It was a warm September afternoon. One of the classrooms in the middle school buzzed with activity, right up until the bell rang to signal the end of lunch break and the start of the next period.
Yūsei Academy's colors were black and white. The boys' uniforms consisted of white trousers paired with black shirts. The girls wore blouses and knee-length skirts, both in the same color scheme, and thigh-high white stockings. On top of that, both uniforms were completed with a pair of black shoes, a standard white tie and a white blazer. The blazers, like the skirts, were trimmed with black and adorned with the school's crest.
The crest, also in black and white, depicted a Gothic-style window with a balanced scale behind it. One pan held a book, the other a crown.
At the sound of the bell, all the students went to their seats, except for one boy, who kept strolling down the hallway without a care. When the teacher of the upcoming class noticed him, he addressed the blue-eyed, brown-haired boy,
"Kagayaki-kun, do you think you'll grace us with your presence today?"
"I think I'll pass. Just let me know if there's a test," Ryūta replied curtly, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the strap of his bag slung over his shoulder as he walked past the man clutching his books.
"Where are you going now?" the teacher called after him, and the boy indifferently stated his destination.
"To the usual spot."
"Unbelievable…" the man murmured in surprise, but, like always, let it slide. "I suppose as long as his grades are good, it's fine. Not like this is anything new…" he added before continuing on his way.
Even for fourteen-year-old Ryūta, the "usual spot" already meant the school rooftop. As he passed by the classroom door, he noticed that one of his classmates sitting by the window was staring straight at him, but he didn't think much of it. The girl, however, sprang from her chair the moment she caught sight of him and rushed after him, nearly bumping into the teacher who was just walking in.
By the time she had properly explained her sudden departure, apologized, and stepped out the door, the boy was already long gone.
Still, the girl had a good idea where he was headed, so she rushed down the hallway right to the stairs, where she caught a brief glimpse of Ryūta. However, she couldn't catch up to him, as she lost sight of him again after the first landing.
Even though she hadn't seen him go up, once she reached the rooftop level she was certain the class-skipping boy was outside. She gave herself a few moments to catch her breath before opening the rooftop door.
To her surprise, when she stepped out, there was no one in sight, until a familiarly gruff voice reached her ears.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
Ryūta was sitting in the shadow of the stairwell, leaning against the wall with a thick book in his hands, and looked quite surprised to see the girl. She answered in a tone matching the question:
"So are you."
"There's no way to read in peace down there, and just sitting and staring into space is a waste of time," the boy replied, turning his gaze back to the pages of his book.
"Yeah, sitting and staring is a waste of time. But if you sat and paid attention, that might actually be useful," the girl snapped at Ryūta, who was trying to concentrate and gave her a sharp sideways glance, as was typical of him.
The girl had brown eyes and long, slightly wavy brown hair. One side was braided, while the other featured loose bangs that gave her a distinctive look. She was only a few centimeters shorter than Ryūta.
"Aizawa Himeko, right? Don't you have anything better to do than to bother me? Or are you just like the others, unable to go a whole day without saying something to me?"
"I-I just want to know why you're sitting up here instead of paying attention in class like everyone else!" the girl raised her voice, struggling to swallow the sharp question he'd just thrown at her. The boy, however, asked the same question again, worded differently, but meaning the same.
"I still don't see why it's your business."
Though Ryūta appeared calm on the surface, he was already beginning to lose his patience.
"As your classmate, it absolutely is my business, because your behavior is dragging down everyone else's morale. And if that's not enough for you, let me spell it out. This is a school. You know what that is? It's an institution where people our age come to learn, and adults usually come to teach. Those adults are called teachers, and during class, they pass on their knowledge to the students who attend. Since you're a student here too, you're required to attend class. So when you're sitting up here, you're not fulfilling your responsibilities. That's against the rules and if people ever get fed up with it, it's not going to be a question of whether it's any of my business. Got that, or should I keep going?"
By the time Himeko had rattled all of that off in a single breath, the boy realized he had already read the same sentence for the sixth time without retaining a single word of it. Finally, he couldn't hold himself back anymore. Slamming his book shut in frustration, he jumped to his feet and snapped as well.
