"Shouhei-kun, how was the orientation?" Asked Fumi, her eyes darted to the young male as he looked around the place, spotting an older boy with spiky hair shaking a younger one with not bleached hair and another one with light brown hair. "Say, do you wanna look around together? I have some elementary school friends I want to meet." She offered. Seeing how he doesn't have any friends except for her, he obliged.
By passing through the halls, he could spot a couple of boys laughing out loud, in the middle was a boy with a mohawk. Fukunaga noted that he was quite handsome for his age but tried to shake it off and focus on his journey across his new school.
Fumi was walking around the school just to search for that friend of hers, she was afraid it'll bore Fukunaga out but to her surprise it didn't and just piqued his weird curiosity.
Passing through the halls, he noticed two girls talking to another boy. "Omigosh, Fuji, shut up!"
"Jeez, I'm sorry." The other one laughed.
He couldn't stop noticing new people that he'd hoped to be his new friends to share funny jokes with later in life and maybe find a best friend along the way. Maybe even lover? Nah, he wasn't the type to search for a partner yet.
"Sorry." Someone bumped into him by accident. Fukunaga turned to the person walking past him, he saw a girl with short dark auburn hair, copper colored eyes, and a cat hair clip on her fringe. When he saw that hair clip, he jumped at the opportunity to see her face again.
It was her.
The girl whom he had a little crush on since middle school.
He hadn't got to know her before then but he always watched her school play against others and the straight look on her face kept showing up in the official roster. Best wing spiker he had ever known.
Something in his chest started to ache as he could feel his cheeks starting heat up. Something about her just piqued him more than the others.
She was still the same from the last time he saw her. She wasn't in the last tournament, so seeing her there now meant he could see almost everyday.
"Oh, we're in the same class?" He watched as the blonde talked to her. She gave her a nod and was greeted by another girl with dark red hair.
"That's awesome." The redhead said. "I'm Akabane Emika and this is Amemori Hoshiko."
"Call me Hoshi. It's much personal." The blonde grinned.
The girl was hesitant to say anything to them but with Emika waving her hand to greet her, she actually spoke some words. "Himura...Himura Sara..."
Both girls beamed in excitement and jumped on her for a hug. They seemed to be close now. It looked like Himura was making new friends already whereas Fukunaga still was alone.
Learning her name, he couldn't just get it out of his head. He kept repeating it silently. Wow, what a weird moment to be life.
The only way he could remotely describe the feeling was being shot.
"How do you make friends?" Fumi repeated his question.
"Get to know them, I guess."
~~~~~~
"Hey, you." Fukunaga opened his eyes to see he was in an empty white space. There was nothing but behind him was the girl he liked, Himura. She had her index pointed at him like a gun.
"On the count of three, you'll like me." She said.
He didn't know what was going on. Was he in some dream? Is it really happening? Was she really talking to him?
With every countdown she uttered, he only gotten more confused than ever. He looked around frantically before hearing 'one.' That was where his heart got shot with love.
He looked up at her only to see her blowing the smoke away from her finger.
'She's cute.'
"Fukunaga-kun, don't doze around in the hall."
He woke up. It was all a dream he thought. What a shame. He was having such a great time. One of his classmates woke him up and it made him quite sad. He wanted to dream about her more.
But then something clicked.
He grabbed his classmate's wrist and asked him a question.
"Do I know Himura?" He asked. Fukunaga gave him a nod. "I only know her since she hangs out a lot with Akabane-chan." Good enough.
He wanted ask if he could be introduced to her, get to know her. But he remembered that will sound like he was interested in her. Not entirely wrong but he wanted to be friends with her first.
"Oh, there she is." His classmate looked out the window. "That girl with the car hair clip. Next to Amemori."
Fukunaga looked out and saw her actually laughing genuinely. It was the first time he saw her smile like that.
"That's Himura."
She let out a soft laugh before looking up to the window he was staring from. But there was no one. Himura was confused at first but brushed it off.
Fukunaga didn't realize he was hiding from her subconsciously. Something in his heart just ached more. It was getting him to a flustered state. He couldn't get himself to say anything or do anything. It felt like he was on cloud nine and she was the cause. The way she just smiled and laughed just made his heart flutter.
~~~~~~
"I have a crush."
Fumi almost choked on her lunch and turned to him with pure shock.
"What?! You didn't like anyone just a week ago."
"I do now."
"All of a sudden?!"
"Yes."
Fumi didn't really catch on how he could get a crush that fast. Sure, it was bound to happen judging from how suddenly he asked his classmates about a girl she doesn't really get her name.
Yes, she liked him a bit since middle school and the feelings grew as they started hanging out outside of school. Hearing him liking someone now, it threw the bit of hope she had to the garbage can. She couldn't believe, he already liking someone without realizing it for years. 'There's no harm of having a one-sided crush, right? Crap, I'm screwing myself a dead lightbulb.'
