I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring in my ear. Groggily, I reached over to turn it off and sat up in bed. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. My hand instinctively went to my pocket, where I usually kept my lucky charm - my mother's hairpin.
But it wasn't there.
I patted down my bedside table, checked under my pillow, and even lifted up my mattress, but it was nowhere to be found. I tried to recall the last time I saw it. Was it on my desk? In my backpack? I couldn't quite remember.
"Don't worry, I'll find it later," I told myself. I got dressed, grabbed my backpack, and headed downstairs for breakfast.
As I ate my toast and sipped my coffee, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. That hairpin had been with me for as long as I could remember, and now it was gone.
I pushed the thought aside and focused on getting to school on time. As I walked to school, I couldn't help but think about the day ahead. Hopefully, it'll be a quiet day, and I won't have to deal with... certain people.
I arrived at school, hoping to blend in and avoid any... awkward encounters. As I walked towards the entrance, I caught a glimpse of Rui Katsuragi standing outside, chatting with her friends.
My heart skipped a beat. I tried to sneak past her, staying low and quiet, hoping to go unnoticed. But, of course, my luck wouldn't have it.
Just as I was about to make my escape, Rui's voice called out, "Takeru! Hey, wait up!"
My eyes widened in panic. I didn't want to talk to her, not now, not ever. I took off in a sprint, my backpack bouncing behind me as I ran down the hallway.
I could hear Rui's laughter echoing behind me, "Takeru, what's wrong?!"
I didn't dare look back, fearing I'd trip and fall if I did. I just kept running, my heart pounding in my chest, until I finally reached the safety of my classroom.
I collapsed onto my chair, gasping for breath.
Rui's POV:
I watched as Takeru sprinted down the hallway, his backpack bouncing behind him. I couldn't help but laugh at his antics. What was wrong with him?
I held out the hairpin in my hand, the one I had picked up yesterday after I accidentally bumped into him. I had been trying to return it to him all morning, but he seemed determined to avoid me.
I sighed, tucking the hairpin into my pocket. I guess I'd have to try again later. But why was he being so weird?
I remembered how flustered he looked yesterday when we collided. And now, he seemed to be running away from me. It was almost... cute?
No, no, no. I shouldn't be thinking that. I just wanted to return his hairpin and be friends. That's all.
But as I walked to my classroom, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through Takeru's mind. And why he was so determined to avoid me.
I sat in class, trying to focus on the teacher's lecture, but my eyes kept drifting towards Rui, who was sitting a few rows ahead of me. At first, I thought I was just being paranoid, but as the minutes ticked by, I realized that she was actually glaring at me.
Her eyes would flicker towards me, and I'd catch a glimpse of a scowl on her face before she quickly looked away. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I wondered what I had done to upset her.
The teacher droned on, discussing the finer points of Japanese literature, but I was too distracted to pay attention. Why was Rui glaring at me? Was it because I ran away from her earlier?
I tried to avoid eye contact, focusing instead on the teacher's notes on the blackboard. But I could feel Rui's gaze on me, burning a hole in the back of my head.
I was startled by my classmate's whisper. "Hey, Takeru,. The teacher called you to go to the rooftop."
My heart sank. What did the teacher want to see me about? I wondered if it had something to do with my earlier encounter with Rui.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering what was waiting for me on the rooftop.
I slowly got up from my seat and made my way out of the classroom, feeling a sense of trepidation. What was I in for?
I reached the rooftop, expecting to see the teacher waiting for me. But instead, I saw Rui standing by the railing, looking out at the view. My instincts kicked in, and I tried to make a quick escape.
But before I could turn around, Rui's friends appeared out of nowhere, blocking my way. They exchanged a mischievous glance, and I realized I was trapped.
Rui turned around, a hint of a smile on her face. She walked towards me, her eyes sparkling with amusement. I took a step back, feeling my heart racing.
"Why are you avoiding me?" she asked, her voice low and curious.
I shook my head, trying to play it cool. "I-I'm not avoiding you."
Rui raised an eyebrow. "No? I always see you avoiding every girl in school. What's wrong, Takeru? Are you afraid of us?"
I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Rui's words had caught me off guard, and I didn't know how to explain my behavior.
Rui seemed to sense my discomfort and smiled. "Never mind. Sit here, Takeru."
She patted the long chair beside her, and I reluctantly sat down. Rui sat down on the opposite end of the chair, facing me.
As we sat there in silence, Rui suddenly reached into her pocket and pulled out something. "Here, your hairpin."
My eyes widened in surprise as she handed me the hairpin. I took it from her, feeling a mix of relief and gratitude.
"How did you...?" I started to ask, but Rui just smiled and leaned back against the railing.
Rui's smile faltered for a moment, and she looked away, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I found it yesterday after I bumped into you."
I felt a pang of embarrassment, remembering how I had run away from her earlier that day. "Thank you... I was really worried about this."
Rui turned back to me, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "You're really attached to that hairpin, aren't you?"
I nodded, looking up at Rui with a sincere expression. "Thanks, Rui. This really means a lot to me. It's the last thing my mother left with me."
Rui's expression softened, and she looked at me with newfound understanding. "I'm sorry, Takeru. I didn't know that."
I looked down, feeling a lump form in my throat. I didn't talk about my mom much, and it felt strange to share this with Rui. But at the same time, it felt... relieving.
Rui's voice was gentle. "I'm glad I could return it to you."
I nodded, still looking down. "Thanks, Rui. It means a lot to me."
As I walked home from school, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. My encounter with Rui on the rooftop had left me feeling unsettled.
I quickened my pace, my heart racing at the thought of running into another girl. I had always been kind of... awkward around girls. Okay, more than awkward. I was terrified.
The thought of talking to a girl, of being near a girl, made my stomach twist into knots. And Rui... she was especially intimidating. There was something about her that made me feel like she could see right through me.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped into my empty house. Finally, I was alone. No girls, no awkward conversations, no sweaty palms.
I sat in my room, staring blankly at the old photo in my hand. It was a picture of my mom and me, taken on a happy day that felt like a lifetime ago.
It's been 5 years since the accident took her away from me. Five years of struggling to come to terms with the loss, to find a new sense of normalcy without her.
I remembered the pain and the grief that had consumed me back then. But as I looked at the photo, I felt a sense of nostalgia wash over me. I missed her. I still missed her.
My eyes drifted to the hairpin on my desk, the one she had given me before she passed away. It was all I had left of her, a small reminder of the love we shared.
As I sat in my dimly lit room, the memories of that fateful day still lingered in my mind like a festering wound. It was as if the hands of time had conspired against me, stealing away the warmth and love of my life.
I was just a junior high student back then, naive and blinded by love. Rika, the girl I had confessed to, had seemed like an angel sent from heaven. But little did I know, she was a wolf in sheep's clothing, preying on my innocence and my mother's kindness.
The memories of our time together still made my blood boil. How she would ask me for money, how I would beg my mother for it, and how she would use it to fuel her own selfish desires. My father, bedridden with illness, and my mother, working tirelessly to make ends meet... it was a heavy burden to bear.
And then, the unthinkable happened. The accident. My mother's passing. The world around me crumbled, leaving me with a deep-seated mistrust of girls. They were all the same, I told myself. Manipulative, selfish, and cruel.
But as I sat there, surrounded by the shadows of my past, I couldn't help but wonder... was I just running away from the truth? Was I using my past as an excuse to avoid the pain of human connection? The questions swirled in my mind like a maelstrom, refusing to let me be.