"Will you just shut up already! I don't know who you think you are, acting like you have the right to lecture me, but let me set you straight! I know exactly what school is for! The only reason I don't go to class is because they have nothing new to teach me!"
"Aren't you just a little full of yourself?" the girl began again, but couldn't finish.
"While we're at it, I could ask you the same thing, 'raging princess.'"
The nickname shut her up on the spot.
"Yeah, I know that's what they call you. You end up hitting almost everyone who still dares to talk to you. It's no wonder you've got such a reputation. So don't start preaching to me about morals, behavior or rules!"
"That's not how you think it is…" the girl lowered her gaze with remorse, but before she could offer any explanation, Ryūta interrupted her again.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging you. They probably had it coming. After all, there's a reason I prefer being alone too. But that doesn't make you any better than me."
"You're right. I'm sorry I bothered you. I think I should go now," Himeko replied bitterly, but she didn't look up at Ryūta until she was already halfway through the doorway. "Everyone needs friends. Even you and me." She turned back at last with a forced smile and a faint tear on her cheek, then closed the door behind her.
"Speak for yourself. What is with this girl…? Seriously…" the boy muttered under his breath as he dropped back down beside his book, leaning against the wall.
But the fragile sense of "peace" he'd regained didn't last long. Even though he tried to convince himself it was just his imagination, he couldn't shake the image of Himeko's tearful eyes. As the minutes passed, his guilt gnawed at him more and more. Eventually, he lost the desire to keep reading, packed up his things, and headed back into the building.
Just past the first landing, he noticed a crumpled sheet of notebook paper lying on the floor.
"This wasn't here when I came up. So that means…" he thought to himself as he picked it up, unfolding it a few moments later.
Some of the pencil-written words were smudged, and parts had been scribbled over, making what looked like a message difficult to decipher at first glance.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to upset you. I just hoped maybe we could help each other—"
As he examined the note more closely, he noticed the paper felt different where the words had smudged. It was slightly wrinkled, as if it had gotten wet.
"So I did see it right. She really was crying… Why can't I just keep my mouth shut…?" he sighed, then smoothed out the letter as best he could and folded it before slipping it into his pocket. "How could we possibly help each other anyway? I don't even know her… I need to apologize to her."
As he headed downstairs, landing after landing, his thoughts kept circling back to their earlier conversation and the piece of paper he'd found on the floor. Guilt gnawed at him more and more, but he knew that if he went to see the girl right away, it wouldn't end well. He thought it best to wait until she calmed down a little.
For situations like this, Ryūta had another favorite place, the library. When he wasn't just trying to pass the time but was seeking real peace, he found refuge in the school's reading room. That's what he did this time too.
As he stepped into the room, he walked straight to one of the shelves and started browsing.
"It should be here…" he muttered, scanning the rows in confusion, but eventually admitted he needed help.
As he approached the librarian's desk, the elderly woman behind it greeted him right away.
"Well, Ryūta-kun, long time no see! Looking for something new to read?" she asked with a warm smile.
"Yes. I'm looking for a book called The Wealthy Prisoners, but it's not where it's supposed to be," Ryūta explained, and received the hoped-for, though somewhat uncertain, answer.
"Hmm… Let's see…" the woman said thoughtfully. "I think I saw someone with it not too long ago… It hasn't been checked out, so I think it must still be here somewhere."
"Then I'll take a look around and see if I can find it. Thank you very much!" Ryūta said, then set off to explore the library.
It didn't take more than two minutes before he spotted the book he was looking for in the hands of a student he didn't recognize. The other boy was absorbed in his phone and didn't even notice Ryūta approaching.
"Excuse me! That book's supposed to be a summary of William Adams's life. If you don't mind, could I take a quick look at it?" he asked politely.
"Sorry, I was actually planning to check it out," the other replied.
"Yes, I know, but I only need it for a few moments, and you're busy anyway. Couldn't you let me have it after all?" Ryūta pleaded, prompting the stranger to shove the volume rudely into his hands.
"Fine, whatever. Here, take it!" snapped the boy irritably before storming out of the library.
"Thanks! What's his problem...?" Ryūta muttered to himself in confusion.
