What A Way To Break The Ice

With professor Suzuki's class finished, I quickly started packing my stuff. It wasn't until I got to the classroom door that I felt someone's hand on my shoulder.

"Huh? Who— Takahashi?!"

She wordlessly pointed towards the window that was looking onto the courtyard, before leaving.

What does she mean— Wait! Does she want me to meet her at the courtyard? Oh god... I'm going to get beaten by a girl!

It is no surprise that everyone in our year fears Michiko Takahashi. She has mastered the arts of karate, judo, and taekwondo at the age of ten! Not to mention that she's smart! And with my luck, I was able to experience all of her glory firsthand, as I went with her from daycare to high school!

I thought about searching for someone that could actually help me against Takahashi, but seeing as school ended, and club activities ongoing, I was left on my own.

Of course, when I want to be alone, it's the most unideal time!

Having no other choice, I walked towards the courtyard, but I stopped halfway down the stairs when I heard Haruka speaking with a boy around the corner.

"H-Haruka-san, I-I loved you for a very long time! Will you go out with me?"

For some odd reason, I felt nervous about Haruka's answer. The silence was deafening, as time itself stopped. And then...

"I-I'm really sorry! I-I must reject!"

I could basically tell from the tone of her voice that she was on the verge of crying. The boy's footsteps echoed throughout the hallway, signaling his departure. As though time started again, I walked down the stairs to see a crying Haruka leaning against the wall.

"*sniff* K-Kojima?"

Probably realising that I was eavesdropping, she turned around and tried to run away, but I caught her hand before she could.

"L-Let go of me!"

"No."

Feeling powerless, she started crying again, before dropping onto the floor.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. We all have a time in our life when we have to reject someone."

I tried to make my voice as comforting as possible, in hopes of stopping her crying.

"*sniff* Y-You don't understand how much love means to people!"

With a loud sigh, I grabbed her back and pulled her towards me, into a hug.

"H-Huh?"

"I don't know what to say to you right now, so I thought that a hug could at least let you vent out. Don't take it the wrong way though, I don't like you like that guy did."

Wordlessly, she continued to cry for some time. Her heart was beating a hundred miles per hour, her tears stained my uniform, and her body heat for some reason made me want to hug her even tighter. After some time, the crying stopped.

"I-I'm okay now."

Haruka's raspy voice broke the silence and I let go of her.

"I know it's probably not my place to say this, but you have to be more independent. Even if people have a crush on you, they'll move on with time."

"I know that I have to be more independent, but time doesn't heal wounds for some people!"

I was taken aback at the sheer thoughtfulness this girl had.

"You're right... But you can't love someone you don't love. It's just how life works."

Seemingly shocked at my words, Haruka went quiet, and the silence continued on. That's until...

"Hey, do you maybe know Haruto Kobayashi from 2-B?"

Haruka nodded with a smile.

"Yes, he's in my class."

"For real?!"

Haruka lightly nodded, as she giggled at my sheer shock.

"That bastard didn't tell me a thing about his class! Well, did you know that he is the star of our school's basketball club?"

"Yeah, I did."

"And you don't find anything wrong with that?!"

Haruka was now laughing, knowing full well what I meant. After that exchange, silence once again enveloped us, making it harder for me to think of a topic.

"W-What were you doing on the staircase?"

Out of the blue, Haruka stuttered out while shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, I was going to meet up with someone."

"Who?"

"You know Michiko Takahashi?"

"I-I heard that she's like a demon!"

"Well... You could probably say that."

We lightly laughed about it before continuing.

"But honestly, it's probably me that's at fault for that. I try to make her angry every time she speaks with me, so that I can make her hate me, and eventually leave me alone."

"Why's that?"

"...Hey, could you tell me what time it is?"

Haruka quickly glanced at her silver wristwatch before panicking.

"15:58! I-Is she going to be angry?"

"What?!"

I immediately got up and started running towards the courtyard.

If she's there, I'm good as dead!

Slamming through the exit, the courtyard was devoid of any life, with the exception of an occasional pigeon landing by the trash bin.

"Hah, I was worried about no—"

My mind stopped when it saw a black notebook that was left on a nearby bench. Walking closer towards the bench, the name Michiko Takahashi is clearly written on it.

"Kojima, what happened?"

Haruka came running towards me with a worried look on her face.

"Hey, Haruka, I should be happy right now. I finally managed to push Takahashi past her limit. But why... Why do I feel like absolute garbage?!"

I gritted my teeth, as I yelled in anger.