gloomy girl in the class surrounded by a blue light that kept drawing me in.


    It became clear to me that the light wasn¡¯t a coincidence. No one else beside me saw it, and no one else had that light. It must have meant something. I realized that, perhaps, the girl would know about the light, and maybe how to stop it so I could return to my old life. The only problem was, there¡¯s no way I could just walk up to her and ask. Best case scenario, she would just ignore me.


    So, I started thinking of a way to get closer to her...

 First Contact

    When break time came, after drawing in a deep breath and mustering all of the bravery in my being, I stood from my chair and walked up to Aoi¡¯s table. Standing so close to her, I couldn¡¯t help but notice how silky her shoulder-length hair was. How her alluring scent smelled so fragrant and sweet. So sweet, in fact, that I could almost taste it in my mouth.


    Luckily, I managed to keep my composure and said: ¡°Hey there.¡±


    It sounded stupid and awkward, I know. But I¡¯m never good at talking to strangers, especially if it''s a girl. It already took all of my courage to say those two words without shaking or stuttering.


    Aoi looked up from her book and stared at me. Her eyes were hidden underneath  her bangs, stopping me from trying to guess her reaction. Angry that I interrupted her reading time? Creeped out since I kept staring at her the last two days? Or maybe she felt indifferent? Nevertheless, I kept pushing forward with my plan.


    ¡°Uh, what are you reading there?¡± I asked when she just stayed silent.


    I thought she was going to ignore me. But as it turned out, instead of answering my question with words, she showed me the book¡¯s cover. It had the drawing of a dragon, and a knight. The title read ¡®The Dragon Knight¡¯.


    ¡°I see¡­ Uh, you know, I¡¯m lately starting to get into reading novels. But I don¡¯t really know what to read next. Do you have any recommendations for someone new like me?¡±


    That was, of course, a big fat lie I made up. I almost never read a novel before. It was just a ploy to have a reason to keep talking and get closer to her.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    To my surprise, this time Aoi answered with her voice. I was taken aback by how gentle her voice was. It was not my first time hearing her speak, but at that time, even though she said it with a cold voice, she still sounded like an angel.


    ¡°What kind of novels do you like?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Fantasy, and action, if possible,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Do you mind romance?¡±


    ¡°N-No! Not at all!¡± I said while shaking my hand.


    ¡°You can borrow mine if you want. It''s short and has good pacing and plot,¡± she said before leaning down and putting her hands into her bag.


    ¡°T-That would be great!¡±


    She pulled out a thin book with black cover and offered it to me. ¡°You can return it to me when you are finished. Oh, and please keep it clean and tidy.¡±


    ¡°I will, thank you so much!¡±


    As I grabbed the book, my finger accidentally touched hers. And in an instant, jolts of joy coursed from my finger to my whole body. My face became so red that I would look like I was going to explode. And I would have jumped around like a rabbit if I hadn¡¯t kept myself composed by pinching my leg. The constant stream of pain really helped me tether myself to reality.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked me.


    I just nodded and took the book back to my chair.  After putting it in my bag, I buried my face in my jacket. I kept pinching myself until all of the sensation dissipated from my system, which, to my surprise, took almost all of my break time.


    At that point, I was honestly confused and a bit scared at what was happening to me. Why did every aspect of her suddenly become captivating to me? How does so little affect me so much? My original plan was getting close to her until she felt comfortable enough to answer my questions. But now, I felt like if she just suddenly poke my cheek, I would die from joy. Literary.


    But, I was also happy. I successfully established some sort of connection with her. Not the best start, sure, but it''s something. I thought it would only be a matter of time before I achieve my goal.

 An Invitation

    I thought I had made some good progress with her. Her tone when talking to me had become warmer. Every first day of the week, I would borrow a short novel from her and return the previous one.


    I had no intention of reading them at first, but after reading the first one out of curiosity, it was actually pretty interesting and I ended up reading all the novels I borrowed so far.


    A month into our new routine, it dawned upon me that I was going nowhere. We only talked when I was borrowing her books. She didn¡¯t even say anything when I returned the book and thanked her. She only nodded back once. ONCE.


    There was one time when I accidentally spilled some drink on her book, and I had to buy a new one. I had to search all around town to find one. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t notice it was brand new and just put it in her bag. Though, it¡¯s only possible because she kept her books so well that you would think she bought them just the day before. Even she couldn¡¯t differentiate them.


    One day, during break, while I was trying to come up with a better plan, a senior walked in our class. He was looking around for something, or someone. I thought he was looking for the class president or something. But surprisingly, he walked up to Aoi.


    I walked over to a student near them to spy on their conversation.