Shaking off the uncomfortable interaction, he settled down at the first available table with his newly acquired book. He flipped open to the table of contents and quickly located the pages detailing the English sailor's early life. Yet, he still found himself unable to concentrate as usual. His mind continually wandered back to the afternoon's events, his conversation with Himeko, and the bizarre behavior of the boy he'd just encountered.
Eventually abandoning his attempt at reading altogether, he took some photos of the pages that initially caught his interest and returned the book to its proper shelf. As his eyes landed accidentally on the clock hanging on the wall, he suddenly snapped out of it:
"I should probably get going…"
He gathered his belongings, bid farewell to the elderly woman, and stepped into the hallway, once more lost in thought.
"Aizawa Himeko... If the rumors are true, she's both the president and sole member of the dance club. Although she doesn't appear to be preparing for anything specific, she reserves the gym every afternoon and practices tirelessly. If I'm lucky, today won't be an exception either, and I'll get another chance to talk to her."
Reaching the end of the corridor and heading down the stairs, just a few steps shy of the first landing, an unfamiliar voice abruptly reached his ears.
"KAGAYAKI!" the voice called, eliciting a resigned sigh from its owner, as if to say, "Not again…"
Turning around and glancing up to the top of the staircase, Ryūta spotted the source of the voice.
The unknown boy had green eyes and skin a few shades darker than Ryūta's. Still, those features were far less striking than his gelled blond hair streaked with red, green, and blue, his ripped dark blue jeans, or the unzipped black leather vest he wore with nothing underneath. Based on that bizarre appearance alone, Ryūta could easily tell that his troublemaker didn't attend their school, if he ever stepped inside one at all. At first glance, he didn't seem to possess much in the way of intelligence.
"Y'know who I am?" he asked in a tone that fully confirmed Ryūta's earlier suspicion, nearly dropping the toothpick from his mouth as he spoke.
"No, but I guess you didn't come here just to ask me that," Ryūta replied, scratching his head without much enthusiasm.
"Course not! So lemme tell ya! T'day, when I came by th' school fer m' lil' bro, he's real pissed, sayin' some guy snatched the book he had his eye on! An' y'know, we don't take kindly t' stuff like that!" the intruder explained, leaning in so close that he was nearly in Ryūta's face.
"Like I told him, I only needed it for a few moments. And I asked nicely. Not that it means much to idiots like you…" Ryūta shot back, prompting the other boy to take two steps up the stairs. "And now comes the part where you can't handle the fact that I'm right, and you challenge someone you don't even know just because you're pissed off… Right?" the boy went on, a mocking smile spreading across his face.
"Dam' righ'!" the punk roared, lifting his leg for a kick, his rage boiling over.
Ryūta knew what was coming, but he didn't try to dodge or block it. He just stood there, unfazed, waiting for the blow. A moment later, it landed. The stranger, taking advantage of the height difference, stomped straight into the boy's face, sending him crashing into the wall behind him.
"Y' see? Tha's how y' end up if y' mess wimme!" the punk laughed triumphantly, lowering his leg.
"Come on... We both know you would've jumped me even without that," Ryūta said, stating the obvious as he pushed himself up and wiped the blood streaming from both his nose and mouth. "So? You want something else, or can I go? I'm kind of busy right now," he added, this time turning serious.
"Hol' up, y' really think y're gettin' off that easy?" the punk snapped, grabbing him by the collar of his already bloodied blazer.
The boy didn't respond. Instead, he fixed his gaze at the bottom of the stairs, prompting the stranger to follow it with his own. When he noticed a shadow shifting around the corner, he finally let go.
"Whatever... I ain't lookin' to get in trouble at some random school. But tell me one thing," he said, his tone calmer now.
"What?" Ryūta looked at him in surprise.
"Y' saw my kick. Coulda dodged it easy. Why didn't ya?"
"Because I realized I deserved it," he replied, his expression serious. The punk's face turned increasingly confused.
"Ho' come?"
"'You challenge someone you don't even know just because you're pissed off…'"
"Wha'?"
"When I said that, it hit me that I did the same thing to someone else. I misjudged them and hurt them badly. I thought that what an idiot I was, and that I deserved to get beaten to a pulp. Thanks for helping me see that," Ryūta said with a faint smile, then started walking down the stairs. This time, no one stopped him.
