Chapter 46: A lonely day

Despite my apprehensions, I knew Benjiro and Evangeline meant well.

Their relentless positivity and enthusiasm were their ways of pulling me out of the dark pit I found myself in.

But despite their efforts, I was still feeling a void inside of me.

As we walked towards the classroom together, Evangeline chatted animatedly about the arcade where we had to go.

Her excitement was infectious, and I found myself nodding along, even managing a few weak smiles.

When we entered the classroom, the usual hustle and bustle greeted us.

Students were chatting, some were rushing to finish last-minute homework, and a few were already seated, immersed in their books.

Suzuki waved at us from across the room, her face lighting up when she saw me.

She hurried over, practically bouncing with energy.

"Fumihiro! I'm so glad you're here," she said, her eyes were sparkling with a strange light. "I was worried you might skip today."

"Yeah, well, Benjiro and Evangeline made sure I didn't," I replied, glancing at them with a half-smile.

"Of course we did," Benjiro said, patting my back. "We can't let you mope around forever."

I noticed some strange glances to me coming from our classmates.

I even saw someone whispering inside another one's ears while looking at me.

Well, i couldn't blame them, i became pretty famous after my "incident".

As the first bell rang, signaling the start of class, I took my seat and tried to focus.

My mind, however, kept drifting back to Ema.

I took a look around the class, trying to find her figure but she wasn't here.

Her absence was like a gaping hole in my life, and every time I thought about her, a wave of pain washed over me.

I glanced around the room, half-expecting to see her, even though I knew she wouldn't be there.

Her empty seat close to me was a constant reminder of everything that had happened.

Nobody else seemed to notice her absence, or if they did, they didn't say anything.

The day dragged on, each lesson blending into the next.

I barely registered the teachers' words, my mind numb and my heart heavy.

During lunch, I found a quiet corner of the schoolyard and sat down, hoping for a moment of solitude.

But solitude was hard to come by.

Suzuki found me quickly, her presence a comforting one despite my wish to be alone. She sat down beside me without a word, offering me half of her sandwich.

I took it, grateful for her silent support.

"You know," she said after a while, "it's okay to feel sad. It's okay to take your time to heal."

I nodded, unable to find the words to respond.

Suzuki was right, of course, but the pain was still too raw, too overwhelming.

What she didn't know, what nobody knew, was the true reason behind my sadness.

I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone about the breakup. It felt too personal, too fresh.

I had launch with Suzuki, who saw the darkness inside me.

She tried her best to cheer me up, but once again, i tried my best to fake my emotions.

"So, what is happening, Fumihiro-Kun? Is there something bothering you?" She asked while finishing her launch.

She then cleaned her mouth and smiled warmly at me.

I was happy to have such good friends, but on the other hand, i knew about her feelings towards me.

"Well, nothing important, it's just a bad day, nothing more." I said while raising my gaze at the sky.

I always looked at the sky whenever i was sad about anything.

"Are you sure about that? I know that you faked all of your smiles." She said with a friendly tone of voice while getting closer to me.

I looked at her, surprised again after hearing her words.

She really saw trough me.

But for some reason, seeing her so close to me, made my hear feel mixed feelings.

I was feeling strange, like i felt guilty.

"Well, you know how much i hate to talk about my problems, Suzuki." I said , forcing another smile.

Then, Suzuki's radiant smile got replaced by a cute and lovely pout.

"You're faking your smile again!" She said, before letting out a small but playful laugh.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, Fumihiro , but you can count on me and the others for everything." She said while placing her hand on my left shoulder.

I could feel my body twitching a bit after getting touched by her.

It was an instinctive reaction coming from my body, as i softly leaned back after feeling her touch.

Suzuki surely noticed that, but pretended not to.

All she did was smiling at me , with love in her words.

Then, after our launch, we returned at lesson together.

The rest of the school day was a blur, and before I knew it, classes were over.

Evangeline and Benjiro were waiting for me at the school gate, their expressions a mix of determination and concern.

"Ready for the arcade?" Evangeline asked, her eyes bright with anticipation.

I sighed, but managed a nod. "Yeah, let's go."

Then, i felt like something… no, someone was missing.

"Where's Suzuki ?" I asked, while looking around to find her.

"Haruka Suzuki is… here!" I heard a familiar voice behind me.

I turned my head back and saw Suzuki smiling at us.

For some reason, I felt a strange heat around my heart.

Suzuki looked way more beautiful than she used to.

"What the…" that's what i was thinking.

Words can't explain.

Then, Suzuki walked close to us.

Her bright and friendly aura was shining all around her body.

"Let's go!" Benjiro exclaimed, like a captain was guiding his team.

The walk to the arcade was filled with their chatter.

They tried to include me in their conversation, and I did my best to respond, but my heart wasn't in it.

When we finally arrived, the bright lights and loud sounds were almost overwhelming.

Yet, there was a strange comfort in the chaos.

Then, i saw another person waiting at the entrance of the arcade.

I was really surprised.

It was Kazuha.

I even forgot that she was invited too.

She was wearing some light but cool clothes.

Her hair were still tied into a ponytail, and her crimson eyes were shining along with the light of the sun.

When Kazuha saw us, she immediately waved to me and she walked towards us.

"Hello , Guys! As promised, I'm here!!" She said with a warm smile.

We all replied to her in a friendly wave.

