'The sun is high in the sky. People have woken up by now. They must have noticed the red flower that has bloomed behind the apartment complex. Why did I come to school? Why couldn't I follow her? Ugh, my life sucks big time.'
Ding Dong!
'The bell huh...sigh...school has begun.'
"Look who is early today. Kuma did your mom see you rubbing one out?! Hahaha."
'A beautiful, long-haired girl with a shitty personality just walked in. Oh, what I would do give her a traumatic time! Haha. Oh yeah...just so you know I have no personality...I mean I have a serious issue of identity crisis. Even though I know I am tall and somewhat fat, I also have a very, very run of the mill face, what I don't know are all the tiny bits that make a person unique. This identity crisis of mine, which stemmed from bullying in a school that boasts 'zero tolerance for bullies', has made me lose the quintessential parts of a human being. For fuck's sake, I don't even know my favorite subject. I hate myself.'
Slam!
The door closed. Immediately, the chattering in the classroom ceased with the entrance of the homeroom teacher. Even if it was not yet hot enough to indicate that it was the smack middle of summer, the students wore their light-colored uniforms.
"What happened yesterday after school? Class representative, could you reiterate the details you told me in the staffroom today in the morning."
So that is why he is so pissed.
"Kuma wrote a letter on the teacher's desk after school yesterday which read as follows;
'Dear Classmates and most Honoured Teacher,
For the last two years, I have been hated, despised, and bullied by all of you. Now, I cannot take it anymore as I have even forgotten myself in the way and will end my life. So I shall see you in hell again where I will torture you all for eternity.
Kuma.'"
The man behind the teacher's desk raised his face and stared at me while his hand reached for something in his back pocket.
"Now, since you couldn't take the leap of faith, I shall take it for you and hand you this letter of suspension personally sent to you by the principal himself."
I got up. I slung my backpack across my back and slowly walked out of the room. The heat was on the rise outside along with the steadily increasing sound of whispering among my classmates.
"What a loser!"
"What the fuck is he trying to say!"
"Should have jumped!"
"I hope he dies!"
No room for consideration as I walked out of the classroom. What were merely ten seconds felt like an eternity to me.
Click-clack!
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the marbled corridor.
They had time to tell on me, but they never spared a second thought about me. What a joke!
I will go home and sleep it off.
There was a police car in front of the Shirasaki High School gates. As I was about to leave, a police officer got out of his vehicle. He flashed his badge.
"I have a few questions to ask. Accompany to the station."
The ride there was uncannily quiet.
At the station. In an interrogation room.
"Kid, you recognize this girl?"
The big, burly, thick and twirled mustache came into my view. The officer leaned at me, bringing his eyes next to mine. I was absurdly calm.
"Yes."
His eyes widened.
"When?"
"Last night."
"Where did you see her? What were you doing then?"
"On the rooftop of my apartment complex, trying to commit suicide."
"Then what happened?"
"She appeared out of nowhere and jumped."
He heaved a long and deep sigh.
I had one more line to add but I kept it to myself.
'Then for the first time in a long time, I found myself again...Yes! My favorite color is red.'