The stranger, letting him go, looked after him once more, muttering under his breath:
"Wha' a weirdo..."
The whole incident hadn't lasted more than a few minutes, but it was long enough for the boy to reconsider everything and see things differently.
"You end up hitting almost everyone who still dares to talk to you."
"Everyone needs friends. Even you and me."
"How could we possibly help each other anyway? I don't even know her…"
As the heated conversation replayed in his mind, he finally understood what Himeko had truly wanted from him.
"Even though I treated her so harshly, she never hit me. I thought her help would mean forcing me to attend class. But I was wrong. She offered her friendship, and I rejected it because of my stupid prejudices... If it's not too late, I have to make things right somehow..."
Walking down the corridor with growing determination, his reflection in the windows snapped him out of his thoughts.
"But maybe it would be better if I didn't go in there like this," he stopped suddenly, then wiped his face clean within moments and stuffed his bloodstained blazer and tie into his bag. "There. No traces left behind."
As he reached the gym, only one step separated him from the big encounter. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and was about to grab the door handle when a pleasant melody caught his attention. Music was playing on the other side. When he opened the door and stepped inside, he saw Himeko dancing alone in the middle of the hall with her eyes closed.
Ryūta was completely captivated by the sight, partly because she was barefoot and not wearing stockings, likely for comfort. Dressed almost entirely in white, she surrendered her movements and emotions to the soft melody, creating the image of a descending angel, almost making the boy forget why he had come.
When the piece ended, Himeko's gaze fixed on her open-mouthed admirer.
"Why are you here? Are you here to argue again?" she asked, her voice carrying the sternness from before, but her eyes reflected desperation, confirming Ryūta's theory.
"No. I want to apologize. I'm sorry! I truly regret it! Please forgive me!" he pleaded, head lowered. Suddenly, Himeko started to protest.
"Stop it, you didn't do anything wrong! I was the one trying to force my will on you."
"Yeah, but instead of trying to understand why, I snapped at you, and on top of that, I even made you cry."
Embarrassed, the girl looked away.
"I wasn't even crying," she said as Ryūta pulled the tear-stained letter from his pocket. "I-It was just... just something in my eye!" Himeko tried to keep up the act but eventually crossed her arms in defeat. "Okay, fine! I cried... Damn it, I should've just torn it up..."
"Or maybe you just shouldn't have dropped it in the first place... It wasn't exactly easy to read as it was, so I'd say you did a pretty good job anyway," the boy teased, then added with a bit of regret, "Though it would've been a lot simpler if you'd just said what you wanted from the start..."
"You mean... there's actually a chance?" the girl asked, her eyes lighting up as she looked at Ryūta almost spellbound.
"Well, yeah. I mean, we were both at fault, so I say let's just forget about it."
"You have no idea how much this means to me!"
"Come on, don't make such a big deal out of it," the boy replied, scratching his head, but Himeko wouldn't back down.
"It is a big deal! I won't be the only member of the dance club anymore!"
"In that case... Wait, what?"
Seeing Ryūta's confusion, the girl quickly realized how badly she had misread the situation.
"You weren't planning to join my club, were you...?" she said, disheartened, and the boy dropped his gaze.
"Sorry, but no."
Just when he was about to feel guilty about his answer, the girl suddenly brightened up, as if someone had flipped a switch inside her.
"If not, then so be it. Nothing I can do about it. Just so you know who you're dealing with, I'll let you walk away if..." she began, then paused for effect.
"If?" Ryūta repeated impatiently.
"If you dance with me."
It took the boy a few seconds to process what she'd just said, but then he replied with a deadpan expression.
"Thanks, but I'll pass."
"Just once!" Himeko pleaded, nearly convincing the boy to give in.
"Fine, we'll get around to it," he said, but the girl wasn't having it.
"Right here, right now!"
"Come on, I really don't feel like it," Ryūta whined, though it seemed more like he was just messing with her.
Himeko crossed her arms again and turned her head away with a pout, nose slightly raised.
"In case it's not obvious, I don't dance with just anyone. You should feel lucky that I'm even offering."
"Oh, in that case, forgive my rudeness," the boy shot back sarcastically. "That reminds me, where I'm from, people usually ask for favors."
