September.
It was right after the summer holiday, in the middle school eighth grade.
Megumi was playing with her phone as usual during her break. She didn't have too many friends and always spent her break alone, but she didn't feel anything too lonely or anything since she had gotten used to it.
Looking at the screen of her phone, she continued to play but stopped looking at the girl who sat next to her. She had never talked to the girl next to her, but she could see that this girl was in a very bad mood for some reason.
Kasugano Sora.
It was her name, Megumi knew about her but both of them had never talked to each other.
Megumi had a very weak presence which made most people ignore her. There was nothing special about her and even though she was quite beautiful, that beauty didn't attract the attention on her surroundings nor she thought she would able to become the most beautiful girl in her school.
But Sora was different since she was quite cute and beautiful. She was also one of the most popular girls in her school.
Most of the guys in this country loved a petite type of girl and that was why Sora was very popular among boys in this school.
But Sora was very antisocial and had a very bad temper.
A lot of boys in middle school had tried to confess asking her to become their girlfriend, but they were rejected without mercy by her.
Her family name was also similar to the most popular guy in the third grade, making some people think that they were siblings, but Sora had always denied it. Even though Sora had said that both of them often went home together making some people think that they might be a cousin or something.
Sora and Megumi had always been sitting next to each other, but they had never talked to each other.
The first reason was that Sora was antisocial and would usually push away everyone around her beside Kasugano Haruka.
The last reason was that Megumi's presence was very weak that made Sora ignore her. It might be the actual reason why both of them couldn't become friends, even though they had been sitting next to each other for a year and a half.
They might talk to each other, but their conversation could be counted by hand and their usual conversation would be like, 'you have dropped your eraser', 'here is your notebook', etc.
They didn't have a topic to talk about nor were they friends.
The way to describe their relationship might be was someone who happened to be in the same classroom and sat next to each other for a year and a half. That relationship might continue like that until they graduate from middle school.
But there was something that changed their relationship.
Kasugano Haruka.
In this middle school, everyone knew about him since he was very famous.
What was famous was that this guy often changed his girlfriends, and at the same time, the girls were also happy to date him. But at the same time, no one dared to bully nor made trouble for him since this guy was known as "Tyrant". As long as someone made trouble for him, then the consequence was very bad since this guy was very smart. He was also very good at fighting and the teachers had always been on his side.
In the past, there was someone who wanted to make trouble, but in a week, this person decided to transfer to another school.
What was most strange about that incident was that no one seemed to mention it and no one also tried to distance themselves rather they became even closer to him which made everyone realize his ability to socialize was very perverted.
It was part of his dark history, but everyone had always had a dark history during their middle school, right?
It just happened during the break that Kasugano Haruka walked into the hall in front of their class.
Even though Megumi had never talked to Haru, she knew about him since the girls in her class often talked about him. She could see that every girl seemed to be excited, but then they were also jealous when they saw a girl next to him.
'New girlfriend again?'
Megumi thought inwardly but didn't think much since she didn't know him and she also didn't think that she would be an acquaintance in the future, but then she noticed that Sora who sat beside her was in a very bad mood today since she could feel her aura which came from Sora's body was very ominous.
"That bitch...."
Sora grumbled but then looked away.
"......."
Megumi didn't say anything then continued to play her game.
The smartphone wasn't that popular that day and it was relatively new technology. Then again the economy during that time wasn't good either making most people think more about whether they could keep their job or not rather than thinking about smartphones.
Smartphones are still uncommon for most people.
That was why Megumi only played either snake, bounce, space impact, etc or reading a book.
Megumi could do this for several hours. She neither had a hobby, friend, or something that she wanted to pursue.
Well, she might have one wish and that was a chance to fall in love. She wanted to feel that she could fall in love like a normal girl in her teens, but she didn't think that she would have that chance since she was often ignored.
Megumi turned her head toward the corridor again and looked at Haru who was walking with his girlfriend while thinking about what it felt like to have a boyfriend, before shaking her head and continuing to play a game.
---
It was quite late after school, and it just happened that Megumi and Sora were in charge of cleaning the class for today.
Orange sun, a shout of students played a sport on the field, but inside the class, it was very quiet.
Megumi and Sora didn't say anything to each other and only cleaned the class together.
But at this moment, the door was opened.
"Sora, do you need help?"
They turned and saw Haru who brought a can of juice in his hands.
"Haru!"
Sora seemed excited to see him.
"Here, I bring you grape juice," Haru said.
Sora took the can of juice and drank it right away.
Haru only shook his head then he noticed Megumi. "This... Do you want it too?" He was a bit surprised since he only realized this girl just now.
Megumi thought that she would be ignored, but didn't expect him to notice her and offered her a juice.
"Is that alright?" Her voice was very bland when she asked that question.
"Why not? Here," Haru said and gave Megumi a juice too.
Sora then noticed Megumi and asked in surprise, "Since when you're here?!"
"I have been here the whole time," Megumi answered plainly.
"........"
Haru looked at Sora with a speechless expression and said, "I'm sorry that she is quite rude. My name is Kasugano Haruka, what's your name?"
"My name is Kato Megumi," Megumi answered.
"Huh? Is there such a person inside the classroom?" Sora seemed confused.
"We have been sitting next to each other since first grade," Megumi answered plainly and there wasn't any anger or annoyance in her voice.
"......"
Sora was surprised then shocked when she heard it since she didn't expect that both of them had been sitting next to each other for the entire year and a half.
Haru was also speechless then looked at Megumi from up to down. He could see that Megumi was quite beautiful, but there wasn't anything special from her. She wasn't that tall nor short, her body also wasn't petite or big only normal, her features were also beautiful, but there wasn't anything remarkable.
Haru would say that Megumi was a beautiful girl, but that was it.
In the end, the three of them talked to each other, then this relationship continued for the entire semester.
Sora who had a bad temper and Megumi who was quite passive were really fit for each other.
Sora often complained to Megumi about Haru who kept changing his girlfriends, then Megumi only either listened or asked some questions.
Megumi also learned from Sora that Haru and Sora were brother and sister, but Megumi could feel that Sora had a very big brother complex to Haru, but she didn't say anything.
Haru also often joined them and the three of them also often went out together.
Their relationship was quite good, and Megumi also often did sarcasm to Haru which he only laughed at. He had said that he was going to give the middle school girl a free lesson to make them be not easily fooled by men in the future.
"....."
Megumi was quite speechless, but she also understood his charm and could see why a lot of girls fell for him. She also often asked whether she would be serious to any girls during middle school, but he said that it was too early since a teenager's mind was unpredictable and troublesome.
Haru had said that he might be serious during high school.
Megumi only nodded hearing his explanation but noted in her heart that he might create a serious relationship during high school.
Their relationship continued to become closer and they were often inseparable.
Utaha also often joined them, often fighting with Sora from time to time.
Megumi thought that her days were good, and it didn't take a long time before it was time for Haru's exam to enter high school.
Without trouble, Haru had been accepted into Shuchiin Academy which was known as one of the most prestigious schools in Japan together with Utaha.
Megumi was also with him before congratulating him for his acceptance into that high school, and from that moment, she also had decided to join that high school since she also wanted to be together with both of them.
Their days were good until it was during that day.
---
February.
Two weeks after the announcement that he had been accepted into that high school, both of his parents died from an accident