ă€ŠOver the Bridges to Singing Waterfallsă€‹


 How the Birds Fly

    In the midst of the year 2022, the territory of contemporary Japan has an impressive number of Japanese people and is unprecedentedly one of the perfect giant nations in the world podium, having both the advanced technology of the future and the beauty of nature. The inhabitants have no questions about the current situation in their country and live a carefree life, celebrating the national holidays and working for the future of the prosperous country. One would think, how can you not be happy when you were born in Japan?

    But one young resident has a distinctive opinion on the matter, looking at things around him from a skeptical point of view. At his young age, he had come to the conclusion that he had no reason to rejoice in the arrival of new acquaintances from his peers. The young man had an emphatic attitude toward his surroundings, but in no way did he wish ill on people who seemed to be outsiders in his life. In conjunction with these facts about his personality, the young man often put himself forward to believe that this was what set him apart from the rest.

    It was also where the whole story began.

    After leaving Kyoto, the place where his parents lived, he bothered to move to the capital, to his own sister''s house. In truth, he was finally able to see his sister again after several long years, and having initially heard the news of his move, the woman reacted peacefully, not refusing a new tenant, especially when the tenant was her own younger brother.

    Outside the window was the dawn of the month of April, enveloped in a quiet Tokyo mood. The flip calendar on the side table in the young man''s private room showed the sixth day of the month. On this morning, the silence in the room was shattered by the ringing of the alarm clock coming from the touchscreen phone lying on the floor. The bed rustled, and soon a certain head and then a male, house-clad body emerged from the sheltered bed. The lazy silhouette assumed a sitting position, and after turning off the alarm clock on the phone, a howl was heard from his lips, foreshadowing the young man''s lack of sleep.

    The next few minutes of his activity consisted of the routine of tidying up and washing himself in the bathroom - like a morning tradition, and at the end his direction led him straight from the corridor to the kitchen. The shape of his tall and slender indicated the young man''s indulgence in his outward beauty and cleanliness. He sat down at the kitchen table in the middle of the room itself, and proceeded to take an unrefrigerated meal consisting of fried eggs. This next morning in an apartment notable for its luxury of minimalism and its adherence to modernist design in terms of every furnishings, the young man spent in silence.

    In fact, he was awakened in the morning by an obligation to come to school for orientation for newcomers, and being a transfer student, the young man knew absolutely nothing about his school. With conscious doubts about the attractiveness of the school in which he would remain to complete his crucial year, he decided not to worry about today, the day of his first arrival at the new institution.

    The location of the school was close to the central district of the city, which made the subway ride from his apartment to the control area take a fabulous one-tenth of a minute. This time the young man preferred to occupy himself by listening to music on headphones.

    Without an ounce of anxiety, he reached the grounds of his school, and caught his eye and found himself slightly indoctrinated by the attractiveness and size of the structure itself. At least, it seemed that way to him at first, for he had not entered the inside of the school.

    Crowds of students in school uniforms appropriate to the institution stood through the gate. He noticed the uniformity in the way the students wore their clothes, and only his uniform differed from them with its checkered pants, the patterns of which were only slightly visible up close. Stealthily walking through the young crowd, he didn''t bother to listen in on the conversations - they seemed inaudible as it was, thanks to the abundance of noise emanating. Unable to catch glances from some of the female students with excited interest gradually rose to the boy as he passed them.

    Climbing the stairs, he reached directly to the entrance of the school building, and headed toward the considerable gathering of people surrounding the blackboard with the list of students and their disposition to their classes. When he got close to the board, he immediately ran his finger down the list, and finally, when he hit a certain point, he found his name on it.

    "Ryou Hayashi, 12th grade A," was written on the sheet in fine print, and as he removed his hands, he made sure his name was indeed written on the list.

    "Just look at his amazing wavy hair..." whispered an unfamiliar female voice coming from behind and pointing toward Ryou.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    "No! Just look at his slender, tall body," the next female voice issued softly, "And his dainty dark blue eyesˇ­"

    "Apparently his name is Ryou Hayashi, a future graduate of the school... Is he new?" wondered another student who was in the crowd along with the other maidens, none of whose faces Ryou had seen before.

    Deciding to approach the young man from the side, an unfamiliar student with a pronounced length of wavy hair dyed pink thought to notice his face, unaware of her presence.

    What appeared before her was the graceful face of the student looking nonchalantly at his name on the list, as if he was a young model. The perfect combination of the light tone of his skin and his dark, unstyled hair, which unwittingly reached to his temples, presented a gorgeous first impression of him as a decent young man. His piercing eyes were imprinted on the faces of many of the students who met him on the current day as something to cling to and not let go of in any way.

    His name, Ryou, is a man who unknowingly achieved honor with the female students of his school, deciding in broad daylight to arrive for a brief day of introductions.

    Not choosing to attend the first day''s ceremony, he skipped the annual speech without a reason and made his way home afterward. Thus, Ryou did not want unnecessary gazes and any attention among those present at the school. He thought it would not be worth expending his energy if there were no lessons that day, but instead, lessons would begin tomorrow.

    As a result, he spent the entire day in unimpeded tranquility, looking out over his neighborhood through a wall-size window from the top floor of a 25-story apartment. From that distance, it felt as if he could see the world in the palms of his hands, and no one would disturb his privacy.

