".....could be interesting....."
""Chasing girls could be interesting?"
One of my friends approaches me, with a curious look.
"Good morning to you too Hiroki."
"I'm sorry if I'm being a little too direct, I'm just following in your footsteps. I mean, to chase your love so literally you have to be very direct with your feelings.."
Hiroki gives a slightly forced laugh, looking like he's laughing more to piss me off than anything else. Hiroki was the first person I started talking to. He's witty, but not many people talk to him on purpose, I've thought about trying to find out why, but decided to leave it at that for now.
Hiroki's dyed blonde hair from afar makes him look like a delinquent, but just looking at his relaxed and calm expression makes it clear that he is a relatively peaceful person. Hiroki is someone who hates studying and loves living with simple things, I've never seen someone with so much pleasure to drink a cold soda and eat a frozen meal.
Hiroki waits for an answer, already clearly ready to try to subvert the whole meaning of what I say.
"I'm not in love with that girl....."
I try to think of a way to explain the situation, not being able to think of anything I decide to tell him anything so he just leave me alone.
"The girl accidentally took something that was mine, I went after her. She thought I was nervous and ran away. That's it."
"I know what she got from you man."
"You know?"
"SHE STOLE YOUR HEART."
I hear some steps, just by the confident and constant rhythm of the steps I already know who is coming.
"My god, do you realize how much noise you two make?"
A girl comes through the door. Her long black hair reaches her waist. Delicately she sits down and arranges her wallet with her pencil case and notebook.
"Hey Fumiko how are you? Did you do the math homework, we have to show the teacher today." says Hiroki with a suspicious face
"Hum....I could even believe you, but as always you are stupid even in the simplest things. Today there is no math.Oh, and next time try to be more convincing too, this face of yours doesn't convince anyone."
The girl's name is Fubuki, she is one of the smartest people I've met in this high school. Her grades are perfect and her performance in sports is unbelievable, I never understood why she is in a school like this. She once said that she entered here because the school is the closest to her house. That may be true, but something makes me think she's lying, but honestly this is her personal thing, I don't want to intrude.
Fubuki is the only other person I talk to besides Hiroki. The two are childhood friends, I ended up meeting her through him.
Hiroki turns his head towards me.
"Leaving jokes aside, if what what you told me is true and your heart wasn't yet been hooked by that thief then I think next week I can introduce you to my sister."
"I already told you I'm not going on a date with your sister. That would be...awkward."
"C'mon man, she's only a year older, plus her going out with you it would be a break in the pattern of boyfriends she has been having. "
"Pattern, what pattern ?"
"Assholes and douchebags. It's been like 4 years since she's dated a decent guy." when Hiroki says that Fubuki gives him a scary look.
"Let your sister go out with whoever she wants. She's looking for a boyfriend, and if she goes out with a guy I'm sure he's someone minimally worthy. I agree that some of them are maybe a little..."
Fubuki searches for an appropriate word to use. Hiroki prepares to intervene in her speech.
"Complicated" "Nasty"
Fubuki looks at Hiroki Hiroki looks up trying to
with an aggressive look. look away from Fubuki.
"Look I don't even understand why you guys are talking about this, I'm not going out with her...."
As I speak I end up putting my hand in my pocket, inside the pocket I feel the card that the principal gave me.
"Look, I don't even understand why you guys are talking about this, I'm not going out with her...."
As I speak I end up putting my hand in my pocket, inside the pocket I feel the card that the principal gave me. I take it off and take a look again.
"Dude, what's that in your hand?"
"Nothing Hiroki, it's...just a coupon I picked up somewhere."
I think for a while, and decide to ask my friends something.
"Hiroki a question about.....your sister."
"I KNEW YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HER ONE DAY!"
Fubuki starts to pay attention, as if what we were talking about is only now interesting.
"No man, it's not that, it's something...I saw it in a magazine. You talked about your sister's problem, dating only asshole guys and stuff. If you could make a choice that would change your whole life her, including that aspect, would you make that choice?"
"But what choice, what will happen?"
"You don't know, the only thing you know is that her reality is going to change completely."
Hiroki looks up for a few moments as he thinks.
"I think so, I doubt it would get any worse than it already is."
Fubuki chimes in, arriving with a serious tone.
"You're crazy Hiroki, it's just a common problem, looking at Isshin's statements, her reality would change completely, in some way you don't know. It's not worth it just for a small inconvenience to totally change your life."
"I disagree, change is always a good thing."
"What if the change was something like her getting sick, and then, would that be good?"
The conversation they have as well as all the other noises and sounds around me start to drown out. My vision slowly fades, focusing only on the window beside me. I don't see anything through the window, its transparency ceases to exist. I see the scratches that the old window has on its glass, the noise of the wind hitting the glass fills my mind with thoughts.
Choices, or just a choice, maybe it's not even a choice, maybe I'm already condemned to go there to die and be reborn. I am a prey that follows the scent of the meat, placed maliciously by the hunter, I know that I will die but my instinct tells me repeatedly that I must...
"WAKE UP."
I'm pulled back to reality, I see in front of me Fubuki, who has a worried face.
"Isshin, are you okay? I've seen you lose attention, but not this much. You seem very thoughtful today, is something wrong?"
"No, I'm just tired, the doctor put the session on very early today and I couldn't sleep."
The classroom door opens, a teacher arrives with a heavy gait, something definitely happens. Teacher Sakura, as usual, starts her class without wasting time.
"Everyone please sit down, class is about to start."
Everyone sits down, I look away still thoughtful. When looking at the blackboard, my focus acts strangely on the teacher's eyes. For a second, maybe even less, her gaze connects with mine. A very strange look, a mix of anger and concern.
I start writing what's on the board, ignoring it all. The only way she would be angry would be if.....No, I would be crazy to think that the teacher would have to do with anything by the...principal...OF COURSE SHE WOULD, SHE IT IS ALSO FROM THE SCHOOL STAFF.
I decide to test something, let's see if Teacher Sakura is also involved.
The class continues normally until the end. As always her history classes are impeccable. At the end of class I come to her desk with my notebook.
"Teacher has a doubt in an exercise."
She looks at me without changing her expression.
"I didn't give you any exercises."
"I know but I always like to make some after class, check out this one I wrote down in my notebook."
I show a handwritten question with an answer underneath. In the corner of the notebook I drew the card symbol, not perfectly, but so that anyone could see that it's the same.
She looks at the notebook and for a few seconds she freezes. A reaction from Professor Sakura is rare, let alone one like this. She looks at me, not saying anything, she just gets up and walks away. Before she leaves the room she opens her mouth to speak.
"You have until today."
She leaves the room, I confirm my expectations, it looks like the entire school staff could be involved.
Night is falling, and I stay in the library. I stare at the card, and it with its eye symbol, seems to stare back. Changing my life maybe it's wrong, there aren't so many problems, but....I want....
I need something, that maybe to understand what it was. If this is my destiny, then I decide to accept it.
I walk into the living room, the gravity getting stronger with every step I take. My increasingly heavy body tries to give up, but I persist. With the doorknob in my hand, I prepare for the worst. I open the door hoping for the best, and I end up finding....