《Butterfly Heights》 Chapter 1 - 10 Years Later ¡°Chi-chan, why does no one like me?¡± My voice muffled as her dress is now stained with tears. Chi-chan¡¯s small arms filled me with comfort as she continued rubbing circles on my back. "Well, I don¡¯t hate you. You¡¯re my best friend.¡± Her voice is a bit softer than usual. I looked up and stared at her blank eyes. ¡°Really?¡± I said in between sobs. She nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll always be by your side, Fuyuki.¡± I giggled and hugged her even tighter. ¡°I can always count on you, Chi-chan!¡± She gave me a small smile. I let go of the hug and pulled her towards the slide. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the slide!¡± She laughed and said yes. It was the last time that I¡¯ve ever seen Chi-chan. ??? 10 years later ring ring I groggily opened my eyes and stretched my arms. Ah, this marks another day in cram school¡­ If I can only stay in dreamland forever¡­ Too bad I¡¯m still living. Well, living isn¡¯t too bad either; I get to read shojo manga to my heart¡¯s desire. sigh If it were only that easy to get out of bed¡­ Suddenly, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I reluctantly moved towards the left to face her. I was then greeted with an incredibly formal greeting. ¡°Good morning, Fuyuki-sama!¡± Standing on the left side of my bed was a teenage girl with white hair and blue eyes, wearing a main outfit. She was my new personal maid, Shizuka Sato, as my former personal maid, who had been serving me since I was born, had to retire from old age. I then let out a chuckle. ¡°Shizuka, it¡¯s just me; no need to be overly formal.¡± Her cheeks had a subtle hint of red on them after I called her out. ¡°But Fuyuki-sama, I am but your humble maid.¡± "Oh, please, in my eyes, everyone¡¯s equal. Besides, I need 5 more minutes of sleep!¡± She just stared at me blankly. I gave her puppy eyes and said, ¡°Pwease¡±. Her gaze on me didn¡¯t falter. I let out a deep sigh. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get up now.¡± Kobayashi-san wasn¡¯t this strict¡­ Well, she has retired now because she could barely walk without her back hurting¡­ Kobayashi-san¡­¡­ Snap out of it, Fuyuki. Besides, Shizuka seems like a nice person¡­ A strange nostalgic feeling enveloped me. Huh, that¡¯s odd. Why am I oddly feeling nostalgic. Eh, it¡¯s probably nothing serious. ??? I arrived at the jovial halls of Takuju Academy, and as usual, my shoe locker is filled with love letters. I slumped my shoulders and let out a sigh, as I am not interested in dating someone at the moment. Moments after that, I heard some people calling my name. I turned to face them and saw a group of girls. The girl with long red hair looked at me with her arms crossed. ¡°Hey there, Fuyuki! Let me guess, your shoe locker¡¯s filled with love letters again?"Her name is Haruka Hazama. I let out a deeper sigh. ¡°As usual, it¡¯s filled with love letters.¡± She rolled her eyes and retorted. ¡°You¡¯re still complaining even when all the guys start drooling when they see you?¡± Standing on Haruka¡¯s right is a tall girl with long blue hair and curls at the end, named Akane Kashiwagi. She gave a subtle, fierce glare that can easily be dismissed. ¡°Haruka¡¯s right, how can you not be happy with the fact that every single guy you see would fawn over you, Fuyuki? No matter how much I style up of post selfies online, I barely get any likes.¡± She slumped her shoulders. The brunette on Haruka¡¯s right is Kaede Tsumo. She walked closer to me with her hand on her chest and a grin on her face. "Well, Fuyuki-chan may have all the boys in the world, but Tanaka-kun will eventually fall for me hehe~¡± I rolled my eyes. "Girl, you can have that idiot all to yourself.¡± Kaede scuffed. ¡°He¡¯s not an idiot; he¡¯s the hottest guy in school. Oh, his elegance and princely personality, and look at those dreamy eyes¡­ Oh, and don¡¯t get me started with his smile¡­¡± Her cheeks then started to redden and cackle like a weirdo. Her eyes were also more dilated. The hottest guy in school? Then those people have no taste at all because he¡¯s a total nutcase. I internally sighed over that thought. Suddenly, the hallway became filled with girls squealing and gushing. At the center of that was a tall, black-haired guy with a refined demeanor. A little ahoge could also be found on the top of his hair. He walked in our direction. Kaede was reduced to an even more lovestruck form and greeted him but got ignored. He went up to me and got down on one knee and extended his right hand out. "Oh, my dear Fuyuki Furukawa, will you accept my hand and give me the honor of your companionship?¡± The crowd went in uproar from his declaration of love. I once again let out a deep sigh, my tone firm. ¡°For the one millionth time, Hino-kun, I am currently not interested in anyone. Do you even understand what the meaning of the word no means!¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He took my hand and pleaded. ¡°If given a chance, you will know how perfect we are for each other! Please, my dear Furukawa-sama, accept my request for your companionship!¡± I sighed for the one millionth time. I lowered my head for a couple of moments and gazed at him in the eye. Subtle curves in my lips were formed. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry for being harsh on you, and I definitely could¡¯ve worded it better. I really admire your courage for asking me out in front of everyone; it¡¯s just that I¡¯m really not interested in being in a romantic relationship at the moment.¡± He furrowed his brows and forced a smile. I helped him get up, and I once again subtly curved my lips. He then walked away with his fan girls. I looked around and saw Kaede with her fists clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her eyes twitched as she spoke. ¡°He¡¯s only into you for now, Fuyuki-chan! He¡¯ll eventually realize how much better we are together that you two.¡± I went up to her and squeezed her hands. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to steal him from you, Kaede-chan. I¡¯ve always rejected him every single time he asked me out. The best of luck for you two!¡± Her lips formed into a pout. ¡°Whatever¡± She¡¯s still not convinced¡­ Eh, she¡¯ll eventually come to her senses. She¡¯ll realize that I¡¯m not trying to steal Hino-kun from him. A soft and gentle voice with a subtle sign of enthusiasm brought me back to reality. ¡°There¡¯s a new cafe nearby. Would you like to try it out?¡± But I really want to finish reading my manga! I wasn¡¯t able to finish it yesterday because I fell asleep! But¡­ I kinda want to try out the new cafe too. Eh, my shojo manga can wait. The red head and the brunette both gleamed in excitement. ¡°That¡¯s a wonderful idea, Akane-chan! Now I¡¯m craving a frappuccino¡­¡±, said the brunette. ¡°You can¡¯t go wrong with a good ¡®ol Americano." Haruka added. I listened to their friendly chatter and waited for the bell to ring. ??? ring ring This officially marks our dismissal. The four of us gathered and went to the new cafe. After several minutes, we arrived in a relaxed and cozy atmosphere with the smell of coffee lingering. There were only a few customers, with us occupying the third table. The waitress gave us the menu and chose from the cafe¡¯s massive selection. Hmmm, I guess I¡¯ll have a cheesecake and a frappuccino¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll surely get more than a thousand likes for today¡¯s post!¡± "Well, you¡¯ll surely get a lot of likes with how cute and pure you look.¡± "Ah, I hope¡­ ¡± murmering noises Their chatter eventually disappeared from my mind. There was a family of three entering a cafe. They may not look rich, but everywhere they went, they radiated happiness. ¡°Dad, I want a chocolate cake, please!"The little girl was glimmering in excitement. Her dad gave her a warm smile. ¡°Anything for my little princess.¡± The little girl went up to her father to hold him with her little arms. ¡°Thanks dad! You¡¯re the best!¡± The mother chuckled. ¡°She really loves you, dear.¡± Her father exclaimed. ¡°I mean, look at how adorable my little princess is!¡± The mother chuckled once again. My heart warmed from the sight, but it was quickly followed by a sharp pang of pain in my chest. A friendly voice snapped me out of my daze. ¡°Miss, what would you like to have?¡± I got startled but quickly composed myself. ¡°O-oh I would like to have a cheesecake and a frappuccino.¡± I then gave her a forced chuckle. The 3 girls glared at me and rolled their eyes. A warm curve on the waitress¡¯ lips formed. ¡°Your food will arrive at around 5-10 minutes.¡± ??? I have now arrived at the massive, modern, and minimalist but empty living room. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±, I enthusiastically exclaimed. I then sighed at the realization. Right, they¡¯re almost never home. Well, now that I¡¯m finally home after that delicious cake, I can finally continue reading my shojo manga¡­ A serious tone replied. ¡°Welcome back, Fuyuki-sama!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at her. ¡°You can drop the sama, you know?¡± This time, her face had a look of concern. ¡°A-are you okay, Fuyuki? You¡¯re crying.¡± I touched my face and felt tears continuously streaming down my face. Why am I crying right now? I just ate the most delicious cheesecake that I¡¯ve ever tried¡­ and Shizuka¡¯s right in front of me. Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. There¡¯s no reason to cry. I blinked non-stop, trying to hold back my tears. I continued acting like my usual cheerful self. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, Shizuka. It¡¯s probably just tears of joy from eating that cheesecake. You should come with me next time. I could eat that cheesecake every day!¡± Her brows furrowed. This gave me chills on my spine, as she probably saw right through me and might question me even more. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I kept up my cheerful facade, not letting my tears fall. "Well, I¡¯ll be going to my room now and continuing reading where I left off. I¡¯ll call you when I need something.¡± I quickly ran up to my room, not wanting Shizuka to see me. Not long after, I arrived at my massive and cozy minimalist room and plopped myself onto my soft bed. I took my manga from my wooden study table, located on the right side of my bed. I picked up where I left off yesterday. ??? My former friend and now rival has revealed to the entire school that I am the daughter of an infamous serial killer. There he was, the guy that I¡¯ve been trying to avoid the whole day, standing right in front of me near an empty classroom. I clenched my fist, trying to stop tears flowing from my eyes. "Yes, Sadakane-kun, I¡¯m the daughter of a criminal. I understand if you don¡¯t want to do anything with me.¡± My whole body trembled, tears treating to fall any moment. He looked at me with pleading eyes; his gaze never faltered. ¡°Seino-san, I would never leave you. Nothing can ever make me hate you. Your father being a notorious serial killer doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re also one. I¡¯ve known you for years. I know how pure and kindhearted you are!¡± I couldn¡¯t hold my tears in for any longer. I walked up to him and bawled my eyes out in his chest, wrapped around his long arms. ??? Seino and Sadakane are so perfect for each other, and Sadakane is so accepting. He¡¯s so kind and understanding¡­ and he also doesn¡¯t judge people by their background. ¡°I would never leave you¡­¡­¡± Before I knew it, I could see droplets of water falling onto the pages. I placed the manga onto my wooden desk and stared at the ceiling. How do you get someone that loyal... Someone who would never leave you¡­ Well I still have my lovely shojo manga that I could read to my heart¡¯s desire. I enjoy seeing people get together. The tears never stopped flowing. Why won¡¯t it stop flowing? Why won¡¯t this pain in my chest disappear? No matter how much shojo manga I read or no matter how much I try to avoid thinking about it, it will always come to haunt me. Just leave me alone, pain. I can¡¯t take this anymore. Just leave me alone, please. I¡¯m okay with my life now¡­ okay¡­ Am I really okay? I cried even harder. I¡¯ve completely lost control over my emotions. What¡¯s wrong with me? I thought that seeing people get together makes me happy, but why does my chest hurt so bad? Why can¡¯t I find a Sadakane-kun for myself? Why do they always leave me or treat me like trash? Did I do anything wrong? Why¡­ Chapter 2 - Transfer Student I have arrived at the room full of chatter and unfamiliar faces, except one, who¡¯s looking out the window. It was a girl with long blond hair. Her hair is tied in half-up pigtails with pink cat-styled hair ties. She also has a bright smile on her face, yet despite all of that, her eyes are not as bright as I remember. Mow, there¡¯s not a hint of light in her eyes, despite her expression seeming genuine. It hurt me to see her like that. I walked up to my assigned seat, which was, surprisingly, right next to her. Fuyuki¡­ I¡¯m really sorry for leaving you; if I could¡¯ve just convinced my father to stay even more. I should¡¯ve tried even harder. Maybe it could¡¯ve kept the light in her eyes. Well, it¡¯s not like I can reverse the past and do anything about it. I don¡¯t expect her to forgive me or anything. She may be only a couple of meters away now, but that doesn¡¯t mean that everything will be the same as it was before. My trail of thoughts came to a halt when a pleasant sound played throughout the entire school building. This marked the start of a school day. The door creaked and revealed a woman with long brown hair with a warm demeanor. Everyone stood up and said ¡°kiritsu¡± in unison. We then bowed and said "rei." The woman bowed back to us, and we sat down and said "chakusei.¡±. ¡°Good morning, everyone. Today, we have a new transfer student, Chizuru Takahashi-san. You may walk up in front and introduce yourself. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, but I am Akari Sato.¡± Everyone whispered among themselves, curious as to why someone would transfer in the middle of the school year. I walked up on the platform and introduced myself while scratching my nape. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Chizuru Takahashi, and I guess I like reading shojo manga.¡± Sato-sensei smiled and said, ¡°If you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to ask me or Furukawa-san, who¡¯s seated next to you by the window. Furukawa-san, please guide Takahashi-san when needed to hold her adjust.¡± Fuyuki instantly responded with a ¡°yes¡± to Sato-sensei¡¯s request. Maybe she had already forgiven me. Maybe we can still go back to how we used to be... I casually walked up to my seat and was greeted with a big smile from Fuyuki. Her eyes had more light compared to earlier, but not as bright as they were before. ¡°Hellooo! I¡¯m Fuyuki Furukawa, but you can drop the formalities and call me Fuyuki.¡± Oh¡­¡­ she doesn¡¯t remember at all¡­¡­ Well, I guess it¡¯s better than nothing and eliminates the possibility of her hating me¡­ This thought still stung as the fact that Fuyuki doesn¡¯t remember me at all. I retained my blank expression, not wanting to reveal my emotions. ¡°I¡¯m Chizuru Takahashi; I guess you can call me Chizuru if you¡¯d like.¡± Well, I better get used to her calling me Chizuru now instead of Chi-chan¡­ She didn¡¯t seem to notice my inner turmoil and responded, ¡°Can I call you Chizuru-chan instead? ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Her eyes gleamed, and she let out a squeal. ¡°Yay! Wait, you said that you like shojo manga, right? "She leaned forward, excitement radiating around her. I casually responded. ¡°Yeah¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°I love shojo manga too! Who¡¯s your favorite author? ¡± ¡°I like the works of Kurai-sensei.¡± Her cheeks reddened with my answer, which I thought was strange. She played with her hair, and her eyes were twitching. "Oh, I think we should pay attention to class; you know Sato-sensei might notice that we¡¯re not paying attention at all, and I feel bad because she¡¯s such a nice teacher and we don¡¯t want to make her upset, you know. Let¡¯s talk more at lunch, okay?" I got even more suspicious, but I didn¡¯t ask her about it and kept my blank expression. ¡°Talk to you at lunch, I guess.¡± We didn¡¯t talk to each other for the rest of the subjects before lunch. After the painfully long lectures, lunch finally came. ??? Lunch has finally arrived! I can finally eat with Chizuru-chan! She just feels so familiar and warm, despite her cute blank expression... hehe~ Just wait for me, Chi-chan! Wait Chi-chan? It feels oddly natural¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met before, though¡­ Oh well¡­ I looked around the classroom and spotted my three female friends. I walked up to them hurriedly, trying not to waste any more time. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll be with Chizuru-chan today! ¡± The three girls just rolled their eyes at me. The brunette then snickered. ¡°Good¡± ¡°Well see you! ¡± I waved at them, but they didn¡¯t even bother to look my way. I felt my heart sink but immediately jumped when I heard a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw a girl with collar-length hair. Her hair was jet black and had uneven bangs, the shortest one touching her eye. She also wore a blank expression. ¡°Why are you friends with those girls? They treat you like absolute garbage.¡± Her fists were clenched tightly. I scratched my nape while responding. ¡°You know, to pass time too, and they¡¯re not too bad.¡± Her knuckles were now white. ¡°That¡¯s not the point; they still treat you like you¡¯re a pest.¡± My heart pounded when I saw her fists clenched so tightly. Is she mad at me? Did I say anything wrong? Is she going to hate me after this? My heart pounded even faster, my anxiety worsening as time went by. What should I do? How do I fix this? I mean, if she leaves me, then so what? It¡¯s just part of human life, right? My anxiety never subsided; it only worsened even more. Besides, you just met her. Maybe you¡¯re just not compatible, and as I said earlier, people come and go, Fuyuki, so it¡¯s not that bad. ¡°-ki¡± ¡°Fuyuki?¡± I quickly snapped out of my thought. Chizuru-chan¡¯s eyebrows were slightly lifted, and her right hand was trying to reach my shoulder. ¡°What happened? Your face looks pale¡­¡± My eyes twitched. I awkwardly scratched my nape and responded. "Oh, it¡¯s nothing; I just remembered that a shojo manga chapter was supposed to be released today and not tomorrow. Nothing major.¡± She furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head. ¡°Uhh okay¡­? Well, I guess we should go look for a place to eat.¡± I hastily nodded. "Yeah, we should go now.¡± We then aimlessly walked around the school until we arrived at a place full of greenery. There were unbloomed sakura flowers everywhere, white lilies planted on the flowerbeds on the left, and pink tsubakis on the flowerbeds at the right. There were also surprisingly empty beige Japanese-style gazebos everywhere. We sat on the gazebo in between the two flowerbeds. ¡°So what made you transfer here in the middle of the school year?¡± There wasn¡¯t any hint of hesitation when she answered my question. ¡°Well, my parents had to go back to Tokyo to fix some things related to our company, and he couldn¡¯t bear to leave me in Nagano, so they decided to just move here in Tokyo for good as Tokyo is also the capital.¡± My heart twisted with her words. ¡°Ah, your parents really love you, huh? "I gave her a painful smile. Her eyes widened, but she quickly regained her composure. There was an awkward silence that enveloped us. I then tried to break it, but she also spoke at the same time. ¡°You can go first,¡± I said. ¡°Oh, uh, it¡¯s okay, I really don¡¯t mind.¡± She averted her gaze from me, her cheeks showing a tint of redness. "No, it¡¯s fine.¡± I shook my head. ¡°But you¡¯re younger.¡± Confusion filled me. ¡°Huh?¡± Wait what? Not once did we mention our birthdays to each other¡­ I don¡¯t even know how old she is¡­ Eh, she probably just guessed. The redness in her cheeks was clearly evident. ¡°When¡¯s your birthdate, by the way?¡± ¡°November 7, 2008¡± She stuttered and said, ¡°Ah, I guessed right, mine¡¯s May 23, 2008. So you go first because you¡¯re younger.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go first. Don¡¯t you feel sad that you had to leave your friends in Nagano?¡± She forced a smile and said, ¡°Well, it stung at first, but I understand that my parents have to fix something for work, so I don¡¯t really mind it that much.¡± Chihiro-chan¡¯s face turned pale. I felt confused and concerned, so I asked. ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡± She hurriedly packed her lunch. ¡°Lunch break just ended.¡± I chuckled. "Oh, the bell? The bell rings 10 minutes earlier to give us time to go back to our classrooms on time.¡± She sighed in relief. ¡°I thought that we were gonna be late for a moment.¡± I chuckled again. "Well, it does mean that we have to go back to class now.¡± I finished packing and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She stood up, and we walked back to our classroom. Chapter 3 - Tour The sun was starting to rise; the outside world was still fairly dark. The halls were fairly empty, contrasting its usual atmosphere, which is packed with people. I guess I misread the time... well, that¡¯s a waste of opportunity to go to sleep. I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw a familiar black-haired girl. My feelings of frustration now turned into feelings of excitement and happiness. ¡°Chizuru-chan! What brings you here?¡± She averted her gaze and scratched her nape. ¡°I thought that I was running late, but I got to school a bit too early¡­¡± I chuckled. ¡°I misread the time too. Well, want me to give you a tour of the school since we can¡¯t really do anything.¡± ¡°Sure¡± ¡°The place we¡¯re in right now is the main entrance. Over there to the right leads to the elementary school building and parking. We¡¯re not really allowed to go to the elementary school building for reasons that I don¡¯t really know, and you¡¯re gonna get punished for going there based on the student handbook.¡± She nodded and continued listening without saying anything. ¡°While the right leads to the junior high school and high school building. Straight ahead leads to the main library of the school. Would you like to go to the high school buildings first or the main library? I forgot to mention that every building has a library of their own, but the main library has a wider selection, and the school documents and records can also be found there, but obviously, we¡¯re not allowed to go to that area.¡± ¡°Ohhh, I guess I¡¯d like to go to the main library first.¡± ¡°Well then, main library it is!¡± We walked in a straight direction, towards the main library. After a few minutes, we eventually arrived at our destination. It was a massive dome-shaped building made out of wood. It had a traditional Japanese interior. Despite being fairly early, there were already quite a few students using the facility. ¡°This section contains all of the books that we can use. It ranges from magazines, mangas, novels, books for research, travel guides, to foreign books. You can find almost everything here.¡± She gasped in surprise. Her eyes were wide open, which is a rare sight from her as she barely shows her emotions, let alone an extreme reaction. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this many books in my life. This is almost as big as our high school building.¡± "Well, that''s the main library for you. That side over there is the reading area.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She gasped even louder. ¡°Is this entire area purely for reading?¡± "Well, you can use it for research too, but mostly yes.¡± ¡°My old school cannot even compare to the size of this library.¡± I laughed at her comment, my hands covering my mouth. ¡°This library really is something, and we¡¯re not even halfway through the library tour.¡± Her eyes were wide open, like it¡¯s going to pop off. ¡°Wait, WHAT!?¡± I left out a smirk. ¡°Mhm¡± ¡°This place is¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± I chuckled. "Well, that¡¯s pretty understandable; it is big for a library, especially for a school library. Well anyways, over there is the computer section. You can use it for research and stuff, as students don¡¯t usually bring their devices during lunch break. I mean, it¡¯s a hassle to carry all the way down here, especially when you have a library this big.