Chapter 1: The Color of Emotions
[Hayate Kurogane]
Another normal day. The sky was as gray as usual, the people were as indifferent as always, and my routine remained the same. I had no particular reason to expect anything different.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the last class. Most students gathered their things and headed home, but I remained seated in my chair. I didn’t feel the need to rush. There was no one waiting for me, and no place I needed to go.
I wasn’t bothered by the solitude. It was simply part of my life.
As I stood up to leave, something unexpected happened.
I was walking towards the door when someone suddenly bumped into me. It wasn’t a hard collision, but it was enough to throw me off balance. The girl, caught by surprise, quickly grabbed my arm to steady herself.
"Sorry! I didn’t mean to..." she started apologizing in a flurry, but I just stood there in shock.
When I looked up, I saw her face for the first time. Her eyes were wide and full of emotion, like she was truly sorry for the small accident. But more than that, something about her expression made me feel… something I couldn’t name. Something warm, something different from the usual indifference I felt.
She wasn’t like the others.
Her hair was messy, and she had a slight blush on her cheeks from embarrassment. It wasn’t the usual kind of interaction I had, and I wasn’t sure how to react.
"Are you okay?" she asked, still holding onto my arm.
I nodded mechanically, but my mind was racing. This was… odd. Normally, people wouldn’t even apologize if something like this happened, and yet here she was, genuinely concerned.
"I’m fine," I said, my voice coming out more distant than I intended.
But she didn’t seem put off by my tone. She just smiled brightly and released her grip on my arm.
"Good! I’m Aoi Tachibana, by the way. Nice to meet you!"
I gave a small nod, unsure of what to do. My name wasn’t something I usually offered unless asked, but she was already walking away, her cheerful voice ringing in my ears.
She had left an impression on me. I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something about her was different.
---
[Aoi Tachibana]
I couldn’t believe I’d actually bumped into someone on my way out of class. I’m usually so careful about these things. But of course, the moment I decided to get distracted by my phone, I ran straight into him.
"Sorry! I didn’t mean to..." I said, panicking.
He just stood there, looking at me with this blank expression. It was like I hadn’t even made a difference in his day. I’d never met anyone like that before.
I tried to be more upbeat, hoping to break the awkwardness.
"Are you okay?" I asked, not realizing I was still holding onto his arm.
His voice was distant when he responded, but that didn’t faze me.
"I’m fine," he said. But the way he said it made me wonder if he really was fine.
I stepped back, quickly introducing myself with a big smile.
"I’m Aoi Tachibana, by the way! Nice to meet you!"
He just nodded, but I could see the confusion in his eyes. It made me wonder if he was always this closed off or if I was just too weird for him to understand.
I should’ve left after that, but something about him kept nagging at me. There was something in the way he stood there, so detached from everything.
I decided to walk away, but I had a feeling I’d see him again.
End of chapter 1
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