"Isn't it nice out here Konan-chi?"
"....."
"I thought you're calling me Konan-chan."
"laughs, Alright, alright. Konan-chi is what your girl friends call you. I suppose I should think of a unique name I can address you myself."
"Is there really such need? I mean, I'm fine with Konan-chan." Ah yes, due to some circumstances, Konan ended up eating her lunch with him in his favorite place- the rooftop! Who's him? Well, the one and only,..
"Of course. I, Rui, your great bestfriend needs to call you by a special name. And you should do that to me too! It's a thing between us, best friends."
Yes, her friend. No, it even became "bestfriend."
"Okay! What about, K-chan? Good right. Ah, so genius." He stood up, his hands on his hips looking all mighty.
"You just removed the other four letters of my name. Well I guess it's fine. But why do you want to call me with something unique?"
"Beats me. Anyway, I want to be the only one to call you that okay? I don't like sharing." Sitting back, he picked his lunchbox and started eating. He gaze at the blue sky, the breeze gently blowing.
Konan watched him. His hair swaying in the wind and his eyes looking to afar. A question slowly swam inside her mind. Why? She leaned in to him, who is sitting beside her . She needs to take closer look. It's distant.
Rui who felt a breath on his cheeks turned his head only almost graze his lips on Konan's. The shock run throughout his body and he immediately staggered back. He stared at her with wide eyes. 'When did she got too close? I'm so lost in thoughts.. Ah, that was almost..,' He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and his heart who abnormally beat faster. He then smiled, "I didn't notice you there K-chan."
Konan stared at him. It's gone. Is she only seeing things?
'He's breathing heavily, I must have startled him.'
But still, their lips almost touched. 'Better be careful next time.'
"Ah, sorry for that. It's nothing."
"Really, I see. Uhm... I forgot I need to practice. I.., I gotta go." And with that he put a lid on his lunchbox, picked it up and walked away.
Konan watched him. 'Ah, look at that. Inviting me to eat with him then leaving first. Well, I guess I don't mind. This place is peaceful, I like it. Can't believe this place didn't cross my mind.'
Konan has been contented in eating lunches by herself at her room. Surrounded by many of her classmates eating in groups and happily chatting. It had never crossed her mind to find a private place to hang at school.
"Guess, I'll stay here a little longer." she muttered and continued eating. 'No one can bother me here.'
Or at least that's what she thought.
The door suddenly opened and a loud voice packed with energy resonated.
"There you are Konan-chi." Ami happily stated and immediately sat next to her, carrying two box of cold drink. One juice, apple and a fresh milk.
The peace Konan obtained scurried away from her grasp in no time.
"We've searched every corner of the school just to find you Konan-chi."
"You mean we asked Nakajima and he told you where she is?" Hana casually said and sipped her banana milk.
"Aw man, you're no fun Hana-chan." Ami pouted. She faced Konan and held her hand with the apple juice. " Here, this is for you."
Konan, slightly taken aback, slowly accepted the juice. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Nakajima-kun said that if we buy you drinks, apple would be the best choice." she explained and sipped on her fresh milk.
"It's nice out here, huh?" Hana muttered, looking at the distant horizon. She's got it too. Hana's got it too. Their eyes are just like how she sees her eyes in the mirror. Why? Their eyes are distant, like hers. Hers is explainable, it's because emotions had escaped her that her eyes got nothing to project. But why them? Why do their eyes looks distant whenever they look at the far horizon? It's like they're looking for something out of reach.
"Hana-chan? What are you thinking about?" Konan unconsciously let the question in her head out of her mouth.
"Huh, you knew I was thinking something?"
Konan nodded. " Of course, you were staring at afar. I always do that when I'm thinking."
Hana laughed. " You can always stare afar even if your mind is blank. They call it "spacing out ".
"I see, so were you spacing out then?" Konan asked.
"I'm not. I was just yearning about something."
Konan just nodded and decided not to ask further. Which is a better thing because Hana doesn't want to talk about it or more precisely, not yet ready to talk about it. And what if talking about it would burden her friends? She wouldn't want that.
"Aw I'm totally left out here Hana-chan, Konan-chi."
Maybe there's one person who knew about it. But it all ends there, she wouldn't let her be burdened by her circumstance. She would carry it alone , no matter how heavy , even if it means breaking her back. Yes, she would. Hana look at Ami and grinned, "Shut up, child. Drink your milk in silence. This is a conversation between your two senpai."