¡± "Well, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°And that area over there are the conference rooms. You can use it when you need to meet up with your groupmates for a project. And then the area that takes up a third of this building is the restricted area over there that contains school documents and the area where the staff would usually stay. The place on the right of the restrooms is a cafe.¡± ¡°Wait, this library has a cafe??¡± ¡°Mhm¡± ¡°Now I wanna go to school early every single day. I can read all the shojo manga to my heart¡¯s content without having to go to the bookstore and buy it, and I can also read it at school. And on top of all of that, it also has a cafe.¡± Her eyes were sparkling. I guess going to school early isn¡¯t too bad, now that Chizuru-chan¡¯s here. Starting tomorrow, I¡¯ll go to school at around the same time as today. ¡°I never thought that I would ever meet someone who also loves shojo manga as much as I do, although I prefer owning a copy of it and reading it at home.¡± "Well, nothing can really compare to the comfort of your own home, huh.¡± Comfort of your own home¡­¡­ I guess that empty mansion counts as home¡­¡­ Well, you did grow up in that place, Fuyuki, and that place is the home to an infinite supply of books that I enjoy reading. Well, it may lack the traditional warmth that you¡¯d expect from a house, but you can do whatever you¡¯d like there, so it¡¯s not too bad. I forced a smile and a chuckle. ¡°I guess nothing beats the comfort of your home¡­¡± Her eyes were as wide as they possibly could for a split second before returning to her usual blank expression. ¡°O-oh well, I guess you can give me the tour of the high school building now.¡± I forced another smile. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go now!¡± We left the library and walked towards the main entrance. The fairly dark outside world when we arrived has now changed to a fairly bright scenery. The school had also returned to its original, bustling atmosphere. I then gave Chizuru-chan a tour of our high school building, which is where we can find our classroom. Shortly after, I was able to give her the complete tour of the building, telling her where all of the offices and facilities can be found. While we were walking around to kill time, I saw a familiar group of three girls engaging in friendly chatter. The brunette noticed me, and it didn¡¯t take long for the others to notice me as well. They all rolled their eyes and continued their conversation like nothing happened. My heart sank at the sight of them. Ah, they seem to be perfectly fine without me¡­ Well, it isn¡¯t exactly a bad thing, as being with them isn¡¯t exactly fun, but it was an effective way to kill time. I mean, I would never really belong in their clique. I guess this setup isn¡¯t exactly a bad thing¡­ Besides, walking around the campus with Chizuru-chan, even if I hate walking just¡­ it just feels amazing¡­ Being with someone who actually acknowledges your presence¡­ And patiently listens to everything you say¡­ This feeling¡­ this feeling is something that I would like to feel all the time¡­ I then looked up to my right, seeing the taller girl talking passionately. My heart warmed at the sight. ¡°Uhh Fuyuki?¡± I snapped out of my gaze. I quickly composed myself before responding, ¡°O-oh you can continue talking. Don¡¯t mind me, ehe¡­¡± She furrowed her eyebrows for a short moment before responding. ¡°Uhh okay¡­? Well anyways.¡± She then continued talking about shojo manga. Oh no, I messed up! Fuyuki, why did you stare at her? What if she thinks that you¡¯re some sort of weirdo now? Are you out of your mind? Just don¡¯t do anything stupid or make her feel weirded out, got it, Fuyuki? Chapter 4 - Tower Snow had started to fill the roads of Tokyo. The sun also rose a bit later than usual. Today was the day that me and Fuyuki would meet up. We decided to meet at the tall tower. I arrived at our meeting place 5 minutes earlier. I looked around to find the blonde-haired girl and had no luck. I decided to text her and said, ¡°I¡¯m already here. Where are you?¡± I then felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw the girl that I was looking for. The girl was wearing a brown trench coat and was carrying a small handbag. She leaned forward, with her hands clasped at the back. She also wore a wide smile. ¡°Chizuru-chan! Did you wait for a while?¡± ¡°I just got here a couple of minutes ago.¡± ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go to the ice skating rink!¡± She pulled my hand, and we went towards the ice skating rink. My lips couldn¡¯t help but form a small curve at her action. ¡°Cute¡­¡± She stopped walking and turned to face me, her hand not letting go of her hold on mine. Her head was also slightly tilted. ¡°Did you say anything?¡± My cheeks reddened at the realization. Shoot! I accidentally said it out loud! Chizuru!!!!! Why did you have to say that out loud? Way to go in making things awkward. Well, she didn¡¯t seem to hear it, so I can still make up something. ¡°Huh? W-What do you mean?¡± She awkwardly laughed at herself and let go of her hold on my hand. ¡°O-oh, silly me¡­ ehehe¡­ I probably misheard it or something. I guess we should continue walking to the skating rink, right?¡± My heart dropped when she let go of her hold on my hand but hid it with my usual blank expression. ¡°I guess so.¡± An awkward silence enveloped us. We arrived at the skating rink without muttering a word. I tried to break the silence. ¡°We¡¯re here now.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ we¡¯re here¡­¡± The place was full of people. There was also a long line in the tickets section. Luckily for us, we¡¯ve already anticipated this and bought tickets in advance. We just had to change into skates. After a couple of minutes, we were ready to go skate. As we went to the skating rink, I noticed that Fuyuki was a bit hesitant to enter. ¡°Do you know how to skate?¡± She averted her eyes and answered. ¡°This is actually my first time¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach you. For now, just hold my hand.¡± I reached out my hand to her. There was still some hesitation in her, but she took my hand. My heart palpitated on her touch but kept my composure. ¡°All you have to do is push one foot backwards and let the other glide. Don¡¯t worry about falling; I¡¯ll catch you just in case.¡± Her hands started to relax. She took a deep breath before pushing one foot backwards. We both started to move, her movements starting to be more at ease. Her eyes sparkled.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m doing it¡­ I¡¯m doing it!¡± ¡°Now I¡¯ll be letting go of one hand.¡± I started to follow her momentum. ¡°You¡¯re a natural at this, Fuyuki.¡± I suddenly let go of my hand and watched her skate. ¡°This is really fun, Chizuru-chan! Wait¡­ you¡¯re not holding me anymore¡­ Chizuru-chan!!¡± Her movements became more tense. Just as she was about to fall, I was able to catch her in time. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Besides, I won¡¯t let anything harm you.¡± She pouted. ¡°Well, you could¡¯ve at least warned me about it!¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry for letting you go.¡± She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± We then continued to skate for hours. Fuyuki never seemed to run out of energy and quickly learned all of the fundamentals. The sun eventually sat, with us not realizing how long it has been. I checked my watch and saw that it¡¯s already 18:27. ¡°Fuyuki, it¡¯s already 18:27.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Huh?? But it hasn¡¯t even felt like an hour.¡± ¡°We should probably go eat now.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± she pouted. We changed back to our boots and went to the restaurant. We eventually arrived and were greeted with an elegant and sophisticated ambiance, with a view of Tokyo that¡¯s way below us. We went up to the receptionist regarding our reservation. ¡°Excuse me, we have a reservation under the name Furukawa," Fuyuki spoke. The receptionist¡¯s eyes widened for a split second and quickly regained her composure. ¡°Ah yes, I will lead you to your seat. A table for two, right?" the receptionist politely said. "Yes," Fuyuki replied. The receptionist led us to our table. The round table was covered in white fabric with candles lit up. I let out a deep sigh, ¡°I¡¯m tired from all that skating.¡± ¡°Why does time only fly fast when you¡¯re having fun?¡±, she whined. I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you had fun.¡± She had a big smile on her face. ¡°Of course it was fun; you were there with me. But seriously though, where did you learn how to ice skate? You¡¯re so good at it!¡± ¡°Well, my parents and I would go ice skating every year.¡± Her big smile became more forced. ¡°I-I see¡­¡± My heart sank at the sight. If only her dad were to come home more often¡­ maybe she would¡¯ve experienced what it¡¯s like to have a parent in her life¡­ ¡°Maybe you should join us sometime.¡± Her eyes were in awe. ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that my parents will agree.¡± ¡°Thanks, Chizuru¡­¡± Her eyes started to tear up. She wiped down the tears that were threatening to fall. ¡°Heh, it seems like I¡¯m getting a little bit emotional there.¡± Fuyuki¡­ if I could only do anything to fix your situation¡­ why is her father neglecting her even if they¡¯re the only family they have¡­ Oh wait¡­ I¡¯m no different from her father¡­ I also left her¡­ I have no right to complain about her father¡­ ¡°Uhh Chizuru-chan?¡±, Her tone was laced with worry. Her words snapped me out of my daze. ¡°Well, our food just arrived.¡± I was still startled from earlier. ¡°W-well then, let¡¯s eat!¡± We said ¡°itadakimasu¡± before we started eating our food. We ate and chatted about random things until we finished eating our food. We then went to our last destination, the observation deck. The whole of Tokyo was illuminated by the bright full moon. Fuyuki was in full awe of the view. She quickly went on one of the tower viewers and looked at the view. I watched her while she was looking at the view of Tokyo. I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off her. ¡°The view here looks amazing!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it exactly the same as the view at the restaurant?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, looking through the tower viewer is a completely different experience. Besides, I was focused on our food earlier.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± ¡°What, I was hungry.¡± She pouted. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at what she said. ¡°Back to our original topic, going here at night gives off different vibes. It just feels more peaceful, you know?¡± She let out a contented sigh. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never been here during the day, so I can¡¯t say.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You should also go here during the day to see it for yourself.¡± ¡°Well, I agree that the night feels more peaceful, but only if you¡¯re at your house or from above here.¡± She started laughing. ¡°I mean, there are a lot of bars here in Tokyo.¡± I would like these moments to never end¡­ I wonder how she¡¯ll react if she remembered our past¡­ Would she get mad at me? Would she forgive me? Sigh, if things could only stay like this¡­ Even if she remembers¡­ Sadly, you can¡¯t really pause time. I know that I would eventually have to tell her, but I just can¡¯t bring myself to. What if she reacts terribly? What if she never talks to me again? I just can¡¯t bring myself to let her go¡­ Chapter 5 - Chizuru Takahashi 10 years ago It was another day at the big playground that my personal maid would bring me to. It was boring because no one wanted to play with me. I didn¡¯t do anything bad to them. Why is she still bringing me here? Suddenly, I saw a girl with blonde hair and pigtails. She was also with an old woman who¡¯s probably her personal maid and a tall man in a suit. She looked happy and went up to the other kids, but they were all scared of her, like how they act around me. My personal maid looked smiling at me and said, ¡°Why not play with Prime Minister Furukawa¡¯s daughter, Chi-sama?¡± She then brought me towards them. ¡°Chi-sama, over hear wants to play with the young lady.¡± The girl jumped in happiness. ¡°Let¡¯s play! My name is Fuyuki, Chi-chan!¡± I looked at her and responded. ¡°Uhh, okay¡± She then pulled me, and we ran to the slide. My mind was still processing what¡¯s going on, and my heart beat quickly. I looked behind me, and the grownups were looking at us while smiling and talking to each other. The girl started coming every day, and I would always be excited when we¡¯re going to the playground, unlike before, and we would play and stick together until one day. It was dark outside when my mom and dad arrived at our big house. They both went up to me and gave me a tight hug. ¡°We missed you, Chi-chan," my mom said. ¡°We brought you your favorite, ramen!¡± I was so happy that I hugged them even tighter. ¡°Thank you, mom, thank you, dad!¡± My mom smiled at me and said, ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, sweetheart. Seeing you this happy is what makes us happy.¡± The bodyguards placed the food on the table, and we all ate ramen. After a while, my parents looked nervous, so I asked them. ¡°Mom, dad, why do you look nervous?¡± My dad replied. ¡°We¡¯re really sorry but have to move to Nagano because of some problems at the rice production in Nagano.¡± I felt sad. But I promised Fuyuki that I wouldn¡¯t leave her¡­ She¡¯s also my best friend and only friend¡­ I argued. ¡°But Fuyuki lives here!¡± My mom responded this time. ¡°We have to, or else our company will suffer the consequences.¡± I sighed. ¡°Fine¡­¡± My dad said, ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll make sure to bring you to your favorite ramen shop right before we go to Nagano.¡± The thought of eating ramen tomorrow didn¡¯t really make me happy because I wanted to stay here with Fuyuki¡­ ??? 6 years later It¡¯s been years since I left Tokyo. Fuyuki never really left my mind. She would always be there, lingering on my mind every single day. It was late at night, about to go to sleep, as I should, but she was there again, at the center of my thoughts. I wonder how she¡¯s doing¡­ Was she able to find a new friend? Does she have a good support system? Is she happy? Does she have a boyfriend?Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The thought of her having a boyfriend made my heart drop. Why am I feeling like this? She¡¯s just the first ever friend, let alone the first and only best friend I ever had. I shouldn¡¯t be feeling this way¡­ Well, whatever that was, does she still remember me? I mean, we were still children at the time, but I just can¡¯t forget about that day, the day where I left her, knowing that she¡¯s all alone¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Fuyuki! I should¡¯ve convinced my parents more! I¡¯m sorry for hurting you! I¡­ I¡­ I could¡¯ve done better! I knew about your situation and still left you¡­ I¡¯m such a terrible friend! Tears started streaming down my face. I¡¯m sorry, Fuyuki¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­ for everything that I¡¯ve done. I hope you¡¯re doing okay, even if I¡¯m not there by your side. I hope that you have someone who¡¯ll be there to cherish you and treat you the way you deserve to be treated. Before I met you, I felt pretty empty. I mean, sure, my parents loved me, but they weren¡¯t always home early; they¡¯d only tuck me into bed, and when I wake up, they¡¯re already gone. I understand that they¡¯re busy, but aside from that, the other children at the playground were intimidated at us. I would always be alone there at the corner, and that is, until you came into my life. You lighten up my dark world. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Those were the best moments of my life, but things don¡¯t last forever. I just wish you the best, Fuyuki. That night, I didn¡¯t get an ounce of sleep. I just stared at the ceiling all night. After several hours of crying and staring, I heard a knock on my door. I quickly pretended to be asleep. I heard the door creak and footsteps approaching. I then felt a soothing voice attempting to wake me up. It provided me with so much comfort, easing up the pain that I felt over the last several hours. That voice belonged to my mother. ¡°Sweetheart, it¡¯s time for you to wake up and get ready for school!¡± I was so tempted to give an eyeroll, but it would blow my cover. I never really had a friend here at Nagano, so school was something that I never looked forward to. I still tried to regain my composure and pretended to wake up. ??? It was lunchtime at school. I sat at the faraway corner of the cafeteria, eating the bento that our personal chef made me. It didn¡¯t take too long for me to finish eating and brought out a manga by my favorite author, Kurai-sensei. It didn¡¯t take too long for me to hear a feminine voice calling me. I looked up to the direction of the voice and saw a meek, pink-haired girl. ¡°Are you perhaps also a fan of Kurai-sensei?¡± My eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Yeah, I am. Takamine-san, right?¡± She averted her gaze and responded. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ You¡¯re Takahashi-san, right?¡± I nodded. She then started playing with her hair and asked. ¡°I-I-Is it okay for me to sit down?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± She went up to me and sat at the chair right next to me. ¡°So, how long have you been a fan of Kurai-sensei?¡± ¡±I-I¡¯ve been a fan since her debut." Her voice trembled. My eyes widened in fascination. ¡°I¡¯ve also been a fan since she debuted. Her manga just feels so familiar and how emotional her works could get and the satisfying happy ending.¡± Her eyes gleamed in excitement. ¡°I know! And the pacing is just perfect!¡± Lunch went by quickly, which happened for the first time in a while. Me and Takamine-san became close, and we would often talk about our mutual love for Kurai-sensei. Her presence eased the guilt of leaving Fuyuki behind and breaking my promise, but Fuyuki never left my mind. I would always wonder if she¡¯s doing well, but unlike before, I didn¡¯t blame myself as much. ??? 2 years later It was summer break. I was reading the latest chapter of Kurai-sensei¡¯s works until I heard a knock on my door. I modulated my voice and said, ¡°Come in!¡±. It was my personal maid, with a rare serious face, contrasting her usual cheerful expression. ¡°Your parents need to talk to you.¡± My eyebrows furrowed. Huh? I don¡¯t think I failed on a test or something¡­ This is odd¡­ ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll go there," my voice laced with skepticism. I went to the living room and noticed my parents averting their gaze from me. I sat down on the other end of the modern-style couch. My mom broke the silence and said, ¡°We need to tell you something.¡±. I listened patiently. ¡°As you know, our company has grown a lot over the years, and traveling from Nagano to Tokyo fairly often isn¡¯t exactly the most convenient, so we decided to move back to Tokyo. We already arranged your transfer to Fuyuki¡¯s school, if you still remember her. We¡¯re really sorry for putting you through this again, dear, but work is equally important.¡± I gave them a gentle smile. ¡°I understand, and I really don¡¯t mind. Besides, I can talk to Misaki through LINE so it¡¯s not too bad, and I¡¯ll get to see Fuyuki too.¡± My mom¡¯s eyes started tearing up. ¡°We didn¡¯t want to do this at first, but we really need to be in Tokyo most of the time. I know that you¡¯re not exactly the best at dealing with people, and it¡¯s hard for you to leave your best friend here in Nagano, so thanks for being understanding, dear.¡± ¡°I know that you¡¯re doing this for my future and that you only want what¡¯s best for me, so there¡¯s no reason for me to get mad.¡± My mom went up to me and hugged me tightly, and I hugged her back. My dad watched us both with his eyes filled with affection. ??? I was in my room, with my heart palpitating, looking for the courage to tell Misaki that I¡¯m moving to Tokyo. ¡°Misaki, I have something to tell you.¡± To my surprise, she instantly read the message and replied. ¡°I¡¯m listening¡± I took a deep breath and told her. ¡°The thing is, I¡¯m moving back to Tokyo.¡± ¡°WHAT¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll still talk to me through LINE, right??¡± I let out a chuckle at her response. ¡°Of course I will; you¡¯re my best friend, you know.¡± ¡°Well, you have to tell me how life in Tokyo is.¡± ¡°I will¡± I was nervous at first, but when I saw her replies, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her responses. Thanks, Misaki, for being my first and only friend here in Nagano. We may not be able to see each other as much as we used to, but I¡¯d still find time to talk to you. You¡¯re the first person who ever befriended me here. And Fuyuki¡­ It¡¯s been a really long time since we last saw each other. I really am sorry for breaking my promise and leaving you... I really am. I hope that we can still be friends right after all that¡¯s happened and leave the past behind. I loved you, even until now, I do. It did take me a while to realize, but I eventually did. This time, I will never leave you. Chapter 6 - Kurai-sensei A week has passed since we went to the tower. I decided to come earlier than her and arrived at our meeting place, which was a cafe near our school, 30 minutes earlier. To my surprise, she was right there, looking out the window. She was also wearing earphones. OH MY GOSH, NO MATTER WHAT I DO, SHE''LL ALWAYS BE EARLIER THAN ME! I WANNA SCREAM SO BAD RIGHT NOW. I wonder how long I''ve kept her waiting for me... All of the worst-case scenarios filled my head, and panic started to control me. Oh no, what if she''s been waiting for an hour? I''m such an idiot; I should''ve come sooner. Why did you have to make her wait, Fuyuki? Fuyuki, why are you being like this? Making people suffer all because of your idiocy! Negative thoughts continued to haunt me as my breaths started to become more laborious. "Fuyuki?" The soft and deep feminine voice was filled with concern. YOU IDIOT! WHY ARE YOU BEING LIKE THIS! YOU''RE SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON! I then felt arms shaking me. That caused me to finally snap out of my thoughts. "Fuyuki! What happened? Take a deep breath." Chizuru-chan''s eyes were wide open and her movements were frantic. My breaths started to calm down. "Do you feel better now?" I gave her a reassuring smile and responded. "I feel much better now." Great, you made her worry. Great job, Fuyuki. Just great. I scratched my nape and said, "Well anyways, let''s go take a seat." ??? My worry subsided when her breaths finally calmed down. What happened to you, Fuyuki? What could''ve caused your panic attack? Did I do something wrong? I was listening to music, and then the next thing that I''d hear was her hyperventilating. Fuyuki... What did they do to you all those years? Maybe this could''ve been avoided if I didn''t move to Nagano... Well, I can''t change the past, and this time, I''ll never leave you, like I did before. I won''t let anyone hurt you. I may not be able to change the past, but I won''t repeat the same mistake moving forward. We sat at the cafe in awkward silence, contrasting the cafe''s comforting atmosphere. Despite trying to reassure me that she''s okay, she still had a troubled expression. Fuyuki... I''m sorry. I''m sorry for breaking my promise. No, self-hatred won''t do anything; what I have to do is make things right now. Suddenly, I received a notification. It was from the unofficial Discord server of Kurai-sensei''s ongoing manga. My emotions immediately shifted from guilt to jumping in joy. Apparently, the latest chapter was posted last night, and I didn''t know. Fuyuki broke the silence and said with her eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?" "The latest chapter of Kurai-sensei''s manga was released last night." Her confused expression immediately switched to panic. She played with her hair and said, "O-O-Oh... I see... That''s... That''s wonderful... yeah... ehe..." "Uhh... okay..."Stolen story; please report. Why is it that every time I bring up Kurai-sensei, she acts weirdly... I can''t think of a possible reason... My thoughts were halted by a phone call. "Oh, I need to take this real quick. I''ll be right back." Why is it that each time she gets a phone call, which almost rarely happens, she always act secretively? I continued pondering about Fuyuki''s weird behavior. Our food had already arrived, yet she''s still busy with her phone call. After around 10 minutes, she came back, acting like nothing happened. "As usual, this cafe never disappoints. The cheesecake