Mysterious girl

It had been a few weeks since Fujisawa-san had joined our school, and she became popular very quickly. Every guy was dying for a piece of that Fujisawa pie, all but me. I was your typical 3rd-year high school boy; there were no redeeming qualities about me, I had bedhair almost all the time, and didn't really care what others thought about me. I was a truly cynical bastard on top of that, and yet, since that night, Fujisawa-san won't back down, shes always trying to talk gauge in conversation with me anytime she has a chance, in the lunch hall, in class, in the gym. Pretty much anywhere I'd go that had Fujisawa was trouble. Of course, with her trying to talk to me so much, obviously, rumors spread, and let's just say I built up a pretty negative rep with the other guys around me. Guys would come up to me asking

"What I had with Fujisawa-san,"

and if I could "wingman" them.

Safe to say, Fujisawa Akio was a bane to my high school existence. Obviously, she didn't get the picture, so I decided the next time she'd try to talk to me, I'd set her straight.

It was lunch time, and I had just brought a bean roll from the School shop and went to sit in my usual, normally uninhabited, school roof to chow down in my lonesome. This time was different. There she stood with her angelic-like presence, her blonde hair swaying in the warm spring breeze. Before I could ask her what she was doing there, she turned round and smiled with the same playful grin she always wore.

"So this is where you come to hide from me?" she said,

"Pretty nice spot you found, I must say."

I, with a puzzled look on my face, simply exclaimed,

"What do you mean, hide from you? I was never hiding, I just want you to leave me alone, what don't you get about that?" I said with a stern look on my face.

I later expressed to Fujisawa-san that she should keep her distance from me, as it's causing me unnecessary problems and unwanted attention. This seems to strike a nerve with Fujisawa, and she lowers her head in anger, clearly about to chew me out for what I said.

"Kyoshiro-kun, do you know how long I've waited to reunite with you? All for you to not remember me? Do you know how much that hurt me? I was so happy when I saw you at the welcome Ceremony, i couldnt wait to talk with you again after all this time, and then when I found out we were going to be in the same class, I was overjoyed, no, ecstatic even. Then, when you threw it in my face like that, it really hurt me, straight down to my core. You have no idea what I've been through since the day you left. My life has been a living nightmare, always putting on an act whenever I'm around people. I thought if I could see you again, my problems would be solved, but no, you made me feel small in a world that turns its back on you if you aren't wearing a mask 24/7. Where do you get off acting all lonely like you do? What happened to the Tatsumi Kyoshiro I know?" she said as the tears started to stream down her face.

I was shocked to hear her say all that. Seriously, what was my relationship with this girl? I didnt't know, but what I did know is that I must have been a significant influence on her for her to burst out desperately like this. This feeling, it was as if she held the key to my past I had long cast aside. On the other hand, I was filled with a burning sense of anger at what she had said to me, a few harsh truths? Could be, but in that moment, I didn't care. Where does this girl get off talking to me that way, and shes a stranger to boot.

"Ok, that's enough. Who do you think you are? First off, why are you talking to me like we know each other? Secondly, who gives you the right to call out my behaviour? You're just a transfer student, you know nothing about me or what I've been through, you have no right to talk to me this way! Furthermore, who are you to call out my way of living my life? You've been popular since you started this school; guys are drooling over you all the time, and the girls also hold you in high regard, so you have no right to understand what it feels like to be lonely at this school, i want to talk to people yet i cant, you Extraverted popular people dont have the right to try to understand how i feel!" I said, in a resentful tone.

What Fujisawa-san said next still resonates with me to this day.

"I understand, it must have been hard for you, huh, Kyoshiro-kun? But I assure you, I've dealt with my fair share of trauma aswell. With that, I'll take my leave now," she said, still tears dripping down her face.

I was stunned. This was the first time someone had gotten upset and angry at me on my behalf. Seriously, I need answers about who Fujisawa-san really is.

I get back home from school, and as soon as the door opens, a variety of smells hit my nose. Onigiri? No, less salty Mom's special Udon? It was! My mom always made sure to have a home-cooked meal for Ryoko and me when we came home from school. It was a tradition at this point.

"Tatsumi, Ryoko, dinner is ready." She said to us with a welcoming grin on her face.

After we finished eating our Udon, I helped Mom clear up in the kitchen. It was then that she asked,

"Tatsumi, is something on your mind? You were a lot quieter at dinner than usual; if anything is troubling you, please let me know," she exclaimed with a comforting look on her face.

"Mom, do you know a person going by Fujisawa Akio?" I asked with a concerned but puzzled look on my face.

As the name Fujisawa Akio left my lips, I noticed my mom's expression change, and tears began to flood down her face.

"So, you finally reunited with her," my Mom uttered, while trying to cover her face so i wouldnt notice how much she was crying.

"Tatsumi, it's time I told you the truth about your father's passing."