II — Awkward, Abrupt Ending...

Anna Kanzaki felt the tension between them slowly building, and she couldn’t bear it any longer.

Her fists clenched, her palms damp with sweat. 

The truth is, she didn’t want to deal with these feelings at all.

So, for the first time in her entire life, she was the one who initiated the conversation.

Her lips trembled, threatening to stutter, yet she pushed the words out anyway.

A petal drifted down between them, ever so slightly. As if begging her.

“So…

what are you doing here, Reita-kun?”

That should be more than enough, she thought.

Just a small push—her best attempt at easing the pressure suffocating her.

Right?

And yet she still felt like she was going to die as soon as possible.

In her mind, she wondered how long this moment would stretch on.

“Oh, nothing important.”

His simple answer then swiftly drifted through the cool air.

For a moment, again... neither of them spoke.

And the light of the earlier conversation was simply too heavy.

The silence between them carried more meaning than either of them would have dared to say.

Nothing? How should I know?

She was becoming as clueless as ever, especially after hearing that reply.

What kind of answer was that supposed to be?

“I have the same question for you,” he continued casually.

“What are you doing here all alone, Kanzaki-san?”

She could already hear the exact meaning behind those words of his throughout the crude filter of her own pessimistic, negative thoughts.

Hey Anna, don’t you have anything better to do than sit under cherry blossoms all alone?

What are you? Some kind of freak? Weirdo with no friends?

At least, that’s what she imagined what he meant realistically.

“N-no, I mean—it’s not like I want it, you know?”

It wasn’t as if being alone had ever been her choice.

She clearly knew the burden of it a bit far too well.

She struggled to communicate properly, even with other students—let alone teachers.

Most of the times, she could only speak when the topic was something that genuinely interested her.

And even that could become quite troublesome, especially when people misunderstood her.

“She always leads by example, that’s why she rarely talks,” 

Those teachers would say those lines, as if it was a praise.

“You students should be like her. She talks less and does more.”

Again. Yet another empty praise.

Somewhat a boring, unattractive one.

I wish I could just disapp—

“Kanzaki-san?”

Eh?

She instantly jolted awkwardly at the sound of his voice.

“Are you okay? Are you sick?”

"You haven't answered my question."

Wait… no! Reita-kun... he must have seen me daydreaming!

How embarrassing. How stupid. How ridiculous.

Those were some overwhelming words that filled her head, echoing inside. 

And loudly so.

Now, she didn’t even have any bit of courage to even look at his face. 

Let alone to talk or continue this light conversation.

Instead, she hid behind the thick, huge book resting on her lap.

Only the strands of her hair were visible above the book’s cover.

Riku leaned closer, only to notice the title printed across its cover.

Arthur Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation.

Out of all things to hide behind, she chose a German philosopher’s work as her shield.

A book so thick and big, it made the book becoming her face.

The situation itself felt so absurd it might have made even God laugh.

“Wait, why did you—”

“S-stay away, you idiot…”

Those tiny words burst out of her mouth before she could stop them.

As her face still buried behind the book. 

Riku then, apparently driven by curiosity, only leaned in further.

Instead of backing off, he gently pulled the book away from her face—like opening the lid of a can.

And there it was—

a small red face peeking from behind a giant philosophy book.

She looks as red as tomato...

The contrast on this scene was almost hilarious.

Her cheeks were burning, far redder than she would ever admit.

The book twitched slightly in her small hands, almost turbulent.

“You hide behind philosophy books often?”

W-wait, w-what are you doing?!

Anna couldn’t take it anymore. As her face then burned red.

Just like a tomato.

Next, for a few seconds, her hands were trembling in the air but then…

A sudden “bonk!” sound as the thick philosophy book landed squarely on Riku’s head.

He was screaming in pain, as a few stray petals landed where she had been sitting.

And before he could react—

she ran away.

After all, the truth was simple.

Every attempt at conversation was swallowed by the anxiety rising in her chest.

Otherwise… things might have been perfectly normal. Too normal in-fact.

And perhaps, a girl who once believed love was an illusion… was slowly falling in love.

Maybe for now, this is just fine.

* * *

Why is she suddenly so flustered?

Sitting alone on the bench, Riku frowned on his own.

Then, a few petals had fallen to the wooden seat beside him.

Apparently, the book-shaped bump on his head still served as a gentle reminder of how their conversation had ended.

To be fair, he had talked to plenty of people before.

Loud and clear. No one had ever reacted like that.

And yet Anna…

She wouldn’t even look at him.

She practically ran away from him. Avoiding him at all costs.

…Is she perhaps scared of me?

Even he didn’t know how to answer that.

Instead, he looked at the setting sun. The wind brushed quietly past him.

The sky had already faded from bright yellow into dazzling orange.

Those cherry blossom branches slowly rustled softly above him.

As those petals drifting slowly through the air.

After quiet a brief moment of silence, he grabbed his backpack and started walking slovenly.

Slowly but sure, he was eventually leaving the emotional scene quietly.

Maybe I should talk to her tomorrow.

Whether he could get closer to her or not…

that was something only time would answer.