"So your friend already has a crush?" Emika noted, eating the delicious fish cake from the oden stall they visited on their way home.
"Yes, and that's annoying me so much! What a traitorous jerk." Fumi whined.
Emika fed her one of her warm soft tofu to shut her up. "Look, Fumi-chan, are you just whining that to me because you like them or is it that important to you that you have a crush too so you won't feel left out?" Fumi gulped down the tofu in shame. She was right. She was blowing this crush out of proportion.
"Fine, I do like him but I don't want to be anything more than friends." She admitted.
"Is it Fukunaga-kun?"
Before Fumi could answer that, she was cut off by someone getting one of the fish cake from Emika. A girl with honey blonde hair tied into a ponytail, bright emerald green eyes that shined in the night sky, a tall stature that almost towered the both of them. Her perky eyelashes flowed with the wind. She knew this girl, she was in the volleyball club with her but she hasn't catch her name yet. Well, it wasn't Hoshiko for sure.
"Hey!!" Emika cried. "Go buy it yourself."
"I'm starving." The blonde stared.
Emika murmured some of her anger out and turned to Fumi with a bright smile. "Fumi-chan, remember Chou? She's from the same club as us."
'Chou...chan...' Her eyes sparkled as Chou looked at the view of the streets longingly. She never realized how she has a clear, round face like mochis. Her eyes reminded her of those gemstones she past by in the mall. The way her soft hair just swayed in the night wind.
"I-I'm Murata Fumi!"
Chou stared into her eyes before nodding.
"Chou Faline."
By the time she has gotten home. Fumi immediately went to slump on her soft, plush bed while scrolling through her new smartphone. That was when she landed on a photo of an orange cat. 'Does the cat look like her or does she look like the cat?'
She started blushing upon the feeling and threw her pillow to the door, then getting yelled at by her sister for the noise.
'What is going on?!'
~~~~~~
From that day forward, he started wishing when there's a full moon, when he saw a wishing star, and when it snowed for the first time in a long time in Tokyo.
And now, the winter season has started.
He was busy minding his own business at the vending machine before hearing someone dropping their stuff. Sounded like heavy books. It was a girl, her hair seemed to be covering her face. He noticed she was struggling to grab the books she was carrying.
'Shit. Shit. Shit!!' The girl thought.
Fukunaga quickly swooped in to help her grab the books but when she looked up to thank him. It was Himura. She grabbed one of the books he held and stacked them up like before and bounced her way to for teacher's lounge to return them.
The way she just bounced up and down got him to act up in ways he didn't know. His heart raced. His face gone red. Everything seemed magical at that point.
'I'm such a fool.'
"Fukunaga, let's go!" His new friend, Taketora, shouted from the other side and told him to practice before the coach got mad at them.
"What's goin' on with your face, dude?"
"Nothing."
Himura turned around to see the boy that helped her walking away from the spot he was standing a few minutes ago.
She often wondered how she always bump into him whenever she was in need.
~~~~~~
Date: 12/XX 15:37
From: Amemori Hoshiko
Subject: Hang in there.
Can you wait for a little bit?? (≡^∇^≡) Sato-sensei is still holding us back from going home rn (இдஇ; )(இдஇ; ) BRB!!
Himura sighed and dragged her feet to the gate where she could sit on the steps of the school instead of loitering around the gyms like a weirdo. She didn't really want to wait for them but Emika promised that she'll treat them pizza once they are done since it was the end of exams and almost winter break.
It was a good thing she wore thigh high leggings today. The winter air was freezing and they weren't allowed to wear coats, only scarves, in which she wrapped tightly around her neck to keep herself warm and cozy.
The more she waited, the more she got bored and started to doze off unintentionally.
Until she felt something brushing up against her ankle. Opening her eyes, it was a white baby kitten. It purred softly when it saw her staring. She could die from cuteness overload any minute. "What're you doing here, cutie?" She picked up the kitten gently and rubbed under its head. It even purred when she did that. Oh how much she'd willing to do anything for this snowball of joy.
"Hey, watch out!"
She turned around and was slapped with snow in the face.
Wiping it off her face, the grimacing expression she had on her face formed as soon as it came off. There were three boys who saw it. Seemed like they were having a snowball fight. Himura wanted to yell or attack them back but she doesn't know them and it will look like she was trying to get attention. So she just received an apology and headed to the bathroom to clean up. Leaving the kitten in front of the school gate.
'Fucking punks...' She wiped the excess wetness from her uniform with a paper towel. Looking at the mirror, her hair was messed up and the hair clip she was wearing was gone!
Dissecting her bag, emptying her pockets, even rummaging inside her shoes and socks. Nothing! Absolutely! She lost it!