But when her eyes met mine, a small blush covered her cheeks.

"Hello… F-Fumihiro-Kun…" she said while looking away.

Ah, yes. She was probably thinking about that day where i met her dad and we pretended to be a couple.

Evangeline noticed her embarrassments and started teasing here with a friendly but mischievous tone of voice.

"Oh? What's going on between you two? Don't you know that Fumihiro is still engaged?" She said.

Then, Kazuha immediately replied.

"Nothing at all, i swear. I respect Fumihiro's relationship." Kazuha replied with energy, but the blush on her face betrayed her words.

I , too, was embarrassed by the situation.

"Liar…". Evangeline said, still with a mischievous tone of voice.

Then, Suzuki broke the moment by stepping in.

She put her arms around both Evangeline and Kazuha and said with an energetic tone:

"LET'S HAVE LOTS OF FUN!!" That was her sentence.

It was such a funny moment, but not for me.

The only mention of Ema was enough to pierce my heart.

I felt her name echoing into my mind and I found myself lost in my thoughts for some seconds.

Luckily , Benjiro "woke" me up by hitting my back with a friendly slap.

"Ouch!" I said, while almost falling on the floor.

"Let's have fun, brother!!" He said.

I nodded at him, and after that, we went inside.

We spent the next few hours playing games, and slowly, bit by bit, I began to feel a little lighter.

Benjiro's competitive spirit and Evangeline's infectious laughter were hard to resist.

Benjiro and Evangeline challenged in a lot of games but the French girl beaten him hardly in every kind of game.

Benjiro was shocked the entire time.

"And you lost again, against a girl. Don't you feel pathetic?" Evangeline said , with a friendly but sadistic tone.

Benjiro fell on the floor, admitting his defeat in every single game.

It was such a funny scene to see.

Even Suzuki managed to coax a few genuine smiles out of me.

I even played some games with Kazuha.

I must admit that despite my negative mood, this experience was really funny.

Despite that, i still felt an immense hole inside my heart.

By the time we left the arcade, the sky was darkening.

We walked back in a comfortable silence, the earlier pain dulled by the distraction of the games and my friends' presence.

We all kept chatting about various topics, like school and other things.

During our walk, i found myself engaging in a conversation with Evangeline.

The others were walking ahead of us.

"So, Fumi, can you tell me what's bothering you?" She asked.

"Not now, Evangeline. I don't want to ruin the happy mood around us." I said, with a friendly smile.

Evangeline pouted a little, disappointed by my reply.

But then, she let out a small sigh, followed by a little but adorable chuckle.

"It's okay. You'll tell me tomorrow." She said.

"Tomorrow? What do we have to do tomorrow?" I asked, confused.

"Oh? Don't you know?" She said. "The teacher gently said that you have to show me a little piece of this big city."

I was actually surprised, not expecting something like this from Mayumi.

"Oh… Did Arai-sensei really said that?" I asked, while scratching the back of my head.

Evangeline nodded in agreement.

"Yes, of course. But it's not a school thing , it's more like…" Evangeline didn't end the phrase. Instead , a teasing expression replaced her friendly smile.

"More like…?" I asked.

"More like… a date…" Evangeline replied, with a playful smile.

That was enough to embarrass me.

At her words, i saw Suzuki and Kazuha looking back at us.

Both of them had an annoyed expression in their faces.

The "funniest" thing , was that they were completely ignoring Benjiro.

He was literally talking alone.

I decided not to look like a loser and i replied at her.

"It's okay then, i look forward to our date" i said with a teasing tone.

Evangeline was positively surprised by my reply.

She was probably expecting me to say something like "stop teasing me!" Or "no, Ema would be jealous."

"Oh! Good! We'll have lot of fun then!" She said with an excited tone.

I felt murderous glances coming from Kazuha and Suzuki.

They were pretending to talk with Benjiro, but they were actually listening to my conversation.

Then, after that little scene, I finally arrived at my home.

As I reached my house, I turned to them, feeling a small spark of gratitude. "Thanks, guys. I needed this."

"Anytime, Fumihiro," Benjiro said, clapping me on the shoulder. "We're here for you."

"Yeah," Suzuki added, giving me a warm smile."I had a lot of fun."

Evangeline nodded, her eyes filled with a sadistic aura. "See you tomorrow, ma Cherie~."

Kazuha waved at me too.

Her eyes were sparkling with happiness.

She had a lot of fun in the arcade.

Considering her social status and everything that happened to her, i was happy for her too.

She deserves that.

But still, i felt like i had to know her a lot more.

She had a complete world inside her, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that she was connected to me in some ways.

"See you, guys!" I said with a warm tone, before seeing the others leave.

I watched them leave, feeling a little more hopeful.

As I entered my house and greeted my mother, I realized that while the pain was still there, it was bearable.

I had friends who cared about me, who would help me heal, one step at a time.

That night, as I lay in bed, I thought about Ema and the life we had planned together.

It was still hard to believe it was over.

But for the first time, i allowed myself to think that maybe, just maybe, there was a future for me beyond the pain.

"Do I really deserve to be happy?" I asked to myself.

Then, my phone rang a little.

I picked it up and saw a message coming from Kanna.

"Fumihiro, can we meet up? I need to talk." The message said.

My heart suddenly felt heavy.

"What does she want from me…?" I asked to myself.

"I have a bad feeling about this."