Ai Kudou

The bright sunlight shined in the bustling classroom as students got ready to leave. All of the popular kids were in their cliques while others just quietly left by themselves. I saw Jay happily following Noeri out of the classroom as they left together.

I wonder if they have had their official first meeting yet.

I glanced around the classroom and checked the clock on the wall.

2:30, so I still got half an hour before the meeting time.

I leaned back in my chair and pulled out my phone to help pass the time.

I may not have seemed like it, but I was deathly nervous on the inside. I didn't know anything about the girl I'm about to meet. It was like a glorified blind date in a sense. Just thinking about it put me on edge because I didn't know what to expect. I mean the name Ai Kudou sounded like a pretty nice name, so hopefully the person attached to it was the same way.

As time went by, more and more people left the classroom until it is just me. I thought I'd be more calm once the classroom emptied but all it did was heighten my anxiety and nerves. The ticking of the clock was the only sound I heard besides the rapid beating of my heart. To help calm myself, I leaned back and stretched while taking a deep breath.

As I looked to my right, I noticed a school bag with a purple bow tied to the strap leaning on one of the legs of the desk.

If I remember correctly…

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard the sound of footsteps outside the classroom.

A moment later, a head poked around the doorway and their dark blue hair slid down to the side of their head. "Umm, is it 3 P.M. yet?" she asked quietly.

"Uhh…" I looked at the clock and its not quite 3 o'clock yet. "You got a minute by the looks of it."

I could hear her sigh. "Okay, that gives me one minute to prepare myself." She closed the door and walked back into the hallway.

Is that who I think it is?

I opened the camera app on my phone to check my hair. Once I gave myself the nod of approval, I put my phone away and awaited the girl to come in.

The door slowly slid open, and I heard her take a deep breath. She then walked very stiffly in the room and smiled. "It's nice to formally meet you, Kousei."

I thought I was nervous, but looking at her made me look completely calm in comparison. "Yeah, nice to officially meet you as well, Ai." I awkwardly smiled as she walked to her desk. She sat down and an awkward silence ensued. Neither of us said anything as we just looked down at our desks.

This awkwardness is killing me.

I took a sneak glace at her and I guessed she had the same idea because she was doing the same thing, which only caused us to look away and remain silent.

I felt like this was one of those situations where I needed to take the lead. We were both extremely nervous and nothing was going to happen unless one of us initiated the conversation. We both looked at each other frantically.

"Hey, so—"

"So, how—"

We both blurted out before stopping to let the other speak. We stared at each other for a second before Ai started laughing.

"I don't think I've ever been this nervous talking to anyone in my life," she laughed as she reset her hair.

I chuckled. "You're not the only one. My heart's beating so fast, I feel like I just got done running a 5K."

Seeing her so nervous really brought my head back down to Earth. She wasn't this goddess or someone who was a higher level being than I was. She's a person, just like everyone else.

As the ice was now broken, "Anyways, you can go first," Ai offered. "I'm pretty sure we were both just trying to start a conversation anyways."

I turned my chair a little more in her direction so that I could face her more directly. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'm not a great conversationalist, so getting one started is a tall order for me," I joked.

Ai laughed in response. "It's okay. I tried to calm myself down before I came in so things wouldn't be so awkward, but that's a lot easier said than done." She reached down and grabbed the bow she had tied to her bag.

"So, your mom got you that bow, right?" I asked. "Must be pretty important because I don't think I've ever seen you without it." I wasn't not lying because anytime I'd seen her around school, she always had that bow somewhere on her person. Not a lot of girls here wore any kind of hair accessory so it was pretty easy to spot out.

She caressed it as if it were the most fragile thing on the planet, like it would break with the slightest touch. "Yeah, she gave it to me for my 10th birthday. She made it herself and told me it was made with more love than I could ever imagine." She pulled the bow close to her chest. "Whenever I get sad or lonely, I always hold this bow. It calms me down and reminds me that my mom is always with me, despite her not being on the island."

Just by looking at her expression, you could tell just how much the bow meant to her. "Well, it is very lovely and very fitting for you."

Ai's eyes glistened at my comment. "Thanks, I think my mom would be really happy if she heard that." She tied the bow back onto the bag strap. "Anyways, who would've imagined that the guy who fell over in his chair yesterday would be my destined partner," she teased.

