FRIEND

After Kumori's cruel words, I returned home in a state of heartache. I kept the pain to myself and didn't share it with Yozora or Kai. To be truthful, I didn't know which hurt me more: the girl's repeated insults or the way Tsuki averted her gaze when our eyes met.

I lay on my bed, lost in thought, as my phone buzzed with messages I was in no mood to read. I simply wanted to escape from reality. I decided not to attend the school festival the next day, as I had dreamt of walking hand in hand with Tsuki. Would I ever get another chance to confess my feelings to her? Should I even try again? The thoughts weighed heavily on my heart and mind, causing me to drift into a deep sleep.

My mother woke me up abruptly, and I was surprised to find that it was already the next day. I hadn't even eaten dinner the previous evening.

"Kousei, are you sleeping?" my mother called out as she knocked on my door.

"I'm not sleeping, Mom," I replied.

"Then open the door, your friend has come to visit you," she said.

"My friend?" I asked, wondering who it could be.

"Stop lying, Mom. I don't have any friends," I said, thinking she was trying to trick me into doing chores.

"Kousei, what are you talking about? Don't say something like that!" my mother scolded me.

Just then, I heard Yozora's signature laugh "Huhu..", as he started sprouting nonsense "Oh, my heart doth ache so fiercely! Am I not thy friend? Hath our bond so easily withered away, like leaves in autumn's cruel grasp? Nay, say it is not so! For if thou art my friend no longer, then what purpose doth my life hold? Speak, and let thy words be as arrows piercing the very depths of my soul. For I cannot bear this agony, this doubt, this uncertainty. Oh, speak!"

I opened the door to find Yozora standing there. "WHAT THE HELL MAN! Why the hell are you here? ARE YOU CURSING ME?" I asked.

"That's the first thing you're going to ask me? You just keep hurting me, huhu," Yozora teased.

"No, that's not what I meant. Why aren't you at the school festival?" I asked, confused.

"Why should I be at the school festival? It's better to visit a friend than be alone there, huhu," Yozora replied.

I realized that with Kai and Tsuki in different classes, Yozora must have been feeling lonely.

"So how did you find my house? And when did you guys finish that task yesterday?" I asked.

"It only took us an hour, and Kin was working like a robot. Finding a classmate's house is not hard for a student who knows all... most of the teachers," Yozora said, referring to his connections within the school.

"So why were you ignoring my messages? Look at your phone," Yozora said, pointing to my phone.

I looked at my phone and saw that I had 500 new messages, all from Yozora. They all read: "Error 404, you stopped working?"

"That wasn't even funny," I said, rolling my eyes.

"So tell me, why did you leave early yesterday? And what happened? I want the full story," Yozora demanded.

I didn't want to talk about it, so I remained silent.

"Let me guess, you ran into Kumori?" Yozora said, as if he could read my mind.

"Yes, I did. I wanted to say things back at her. But I didn't.," I admitted.

"Everyone wants to do that. Calm down and tell me what she said," Yozora prompted.

Well, he was aware of what happened the previous day. Hence, there was no need to keep it a secret anymore.

I confided in him about everything that transpired the day before, except for the part where Tsuki turned away from me. It was too mortifying to share.

"Oh, I am so sorry! But can I ask you something? You're not the kind of guy who gets discouraged when someone mistreats you, are you?" Yozora queried with a gentle voice.

"Well, perhaps. But it's a different matter entirely when you're treated like dirt your whole life," I replied.

"Umm? I don't understand what you mean," Yozora spoke with a confused tone.

"You probably aren't aware, but I was born and raised in America. My father is American, and my mother is Japanese," I explained.

"Yeah, I don't look like an American, I guess my mother's genes were more dominant," I added with a chuckle.

"We lived in America because of my father. He was a soccer player, but he had to retire because of me. But let's not dwell on that, it only brings back sad memories," I mentioned with a sigh.

"It's your decision, Kousei. If you don't want to discuss your past, that's perfectly fine. I understand. However, always remember that sharing your troubles with someone who's willing to listen is the best cure for depression," Yozora consoled me with a kind voice.

I've never shared my past with anyone before, but for some reason, my heart was begging me to reveal my pain to Yozora.

"Okay, I'll share it with you," I said with a deep breath.

"Thank you for placing your trust in me. I hope it brings you some solace," Yozora spoke with a warm smile.

I didn't know where to start, as it was a long and complicated story. Nevertheless, I would try to keep it short.