She can't lose it. That was the last thing her mother gave her before she passed. She can't.
Running frantically outside, she searched the area from top to bottom only to see it was nowhere to be found.
Clenching her fists. Slouching her back. Her eyebrows furrowing. Holding back her tears. She couldn't believe she lost it. A memory of her mother.
"Meow!"
She stopped for a second and looked down. It was the kitten that she met a few moments ago. The kitten brushed up against her ankle with a smile. The Cheshire smile she smiled at. "Why are you still here...?" She asked the kitten but before she could pick it up, it ran away from her and down the steps with a little bounce.
Following the kitten to the main entrance, she quickly hid behind the wall because she saw a boy with the kitten in his lap. He looked quite gentle with it. Even playing with its paws like they were game controllers. She noticed that his eyes we're different from the others she saw. They were huge and his pupils were tiny. His hair was jet black like the others but they weren't unkempt, rather neat with two strands sticking up from the back his neck. Even his giggles were unique. It was Fukunaga!
Himura didn't understand at the time but she had an aching feeling inside her heart. Could it be infatuation? No, that was impossible.She was still pining for her childhood friend.
She kept watching him play with the kitten from a far. He seemed to be having fun even though he was alone. Then something caught her eye. The boy pulled out a hair clip.
It was hers!
Not long after, she slipped and landed on her chest. Causing the boy to jump and the kitten running away. 'So much for a proper introduction...' She thought to herself and picked herself up. She really didn't think about the slippery steps in the winter like this.
Himura frantically sled down to the boy and tripped on the sidewalk. What an idiot she was.
Fukunaga tried to help her but she refused and quickly got up.
She didn't know it but Fukunaga was actually flushed upon seeing her, not by the harsh cold. He couldn't believe he was meeting her in real life.
"That's mine." She uttered.
He looked at the clip and yep, it was hers.
When she finally got it back, she smiled in front of him for the first time. Others (her friends) would say, it was like the devil has smiled at them because it has accomplished its devious plan. But for Fukunaga, the smile was like an angel's. The purest form of happiness. It was like seeing a kitten meowing for the first time. His ascend to cloud nine was a given.
"Thank you~" She bowed to him then walked away when she got an email from Emika informing they were done with practice.
Fukunaga didn't have the time to reply before she disappeared from his sight. But those two minutes were heaven and something he couldn't forget.
~~~~~~
"We'll be heading off now," Hoshiko said to the girls. "Ciao!"
The girls responded with 'bye' and 'see you soon', knowing they won't be seeing each other after winter break was over since they weren't going to nationals anytime.
"Chou-chan, are you going anywhere?" Fumi asked the blonde as she wore her socks.
"I'm going to pick up my sister." Chou closed her locker and headed straight out the door.
"Oh, you have a sister too?" The ravenette perked up. Chou gave her nod before Fumi's eyes sparkled, "What a coincidence, me too!"
"How many sister do you have?"
"Just one."
"I have two!"
"Eh, really? That's interesting."
"But they're still in elementary, so I have to take good care of them at home." Fumi confessed for the first time. It was the first time she had told that to somebody.
"Mine's a year younger but she's still a pain in the ass." Chou groaned. "She wants to do everything that I do."
Then her phone rang. It was her sister.
"Onee-san, are you there yet?"
"Yeah, on my way. Now quiet, you little shit."
"Fine, you shithead."
Chou closed her phone with a frown before seeing Fumi in shocked. "This...this is how we talk..."
"Oh my..."
"Hmm?"
"Jesus..."
"You go to church?"
"No, I'm a Buddhist..."
~~~~~~
Walking out of the school gate, Aiko took in the cold winter air and blew some puffs of cold breath out. It was so cold, she could even see her own breath.
"I gotta go," Naomi said as she hurriedly ran on the way of her parents' restaurant. "See you after winter break!"
"Yeah, sure." Aiko waved back.
Guess she was the only one left. Makoto left because she was going to meet her friend from Nohebi Academy. And the rest were going their own ways.
"Alone, much?"
She squeaked and jumped to see Kai behind her with a pure smile on his face.
"Nobuyuki-kun, you scared me!" Aiko whined only to receive a giggle. "Sorry, it's just hard resisting to not say that."
"Are you really going home alone?" He asked.
Aiko bit her lip before nodding.
"Then, want me to accompany you?"
She immediately blushed at the words. He was going to go home with her. Walking home with Kai was something she hasn't done in a long while. That was an offer she couldn't pass up so easily.
"Yes!! Please!"
Letting her walk first, Kai watched as she placed her steps carefully on the slippery floor. He could only savored upon the sight. His feelings only grew with time.
"Let's go already, silly." Aiko giggled.
Walking with the same pace as her, his hand slowly moved towards hers and held it tightly that made Aiko flinched and blushed. 'What...'