I scratched my cheek lightly. "Yeah, I was just caught off guard yesterday was all." Ai's laughter ensued which only enhanced her cuteness. "I don't think I'll ever forget that moment."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about it. People may talk about it for a few days, but I'm sure there'll be some big commotion that will let you slip under the radar," she insisted. "Besides, I think more people were still focused on the power couple in the class."

"Oh, you mean Jay and Noeri? I was surprised by that too. Never in a million years would I have thought them two would be partners," I laughed.

"Yeah, it definitely threw the entire school for a loop, that's for sure." Her dark blue hair swayed with every motion she made, down the smallest shift. It looked so well kept and smooth. Noticing me looking at her hair, she brought it over her shoulder and ran her fingers through it. "You seem to really like my hair or something. I noticed you looking at it a lot yesterday too." She gasped and leaned away from me. "You don't have a hair fetish do you?"

I waved my arms in front of me. "No, no, no. I may be kind of weird, but not in that way," I pleaded my case. "I just like admiring things that I know are taken care of. When things are taken care of, their true beauty is shown and I applaud the effort to those who can do that." I know for a fact some people don't. If I went to Jay's apartment right now, I guarantee I would find clothes on the floor and trash just lying around. Then he complains to me about having so many bugs in his apartment. I hope Noeri can help him on that front.

Ai smiled, "Thanks, not many guys realize just how much effort it takes to achieve hair like this," she boasted. Her hair went down to around the middle of her back so I could only imagine the maintenance on something like that. She looked at me nervously, "Would you like to feel it?"

She held her hair out to me. Quite the weird offer, but I'm not one to say no. "Uhh, sure…" I reached over and gently caressed her hair. My fingers glided in between it. "It's so smooth and soft!" Ai bashfully giggled to my comment. I continued playing with her hair for a minute, then gently let it go as my heart had been satisfied.

Ai then stood up and walked behind me. "Y'know, you have some pretty nice hair yourself." She started picking out random strands. "As far as I know, you are the only other person who has silver hair besides Noeri."

My silver hair does tend to stand out amongst the crowd as it is fairly uncommon. The most notable people are higher class people, so that's what people tend to associate it with.

"I wouldn't say it's nice or anything. I take care of it just like anyone else would," I tried to cover my hair with my hands.

Ai smirked, moved my hands, and began to run her fingers through my hair. "Are you sure about that? The expression you're making right now says otherwise," she suggested as I have a bashful smile across my face.

Damn, I guess I let my happiness get the better of me there.

I crossed my arms and leaned my head back a bit more so I'm looking directly at her. She looked down at me with a cheerful smile. Her purple eyes slowly started to pull me in. Along with her playing with my hair, I was in complete bliss. There was no better feeling than having your hair played with to the point where it felt like a gentle massage.

"You seem to be really enjoying this," Ai said as my expression was of pure comfiness. "I guess I will spoil you a little more, but don't think I don't want something in return. I want to be spoiled at some point too," she proposed as she playfully poked my nose. I nodded without thinking about it as my brain was currently on cloud nine.

Ai eventually stopped and walked to the windows of the classroom. "So, I know about the fact that two other girls have been matched with you."

That comment quickly brought me back down from cloud nine. "Wait, how do you know that?"

She turned to face me, putting her arms behind her back. "When I got the message about you being my partner, they immediately sent another one saying that I wasn't the only one who matched with you. It went into all the details about what's gonna happen in a year and so on."

I laid my head on my arms as I leaned on my desk. I turned my head to look at Ai. "I guess that makes sense. It's better to tell you at the beginning rather than not tell you at all."

Ai turned to the side and looked out the window. Her figure was outlined perfectly by the sun's light. "It just means that I have to put in a little bit more effort than I originally thought," she muttered. After a brief moment of silence, she faced me with a cheerful expression. "How about we go to the roof before we wrap our first meeting up?"

After grabbing our bags, we headed up to the rooftop. The sound of the wind was the only thing that could be heard. Some students were still hanging around the front of the school by the gate, but a majority of the campus was empty at this point. At this time of day, it would be extremely hot, but because of the Sprites, the temperature was cozier and warmer, and with the incoming breeze, it was practically perfect.

