Chapter 3

The next morning the alarm clock goes off, and he turns it off and sits up from his bed and stretches his arms and licks his lips and gets up from his bed and looks at the mirror, and he cleans the dust from his sleeves and checks the time, and his eyes are wide open, and he starts to hurry and goes to his own bathroom and starts showering and soaping his whole body and shampooing his hair. After a couple of minutes he washes it off.

He wrapped up the towel on his waist and went to his bathroom mirror and got his toothbrush and started brushing his teeth. Suddenly, his big brother named "Jin" knocked on his door in a hurry and spoke in a stressed-out tone.

"Yuma, the breakfast I prepared is just downstairs at the table, and Dad takes Mom out for her to go out and teach her about the places. I'm going to go now. Do well at school...!"

Yuma smiled and went out of the bathroom, wore his uniform, prepared everything he needed in his bag, went downstairs, and ate the breakfast that his big brother prepared for him, even if this is his first day in the job he got accepted to.

After finishing eating, he got up and went to get his backpack, went to the electricity switch, turned it off, went outside, and locked the door with the family lock, and they all have the key, according to his father.

While he is walking, he sees Akamato just walking in front of him. He is not far away from him. He blushes a bit but shakes it off and tries to focus on his walking position and the ground for small rocks because he trips almost every time he focuses on something. Akamato sees Yuma just behind him; he sees Yuma with his eyes on the side and just puts his hands on the back of his head and continues walking.

At the school

Yuma sits down on his armchair from yesterday, and Akamoto sits beside him and looks at Yuma and speaks in an unusually soft tone of his.

"Good morning..."

Yuma is surprised that Akamoto is speaking to him and not wanting his wallet, as he expected to happen this moment, and he looks at him, and he can tell that Akamoto is not feeling well today and asks him about that.

"Good morning too... Are you not feeling well today, Akamoto, because I see it from your face and mood... Did you hit your head...?"

He says jokingly in that last sentence, but even if he hates Akamoto for his ignorance and cockiness, he still cares for anyone, even if that person doesn't want him to care and just Akamoto looks at him with a tired face and replies. 

"You are right, nerd... I am just tired and having my usual sick days because I couldn't sleep last night, alright, and I just forced my body to even go to school today, but tomorrow... I will, okay, and prepare your lunch money."

Akamoto coughs and chuckles at his own words while Yuma just rolls his eyes and sighs because in his brain he doesn't worry about Akamoto's health, but his heart says different from his brain...

At lunchtime 

He eats from the things his big brother cooks for him from his lunch box for him to have lunch even if their father left to show their mom places to memories so she doesn't get lost. He saw Akamoto eating crackers while talking to his friend group, and something he doesn't want to interfere with

He looks away from them while his heart is still worried about Akamoto's health and well-being and wishes he could get better tomorrow even if he will ask for his lunch money again...

Fast forward to the alarm of the bell of the school, saying the school for today is finished. Yuma stands up and goes to the locker and puts his back against the locker, and when he finishes doing that, he finds a bench nearby and sits on it while looking at the beautiful peaceful skies.

But suddenly Natalie sits beside him, tapping Yuma's shoulder gently and kind of scaring Yuma again, and looks at her eyes, and Natalie giggles and breaks the silence by speaking in a teasing tone.

"So Yuma, have you talked to Akamato about your romantic feelings towards him, hmm?~"

Yuma blushes a bit and says in a flustered tone while looking at Natalie with a bit of red on his cheeks. 

"No...! I told you that already, Natalie. I don't have any feelings or anything related to romantic feelings towards him, okay? I just want to be friends with him because I know behind that stupid handsome face...there is an emotion he is hiding from everyone. I don't know anymore..."

Natalie laughed while looking at him and slapped his arms and teased him again.

"Oh, you said he is handsome, eh? Hahahaha, and wait... why do you want to be friends with Akamoto or something more, hahaha?"

Yuma blushes even more and just sighs and looks at the blue skies again and the clouds and speaks in a kind of a whispered tone.

"Before the school ends and I graduate, I only have 1 year here in America; after that, I will go back to Japan to continue college. My parents told me to make some friends and memories because there is no graduating. I am coming back, you know..."

"Oh, so you only have 1 year before returning to Japan, huh... oh well, make it worth it and make some memories and lessons you can learn from here to carry to whatever career you want to take..."

Yuma smiles at her, and she smiles too, and they laugh together. 

Natalie stands when her friend group is waving at her in the distance, and before she goes to them, she looks back at Yuma with the same tone as yesterday before she leaves...

"Be sure that you are sure of befriending a guy like Akamoto...and if you have romantic feelings for him...be sure, okay...? Anyways, goodbye, see you in the morning in the classroom!"

She says the last sentence with a happy tone and goes to her friend group and goes with them and walks away. He is curious now... What is up with Natalie? When he speaks about Akamoto, he shakes off his curiosity about that and stands up and goes in the direction of his parents house.

While he is walking back home. He hears grunting in the alleyway; he is confused and curious at the same time...but he suddenly hears a familiar voice.

He goes to the alleyway and sees Akamato getting beat up by two adults with white t-shirts and tattoos, and Yuma screams.

"GET AWAY FROM AKAMOTO!!"