    As it turned out, the book club Aoi was in, was going to be closed due to lack of members. All of the seniors were going to leave the club to focus on studying, and since she was the only junior that joined, the club will be closed. If she wanted the club to continue, she would need to recruit one more member.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    She nodded and the senior left. Aoi completely stopped reading her book, casting her gaze to the floor.


    Even if her eyes were mostly hidden by her bangs, I could see how heartbroken she was from her movements alone. It was like part of her died with that revelation. The club must have been very dear to her, and she¡¯s unable to save it because she didn¡¯t have anyone else to ask to join the club as far as I knew.


    And then, I saw a tear roll down her cheek.


    That sight broke me.


    My mind was filled with thoughts of rushing to her and comforting her. To cheer her up or even offer to join the club to help her. Anything that would help her.


    I took a step toward her, but backed down immediately after. She would definitely know that I listened in her conversation. SoI just apologized to the student I used as cover up and walked back to my chair.


    While I was sitting on my seat, my mind couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was wrong with me. These overwhelming feelings and desires aimed at Aoi were new to me, yet they didn¡¯t feel off. Like I had naturally developed a crush on her even before I first saw the light.


    After school, I walked up to her for our usual routine. As I gave the novel to her, I mustered the courage to ask her about the club and ask about joining.


    ¡°Eden?¡± she called me out of nowhere while pulling a new novel from her bag. It had a white cover with a huge heart on the cover.


    ¡°Y-Yeah?¡± I stuttered. My heartbeat went through the roof after noticing the book¡¯s cover.


    She offered me the novel, cast her gaze to the side and said: ¡°I know it''s sudden, but¡­ do you want to join the book club?¡±

 Our Little World

    ¡°Yes!¡± I said excitedly without skipping a beat. Her eyes widened for a moment. She nodded at my excitement and I could see her mouth forming a small smile. I could feel blood rising up to my cheeks, so I hurriedly took the novel and excused myself before rushing out of the class.


    I was embarrassed. I just said yes immediately without thinking. For a moment, I thought Aoi was going to confess to me. But¡­ joining the club wasn''t so bad either.


    After that, every day after school, I would sit alone with Aoi at the library. There were multiple copies of certain novels, and we decided to read it at the same time and rate them when we were finished. I was pretty new to it so I just said the obvious things that I noticed the first time I shared my review.


    But Aoi? She became a completely different person. The usually passive gloomy girl became so passionate and active, waving her hands around while explaining the plot holes in the story and how it could be fixed. My jaws dropped to the floor.


    She must have noticed my shocked face, because she apologized not long after for being too absorbed in her speaking. I just smiled and said I enjoyed it. And thanks to my luck, the wind blew at that moment, revealing her shiny cerulean eyes and blushing cheeks. I was able to see her full face while smiling.


    My heart just completely stopped. And that image of her would be burnt forever in my head. Not even amnesia could erase it.


    After our first novel review, Aoi was starting to feel more comfortable around me, so I started eating lunch with her at her table. Most of the time we just talked about novels we were excited to read about.


    And I think my presence helped other students to approach and talk with Aoi. Since, you know, she no longer looked like the loner girl they thought she was. And it''s not only the girls, but also the guys. Sometimes, Aoi would be at a loss of words when talking to them, and I would help her continue the conversation.


    Admittedly, I was a bit jealous. Especially when she was laughing with another guy. But, I helped her anyway, because she looked happy to be interacting with so many new people. And if she was happy by it, then I would help her however I could.


    My odd and sudden change in behavior didn¡¯t escape my friend¡¯s attention. I just said that I was interested in novels and she was an expert. He was starting to get worried I got charmed or something, but didn¡¯t question further.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    One day, the teacher in charge of the library asked us to help reorganize the books since she had a meeting. We immediately started so we can return to reading our book sooner.


    She got on a ladder, but one of its legs gave up, and Aoi fell off. I was standing right next to her, so I managed to catch her. For a moment, we and everything around us, stopped. I thought my senses were going to get overwhelmed like before, but the rush never came. I was able to enjoy her warmth without much worry.


    With Aoi¡¯s bangs to the side, our eyes truly gaze directly into each other for the first time. I could feel my face heating up as I watched her face slowly overtaken by red color.


    ¡°P-Please, let me down¡­¡±she stuttered while hiding her face in her hands.


    ¡°O-Oh! S-Sorry!¡± I let her down immediately.


    ¡°Man... That ladder must have been pretty old, huh?¡±


    Aoi nodded.


    ¡°You¡­ uh, you should handle the lower shelves. Leave the higher ones to me, okay?.¡±


    Aoi nodded again.


    There was only silence between us after that. And when we finished reorganizing the books, the sun was already setting. So we packed our stuff and prepared to leave.