Ai ran out into the middle of the space. "Ahh, what perfect weather today! Granted that's pretty much every day on this island." She threw her arms in the air and stretched her back.

I followed her out, "Yeah, these Sprites do wonders. I wonder if they can ever implement them into mainland countries." I followed Ai's shoes and stretched my back as well. "I don't think I can go back to the randomness mother nature brings."

Ai walked over the fence and gazed out into the scenery of trees and the ocean in the backdrop. "We still do get some random storms here and there, but it's really not as often as I'd expect."

The Sprites do have some effect on the overall temperature of the island, but it can't always govern mother nature. As the island is surrounded by water, we do get the occasional rain and stuff, but being struck by a natural disaster has only happened once since Eden's creation.

"So, Kousei, what are your thoughts on being matched with three girls?" she asked in a more serious tone. "Like are you more happy cause now you have options and can mess around with all of us?"

I sat down a few feet away from her, my back to the fence. "Do you really think I'm the kind of guy who'd think about that in this situation?"

"I mean, most guys would be ecstatic to be in the situation you're in," Ai remarked. "Three girls who are a perfect match for one guy. Isn't that every guy's dream?" she asked, tilting her head.

"I think you mean every horny guy's dream," I retorted. "Not all guys think like that. I'm a prime example of it. You can ask Jay if you want to verify, but I was more stressed out than anything when I got the news." I looked at her with a slight pained expression. "I can only imagine how it for you and the other two girls. You finally meet your soulmate, but they may not even pick you despite that…" I trailed off as I hung my head.

Ai walked over and sat next to me. "Alright, I'm sorry for assuming that you are just one of those other horny guys." She looked over at me. "You don't have to worry about us. I'm sure the other girls would feel the same way… I would know because I've already met them."

My head popped up. "You've met the other girls?"

"Of course! That was one of the instructions we were given," she said as if it was to be expected. "I will say, I do have some tough competition by the looks of it."

"Besides you, the only other one I know is Ms. Yunasa. I don't think I've ever met the other one, what was her name…" I checked the name on my phone. "Yume Miko…"

Ai slowly scooted closer to me. "As a person who has seen her, she's extremely cute," she asserted. "I want to talk more about her and Yunasa, but I think I'll wait until after your meeting with both of them. Oh!" she pulled out her phone. "We should exchange contact info!"

I handed her my phone and let her input her contact information. "I don't know why, but the thought of exchanging numbers didn't even cross my mind," I admitted. You know when there's just too many things to think about, you tend to miss some of the more obvious stuff. Kind of like how someone can hide in plain sight, but with your thoughts.

"Considering how your phone contacts are practically empty, I think I can understand why it slipped your mind," she teased. After handing my phone back, she scooted right up next to me and rested her head on my shoulder. "Are you excited to meet the other girls?"

I don't have to look at her to know she is concerned and worried.

Wait, is this the moment where I'm supposed to put my arm around her and console her?

My thoughts began to wander. "I wouldn't say I'm not excited…" I glanced over at her and she's looking down at her hands. "I would say I'm more anxious than anything."

I could see her cheeks turning red as she glanced at my hand. She slowly reached out and grabbed it. "I'm sorry that I'm being a little insecure right now," she apologized.

"With a woman like Ms. Yunasa in the mix, I can't say I blame yo—" I got cut off as I get jabbed in my ribs. "Yeah, sorry. Not really a great time to crack a joke," I whimpered as I winced from the pain.

She grabbed my hand more firmly. "This is the time where you're supposed to console me you know."

Alright, it seemed my thoughts were right. I gently moved my hand away from her grasp and put my arm around her. "Sorry, again… I tend to overthink things cause I don't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable."

She smiled softly as she nuzzled her face into my chest. "As if that's something you should be concerned about at this point, idiot."

My heart started racing at a mile minute as my nose was enveloped by the scent of her scent. The sweet aroma of cherry blossoms wrapped my nose in a blanket. I finally understood what it meant to be wrapped up in a scent. We sat there for a few minutes, just taking in the moment.

"Alright, well I think it's about time I head to work," Ai said as she stood up. "I haven't been late once and I don't plan on changing that anytime soon."