"America was a beautiful place to live, but like every other country, it had its flaws. I quickly realized this once I started attending elementary school," I began.

"One of the biggest problems in America was bullying and racism. I was bullied and racially abused, not only by my classmates but also by my teachers. Native-born Americans were favored, while others like me were treated like garbage," I revealed with a hint of sadness in my voice.

"Even when I scored higher marks than my classmates, my teachers would alter my grades to make me the lowest-scoring student in the class. And as a result, I was punished for my poor grades. The punishments were brutal, like standing outside under the scorching sun for hours. Keep in mind, I was just a child," I recounted out with a heavy heart.

"I didn't tell my parents about it, I didn't want to burden them. I knew they would leave America as soon as possible if they found out. But my father loved soccer so much, and I loved watching him play. So I didn't want him to quit because of me," I explained with a mix of emotions.

"So, I endured it all. I cried until there were no more tears left. I made a decision to endure everything, every punishment," I said with determination in my voice.

"So, I weathered it all. I wept until there were no more tears left. I made the choice to endure everything, every hurt," I declared with unwavering resolve.

"But then...

All was well until one day, as I returned home early from school, I saw my mother in tears. Just as I was tormented by bullies in school, my mother was tormented by our neighbors.

My anger surged, my little heart and mind began to cultivate hatred for the Americans.

I made my decision. Yes, I was determined to leave America as soon as possible. I couldn't bear to see my mother's tears any longer. I couldn't even fathom how much pain she must have endured.

Later that day, when my father returned home, I shared everything that had happened to me and my mother.

He was melancholic about retiring from soccer, but he loved us more. So, he made the choice to leave America. And that's how we came to Japan.

You might ask, 'Hey, why didn't he just join a Japanese soccer club if he loved soccer so much?'

Well, he was already past his prime. Also, Japan was already filled with talented soccer players, so he knew it wouldn't be easy. So, he didn't attempt it.

My junior high life was good. I was living a peaceful existence. No, it doesn't mean I was joyful or making friends. What I mean is, no one was bullying me here.

However, I struggled with speaking Japanese. My mother was the one who helped me learn the language.

Only a few students who spoke English would talk to me.

Hayato Ren helped me during those times, even though he didn't know English. But let's not bring that up here. Let's move on.

I thought this school would be filled with professional students and teachers. I never thought I would be treated as trash here. It was a shock.

The only difference was, my elementary school judged me based on my race, and my high school judged me based on my family's wealth.

When you think about it, it's all the same everywhere.", I finished as I gazed into Yozora's face, searching for his reaction to my story.

He was shocked! That much was evident from his expression.

"I'm so sorry! I should have asked you about this earlier. I'm truly sorry," Yozora offered apologetically.

"No, don't apologize. You have been such a fantastic listener. You didn't interrupt me once. Thank you, I feel a bit better now."

But that was a lie.

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Narration: Kiyosumi Yozora

I couldn't bring myself to say anything more to him.

If only I had known the depth of his struggles, the pain he was shouldering. I wouldn't have been so insistent, so pushy yesterday. We should've planned it better. Who was I to decide when my friend should confess his feelings?

I'd always hidden my own affections, guarding them from any interference, yet here I was, recklessly meddling in his life. And in doing so, I shattered his confidence, ruined his moment.

It's all my fault. All because of me.

Narration: Kiyosumi Yozora: End

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After a few moments of silence, Yozora stepped out of my room.

I followed him to the front door, not wanting my mother to question him about me.

As I suspected, my mother was waiting for him at the door. But as soon as she saw me, she stepped back.

"Give me your phone," Yozora requested from the doorway.

I was confused, but I could see the seriousness in his eyes when he made a request.

"Why does he need it?" I thought to myself.

I gave my phone to Yozora and after a minute, he gave it back to me and said, "I should've given this to you earlier."

When I looked at my phone, I saw that Yozora had added the contact information of Tsuki.

I was about to ask Yozora why he did that, but before I could, he continued speaking.

"The night sky is beautiful when both the moon and the stars shine together," he said. "And that is why I promise to make the moon (Tsuki) and the star (Kousei) shine bright in the night sky (Yozora) without any interference from the clouds (Kumori)."

Yozora then walked away from my house, leaving me standing at the front door in surprise.

"Who was that boy?" asked my mom. "You told me he wasn't your friend. Is he from an astronomy school or something?"

"No, he's not from any astronomy school," I replied with a laugh. "And sorry, I was lying before. He's actually my friend, well... My Best Friend - Yozora."