Seeing that her usual approach wasn't going to work on her classmate, the girl dropped her gaze and continued in a trembling voice.
"I don't get why I even have to ask... It's just a dance... What's so wrong about it...?"
Hearing Himeko's disheartened question, Ryūta suddenly realized he was once again dangerously close to crossing the line. He quickly checked himself.
"I'm sorry. You're right. I came here to apologize, and now I'm making another scene..."
Just a moment later, the girl lifted her head and spread her arms as if nothing had happened.
"Well, I'm not mad or anything, but if you feel that bad about it, I guess I'll let you make it up to me," she said with a wide grin that nearly made the boy regret his earlier words.
"Unbelievable... She tricked me!" he fumed silently, but managed to hold it in. Having made the same mistake twice, he finally decided it was time to use his better manners. Like a proper knight, he stepped back with his right leg, placed his left hand behind his back, and gave a bow. Then, with genuine sincerity this time, he looked up at his surprised classmate.
"May I have this dance, Princess?"
Himeko hesitated for a moment, but then reached out and accepted Ryūta's hand.
"With pleasure!" she replied with a smile. The boy, now far less chivalrous and frowning slightly, continued,
"Just a heads-up, I'm a terrible dancer, so whatever happens, it's not on me!"
But not even that could dampen the girl's enthusiasm. She kept smiling.
"That's fine! I don't mind!"
As the music began, Ryūta placed one hand on Himeko's waist while she rested hers on his shoulder. Their free fingers intertwined. At first, Himeko took the lead, but to both their surprise, it only took a few moments for her partner to catch the rhythm, as if they'd rehearsed the choreography many times before.
After a while, neither of them could tell who was leading. They moved in perfect sync, leaving behind any past disagreements and losing themselves in the joy of the moment, a feeling they couldn't have hidden even if they tried.
The harmony between them, however, didn't last long. Ryūta suddenly became dizzy, lost his balance, and accidentally knocked the girl over. Though he tried mid-fall to change direction and avoid landing directly on her, he only partly succeeded.
"Damn it... This is that punk's fault..." he thought, but had little time to be annoyed, as his palm unexpectedly landed on Himeko's bare shin.
His vision was too blurred to immediately grasp what was happening. As he tried to get up, his hand unintentionally slid higher.
"Ah!" the girl gasped in surprise.
That was when the boy finally grasped the situation, and it only got worse when his nose began bleeding again.
"This isn't what it looks like!" he tried to save what little he could, even though he had already given up hope. "That's it… Now she definitely thinks I'm some kind of pervert..." he told himself, but Himeko's reaction was nothing like what the boy expected.
"I know. It's because of the blow to your head," she replied, clearly flustered, and with that, their attention shifted away from the awkward moment.
"You knew about it?"
"Yeah. I saw the whole thing." The girl nodded, at least as much as she could while lying on the ground.
"So it was you hiding by the stairs..." Ryūta finally realized, without having any idea how far from the truth he actually was. "But if you saw it, why didn't you call for help?" he asked.
Himeko turned her gaze away.
"Because... he didn't really mean to hurt you."
"How would you know that?"
"If I told you, it would complicate everything. So just go ahead and think I'm a terrible person..." she said. Yet each time she glanced up at the boy, there was a deep regret in her eyes, one Ryūta didn't miss.
"I don't think that. But tell me something."
"What is it?"
"Why did you come up to the roof? Don't take this the wrong way, but you're not exactly a model student yourself. I doubt you care much about class morale. In your letter, you said you hoped we could help each other. What did you mean by that? And what exactly do I get out of going to class?"
"You won't get expelled from school."
At her blunt response, the boy's eyes widened, and for a few seconds, he even forgot to breathe.
"W-what are you talking about? They want to expel me?"
"Actually, both of us. Me, for constantly getting into trouble... and you, for skipping so many classes," the girl continued, still not sugarcoating it.
"I... I don't get it. I was exempt from attendance because of my good grades..."
"But you didn't get anything in writing, did you?"
"No..." Ryūta replied, as the reality of the situation began to set in.
