Announcements were made through the ringing of the school bell, which would send students to their classrooms. Nakamura Kaito strolled down the crowded hallway, staring at the floor to make sure he would not attract attention. He kept a low profile and hardly got close to people, much less interacted with them. He wasn't a nobody, but he was often a man who was hard to see at times. Kaito was unfortunately not popular or the kind of person to go out of his way to make friends, and he didn't really care. It was less complicated just to avoid any attention and mind his own business. In this manner, nobody expected anything from him.
He moved to the back of the class and sat in his regular place, close to the window. That was the perfect corner of the class, as far as possible from any noise. There were cherry trees outside now, and the petals were falling like snow – a pale soft pink. Kaito liked watching them. That eased him, like there was nothing going on beyond these four walls. Sitting down, he realized that there was someone who was going to sit next to him. It was Mei Tanaka, the most celebrated and followed girl in high school. That part of her was something that, as soon as other people saw her moving, they couldn't help but look at her. And everybody loved her—her shining beautiful teeth, her self-contained spirit, and her ability to address any person.
Kaito had always observed her secretly without a thought of being noticed by her, not to mention her giving him the time of day. But then she stopped beside his desk.
"Mind if I sit here?" Mei said, somewhat pleased and belatedly in a noticeably soft tone.
For a moment, Kaito was speechless. He blinked in surprise. He glanced at her and wished he had something intelligent to say.
"Uh… sure."
Mei smiled and then sat very close to him. Kaito was able to feel her presence. Everything was done to the details, and more to the point, why had she joined his table?
Then, for some moments, they sat in silence. She looked with her eyes at the window, her gaze responding to the wind that animated the cherry blossoms of the exterior print. Finally, Kaito could hear the tense silence between them, but there was no tension. It was… natural, like two people who had always known how to be alone but at the same time not be. Kaito did not care much when there was no conversation. He was used to it. Yet there was something more sinister with this type of silence. Mei was not sitting there because she had no other option or because she had no choice. No, she had chosen this spot. She had chosen him.
Finally, Mei spoke after a few minutes.
"It's very quiet here, isn't it?" she whispered more to herself, although Kaito could hear her quite well.
Kaito nodded, he was shocked by her remark.
"Yeah. That's… that's why I sit here."
Mei tilted her head a little and offered him a small smile.
"I am seldom able to sit in places like this," she said in a nearly nostalgic manner. "I'll never be alone. I'll always have somebody with me. Constantly speaking, joking… play acting."
Kaito blinked. He had not thought that she would talk like that with him. As the girl who had everything that everyone admired, Mei Tanaka was talking about pretending? It didn't make sense. But then again, he hardly knew her. Not really. He experienced a mix of emotions, ranging from curiosity to sympathy. He had always regarded Mei as a woman who had life perfectly mapped out, a woman who did not require anyone. At least that's one way of looking at it. But maybe that wasn't the whole story. Kaito nodded; he understood.
"It's easier when no one's watching."
Mei gazed at him gently, and for a brief moment, Kaito saw something different in her eyes. A softness, a flicker of uncertainty, before it quickly vanished and was replaced by her usual cheerful face. But that moment was enough for Kaito. He had caught a glimpse of the true Mei.
"You're right," she said with an audible exhale of slight disappointment as she pivoted back to the front of the class.
He said, "It's sometimes reassuring not to try to be someone else."
Kaito just smiled and didn't reply further. He couldn't think of anything to say. What could he say? Mei Tanaka—how she'd blossomed, the girl who once had the world in the palm of her hands, sitting next to him, speaking gently, as their words seemed to say much more than intended.
Kaito became aware of the teacher entering the classroom. He looked at Mei, who sat across from him, pulling out her notebook immediately when the bell rang for class. This was like they had never even made eye contact with each other, even though they had earlier shared a fair encounter. That was what was on Kaito's mind—he could not help but feel that there was some sort of change between them. He couldn't tell what it was—whether it was the manner in which she turned her head or whether it was the fact that Miss Mei Tanaka herself had taken the liberty of coming to the side of his table. It was, unfortunately, just this—nothing flashy, nothing that anyone else would take notice of. But for Kaito, it was everything.
Despite trying his best to listen to the lesson, as soon as the lesson started, Kaito couldn't help himself but look over at Mei. He tried to concentrate on the teacher, but his mind was still wandering. Though what had happened between the two of them was not what he expected, there was something different now. Something he couldn't ignore. But when the bell finally rang for the history class, Mei got up from her seat and even offered him a final little smile.
"It's been nice having you sit here," she whispered.
Kaito, realizing what she had said, looked at her walk away and felt something in his chest beating rather rapidly.
Kaito took a few seconds to think about what he had just heard. Mei Tanaka had been sitting right next to him, spoken to him in a whisper, and left him as if they were strangers. Nevertheless, for Kaito, it seemed that everything had shifted for him. He hadn't thought that she would even look in his direction, much less decide to join him. But in the brief exchange, it seemed that something had changed. He looked at the desk beside him and saw that it was unoccupied. He tried to make sense of it . Was it just a one-time thing? In truth, was she craving some company during lunch and thus decided to pay attention to him? Or was there something more? He was utterly obsessed with her words. That sentence by Coram Boy resonates with him: "It's easier when no one's watching." Was she talking about him? Was she telling him that his presence gave her a… sense of security? He had no idea on the answers, but he was drawn to her—something he had never felt before.
The remaining days went into the usual routine of school. No one really paid attention to these happenings. Despite his best efforts to go about his normal business like any other person, the thought of Mei kept entering Kaito's mind. He started watching the hallways, waiting to see if she would sit beside him again. But every time he saw her, she was amid her friends, chattering merrily, just as she used to do. Still, once in a while, he would see her steal a glance at him—a mere complicity, brief and furtive. Reading this part was enough to make Kaito excited. He tried to think if Mei still remembered what they had talked about in hushed voices. Or perhaps it had been only a fluke—an impulse, an experiment that was insignificant to her. But for Kaito, it was something he would have died for.
The following week passed in a similar manner, with Kaito remaining seated by the window, watching the street, getting a chance to think about Mei whenever he could. He never thought that she would sit beside him again, but a little corner of his heart always wanted her to. Finally, one day, the break came. Mei sprang into the classroom, looked around the room for a moment, and then, without hesitation, headed directly to Kaito's seat. She smiled at him, only partially, before sitting down in the chair.
"May I sit with you for the second time?" she inquired, though she did so in quite a polite manner.
Kaito's heart skipped a beat. He went quiet again, now speaking in hushed tones,
"Of course."