(senpai- means senior, older)
"Now let's go and finish our work. We still need to distribute the brochures before the students go home." she stood up and wiped her skirt of little dust. They sat in the floor and even though not too many students go up in the rooftop, the floor is not spared of dust. Dust is everywhere.
"Yes, let's go." Konan agreed and stood up. They walked away, and Ami followed them, with her little tantrum still ongoing.
"I refuse to accept, we're friends, you two are just one year older than me..... and so on. Konan just listened, wondering if her mouth ever got tired of talking and Hana just let out a quiet laugh.
"We had lot of work to today, huh?" Konan muttered, but enough for Hana to hear.
"You bet," she replied and Konan couldn't agree more "but at least you did your job yesterday, although Ami reported some complications."
Ah yes, the complications she meant was how Konan was the one being interviewed by Rui instead.
'I will not answer your questions if your not gonna answer mine first.'
'Were you avoiding me Konan-chan?'
'Ah, I won't believe. It really feels like you are avoiding me.'
'Really?' Okay, then you need to compensate.'
And that compensation was to eat lunch with Rui at the rooftop. Konan really spouted lots of lie that day just to make him believe she isn't avoiding him.
"So are you really avoiding him? Is he the one you are running away from yesterday?" Hana asked. Ah, looks like she needs to lie again.
"Well, no he wasn't. I was running away from uh... a cockroach." Ops, what a bad liar. Pretty sure Hana knows she will not feel fear.
"Oh, you fear cockroaches? I thought..." See, there it goes.
"No, I wasn't afraid. It's just that its flying towards me so I thought the best thing to do is run away from it."
"I see. That is really creepy indeed. I probably faint if it were me."
She got away with it. Looks like she's an effective liar. Well, she can lie with a straight face after all.
________________________
May 15th, Annual Celebration and the day of the event. Exactly 66th day today, Yoake High was built and established.
Konan didn't attend the event last school year. But now, she's walking around the school, checking every booths and classroom with her two clubmates, taking notes and details for their journal yet to be published. It's the yearly journal where everything that happened in the school is summed up.
It's pretty tiring, walking around. Konan isn't very fond of walking amidst crowds. So this is their job. She just recently joined the club and is about to graduate this summer. She is still not a member of the club last years. But now she remembered, she always saw Hana and Ami walking around school back then.
'So this is what they've been doing.'
"Hey Konan-chi, the music club is about to perform." Ami whispered when they arrived at an open ground.
'Look, Nakajima senpai is so handsome.'
'You said it. He looks so natural standing in the stage.'
'I can't believe he is the new vocalist. He really got everything, huh? Handsome, kind, lively and now a good voice? Talk about a complete package.'
'Man, Nakajima senpai is really cool huh?'
The murmurs were coming from every girl in the vicinity who adored Rui and few from boys who look up at him. Konan looked at the stage where Rui is. He looked focused at adjusting his mic. He then roamed her eyes in the crowd and when it caught hers, he smiled and waved.
'He's waving at me'
'No, me'
The girls were quarrelling over who he had waved to and Konan don't want to shamelessly assumed that it was for her.
'It's starting.'
The pianist started playing, Konan knew right away what song they are playing. She always listen to the song, one could say it is her favorite.
'Remember when I told you no matter where I go,
I'll never leave your side, you will never be alone
Even when we go through changes, even when were old
Remember that I told you I'll find my way back home'
Then the guitarist joined, and the drummer. And the song went on.
Konan kept her eyes peeled in the stage and Rui kept her eyes to where Konan is, to put it more precisely, they held each others gazes until Konan had to break it because girls started wondering where the singer is looking to. When the song ended, the emcee went up the stage.
"Great performance music club" she said and went on. "Now then, the girls are asking, if you are free for a date today?"
The question caught Konan's attention. She lifted her gaze back to the stage and it once caught with Rui's.
"Actually no, I already have a date. With my best friend." he said. Konan could hear her heart skip a beat.
"Hello, K-chan." Rui waved from the stage.
"Uh-oh. Konan heard Ami muttered. She wondered why and immediately had the answer.
All the peoples attention were onto her.
"Now that's some unnecessary attention. Damn."