"Yeah. They fooled you, just like they did with plenty of other students before you. That's just the kind of school this is," Himeko said softly, her eyes full of sympathy.
"I can't believe this..." the boy muttered in shock under his breath, though in truth, he hadn't doubted her words for even a moment.
So he didn't quite understand why he was surprised at all. Most of the students were stuck-up, the teachers only held classes out of formality, and the entire administration was corrupt through and through.
"I don't know what to do," he said again, disheartened. The girl frowned.
"How many times do I have to say it? Let's help each other. If you come to class, I'll make it more bearable for you."
"And what do you want from me in return?" Ryūta asked, almost pleading.
"Just look out for me, so I don't end up hitting someone again without thinking."
"That's all? That would be enough for you?"
"Of course it would. It's not like I'm asking you out or anything..." Himeko replied, but the last part of her sentence was barely audible as she turned her head again in embarrassment.
"Did you just say—"
"I said don't get the wrong idea! I'm not doing this for you!" she cut him off, trying to hide her feelings. Then, partly to change the subject, she reminded the boy of the position they'd been stuck in for quite some time already. "By the way, how much longer are you planning to grope my thigh? And would you wipe your nose already? For crying out loud, it's about to drip!"
As soon as she snapped at him, Ryūta quickly pulled his hand away. When he was about to lift it again to catch the drop of blood that had already grown large and looked ready to fall, Himeko beat him to it. She pulled a handkerchief decorated with flowers, butterflies, and other colorful patterns from the pocket of her skirt and held it against the boy's face without hesitation.
"Seriously, you're unbelievable..." the girl muttered, appalled, as she gently pressed the cloth to Ryūta's nostril. Once the bleeding had stopped completely, she snapped again, "Now get off me already!"
As words turned into action and both of them got to their feet, the boy's gaze dropped to the handkerchief now resting in his own hand.
"You can keep it. As a token of my gratitude," said Himeko, arms crossed. Noticing her classmate's confused expression, she added, "For the dance. This time was a little better."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing specific. I'm just saying, it wasn't completely awful," she replied, tilting her nose in the air again. But before her partner could take offense, she smiled and extended her hand to him. "Nice to meet you, Ryūta."
The boy hesitated for a moment, then followed her lead.
"Nice to meet you too, Hime."
"Hime...? Only my parents call me that. Everyone else just uses it to mock me..."
"Sorry, Aizawa—" Ryūta tried to correct himself, but before he could finish, Himeko suddenly squeezed his hand.
"Hime is fine!" she said, and the boy nodded with a smile.
"Alright, Hime."
"It's going to take me a while to get used to it..." the girl said, her voice unsure, unlike Ryūta, who seemed to take it all in stride.
"Hime!"
"Okay, you can stop now..." Himeko puffed out her cheeks, but it only encouraged the boy even more.
"No way! It's such a lovely name, I can't get enough of it!"
"Lovely..." the girl echoed softly. Her pout deepened as her face turned a bright shade of red. Lowering her head, she muttered under her breath, "Dummy..."
And that's how we met. Despite our early disagreements, we quickly warmed up to each other, and before we knew it, we were inseparable. Just as we had promised, I started going to class, and she never hit anyone again. The dance club was eventually disbanded due to low membership, but maybe that was for the best. There was no unnecessary paperwork, and we got to keep our afternoon activity just between the two of us, like everything else in the end. We shared joy and sadness, successes and failures, and we never regretted a single moment of the two years we spent together.
"That was such a beautiful story! Thank you for sharing it with me," Sanae said, visibly moved, almost to the point of tears, as Ryūta finished speaking. He held the handkerchief he had been given by Himeko, clean and spotless, just like their bond was.
"No, I thank you for listening. It means a lot," the boy replied, and her smile grew even warmer.
"In that case, I'd be happy to listen anytime. If you ever feel like talking to someone, I'm here. You have my number now, so you just need to call."
"Alright, I will."
Soon after, the long-awaited train arrived, and the two high school students said their goodbyes. As the train began to move, Ryūta kept waving to his classmate for a while, and once she was out of sight, he glanced down at the neatly folded handkerchief one more time.
"I don't regret anything... Only that one thing," he thought as he slipped it back into his pocket and started walking toward the dark underpass.