    I was going to walk out when I felt a tug at the back of my jacket. My heart skipped a beat. Turning around, just as I thought, it was Aoi


    ¡°Eden¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± she said while suddenly bowing down.


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°Ever since you talked to me that day.... I felt like my life has changed for the better. You helped me save and liven up the club. You listened to my pent up rants. You even bought me a new book.¡±


    ¡°Y-You knew?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I marked all my books.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Its okay. After all, because of you, I can fulfill my wish of getting closer with everyone in class. So, thank you very much!¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s your wish? But why do you always stay by yourself in class?¡±


    ¡°I... tried to talk to others, but I kept failing to continue the conversations. My knowledge was really only around novels. I tried to learn more stuff so I could talk more, but... it was already too late. Everyone stopped approaching me and... I just accepted it. Eventually, I got used to it. But it''s all in the past. Because now, I have you.¡±


    She had a bright smile on her face, one that would rival even the sun itself. And it just broke all restraints that I had left in me. I wrapped my hands around her and pulled her in for a tight hug. She didn¡¯t resist or scream, and I even felt her hands slowly wrapping around my waist.


    We stayed in that position for a couple seconds.


    When I realized what I just did, I pulled back in panic.


    ¡°S-Sorry! I didn¡¯t know what got into me! I-I-¡±


    With a low voice and lowered head, she said: ¡°I-I don¡¯t mind if it''s you¡­¡±

 Confession

    You would think we would be dating after that happened. But we weren¡¯t. Our routine just changed a little bit.


    We talked about broader topics. Everyday, before we leave the library, we would have a brief hug. But we never confessed to one another. And that bothered me. Does she see me only as a friend? Or am I hoping too much?


    My resolve never waver because I thought the light surrounding her would never disappear.


    Until that day.


    Valentine''s day was coming up. I knew it was my chance to properly confess to her. To make the confession more special, I made the chocolate myself. It took me a couple of times, but I managed to make a heart-shaped chocolate that wouldn¡¯t make someone sick by eating it.


    Along with the chocolate, I bought a blue, simple looking, hairpin. It would help keep her bangs out of her eyes¡¯ way.


    My heart was racing as I walked to the school on Valentine¡¯s day. My mind kept imagining what her expression would be when I showed her the chocolate. My body felt a bit unwell, probably for staying up late making the chocolate, but I forced through everything.


    Minutes felt like hours. And hours felt like days.


    When the final bell rang, I thought it was finally time. But, the teacher just had to choose me to help her bring books to the teacher¡¯s lounge. I rushed there and immediately made my way to the library.


    I was about to go around a corner when I saw the jock of the class standing with Aoi in front of the library.  He was one of the famous boys in my class, good looking and a major sport player.


    Aoi was smiling and blushing, holding a box of chocolate in her hands.


    And the blue light surrounding her... was slowly fading.


    My heart shattered.


    I ran away, unable to face her after what I had seen.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I got a high fever the next day, so I skipped school.


    I skipped another day.


    And another day.


    Still not in school the next day, though my friend visited to check on me and to give notes. I wanted to ask him about Aoi, but didn¡¯t have the guts to.


    Another day of being sick. My parents were getting worried at this point, as my condition was getting worse.


    The next day, I heard my mother yelling about someone delivering notes. I thought it was my friend again who brought me the notes, but it turned out to be Aoi. I kept looking at her as she walked into my room and sat down on my bed.


    With her usual gentleness, she asked me how I was. I wanted to roll around and ignore her, but I couldn¡¯t. I said I was fine, and that the book with heart that I forgot to return, accompanied me. I returned it to her since I already finished it a couple times.


    All of the sudden, as Aoi¡¯s face slowly reddened, a small box of chocolate was shoved onto my lap.


    ¡°I wanted to give it to you on Valentine''s day. But you never came.¡±


    ¡°¡­ What about the chocolate you received? I saw you in front of the library.


    She giggled and said: ¡°Oh, that wasn¡¯t for me. He was just passing by the library and the box fell out of his bag. I was picking it up for him. He was meeting another girl in our class, if I¡¯m not wrong.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I said coldly. The light didn¡¯t appear again around her, so I thought she was just lying. Or even if the story was true, the special bond between me and her was not there anymore.


    ¡°Get well soon, okay? I will be waiting for you at the library.¡±


    As she was about to leave my room, I realized the mistake I was going to make. I was in love with her, no matter whether the azure light was around her or not. It was never clear anyway what the light meant.


    ¡°AOI!¡± I shouted out her name, rushed to my bag, and pulled out the chocolate I made. I gave it to her with the hairpin.


