Chapter 15

As the bell rang signaling the start of the exams, the students began working through the questions with great caution. Tomori, of course, was no exception. She double-checked her answers, triple-checked the questions, and submitted the papers with confidence. Throughout the entire exam week, Tomori felt as though she was brimming with the power of knowledge, "omniscient" being the word with which she described herself.

However, her personal opinion did not count for much. When the grades were returned two weeks later, the illusion shattered. 'God is dead,' she thought, as she looked through her grades. They were barely above average, escaping failure by 0.5 points.

"Tomori-san? Tomori-san?"

A familiar voice rang right behind her, one that made her day and ruined it at the same time. She couldn't let him see her grades, especially after foolishly announcing that she would ace the tests. As if in full auto-reflex, she shoved the test papers straight into her backpack, not letting Haku catch even the slightest glimpse of her grades.

"Ah! Haku-kun…what's up?"

"You looked a bit… gloomy. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a little hungry, that's all."

"Is that so? Wanna grab something? I forgot my lunch at home."

"Yeah sure—wait, no, I left my wallet at home…"

"It's alright, it's my treat this time, since you said that you'd ace the test, and I just got my paycheck too."

"I-If that's fine with you…"

They headed off to the nearby convenience store, leaving the crowded atmosphere behind them. On their way there, Tomori kept her gaze downwards, unable to look Haku in the eyes. Whether it was because he was so dense or just the fact that she was so short, when she completely disappeared from his line of sight, he didn't even notice.

Tomori was swarmed with guilt. 'Should I tell him? But I already said that I'd ace it. What if he found out? Would he hate me then? What if he already knew? What if this is just some prank to rub it in? No, it can't be, he isn't like that… right?' Her thoughts kept piling up. 'Would he still talk to me if he found out that I'm both arrogant and stupid?' Even though she had an entire hard drive full of his pictures, she couldn't figure out how he'd act. The constant poker face, the myriad of personalities he seemed to use for different peopleâ€"it all stopped her from predicting his reaction. Just before her thoughts could flood once more, she felt a slight knock on her head.

"We're here, Tomori-san."

"A-Are we? Let's head in then."

"Are you actually alright? You've been zoning out a lot. Should I take you to the nurse's office?"

"I'm fine I swear, just have a little something on my mind."

Haku looked at her with worried eyes. He could tell that something was off, but they weren't close enough for him to inquire. What if he accidentally brought up a sensitive subject and she would start hating him? A friend was too much to lose for him, especially one who knew his face.

They went inside the store and grabbed their items. Tomori picked up a piece of melon bread and headed to the cashier, where Haku was already waiting with a sandwich and some drinks on the counter.

"1 melon bread, 1 turkey ham sandwich, 1 milk tea, and 1 strawberry milk. Will that be all?"

"Do you want anything else, Tomori-san?"

She quietly looked back at the drink station but instantly turned back and shook her head.

"That's all then."

They quietly made their way back to school and onto the school rooftop. The air was fresh, and the sky was cloudy with no chance of meatballs. To prevent Tomori from taking a peek at him while he was eating, Haku decided that they should sit with their backs facing each other. They took their food out of the plastic bag, and Haku suddenly handed Tomori the strawberry milk.

"I-It's yours, right? Keep it."

"I bought it for you, silly."

"How?"

"How what?"

"How did you know I liked strawberries?"

"You picked it at the karaoke place, plus you have a strawberry keychain on your backpack."

"…"

"You want to get taller, right? Then drink up."

It was then that the guilt started to crush down on her. 'He was so thoughtful, and yet I lied to him. He wasted his hard-earned money on a lie I made up so that he'd like me.' To others, it might seem like a trivial matter, and it is. But in her mind, it felt like she betrayed the person she'd been idolizing for years and exploiting him, even if it was just milk and melon bread.

Tomori had a tendency to over-dramatize anything and everything related to Haku, turning the teeniest tiniest molehill into a mountain. She couldn't bear it anymore and had to tell him.

"Uhhh…so about the test…"

"I'm listening."

"I… almost failed at every subject."

"I know. I asked the homeroom teacher on the way up. While you were in the bathroom. I'm not blind, and I could tell that something was wrong."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't plan to say anything until you told me yourself."

"I'm sorry… I'll pay you back tomorrow…"

"It's just some bread and milk, no need to feel guilty."

"Still, you bought it because I told you that I aced the test."

"Whether you aced it or not, you still tried your best, right? That's enough of a cause for celebration. Now finish up before class starts."

Her mind went blank, or rather, it was filled with so much happiness it stopped working. She was throwing a party inside her mind to celebrate not being hated by Haku. Suddenly, however, a thought came into her mind.

'Do I really deserve this kindness?'