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May 3rd 2018

Normally, Ryuuji comes to school early to talk with his fans, but today he ended up sleeping in by accident and arrived a few minutes before the bell rings. Assuming it will be a regular day, that thought disappears after he notices a shift in the atmosphere immediately upon entering the classroom.

An awkward silence surrounds him and some students are laughing to themselves while others look away to avoid eye contact. Worried at first, Ryuuji decides to just take a seat at his desk. Shortly after, a male student approaches him.

“Good morning, Takomi Ryuuji, the local newspaper has an interesting article today.”

The student slams the paper on his desk and takes a step back to gauge his reaction. The headline reads ‘Family Fortune Lost! Komi Co. Bought Out by American Company’. Although he knew it was coming, Ryuuji is still surprised the news was released so suddenly. He tries to hide it behind a smile.

“So the news finally got out, huh? Yeah, that’s right, my dad lost his rights to the company and that’s why I’m really here.” He looks around to the other students and laughs. “I can’t give you any more special codes, future updates, or a tour of the facility. Now that you found out, so what?”

“ ‘So what?’ ” Not satisfied with how cocky he remains, the male student leans in and threatens, “If you think you’ll get off easy after flaunting your wealth this past week then you’re wrong. Just you wait.”

Leaving Ryuuji with those words, the student walks back to his own desk. After that encounter, the chatter picks up, sounding louder than before. It’s clear the topic is about Ryuuji except now, no one wants anything to do with him.

Frustrated by their comments, Ryuuji crumples up the newspaper that was left on his desk and looks to the wall at his left in an attempt to ignore the class.

When Sun enters the room, she notices no one is around Ryuuji and sees him leaning on his arm, avoiding everyone as if he would rather not be there. Instead of talking with him directly, she intends to ask her friends, but she doesn’t need to as they waste no time explaining what happened.

“News broke out this morning that Takomi’s family no longer owns the company he’s been bragging about all this time.”

“It’s been one big lie. What a jerk.”

While most of the students feel betrayed, Sun now has an understanding of why Ryuuji is working and says such strange things. She can’t help glancing at him while her friends complain in the background.

The school bell rings and the homeroom teacher has the students settle down upon entering. The day goes by without incident. The only difference from before is that Ryuuji has become the sole loner in class.

With no one to talk to during lunch, Ryuuji decides to eat elsewhere in order to escape the tension from the class. As he walks through the halls, he notices some male students are glaring at him or laughing quietly as he passes. Feeling uneasy, he tried to stay in crowded areas for the entire break, then following groups back for cover. Once he reached his desk, he finally felt some relief.

Within a matter of only a few hours, I was already completely unwelcome at this school that I’ve been attending for about a week. I only lied about my dad’s company, why is it such a big deal? I tried to calm down to no avail. I had no idea what to do with no one to talk to here in class and my dad--- there’s no way he’d be any help. With those thoughts constantly racing in my mind, I remember that one day felt like it would never end.

When school is finished, Ryuuji grabs his bag and leaves as quickly as possible. He actually didn’t take out any books and if you asked him what was taught, he wouldn’t be able to answer. With his mind elsewhere, he could barely pay attention.

Sun also had trouble concentrating. Most of the day was spent considering whether she’s okay with simply standing by to watch as Ryuuji’s life continues to deteriorate, or if she wants to do something to help. He may deserve some punishment for lying to everyone like he did, but aside from being annoying, it didn’t affect Sun in the least bit. She was already able to pick up that something was wrong ever since their first meeting.

Sun’s chair skids back as she stands and she grabs her bag to go after Ryuuji, not even saying bye to her friends. She decides to follow from a safe distance while continuing the debate within her mind. However, the sight before her only makes her more upset. Despite being surrounded by students, Ryuuji’s lonely back stands out more than anyone’s. Her internal struggle concludes right at that moment and determination builds.

Even if Sun did give up and went home, she knows she will run into him on the train and at the grocery store. She knows his stupid username in Starfight and should be able to track him down, though she’d have to figure out how to do so, and she knows they are stuck together in the same classroom for the remainder of the year. With all that in mind, she refuses to sit by and watch.

She continues to follow at a steady pace hoping he won’t notice. It works until they leave the building. Initially, Ryuuji didn’t think much of it. Sun would always leave right when school ended to catch the train. However, at the school gate, rather than turn left towards the station, she turned right to continue following him. After they walk a bit more, Ryuuji turns around to confront her, locking eyes while trying to hold back so he doesn’t yell.

“Mind if I ask what you’re doing?”

“I’m sure you could figure it out if you tried.”

“If I knew I wouldn’t be asking!!”

Ryuuji yells in a harsher tone compared to last night when they played together. Afterall, that was about a simple game, while this is about his turbulent life. Something that has been nagging at him daily for weeks.

Causing an uproar in an area where many students travel, most are wondering what’s going on. In the mix, Ryuuji overhears a conversation between two passing female students.

“Why is he yelling at her? What a jerk.”

“Haven’t you heard? That’s the new kid who’s family lost their company.”

“No way!”

Ryuuji takes one look at them and then to the ground in embarrassment, Those girls aren’t even in my class! How could they find out already?

Sun also caught that conversation and merely watched Ryuuji’s reaction as he looked down, hunched over, practically trying to hide his entire existence from the world. A pathetic look she would rather not witness.