    She stared at my present then at me, before throwing herself to me. We ate my chocolate in my room and we had our first kiss. It was sweet, thanks to the chocolate. Before she left, I made a promise that I would keep making her happy.


    I was young, and naive. But, I thought it fit the situation.


    A day passed by. Since Aoi kissed me, I was worried she would get the same sickness as I did. But she didn¡¯t. She was perfectly fine until a couple days after when I recovered. And the light? It never returned.


    I asked my friend about the jock¡¯s confession, and what Aoi said turned out to be true. The jock confessed to another girl in class and the two were dating.


    Aoi, wearing my pin to hold up her bangs, smiled at me. Her friends teased her, and so did mine as news about us being a couple started going around.


    Everything would have been perfect if time just stopped there and then.

 Revelation

    I had envisioned my future school life spent with her. We would study together. Perhaps a date after school. Or maybe just read a book together. Honestly, I wanted to try a lot of things with her. I wanted to see more of her smile.


    But, in the end, I wasn¡¯t so lucky.


    I lived in a world where magic existed. Sort of. That¡¯s why it was surprising, but wasn¡¯t exactly out of place, when one of these mages suddenly walked in class with my homeroom teacher. The mage wasn¡¯t just any mage, but rather, a Protector. Like in the television, the Protector was wearing their signature black robe with the Griffith Academy insignia on their left chest. Her eyes stared sharply at everyone in class.


    One of the Protector¡¯s jobs was to pick up mages that just found their power. Guess who was the student she was going to take away. That¡¯s right. Me.


    When my teacher mentioned my name, I froze in my seat. I could feel the gaze of everyone else in the room. They all look surprised and worried, especially Aoi. I could see that she had a mix of worry and sadness on her face. My teacher called my name again with a louder voice, and I finally stood up, grabbed my backpack and walked out with the protector.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    I thought she was mistaken at first, and I told her that my power disappeared. But the Protector denied, saying that the power was merely dormant, waiting to wake up again. That my fever was caused by my overuse of my power. Which confused me, because I didn¡¯t know how I even started using it.


    We were walking down the hallway and just about to arrive at the stairs when I heard someone running to us. It was Aoi.


    ¡°Do¡­ do you really have to go?¡± she asked.


    The protector explained that my power would endanger myself and everyone around me as long as I stay there. And despite my vow to keep her happy, she cried. I know it wasn¡¯t my fault, but I felt a sting in my chest.


    The Protector comforted her with a hug, saying that she would add Aoi to my list of contacts, so I could keep in touch with her. When the protector let her go, I hugged her, then we crossed our fingers. She made me promise to one day return for her, and I made her promise to open up to the others in class and make friends. She gave me the book with a heart cover to remind me of her.


    That was 9 years ago...

 Epilogue

    Aoi was sitting in the teacher''s lounge, checking exam answers. On one of the papers, she wrote down the perfect score. She didn¡¯t need to see who it was. Only one student could do it, Yumeko. Which was not the first time coming from her, and very unlikely to be the last time the young lady got a perfect score.


    Even after so long, she was still using the hair clip Eden gave her. She made friends, as promised, but they could never take his place. And no boys could take his place in her heart.


    After finishing checking the piles of exam answers, Aoi looked out the window. Her mind wandered to Eden. After he left school, he contacted her monthly with a phone call. He never missed a single occasion¡­ until this month. She thought it was just delayed, but it never came until the end of the month.


    She was getting worried that something might happen to him. News about the rising tension with the mages were no help at all. There were even rumors that there were plans of attacking the academies.


    Suddenly the door slid open and another teacher walked in. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Hey, Aoi! There¡¯s someone here who wants to visit you!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Aoi turned around to the door. The teacher stepped aside and a man holding a book with a heart on its cover walked in. Even after so many years, she immediately recognized who it was. A single tear dropped from the corner of her eyes.


    ¡°Long time no see, Aoi,¡± the man said with a smile.


    Aoi immediately rushed off her chair and into his arms, burying her face into his chest as the dam she had been holding back was released. The teacher left the two to have their moment.


    After she calmed down, Aoi punched him playfully a couple times. ¡°How dare you suddenly ghost me¡­¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°I wanted to make a surprise for you. Sorry if I made you worried.¡±


    ¡°... Do you see the light?¡± she asked. It was in one of their monthly chats that he explained to her about his power to see lights on people. The color depended on the type of person. Red for potential enemy. White for pure souls. And what about azure? Well, it meant she was his soulmate. No one other than her had it.


    He nodded.


    ¡°H-How is it...?¡±


    ¡°Never been brighter.¡±


    They may have lost their time to be together when they were young, but they were going to make it all up. They were going to create much more memory from now on...