An Impending Storm

Despite the gloomy weather outside, with clouds hanging low on dark skies, the atmosphere in the classroom is lively and cheerful.

After all, the midterm examinations are over, and summer vacation is right around the corner. It is already June, and though the rainy season has descended upon a sleepy Tokyo, the students are already planning ahead for what they intend to do in July. Before summer vacation, there is still one major event that they are looking forward to.

Tanabata.

However, even before the festival on the seventh of July, there is yet another hurdle that they had to overcome.

“Sakura, Sakura! How did you do?”

One of the female classmates rushes over to speak to the green-haired girl. The students have just received their midterm tests, and most of them are huddling to compare scores and express either relief at doing well or sorrow at not making the grade.

“Ah, Sato…I…I passed.”

Sakura looks up, with tears of joy in her eyes. Satsuki Sato pats her shoulder affectionately before leaning over to see the result. Her eyes widen and her jaw lowers.

“Sakura, you did it!… You actually passed national studies! It was your weakest subject yet you managed to kick its ass! I’m so proud of you!!”

“I was only able to thanks to Minato…”

Before Sakura can complete her sentence, she finds herself swamped by her classmates. Guys and girls alike compete for her attention, forming a ring around her and bombarding her with questions.

“With you being a transfer student from overseas, I thought that you may struggle a bit, so it’s really great to see how well you’ve been fairing.”

“We all knew you could do it, Sakura! Congratulations!”

“It appears as though my calculations were off… For a monster, you’ve proven yourself to be quite intelligent.”

“Hey! That’s not a very nice thing to say to a girl, Fushigi!” Another student states, elbowing him in the ribcage.

Minato watches from afar, gratified that their efforts have paid off. Dark rings circle his eyes and he slumps over his desk wearily. The classmates praising Sakura have absolutely no idea how much work they had to put in for Sakura to make it this far. Weeks of sleepless nights where his patience was endlessly worn thin as he berated her over and over again. There were instances where he wanted to tear his hair out, but he persevered, and is glad that the crisis is over.

Though, Minato can finally have a long well deserved break. A part of him feels guilty. During the past few weeks when they studied, he had all but neglected his duties at the store. He loathed having to temporarily leave all the work to granny Haru, but the spritely old lady would smack him when he left his room to try and tend to the customers. Waving her walking stick threateningly, she had told him to go back to his room and help the lovely girl he had left alone.

“I’ve only known Sakura for a short time now, but if she fails due to you not helping her, that’s your ass!”

Minato cringes at the memory, but inwardly he is very grateful to his grandma for being so understanding. He is mainly worried about her health, but if she is able to behave as lively as a woman half her age, then she probably is all right.

Probably. That worry continues to gnaw at his heart. Granny Haru isn’t getting any younger, and the loss of his parents has made him keenly aware of how fragile life is. He has to keep a closer eye on her, now that the immediate issue has been resolved.

Or at least that’s what he thinks, but in the corner of his eye, he notices the depressed figure of a girl he once believed was the love of his life.

Sayori?

Blinking, he forces himself to get up and approach her. She has taken the desk next to his, but they have remained distant ever since…Ryonosuke. And the giant Venus fly trap incident. He has tried to converse with her, but she always shuts him off. Making small excuses to exit the conversations before they had chances to develop.

Now, though, she looks more vulnerable than ever. Like she is on the verge of tears.

“Are you okay?” He asks, gently setting a hand on her shoulder. Sayori looks up and she cracks a smile. He can tell that it’s feigned, though. There is no life in her eyes.

“Y…yeah.” She glances at her phone. Looking at the last picture that she and Ryonosuke took before his disappearance. How even in the image, he appeared distant. “I just…think it’s time I stop hoping. It’s time that I move on.”

Move on? For a moment, Minato was startled. Then he realizes what Sayori is referring to. A stab of guilt fills him when he remembers how he has been too busy spending time with Sakura to check in on Sayori. God I’m such an idiot. I haven’t even begun to contemplate all that she must have been going through. I really shouldn’t have neglected her.

Perhaps there was a time when he might have celebrated Ryonosuke’s absence and Sayori’s resentment against a boyfriend who ghosted her, but now he only feels sorrow and helplessness.

“Can I do anything to help?”

“No, not really.” Sayori sighs and shakes her head. Then she pauses and stares out the window, at the dark clouds that have gathered but refuse to spill their contents. Yet. “Well actually…there may be one thing you can do.”

“What?”

“Come with me.” Sayori stands and takes his hand. She smiles, and this time there is a flicker of authenticity in her expression. “It has been a long time since we’ve talked properly, hasn’t it?”

Minato hesitates for a second before he nods. “Yeah, I guess it has been a while, huh?” The both of them headed toward the classroom exit.

Sakura wants to celebrate with Minato…to thank him for never giving up on her over the past few weeks and helping her with her studies. As they studied together in his room over the twenty days or so, she came to realize that he was very patient with her. A lesser person would have snapped and quit halfway, but Minato persevered, always believing in her, always encouraging her no matter how many mistakes she made.

She still recalls the countless private tutors and governesses that her father, the king, had hired back in their kingdom. She has always been a boisterous and hyperactive child, driving her teachers crazy with her “incompetence” and countless mistakes.