tastes amazing and the frappucino has a perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness." "Do you perhaps like cheesecake?" Her eyes lit up. "I love cheesecake, especially when it''s from here. They have the best cheesecake that I''ve ever tried." My lips couldn''t help but form a subtle upward curve. "Especially when it''s a blueberry cheesecake, I love blueberries so much! And then combined with a cheesecake, it''s perfect." "I guess I should also call you Blueberry-chan, because until now, you''re still smaller than me." She pouted. "Our height difference is only about 2 centimeters. That''s barely anything." I let out a chuckle. "That doesn''t change the fact that you''re smaller than me. Besides, you''re also younger than me, so isn''t Blueberry-chan a cute nickname for you?" Her cheeks were flushed. "Just call me however you''d like." "I was just kidding; I''ll still call you Fuyuki. Come to think of it, it''s snowing." "Oh yeah, ''Fuyu'' means snow." "Well, I can''t call you an ice queen since you''re the opposite of one. You''re too energetic." She let out a laugh, which warmed my heart. "You act way more like an ice queen than me." I couldn''t help but pout from her comment. "I''m not an ice queen. "Ah yes, an ice queen definitely doesn''t have either a serious expression or a blank one." "Do I really look that heartless?" Her eyes widened. "I-I''m so sorry! I didn''t mean to offend you or anything. I was just joking. I''m really sorry." I squeezed her hands in attempts to calm her down. "Please stop apologizing; I wasn''t offended. I was just joking, I swear." The tension in her was slowly easing up. "I''m really sorry for what I said. I should''ve been more careful." "I really was just joking around. You didn''t say anything offensive." I desperately tried to calm her down. "I hope..." Seeing how anxious she was and how she would always make sure that she wouldn''t offend me really breaks my heart. It makes me question how badly people have treated her. ??? It''s already night time, and I just got home. I quickly went to my desk and started working on the latest chapter of my manga. I need it to be finished by tomorrow, as it will still have to go through my editor. ??? Me and Akira were at an arcade, playing when a group of girls waved at him. "Oh, Ken! I didn''t expect to see you here," a girl our age said. "Oh, he''s Akira," I retorted. "Uhh, that''s obviously Ken." Akira just stood there flabbergasted. "Look, Yuki, I can explain." "So all this time, you were my ex who broke my heart in front of a lot of people? And now, you''re gonna wear a wig and say that you''re a guy named Akira!? I should''ve known all along that it was you. You looked familiar when I first saw you. Now tell me, why did you have to break my heart that way? Why Ken, why?" Tears started flowing down my face. ??? I groaned in frustration. My writer''s block struck once again. "Ugh, I can''t think of the next scene! Why does it have to strike now? It''s literally due tomorrow! I thought that I''d be able to finish this today, but no. Are you being for real now? I can''t think of anything!!!!" Just then, I heard a knock from the door. "Come in!" It was my personal maid, Shizuka. "Do you need anything, Shizuka?" Her face was still as stoic as ever. "I heard you get frustrated while I was about to go to the maid''s quarters. Is it perhaps about the manga?" I sighed in frustration. "Yeah, I''m stuck. I can''t think of the next scene, and I have to finish this by tomorrow at 13:00." She looked at me in the eye; her gaze never faltered. "Fuyuki-sama, it is also important to take a break. You''ve been working hard ever since I first saw you, whether if it¡¯s for school or your mangaka career. You just got home and you''re already working on your manga, even if it¡¯s already pretty late. I mean, working hard is important, but you also need to take a break sometimes." I couldn''t help but smile from her advice. "You know, for someone as stoic as you, you''re surprisingly caring, but I''m not complaining." She averted her gaze. "You''re like a sister to me, Fuyuki-sama. Before I forget to ask, does your friend know that you are a mangaka?" I started fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. "Actually, she doesn''t, and I don''t plan to tell her." "But being open is important in both platonic relationships and romantic relationships." I sighed. "If it were only that easy..." "Didn''t you say that she is a big fan of your work?" "I know, but I''m still scared. I can''t bring myself to tell her." She let out a deep sigh. "At the end of the day, it is still your call, Fuyuki-sama." I know that I should tell her, but I just can''t bring myself to let go of Chizuru-chan. Just the mere thought of her leaving me scares me to death. Chapter 7 - Study Session ring ring The bell officially marks the end of class. As I was packing my things, I got an idea. I faced my left and looked at Chizuru-chan with my eyes gleaming in excitement. "Chizuri-chan, wanna study together tomorrow for our test?" She looked at me with her lips forming a small upward curve. ¡°Sure. So I guess it¡¯s still gonna be the usual? Going to the maim library before classes, huh?¡± I quickly nodded. ¡°Yeah!¡± ??? I groggily opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. It didn¡¯t take me long to realize that today was the day that I''d be studying with Chizuru-chan. This isn¡¯t exactly the first time that it happened, but my heart couldn¡¯t help but beat faster than usual. I quickly got up and prepared for school. After several minutes, all I needed was to eat breakfast. At the table, Shizuka was standing right next to a seat with her usual stoic face. I ate my food as fast as I possibly could. ¡°Fuyuki-sama, you need to slow down and chew your food properly.¡± Her voice was laced with concern. I pouted. ¡°But I wanna go to school early.¡± She deadpanned at me and spoke. ¡°As if you don¡¯t come to school early ever since you befriend a girl named Chizuru.¡± I whined. ¡°I¡¯m too excited for our study session.¡± Her eyes of concern were replaced with a more gentle expression. ¡°Ever since you befriended her, there is no time of the day where you don¡¯t have energy. I also didn¡¯t need to drag you out of bed anymore.¡± I started to relax and reminisced about our times together. ¡°It¡¯s just that she feels so familiar and comforting, but I also don¡¯t remember seeing her anywhere. She¡¯s also kind and gentle¡­ She would also pay attention to everything I say, even if it¡¯s pure nonesense¡­ She¡¯s just perfect in every way possible...¡± "Ah, it sounds like someone finally captured the heart of Fuyuki-sama¡¯s locked heart.¡± I whined again. ¡°Hey! You make it sound like I¡¯m some sort of distrusting ice queen who finally melted.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it true? You may not look like it at a glance, but deep inside, you are.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Whatever. Well, I¡¯m done eating now, so I¡¯ll go now.¡± ¡°Stay safe, Fuyuki-sama.¡± Her eyes gazed at me in a gentle manner. ??? It didn¡¯t take me a while for me to arrive at the almost empty gates of our school. I walked as fast as possible to the main library. I managed to shorten the typical 5-minute walk there to only 3 minutes. I went inside the familiar but massive traditional building that was filled with a lot of books. I went to the reading area, and sure enough, I was able to spot her wearing headphones while reading the latest volume of my manga. I couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy over the sight of the manga, but then remembered that we''d be having a study session, which made my heart leap in joy. I went up to her table and sat on the seat across her.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Chizuru-chan!¡± She placed her headphones into her neck and stopped what she was currently doing. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, Fuyuki; I guess we should start studying.¡± I happily nodded. We took out our textbooks and notes and started reviewing. I noticed her struggling with an equation and asked. ¡°Are you having trouble with it?¡± She nodded. I stood from my seat and walked up to her. ¡°Basically, you use this formula and maneuver it a bit; plug in the values you got earlier and there!¡± ¡°Ohhh, so that¡¯s how it¡¯s done. How are you so good at studying? Not just math, but with all subjects. What¡¯s your secret?¡± My cheeks started to turn red. I played with my hair and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know; I just listen to our sensei, and yeah. Do you need more help?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I get it now.¡± ¡°Well, just tell me if you need help.¡± We then continued studying by ourselves. It didn¡¯t take long for me to finish studying, so I excused myself and looked for something to read. I went back to our table and started reading the shojo manga I found. I couldn¡¯t focus on what I was reading and sneekily took glances at Chizuru-chan, who¡¯s earnestly studying. My heart warmed at the sight. The expressions that Chizuru-chan makes while she¡¯s studying are so cute! The way she furrows her eyebrows while trying to understand the lesson¡­ Her unwavering gaze¡­ ??? While I was reviewing my notes, I noticed that it was incomplete, and there were unfinished formulas. I decided to ask Fuyuki, whose eyes seem to be dilated. "Uhh, Fuyuki, can I borrow your notes?¡± She jumped from my question and tried to compose herself. ¡°O-oh sure!¡± She took out a notebook that¡¯s covered in pink leather from her pink bag and handed it over to me. ¡°Thanks¡± She smiled at me and said, ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡± I opened the notebook. It was filled with random drawings. My eyes widened in realization. On there was the first ever design of Yuki from Kurai-sensei¡¯s manga, with her art style. My eyes widened in realization. ¡°Fuyuki, a-are you¡­ Kurai-sensei?¡± Her eyes were wide open, and she was left speechless. Her body started trembling. Fuyuki¡­ is Kurai-sensei!? That explains why she reacts weirdly with the mention of Kurai-sensei¡­ That must¡¯ve been awkward for her when I told her that she¡¯s my favorite author. Still, I can¡¯t shake off the feeling that something happened¡­ Fuyuki¡­ Knowing that she¡¯s Kurai-sensei, that explains why her manga feels so familiar¡­ Wait, SHE¡¯S TREMBLING! Just as I realized that she was trembling, she was already gone. I looked everywhere but failed to find her. ??? I felt my soul leave me when I realized that I accidentally gave her my drawing notebook. When she asked me if I¡¯m Kurai-sensei, I brought my things and ran as fast as I could. No¡­ no no no no no!!! Chizuru-chan, I¡­ She knows¡­ She knows! What do I do? Please don¡¯t leave me, please! I¡­ uhh uhh uhh I ran aimlessly around the campus until I thought of going to the clinic. I then went there as soon as I could. I arrived at the clinic, panting. I was struggling to breathe after running for so long, knowing that I have asthma. The nurse¡®s face was filled with concern. ¡°What happened!¡± I continued panting, struggling to catch my breath. ¡°Do you have asthma?¡± "Yeah," I said while panting. She helped me sit down and asked. "Do you have your inhaler?¡± "Yeah, but can I go home after this?¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call your parents.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just call my driver.¡± She gave me an understanding look and helped me with my inhaler. ??? As soon as I got home, I went to my room and locked the door. Tears instantly flowed down my face. Chizuru-chan probably hates me now¡­ as if I can do anything about it. But still, I¡­ I can¡¯t let her go¡­ Chizuru-chan, I¡¯m sorry for being like this. I¡¯m sorry for being cringe and geeky. I¡¯m sorry for being a mangaka. I¡­ I should¡¯ve just stopped, or else this wouldn¡¯t have happened; she wouldn¡¯t leave me. Well... maybe she would''ve, but the chances now are way higher. Why did I not stop? YOU SHOULD¡¯VE STOPPED, FUYUKI! WHY DID YOU STILL CONTINUE BEING A MANGAKA? WHY? Chizuru-chan, please don¡¯t leave me... Chapter 8 - Is It Worth It to Chase After Your Dreams? 3 years ago Ah, what should I read now? I feel like I¡¯ve read almost every single shojo manga possible! Now I¡¯m so bored¡­ Ugh! Wait¡­ Why not try to make my own? I mean, I find drawing fun, and I don¡¯t really have anything to do this summer break¡­ Few days later And done! I¡¯m finally done with the first chapter! Just a few more clicks and publish! Now I¡¯m gonna start making the second chapter! Few hours later Ugh! I can¡¯t think of the next scene!! Suddenly, I heard a ding sound coming from my phone. I opened it and saw a notification from my Twitter. It was a DM from the username ¡°Kotoneko¡±. Kotoneko?? I don¡¯t think I know anyone with the username ¡°Kotoneko¡±¡­ Opens profile This Kotoneko seems to be a mangaka¡­ They said, ¡°Hi!! I know that this may sound creepy or weird, but I just want to say that I really love your new debut manga. It¡¯s so good, especially for the first chapter of a debut manga. Keep up the good work!!! I¡¯m looking forward to the next chapter!!¡±. Hmmm¡­ Should I respond?? Eh, whatever happens, I won¡¯t reveal to her my details, and besides, that¡¯s my mangaka account. She can¡¯t find anything related to me, only manga stuff. Since then, I continued making manga and kept in touch with Kotoneko. Apparently, Kotoneko¡¯s real name is Kotone Yuki. She also goes to my school, and we¡¯re around the same age. Several weeks later This day officially marks the end of summer break. As usual, the halls of Takaju Academy were as busy as it gets. I walked towards my classroom and entered the room filled with cheers and chatter of my classmates. There she was, Koto-chan, who is sitting right behind me. I walked towards our assigned seats and turned around to face her. She had long pink hair, her bangs swept to the side, with purple eyes complementing her hair, and her cheeks were flushed. I was over the moon, as this was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen her after we became friends. ¡°Koto-chan! It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve seen each other!¡± She averted her gaze and said, ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She went through her bag and took out a little keychain of a black-haired girl from my favorite manga. ¡°Uhh, I saw this at the bookstore yesterday, and it reminded me of you¡­ Y-you can have it!¡± My heart warmed at her gesture. ¡°Thanks, Koto-chan!" Just then, three girls went up to me. One of them had long, red hair; the other had blue hair with curls at the end, and the other one had brunette hair. The brunette had a smile on her face. ¡°Fuyuki-chan! We¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± I played with my hair and said, ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡± All four of us continued to talk while Koto-chan just watched us. I gave her a warm smile and continued chatting with Kaede-chan and the others. Few days later I saw a pink-haired girl being pinned to the wall. She was surrounded by a group of girls. One of them took her notebook. ¡°Heh, let¡¯s see¡­ Oh, shy girl, is a mangaka creating cringeworthy stuff? Hahahaha, how pathetic.¡± The other girls laughed with her. ¡°How are you not ashamed of yourself for making these? Oh wait, you can¡¯t even talk properly without looking people in the eye.¡± They all laughed even harder. The pink-haired girl desperately tried to reach for her notebook, but the girls passed it around. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not done with you¡­¡± ¡°Please, give it back!¡± The girl pleaded. The girl holding the notebook then decided to rip some of the pages. The pink-haired girl¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Stop! Those are important!¡± They all laughed in unison. ¡°And why should we care, huh?¡± The pink-haired girl desperately pleaded. ¡°Please, those are very important to me.¡± I watched in horror. Seeing Koto-chan get bullied for making manga shattered my heart into pieces. I¡­ how could they! Koto-chan didn¡¯t even do anything wrong. So what if she writes manga!? It¡¯s not cringeworthy; she¡¯s an amazing mangaka and a sweet girl at heart! But I can¡¯t make myself move¡­ I¡­ My thoughts were disrupted by my friends. ¡°Heh, that¡¯s what she gets for being a weeb," the brunette said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with making manga?¡± ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re defending her now?¡± ¡°No, I meant-¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°What, you¡¯re joining this loser now?¡± I sighed. ¡°No¡­¡± ??? As soon as I got home, I logged onto Twitter and texted Koto-chan. Fuyuki: ¡°Koto-chan, are you okay??¡± Kotone: ¡°Those popular girls ripped pages of my notebook where I made the next chapter. I didn¡¯t even do anything to them¡± Fuyuki: ¡°Seriously though, what¡¯s wrong with making manga¡± Kotone: ¡°Be honest, Fuyuki, do you actually find it cringe?¡± Fuyuki: ¡°Of course not! I mean, if I did, would I be making manga¡± Kotone: ¡°Fair point, but honestly, I¡¯m thinking of stopping¡± Fuyuki: ¡°What? Don¡¯t let them get into you¡± Kotone: ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore¡± Fuyuki: ¡°Listen, why did you decide to make manga¡± Kotone: ¡°Because it allows me to express myself, while at the same time, I can make people happy¡± Fuyuki: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what about your fans? Are you just going to leave them behind because of some mean girls?¡± Kotone: ¡°You¡¯re right, Fuyuki. Why should I stop because of them¡± Fuyuki: ¡°That¡¯s the spirit¡± Ah, if only I was able to defend her¡­ ??? While me and the girls were having our lunch, a group of girls were gathered around Koto-chan while she was eating. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s our shy dork!¡± The other girls held onto her wrists as their leader threw Koto-chan¡¯s food. ¡°Hey!¡± "Oh, is the little shy girl gonna fight back now?¡± Her voice was menacing. ¡°For fighting back, you¡¯re gonna have to eat it on the floor like a puppy.¡± The leader crossed her arms and smirked. Koto-chan¡¯s eyes widened in terror, and the other girls pushed her to the ground without letting go of their hold. ¡°I-¡± Just then, a teacher was seen walking around. The bullies glared at her before releasing her. "Oh, you¡¯re lucky; next time, fate won¡¯t be this generous, got it.¡± With that, the bullies left. My friends all laughed at the sight, while I was left speechless. ¡°Too bad the teacher came; it would¡¯ve been entertaining to see her eat it from the floor," the readhead snickered. I-I¡­ Koto-chan¡­ is it even worth it to continue making manga? Seeing you get mercilessly bullied over this¡­ should I even continue? I¡­ I¡¯m too scared; I can¡¯t bring myself to let go of Kaede-chan and the others. I feel like suffocating over the thought, but seeing them laugh at you¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know anymore! What¡¯s even the right thing to do!? I¡­ I have an idea! ¡°I¡¯ll be going to the bathroom for a moment.¡± With that, I went to the main library¡¯s cafe to buy food for Koto-chan. That way, Kaede-chan and the others won¡¯t get mad at me while Koto-chan gets to eat. After a while, I arrived at the cafeteria and went up to Koto-chan in a subtle way and gave her the food I bought. I went up to my friends and continued eating with them. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at her, and she seemed to have noticed. We locked eyes for a few moments before we both averted our gaze while our cheeks were flushed. ??? At the library, while me and my friends were studying, I saw Koto-chan, who seems to be doodling something. It didn¡¯t take a while for a group of girls to come. As usual, the leader grabbed her notebook from her. ¡°Fuyuki??Kotone¡­ Ooooh, so our shy girl is not only delusional but isn¡¯t even a proper girl, and to think that the Fuyuki Furukawa, the prettiest girl in school, and the daughter of Prime Minister Furukawa, would ever like YOU of all people? And you didn¡¯t even address her with her surname, but you went on and used her first name. Girl, you need a reality check.¡± The leader of the girls smirked. Koto-chan looked at them with her lifeless and soulless eyes and didn¡¯t mutter a single word. ¡°Let me get this straight. Girls should only date boys, not fellow females, got it.¡± Koto-chan just stared at them. ¡°You know what? This is getting pretty boring. Girls, let¡¯s go and spice things up.¡± The girls gave the notebook back as the leader had a mischevious grin while walking away. I just watched the scene unfold without doing anything to stop it. Ah, I can¡¯t even do anything to save Koto-chan¡­ I¡¯m still acting like the coward I am¡­ You can¡¯t even save the person you love¡­ Wait¡­ love??? But I only see her as a friend¡­ Whatever¡­ I know that the right thing to do is to defend Koto-chan, but no. I still continued doing nothing. What a friend am I? I can¡¯t even do anything to help her¡­ ??? Since that day, Koto-chan has been completely isolated from our peers. She would always be mocked for her sexuality and for making manga, while I did absolutely nothing but watch her worsen. On Twitter Fuyuki: ¡°Koto-chan, how are you feeling?¡± Kotone: ¡°Ah, feelings¡­ dear Fuyuki, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve last felt such things¡± Fuyuki: ¡°Wdym??¡± Kotone: ¡°Fuyuki, thanks for being there for me. I really do appreciate it, but it¡¯s not enough¡± Kotone: ¡°Btw, I quit making manga¡± I could help but sigh. I guess this is the day, huh? I mean, is there even a point to continue when all you get is being ridiculed? Even I¡¯m contemplating whether I should stop too¡­ Fuyuki: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s your choice, then I¡¯m not stopping you¡± Kotone: ¡°When the day comes, don¡¯t stop¡± Fuyuki: ¡°Huh???¡± Kotone: ¡°You¡¯ll eventually know when the time comes¡± Kotone: ¡°Don¡¯t let your talent go to waste. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll make it big¡± Fuyuki: ¡°Koto-chan, what are you saying??¡± Kotone: ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve heard about the fact that I like you. The thing is, it¡¯s true, and I don¡¯t regret falling for you. Whether or not you like me back, I just wanna say that it was nice meeting you.¡± That was the last message that I¡¯ve received from her. I sent her countless messages and called her numerous times, but never got a response. This made me decide to go to her house. It didn¡¯t take a while for me to arrive at her place. I got out of my car and rang the doorbell. The door was opened by an old lady wearing a maid outfit. She greeted me with a smile and said, ¡°Are you Fuyuki?¡± As my mind was still filled with worry, I answered the old lady with, ¡°Yes, can you lead me towards her room?¡± ¡°Why yes!¡± So many what-ifs came to my mind as we walked towards her room. Out of all the what-ifs, the worst one happened. Inside her room was her lifeless body, with pills scattered around her bed. I stood there motionless. Tears flowed uncontrollably on my face. I went up to her lifeless body and shaken it as hard as I possibly could. ¡°Koto-chan! Koto-chan! This is just a silly prank, right? You¡¯re not dead, you¡¯re not¡­¡± I shook her even harder. ¡°Koto-chan! Please wake up! This isn¡¯t funny. Please!¡± All hope that I had was lost. I stopped shaking her body and my tears continued flowing. ¡°Koto-chan, I¡¯m sorry! I should¡¯ve not been a coward. I should¡¯ve defended you! I¡­ KOTO-CHAN!!¡± This is all my fault. If I only defended her and didn¡¯t watch like a coward. You killed her, Fuyuki! You killed her! And now she¡¯ll never come back! You¡¯ll never see her smile! You¡¯ll never hear her talk! You¡¯ll never be able to feel her warmth! She¡¯ll never be able to know how you feel! That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve probably been into her since the start; I was just being in denial, huh? Well now, I really have no hope. I blew my shot and let her get hurt. Great. I mean, I don¡¯t really deserve her. She¡¯s way too good for me. Should I even continue making manga? My first love literally died because of it. She died because of manga¡­ and me¡­ Her final words echoed in my mind. ¡°When the day comes, don¡¯t stop¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your talent go to waste. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll make it big¡± I guess I will, Koto-chan, but only because you want me to continue. Seriously though, the only thing that manga does to people is hurt them, not make them happy. I will never lose someone over manga ever again. Chapter 9 – If She Can Only Come Back From the Dead I stared at the empty canvas at the top of my room while holding the keychain that was given by someone dear to me. Koto-chan, why am I still making manga? I should¡¯ve given up years ago! Memories of our last conversation resurfaced. Oh right¡­ That¡¯s the least that I can do for letting you die¡­ I¡­ I just can¡¯t take this anymore! Chizuru-chan¡¯s probably gonna leave me for being a mangaka¡­ After all, making manga only causes people to leave you and make your life miserable¡­ I should probably just stick to being a reader¡­ Why did I even become one? I guess I have to admit that it is fun. Well, I still have to honor Koto-chan¡¯s last words so it¡¯s not like I can stop¡­ Chizuru-chan on the other hand¡­ I¡¯m sorry for being cringe, you¡¯re probably going to leave me after figuring it out and I know that I have to accept that facts but why can¡¯t my heart take it? Why do I feel like I¡¯ll lose everything? I can¡¯t bear the thought of not having her by my side! I¡­ I can¡¯t take this anymore! I have nothing else to run to. I feel so stuck like this will never go away. If I could only back in time, if I hadn¡¯t messed up and given her my notebook, or maybe I could¡¯ve defended Koto-chan! Why do I have to be a coward!? Why do I have to be like this? Why do I have to be me? My body lifelessly lay on the bed as I struggled to lose myself in slumber. ??? ring ring The bell officially marks the start of our lunch break. I turned around to face Fuyuki. She no longer had light in her eyes. It was empty and lifeless. ¡°Uhh¡­ Fuyuki?¡± This was my attempt at breaking the tension. ¡°What?¡± Her tone reflected her current state. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Nope¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ I guess we should go now.¡± ¡°Okay¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. While walking towards our spot, I tried to break the tension again. ¡°Have you read the latest chapter?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± She said without turning to face me. ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°Good¡± Talking to Present Fuyuki felt like talking to a wall. There was a drastic change between Present Fuyuki and Fuyuki before the incident at the main library. And she won¡¯t be opening up anytime soon too. We eventually arrived at the jovial halls of the cafeteria since it was too cold in our normal spot. I didn¡¯t attempt to start a conversation anymore because she might get bothered by it with her current state. We ate in complete silence. What happened while I was still in Nagoya? Why is she so secretive about the fact that is Kurai-sensei? Did anyone bully you over it? She won¡¯t even tell me anything, I¡¯m just stuck here wondering why! I can only watch her slowly turn into an empty shell of her former self. I¡¯ve never felt this hopeless in my life. Seeing Fuyuki slowly lose herself the only thing that I can do is to watch her! I can¡¯t even do anything to help her¡­ It hurts to see her like that! To see her so empty and lifeless! No Chizuru, you shouldn¡¯t lose hope, she¡¯ll eventually open up. You just have to give her enough time. How will you be able to be there for her if you¡¯re feeling hopeless? Calm down, Chizuru, calm down¡­ Just be patient. ??? As soon as I arrived at my house, I plopped myself onto my bed. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do anything else. I received a notification and reluctantly checked my phone. It was from my editor asking me about the progress of the next chapter. My body was frozen in place. I didn¡¯t respond and continued staring at the wall. Great, I can¡¯t even force myself to get out of bed and do the next chapter that¡¯s due in a couple of days. I should probably put it on hiatus so that I can procrastinate¡­ The thought made my heart beat erratically as if I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of stopping. I looked at the keychain and thought to myself. Koto-chan, why can¡¯t I bring myself to stop? Ah, I guess I truly am cringe, huh? All I ever wanted was to continue making manga with you¡­ But you¡¯re gone now, so that will never happen¡­ and it¡¯s all because of me. If I only defended you, this would¡¯ve never happened. You¡¯d still be here. If I only weren¡¯t such a coward. I called my driver and decided to go to the cemetery. It didn¡¯t take too long for us to arrive there. I went up to the grave of Kotone Yuki and placed some flowers. ¡°Koto-chan, I¡¯m sorry for being such a coward! I should¡¯ve¡­ I should¡¯ve done something! I shouldn¡¯t have let them treat you like that!¡± I broke down into tears. ¡°If it only weren¡¯t for my cowardice, you¡¯d still be alive. I¡­ I would¡¯ve never lost you¡­ And now, I¡¯ll never be able to see you smile again. We can¡¯t collaborate anymore to make manga together. I¡¯ll never be able to feel your warmth¡­ I¡¯ll never be able to see you again and it¡¯s all my fault!¡± I cried even harder. I haven¡¯t cried like this since Koto-chan died years ago. I then felt a light tap on my shoulder. It was from Shizuka, my maid. Her expression was filled with concern. ¡°Fuyuki-sama, I may not have been there when it happened but I don¡¯t think Yuki-sama would like it if you continued blaming yourself.¡± I faced her with my tear-stained face. ¡°That may happen but it still doesn¡¯t change the fact that she¡¯s gone and she¡¯ll never come back! And it¡¯s all my fault¡­¡± ¡°Fuyuki-sama, yes, you may have done something in the past, but you cannot change the past. What you can do is to learn from your mistakes and to not repeat the same mistake.¡± I let out a deep sigh. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± ??? I was back in my room after visiting Koto-chan. I remembered her words and started making the next chapter. After a couple of hours, I finished the chapter. I told my editor that I was already done and sent it to her. After sending it, I noticed that Chizuru-chan sent me a message a couple of minutes ago. Chizuru-chan¡­ you¡¯re probably just checking up on me to be nice because deep inside, you find me cringe for being a mangaka because, after all, that¡¯s how people perceive mangakas. That¡¯s exactly how I lost Koto-chan, both from my cowardice and for creating manga. Why are you still being nice to me, Chizuru-chan? You don¡¯t have to, you know¡­ You don¡¯t have to pretend to be nice¡­ In the end, I didn¡¯t respond to her message. Announcement Hello everyone! Once again, I¡¯m Yukouhi, the author of Butterfly Heights. Thank you for all the support you¡¯ve given. I really appreciate it. This was my first time ever posting fiction online and the 4th one I¡¯ve ever made in my life. I¡¯ll be taking a one-week break since I¡¯ll be going on a vacation, and I wasn¡¯t able to make the chapters in advance because of school and stuff. I¡¯m really sorry for not being able to complete the chapters in advance. I¡¯ll see you again on December 28!If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Chapter 10 - Secret It was a Sunday afternoon. The sakura flowers were starting to bloom, and the once-cold breeze was replaced with a warmer temperature, making the use of thick jackets unnecessary. While listening to music, I thought to myself. I¡­ I don¡¯t know anymore! The gap between me and Fuyuki is growing! All of my attempts at talking to her were futile ever since the day she accidentally gave me her drawing notebook! I can¡¯t just let her shun herself completely from the world¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t bear to see her lifeless eyes! If I only have Kobayashi-san¡¯s phone number¡­ Maybe she knows a way to help Fuyuki... With that, I removed the headphones off my head and ran towards the driver¡¯s room. There was an old man resting in his pajamas. I rushed to his bed and shook him. ¡°Nakamura-san, we need to get to Fuyuki¡¯s house as soon as possible!¡± He groggily opened his eyes and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Chizuru-sama?¡± ¡°It¡¯s urgent!¡± He smiled at me and said, ¡°Very well then, just give me a few minutes to change.¡± As soon as he finished changing, we went off to Fuyuki¡¯s house. As soon as we were in front of her mansion, I got out of the car as soon as I could and rang the doorbell. There was a girl around our age with silver hair that¡¯s wearing a maid uniform. Her sharp eyes gazed at me. I took a deep breath and spoke. ¡°I¡¯m Chizuru Takahashi. May I talk to Kobayashi-san?¡± The girl¡¯s gaze never faltered. She muttered something that I didn¡¯t quite catch before responding. ¡°Grandma retired a year ago. If you¡¯d like, I can give you her phone number.¡± "That would be wonderful! May I know your name?" ¡°I¡¯m Shizuka Satou. Fuyuki-sama¡¯s new personal maid. Are you perhaps trying to help Fuyuki-sama?¡± ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s been pretty distant recently.¡± Her eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Fuyuki-sama has said a lot of good things about you, but yes, she has been pretty lifeless.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t know what to do anymore. It''s impossible to talk to her, and it¡¯s like she turned into a completely different person. I¡­¡± ¡°Just take a deep breath¡­¡± I listened to Satou-san¡¯s instructions. ¡°I know that Fuyuki-sama has been unapproachable recently, but please don¡¯t give up on her. She may have been through a lot of things, but she still has a pure heart. I may not be in the position to tell this, but the reason why she might have been unapproachable recently is her trauma in manga creation. She had lost someone dear to her a long time ago. I¡¯m not too sure about the specific details, but it seems that she had lost her due to an incident that happened, and if I¡¯m not mistaken, it is related to manga. I apologize if I do not have much information, as Fuyuki-sama is the type of person to keep to herself.¡± ¡°I understand. Thanks for telling me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to help. I would also like to see Fuyuki-sama back to her normal self. Oh, before I forget. Here¡¯s grandmother¡¯s phone number.¡± ¡°Thank you, Satou-san. I¡¯ll get going now.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. With that, I left the Furukawa household. Once I got home, I dialed the number Satou-san gave me. After a few moments, an old lady responded. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Kobayashi-san, it¡¯s me, Chi-chan!¡± The old lady¡¯s voice immediately lightened up as soon as I mentioned my name. ¡°Chi-chan! I haven¡¯t seen you since you were a little girl. How have you been?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been doing pretty well. I returned to Tokyo about a couple of months ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice. How¡¯s little Fuyuki?¡± ¡°She has been pretty distant and lifeless recently. I was wondering if you know something that could help Fuyuki.¡± The old lady¡¯s voice saddened. ¡°Hmm, she¡¯s always been the type to act like everything is okay, but you said that she¡¯s been quite lifeless, right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Even after 15 years of raising her, I¡¯ve never seen her act like that. She would always smile and act like nothing¡¯s wrong¡­ but not even being able to smile¡­ Chi-chan, please keep an eye on Fuyuki! I have a bad feeling about this¡­ Don¡¯t ever get tired of checking up on her, even if it feels like she¡¯ll never open up. She needs all the support she can get.¡± Her voice was filled with distress. ¡°Very well, Kobayashi-san. I¡¯ll make sure to keep an eye on her.¡± ¡°Please take care of little Fuyuki.¡± ¡°I will, Kobayashi-san, and thanks for the advice.¡± ¡°It was delightful to be able to talk to you again after all those years. Goodbye¡± ¡°Bye¡± With that, I hung up. My hunch was right. This situation is worse than I could possibly imagine. Even Kobayashi-san hasn¡¯t seen her act that way¡­ I shouldn¡¯t say anything that could cause her even more distress. She must not know that I¡¯m Chi-chan! With her current state, I don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll do if she finds out. Fuyuki¡­ ??? ring ring This marks the end of today¡¯s class. I turned to my left and saw Fuyuki. She was completely expressionless. Her movements were also slow, almost as if she¡¯s pushing herself to carry on. "Uhh, Fuyuki, how was our last class?¡± She didn¡¯t even dare to face me. ¡°It was fine.¡± I finished packing up my things and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± ¡°Okay¡± ??? It was another repetitive day where nothing notable happened. Me and Chizuru-chan walked up to the gate without saying anything to each other. I wonder how long she¡¯s gonna continue being by my side¡­ After all, reality is different from shojo manga, where most stories have a happy ending. Reality, on the other hand, won¡¯t always be your desired ending¡­ If only life were like a shojo manga, maybe Koto-chan would still be alive, maybe Chizuru-chan would genuinely want to stay by my side forever¡­ Sigh, as if you can do anything about it¡­ After a couple of minutes, we arrive at the gate. As usual, it was filled with cars. I didn¡¯t spot my car, so I decided to call my driver. As I took out my phone, a car pulled up right in front of me and Chizuru-chan. The car rolled down the window at the back, revealing a couple that¡¯s fairly old. The couple smiled at us and said, ¡°Chi-chan!¡± Chizuru-chan¡¯s voice lit up in excitement. ¡°Mom, dad, you¡¯re here!¡± Chizuru-chan walked up closer to her car. ¡°We were able to get out of work early today, so we decided to come fetch you from school.¡±, the man said. Chi-chan¡­ that name sounds really familiar¡­ ¡°And it looks like Fuyuki is here with you! I can still remember you two happily playing together when you were little children.¡± ¡°Hey mom!¡± Chizuru-chan raised her voice in panic. Me and Chizuru-chan¡­ have known each other since we were children?? All of my memories of the past flashed to me. ??? It was a hot day at the playground. I was sitting at the swing while Chi-chan pushed me. I laughed. ¡°Higher, Chi-chan, higher!¡± I could hear her breathing heavily. ¡°I can¡¯t push you any higher than this.¡± ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s a limit on the strength of Chi-chan¡¯s little arms.¡± Her cheeks turned red. ¡°Hey¡­¡± I laughed again. ¡°This time, you can have a go on the swing.¡± I stood up and I pushed the swing but it didn¡¯t take a while for Kobayashi-san to run as fast as she can towards us. ¡°Fuyuki, you shouldn¡¯t push yourself! What if you get an asthma attack?¡± Chi-chan watched us carefully as Kobayashi-san got mad at me. ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t do that again¡­¡± I looked at Chi-chan and said, ¡°Kobayashi-san is no fun! But, I guess I have to listen¡­¡± ¡°We can play at the slide instead.¡± I jumped in happiness. ¡°I love playing at the slide!¡± We went to the slide over and over again until it was time to go home. ??? ¡°I¡¯ll always be by your side¡±¡­ Chi-chan¡­ My body was unable to move when I realized. Chapter 11 - Hated by Life Itself I wonder how Fuyuki has been doing¡­ Just as I was about to pack my things, our teacher made an announcement. ¡°Takahashi-san, please stay after dismissal.¡± A wave of confusion hit me Eh? I don¡¯t think I did anything that¡¯s against school policy¡­ I hope I¡¯m not getting in trouble¡­ As soon as it was only me and the teacher left in the room, I went up to her and said, ¡°Sensei, did I do anything wrong?¡± She shook her head, but the concerned expression never left. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Takahashi-san. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m getting worried for Furukawa-san. She hasn¡¯t gone to school for about a month, and she has never been absent before¡­¡± I scratched my nape and responded. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either¡­¡± All of my messages to her in the past month have all been left at delivered, and each time I try to go to her house, they would say that she¡¯s currently not allowing visitors¡­ Think Chizuru, think!!! The teacher smiled at me. ¡°Just let me know if you have updates on her condition.¡± I nodded. ¡°I will, sensei.¡± With that, she dismissed me. ??? I was plopped onto the bed, staring at the blank canvas in my sight. Empty potato chip bags and iced coffee cans were scattered around my wooden table. I took a sip of iced coffee and realized that it was empty. I let out a deep sigh. Really now? Whatever... I¡¯ll just get some another time¡­ Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. She said, ¡°Fuyuki-sama, your lunch is ready!¡± I could barely force myself to talk. ¡°Just leave it out there.¡± I don¡¯t wanna eat¡­ Sigh¡­ Oh, I actually haven¡¯t opened my phone for a while¡­Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I looked for my phone over the trash that had accumulated on my desk. It took me a few minutes to find it. When I checked it, my notifications were filled with messages from LINE, specifically from Chizuru-chan, or, should I say, Chi-chan. Oh, it¡¯s from her of all people¡­ whatever¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes. I didn¡¯t bother to read the messages and continued staring at the ceiling. Ugh, what does that traitor want? I really was an idiot to believe that she genuinely cared about me. Who would¡¯ve thought that she was the first ever person to abandon me¡­ Promised to me that she''d always be by my side, and then the next day, she was nowhere to be seen? Do my feelings look like a sick joke to her? Well now, I know that the only person who truly cared was Koto-chan. The one who left because of my cowardice¡­ I desperately looked for the keychain through the trash on my table. It didn¡¯t take a while for me to find it, but now, trash can be seen everywhere in my room. I clung onto it like my life depended on it. Koto-chan, I was foolish enough to believe that someone would care about me like you did. I was stupid enough to trust her! I was so stupid to think that anyone would care about someone like me, someone who¡¯s a dumb mangaka! I¡¯m just a hopeless idiot who¡¯s naive enough to think that anyone would ever care. I bet that even if I die, no one would bat an eye. It would only be 1 person who disappeared out of the trillions of people on this planet. Losing a single person won¡¯t have an effect. I should¡¯ve done this a long time ago. That way, I wouldn¡¯t have to prolong this misery anymore. Living in this planet has become extremely unbearable. I mean, what¡¯s the point of life? To make you endlessly suffer until you finally meet your doom? Is this some kind of sadistic joke? Well, most people might choose to endure it but I¡¯m no masochist. My thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing. I decided to pick my phone up from the dirtied pink carpet. It was from my editor. Ugh, her again? Why won¡¯t she just stop bothering me every single day? She¡¯s so persistent! Does she not know what an indefinite hiatus means? I have no plans to continue being a dumb mangaka! My thoughts were interrupted again by someone knocking on my door. ¡°I¡¯m not yet done eating, Shizuka!¡± The person responded. It was a familiar voice, a voice I came to despise. Despite all this, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a warm sensation in my stomach. ¡°It¡¯s me, Chizuru!¡± Her voice was desperate. Something in me snapped. ¡°JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, WILL YOU? I DONT WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN, GOT IT?¡± The girl didn¡¯t respond. ??? This was the first time I¡¯ve ever heard her raise her voice. The radiant Fuyuki I¡¯ve come to know was slowly turning into this irritable and reclusive shadow of her former self. I should just give up. I mean, she clearly hates me and doesn¡¯t want to see me. After all, how could she forgive me for leaving her? In her eyes, I¡¯m someone who can¡¯t keep her promise. I should just go. I started to walk away from her doorstep. Memories of my last conversation with Kobayashi-san made me halt. ¡°Don¡¯t ever get tired of checking up on her, even if it feels like she¡¯ll never open up. She needs all the support she can get.¡° No, no, no, you promised Kobayashi-san that you¡¯ll never give up on her, no matter what happens. She¡¯s just going through a rough time in her life. She needs all the support she can get, not for everyone to turn their back on her. This is the perfect opportunity for you to be able to prove yourself to her, that you will always be by her side. Don¡¯t give up on her. Wait¡­ I have an idea! ??? Few days later When the girl didn¡¯t respond, the warm sensation in my stomach left, making it the last emotion I¡¯ve ever felt. All I could do was stare at the blank ceiling. No matter how hard I try to force my body to move, it simply won¡¯t. After some struggling, I was able to shift my position in the bed and lay on my side. It gave me a clear view of my room, which was filled with trash on the floor. Something caught my eye. On my study/drawing table that hasn¡¯t been touched for more than a month, there was a pair of pink scissors lying around. The once-lost motivation to move returned in an instant. Chapter 12 - Fuyuki Furukawa Part 1 I was happily playing with my toys in my playroom when Kobayashi-san said something to me with a smile on her face. ¡°Why don¡¯t we eat outside in a restaurant? I mean, you¡¯re always cooped up here playing with your toys?¡± I was super happy. I¡¯ve always wondered what the place outside the house is like. ¡°Really? Thanks, Kobayashi-san!¡± I hugged her as tight as I could. She patted my head. After I finished changing, we went outside. It was amazing. There were big buildings and people walking everywhere. I was so excited to get out of the car. ¡°Kobayashi-san, are we there yet?¡± She looked at me and smiled. ¡°No, dear.¡± I waited for like forever. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, dear.¡± I waited for like 100000 hours now. I was starting to get annoyed. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± She laughed. ¡°Oh dear, it¡¯s only been 5 minutes.¡± ¡°What!¡± I was so annoyed. ¡°Patience is a virtue, little one.¡± I pouted. ¡°Okay¡­¡± After a billion hours, we finally got there. It was pretty small, but I don¡¯t mind. Me, Kobayashi-san, and the old man controlling the car sat on an empty wooden table. On the other table, there was also a girl who¡¯s as small as me happily eating with her parents. I felt sad because I¡¯ve never seen my parents before. ¡°Kobayashi-san, why are Mom and Dad always out?¡± She looked at the ground before facing me. ¡°Your father is a very busy man, and your mother¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that she¡¯s not in this world anymore.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± No mom¡­ I continued watching the happy family eat together. I wish I had a family like hers¡­ ??? ¡°Fuyuki, can we go to the jungle gym?¡± I was scared. It looks scary, and it¡¯s so high. ¡°B-But i-it¡¯s so high!¡± Chi-chan had a small smile and held her hand out. ¡°I won¡¯t let anything happen to you. Just try it, it''s fun!¡± I took her hand and said, ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± We climbed up to the massive jungle gym. It was so scary. ¡°Chi-chan, w-what if we fall?¡± She smiled again, for the second time. Chi-chan always looks like a robot, but she¡¯s nice. ¡°We won¡¯t fall.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll trust you¡­¡± It was so hard to get up. It was like climbing Mount Fuji. After a trillion years, Chi-chan got to the top, but only her. I¡¯m still stuck. ¡°Chi-chan! This is so hard! How are you already on the top?¡± I whined. She held out her right hand, while her other hand was holding onto the jungle gym. ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± With her help, I¡¯m now at the top of the jungle gym. It was super scary. I hugged Chi-chan so tight. ¡°C-Chi-chan! I¡¯m so scared!¡± This was the third time she smiled. ¡°I told you that you won¡¯t fall when you¡¯re with me.¡± I peeked and saw the entire playground. It was so cool. ¡°Wow, this is so cool¡­ I can see the whole playground¡­¡± I saw Chi-chan do the biggest smile she¡¯s ever done. ¡°Now do you trust me?¡± I laughed. ¡°Why would I not trust you, Chi-chan?¡± The jungle gym was now my favorite spot. Everything will be fine, as long as I¡¯m with Chi-chan. She will never leave me. ??? Several weeks later I happily woke up and ran to Kobayashi-san¡¯s room. I shook her as hard as I could. ¡°Kobayashi-san, wake up! It¡¯s time to go to the playground!¡± I shook her even more. She opened her eyes and looked at me. ¡°Ever since you met little Chi-chan, you¡¯ve always been a little bundle of joy.¡± ¡°She¡¯s the best!¡± Kobayashi-san patted my head. ¡°Let¡¯s get ourselves changed first.