Chapter 8

She saw the fiery boy from afar, loud and brazen.

He was in the middle of a fight with a bunch of older kids and they were taunting him for being an idiot. He was standing well against them despite them being taller and bigger, and she wondered if he needed help at all. She detested seeing bullies, especially older bullies against weaker, younger kids, so she decided to step in.

It was a habit she had picked up.

Her body moved even before her mind had told her not to.

It was a crazy habit she had.

But she didn't detest it.

After that, they were sitting on the swings and sharing drinks she had bought from the store. They bore battle wounds from the fight they had managed to win despite being outnumbered and outpowered. Thanks to the skirmish, a strong bond has formed between the two, a bond we know will span across time.

"I'm Natsu."

She turned to look over at the boy. Brilliant white sandy hair which curled slightly at the tips, with eyes like the dying star in deep space but they were hindered slightly by the manic look that hung like a sick shadow across his eyes. A look that has seen too much, and suffered too much. She wonders if she shares the same set of eyes as him.

Haunted.

Broken.

"Izumi."

"We'll be best friends forever!"

She laughed. And agreed.

It was the first time in years that she laughed freely.

She felt that this boy would finally be a place where she could belong.

…

I was manning the counter fixing drinks when a group of noisy boys came into the restaurant and I looked up to see the volleyball team from my school entering the establishment. My eyes went wide as plates when I saw the sheer number of people coming in, and I was taken aback by their presence. Finally, the third-years entered along with Haijime-san.

He strode in with his bulky gym bag, with an easy-going smile on his face as he was laughing over something they had said. He was dressed in his volleyball shirt, and it looked like they were just done with training. I watched as he stopped at the front area and looked around the restaurant, in hopes of seeing me.

I didn't know what kind of expression I was supposed to wear when he finally saw me by the counter. I had not spoken to him ever since I shrugged off his hug and I didn't expect him to visit so fast.

"Hey Izumi!" he exclaimed ecstatically as he went to stand in front of me. "I was hoping you were working today and you are! That's amazing! I've been wanting to see you but I guess fate wasn't allowing us to meet until today."

"Hey Hajime-san," I greeted, trying to sound nonchalant. "It's nice to see you too. Take a seat and enjoy the food here."

"What are you doing?" he asked quizzically as he looked over curiously.

"I'm making a cup of coffee for a customer."

I busied myself in front of the coffee machine, pouring the brew into the ceramic white cup with expert hands. I was making a cappuccino, so I added in a few detailed designs on the cup. I looked up once I was done and showed him my craft, to which I saw his expression. He was filled with awe and he was blushing madly.

His face was red, including his neck and ears.

"Hajime-san?"

He snapped out of his apparent stupor and smiled at me before he immediately excused himself, heading to the seat where his friends were crowded. I looked at his retreating broad back, confused at his sudden change in attitude, and simply shrugged before I handed the cup to the server.

I spent the rest of the time watching the volleyball team and helped the servers with the food and the drinks. They were quite a rowdy and playful bunch, and they seemed like they were enjoying themselves. It has been a long time since I was surrounded by much noise and happiness. I realized that some of them were in year two and so they started introducing themselves.

"You're Izumi from 2-1?"

"Yes."

"I'm Ren from 2-4."

"Kai from 2-5!"

"Kazuki, 2-3."

"Nice to meet you."

"How did you two meet?"

"Yeah, I'm very curious about it."

"Nishigawa-senpai kept saying its fate and all that nonsense."

"I just gave him food," I pointed out.

All the boys burst into raucous laughter much to my surprise.

"That's so like him!"

"That's the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!"

Even Hajime-san looked like he wanted to be buried somewhere, seeing how red his face was. I was taken aback at the ferocity of their laughter, and I stood there not knowing what to do. Suddenly, Kenta-san got up and stood next to me, ruffled my hair again before he left to go to the toilet.

His odd behavior dispelled the laughter almost immediately, and they went back to being their old selves so I made my way back to the counter to continue with my work, feeling a little disoriented at the attention I was getting. The only attention I get usually ends up with me in a fight.

About half an hour later, while I was concentrating on mixing drinks, Hajime-san called for me as he approached the counter with a big smile on his handsome face. He waited until I poured the contents into a cup before he started speaking, so I wouldn't spill any accidentally.

It was considerate of him.

"I'm heading back home first, Izumi," he said.

"Okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow! Bye!"

I nod.