I slowly stood up and grabbed my things. "That's a strong sense of responsibility you've got."

She laughed, "I'd rather be overly responsible than irresponsible." She walked to the door and opened it halfway. "Well then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow!"

I nodded and smiled in response. "Yeah, I guess so. You have a good rest of the day Ai."

Her gentle smile makes time feel like it slows down as I get entranced. "As do you, Kousei." She waved and walked inside.

I stood there for a minute, then took a deep breath.

Could she tell how nervous I was through the entirety of our meeting?

There were multiple times when I thought my heart would leap out of my chest. The way her figure was outlined in the classroom and how smooth and soft her hair is. Not to mention her sweet she smelt when she leaned on me. A giant smile formed as I try to cover it with my hand.

This isn't good, I can't stop smiling.

I made my way in the building and began to head home. The first meeting was a lot better than I expected, but I needed to relax myself because I have another meeting at 7 P.M. I plugged in my earbuds and listen to Lo-Fi to help relax myself before my meeting with Yume Miko.

* * *

As I shut the door behind me, I covered my face in my hands.

Did he realize how nervous I was?

I quickly ran to the nearest bathroom. I made sure no one else was in there before I set my bag down. I looked into the mirror and my cheeks were flushed red.

Ever since I moved to Eden, I haven't really made any friends. As a girl who was smart, but quiet, it was kind of hard to throw yourself out there. I didn't really talk to anyone and just kept to myself. I never thought about approaching anyone until I noticed a guy who sat next to me in class.

I didn't think he knew I existed as he had never really looked at me, but for some reason, I felt drawn to him. I didn't know if it was because of his rare silver hair or his carefree attitude, but as time went on, my eyes kept following him. And before long, I started looking at him subconsciously.

Some people say you don't need a reason to fall in love. Love is something that can just happen. It's something that most people yearn for, but for a majority of the residents on Eden, there's no issue in finding it. Despite the test for a soulmate, I convinced myself to try and talk to him before our testing day. Lone behold, I never did build up the courage to go talk to him.

On the day of the test, I woke up extremely disappointed in myself. I wanted to try and talk to him before the test because, what if I don't get matched with him? Would the feelings I held for him be a lie? I felt extremely lonely, but I have a way of coping with that. I grabbed my favorite bow that was sitting on top of my dresser and gently caressed it.

Please, please let me get matched with Kousei. I don't want these feelings to have been a lie.

After arriving to the testing site, I picked a seat along the wall, so I didn't really stand out. I wanted to get in and get out as soon as possible. As time went on, more and more students arrived in the testing room, then suddenly fate struck. My eyes covertly followed him as he made his way to a desk.

This has to be the red string of fate's doing.

After getting comfortable, he suddenly looked in my direction. I quickly ducked my head down in the book I was holding in front of me.

Could he sense me looking at him? I hope he doesn't think I'm some weirdo!

My thoughts went into disarray as I tried to keep my composure. Maybe he didn't know it was me looking at him… I slowly turned to look at him and to my surprise, he hadn't moved an inch.

He's looking at me! He's looking at me!

My cheeks flushed red and I could feel my head getting hot. I panicked and slammed my head on my desk, covering head with my arms.

He totally thinks I'm a freak!

I kept my head down until the tests began being passed out. Right before I started answering my questions, I tried to get one last look at him because who knows, it could be one of my last chances.

Why did I have to fall in love before the test?

A couple of days after the quiz, I received a text message:

"Hello Ai Kudou, after going through your answers for the test, we have found the soulmate you've been searching for! His name is Kousei Shimazaki, and you will meet him in your homeroom classroom in two days at 3 P.M."

It felt like a dream. My first love wasn't a lie.

I knew it… I knew my love wasn't fake.

I cried for some time, not out of sadness, but as sign of relief.

My phone vibrated after a couple of minutes. "Huh? A second message from the test company?" I soon came to find out that fate had a strange way of stringing things together. "Two other women who got matched with him too, and I have to meet them tomorrow after class." Nothing in life comes easy, especially love. This was my chance to change myself. I hated the feeling of possibly losing Kousei. I'm going to make sure I don't ever have to worry about losing him again.