Chapter 1 – A Girl From the Past

It was the first day of Izumi Kadakowas second year in high school. It has been 3 years since he disappeared. As the other students checked the board for their names to see what class they were in. Izumi sat on the bench in the courtyard. Izumi didn’t like big crowds, so he would wait until it died down to check his class. He waited while playing a game on his phone until he heard a familiar voice. He put his phone down slightly, just enough to look over the top of it. He knew that voice but can’t think of how. His eyes darted around like a spy gathering intel covertly. He never saw the person but he did notice the crowd by the class boards were mostly gone. Izumi got up put his phone back in his pocket and started walking over to the boards.

Izumi - “umm… where am i? Oh there it is. Class 2-C”

He didn’t really care what class he was in. None of his classmates talk to him anyway. Izumi moved into the building's main entrance with the shoe cubbies. He put his shoes away and moved up the stairs. Sapporo’s Gakuen High School is a nice school near the edge of Sapporo city. It is an average high school with all of the classic tropes. Sport jocks, nerds, the popular crowd, but Izumi Kurokawa didn’t care. Ever since the incident in middle school he's always had a hard time making friends and the other kids stopped trying to be his friend.

As he moved through the hall to class some students were talking and laughing, some were sharing photos or exchanging lines. He had a friend once. Before the incident, before he became isolated, he had a friend named Hana. Izumi and Hana grew up together, only because they were neighbors. She moved away a few months after he came back from the other world. When she left, it felt like a piece of him went with her. It was also her voice that he thought he heard.

He made his way to class, headphones in, head down, shifting his feet with the energy level of a hungover sloth. High school just seems to drain it all out of him.

Before he was sent to Solvain in middle school, Izumi was very different. He was a happy bright kid with natural talents for sports. Everyday he would practice soccer with Hana after school. He had more drive than every other student. But after he came back, he was colder and absent in conversations. He didn’t seem to be the same as before. Obviously the other kids started spreading rumors. That’s what kids seem to do when they have nothing else to talk about.

Maybe he ran from a dysfunctional home, maybe he was on the run from the police for robbing a bank. They’re kids, their rumors don’t have to make sense.

But none of them were even close.

Izumi slid open the classroom door and moved to his seat near the window. He was 3 rows from the front. He didn’t say anything when he sat down. He put his bag on the side of his desk, sat down, and laid his head down on the desk under his crossed arms. The other kids slowly made their way to class and then

RING!

The teacher Mr. Isawa walked in.

Mr. Isawa - “alright… lets stop talking a find our seat.”

All the students worked their way over to their seats. After a moment the class was silent.

Mr.Isawa - “You may know some of the other students from last year but just in case there’s some you don’t know, let’s go around and introduce ourselves"

Izumi didn’t really care. It’s not like he didn’t like other people, he was just never able to connect with others. So, he stopped trying.

One by one all of the students introduced themselves. Izumi turned to look out the window. He had a decent view outside. The sky was blue with white puffy clouds. Cars were passing by and then all of a sudden he heard a name that he hasn’t heard in a while.

Hana - “I’m Morikawa Hana, and I'm looking forward to this year with you all”

He jolted in his seat hearing her name. No way… is she really here. Izumi turned his hear over to see. Oh, it really is her. His head filled with confusing thoughts. Do I say hi? It’s been 3 years. What should I say? He sat there with his head on his desk for a few moments until Hana looked over to him. Izumi’s eyes widened out from the sudden look from Hana. She faced forward and sat back down.

The rest of the morning wasn’t any easier for Izumi. He was still wrapping his head around the fact that his childhood friend is back in his class. It’s been awhile since they have seen eachother. I don’t know how to start now. Man up Izumi. It’s just Hana, and we’ve known each other for a long time.

Hana - “hey Izumi!”

Izumi twitched at the sudden greeting in the middle of his self pep talk. Hana walked over and sat down at the desk next to him.

Hana - “I’m so glad we get to be in the same class again. How long has it been?

The other students were staring at the two of them. It was lunch time and even though most of the students went to the cafeteria, the room was filled with the other students whispering.

Hana - “and then I left… oh my god let me tell you about…”

She has always been like this. Full of energy and it’s never a dull moment.

Hana continued her story while his head was somewhere in the clouds. He reminisced of how nice it was to have someone to talk to again. Before he would sit by himself to eat and look out the window thinking about the days he spent in Solvain. But now having her presence and warm smile…it feels nice.

Hana - “hello!? Are you listening to me?

Izumi snapped back to the conversation.

Izumi - “oh sorry, i was spacing out.

Hana - “geez you haven’t changed one bit have you dummy?

Izumi was used to Hana sarcasm, she always called him dummy to get a rise out of him in the past. But he wasn’t going to let her get to him today. Not on the first day of seeing her again. Nope, I won't do it. I’m not going to let her get to me. Just stay calm and…

Hana - “but you do look gloomier now”

Izumi - “GLOOMIER!... I'm not gloomier.”

She finally got to him

Hana - “haha. I know… I just couldn’t help it. I can still get a rise out of you, even after all these years”

(to high schoolers, 3 years is a long time)

Dang it, she was able to fluster me like no time has stopped. Except it has been 3 years and she has grown since I last saw her. Looking at her now…she’s really pretty.

Izumi now started to get flustered for a whole different reason. Izumi couldn’t get it together for the rest of the day. After lunch he just sat at his desk as normal except this time his head was doing backflips and he couldn’t concentrate. Maybe tomorrow will be better.