ACT II - The Second Reveal II

The sunset rays colored the entire classroom with a gentle orange filter. The wind coming from the window was on the chillier side, it felt like the early spring weather. Was it the beginning of the school year?

My classmate held such a sad expression on his face that it was straight up strange—I had never seen him like that!

He nuzzled the succulent near his face, and then put it back on the window sill. Just like the first time, I felt all the sensations on my body. This time, the difference was that I actually had the point of view of the plant, everything was unfolding right in front of me.

He started talking. The sound was clear without any sign of the radio disturbance I had on my first Reveal.

"Ya know, it's not like I wanted to really come here. I already kinda regret it. Why'd I leave my hometown, my family?"

Oh wow, that was already a quite strong opening line. I had the idea that he wasn't from Tokyo, by his Kansai dialect—but to think he had left his family…? Was he living all alone, in this big city?

"I miss my sisters so, so much… Everythin' feels empty without them. Where's Nao's sunshiney smile, and Mio's beautiful singin' voice? Yeah, I came here for their sake. I want to protect their smiles forever, so I told our parents that I wanna work in Tokyo in the future, and it'd be smart to just live here and experience things from high school but… Hell, I'm the biggest idiot there is…! I'm just a heckin' kid…! What made me think I could handle this crap alone?!"

He smashed his face down to his desk.

I was absolutely shocked. His face, his voice, his mannerisms—it wasn't anything close to the relaxed, easy-going Reo I knew! Was he always hiding the stress of living alone away from his family—in an unfamiliar city, nonetheless!—under his carefree appearance…?

"Now all I do is… Come to school, do my homework, go to my part-times, feed myself and sleep. I have no one to talk to, no hobby to indulge in. Everythin’ feels pointless, I don't even wanna draw because I can't see my sisters' bright smiles lookin' at them…"

He paused for a bit, face still buried on the desk. I wondered what kind of expression he was making… Just hearing his voice was worrying enough.

He continued.

"And like, I can't just call them everyday, ya know? I don't want them to worry about me. I'm scared they will notice even the slightest glimpse of my pain and ask me to come back. I need to endure it all… Alone. I'll study hard, get a good job and secure the future of my sisters. That's the entire point."

After a few minutes of silence, he slowly lifted his head up to look out of the window. His green eyes were moist with tears—he had been crying! They were tears in their most bitter, silent form. Reo was so used to concealing his feelings that he couldn’t even find the courage to let them out freely, despite being alone in the classroom… The plants were his only audience, yet he still was pushing the tears back in.

With a sigh, his beautiful, pain-filled eyes started scanning the school garden. He had a fondness for the trees, I already knew that. Would I get to unravel the secret of his love for nature as well?

"Man… They're probably enjoying Hanami under the beautiful trees by now… No offense, Tokyo sakura trees, but my hometown clearly gets the prize for excellence. That scenery, one that looks straight out from a painting, I wonder how many times it had me trapped inside, makin' me think of nothin' but swimmin' inside the soft pink sea of petals… Inspirin' me to produce hundreds of sketches… Mom, Dad, Mio and Nao… Tell me, did my drawings ever get near capturin' the beauty of our Home?"

His eyes teary still, he took out a sketchbook under his desk. He seemed to want to inspect the contents inside, only to shut it down for good and put it away. A tear fell down his left cheek, hitting the desk.

"Well, not that it matters anymore… As I won't pursue art anymore. What’s the point, I ain’t come to The Big City for that. I shouldn’t be wastin' my time with drawin' or whatever… There’s lots to study."

He gave the succulent, that I was in the form of, a little flick. I felt the impact, but it was most tender and light, expected as he was most careful with plants.

"Kinda really gave ya a headache with my rant, yeah? When I was little, Mom told me that plants grow bigger and better if ya talk to them, but I suppose she didn’t mean like this."

He chuckled softly and put on his cardigan, standing up from his desk to leave the classroom.

"Well then, I hope today’s water was enough for everyone. I’ll be waterin' again next time, and I’ll actually talk about somethin' funny and entertainin' so y'all grow big and strong. Some silly stories of my sisters back at home, perhaps?"

He walked away from the plants with heavy steps, carrying all his hidden burdens, worries, and homesickness.

So, this entire time, he had been talking with the school plants after school, seeing them as his only friends…? Hiding his life situation under a charming, chill smile… I wondered if that was the result of always pretending to be strong in front of his two young sisters.

With the sound of him shutting the classroom door, I was back to my body. I flinched at the sudden change of states. Moving my hands up and down, doing light jumps on my feet, I made sure that I had full control over my actual vessel. After confirming everything was all okay, I quickly handled the watering task and went back to my club activities.

I was feeling a mixed bag of emotions: Sure, getting the glasses to work their magic once again was a great relief, but now my mind was just busy with new problems. What was I going to do now? What was the next step to take? How could I let Reo know that I was there for him, and he didn't need to take on all the burdens alone…?

As I ran on the track field, my thoughts ran along with me. Each step brought a new idea, a new possibility—and by the end of the day, I had generated a million possible methods of helping out my friend…!

In the end, I managed to eliminate the great amount of ideas into just two possible scenarios, one if he did come to school tomorrow, the other if he stayed at home a bit more.

That being said, my mind simply didn't know how to stop being a worrywart… Once I decided on the two possible scenarios for tomorrow, my brain shifted towards a brand new wave of thoughts full of concern. Now that I knew that he lived alone, would he be truly okay? Was he eating well? How was his heart feeling, lying down in bed all alone, without a soul checking up on him…?

Well, that was about to change because he was not alone anymore.

He had me.

—

The next day, the course of events that I expected more than the other took place: he was absent for another day. Why, of course he was—he didn't have anyone to take care of him while sick! Was he even able to eat properly…?

I tried to keep my ears sharp and pick up conversations going on in my class, to see if anyone would mention Reo being absent again. To my dismay, not even one person had made a comment.

A lonely, sizzling feeling took over my chest.

I tried to swat away the dark feelings, reminding myself that Reo had someone who truly cared for him in this city—another person who was somewhat of an outcast of the class, but someone who was there for him, nonetheless.