Poison.

Kanako went to the rooftop with an empty heart. He wasn't feeling anything now. Too much emotion is building up inside him, and he doesn't know how to express himself. He felt longing, nostalgia, sadness, grief, but most importantly, he felt a tingling in his heart. The last emotion alone would make his face a tomato, but it doesn't feel good with all the other emotions mixed with it. Its like some witch is putting different ingredients into a cauldron and mixing it together, which in fact makes a poison.

"I don't like this feeling..." he sighed. A huge gust of cold wind blew across his face. The sun was hiding under the cloudy day as he lied down in a corner, trying to clear his mind.

"I hate myself so much..." though he was trying to empty his head, he realised that it was already empty. The thing that is suffocating him is his heart.

"Kanako... senpai?" Kanako heard a voice. As he turned, he saw Miko peeking through the door.

"Oh, Miko-san!" He quickly got up, shrugging his worried self, but Miko seemed to catch up to him quicker than he expected.

"Kanako-senpai... tell me... did something happen between you and Ayane-chan?" Miko asked with concern, her voice shaking. She doesn't want to interfere, but at this point she couldn't help herself.

Kanako gave an empty smile. "Seems like you already got the gist of the atmosphere. I am sorry, that you had to step in." He looked at his feet as he avoided eye contact with her. "Would you mind taking a seat? I am a bit lost, so I need your help."

"So something did happen?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what. Let me explain."

He told in details to her about what had happened after they left. She sat down and listened to the whole story, trying to understand the situation. "This is quite the troublesome situation..." she mumbled.

"I know... and I don't know how to solve it." He sighed again, looking up at the cloudy sky. The sun was playing hide and seek, sometimes peeking its light through the sky. "Wait... I do have some kind of lead..."

He remembered his interaction with Sakiko, an acquaintance of Ayane from her middle school days. Her's saying, "Maybe its because of 'that' " might have some connection with it, though he isn't completely sure himself.

"Did you find something?" Miko asked.

"Not really. But-"

The bell rang. The lunch break was already over, meaning Miko couldn't end the conversation completely. "I will hear from you later, okay?"

"Yeah, you should go and support Ayane-chan. I am ashamed that the only thing I can do now is watch as she cries... so... please... take care of her until I fix the mess I have created..."

Miko could feel the pain in his voice and eyes as he clenched his teeth. She didn't know what to say. Will saying words of comfort actually comfort him in this situation?

"Okay." She said before she went to her classroom.