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. After we finished changing, we went to the playground. I happily walked to the playground, but I didn¡¯t see Chi-chan. But Chi-chan is always here... Does Chi-chan hate me now? I was sad. I walked up to Kobayashi-san and asked. ¡°Does Chi-chan hate me now?¡± She smiled at me. ¡°How could anyone hate you? You¡¯re such a sweet bundle of happiness.¡± ¡°B-but she¡¯s not here¡­¡± ¡°Well, maybe she¡¯s just sick? I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t hate you.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± I climbed up to the jungle gym and watched everyone play. Chi-chan¡­ I hope Chi-chan doesn¡¯t hate me¡­ ??? 1 week later As usual, we went to the playground. I tried looking for Chi-chan, but she¡¯s not there. I walked to Kobayashi-san. ¡°Kobayashi-san, does Chi-chan hate me so much that she doesn¡¯t want to see me ever again?¡± She looked at the ground before talking. ¡°As I said, she would never hate you. She probably has a good reason as to why she left.¡± I started crying. Kobayashi-san hugged me and said, ¡°I¡¯m here, little one.¡± I cried harder and hugged Kobayashi-san even more. ¡°K- snort Kobayashi-san.¡± I went to the same playground every single day, but I never saw Chi-chan ever again. ??? It was my first day of elementary school. I was excited to meet new friends. I went inside my very big classroom. 3 girls walked up to me, and the one with brown hair said, ¡°Wanna be friends with us?¡± I was so happy. They were my first-ever friends, aside from Chi-chan. ¡°I wanna be friends with you!¡± The girl with brown hair said, ¡°I¡¯m Kaede Tsumo! The one with blue hair is Akane-chan, and the one with red hair is Haruka-chan!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Fuyuki Furukawa!¡± Tsumo-san said, ¡°Can I call you Fuyuki-chan?¡± ¡°Sure, can I call you Kaede-chan?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all friends now! Oh, and we¡¯ll be having a tea party at my house. Wanna come, Fuyuki-chan?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask Kobayashi-san if she¡¯ll let me.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± After classes Classes were finally done. Me, Kaede-chan, Akane-chan, and Haruka-chan walked to the gate. I saw Kobayashi-san, and we all walked towards her. ¡°Kobayashi-san, can I go to the tea party?¡± She smiled at me. ¡°Sure, little one!¡± We all said, ¡°Yay¡± at the same time. Kobayashi-san asked, ¡°And where would the tea party be held?¡± ¡°At Kaede-chan¡¯s house!¡± Kaede-chan walked to the woman. ¡°Sasaki-san, my friend Fuyuki Furukawa will join our tea party too.¡± The woman looked scary, but her eyes got big for a couple of seconds. ¡°F-Furukawa? Very well then, Kaede-sama.¡± The woman spoke to Kobayashi-san. ¡°You must be Furukawa-sama¡¯s personal attendant.¡± Kobayashi-san smiled. ¡°I am.¡± The scary woman wrote something on the paper and gave it to Kobayashi-san. ¡°You may pick her up at this location.¡± Kobayashi-san smiled again. ¡°Very well.¡± We all walked to Kaede-chan¡¯s car. I said goodbye to Kobayashi-san before I walked inside. We all talked until we were at Kaede-chan¡¯s house. It was a tiny bit smaller than my house but still very big. We went to her big room. It had lots of dolls. We sat at the table with a teapot. The other girls brought out their dolls. ¡°Well then, the tea party has officially started!¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t bring mine¡­¡± Kaede-chan said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Well, this is Keiko-chan. This one is the limited edition with brown hair.¡± Haruka-chan said, ¡°This is Kaya-chan, and she likes playing the electric guitar!¡± Akane-chan said, ¡°W-Well, this is Emi-chan. I added a blue bow because I-I thought it looked cute¡­¡± ¡°It looks super cute, Akane-chan!¡± ¡°T-Thanks Fuyuki-chan¡­¡± Kaede-chan asked me, ¡°What¡¯s your doll like, Fuyuki-chan?¡± ¡°I also have Keiko-chan, but mine has yellow hair. I also tied her hair to make it look cute!¡± ¡°We¡¯re matching!¡± Kaede-chan said. We then had a fun tea party. It was my first time, but I had so much fun! Kaede-chan and the others are nice too. ??? 5 years later It was our lunch break. Me and the girls sat down next to each other. The pastel pink bow tied behind Akane-chan¡¯s hair caught my eye. ¡°Akane-chan, your bow looks so cute!¡± ¡°Yeah, Akane-chan! It really suits you!¡± The others exclaimed. ¡°Th-Thanks¡­ Your pink ribbons are cute too!¡± Her cheeks were a bit red. I smiled. ¡°Thanks, Akane-chan!¡± ¡°Hey, are you two matching without telling us?¡± Kaede-chan pouted. ¡°Is it really that surprising if they do match?¡± Haruka said. ¡°I mean it won¡¯t, but I wanna join too, you know?¡± Kaede-chan whined. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re excluding me now, huh, Kaede?¡± Haruka smirked. ¡°You¡¯re included too, dummy!¡± ¡°It was just a coincidence. Me and Akane-chan didn¡¯t match on purpose. Besides, why would we exclude you?¡± Kaede-chan continued pouting. ¡°Fine, but if you dare exclude me and Haruka again, we¡¯ll also match.¡± Akane-chan and I laughed. ¡°Alright.¡± Haruka smirked. ¡°Seriously though, you¡¯re way too dramatic, Kaede.¡± Kaede-chan pouted again. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± They continue bickering while Akane-chan and I laughed. ¡°I guess Kaede-chan and Haruka-chan can¡¯t last without bickering. Anyways, where did you get that cute bow, Akane-chan? It¡¯s so cute!¡± She avoided my gaze. ¡°Oh, I got it from Frills and Ribbons¡­¡± ¡°We should go there sometime!¡± I said enthusiastically. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Why not next Saturday? ¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Wait, let me ask the others. Uhh, Kaede-chan, Haruka-chan, we were thinking of going to Frills and Ribbon this coming Saturday. Wanna join us?¡± Haruka-chan said, ¡°Eh, I¡¯ll pass. Just by the name itself, you can tell it¡¯s filled with cute things.¡± Kaede-chan said, ¡°I have a spa appointment, so I can¡¯t really come.¡± ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s only the two of us, Akane-chan!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She seemed pretty neutral with the others not joining. ¡°It¡¯s always like this when we invite them to go shopping!¡± I pouted. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Fuyuki-chan. Not everyone¡¯s into lolita fashion¡­¡± She played with her hair. We continued eating out lunches. ??? I was currently outside Akane-chan¡¯s house. I rang the intercom, to which Akane-chan¡¯s attendant responded. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Fuyuki.¡± Her voice became more enthusiastic. ¡°Ah, Fuyuki-sama. Akane-sama¡¯s almost done preparing.¡± It didn¡¯t take too long for Akane-chan to come out. She was wearing a pastel blue casual lolita dress with a matching pastel blue bow tied at the back. ¡°Love your outfit, girl!¡± ¡°Thanks, I love yours too, especially the matching pastel pink ribbon with your dress.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± We went inside my car. We continued chatting until we arrived at Frills and Ribbon. I was amazed with the amount of cute dresses and accessories. ¡°Woah, this place is amazing, Akane-chan!¡± She let out a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m glad you liked it, Fuyuki-chan.¡± ¡°Of course I will! This is like heaven in store form!¡± I squealed in excitement. I took Akane-chan¡¯s hand and we browsed through a lot of cute outfits, but there was one outfit that caught me and Akane-chan¡¯s eye: a matching pastel pink and a pastel blue sweet lolita-styled dress. ¡°We should totally try this!¡± I excitedly exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s so cute, and we can match together, Fuyuki-chan!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go try it on!¡± We both changed into the outfits, with Akane-chan wearing the blue one, while I wore the pink one. ¡°We definitely need to buy this!¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s so cute~¡± ¡°We should take a picture of this, Akane-chan!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± We proceeded to take a picture of our matching outfits with a cute pose. ¡°Perfect! I¡¯ll send it to you on LINE.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± We both went to the checkout counter and paid for everything we bought. ¡°I had so much fun, Akane-chan!¡± She had a shy smile. ¡°I had fun too, Fuyuki-chan.¡± I deeply sighed. ¡°If only Haruka-chan and Kaede-chan were here with us¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s always like this when we invite them to go shopping with us!¡± Akane-chan held my hand and gave it a squeeze. ¡°As I said, lolita fashion is just not for everyone, Fuyuki-chan. It¡¯s just not their thing. We all have our different preferences.¡± I pouted. ¡°I understand¡­¡± ¡°I know what will cheer you up! Fuyuki-chan, let¡¯s go to your favorite cafe.¡± My eyes lit up. ¡°Sure!¡± We then went on with our day and had some frappuccinos at my favorite cafe and took another picture. I then dropped Akane-chan off at her house. ??? Akane rang the intercom of her home. It didn¡¯t take a while for someone to open the door for her. She was greeted by her mother, who is a fashion designer. ¡°Akane, you came just in time. Your sister and I went on a shopping spree today! I can¡¯t wait to show you how gorgeous it looks. O-Oh, it seems like you also went out shopping at that uhhh, store. I recommend you going to more chic stores, but, well, if THAT¡¯S what you want, well, I can¡¯t really do anything to stop you, am I right?¡± Akane let out a sigh. ¡°Yes, mother¡­¡± The mother smiled. ¡°Come, look at how gorgeous your older sister!¡± Akane gave her a pained smile. ¡°Yes, mother¡­¡± Chapter 13 - Fuyuki Furukawa Part 2 1 year later The unbearable heat has been getting worse this past month. To my luck, it¡¯s summer break. I don¡¯t have to worry about feeling excruciating heat. I was in a video call with Akane-chan. I wonder how Koto-chan¡¯s doing right now¡­ ¡°That dress looked so cute¡±! I wanted to get it so bad, but they ran out of stock for my¡ª uhhh Fuyuki-chan?¡± My lips couldn¡¯t help but smile at the thought of Koto-chan. ¡°Fuyuki-chan?¡± My thoughts were disrupted by the soft voice calling out for me. ¡°O-oh, sorry, what were you saying?¡± She averted her gaze and played with her hair. ¡°You¡¯ve been daydreaming pretty often lately¡­¡± My cheeks instantly reddened from embarrassment. She had a smirk on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have a boyfriend, Fuyuki-chan.¡± I quickly denied the allegation. ¡°W-What! I don¡¯t have a boyfriend!¡± Just then, Akane-chan moved from her table to her bed, revealing a Yuki Hanasato nui. My heart jumped from excitement. ¡°You know the manga!?¡± Her soul left her body. ¡°It¡¯s n-not what¡ª¡± ¡°I love that manga too!¡± The tension in her voice disappeared. She weakly said, ¡°R-Really¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She had a shy smile. ¡°I finally have someone to talk about manga with, without getting laughed at¡­¡± My protective instincts kicked in. ¡°Why would I laugh at you for reading manga? There¡¯s nothing wrong with it. Those bullies are just insecure. Just tell me if they did it again, and I¡¯ll confront them!¡± She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not joking, Akane-chan!¡± ¡°I know, thanks, Fuyuki-chan¡­¡± ¡°Seriously though, I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you, Akane-chan!¡± Her shy smile turned into a grin. ¡°So, Fuyuki-chan, you haven¡¯t told me the reason why you¡¯ve been daydreaming a lot.¡± My cheeks turned red. ¡°W-Well, basically, I make manga. There¡¯s this girl that DM¡¯ed me and said how much she loved my work. I was skeptical at first, but we then got to know each other, and she¡¯s like the sweetest girl I¡¯ve ever met¡­¡± Her smile slightly widened. ¡°Are you perhaps in love with her?¡± ¡°N-No! She¡¯s just a dear friend, and besides, girls can¡¯t fall in love with each other.¡± She gave me a skeptical look. ¡°Your dilated eyes are saying something else, but that¡¯s for you to figure out, Fuyuki-chan. Just remember that I¡¯ll support whoever you choose, not unless they¡¯re sketchy.¡± I was starting to feel emotional, but I didn¡¯t know why. I laughed it off and said, ¡°You¡¯re making me cry now, Akane-chan!¡± She laughed. ¡°Anyways, you haven¡¯t told me her name!¡± She fake pouted, which made me laugh even harder. ¡°Her name is Kotone, but her username is Kotoneko. I was surprised to know that she also makes manga.¡± ¡°I¡¯m rooting for the two of you!¡± My cheeks were now as red as a tomato. ¡°H-hey! What do you mean by that? Like I said, I don¡¯t like Koto-chan!¡± She burst into laughter. ¡°If you say so~¡± We continued chatting for hours, just like how we usually do it. I couldn¡¯t help but talk about Koto-chan, though. ??? I stared at the empty ceiling in front of me. Koto-chan got mercilessly bullied today, just because she makes manga!? This is just so unfair! Buy Kaede-chan and the other laughed at her too. What¡¯s so funny about making manga? But Akane-chan¡­. She¡­ She laughed along with them¡­ I¡­ I¡­ Akane-chan too? Why¡­ is it really that pathetic to make manga? And why did I just watch her and not do anything? I¡­ I should¡¯ve saved her! But the thought of Akane-chan and the others leaving me¡­ My heart was palpitating so fast. It felt like my entire world was getting destroyed. No, please, don¡¯t leave me! I don¡¯t wanna be alone again! I¡¯m such a terrible person! I¡­ I should of¡­ I¡­ I DON¡¯T KNOW ANYMORE! Just then, my phone vibrated. It was a LINE notification from Akane-chan. Akane: I¡¯m sorry for laughing at Yuki-san. I got scared. I¡¯m really sorry. I sighed. Fuyuki: ¡°It¡¯s okay, Akane-chan. We know how Kaede-chan gets when someone disagrees with her.¡± I guess Akane-chan didn¡¯t truly mean it. She just didn¡¯t want to get teased. I mean, I don¡¯t want her to experience what Koto-chan experienced. Nobody deserves to be treated like that. We should probably leave Kaede-chan and Haruka-chan. I felt like I was being choked. No, please don¡¯t leave me! Tears flowed uncontrollably. Why am I being like this? Why can¡¯t I bear the thought of them leaving me? What¡¯s wrong with me! I¡¯m so sorry for being like this, Koto-chan! I continued sobbing all night, without getting any sleep. ??? It was another day at my school. I opened my shoe locker and was surprised to find love letters all over the place. It didn¡¯t take a while for me to hear the call of a certain brunette.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Fuyuki-chan, over here.¡± I looked at the voice¡¯s direction and saw Kaede-chab and the others. ¡°Are those love letters, Fuyuku-chan?¡± Kaede-chan looked like she was holding back. I sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m not really sure what to do with them, though¡­¡± Kaede-chan¡¯s eyes were twitching. ¡°I wonder how many love letters I get~¡± She hurriedly opened her shoe locker and saw nothing but her shoes. Haruka-chan smirked. ¡°If you want the boys to like you, you should change that melodramatic attitude of yours.¡± Kaede-chan looked like she was ready to pounce at Haruka-chan. ¡°You! You¡¯re not helping!¡± There were boys waving at me with a shy look on their face. Kaede-chan was fuming with anger. Akane-chan went up to me and said, ¡°So, what are you going to do with all those love letters?¡± I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to read all of this¡­¡± ¡°I can help you.¡± ¡°Thanks, Akane-chan. These are way too much to read in one day.¡± Kaede-chan glared at me. ¡°Does this mean that I¡¯m dead, Akane-chan?¡± She nodded. What did I get myself into? ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll cool down eventually, r-right? ehe¡­¡± There was another set of guys waving at me. Kaede-chan¡¯s knuckles were so white. Ever since that moment, things were not the same anymore. ??? We were now in our second year of middle school. As usual, I was welcomed with hundreds of love letters waiting to be read. If it weren¡¯t for Akane-chan, I probably would¡¯ve stood someone up on accident. Unsurprisingly, a group of girls was picking at an innocent girl. The innocent girl was pinned against the shoe lockers. ¡°Hey, lesbian. Did you snitch on the teachers?¡± She stared at them indifferently. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± The leader¡¯s grip on the girl¡¯s collar got tighter. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. I¡¯ll let you off the hook if you just tell me the truth.¡± She just stared at them blankly. ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡± Fuyuki, this is your chance to defend her. Stop caring about being abandoned by Kaede-chan and the others. Koto-chan is being bullied right now. My body was frozen. I couldn¡¯t make myself move a single finger. Fuyuki, your precious friend is getting bullied right now. Look at how dead her eyes are! But I don¡¯t want to be alone¡­ I¡­ I blurted something out on impulse. ¡°I¡¯m the one who reported you!¡± Everyone went silent. All eyes were on my. Koto-chan¡¯s eyes were wide open. Gosh, I could stare at her all day an never get bored. Fuyuki, snap out of it! ¡°Uhh, cheating is bad, y-you know!¡± I placed my hands around my waist. I also tried to make my voice sound stern. The leader¡¯s eyes were twitching. ¡°Why yes, Furukawa-sama. We¡¯ll never do it e-ever again!¡± ¡°No need to use the honorific ¡°sama¡±. Just make sure that this will never happen ever again, or else.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, Furukawa-san!¡± With that, the bullies left Koto-chan alone but gave her a glare. Kaede-chan and Haruka-chan rolled their eyes. Ah, I guess I really did it now¡­ Akane-chan gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s with that high and mighty act there, Fuyuki-chan?¡± I looked down. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Akane-chan gently squeezed my hand. ¡°Are you siding with her now, Akane-chan?¡± She immediately let go of her hold. ¡°Good.¡± Her voice was firm. My heart was palpitating so fast that I couldn¡¯t breathe anymore. I ran as fast as I could to the toilet. I¡­ I can¡¯t take this anymore! Kaede-chan, Koto-chan, manga¡­ What should I do¡­ Wait, manga??? Oh right, that pathetic craft. I¡¯m really continuing the thing that ruined Koto-chan¡¯s life? Seeing her get pushed around and get treated like trash¡­ Why did I even start doing it¡­ What¡¯s the point of manga creation? All you¡¯ll ever experience is pain and suffering¡­ I eventually arrived at the toilet. After running for quite a while, I felt like I was being choked. I could barely breathe. I hurriedly looked for my inhaler. I was then interrupted by a soft voice. Ah, even after everything she¡¯s been through. Her voice is still as sweet as honey¡­ ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Inhaler¡­¡± That was the only word that I could mutter. She took the inhaler from my hand and helped me. ¡°Feel better?¡± I¡¯m gonna melt¡­ ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The choking sensation eased up a little bit. She smiled at me. It was the first time I¡¯d ever seen her smile in a long time, but it was still as beautiful as I could remember. ¡°Thanks for saving me there¡­ They would¡¯ve beaten me up if it weren¡¯t for you¡­¡± Tears were threatening to fall. ¡°I should¡¯ve done something a long time ago¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Besides, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore¡­¡± ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± Her words send shivers down my spine. I have a bad feeling about this¡­ ¡°Thanks for everything, Fuyuki.¡± ¡°K-Koto-chan?¡± I felt soft arms around my body. I then hugged her back. ¡°I need a favor from you. Is it okay?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I felt a soft sensation in my lips. I was shocked but quickly melted into it. It was the best thing I¡¯ve ever felt. After several seconds, she broke away. Her cheeks were flushed. I probably look the same, but it doesn¡¯t matter. She buried her face in my chest and held onto me tightly, to which I returned the gesture. ¡°Can we stay like- Actually, can we skip school today?¡± I didn¡¯t hesitate to agree. ¡°So, how do we sneak out of the school?¡± Koto-chan asked. ¡°Hmmm, it¡¯s either we fake being sick, act like spies, or I use my dad¡¯s position, which isn¡¯t exactly the most morally right thing to do, but uhh, yeah¡­¡± ¡°I guess we can use your dad privileges. They might call our parents if we fake being sick to get caught by the nurse. We can¡¯t risk your asthma flaring up too.¡± ¡°Well then, using his position, it is¡­ I guess¡­ This will be the first time that I¡¯m doing this, but it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m gonna do it every time.¡± Koto-chan didn¡¯t seem to care, and we went to the gate. This is it! I never thought of doing this, but if it¡¯s for Koto-chan, it will be worth it. Yeah, I¡¯m definitely not doing this ever again. Koto-chan, I¡¯m doing this for you! ¡°Uhh, Ito-san, can you please let me and my friend skip school just this once? I promise that we won¡¯t do this ever again.¡± His face was stern. ¡°Why yes, Furukawa-sama. You and your friend may go, but you have to be here by dismissal. Otherwise, Kobayashi-san will not be too happy.¡± I was so relieved. ¡°Thank you so much, Ito-san! Let¡¯s go, Koto-chan!¡± We then went to the nearest shopping mall. I looked at her, not knowing what to do next. ¡°So, uhh, what should we do now?¡± She looked at me blankly and said, ¡°How about we go to the arcade?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± We then went inside the arcade. There was a section that caught both of our attention. It was the rhythm game section. We went there as soon as we could. I was amazed with the amount of rhythm games. This was the first time that I¡¯ve ever been to one. I¡¯ve never seen this many rhythm games in my life! This is everything that I could ever ask for! We played for hours. We had so much fun that we didn¡¯t realize that it¡¯s been that long. ¡°We should totally come here again! I wanna play some more next time, but I¡¯m pretty hungry.¡± She had a very subtle smile. ¡°We should probably look for somewhere to eat.¡± I played with my hair. ¡°Yeah, we definitely should. It¡¯s way past lunchtime.¡± We looked around for restaurants until we found one that suited our taste. It wasn¡¯t anything fancy. It was your typical home restaurant. ¡°Woah, I¡¯ve never been to anything like this. Kaede-chan would usually bring us to fancy restaurants.¡± ¡°Well, sometimes, nothing tastes better than home¡­¡± Home¡­ I guess my private chef¡¯s cooking counts, right? ¡°Uhh, definitely!¡± Koto-chan¡¯s eyes widened in realization. We then sat there in awkward silence until the waiter came to take our order. She had a warm smile on her face. ¡°May I take your order?¡± Koto-chan said, ¡°I¡¯ll have this bento set.¡± ¡°What about you, miss?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to get this ramen!¡± I was so excited to try it. ¡°That will take around 5-10 minutes!¡± It didn¡¯t take too long for the food to arrive. It was one of the best things I¡¯ve ever tasted. I guess this is what ¡°home¡± is supposed to taste like¡­ ¡°It¡¯s so good, Koto-chan!¡± She had the faintest smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m glad you liked it.¡± It didn¡¯t take us a while to finish eating. We should definitely come back here. ¡°So, where should we go next?¡± ¡°Hmm, why not the bookstore?¡± My eyes lit up. ¡°Maybe they finally have it in stock!¡± Her smile slightly widened. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± We then payed for the bill and went to the bookstore. As soon as we entered, I immediately looked for the latest volume of my favorite manga. After minutes of looking, I wasn¡¯t able to find it. I sighed in defeat. ¡°Why is it so hard to find! Did you find anything that you like, Koto-chan?¡± She averted her gaze. ¡°Uhh, not really¡­¡± I sighed in defeat. ¡°I guess we should go now¡­¡± Right after we exited the building, she got something out of her bag and handed me something. I was confused. ¡°Huh, what¡¯s this?¡± Her voice could barely be heard. ¡°Open it¡­¡± Inside the paper bag was the volume that I¡¯ve been looking for. My heart warmed at the thought. ¡°I¡­ how were you able to find it?¡± She averted her gaze. ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been looking for it for quite a while, so I decided to look online and got lucky that this branch still had a copy, so I reserved it, and yeah¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ Thanks, Koto-chan¡± I really don¡¯t deserve you, Koto-chan. You¡¯re way too thoughtful and sweet. I don¡¯t deserve this much after everything I¡¯ve done¡­ She smiled again. ¡°I just wanted to make you happy for the last time¡­¡± I checked my watch, and we only had 15 minutes left until school ended. I didn¡¯t want this to end, but we had a deal with Ito-san. ¡±We better head back now¡­¡± ¡°Yeah...