“How can you not understand something so simple?!”

“What kind of stupid question is that?”

“That’s not becoming of a lady of your status.”

Minato is…different though He didn’t judge her, he didn’t condemn her, and he didn’t lose his temper with her. He would work on her problems with her, explaining over and over again until she finally understood.

“Minato!” She calls out, rising from her seat and trying to ignore the clamor of voices around her. Her classmates continue to chatter and block her way, and she has to gently push them aside. I’ve to control my strength, so as not to accidentally hurt them. They don’t notice, and a few mistake her attempts as enthusiasm, patting and congratulating her. “Minato,” she calls again, shifting her eyes toward his now empty seat.

A chill runs down her spine when she catches one last glimpse of Minato leaving the classroom…led away by Sayori. And the latter was holding his hand.

“Sakura!” Sato cries as she jumps on her. “What do you plan to do during summer vacation? Shall we go to the beach once the rainy season is over?”

“That’s enough.” Kenta finally intervenes, peeling Sato off Sakura. The gaggle of classmates finally break up, slightly intimidated by his muscular stature. He glares at the few who refuse to leave. “You’re troubling her.”

“T…thank you.” Sakura takes a deep breath, remembering that he is Minato’s friend. He smiles at her.

“Don’t worry about it. I just didn’t like how they weren’t respecting your space.”

“Still, I appreciate it.” Sakura bows, not noticing the red blush in Kenta’s cheeks.

“Don’t mention it.” The big guy hesitates for a moment, but whatever he wants to say is stuck in his throat when she turns around before he can continue. Sakura hurries out of the classroom and into the corridor, searching for Minato and Sayori.

To her dismay, she is unable to find either of them.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

“What’s the matter?” Minato asks when Sayori brings him to the rooftop. Of all the places he thinks she will lead him to, he least expects the open area at the top of the school building. He recalls a time when he had dragged Sakura to this place, but then again, Sayori was the person who first introduced him to such a location, far from any eavesdropping ears.

“It’s been a while since we have spoken, hasn’t it?”

“Huh? I just talked to you yesterday. And this morning, too.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” Sayori gives Minato a stare, making him feel uncomfortable. He shuffles and looks away.

Even after so many months, I find it difficult to talk to her.

Sayori sighed. “Look, I know I rejected you during Valentine’s Day…but even if we can’t become a couple, we can still be friends, right?”

“R…right. We are friends.”

“So why have you been avoiding me?” She pauses and narrows her eyes. “And I don’t just mean recently. Ever since you…confessed to me, you’ve kept your distance.”

Minato hesitates and averts his gaze. “You have a boyfriend. I didn’t want to make things…awkward.”

“How’s that working now?”

“…okay, I guess.” To his surprise, he genuinely means it. He doesn’t know if it’s because he has been spending so much time with Sakura that he has already moved on from Sayori’s rejection. If he had known, he would have spoken to Sayori earlier, and reached out, lending her a listening ear. “What about you? How are you doing?”

“…not very good, to be honest.” Sayori sighs and shakes her head. “And…I had a boyfriend. I don’t anymore. So you can stop skirting the issue around me. I think I’ve moved on…and if I haven’t already, I need to.”

“What happened?”

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Sayori looks up at the sky, a shadow cast upon her face. The heavens mirror her mood, the ominous clouds drifting threateningly but not ready to unleash their load just yet. The girl in front of Minato is currently bereft of tears, but he has no idea how long that will last. Perhaps she will cry when it rains. Or maybe it will rain when she finally cries.

Just how long has she been holding it in?

Minato takes a deep breath and reaches out to hug her. She stiffens for a moment, and then gives in to his embrace.

“I’m here for you. You know that, right?”

“…yes.”

“No matter what happens, I’ll always be your friend.”

“I appreciate it.” Sayori shudders and shuts her eyes. No tears yet. Or maybe she has already cried everything out earlier, in a place he doesn’t know during a time he was unaware. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“I guess not.”

“It…just hurts, you know? Having someone you thought you love dearly disappearing like that. I always believed he was the one for me. He was so…nice. Charming. Caring…at first. I don’t know what happened. Did he lose interest in me? But why would he refuse to answer my calls? Why did he vanish? Did he drop out of school because he was desperate to avoid me? What did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do,” Minato assures her and holds her at arm’s length, staring into her eyes. “I know who Sayori Nagisa is. I’m your childhood friend and I know you better than anybody does. Even your boyfriend.”

Sayori barely manages to crack a smile. “Ex-boyfriend, you mean.”

“Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean.”

“Thank you. For a long while, I thought…the problem was with me.”

“It’s not.” Minato hugs Sayori once more. “You’re the sweetest, brightest and most cheerful girl I know. You’re amazing. You know how many times you’ve saved me when I was down? I always wanted to return the favor. Your ex is an idiot if he can’t appreciate how lucky he was to date someone as incredible as you.”

Sayori giggles, though her laughter is a little hollow. “You’re such a flatterer.”

“Hey, I’m just telling the truth. I…”

“That’s enough.” She sighs and rests her head against his shoulder. “Just let me stay like this for a while, all right?”

Minato doesn’t answer. He stands still and pats her back as she weeps and complains and whines and vows vengeance on her bastard ex-boyfriend.

Finally, it starts raining.