Friendship II - ᐯ
II
Stories start from the beginning, don't they?
This is where mine started, or perhaps c o n t i n u e d.
Yeah, that's better.
Ryuugamine Kiyoshi was my best friend.
Quiet.
Shy.
Emotional.
A crybaby.
A violent beast.
A pitiful soul.
A kid with a forgiving and loving heart.
Our friendship was the strongest two people could have.
Polar opposites that worked in harmony.
In the soccer field.
And outside.
We were unbeatable.
Inseparable.
That's what I believed with all my being.
But I learned that even a friendship,
--or a person,
that looks flawless from the outside.
Can be cracked, on the i n s i d e.
Smooth, from one side. Rotten, in a n o t h e r.
It took a full year for me to understand this.
Even when a friend told me straight to my face.
Even when my best friend was a living example.
I really am an idiot, aren't I?
III
A reunion with old friends, and a girl that was my girlfriend.
You can say my life was good. Middle school started a few months ago. And it didn't take long to find a place to fit in the class.
( A r e y o u j e a l o u s ? )
I helped out the teachers often. They liked me. My classmates as well.
Both in school and the city, whether it was the owner of a shop, or a member of the local shrine, people would call out to me.
Like now, when I was outside, I was surrounded by people.
It was bright, and fun.
ꀤᐯ
But my best friend was sad. A dark, rainy cloud over him, apart from our clear sky.
We laughed. He didn't.
He stood up, and walked away, staring at the floor.
I followed him with my gaze.
Nobody seemed to notice him.
That was my job.
ᐯ
"I'll be back," I said to everyone, standing up as well.
I couldn't leave him alone. We were apart now. Yoshi got into an elite school, Teikoku Gakuen.
"Keima-kun," Ai-chan called, the girl who confessed to me.
I smiled gently, as if she were a friend.
"I'll be back."