¡± She had a pained smile on her face¡­ We got back to school just in time. I haven¡¯t had this much fun in my entire life! I never would¡¯ve expected that this would be her last day. Chapter 14 - Fuyuki Furukawa Part 3 Meanwhile¡­ Right after Fuyuki ran, Kaede took this opportunity and said, ¡°Girls, let¡¯s go somewhere more private.¡± The 2 girls obliged. They soon arrived at the secluded room at the main library. Kaede slammed her hand on the table. ¡°Okay, we definitely need to talk about Fuyuki-chan!¡± She pouted. Haruka rolled her eyes. ¡°What is it now?¡± Kaede glared at her. ¡°Anyways, as you saw earlier, aside from stealing all the boys, she defended that pathetic mangaka lesbian. Don¡¯t you all think that she isn¡¯t exactly one of us? She is just nothing but a fake, a fake that pretends to be one of us, but in reality, she¡¯s a manipulative witch who made us into fools!¡± Haruka raised an eyebrow. ¡°And what did she do?¡± Kaede rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that her randomly getting a bunch of letters is odd? Why only now? This definitely means that she did something!¡± Akane bashfully retorted. ¡°Fuyuki-chan would never do such things!¡± Kaede leaned closer to Akane. ¡°And what makes you think that she¡¯s not playing with you at the palms of her hand? I¡¯ve always had a bad feeling about her, like she¡¯s hiding something, that she¡¯s bad news¡­ There¡¯s just something off in her cheerful exterior.¡± Akane let out an exhale before retorting. ¡°But that¡¯s just how Fuyuki-chan is¡­¡± Kaede smirked. ¡°Heh, that¡¯s how good of a manipulator she is. Seeing how she got a shoe locker filled with love letters out of nowhere definitely means she did something to seduce the boys! I may not have a clear idea and concrete evidence, but I¡¯m sure that she did something. She never got any love letters yesterday, did she? And yet she got so much today! Well, anyways, she really thinks she¡¯s all better than us, that she¡¯s the prettiest girl in school? Heh, well, that¡¯s where she is mistaken!¡± Akane¡¯s eyes widened for a split second and averted her gaze. Kaede carried on with her little speech. ¡°Feeling so confident that she SEDUCED every single guy in our school, I can¡¯t believe I was ever friends with that arrogant flirt! And to think she¡¯s defending that lesbian mangaka just to make herself look like an angel, she¡¯s going way too far! Acting all high and mighty, hiding that messed-up nature of hers. Just thinking about it makes me feel so sick! If she really is as much of an angel as she presents herself to be, she would¡¯ve done it a long time ago!¡± Akane looked at Kaede hesitantly. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I still don¡¯t believe that Fuyuki-chan would do such things¡­ She has been getting some love letters, but it was never as much what she received today¡­ But then again, you do have to admit that Fuyuki-chan is rather attractive¡­¡± She then had a pained expression on her face. Kaede rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh please, she may have gotten a few, but why did she get a lot today? Why only now of all days?¡± Haruka contemplated. ¡°You actually have a point. It is odd that she suddenly got hundreds of love letters. I¡¯ll give this to you.¡± Kaede pouted. ¡°Are you calling me a moron!?¡± Akanr lowered her head and said, ¡°I will be going to the toilet¡­¡± Kaede said, ¡°Okay, just a word of advice: don¡¯t get too close to Fuyuki-chan.¡± With that, Akane went to the toilet. Luckily, she was the only one there. Akane looked at the mirror, tears threatening to fall. ¡°If I were only as attractive as Fuyuki-chan, maybe mother wouldn¡¯t hate me as much¡­¡± ??? Right after I got back inside my room, the tears I held back after calling Koto-chan¡¯s maids started flowing uncontrollably. ¡°Koto-chan¡­ she¡¯s gone¡­ SHE¡¯S GONE! I¡¯m such a coward! Screw manga, screw Kaede-chan, screw Akane-chan, screw EVERYONE! I just want you back, Koto-chan. I need you. Just talking to you- no, just seeing you makes my day so much better! But I was a coward! I couldn¡¯t defend you¡­ I- I¡­ CURSE LIFE! All I can do now is honor your words and make manga¡­ That same thing that ruined your life¡­¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Just then, I felt a vibration in my hand. Akane: Fuyuki-chan, iD*SMiLE just released their latest collection I sighed. Fuyuki: Not now, Akane-chan Akane: Did something happen? Fuyuki: Koto-chan¡¯s gone Akane: I¡¯m here for you Fuyuki: Thanks, Akane-chab, but all I ever truly wanted was to be with her. You were right. I do have feelings for her but it¡¯s too late. I just wish I had defended her Akane: You did defend her Fuyuki: THAT WASN''T ENOUGH! I SHOULD¡¯VE DEFENDED HER SINCE THE START!¡± Akane: Calm down, Fuyuki-chan Fuyuki: HOW CAN I BE CALM WHEN KOTO-CHAN IS GONE, AND IT''S ALL MY FAULT! Akane: It¡¯s not your fault. You didn¡¯t bully her. In fact, you did everything that you could to make sure that she ate well. You¡¯d even buy a new set of our uniform if the bullies would ruin it Fuyuki: And that will never be enough. She¡¯s gone now, and there¡¯s nothing that I can do about it Akane: You¡¯ll eventually get over it. Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll find another someone who¡¯ll steal your heart Fuyuki: I DON¡¯T CARE! I ONLY WANT HER AND ONLY HER Akane: Calm down Fuyuki: If I could only reverse time Akane: Fuyuki-chan, you have to accept that she¡¯ll never come back, and you can¡¯t do anything about it. All you can do is accept it and move on Fuyuki: At least I was able to kiss her yesterday Akane: YOU DID WHAT!? Fuyuki: We snuck out of school yesterday, remember? Akane: Yeah, and? Fuyuki: Before that, we saw each other in the toilet. I was having a panic attack, and she helped me. After that, she thanked me and asked for a favor, and I said yes. I didn¡¯t expect it to be a kiss. Ah, if time could only stop in that moment. I would like for it to last forever¡­ My heart raced from the memory. ?? We could¡¯ve had a collab, or we could¡¯ve gone on a date, or¡­ Sigh, there¡¯s no use. All I can do is to carry those sweet memories¡­ Akane: I¡¯m glad that it¡¯s mutual. Oh wait, she got outed. Seriously though, it took you way too long to realize your feelings, Fuyuki-chan. You shouldn¡¯t be so oblivious around your surroundings. I bet you don¡¯t even know how much people adore you I couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Who would adore someone like me¡­ Fuyuki: That¡¯s because it¡¯s not true Akane: You¡¯re so painfully oblivious So oblivious that I missed my chance with Koto-chan Fuyuki: Don¡¯t remind me anymore Akane: Cheer up! Would you like to go to iD*SMiLE to unwind? Fuyuki: I¡¯ll pass We continued chatting until midnight. Talking to her made the pain feel a bit less painful. ??? While chatting with Fuyuki, Akane let out a deep sigh. ¡°Why are you so oblivious, Fuyuki-chan? You¡¯re perfect! You¡¯re very attractive, have a lot of admirers, and your crush even likes you back! Not everyone is as lucky as you, like me, who¡¯s not as attractive or as adored. I¡¯m my mother¡¯s eyes, all I¡¯ll ever be is a disgrace to the fashion industry¡­¡± She then checked Instagram and saw an attractive girl on the beach, posing in a cute manner. It gave her an idea. ??? 1 year later We were at a cafe, enjoying our drinks and desserts. As usual, Akane-chan and I are seated next to each other, and Kaede-chan and Haruka-chan are seated next to each other and right in front of us. ¡°So Fuyuki-chan, I bet you¡¯re so happy with the fact that guys are gushing over you.¡± Kaede-chan had a sarcastic tone. I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just not in the mood for it.¡± Kaede-chan rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t even dare deny it, girl. We can tell that you secretly like it. Besides, it¡¯s every girl¡¯s dream!¡± Haruka-chan scuffed. ¡°Girl, we¡¯re not blind¡± Akane-chan, who was on her phone the entire time, replied. ¡°Ugh, look at her hair. It¡¯s so perfect, unlike mine.¡± She then looked at me. ¡°Even your hair looks perfect, Fuyuki-chan! You need to be grateful for how you look! I would die for that hair.¡± I sighed. ¡°If only I could give it to you, Akane-chan¡­¡± Kaede-chan scoffed. ¡°There she is again, acting all humble. It can¡¯t fool us, Fuyuki-chan.¡± They continued talking about my popularity. ??? I was drawing in my room when I got a notification from iD*SMiLE. They apparently released their latest collection. I was about to send it to Akane-chan when I remembered ¡°Right¡­¡± I¡¯ve slowly drifted apart from the others, which I don¡¯t mind. I still have the keychain Koto-chan gave me, our memories, the kiss¡­, manga¡­ I¡¯m doing perfectly fine! I sighed. I guess the only person who genuinely cared was Koto-chan, and I had to mess up terribly. Not even Akane-chan¡­ Eh, I still have manga with me, my only connection to Koto-chan¡­ I hope your soul is doing well, Koto-chan. I miss you. I really do, but we can¡¯t get everything that we want in life¡­ I wish I was able to say ¡°I love you¡± though¡­ Well, staying with them is better than nothing, I guess. I still have manga, so it won¡¯t be too bad¡­ Koto-chan¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel empty. Eh, it¡¯s fine. It''s nothing too bad. I pretty much have the perfect life! I can do whatever I want, and I¡¯m not alone. I can wear as many cute dresses as I¡¯d like, and I can read and draw as much manga as I want to. I also have my friends. I¡¯m happy that everything¡¯s going really well! I held onto the keychain Koto-chan gave me. Don¡¯t worry, Koto-chan. I¡¯ll never give up. I¡¯ll continue writing manga. I¡¯ll do anything for you, Koto-chan. Tears continued streaming down my face, staining my drawing tablet. Chapter 15 – That Small Beam of Light at the Hopeless Path Sigh, I¡¯m tired of life. I took the scissors and aimed right at my chest. This is it. Once I do it, this misery will finally end. I can¡¯t believe I lasted this long. Life¡¯s unbearable, and I¡¯m no masochist. Just as I was about to, I heard a knock on my door. Ugh, what now! I rolled my eyes and hid the scissors before responding. ¡°What now, Shizuka.¡± I could barely force myself to speak. I stood there lifelessly while waiting for the voice to respond. ¡°It¡¯s me, dear.¡± It was a warm voice, a voice that I could never forget. The voice I grew up with. My eyes widened. ¡°K-Kobayashi¡­-san¡­?¡± I could feel her smile, even if I couldn¡¯t see her. ¡°Can I come in?¡± I opened the door, and sure enough, I saw her figure. I may not have seen her for more than a year, but I could never forget her. She still looked the same, but without the uniform. ¡°What happened, dear? Why are you crying?¡± I touched my cheek, and sure enough, I could feel tears streaming continuously. I felt warm arms wrap me. Something inside me snapped, and I started sobbing nonstop. After a long while, it was reduced to hiccups. She pulled away and said, ¡°Feel better now?¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m always willing to lend an ear for you, dear but you don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to.¡± She continued pattiing my head. ¡°Akane-chan and the others hate me, and then there¡¯s this girl who transferred to my school. I instantly warmed up to her and trusted her, and then I eventually found out that she¡¯s the girl who left me all those years ago. I thought she was different, that she was not like the others, but it turns out that she¡¯s the first-ever person to leave my side. I was naive enough to trust her. I should¡¯ve known that it was only Koto-chan who cared about me.¡± My voice would hiccup pretty often. ¡°Dear, Chi-chan cares about you with all her heart. I know that she suddenly left, but she must¡¯ve had a good reason for it. She would never leave your side. If it weren¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t even know that things weren¡¯t going well for you. She¡¯d do anything for you.¡± My eyes widened. My lips were slightly parted. ¡°She¡­ She did¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs.¡± I hesitantly agreed. In the living room, there were four people. There was Akane-chan, Shizuka, Chizuru-chan, and a familiar man. My eyes widened with confusion. ¡°Prime Minister Furukawa?¡± His expression was filled with concern, but his eyes had a flash of hurt when I called out to him. He immediately walked up to me and held me tightly. ¡°Fuyuki! I¡¯m sorry for everything. I-¡­¡± I stood there awkwardly. This was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen him in years. This was the first time we¡¯ve ever interacted in my entire life. I looked at Kobayashi-san, and she smiled at me. ¡°Uhh, Prime Minister Furukawa?¡± He burst into tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for neglecting you all these years. I should¡¯ve been there for you all this time. If I were only more responsible, this would¡¯ve never happened!¡± I felt a wave of confusion hit me. I could only mutter a ¡°huh?¡± in response.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Takahashi-san, Kobayashi-san, and Satou-san told me everything. I¡¯m so sorry for being such a terrible father to you! I should¡¯ve taken care of you instead of getting drunk and not moving on from your mother¡¯s death.¡± The man continued sobbing. I didn¡¯t know what to do. We may be physically close to each other, but there was an invisible wall between us. I just stood there and didn¡¯t do anything. ¡°I understand if you find it hard to forgive me, but from this day onwards, I¡¯ll always be home and make time for you.¡± Why is he suddenly here all of a sudden? After all these years, this is the first time he¡¯s ever talked to me. Not once has he even ever uttered my name. What does he want now? I looked around and saw Chizuru-chan, Akane-chan, Kobayashi-san, and Shizuka watching our interaction. ¡°Uhh, we can sit down if you¡¯d like, Prime Minister Furukawa.¡± We both sat down, with me seated next to Kobayashi-san. The man spoke. ¡°Thanks for raising my daughter while I wasn¡¯t around, Kobayashi-san.¡± ¡°Fuyuki is like a daughter to me! Don¡¯t worry! And he¡¯ll eventually warm up to you.¡± She looked at me, and I looked at Furukawa-sama hesitantly. ¡°Uhh, Prime Minister Furukawa, may I speak to the others alone, please? I¡¯m sorry if this came across as disrespectful.¡± I could feel my heart pounding. He gave me a hurt smile. ¡°I¡¯ll go upstairs now.¡± Akane-chan then looked at me and spoke. ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry for letting my insecurities get in the way of our friendship. I even joined the others in isolating you from our friend group. I¡¯ve been a terrible friend to you, and I just really want to apologize. You deserve better than how I treated you.¡± She looked at Chizuru-chan before continuing. ¡°I should¡¯ve never left you by your side, like what Takahashi-san did, especially since those moments were one of the lowest points of your life! You just lost Yuki-san at the time, and what I did was let my envy get the best of me! I could¡¯ve supported you and been there for you like how you would for me, but I didn¡¯t.¡± Her tears were threatening to fall. I looked at her reluctantly. I guess she¡¯s apologizing too¡­ Why can¡¯t I make myself care about this? Even with my own father, I couldn¡¯t even make myself care! I guess that¡¯s how broken people like me feel¡­ Sigh, it doesn¡¯t matter. Whether they apologize or not, I¡¯ll still be fairly numb. ¡°How are Kaede-chan and Haruka-chan?¡± She averted her gaze. ¡°I guess they¡¯re doing okay¡­ Kaede-chan is still well¡­ Kaede-chan¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Why am I not surprised? I wonder how Akane-chan is surviving¡­ ¡°Why are you here, Akane-chan?¡±, I asked. ¡°I just wanted to make things right with you¡­¡± She started playing with her hair. ¡°Okay. Are they treating you well, Akane-chan?¡± She averted her gaze again. ¡°Not really, but it¡¯s not the point.¡± I could feel my fists clenching on my own. I guess they¡¯re still being brats¡­ Sigh, people like them are unreasonable¡­ ¡°You should leave them.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ve been friends since I could remember. And-¡° ¡°You said that they treat you like trash. You don¡¯t have to endure being with trash.¡± ¡°I-¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ They¡¯re still my friends and¡ª¡° ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± Her eyes widened for a split second. ¡°Anyways, Fuyuki-chan, how¡¯ve you been doing?¡± ¡°Nothing much.¡± You don¡¯t need to know anything, Akane-chan. Something inside me doesn¡¯t wanna tell you. ¡°O-oh, uuhhh¡­ Would you like to talk to Chizuru-chan? Who knows, maybe she¡¯s the¡ª¡° Chizuru-chan looked at her, pleading. She chuckled. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll give you two some time to talk.¡± With that, Akane-chan, Kobayashi-san, and Shizuka left the living room. We sat there in awkward silence before we both tried to break it. ¡°I just wanted to-¡° ¡°Why did you-¡° ¡°You can go first, Chizuru-chan.¡± ¡°No, you go first, Fuyuki.¡± ¡°Why¡¯d you leave those years ago? You left right after you promised to never leave me.¡± She couldn¡¯t look at me straight in the eye. ¡°The thing is, we had to move to Nagano. I tried to plead with my dad but it didn¡¯t work¡­¡± I guess that¡¯s pretty reasonable¡­ ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to leave you, I swear! I really do care!¡± She took my hand, pleading to me. I looked at her blankly. ¡°I understand, but that doesn¡¯t mean I forgive you. It¡¯s unreasonable, but I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you sooner. I got scared that you¡¯ll hate me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I would if you told me because I¡¯m sure you would¡¯ve told me the reason.¡± She scratched her nape. Her other hand was still holding mine. ¡°I guess I learned that the hard way¡­ But I don¡¯t have any more secrets! I promise!¡± ¡°Oh yeah, why¡¯s Furukawa-sama suddenly here?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been way too negligent as a father! He doesn¡¯t even know what happened to you if it weren¡¯t for me and Kobayashi-san contacting him! And it wasn¡¯t easy either. Seriously though, he¡¯s such a jerk!¡± I could feel the anger in her voice. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that for me¡­¡± She squeezed my hand. ¡°I wanted to do this for you, Fuyuki. I can¡¯t just let you rot in your room by yourself and let that man remain ignorant of it. That¡¯s his obligation as your father! He neglected you so much that you can¡¯t even call him ¡°father.¡±. It¡¯s been going on for far too long!¡± ¡°Relax, he¡¯s still the prime minister¡­¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t give him the right!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Thanks for everything, Chizuru-chan¡­¡± She squeezed my hand even tighter now, but I don¡¯t mind. ¡°I promised you that I¡¯d never leave your side, right?¡± I could see the sincerity in her expression. I could feel the heat in my cheeks. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± We continued chatting for a while. It took me some time to realize that the others had already left. ??? It¡¯s been days since all of that happened. It helped ease up the pain for a bit, but it hasn¡¯t fully disappeared. I was in my room, contemplating whether I should call my editor or not. I then heard a knock in my room. ¡±Come in!¡± It was Shizuka, with her signature stoic expression. ¡°How¡¯re you feeling now, Fuyuki-sama?¡± I thought about it for a little while. ¡°I guess I feel a bit more at ease now¡­¡± Her expression was less tense now. ¡°I¡¯m contemplating whether I should call my editor after disappearing for more than a month¡­¡± Her lips were slightly curved upwards. ¡°Your editor would understand, Fuyuki-sama. Besides, your fans are waiting for the next chapter, including me, Kurai-sensei.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°Y-You know!?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been a loyal fan for quite some time now. Who knew that the ever-mysterious Kurai-sensei is 3 years younger than me? I actually noticed the mask in your room.¡± ¡°I just never took you for someone who reads manga¡­ If I only knew, I would¡¯ve hid the mask¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°Just as when I thought that you were starting to be more open¡­ At the end of the day, you are still Fuyuku-sama¡­¡± I looked at the ceiling and sighed. ¡°I wonder if things will get better¡­¡± ¡°So, will you be coming back, Kurai-sensei?¡± ¡°I guess I will.¡± Chapter 16 - Suresure It was another day inside the campus. As usual, students could be seen everywhere. Chizuru-chan, Akane-chan, and I were at the main library. Akane-chan then spoke. ¡°So, Fuyuki-chan, how are the therapy sessions?¡± I reflected. I guess it helped me feel at ease for a bit but did anything really change? I mean everything takes time¡­ I looked at Chizuru-chan. As usual, she was listening to music with her headphones. I wonder what kind of music she listens to¡­ We¡¯ve known each other for so long, yet I don¡¯t even know what kinda music she listens to! I¡¯m so pathetic¡­ Wait, didn¡¯t that therapist lady say that I shouldn¡¯t call myself names¡­ Eh, whatever¡­ I faced Akane-chan. She looked quite concerned. ¡°I guess nothing really changed that much¡­¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve just started, Fuyuki-chan. Just give it some time!¡± Chizuru-chan lowered her headphones and looked at me, which made my heart flutter with how soft her eyes are. ¡°Kashiwagi-san¡¯s right, Fuyuki. Nothing happens overnight.¡± I sighed. ¡°I hope¡­¡± Will this nightmare ever end? Save me, Koto-chan! Save me from this misery! ??? The sun has already fallen. The sky was now a home to the stars. I was in a call with Chizuru-chan. ¡°How¡¯s your father been treating you, Fuyuki?¡± ¡°I guess he¡¯d personally fetch me from school, and he started talking to me¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to feel about it though¡­¡± Chizuru-chan huffed in response. ¡°As that jerk should have. It¡¯s his job to love and take care of you. But since he¡¯s well, he only did it now. I guess it¡¯s better to be late than never. That doesn¡¯t mean I trust him, though!¡± I thought about it for a while. ¡°Honestly, even with all those things, I don¡¯t think the wall separating us has gotten thinner. If anything, it feels like it grew¡­¡± She chuckled. ¡°I guess that old man would have to try even harder now. It¡¯s actually pretty entertaining because to see him try to no avail. Gosh, what am I thinking? Why do I actually want to see him suffer through the pain you did?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°You really do hate him that much. I mean, I can¡¯t bring myself to warm up to him, so yeah¡­¡± ¡°Why does he have to be the prime minister out of all the positions in Japan? Why does it have to be the worst father in the world? I swear I could never forgive him for the way he treated you before!¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I¡¯ve never seen Chizuru-chan express this much anger towards anything. ¡°I just hope that he¡¯ll actually start being in your life now. But seriously though, you deserve way better than that trash.¡± My heart warmed at her words. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± ??? I groggily opened my eyes and felt like my body could barely move. My body felt so hot. I then heard someone knock on the door. Sure enough, it was the white-haired maid, with her typical stoic expression. ¡°Fuyuki-sama, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± I let out a sigh. My cheeks felt incredibly flushed. Ugh, don¡¯t tell me¡­ Shizuka went out for a moment. When she came back, she was carrying a thermometer. She placed the thermometer under my armpit and waited for it to beep. Shizuka furrowed her eyebrows and said, ¡°It appears that you have a fever, Fuyuki-sama.¡± I sighed again. Well, I guess I don¡¯t have to get out of bed¡­ Ugh, my body feels so hot. It¡¯s unbearable¡­ That was the last thing I could remember. When I opened my eyes, I saw three figures. One of them was a man with a bit of wrinkles, and the others were two girls wearing a high school uniform. The man¡¯s eyes widened. He spoke like he was being chased by a horde of lions. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake, Fuyuki! Is there anything that hurts? Would you like to go to the hospital?