This morning, the weather was very bright, with white and beautiful clouds floating under the blue sky as if they would always be together forever. On the way, I accidentally overheard some students talking and laughing. Among them, I could hear someone talking about Cici.
"Did you hear? There's a rumor that Fino used some kind of charm to make Cici fall for him."
"Oh, you mean that popular girl? Poor her, though, falling for Fino. I mean, look at him—below average looks, pretending to be all quiet and mysterious, thinking it's cool."
"Hopefully, Cici wakes up soon."
"Yeah."
"Where did they even get such a rumor? Someone must really hate me to spread such baseless lies," I muttered.
Arriving at school, as I walked through the front gate, I felt sharp stares piercing me as if I had just committed a crime threatening the nation. Even after I reached the classroom, the feeling didn't fade.
Not long after, Cici entered the classroom and sat next to me. Unlike her usual self, she looked gloomy. She was the most cheerful girl I had ever met, so seeing her like this felt unusual. With her gloomy face, Cici looked at me, and we locked eyes without saying anything until she finally spoke.
"Fino, why are people acting so weird today?" Cici asked in an annoyed tone.
"W-What do you mean?" I responded.
"As I was walking to school, enjoying the bright morning, suddenly out of nowhere, a girl came up to me and said, 'Cici, wake up already. I feel sorry seeing you being used by that loser.' What's that supposed to mean?" Cici replied, clearly upset.
"Ah, m-maybe they were j-just joking," I tried to downplay it to keep her from overthinking.
"Fino, if it was just one person, maybe it was a joke. But more than 20 girls told me the same thing!" Cici exclaimed, slamming her desk lightly.
I was stunned; this was the first time I'd seen her so upset. I started to realize that this had become the hottest topic among students at school—even the juniors were talking about it.
"This has gone too far. If this continues, my reputation will be completely ruined," I thought as my mind spiraled over this new problem. But as if one problem wasn't enough, suddenly, a student walked up and threw a water balloon at us.
Seeing the balloon coming our way, I instinctively shielded Cici with my body, letting the water soak my uniform. At least she only got lightly splashed. Cici, who had closed her eyes, stood up and, with a worried face, asked about my condition.
"Fino, are you okay?! Why did you put yourself in harm's way to protect me? Now your clothes are all wet because of me!" Cici said, pulling out a handkerchief from her bag.
"I-It's fine. I-I just didn't want you to get hurt because of the people who hate me," I replied, struggling to find the right words.
"Fino, I don't care what others say about you to me, but if there's a problem, let's face it together. I don't want to see someone as kind as you getting bullied by those shameless people," Cici said, showing a side of her I'd never seen before.
This feeling… it came back. No one had ever stood up for me before—not even the teachers. I had lost trust in everyone because they all seemed like monsters who turned my flaws into weapons.
Today, this feeling—a feeling I'd never had before—emerged. I was confused as to why someone as cheerful and beautiful as her would stand up for someone like me. I pitied her and feared that people might start seeing her as badly as they saw me.
"Cici, w-why are y-you saying things l-like that?" I stammered, trying to dissuade her from getting involved.
"Why? Why are you saying that, Fino? Even though people might see me as special, I feel ordinary and imperfect. We're not different, Fino. I'm human, and so are you—doesn't that make us the same? They only see your flaws and ignore the good in you, but I'm not like them," Cici said while wiping my wet face, her tone sometimes showing her frustration.
"C-Cici…" I was left speechless.
Cici moved her chair closer and continued drying the remaining wet spots on my face. er hand accidentally slipped, and she fell, ending up lying across my lap.
"Ouch! Sorry, Fino, my hand slipped," Cici said.
"N-No, i-it's o-okay. B-Be careful," I replied nervously.
"Ah, your face isn't wet anymore, but your uniform is still soaked. Let's go sit outside while it's still sunny," Cici said as she stood up and extended her hand toward me.
Even though she offered her hand, I stood up by myself without taking it. It wasn't arrogance—I just needed to handle things on my own.
"Come on, Fino, before it gets more crowded," Cici said, taking the lead.
"O-Okay, I'm coming," I replied, following her to the school garden.
The morning was still early, so there weren't many students around. The weather was indeed bright. We sat on a bench under a shady tree. The gentle breeze touched our skin, and sunlight peeked through the leaves, creating a warm atmosphere.
"So, why are you always by yourself? Is it because everyone likes to talk bad about you?" Cici asked.
"Y-Yeah, something like that. No matter how much I try to get close to someone, they always move away. I just want to be seen as a friend, that's all. I-I can't even remember the last time I had one," I replied honestly.
"Now I understand why you're always alone and rarely talk. Maybe they just don't understand what you really want, especially since you struggle to talk to new people," Cici said while looking at me.
Not only did the atmosphere feel warm, but my heart did too.
"…Believe me, Fino, not everyone hates you. Have you forgotten that I'm your friend?" Cici said gently.
"Y-Yeah, I almost forgot about that." The truth was, I didn't want to see Cici as just a friend—not because I hated her but because I feared that being associated with me would tarnish her reputation and make her a target of ridicule.
"FINO!" Cici suddenly shouted my name, startling me.
"W-What is it, Cici?" I asked.
"Why were you spacing out like that? What are you thinking about? Oh, I know—you don't have to worry about me. Maybe other students will tease me for being friends with you, but remember that our friendship is special."
"S-Special?" I questioned what made her say that.
"Hahaha, don't overthink it. We're like clouds and the sky—beautiful, right?" Cici said, pointing upward.
"Y-Yeah."
A friendship like clouds and the sky. They so far but always stay together. Even when the clouds are angry and crying, the sky stays with them, and even when the sky is unseen, the clouds continue to accompany it.
Suddenly...
"HEY, YOU—FINO!" A loud, angry voice called out, and a boy stood at the edge of the garden, pointing directly at me.