…

It was finally after school. The afternoon sun was out, no matter how weak the rays were, I welcomed it. I raised my head to face the sun's rays as I left the front building, making my way across the front yard to stand by the large Sakura tree.

Being friends with Hajime-san and his group of volleyball players brings me more trouble than necessary. I had to realize the truth. The girls dislike seeing Hajime-san being very close to me. They could not peg him being friends or getting close to someone like me. To them, how I looked, I was the rebellious and delinquent type so Hajime-san and I weren't compatible at all.

We lived in two different worlds, different circles.

We were never meant to collide.

I had to realize the truth as I knew it was hopeless to stay friends with someone as handsome and as popular as Hajime-san but he doesn't seem to mind it, despite the outright distaste of the girls crowded around him.

He will usually call me out whenever he sees me around school, or come to stand next to me if he happens to see me lounging alone, causing the girls to get agitated despite their hardest to get his attention. Whenever we speak, I slide a side-long glance at the girls who are crowded on the other side and they will usually look irritated or annoyed that I had his attention.

Today, he had sent a message and I was to wait for him by the school gates, as he wanted to have dinner together. It was the first time he had sent that kind of message. I was taken aback, but I agreed. Glancing down at my watch, and stared ahead as I waited for him to arrive. A gang of girls arrived in the front yard.

I could hear their hysterical laughter and simultaneous screaming from afar.

I paid no heed to their arrival and merely stared into the distance, as I waited. Soon enough, even if I tried to hide by the tree, I was found out and they soon crowded around me, exclaiming here and there. I tried not to make a face at their noise and merely kept a deadpan look as I analyzed their behavior.

"You're Izumi, aren't you?" one of them asked.

I was against a large group of girls with varying levels of prettiness and beauty. It felt that I was against the world. I surveyed the gang of girls before me, wondering what they were thinking as they gazed at me, an anomaly being able to be friends with a popular and friendly guy like Hajime-san.

"Yes."

"Are you waiting for Hajime-senpai?"

"No."

"We're waiting for Hajime-senpai."

I nod.

"Are you going to ask him out too?"

"Haha! You?!"

"Don't ask ridiculous questions!"

"You're out of your damn mind!"

I looked at the lot. "It's none of your fucking business either," I answered. 

Restless whispering, complaints and whining erupted across the group, and I turned away with annoyance, not wanting to be inside the large group any longer. I guessed they had asked him out, for dinner or for a karaoke session but he must have refused, to make them feel or react like this.

The girls spotted Hajime-san leaving the school grounds, and they rushed towards him so I took the moment to disappear. I slipped out from their group and waited outside by the side gate, hiding by the corner as he appeared.

"The girls are bothering you again, aren't they?" he asked in concern and worry.

"Nothing I couldn't handle."

"I'm sorry."

I laughed. "You're very popular, Hajime-san."

He chuckled nervously while awkwardly scratching his neck. There was a boyish charm to him when he did that; bathed in the sunset's rays, his figure glowed, and his brown hair shone like gold, giving him an ethereal appearance. At that moment, he seemed godlike, and I would willingly follow him into the abyss if it meant I could watch him for just one more time.

"I did reject their proposals as nicely as I could," he explained. "But girls have very good intuition and they must have seen us together a lot of times in school, so I think they must've put two and two together."

"Hajime-san, you can choose not to go with them," I pointed out quietly. "You don't need to feel guilty about it when you say no to them. There's nothing wrong with saying no."

His face displayed evident surprise. With a smile directed at him, we boarded the bus headed for the city. Seated side by side, we engaged in a conversation that spanned every imaginable topic. However, it was Hajime-san who did most of the talking, while I found immense joy in simply listening to him. I could have easily spent an entire day absorbed in his words. I believe it concerned him when I remained relatively quiet.

"Do I bore you? I'm sorry, I tend to talk a lot," he said with an embarrassed laugh.

"I can listen to you all day."

A gasp. "You're the first person to say that."

"I know."

We took the bus down to the city area; where he led me to a family-owned restaurant which he claimed was the nicest amongst the range of restaurants there. We entered the shop, and picked a seat near the window. He ordered for the both of us, since I didn't know what was nice and I took the moment to stare out of the window.

Is this what you call a date?

Watching him balance the tray filled with food, my heart raced at the question I'd posed to myself. The glance he gave me, coupled with the gentle smile adorning his lips, seemed like clear indicators. In this moment, it felt akin to a date; just the two of us present. I couldn't resist pondering a small question within my heart: Would we remain as friends, or did he desire something beyond that?