Chapter 1 - A Normal Day

 [Chapter 1- A Normal Day]  On that spring day by the riverside when the cherry blossoms were at full bloom… She changed me.
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My alarm clock.... Loud... Where is it…I find it and turn it off... As I open my eyes I am greeted by the sight of my ceiling and slightly messy room. It's a spring morning. I get up and dress into my uniform then get out of my room and walk to my refrigerator to check what could be my breakfast. 'A slice of bread is all I have huh... Guess this'll do. I should go to the supermarket later.' I mutter to myself. Then a realization dawns on me. Ah... Today's entrance ceremony. I completely forgot.
After my small meal I put on my shoes and head out of my small apartment and go to school. 
The village is as quiet as usual. The narrow streets, and the lush green trees. The houses which all look alike, and the tall electrical posts. The birds are singing the same tune. I start another day.
As I'm walking, I notice the cherry blossoms by the path to school. They're in full bloom already. They're really pretty but it's not really all that fascinating as people make them out to be. To me, they're just pink flowers that I see every spring... Also reminds me that school's about to start again. 
As I'm walking, the school gate unveils itself before my sight. Tons of students are flocking to school. Kinohara High School, the sign by the gate reads. The school I'm enrolled in.
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"We're in the same class again!" "I'm classmates with Hoshino..." "Aw..We're in a different class now."The chatter of everyone fills the atmosphere as I check the class lists. As my eyes scan the class lists I eventually find my name.                               21. Takahashi Kyosuke  I'm in class 2-C. I'm also with some people that I'm not fond of. 'Tch... I'm classmates with those pricks again...' I say to myself. I let out a deep sigh of utter disappointment as if I'm a deflating balloon.
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The classroom is really rowdy. Everyone is talking with someone they know or getting to know people they don't. Meanwhile, I'm sitting in my seat, minding my own business and looking out the window. No one seems to be approaching me. Yet.
“Yo, Kyosuke! We're classmates again.” That voice… Tch… Shirokawa Jin… My “friend”“By the way, do you have some cash to spare?”Ahh yes… Asking me for cash. Again. Even on the first day of the new school year you still never fail to ask me.“I've got like 5 yen on me right now.” I say. A lie of course.Jin looks at me with a very disappointed and annoyed look. “5 yen? Seriously? Well then screw it. Anyways, I have to go somewhere. See ya.” Jin leaves disappointed. I overhear him whispering to himself as he walks away. “Worthless. I'll just ask again some other time.” As usual, all that guy wants from me is money. In the end that's really all I'm worth to him anyway. 
Some time after, I stand up and walk out the classroom. I don't really have any reason but there's nothing to do in the classroom anyway and I still have some time too. 
The hallways are filled with students and noise echoes around the area. I walk through the hallway taking short glimpses through the doors and windows of classrooms. And after a while, just as I was about to return to the classroom along with the other students, I hear loud footsteps coming from the staircase, as if running. A tired person emerges from the stairs. Shota?“Sorry for missing the entrance ceremony!” He shouts, sounding exhausted as if he ran a marathon.Whispers are heard around the area.“He missed the entrance ceremony again?”“He deserves a Guinness World Record for the most times someone misses the entrance ceremony.” Can be heard nearby.“Ah Kyosuke!” Shota notices me.“You made a grand entry once again. I'm amazed. How many years is it now? 4th? Yeah, the 4th year you missed the entrance ceremony. It's been like this since middle school. What's your excuse this time?”Knowing him, he'll probably come up with an unconvincing reason on the spot.“Hey, if I wasn't late that day we wouldn't have met you know!” He exclaims as if trying to justify himself for a serious crime.“Yeah I know.” I say.The bell rings. The first period is about to start“Ah see you later Kyosuke.”Shota walks quickly to the direction of his classroom.“See you.”

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The bell rings indicating the end of classes. I grab my bag and place it on my shoulder then walk out of the classroom. As I'm on my way out of the classroom someone calls out to me.“Kyosuke!” A shiver is sent down my spine by the sound of that voice. “Oh. Hey Kurosawa, what's the matter? I was just about to leave.”I try my best to say it in a calm and pleasing tone despite my lingering irritation. It's Kurosawa Akira, one of Jin’s buddies.   “Can I have like 100 yen? I really need a drink.” Asking for money just like Jin. Well, birds of the same feather really flock together don't they. “Sorry I don't have any money on me right now… Maybe some other time.” As I say that I notice his face instantly turns from a smile to a small frown. “Seriously? Nothing? Well never mind then…”
Just like that, Akira leaves disappointed. Just like Jin, all I'm worth to him is giving him money. I hung out with them a few times but I was always just a walking credit card. Except I won't get paid back. I usually paid for almost everything. They just paid for some stuff to make it less obvious. Not like I didn't notice. 
I let out a sigh. There's no use thinking about it. I should head home.I leave the classroom and make my way downstairs. I arrive at the ground floor then immediately go straight to my shoe locker and change my shoes. And just like that I finished the first day of my second year in high school. I walk out the school door and head home. 🌸🌸🌸
Cherry petals gracefully fall from the trees as if dancing in a ball. The cherry blossoms really do create a calming atmosphere don't they… Maybe I'm starting to understand why people are so attracted to them. It makes me want to forget all my problems. 
As I'm busy appreciating the beauty of the cherry blossoms, my eyes are caught on a figure of a girl from a small gap between the trees. Huh? A girl? Was I imagining things? My curiosity is pulling me to go through the gap between the trees to check despite it being such a trivial thing.And my intrusive thoughts won. I squeeze my body through the gap to check.
I wasn't imagining things. The girl was a high school student about my age with short light brown hair. She's wearing a Hideyoshi High School uniform, a collared black vest with visible yellow buttons and long sleeves, it says “Hideyoshi High School” on the top right, and a navy blue skirt. Hideyoshi is one of the prestigious schools in the area. She's emptily gazing at the river with a plain expression for a reason beyond me. Suddenly, she notices my presence and turns around slightly while looking at me with a bit of a surprised expression. Her hair is being blown by the spring breeze. Then…Our eyes meet. All the while, cherry petals continue falling like raindrops and the trees’ pink hue seem oddly more saturated.

Perhaps this day wasn't just a normal day after all.

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