My childhood friends are Ran, Moca, Tomoe, Himari, and Tsugumi. We've know each other since we were born, and knew we'd be together for as long as we can remember. And it came true! All of us are still really close friends to this day.
And I'm Y/N. I'm your plain high school boy who has no talent besides video games. I've always been a bum, but I've always tried to support my friends. It can be hard, since all of them are girls.
But I try the hardest I can to be a good friend. I've never been the one to make new friends, at least recently. When I was a child I was probably the most sociable kid you'd know. Life takes a toll on you though, and that's why I wish I was a kid again.
It was a nice day today. It was a Saturday, which the weekends are the only days we can hang out now. My childhood friends go to a girls high, and I go to a boys high. I was sitting on a bench at the local park. Kids started to roam out into the playground due to the nice weather. The sun was high, the birds were chirping, and there was little wind. The wind peacefully drifted throughout the park, making it one of the nicest days of spring. It was a nice change of pace ever since the week of storms coming through. Summer was already almost here. It did not feel like spring at all until today.
I've never been a summer person. It's always too hot, which is why I hate being born on a hot July day. I barely do anything for my birthday anyways, other than my friends coming overnight. Talking about my friends coming overnight, today is one of these nights. They insisted of staying over because of how little we see each other now. We only text and call, but of course, it isn't the same as seeing each other in person. I'm quite nervous to see them again after so long. They've always had plans on the weekends, so it was surprising none of them had any this weekend. I was glad about it, though.
Thinking about this weekend made me feel off. Maybe because it was so long since we seen each other. I feel a shiver as I think about it. Why was I so nervous today? I get lost into my thought, when I feel hands on my shoulders. It weighs on me, someone was jumping on my shoulders.
"Raaah!" She yelled in my ear. I jumped and turned around. It was my friend, Tomoe. She slid onto the bench, sitting next to me. "Y/N-san! Long time no see!" She elbowed my arm. I laugh as my nervousness melted away like ice cream out in the sun.
"Good afternoon, Tomoe-chan." I smile. Tomoe grins her signature grin. "How was school?"
Tomoe laughed, "It's alright being popular and stuff." Tomoe sighed. She was popular? I wasn't surprised though. It must come with some good qualities.
"Is being popular really as bad as people say?" I ask, trying to keep up the conversation. Tomoe looked at me, then at the playground in front of us.
"I guess. It comes with some good stuff, but also some bad stuff." Tomoe exclaimed, sounding serious, "Cruel world out there. Even in school." I laugh at her remark, and she followed slowly after. I knew what she meant. We hear footsteps from the right of us. We look towards the sound and a girl with short black hair walks over to us. Her red streak made it obvious it was our friend Ran. She sat down next to me, making me in the middle.
"Good afternoon, Ran-chan." I wave as she took her seat. "Where is everybody?"
"They'll be late." Ran settled, "I wasn't surprised." Tomoe and I laugh. Ran looks out to the playground, as if she was remembering past memories. We follow her gaze and, though we already knew, realized that is was the playground we used to go all the time when we were kids.
"Time flys." Tomoe broke the silence, "I remember when you were too shy to play Family with us, Ran~" Tomoe teased. Ran quickly got red and looked away. Tomoe laughed. A girl behind us started to laugh too. We all looked behind the bench and notice Moca.
"Oh, Ran~" Moca sneered. Her sly personality always seemed so obvious, yet secretive. Moca walked around the bench and sat down next to Ran. It was an awfully long bench, the bench that we all 'claimed.' It always was able to fit all of us, even as kids.
Moca looked at me, "I'm surprised you were the earliest, Y/N-chan~ You're usually the latest, fufu..."
I wanted to fight back but it was no use, because it was usually true. I guess I have gotten a lot more free time during the weekend recently. I usually try to get out of bed as late as I could. I quickly looked away as Moca laughed her iconic, sly laugh. Tomoea and Ran quickly followed.
"Come on!" I finally say after a minute of being turned around, "Not true, Moca-san!"
Moca grinned, "Alright~"
We see two girls walking by to the left. Himari and Tsugumi walked over to us and sat down.
"Good afternoon, Y/N-san!" Himari waved, "It's been a while!"
"It has, how have you been, Y/N-chan?" Tsugumi asked.
"It's been alright." I shrug.
"That's good." Tsugumi smiled. The two girls sit down happily next to Tomoe. Ran looked a little sad. We looked at her.
"What's wrong, Ran-chan?" I ask, tilting my head towards her. She turned red and looked away. Moca giggled.
"I got into a different class than everybody else this year." She stated, then went into a whisper, trying not to let us know, "I don't want break time to be the only time we get to see each other for 7 hours everyday..."
It seems Moca had heard because Moca then had her sly grin and nudged Ran. Ran looked at Moca.
"Come on, Ran~ Tell them what you said!" Moca sneered. Ran immediately turned red. I laugh a little, knowing Ran wasn't talking to me, but to the girls. I guess I enjoyed teasing Ran with Moca more than I thought. Tomoe snickered at Ran's sudden embarrassed reaction. It seems Himari and Tsugumi noticed as well, because they laughed a single 'haha' before becoming quiet once more, wondering what she said.
"...Moca." Ran stuttered her usually flustered voice. Everybody laughed and slowly forgot about what Ran had said.
It was a beautiful day out and we all started to slowly ponder over to the old playground we used to play in. The light breeze hit us along with the children at play. We smiled knowing that there were still people who came here and it was still a pretty popular local area. Ran became quiet after the incident.
"I can't believe that our playground never changed." Tsugumi pondered, "Can you believe it, Y/N-chan?"
I looked at her unexpected that she would've directed her question to me. But, no. I can't believe the old park from around 15 years ago was still around and popular.
"No, not at all." I said, shaking my head. Tsugumi smiled at my response and nodded in contrast. Himari pouted at the thought of our old park, and Moca smirked at our conversation.
We then hear a familiar voice run away.
"Soiya!" Tomoe chucked as she hopped on the playground like a child. Himari giggled and then ran after her.
"Hey, hey, hoh!" She repeated. We all laughed. It was only me, Tsugumi, Moca and Ran. We all sat down at the nearest park and watched Tomoe and Himari play like a child.
"How has been life, Y/N-chan?" Tsugumi started conversation.
"Alright," I admit. Life was pretty boring living by myself.
Tsugumi went quiet, expecting a different answer. We just went back to watching our childhood friends mess around. Ran sighed and we all looked at her.
"Ran-chan? What's wrong?" I state. Moca then copied Ran's sigh, very dramatically.
After a minute of silence, "I've been thinking of a way for us to keep hanging out outside of school because I'm in a different class than all of you." Ran finally spoke up. I knew this situation wasn't about me, because I didn't go to their school but I felt bad. The five of them knew each other since kids and were very close. I could feel the frown forming on Tsugumi's face. "I want to create a band!" She then looked more confident in herself.
Everybody's head perked up and we could see Tomoe and Himari walk over to us again from the corner of our eyes. Ran then turned red, realizing she said it quite loud.
"That's a wonderful idea!" Himari and Tsugumi manage to say at the same time. Tomoe nodded in agreement enthusiastically.
"I believe that is a good idea~" Moca said, more serious than any other time she spoke today. I nodded in agreement. I knew I wasn't good with instruments or loud things in general.
I knew I wouldn't fit in, but I knew that whenever those girls put something they wanted to do, they won't let it go and will achieve it. So, as long as I try to support and try to help anyway I can, I knew they'd understand.
That was the creation of Afterglow.