But he let her go as soon as possible.
'20 seconds...' She counted.
Walking past the bakery down the street, the scent of sweet, homemade bread tickled her taste buds that made Aiko's tummy grumbled.
"Somebody's hungry, huh?" Kai nudged her elbow. That made her flustered really quickly.
Entering into the warm bakery, they past by two siblings. One was a brother with neat silver hair and a tall stature, even taller than most of them there. Same with his sister with pale blonde hair. Both of them looked like they were foreigners. And judging by how the sister called the brother with a Russian nickname, she immediately knew they weren't fully Japanese.
"Come on, Yukimura!" One girl in the bakery begged her friend. They were wearing middle school uniforms and seemed like from Nekoma junior high. "N-no! I don't like meat bread. I like milk bread." The girl with black hair said. She looked like she was almost holding her tears. Aiko figured they weren't good friends. Just schoolmates. "But I thought you were going to buy one for me since I helped you with your homework."
The more the girl begged for poor ravenette to buy her the bread, the less defensive she got. Eventually, getting herself to pay for the bread her friend wanted.
"If you don't want that, you could get that milk bread." Aiko suddenly spoke up. And it was unintentionally rude. "Don't let someone force you. That isn't nice."
Kai watched as she paid for the milk bread and handed it to the girl. "Here." She said, "Don't worry about it. I still have some pocket money left."
Her bluebell eyes sparkled as she gazed upon the tall figure of Aiko smiling at her.
"As for you..." Aiko walked past her and to her so-called 'friend.' "Do you think it's fine to force someone to your bidding?"
She quivered. The girl has never seen someone so tall yet so gentle at the same time. "I..."
"If you want that meat bread so badly, just buy it yourself. She doesn't owe you anything."
"If you're a kind person, you wouldn't owe someone after doing a kind deed to them."
"Don't you understand?"
The hoarse tone of her voice got the girl to squirm out of the bakery immediately.
Aiko didn't realize what she was doing and mindlessly turned her head to Kai. "Did...did I just scared her??" He just gave her a confused nod.
She watched as Aiko frantically worried about the well-being of that girl she just scared away moments before. It was like something just possessed her to do that.
"I--thank you!" She bowed to the tall girl. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused."
"E-eh, it's nothing really!! I'm perfectly fine with this!" Aiko started frantically telling the girl with her face flushed as a tomato.
Kai can only giggle at the sight of her giggling.
~~~~~~
"Anyways, why did you quit that literature club?" Hoshiko asked as she dug her face into slice of pepperoni pizza.
Himura shrugged her shoulders while continuing eat her slice. That didn't really gave the both of them an answer but it was Himura so they didn't really think about it that much.
"I don't like the people there."
That answer made Emika shuddered. She said that out of the blue.
"But I thought they were nice people..." Emika said. "Y'know, like Matsuoka is the most friendliest girl I know."
"That's a lie." Himura spoke up.
The two didn't really notice how shaken up Himura was while talking about it. They didn't realize how miserable she was in that club and the sole reason she quit.
"They mistreated you for being different, didn't they?" Hoshiko continued to ask.
She gave them a nod and things went sour.
"How dare they!?" Hoshiko slammed her palm. "I will confront Yamato-san about it and if he doesn't answer right, I'll--"
Her eyes were getting distracted by a girl who had dropped her keychain on the floor unknowingly. She cut her conversation and went to the girl. "Hey, you dropped something." Hoshiko called out. When she picked it up, it was a keychain of Vabo-chan--the mascot for the Japanese Volleyball League.
"Omigod, thank you!!" The girl who dropped it said. She was bowing repeatedly at her while holding her box of a small sized pizza. "O-oi, no need to thank me!" Hoshiko her while being flustered as hell. She never really gotten a thanking like this before especially from someone seemingly younger.
The girl stared at her, "But...I need to." She said. "You helped me find my precious Vabo-chan."
'She dropped it, she didn't even realize it was gone...'
"W-well, alright. But maybe tone it down a lil', it's embarrassing." She said. "Also," Her gaze turned to the little keychain. "You like volleyball?"
"Like? I play volleyball!" The middle schooler answered so enthusiastically.
"Oh really?" She quirked a brow. "Then, you go to Ushimi Middle High?" Looking at her school badge. The girl nodded.
The conversation escalated into them exchanging numbers to each other and introducing themselves.
"So what's your name?"
"Kurihashi Keiko."
~~~~~~
In his room, Fukunaga only thought about that moment near the school steps. She was with him for two minutes. Just two minutes of heaven he thought.
The thought filled his mind with thoughts about weirdly enough, cats. Brown cats.
Then, he wished for something unexpected.
'I wish me and Himura would be in the same class!!'
Guess that wishes do come true.