Chapter 22

Summer break was finally over, but the weather was still hot as ever even though it was almost September. I can still hear the crackling of the hot, crisp air as I open the window to gauge the heat. It was going to be stifling. I wanted it to be cooler when we returned to school, but alas, it was not possible I guess.

Pulling on my summer uniform, which is basically the same except for the short-sleeved top. I don't really prefer wearing the summer uniform, if I had to choose.

It showed off too much skin.

After breakfast and bidding goodbye to Haru-san and Setagawa-san, I headed to school. Crickets, and birds chirping accompanied me along the way as I read. I had cultivated the habit of reading now whenever I had the time. English books or Japanese books, whichever one that caught my interest.

As I walked down the street which encompasses the sea and the walls of the landed properties, I felt someone sliding along my right side and so I turned to see Hajime-san appearing with a little grin on his face.

"Good morning, Izumi," he greeted.

"Morning sunshine," I replied.

"The weather is unbearable today," he commented, as he stretched with a sigh. "What are you reading there, Izumi?"

I glanced at him again, finally noticing the summer uniform he had on and marveling at how sculpted he looked now that his arms are revealed. I came to realize that I liked seeing Hajime-san in his summer uniform, and I quickly rearranged my facial features before he found out about it.

"I'm not sure, but it's science fiction," I replied as I showed him the front cover. "The author has a distinctive style of writing."

"Aren't you feeling warm, Izumi?" he asked as he indicated the extra arm sleeves that I was wearing underneath my blouse. "It's still thirty degrees out."

"Yes," I said.

"Oh."

I knew he finally realized what was hidden beneath the sleeves and he didn't press for more; merely changing the topic so I wasn't uncomfortable. We reached the school grounds with plenty of time to spare and exchanged our shoes for the indoor ones. We separated from there, him going to his friends while I headed up the staircase to my classroom.

"Oi Izumi!"

I stopped walking, and turned behind me to see a trio of pretty girls heading towards me. Knowing that they were there to cause trouble, I placed the bookmark where I was, and closed the book before I faced them squarely. I was in no mood to handle them, and I wanted this to be done immediately.

"I see you're making your move on him, you cheap slut," one of them commented, a look of fury plastered on her face.

"Who is?" I asked.

Seeing that I was unperturbed by her insult, she decided to play an underhanded game which she knew she would win. Switching maneuvers, her anger disappeared to be replaced by a gloating smile aimed my way, she wore a pompous expression and one of her hands went up to cinch her waist as she inspected her long-manicured nails for any sign of dirt on it.

"You do know that you and Nishigawa-senpai will never be together," she stated dramatically as she was done inspecting her nails and gave me her meanest look that she could manage. "Nishigawa-senpai deserves a better girl, a more beautiful and elegant-looking girl-"

"Does he know you exist?" I interrupted and raised a pierced eyebrow at her, as I gave her a critical once-over. 

She grew red in the face, knowing that she was losing before she even got the chance to gloat and immediately abandoned her new game.

"I don't give a fuck! I'm giving you a warning, you damn slut! Stay the hell away from Nishigawa-senpai! He's mine!" she declared.

I burst out laughing, startling the girls and her gang. This girl was too humorous, she tickles me funny. I had never seen anyone so desperate to have Hajime-san and this girl was the first one amongst the entire batch of girls to declare this so loudly in front of everyone who happened to be hanging by the long corridor.

The girl couldn't accept the humiliation from me; honestly, she was expecting otherwise and decided to slap me. For humiliating her. She raced towards me, thinking I would be taken unawares as I was still busy laughing my head off and she swung her palm across. She expected her palm to hit my cheek – everyone else thinks so – but my hand stopped her.

"I abhor violence," I said, squeezing her wrist hard enough for her to snatch it away in pain.

"You... you'd pay for this!" she screeched in a last-ditch attempt to save whatever face she had left and ran away; her two bitches threw me nasty looks before they ran away as well. I stood where I was, watching them run. Knowing that there were too many people watching, I knew some fucking idiot would tattle to Kousuke-san about this.

I don't want this to happen.

But, I was right after all.

Just after his lesson ended, while the bell was still ringing, Kousuke-san announced loudly that I was to find him in his staff room after school for a chat before he left for his next classroom. I gritted my teeth hard, as I felt my anger soar knowing that I didn't start any fight and felt the stares from the others.

Thanks to that, I was in a foul mood.

Even when Hajime-san invited me for lunch with the rest of his team, I turned his invitation down and went to mope by the roof myself.

I didn't like this at all. I understood why they were jealous, and the reason behind their actions to target me. I know it very well but I just wanted to be normal. I wanted to be amongst friends, amongst peers but why was it so difficult for them to understand it? Why can't I have the same as them? How long more do I have to be alone, to atone my sins?

I finished my bento and headed down to my classroom with a brooding feeling inside my chest. I tend to think a lot, and it leads to more dark thoughts that end up with me feeling jaded and moody. Like all my happiness was sucked out. Three hours later, I headed to Kousuke-san's office with a brooding expression. His office was in a different building, and so I had to cross buildings before I climbed up to the second floor to the fourth door along the hallway.

I knocked on the door before I slid it open to find the room empty. Sighing heavily and muttering complaints under my breath, I entered the room and switched on the lights and air conditioning before I took a good look at the office. It was neat and tidy, for someone like Kousuke-san.

It was weird.

Curious, I headed to the desk where he had a few photo frames aligned in a straight line. I sat down on the chair and looked at the frames one by one. Most of the picture frames were of family and friends, so they were normal. However, the last one caught my eye and seized my heart. It was a photo of us together; when I was still a kid and before he left for his outrageous studies.

It was a photo we took, four years ago.

He looked young here and was wearing an absurd shirt with loud words on it. It looked to me that we were laughing over a joke he cracked and that was when his mum took the photo. He had an arm over my shoulder and both my arms were around his waist. It was a sincere and innocent moment.

"I wish you're still the same cute little kid," his voice wafted from the door. "But time doesn't wait for anybody."

"No, they don't," I said.

"I heard you got into a fight," he stated. "This is the second time, Izumi."

"I was not. They came to me first."

"You kids are always up to something."

"That's why we're kids."

He sighed heavily at my statement and as headed to stand on the other side of the desk, curling his arms in front of his chest as he stared right down at me with a serious expression on his face. His serious look always terrifies me, and even after four years, the intensity of his gaze is still the same.

I wither a little.

"Explain."

"I made new friends," I started, my eyes averted from his sharp gaze. "She's not happy with me being their friend, so she felt the need to insult me and forced me to fear her. If you don't believe me, look at the CCTVs."

He made a humming sound of understanding and let out another sigh before he lit a cigarette. It seemed that he was thinking of a way to get out of this mess without causing more trouble to himself. "I'll let this one off," he said and took another puff before he ruffled my hair. "Get off my seat, I need to work."

I left the office immediately and went home.