¡± This is pretty odd¡­ Since when did he care about my condition? I wonder what caused Furukawa-sama to act like this¡­ The girl wearing headphones on her neck¡¯s eyes were wider than usual. ¡°Fuyuki, is there anything you need?¡± The blue-haired girl squeezed my hand tighter. ¡°Fuyuki-chan, would you like to have some tea?¡± Ugh, I need a break¡­ My lips couldn¡¯t help but curve upwards. What is this feeling¡­ My chest feels hot, but not in a bad way¡­ Could I be¡­ happiness? But it¡¯s with these people. People you could barely trust¡­ I guess Chizuru-chan is a bit trustworthy, but still¡­ If only Kobayashi-san or Koto-chan were here¡­ ¡°I¡­ I just need some rest. It¡¯s nothing too serious.¡± Furukawa-sama whispered something to my ¡°friends". Akane-chan gleamed and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be buying something real quick. See you, Fuyuki-chan!¡± Chizuru-chan smiled and waved at me. My heart pounded at the sight. Furukawa-sama patted my head and said, ¡°Get well soon, Fuyuki.¡± I wonder what all that whispering is about¡­ Sigh, whatever¡­ I felt my phone vibrate. It was a call from my editor. I reluctantly answered it. ¡°How¡¯s the chapter going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well right now¡­¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it for now. Just focus on recovering, okay?¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be hoping for a speedy recovery, Kurai-sensei. Just call me if you feel better.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ bye¡­¡± ¡°Goodbye¡± I guess that phone call¡¯s finally done¡­ Now what do I do? I guess I¡¯ll look for something to read¡­ Actually, I¡¯ll just listen to something¡­ I open Nighttube Music and played something random. The song was opened by a synth accompanied by a guitar. It was almost like I could feel the pain of the song. Each time the girl sings ¡°baka,¡± my heart would feel like it¡¯s being torn apart. ¡°Caught up¡± ¡°I feel like a fool¡± Those final lines of the song, especially the last one, which was uttered by the blonde-haired girl with pigtails, sent me to tears. Despite all that, the song oddly felt comforting. I continued listening to the song on repeat. I felt like the song understood me in ways that words could never explain. It felt like I was stuck in a world where only I and the song existed. I didn¡¯t even realize that they were already here, inside my bedroom. ¡°Fuyuki, we got you something! "Furukawa-sama¡¯s voice was oddly enthusiastic. ¡°Fuyuki-chan, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it!¡± I turned around and saw a paper bag from iD*SLiME. Tears threatened to flow again, but I regained my composure. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Chizuru-chan looked at me like she was looking at something precious. I couldn¡¯t tear my gaze off her. Furukawa-sama handed me the paper bag. Inside was a white classic lolita dress. ¡°I¡¯ll wear it sometime¡­¡± I¡­ I guess things do get better¡­ Chapter 17 - Baby Steps ¡°Fuyuki-chan, since when did you get into music?¡± The blue-haired girl seated in front of me asked. I took off the tiny device playing music on my right ear. I slightly tilted my head and said, ¡°Did you say something, Akane-chan?¡± The girl chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s just that this is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen you listen to music.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± She had a mischievous expression. ¡°You and Takahashi-san look cute together right now!¡± I heard pounded at her comment. When I turned to see Chizuru-chan, her face was red. I wonder why my heart¡¯s beating so fast¡­ These moments¡­ If I could only stop time at moments like this¡­ I guess it does help lighten my mood¡­ ??? Classes are finally over¡­ I turned to my side and faced Chizuru-chan. Time seemed to have slowed down at that moment. The sunlight coming through the window made her look like an angel. The way she moves is like she doesn¡¯t care about her surroundings, yet deep inside, she¡¯s really caring. It got startled when she stared back at me. Her head was also slightly tilted. ¡°Do you need anything, Fuyuki?¡± ¡°N-No! I didn¡¯t really mean to stare¡­¡± I awkwardly played with my hair. ¡°Ahh, I see¡­¡± The atmosphere was tense until Akane-chan arrived. Akane-chan smiled, ¡°Wanna try out the new cafe near the mall?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything else to do today, so sure.¡±, I said. ¡°I¡¯m down!¡±, said Chizuru-chan. It took us several minutes for us to arrive at the cafe. Sweets was the theme of the interior. I unconsciously squealed with excitement. ¡°Akane-chan, how did you know about this place? It¡¯s so cute!¡± She gave me a warm smile. ¡°I saw it on the way to school. I haven¡¯t seen you this happy in a long time! I guess I made the right decision to ask you to come visit the cafe with me.¡± Chizuru-chan had a content expression. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see you this happy again.¡± There¡¯s not much to be happy about, though¡­ We then sat down and were greeted by a waitress wearing a cute brown lolita dress. Oh my gosh, am I in heaven? I love her outfit! And it¡¯s not just her too! Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I couldn¡¯t help but look at the waitresses¡¯ clothes. It all looks so cute!!!! ??? I couldn¡¯t help but feel happy while I watched Fuyuki. She became so blank that it¡¯s rare to see her show emotions. I¡¯m just glad that she¡¯s getting better. I guess she loves lolita fashion that much. ¡°She looks so amazed¡­¡± Kashiwagi-san chuckled. ¡°I know, right? We should go here again sometime. I can¡¯t really blame Fuyuki-chan for being that amazed. This cafe is just so cute!¡± ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re into it too.¡± ¡°Yeah, I love it just as much as Fuyuki-chan. Seeing her like this, though, I miss seeing her smile¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s slowly getting better. If I could only do more than being there for her¡­¡± Akane-chan squeezed my hand. ¡°She¡¯ll eventually get better, Takahashi-san. Don¡¯t beat yourself over it.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll stop now.¡± ??? I¡¯ve finally gotten home. I was plopped into the bed. I felt empty while I stared at the blank ceiling. Ugh, would this emptiness completely disappear? I¡¯ve already tried going to a psychiatrist, but it doesn¡¯t even feel like anything changed. I still feel like I¡¯m suffocating! I¡­ I just can¡¯t take this anymore¡­ I give up¡­ I doubt this will ever change¡­ I started sobbing uncontrollably. No matter what I do, it only temporarily disappears! It¡¯s like getting relapses of that moment. I then heard a knock. ¡°May I enter?¡± The muffled voice muttered. ¡°Okay¡­¡± I quickly suppressed my sobs and lay down on my bed face flat. After a few moments, I felt a figure seated at the edge of the bed. ¡°What happened, Fuyuki-sama?¡± I laughed it off. ¡°Everything¡¯s perfectly fine, Shizuka. No need to worry about anything.¡± She sighed. ¡°Fuyuki-sama, I could hear you crying.¡± ¡°Uhh, I was just watching a movie. It was so sad. The love interest disappeared after being touched by a human. My ship¡­¡± The woman sighed again. ¡°Fuyuki-sama, I¡¯ve known you for quite a while now. If it is truly because of a movie, then why are you lying down face flat? Look, there is no need to tell me, but if you need anyone to talk to, Kashiwagi-sama, Takahashi-sama, Grandma, and I are all here for you. Please remember that.¡± I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, so I sat up and faced the white-haired woman. Tears started rolling unconsciously. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what to do anymore. I¡¯d still sometimes feel like I¡¯m getting suffocated! I just don¡¯t know anymore. I doubt this would ever disappear¡­¡± I felt arms being wrapped around my body. ¡°Does it happen less frequently now?¡± ¡°I guess¡­¡± My voice got muffled from our position. She started rubbing my back. ¡°Then that means you¡¯re getting better. It may feel like nothing has changed, but it doesn¡¯t mean that you truly haven''t gotten better. Actually, based on my observations, your expressions look less tense than usual. You were also smiling when you got back today. If you really haven¡¯t improved, then I doubt that those will manifest. Don¡¯t be too harsh on yourself.¡± ¡°I guess the psychiatrist did say something about celebrating small achievements¡­ So this is what she was talking about¡­ I should try applying that.¡± We stayed in that position for quite a while. It helped lessen the pain. I guess she has a point. I am slowly getting better¡­ I mean, nothing really starts overnight, and I only started months ago. I just hope that things will continue to get better¡­ I then heard another knock on my door. ¡°Can I come in?¡± This time, the voice was more masculine. I immediately got off Shizuka and wiped my tears. ¡°Yeah¡± A man in a suit carrying a paper bag was revealed. ¡°Sorry if I wasn¡¯t able to personally fetch you today. Something urgent came up. I bought your favorite cheesecake to make up for it.¡± ¡°I shall leave now.¡± The woman looked at me before she left. ¡°Uhh, thanks for the cheesecake, Furukawa-san!¡± His eyes widened for a split second before smiling. ¡°Should I ask the maids to prepare it for you?¡± ¡°N-no, it¡¯s okay¡­¡± We sat there in awkward silence. I started eating the cheesecake. As expected, it tasted just how I like it. Now that I think about it, I got my facial features from Furukawa-san. Even in his mid-40s, his skin looks flawless. I looked at Furukawa-san and noticed that he¡¯s not eating anything. ¡°Please don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯m not really fond of sweet things.¡± I then continued eating my cheesecake. I guess we still have a long way to go. I don¡¯t even know his preferences, but then again, we only started getting to know each other several months ago¡­ I really owe this to Chizuru-chan¡­ Chapter 18 - This Messy Thing Called Love I felt a buzz sound under my covers. I opened my phone and saw a message from Takahashi-san. My heart was filled with excitement, but this quickly disappeared when I read her message. Chizuru: Kashiwagi-san, now that Fuyuki¡¯s getting better, do you think that this is the right opportunity for me to confess to her? My heart dropped. Right¡­ she¡¯s into Fuyuki-chan¡­ Fuyuki-chan deserves Takahashi-san more than me after everything I¡¯ve done to her¡­ I took a deep breath before responding. Akane: You definitely should. Now¡¯s your opportunity to make her yours. Besides, you¡¯ve been waiting for this moment for years Chizuru: What should I do? Should I give her a love letter? Akane: Fuyuki-chan has way too many admirers for her to read all of the letters, so she might not see yours Chizuru: What should I do now? I couldn¡¯t help but let out a pained chuckle. I wish it were me¡­ Akane: How about you tell her on a date??? Chizuru: THAT''S A GREAT IDEA! TYSM KASHIWAGI-SAN Akane: Np?? Why did I have to fall for her out of all people¡­ ??? ¡°Ugh, I can¡¯t think of anything!¡± I dropped my drawing pen and sighed. Why is my brain giving out on me right now? I noticed the keychain on my desk. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I clutched onto it and reminisced about our time together. The biggest mistake I¡¯ve ever made in my life was to let them treat you like that. I just want to be able to see you again¡­ But it¡¯ll never happen. No matter what I do, you¡¯ll never come back. All I could do was sit here and accept that¡­ Tears started rolling down my face. It¡¯s no use¡­ Oh yeah, I haven¡¯t visited you in a while¡­ I changed my clothes and went there as soon as possible. ??? It didn¡¯t take long for me to reach the cold winds that gave me goosebumps. I eventually spotted the black stone filled with dust. Sitting there was a familiar pink-haired girl. She was wearing a black beanie with silver streaks at the top, complemented by a black off-shoulder top, a dark blue skirt, and a matching black belt with silver stars all around it. She was also carrying a guitar case. I dashed towards her like I was about to lose her.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Ko¡­ Koto-chan?¡± Her sharp gaze sent shivers down my spine. It was different from the girl I knew, but I still clung onto that tiny bit of hope. ¡°The name¡¯s Kanade, Kanade Kurokawa, missy. What are you doing in my cousin¡¯s grave?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Fuyuki Furukawa. I¡¯m a friend of Kotone.¡± A friend¡­ I really did miss my chance for us to be more¡­ The woman had the same pink hair and purple eyes. I couldn¡¯t look away from her. It felt like I was trapped in a daze, with only me and her inside. ¡°Fuyuki¡­ so you¡¯re the girl she¡¯s pinning for, huh? Interesting choice¡­ Any info as to why she ended her life? Tell me, did anyone hurt my cousin?¡± I could feel the rage in her voice. ¡°Actually, she was bullied. I¡¯m really sorry for letting this happen. I should¡¯ve defended her so-¡° She towered over me. ¡°Tell me, who are those brats?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure about their names, but they¡¯re some girls in our school.¡± She furrowed her brows and said, ¡°That can¡¯t be helped¡­ One more thing, do you like Kotone?¡± I was still trapped in my daze. ¡°Yeah¡­ you look exactly like her¡­¡± She smirked. ¡°Our mothers are twins, so that¡¯s that. Before I forget it, tell me, do you like my cousin?¡± ¡°I do¡­¡± I unconsciously reached out to touch her cheeks. The woman scratched her nape and said, ¡°Uhh, I hate to break it to you, but I¡¯m not Kotone.¡± I finally snapped out of my daze. My heart dropped at the realization that Koto-chan¡¯s dead. ¡°Sorry about that¡­ Can I have your LINE?¡± She smiled. ¡°Sure.¡± Her profile picture was a blue cat, contrasting with the pink cat profile picture that Koto-chan had. She reached out to get a night-themed handkerchief and wiped my face. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re crying.¡± I touched my face and felt a wet sensation. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Her gaze softened. ¡°I know a place that will cheer you up.¡± She pulled me towards a black van. ¡°Hop in.¡± Inside the van were rock-styled clothes and snack wrappers scattered everywhere. Her cheeks reddened. ¡°S-Sorry about that, I just came from a concert. Things were pretty hectic, so I never really had the chance to clean up.¡± My heart fluttered. Her expression resembled the girl I once loved. ¡°Are you a member of a band, Ko- Kurokawa-san?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m the vocalist and the guitarist.¡± Her words became slurred, and her eyes started blinking. ¡°Ohh¡± Right after that, her eyes started closing. She fell into a deep slumber. She must be really tired¡­ I wonder what her life is like¡­ After several minutes, the van stopped moving. An old man spoke. ¡°Kurokawa-sama, we¡¯re here.¡± Her eyelids started to open. ¡°What?¡± Her speech was still slurred. ¡°We¡¯re here, Kurokawa-sama.¡± You could feel his smile. She looked around and said, ¡°And we¡¯re already here. Sorry for falling asleep¡­¡± She scratched her nape. I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She pulled me towards a grass field. There were stars falling from the sky. I couldn''t help but be amazed by the sight. ¡°Okay, the meteor shower was a coincidence, but do you like it?¡± ¡°It¡­ it looks amazing¡­¡± ¡°I guess today¡¯s the day for the Leonids. Me and Kotone would watch it every year in this exact same place, until that happened¡­¡± I turned and saw her with a pained smile. Right¡­ She¡¯s not coming back anytime soon. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at her familiar long pink hair and purple eyes. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± I could feel the heat from my cheeks. ¡°Don''t worry, nothing''s on your face.¡± What are you doing, Fuyuki? Koto-chan¡¯s not coming back. She stared at me intently. It felt like she was analyzing my every move. ¡°I¡¯ll let you off the hook this time.¡± ¡°How¡¯s it like to be in a band? You must be really tired to fall asleep like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty fun, but having concerts is tiring, and then school and stuff. Sometimes, I feel like breaking down.¡± I could feel the exhaustion weighing on her. ¡°I hope you¡¯re taking care of yourself properly, and if you need someone to talk to, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°If only Kotone were still here, if it only weren¡¯t for those brats!¡± Her knuckles turned white. I held her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. ¡°I understand, but we have each other to lean on now.¡± I¡¯m here now, Koto-chan. ??? I arrived at our usual meeting spot to see Takahashi-san with her headphones. My heart fluttered at the sight. ¡°Takahashi-san!¡± She lowered her headphones and gave a soft smile in my direction. ¡°Kashiwagi-san, you¡¯re earlier than today.¡± ¡°My sister¡¯s sick today, so we didn¡¯t have to drop her off.¡± ¡°That explains why. Also, I¡¯m kinda getting scared to confess to Fuyuki¡­¡± My smile faded instantly. I then faked a smile. ¡°You just have to take the risk sometimes. You¡¯ve been waiting for this moment, Takahashi-san. You can¡¯t back out now.¡± ¡°You have a point. I¡¯m gonna ask her when she arrives,¡± she said firmly. I hope Takahashi-san and Fuyuki-chan could finally be happy together. They¡¯ve been through so much, unlike me, who¡¯s done nothing but harm to Fuyuki-chan. She really deserves someone like Takahashi-san, who would never leave her, unlike me. She deserves Takahashi-san way more than me. It didn¡¯t take a while for Fuyuki-chan to arrive. She was grinning while texting on her phone. I couldn¡¯t help but feel confused. Takahashi-san, on the other hand, looks like she¡¯d seen a ghost. I gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°So, what are you grinning about, Fuyuki?¡± She gave a jab to Fuyuki-chan. ¡°I¡¯m just talking to someone.¡± She continued texting. Why do I have a good feeling about this? She finally placed her phone onto her bag and sat down. ¡°Uhh, Fuyuki, would you like to go to a cafe after class?¡± Her cheeks were slightly tinted with red. ¡°What about Akane-chan?¡± Her head was slightly tilted to the side. ¡°Oh, I have to do something. I really can¡¯t join you.¡± My heart clenched, but I held back. I wanted to root for them. ¡°I guess we have to go without Akane-chan¡­¡± she replied. ¡°That¡¯s a date then!¡± Takahashi-san smiled. It¡¯s only a matter of hours before they start dating now. I guess this truly is the end¡­ Farewell, Takahashi-san. I wish you and Fuyuki-chan the happiness you deserve. Announcement 2 Hello, it¡¯s me again, Yukouhi. (I really need to think of a better way to introduce myself but I¡¯m way too awkward for that??) First of all, I really want to apologize for now being able to upload this week. I¡¯ve been infected with a severe case of writer¡¯s block. I really tried to force it, but I agree with my new editor that I¡¯ve been way more jumpy than usual and I don¡¯t want to give out crap, as much as I want to be punctual. I¡¯m afraid I have to take a break. The next chapter will be posted on March 8. Once again, I¡¯m really sorry. If I could only make it disappear, I would have but yeah my current draft is probably crap and I can¡¯t think of a way to end it. I¡¯m really sorry. I just changed my schedule and now, I¡¯m taking a break but yeah for the millionth time, I¡¯m really really sorry.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. 69 Views Special - If I Were Only a Second Faster I sent Koto-chan countless messages and called her numerous times, but never got a response. This made me decide to go to her house. It didn¡¯t take a while for me to arrive at her place. I got out of my car and rang the doorbell. The door was opened by an old lady wearing a maid outfit. She greeted me with a smile and said, ¡°Are you Fuyuki?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a friend of Kotone.¡± The old lady sighed in relief. ¡°I¡¯m actually quite worried about the young lady. Ever since she entered middle school, she¡¯s not the same anymore. She used to be such a sweet girl but now, she¡¯s changed so much. She locks herself in her room all day and barely goes out but she always had a smile on her face when she talked to me about you. She also won¡¯t open up about anything. I¡¯m just worried about her¡­ I¡¯ll lead you to her room.¡± There was an air of awkward tension as we approached Koto-chan¡¯s room. So much what-ifs came to my mind as we walked towards her room. I knocked on the door¡­.. There was no answer. I knocked on it again¡­.. No answer once more. I knocked on it once more but before I could finish, she opened the door. Her normally soft and well-kept hair was messy and her eyes looked dead. I could see pills on her table. I stood there in horror. ¡°Kotone?, D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­ No, don¡¯t, PLEASE! I-I CAN¡¯T LOSE YOU! I NEED YOU! I¡­ I LOVE YOU!¡± I was surprised with what I said. I¡­ love her¡­ I probably have for quite some time now¡­ Tears started flowing. ¡°Koto-chan, don¡¯t leave me¡­¡± I continued sobbing. Her eyes were wide open but it didn¡¯t take a while for me to feel warm arms around me. ¡°How could I when you¡¯re crying like this? I can¡¯t resist this¡­¡± Her hold on me got tighter. ¡°I love you too¡­¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t ever think of doing that ever again,¡± I said in between sobs. ¡°I won¡¯t, I promise¡­¡± ¡°You better do it!¡± I could feel her soft lips touching the corner of my eye. My cheeks instantly reddened. I looked at her and she gazed at me with a small hint of affection. I snuggled closer. We stayed like that for a while. ??? I picked up Koto-chan from school and we went there together. When we arrived together, we could hear whispers from everyone. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me Yuki wasn¡¯t being delulu at Furukawa-sama, that they-¡° A girl whispered to her friend. ¡°Shh, not too loud.¡± The friend whispered. ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect Furukawa-sama to be into her. I guess they¡¯re both¡­ you know but I¡¯d rather not mess with the Furukawas.¡± Her friend continued. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± I looked at Koto-chan, who seemed to feel uneasy about the situation, as I held her hand tighter. Just as we were walking around the hallway, we bumped into Akane-chan and the others. ¡°Well, who would¡¯ve thought that the feeling is mutual, huh? I guess Yuki over here isn¡¯t that delusional.¡± The brunette snickered. I could feel my blood boiling. ¡°Stop it, Kaede-chan!¡± Haruka-chan and Kaede-chan laughed. Akane-chan just stood there. ¡°If you have nothing good to say, then we¡¯re leaving.¡± With that, we walked away from them. I could hear their laughter from afar. We then went to a more secluded spot. ¡°Koto-chan, don¡¯t let them get into you. I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you, okay?¡± She looked at me like she was about to cry. ¡°I just can¡¯t take this anymore, and I don¡¯t want them to mess with you too.¡± ¡°Koto-chan, as much as the whole world is against us, I would never leave you.¡± I looked at her affectionately. It didn¡¯t take her too long to break down in tears. This time, I was the one who held her. ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn.¡± She chuckled at my comment. We stayed like that for quite some time. ??? I was inside Koto-chan¡¯s room and I saw a lot of manga on her shelf and drawing supplies scattered on her desk. We were in her bed, all cuddled up. ¡°You know, it¡¯s a good thing you didn¡¯t stop being a mangaka.¡± She looked at me and said, ¡°And why is that?¡± I smiled. ¡°Because you¡¯ve always enjoyed making manga and I won¡¯t be able to make it with you¡­¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°And who would enjoy making manga with a pathetic shy girl like me¡­¡± I pulled away from her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t ever call yourself pathetic ever again! If I ever hear you call yourself names again, I¡¯ll get mad because it¡¯s not true!¡± I pouted. She looked down and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re just trying to make me feel better¡­¡± I looked at her pleading and gave her hands a gentle squeeze. ¡°But seriously though, you shouldn¡¯t say those things about yourself because it¡¯s not true, you know. It hurts me to hear that you see yourself that way¡­ In my eyes, you¡¯re my sweet and cute little girlfriend. Actually can I squeeze your cheeks? It looks so soft¡­¡± She laughed. ¡°That¡¯s so random but I don¡¯t mind¡­¡± I gently squeezed her cheeks. Her cheeks got a bit red. Her cheeks are so soft! I can do this all day and never get tired of it. She¡¯s like a cute little kitten¡­ Well, my cute little kitten now¡­ I was an idiot for letting them mess with her. I should¡¯ve stopped them way earlier! Why did I have to be such a coward about this! Well, the damage has been done¡­ Kaede-chan and Haruka-chan aren¡¯t worth it anyways¡­ She looked at me, worried. She cupped my cheek before she spoke with her usual soft voice laced with concern. ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to cry¡­ Did I do something wrong?¡± I blinked, trying to stop the tears from rolling. ¡°It¡¯s just that, I¡­ I should¡¯ve stopped them way earlier and it took me more than a year. You even almost ended your life because of my cowardice!¡± Her gaze at me never faltered. ¡°Fuyuki, even if you never directly interfered, you¡¯d always be there for me. Remember when you bought me a new set of our uniform when they ruined mine? Remember when you bought me food when they spilled mine? You¡¯d even ask me how I¡¯m feeling almost every single day. You¡¯ve always looked out for me. All of those mean a lot to me. Please don¡¯t blame yourself over this.¡± I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°How could I not blame myself when they¡¯ve affected you so much!¡± I said in between sobs. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. She wiped my tears and said, ¡°The important part is that they¡¯ve stopped. They haven¡¯t even spoken to me in months¡­ It¡¯s all over now¡­¡± ¡°But-¡° ¡°Didn¡¯t you say earlier that I shouldn¡¯t call myself names? Then why are you calling yourself a coward?¡± ¡°But-¡° I was interrupted by her index finger on my lips. ¡°Shhh¡­¡± I sobbed on her chest. I should be the one comforting her, not the other way around¡­ I should stop self-pitying and actually start being there for her. ??? 4 Years Later It was a couple of months since school started. Leaves started to fall, and the weather was getting colder. Akane-chan, Koto-chan, and I were at a nearby cafe. After Akane-chan took a sip of her frappuccino, she said, ¡°It¡¯s really impressive that you have been together for 4 years! If you¡¯re still together even after uni, I would love to be a part of your wedding.¡± I looked at Koto-chan before chuckling. ¡°Same-sex marriage isn¡¯t exactly allowed here in Japan, and you know that my father and I have never spoken to each other. I mean, he¡¯s always busy...¡± Akane-chan sighed. ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯m actually quite impressed with Prime Minister Furukawa, whom I guess also happens to be your father. Not once has he ever dared to talk to you. I never thought that a parent could ever do this to their own child.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really mind it by this point. If he doesn¡¯t want to be my life, then so be it. Besides, there are other ways for same-sex couples to be recognized. We could get a partnership certificate. As long as we have each other, everything will work out.¡± I said as I squeezed Koto-chan¡¯s hand. Koto-chan¡¯s cheeks were as red as a tomato. ¡°F-Fuyuki, we¡¯re still at high school and you¡¯ve already thought of those things!?¡± Akane-chan took another sip of her frappuccino. ¡°I¡¯m actually pretty surprised that you¡¯ve thought about it that far.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but pout as a joke. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m not serious about Koto-chan?¡± ¡°Fuyuki-chan, it¡¯s quite obvious that you¡¯re very much serious about your relationship.¡± Akane-chan deadpanned. Koto-chan started laughing. ¡°Even Kotone-san agrees with me¡­¡± I started playing with my hair. ¡°Am I really that clingy¡­? ¡°Even if you are, I actually find it cute¡­¡± I snuggled against Koto-chan¡¯s shoulder and smiled. ¡°I just like being close to her¡­¡± I¡¯ll never get tired of Koto-chan¡­ Akane-chan had a peaceful expression. ¡°They say that couples are only like that at the start, but in your case, I think that you are still as infatuated with one another when you¡¯ve started dating. Now, I¡¯m actually getting rather envious.¡± I chuckled. ¡°You know, everyone has been shipping you and Tanaka-kun. He seems to be pretty into you, girl.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, they¡¯ve been calling you the princess and prince of the school¡­ Everyone thinks that you¡¯re perfect together, but I think someone else has captured your heart, Akane-san.¡± Akane-chan¡¯s cheeks were slightly red from Koto-chan¡¯s remark. ¡°So you¡¯ve noticed¡­¡± My eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re really into Takahashi-san!?¡± Koto-chan was the one who deadpanned this time. ¡°She¡¯s not even trying to hide it. It¡¯s just that everyone¡¯s too busy shipping Akane-san and Tanaka-kun.¡± I bursted out in laughter when I remembered. ¡°Oh yeah, Akane-chan was like, would Takahashi-san like my little gift for her.¡± I imitated Akane-chan¡¯s voice. ¡°And then she was so busy trying to wrap the gift for her perfectly that she wasn¡¯t able to sleep.¡± I couldn¡¯t stop laughing. Akane-chan was so red that she looked like she was about to pass out. ¡°A-Am I-I really that o-obvious?¡± I grinned. ¡°Yes.¡± Akane-chan looked like she was going to die from embarrassment. ¡°Fuyuki, I think you went a little too far on Akane-san¡­¡± Her voice was laced with a bit of worry. I scratched my nape. ¡°Yeah, I definitely did¡­¡± Crap, I went too far¡­ Now how do I make it up to Akane-chan?? OH, I have an idea! ¡°Hmm, what if we help you get together with Takahashi-san?¡± Akane-chan gleamed in joy. ¡°Really? You would do that for me?¡± ¡°Of course, we will, right Koto-chan?¡± I looked at her. She smiled. ¡°Of course, we¡¯d be happy to help you, Akane-san!¡± ¡°Why not write her a love letter, Akane-chan.¡± Ah, this brings me back to a time when Akane-chan would help me read all the love letters I received because there was way too much to read in one sitting¡­ Well, they stopped right after I started dating Koto-chan, which is understandable¡­ ¡°And slip it inside her shoe locker too!¡± I enthusiastically said. Akane-chan¡¯s cheeks reddened once again. ¡°Won¡¯t that be too embarrassing?¡± ¡°I think Tanaka-kun¡¯s hilarious declarations of love are way more embarrassing.¡± ¡°The important part is that you were able to confess your feelings to her sincerely, Akane-san.¡± Akane-san took a deep breath. ¡°I really do hope that everything will work out like I¡¯m hoping for¡­¡± ??? The sun had set for quite some time now. I was lying in Koto-chan¡¯s bed while she was drawing another chapter of her manga. ¡°I hope everything goes well with Akane-chan¡¯s confession.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll reject Akane-san though. She seems to also be into her¡­¡± I sighed in relief. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. I just want Akane-chan to be happy. Takahashi-san seems like a sweet girl too.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much,¡± said Koto-chan. A LINE notification appeared in my phone. It was a picture of Akane-chan and Takahashi-san in a cafe. ¡°She said yes!¡± I squealed in excitement. ¡°See, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯m finally done!¡± She sighed in relief. It didn¡¯t take a while for me to feel my arms wrapped around me. I turned around to face her. ¡°They say that I¡¯m the clingy one but when we¡¯re alone¡­¡± She pretended to pout. ¡°Is it a bad thing?¡± ¡°Nope, please continue using me as your body pillow!¡± I said, puffing out my chest. Her cheeks reddened. ¡°Th-There are better ways to word that, you know?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a body pillow, not unless¡­ you¡¯re thinking about something lewd¡­¡± I smirked. Her cheeks were now as red as a tomato. ¡°N-No, you¡¯re just making me sound like some kind of pervert.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re thinking of those anime body pillows.¡± I struggled to suppress my laughter. She shyly nodded as I couldn¡¯t hold it anymore and burst into laughter. ¡°There are body pillows with no print on them, you know.¡± Her eyes slightly widened. ¡°Oh¡­¡± I laughed even harder. ¡°Now where did you hide your body pillows?¡± She glared at me. ¡°You know what, if you don¡¯t want to cuddle, then I¡¯ll stop!¡± She turned around, facing away from me. ¡°Pwease?¡± She didn¡¯t budge. ¡°I need to recharge my Koto-chan batteries¡­¡± I whined. She turned to face me and started laughing. ¡°Leave it to you when it comes to saying the most absurd things.¡± I smirked. ¡°But it worked, now I need more cuddles!¡± She happily obliged as we continued chatting until I fell asleep in her arms. ??? We were walking around at the arcade. I also made Koto-chan wear matching Lolita dresses, with me wearing the white one, while Koto-chan wore the pink one. Afterwards, we proceeded to stumble upon a photo booth. ¡°Koto-chan, we should try out the photo booth!¡± She averted her gaze and muttered, ¡°B-But I¡¯m not pretty like you¡­¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s fine, we¡¯re just gonna have some fun. Besides, you¡¯re so adorable, you know.¡± ¡°F-Fine¡­¡± As we went into the photo booth, her cheeks were as red as a tomato but somehow, she was kinda getting used to it. We were trying all sorts of fun poses until we reached last pose where I felt a soft sensation as I opened my eyes. We awkwardly looked each other in the eye for a few seconds. ¡°K- Koto-chan!? Now you need to give me more~¡± ¡°N-not here!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for that later~¡± After that, we played as many games as we could until the sun went down. Chapter 19 - A Mirror Shattered to Pieces ¡°Fuyuki-chan¡¯s absent for the first time. I finally don¡¯t have to see that girl¡¯s face! I don¡¯t even know if I could last being in the same room as her anymore! ¡± The brunette huffed. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how that girl lives without being disgusted of herself.¡± The redhead snided. My heart tightened. I should be happy, right? That girl loved by everybody is gone. The girl who gets the eyes of all the boys who see her. The girl that everyone fawns over. The girl who reeks of attention. That pretty face and bright personality¡­ Why¡­ why do I feel like this¡­ Fuyuki-chan¡­ Are you okay? ¡°Akane-chan?¡± ¡°Akane-chan?¡± ¡°O-oh, sorry about that¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you actually feel sorry for HER of all people? ¡± The brunette snorted. ¡°No! It¡¯s not because of her! I¡­ I just didn¡¯t get that much sleep last night. It¡¯s not because of her! ¡± The brunette raised her eyebrow. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s go celebrate this day. A day where we don¡¯t breathe in the same air as hers.¡± ¡°Count me in! ¡± The redhead smirked. I let out a meek smile. ??? We were walking around the massive halls. You could see people laughing around, including Kaede-chan and Haruka-chan, but to me, it was like an asylum. I was choked by the air that surrounded me. All I could think of were scenes of the girl crying alone. Sobs filled the room. Her room felt emptier than ever. It felt like I was being drowned by guilt. The air got thicker than ever. ¡°Akane, you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost,¡± the redhead said. I scrambled to think of an excuse. ¡°I¡­ I just remembered a scene from the horror movie I watched last night. It was really unsettling¡­¡± ¡°Akane-chan, you should stop watching horror movies; I can¡¯t go around looking like I hang out with nerds.¡± The brunette huffed. I let out an awkward chuckle. ¡°I won¡¯t anymore, Kaede-chan¡­¡± ¡°Good.¡± The brunette gave me a menacing stare. The atmosphere only got darker and darker as time went by. I desperately wanted to escape but didn¡¯t have the courage to escape. ??? ¡°Akane-chan, why¡­ are you leaving me now, like the rest of them? ¡± The girl said in between sobs. Inside her empty room, she was in a fetal position. Her eyes were puffy. ¡°No¡­ Fuyuki-chan¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re no different from them! ¡± The girl raised her voice. There were now three of them circling around me. Their eyes were as red as blood, and their bodies were slowly deforming into a black blob. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Why, Akane-chan? WHY!! ¡± They growled. ??? I opened my eyes to see the pink ceiling that¡¯s darkened by the sky. Dark air filled the room. My heart was beating 1000 times per second. I could feel it slowly tightening. Hot tears started falling from my face, creating a puddle on my pillows. I checked Instagram and saw that my latest post got 3.2K views. The tight feeling in my chest didn¡¯t disappear, so I checked all my posts containing my selfies to see how many likes I got. Despite this, it never disappeared. If anything, it only made things worse. Fuyuki-chan¡­ Why was I so stupid to let myself treat you like that? You¡¯ve done nothing but treat me with kindness. You even accepted me for liking Lolita fashion, manga, and stuff they deemed as weird. You¡¯d always be there when I needed you, but when you needed me the most, I went along with Kaede-chan and Haruka-chan to treat you like you didn¡¯t exist. You deserve way better, Fuyuki-chan. Now, you won¡¯t even come to school, and it¡¯s all my fault. If I¡­ I continued to sob for hours, wallowing in my self-pity. ??? While I was having lunch, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at the girl with short jet-black hair. Maybe she knows how Fuyuku-chan is doing, but what about Kaede-chan and Haruka-chan? I can¡¯t ju¡ª No, I¡¯ve done enough damage to Fuyuki-chan. ¡°Uhhh, I need to go to the toilet for a moment¡­¡± They both nodded. I then approached the girl. She was just casually wearing her headphones but carried a concerned expression. ¡°Umm, Takahashi-san, can we go somewhere more private? I just really need to ask you something¡­¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the girl said blankly. Not wanting to be seen by my friends, I lead her towards an empty classroom. ¡°How¡¯s Fuyuki-chan? She hasn¡¯t come to school for more than a month¡­¡± Her eyes furrowed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the thing; she refuses to leave her room, and when I visited her yesterday, she said that she didn¡¯t want to see me. I was thinking of personally visiting Kobayashi-san or asking my parents to tell her terrible father that she¡¯s not okay¡­¡± I could feel the hatred in her eyes when she mentioned Fuyuki¡¯s father. ¡°Honestly, as much as possible, I don¡¯t want to contact her father, but if it helps Fuyuki, then I will,¡± she reluctantly said. ¡°We can try convincing her father together, although the prime minister has been pretty hard to contact ever since that happened all those years ago¡­¡± ¡°My parents are pretty close to him, so I¡¯m not really worried about that. I¡¯m more worried that if I see him, I might end up doing something stupid.¡± ¡°I just really want to make it up to Fuyuki-chan after everything¡­¡± She gave me a pained smile. ¡°To be honest, I feel that way too. I already broke my promise to never leave her years ago, so I can¡¯t leave her again.¡± It helped ease up my guilt. I should probably be more like her¡­ ??? Inside the living room of the Takahashi household were 3 adults with slight wrinkles on their faces who were chatting happily across from me and Takahashi-san. I looked at Takahashi-san, who had a firm expression. She looked at her parents, and they seem to have gotten her signal. ¡°We¡¯ll go straight to the point. The thing is we¡¯re quite worried about your daughter, Kento. Chi-chan said that she hasn¡¯t left her room for more than a month.¡± Takahashi-san¡¯s mother said. ¡°We know that you¡¯re still struggling to cope with Honami¡¯s death, but your daughter needs you. You haven¡¯t even seen her ever since the accident happened,¡± Takahashi-san¡¯s father said. The prime minister averted his gaze. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ her bright smile just reminds me of Honami so much that I can¡¯t bear to see her.¡± ¡°I understand that, but your daughter¡¯s not okay. She really needs you.¡± The prime minister¡¯s eyes swelled. ¡°I¡­ I just miss her. She didn¡¯t even do anything wrong, but her life was still taken away! ¡± ¡°It was an accident; neither party did it on purpose,¡± Takahashi-san¡¯s father retorted. ¡°But why did it have to be her! Why¡­ why! ¡± The man broke down in tears. ¡°I get that you miss her. I¡¯d probably react that way, or maybe even worse, if I lost someone dear to me, but what about your daughter? All her life, she grew up all alone. Her mother is dead, while her father was never there for her,¡± Takahashi-san reassured. The man that resembled Fuyuki-chan so much still seemed hesitant. Suddenly, the girl beside me snapped. ¡°Just help your daughter for god¡¯s sake! Don¡¯t you know that she¡¯s become an empty shell of that bright and energetic girl you recall? She¡¯s not the same anymore! Oh yeah, of course you don¡¯t know because you refuse to even look at your own daughter, your own blood and flesh. You¡¯re the only relative she has! Just go see her! She needs all the support she can get right now. Is it really that hard for you to care for her? ¡± Everyone went quiet. You could feel her seething rage. My heart skipped a beat from the sight. My eyes were glued to her the entire time. She¡¯s so cool¡­ I could¡¯ve been like this to Fuyuki-chan, but I never did¡­ I chose to be an idiot and let my envy get in my head. I admire you, Takahashi-san¡­ Chapter 20 - Just Be Friends ¡°I love you, Fuyuki. I¡¯ve always loved you!¡± My cheeks were flushed under the sunset. We were under the swings on the playground where we first met. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry Chizuru-chan but I can¡¯t accept your confession. I¡¯ve always seen you as my best friend, someone whom I can confide with, but never in that way. I¡¯m really flattered that you¡¯ve always been into me, and I really do love you, just not in the way you want me to like you. I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡° It was like my world crashed down in that moment. I kept my composure and faced her head on. ¡°I understand. You¡¯re into someone else, right?¡± Her cheeks were as red as a tomato. ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. I never thought that I¡¯d see the day where Fuyuki would act like a teen in love. If Fuyuki likes someone else, then I¡¯d like to support her. I struggled to suppress the tears that gathered in my eyes but I stood there with all my might and said, ¡°Can we still be friends, Fuyuki.¡± I felt her warm arms being wrapped around my body. I leaned closer to her touch. ¡°Of couse, I got scared that this would be the end, but I¡¯m glad that you still want to be friends.¡± Her comforting embrace got even tighter before facing me with a warm smile. ¡°Thanks Fuyuki, for everything¡­¡± And that was how my first love came to a tragic end. ??? I was all alone in my room. This place that was normally a place of comfort now felt like a harsh asylum. All my suppressed emotions earlier all came crashing down. I decided to call Kashiwagi-san. ??? Inside the pastel blue room was me trying to take my nightly selfies to show to my beloved Instagram followers. I became more and more frustrated when I couldn¡¯t get my selfie to be perfect. ¡°Ugh, my bust looks too small here! And the frills are not properly emphasized!¡± I took a couple more selfies that didn¡¯t meet my standards. I then received a LINE notification. My heart skipped a beat when I read the name. Chizuru: ¡°Kashiwagi-san, Fuyuki rejected me¡± My heart couldn¡¯t help but leap in joy. Akane, you shouldn¡¯t be happy about this. Your crush just got rejected. You should empathize with her instead of being happy. Now is not the time to act like a maiden in love! Akane: ¡°Really?? But Fuyuki seemed to like you back¡­ Well anyways, I¡¯m always here for you, Takahashi-san. Whenever you need a shoulder to cry on, I¡¯ll be there¡± I then received a notification that caught me off guard. Chizuru: ¡°Can I come to your place right now???¡± My heart did a little dance. I didn¡¯t hesitate to say yes. Now that Fuyuki-chan is out of the way, I don¡¯t have to play cupid, I don¡¯t have to help her be with someone else, I have a chance now! My thoughts were disrupted by a LINE message. Chizuru: ¡°I¡¯m here¡± I rushed outside. When I opened the door, there was a girl whose eyes were all puffed up. Her hair was disheveled. She was still wearing our uniform. I couldn¡¯t help but be washed by guilt. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I¡¯m being selfish again¡­ How could you be so heartless, Akane. She clearly got rejected and all you thought about is yourself¡­ Now be a proper friend and be there for her, don''t take advantage of her, got it? I didn¡¯t know what to do so I decided to just hug her. My pajamas became damp. It didn¡¯t ease my guilt. ¡°You can stay here as long as you like. Both my parents are on a business trip.¡±, I comforted. I then ran my fingers through her hair. Her body leaned closer to me. Now I¡¯m truly in heaven¡­ Here we go again, Akane. Your role is to comfort her, not act like an idiot! My heart still couldn¡¯t help but palpitate. I internally sighed. As much as I hated it, I pulled away. ¡°We should go inside. It¡¯s pretty chilly¡­¡± The selfie was completely forgotten. Author¡¯s note: RIP Akane¡¯s 100k followers ??? I was inside my room feeling guilty. All this time, Chizuru-chan liked me and I can¡¯t even make myself like her back despite always being there for me¡­ I¡¯m so selfish! Now, I¡¯ve hurt her¡­ Why can¡¯t I just like her romantically? That way, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten hurt¡­ Is it too late to accept it? I took out my phone and texted Kanade. Just the thought of her made my heart warm. Fuyuki: ¡°Kanade-san, can I tell you something?¡± Her reply came instantly. Kanade: ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Fuyuki: ¡°It¡¯s just that my childhood best friend confessed to me. I don¡¯t really like her back but I just feel so guilty because she¡¯s apparently liked me for a really long time and I can¡¯t even make myself like her back. She¡¯s the one who¡¯s always been there for me. Should I have just accepted her confession?¡± Kanade: ¡°This girl I swear-¡± Her reply was immediately deleted. I felt even more guilty. Tears then started to fall. Suddenly, she sent another message Kanade: ¡°Sorry about that, I was supposed to send that to my friend¡­ I¡¯m really sorry about that??¡± Kanade: ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s nothin to feel guilty with. You can¡¯t choose who you love, and besides accepting it would break her heart more. Trust me¡± Her response gave a sense of relief. I was glad I made the right decision. Fuyuki: ¡°I¡¯m relieved. You¡¯re right, accepting it would¡¯ve made things way way worse. But yeah, I just wish I could reciprocate it, and not just see her as my bestie¡± Kanade: ¡°Man you can¡¯t do anything about that part. If anyone could just choose who they love, abusive relationships probably wouldn''t have existed because they could just stop loving someone. You also wouldn¡¯t see people getting heartbroken¡± Fuyuki: ¡°Thanks Kanade-san, talking to you always makes me feel better¡± Kanade: ¡°Anytime bro. I¡¯m just one press away, y¡¯know?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her remark. I could feel the blood rushing through my cheeks. Fuyuki: ¡°Tysm, I really owe you for this¡± Kanade: ¡°Bro you gotta stop thanking me all the time¡± Gosh I¡¯m gonna fall for her even more¡­ My cheeks were probably as red as a tomato, but I didn¡¯t mind. Fuyuki: ¡°You¡¯re just that amazing¡± Kanade: ¡°I don¡¯t need flatteries, just you being okay¡¯s enough¡± Fuyuki: ¡°Okay I¡¯ll stop, but seriously though, you don¡¯t have to make that much time for me, I know you still have your manga and stuff¡± Kanade: ¡°You mean band practice? Nah I¡¯m free rn¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed. Right¡­ Koto-chan¡¯s gone¡­ Fuyuki: ¡°OH MY GOSH I''M SO SORRY ABOUT THE MIX UP¡± Kanade: ¡°Nah I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m just about to sleep but it¡¯s no big deal really. Don¡¯t even think about apologizing a million times¡± Fuyuki: ¡°Ah I see. Good night Kanade-san¡± Kanade: ¡°Gn Fuyuki¡± I let out a deep sigh. I walked towards my study table and took the keychain. I held it to my chest. Koto-chan, wherever you are right now, I just hope you¡¯re doing well. You may not be physically here anymore, but you¡¯re always here inside my heart. And Kanade-san¡­ she just looks so much like you¡­ The blood came rushing again in my head. I wasn¡¯t able to get a wink of sleep from thinking about me and Kanade-san¡¯s conversation.