For the past days, Yaoke High had been busy again with the upcoming sports festival. The activities such as volleyball, baseball, three-legged race, tug of war, relay race does not requires being played by sports clubs only but by all students, representing their homeroom. This activity determines students' cooperation and unity with one other.
Of course, this kinds of activity Konan is most careful as she can because sports festival means injuries and even simple injuries are an endurance test to Konan. There was even one time where she caused the defeat of their homeroom because she stumbled and sprained her ankle. The of that was unbearable for her and she was absent for days and when she came back, she was told by a seatmate that some of their classmates hated her and is giving her scornful look. Of course she didn't recognize that look until her seatmate pointed it out.
'Come on think of it, I wonder how that girl is doing now.' Konan asked herself. She is currently sitting on her bed, staring at the bottle of pain-killers. She always brought one on strenuous activities like this where there's a possibility of her getting injured.
'Rain, rain go away
Come again another day or maybe another day? Just please don't let it rain today Dear God, I wanna watch Konan-nee's sports festival.' said Aoi from below. Probably sitting at the breakfast table watching their Mother pack bento lunches. Konan heard her Mother laugh. ' Well, I'm sure God will hear your prayer. '
Their voices are a bit muffled since her room is closed but the song her little brother just sung reminded her of a certain boy.
'Pain, pain go away', she sang. Oh, how easy things would be if she wouldn't have to bring pain-killers with her and a song can make her pain go away. But it's impossible.
'Konan, Dear don't you think it's time to come down here and eat your breakfast? You might be getting late you know?' her Mother yelled from downstairs.
'Coming.' she shoved the bottle of pain-killers in her bag and dashed downstairs. She don't got the time to reminisce about the boy she just met once.
After eating her breakfast, she waved goodbye and made her way out of the house.
'We'll be there before lunch. Have a blast dear' her Mom yelled. She just answered with a wave and continued to walk away. When she arrived at the school, it is already jam-packed with people. Students, parents and relatives , and other people who want to watch the fun-filled sports festival, the school today is an open ground. Everyone is equip with a camera, wanting to capture memorable moments.
She went straight to the allotted space for her homeroom and sat on her designated chair. Almost all of her classmates are already there except for a few including Rui, which arrived later on. Not long after, the principal stepped up the stage and announced the start of the festival.
Konan quietly watched the other games on the side along with her other classmates. She will only participate in the relay race. She with Nakajima, Akemi and one other classmate. She will be the one to pass the rolled up paper to Rui, who is the anchor.
'Here, you want some dried squid?'
'Sure thanks a lot.'
Said the two girls she is sitting in between. They were passing foods in front of her face like they did not see her at all. Of course, Konan doesn't mind, she just can't stand the strong smell of the snack. But she didn't utter a word, she found it unnecessary.
'Aaah, soda. Can I drink some?'
'Sure I have another one, here.'
'Gee, thanks.' The girl opened the soda can in front of Konan and the fizz spurted to Konan's face and shirt, she jolted and the girls look at her.
'Oh, I did not notice you there Fujioka'
'Yeah I didn't notice there was a person between us.'
'It's fine, don't sweat it.' Konan said, although she did not hear any apology from the two. She couldn't care less. She was about to stand up to wash her face in the faucet when a girl spoke behind them.
'Apologize, you two. That was a rather rude thing to do.'
The two girls, including Konan turned around to see who the owner of the voice is. Sitting beside them is the girl who talked to her back then at the locker room and one of her teammate for today's relay race.
'Akemi-san. Did you get spurted by the soda fizz too? We're sorry about that.'
She chuckled. 'Pathetic.' she muttered.
'I didn't get any fizz on me, but she got,' she pointed to Konan. ' Yet you didn't even apologize to her and just went on with your dumb excuse.'
'Oh no.' Konan thought. Why is she defending her? Akemi Rin is quite popular and loved by many, mostly because of her cute look and personality. ' Won't she be hated if she stick up to someone like me? Wouldn't that affect to her reputation?' she asked herself.
'But it's really true Akemi-san. She's really unnoticeable. She always got that blank face, she's boring. All she's good at is academics. Her friends are a nerd and an overly cheerful brat, I wonder why Nakajima-senpai and the rest of the music club hangs out with them.'
'She's right Akemi-san, why are you defending someone like her? She's just a blank canvas, compared to a beautiful painted one like you.'
Akemi looked at Konan who is silent and had her head hung low. The answers of the two girls really irritated her. She calmed herself a little bit before looking back to the girls. 'Look----'
' I am taught that it's not nice to judge someone without knowing them. And I don't really know why you talk shit behind my friends back when you really don't know them, now if I may ask. What gives you girls the right to do that?'
Akemi had her eyes widen in shock when she got interrupted by Konan. Her voice is really calm as well as her face is blank, her eyes showed no emotion but that's what made her shock. Her voice sent shivers down her spine.