Fearful he may run away, Sun decides to get right to the point. She places her hands on her hips, attempting to stand tall, to command his attention.

“Look, you’ve been dropping hints all over whenever we see each other and now that the news is out, what makes you think I wouldn’t talk to you? There must be more to this than just your family losing your company.”

Surprised that Sun is still willing to help, he raises his head. They only spoke three times after meeting just days ago, what reason does she have to involve herself in this? It’s not like she gets anything out of it. Knowing that he’s listening, Sun relaxes her pose.

“It’s obvious you need to let it out, so let’s talk.” She says, then adding something he expected even less. “Besides, maybe I want you to help make me stronger in Starfight.”

Hearing her make such a simple request, Ryuuji’s surprise turns into a laugh, finally breaking a smile after scowling all day.

Ryuuji agrees to talk and suggests they go to a small park that he always passes on his way home. There are a few kids playing, with their parents watching from a short distance, but they’re not too noisy so it’s not distracting.

Leaning on the surrounding fence, standing side by side, Ryuuji explains everything that happened the best he can.

“I’m not sure where to start. You know about the company being bought...that probably did go through shortly before the news was released, but my dad was fired over a month ago.”

“How could they fire the owner of the company?”

“I don’t understand business that well, and my dad refuses to tell me anything so I assume they found a loophole or something. The company was created by my dad and grandfather, which apparently means nothing. Either way, since then, my dad…”

As he continues, Ryuuji clenches his teeth before shouting.

“My dad doesn’t even do anything! He just sits around and drinks all day like the loser he is!! After we moved, he had the nerve to say this to me: ‘I have a lot in my savings, but I can’t give you much allowance. I have to keep it in case I can’t get a job.’ But that was just an excuse to sit around and spend it on alcohol! That’s why I got a job to buy myself food and anything I needed. I didn’t know how long I’d be able to hide this, which is why I found a job far away from school. Not that it mattered.”

After realizing how loud he was, Ryuuji looks up to see the children staring at him, but they quickly get back to playing right after. He feels relieved. Not just because he didn’t appear to startle the kids too much, but also due to finally being able to speak to someone about what has been happening. The stress that’s been buzzing in his mind and building up this past month starts to disappear. As the calm builds, his shoulders lose all tension, finally relaxing.

Only hearing Ryuuji mention his father, Sun asks if he has any other family to rely on.

“My mom passed away when I was young, I don’t remember her.” Ryuuji shrugs, “Then there’s my grandfather who disappeared before I was born, and we haven’t contacted my other grandparents in years. For most of my life, it’s just been me and my dad. And I probably don’t need to say this, but I haven’t been able to talk to him about anything since we moved.”

Ryuuji has been doing everything himself, causing unnecessary stress on top of his academics. Thinking about his interactions with their classmates, Sun assumes this all has to do with how he was at school as well.

“Is this why you acted so strange in school? Only talking about your dad’s company and the game?”

“No, I’ve always done that.”

Disgusted, Sun clearly shows it on her face. “You think flaunting your wealth is the best way to make friends?”

Feeling the burn from her stare, Ryuuji tries to fix his statement.

“I know it’s ridiculous alright! But, ever since I was a kid that’s how it always went.” As he watches the kids play, Ryuuji thinks back to his own childhood. “I would talk about my dad’s company, my classmates would get excited, and it repeated each year. I never saw a reason to change that until recently.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my conversations with you have been…how should I put it?” Ryuuji pauses for a moment to consider how to say it. “They’ve been the most real conversations I’ve had with anyone, with there being more than just excitement about Komi Co.”

“When you say it like that, I guess I’m your first friend.”

Ryuuji instantly realizes what she’s implying. “You make me sound like a fool after you described it in a simple way.”

“I can’t deny that.”

“And here I thought you were trying to make me feel better.”

“You’re right. And?” Sun, still smiling, leans in closer, “Do you feel better?”

“I can’t deny that I do.”

With both of them in a better mood, they leave the park and are about to go their separate ways until Sun makes a suggestion.

“Do you want to meet my friend in Starfight? Unlike me he’s good at playing.”

“I think you mean to say that he actually tries.” Ryuuji still can’t let go of their gameplay last night. Skeptical that he will be much better judging by what she said about him so far, he still agrees. “I guess I don’t mind meeting him though.”

Overlooking his less than enthusiastic response, Sun inquires when he’s available on Saturday night, with 11:30 pm being the average time frame he arrives home.

“That’s perfect!” Sun’s face then glows as she begins describing him. “He’s an American named Steve. If we meet around that time then it will be Saturday morning where he lives.”

“An American??” Ryuuji is surprised by the sudden development. “This guy gets crazier the more you tell me about him. Is he our age at least? Does he even speak Japanese?”

“Of course he is, what are you trying to say about me? And I’ll have you know he speaks perfect Japanese.”

“I just had to be sure.” Ryuuji says, choosing his words carefully. “How about we meet at the western edge of the Heavenly Forest?”

“You’ll have to show me where that is, but sounds good.”

“I can’t believe you.”

Sun giggles and she says one last thing before walking to the station, “Don’t hesitate to talk to me in school if you want to.”

Knowing that will be easier said than done, and not wanting to think about having to go back to school tomorrow, Ryuuji waves in return.