[1]
If you were to ask anybody in the neighbourhood about her, they'd probably tilt their head confusedly and go "who's that?".
That was a normal reaction. After all, the fourteen-year-old girl by the name of Kanazawa Megumi was, in reality, an insanely unpopular person. No, really.
Insanely. Unpopular.
Mind you, this wasn't just her being negative - it was just a fact. A fact just as true as the sky being blue, and the grass having a green color. In the same way, Megumi was a nobody to most people - even at her school, the Private School of Sakuraba Academy.
Then again, Megumi hadn't always been this way. She sighed slightly as she remembered the good old days in Kyoto in public school. Before she had to move from school to school all the time.
You see, Megumi used to be a cheerful, social girl when she was younger. She used to run around with her friends every day, figuring out mysteries, and playing with her former best friend Suzuki-kun. But then her dad got a job offer overseas, and he left. Sure, he sent a few souvenirs every month, but it wasn't the same. She missed him. A lot.
After Dad left, Mom was inspired too, so she quit being a housewife in order to be a career woman. She went back to the office and started to climb the ranks of the working world. She was tired, and busy every day. But she was happy.
Megumi didn't blame her. At least, she tried not to. Even now, her busy mom always asked her about her day - how she was doing in school, if she had made friends, and so on.
Megumi always answered with a smile and said she was okay. That Mom didn't need to worry. And then her Mom would smile at her with her sunny smile and tell her how mature she was. How thoughtful and caring a daughter she was. And then she'd leave for work.
Because of her mom's work, they had to move to a different city every two-or-so years. With time, Megumi grew more and more introverted, and she picked up a bad habit of being uncomfortable around other people. Growing up, she spent most of her time reading comics and watching anime...and not enough time on herself and her friends.
And it showed.
Her style sense wasn't up to date, she hated speaking up, and she would always fiddle her fingers nervously. She had a bad time around people. If she tried speaking up, she'd blush so much that she'd get all red in the face...
'Hah, so uncool...' she thought dejectedly as she walked home from school.
Because of this, she gradually began to stop trying to befriend her classmates after she transferred into their class. She quickly became an invisible existence to her classmates - since she was really good at blending into the background, and she avoided them.
It'd been like that for 5 years now. Megumi sighed a bit, glancing at her wristwatch. Even though her heart ached at the reminder, she tried not to think to deeply about it. After all... She had gotten used to it.
And to be honest...she hated it!
She hated the fact that she could only be truthful in her mind. She hated the fact that she couldn't talk to people without her face blowing up like a red balloon.
She could never tell other people her real thoughts, because then her mouth would trip over itself, and she'd stutter, and-
No, it would be so embarrassing! Megumi's cheeks reddened at the thought. Oof, talk about lame!
...But she really wanted to. Talk to other people. Look confident. Have some kind of talent, something amazing, like playing the piano or being good at arts - that only she could do. Megumi's frown deepened.
But...she really, really wanted to.
As Megumi walked up the sidewalk, her eyes wandered towards the neighbouring house...and she nearly fainted when she realized who was there.
It was her old friend from Kyoto, Suzuki Shun! He was a close friend of hers back in elementary...Megumi's grip on her bag tightened as she power-walked to her house's door.
'Ww-wha-what was he doing here? Why is he not in Kyoto like the rest?!' She thought nervously as she put her keys into the door.
The idea of having to talk to anyone was challenging for a shy girl like her. But with an old friend?! That would be way worse...she didn't want to embarrass herself...and she didn't want him to see how much she's changed...
Still...he might've forgotten about her, right? It's been 5 years already. It's not like most people remember their childhood classmates, right? He must've forgotten!
Alright!
Having calmed her nerves, she opened the door...but before she did, she wanted to make sure that it was actually him and not some look-alike.
Sneaking a glance, she turned her head to see him, only to discover him gawking at her.
Just straight up gawking! His eyes were wide as he continued to stare at her. She was frozen in place. Only one thing was on her mind.
'HE REMEMBERED ABOUT ME NOOOOOOO-!'
A blonde woman came out of his house, and looked at him strangely. "Shun, what are you doing?" But then, she followed his gaze and saw her.
"Oh, you must be the neighbour's daughter!" She said, smiling. She noticed the shell-shocked expression on her son.
"Do you two, by any chance know each other?"
They shared another glance (involuntarily).
"Ye-"
"No!"
Then, before anyone could say anything, she hurried into the house and locked the door, leaving two befuddled people behind.
After locking it, Megumi sank down to the ground, feeling the embarrassment creep up on her face.
"Agh, seriously...so embarrassing!"
She muttered.