Konan herself cannot believe what she said. Did she really said all of that? All she knows is that something sparked inside of her the moment her friends name got dragged in her affair. Something new, something she doesn't understand. Her heart beat is fast.
The girl gave her a raised eyebrow. ' It's because that's how we see them, and you.'
Konan raised an eyebrow at the girls' simplemindedness. 'Really,' she asked. 'Then if you wanna know how I see you, then listen. ' I see you as dumb girls, who got nothing else on their mind but boys and karaoke and mixer parties after school. You always rank last in class and you judge people without knowing them.'
The girl's twitched their eye in anger and was about to snap back at her when the announcer called the attention of the relay race players to get ready. Konan turned her back and went to the nearest sink to wash her face. She also heard Akemi following her.
'Here.' Akemi offered her a handkerchief when she finished washing her face. She reluctantly accepted it since she did not bring one with her.
'Thank you.' she said and Akemi just gave her a nod. Silence reigned over as she wiped her face. 'Why did you stick up for me? Do you want to be hated?'
' I don't think I care if they will hate me or not, we're going to graduate next year and we'll be going to a new school. I just got tired of watching them earlier. They disgust me. They are not my friends in the first place though. They're just one of those two-faced insecure bitches who adored me in front of me and talk about me behind my back.' she answered. Konan just quietly listened.
'What about you? Don't you ever get tired of people treating you like that? Don't you ever get sad of being bullied? You really sound scary back there.'
Konan started walking back to the venue and she followed her. 'Hey, answer me.'
Konan halted and faced Akemi, ' I am incapable of those feelings. I have Alexithymia.' she said. Another person knowing about her condition.
'Alexi--- What?' Akemi asked, confused.
Konan flashed her the smiled her friends taught her that she honed to the point of perfecting it as real. 'Google it, Akemi-san.'
Konan found herself after that in her designated area waiting for Akemi to reach her and pass the paper. When Akemi neared her, she jogged and ran as soon Akemi reached her and got her hand on he paper. Jogging really isn't an issue for her because just been doing it every time she is running late for school but running a race is a different thing. You need to win, there is an allotted time and you need to beat players who run faster than you. There is also a possibility of injury. Konan popped a painkiller on her mouth just incase.
Relay race isn't really a nice memory for Konan. She need not to dragged her homeroom this time. Everything seems good because she is leading the race and is even cheered on but just as when she is nearing Rui she twisted her ankle and fell with a thud. She saw how Rui's eyes widen, how the other runners passed her and heard how the crowd fell silent. She heard different comments in the crowd.
'Oh man, she did it again.'
'Should have expected less.'
Among that is her friends voices.
'Are you okay Konan-chi'
'You did well, don't worry Konan-chi.'
'Don't think about defeat Miss K.'
The pain shot almost made Konan pass out but it was instantly relieved second after. The painkiller took effect, she already calculated it.
She got back to her feet and ran towards Rui, successfully passing the paper to him. He, in turn managed to pass the leading runner of the race and won. They got cheers and she was congratulated by her friends.
'How did you do that? It must be painful running in that twisted ankle.' Hana asked her.
'I took painkiller before hand Hana-chan, don't worry about it.' Konan answered before drinking the water Akemi gave her.'
'What do you mean don't worry?' Rui suddenly spoke beside her. 'Let's go to get medical help.'
'I know, I was about to go.' she said and limped away. Her eyes widen when she suddenly got swept up from her feet. 'What are you doing Rui-kun? I can walk.'
'Shut up.' was all Rui told her and walk her to the infirmary. People were staring at them because why not? She is carried bridal style by Rui. Akemi also followed them to the infirmary, Hana and the others got game to play so the cannot go with her. Her feet was cold compressed and got bandaged after, she is also told to rest.'
Taking painkiller was a right choice after all. Now she just have to wait for the effect to wear off and then suffer the pain she cheated on.
When the lunch came, she found herself in a picnic with her family and her friends' guardian. Her Mother made too many food and Akemi was the one who brought them altogether . Rui's grandma. Ami's parents, Ginji's older sister, Shiro's Mother and Haku's older brother. It seems like Aoi's prayer earlier was also heard because it did not rain. Although the clouds were gray and was hovering still above them, the sun also gave them occasional peeks.
It was when they got home that the clouds let go of the heavy downpour.
'The clouds must have hold on to the heavy rain for long.' she muttered as she stared at the dark sky. She then went straight to her room and after washing up and changing, she flopped down to her bed and instantly fell asleep out of exhaustion and in the comfort of heavy rain. She just woke up hour before midnight due to the wearing off of the painkiller and passed out right after because of the intolerable pain. It's like her body just woke her up to let her know her cheat had expire.