    Ryou didn''t want to change anything in his current life and only left the future to his fate, hoping for a better outcome of life in a completely unfamiliar city, where he had no relatives except for his sister. Thus, mindlessly shuttered against the window in the kitchen, Ryou fell asleep, covered by a sheet.

    The next morning, during breakfast, Ryou and his sister were in the kitchen. A slender but young figure stood near the bar counter, washing dirty dishes with gentle hands. The water pouring from the tap was the only thing that interrupted the silence in the whole house. Ryou was only having breakfast, unlike her sister, dressed businesslike in a shiny shirt and a dark skirt that slimmed her waist, who was clearly on her way to work.

    "Going to school today, Ryou-kun?" came the gentle and subdued female voice of her sister, heralding her unperturbed mood for the current morning.

    "Of course, yes," the young man''s male voice manifested afterward.

    "Getting used to the fact that you''re studying in Tokyo now?"

    "I think I''ll soon be able to adjust to it."

    Finished with her chores, the lady turned off the tap and wiped her hands with a towel. Glancing over at Ryou, she noticed his thoughtful look, staring aimlessly at his food. Her sister, whose name was given by her mother in honor of the child''s restraint and calmness from birth, was noticeably older than the young man. Her face was not much different from her brother''s at first glance, except for the difference in her sex, the mole on the left cheek and the older expression in eyes.

    "I see. You haven''t been out much all week since you came in. I''m glad you dared to go out today, too," she added deafeningly, not changing her demure look.

    The teenager thought perplexedly. Dared? What''s the nonsense?

    "I didn''t see the value in going outside."

    "You should get used to it, Ryou-kun, living in Tokyo now. Have you tried to make friends from your new classmates."

    "I don''t need them," Ryou replied curtly, "I''m fine without them."

    Megumi tiredly exhaled after seeing her younger brother''s stubbornness, and proceeded to change her shoes at the exit of the apartment. Putting on her gray coat, she straightened her collar, and spreading her smooth brown hair out of it, she looked out with dignity toward Ryou, who was also sitting by the table.

    "Good luck on the first day," she said benignly, and their gazes met affectionately.

    "Thank you. And you don''t overdo it at work, Nurse. Don''t let your patients stare at you."

    "All right. I''m off, clean up after you finish your breakfast."

    Megumi Hayashi, a loving sister who has devoted herself to her work as a doctor, is in fact a person Ryou wished to look up to. How else could it be, as their kinship affects Ryou, so that he can make sure that he has his own family present.

    Very soon there was the sound of the front door closing, followed by silence. Ryou began to finish his breakfast.

 Dreamer

    A long chime of the first break rang through the school grounds, ushering in a first day of school for the students, and to the chorus of people stomping in the hallways, the medium-sized classrooms began to fill with a crowd of students.

    A young man with wavy hair and a tall stature entered the classroom last. A mature teacher who noticed his presence called him to the blackboard and ordered him in a masculine voice to stop the noise in the classroom, whereupon the students sitting at their desks quieted down and turned their attention toward the teenager.

    "Please introduce yourself," the teacher painstakingly stated.

    Ryou lifted his eyes and reluctantly turned to his classmates with a resigned look.

    "My name is Ryou Hayashi, nice to meet you," the young man declared to the entire class, bowing in respect, after which the class fell completely silent.

    Soon, there were whispers from some of the students, wondering if he was the only newcomer to their class. It was understandable, since from the early conversations among themselves before the class started, everyone was on the same page.

    All except one student, who looked serenely in Ryou''s direction. She seemed aloof, but her gaze was one of coldness and indifference all around her. Rather, it was she who was untouchable to the rest of the people.

    "Surely he''s not a model?" whispered between the students, to which the students threw strange glances at the young man. "I heard about him yesterday from my friends. Ryou Hayashi, and this handsome man will be in the same class as us...!"

    Ryou thought if they think he won''t hear them talking, turning his gaze tiredly to the girls in his class. He didn''t want to draw attention to himself, so he wondered why they wouldn''t shut up.

    Indeed, Ryou had genes perfectly aligned with natural beauty, and no wonder why he had distinctive facial features from the rest.

    "Some people are lucky..."

    "Was his name taken non-serious by his parents?"

    "What desk would he be sitting next to?"

    "I think the desk in the last row next to Yumiko-chan is free."

    The conversations didn''t stop. Looking over the faces of his classmates, the young man stopped at the brown eyes and slightly lipstick-covered, bright pink lips of the girl he didn''t know, who was sitting at the last desk by the window. Their gazes met, leaving Ryou with a sense of sweet humility that made him slightly dumbfounded.

    "Okay, stop making noise!" the teacher rumbled harshly and then the class quieted down again. "Come on, sit at an empty desk. It''s time for class time."

    Ryou nodded and headed toward the desks. He walked slowly, being on the lookout for a vacant desk, and so, when he reached the last row, he found a seat and sat down at his desk. Clapping his hands, the teacher began his lesson. To his left sat the same girl whose darkish-brown hair color Ryou noticed when he glanced unobtrusively over her. The teenager noticed her writing something on her notebook with a pen, but he didn''t care about that.

    Thus, Ryou got to know his new class.

    The class barely made it through the first day, and the first day for Ryou was, in his opinion, a smashing failure. He had expected calm in the classroom, but he received a whole bunch of attention from his classmates, even during class, which made him angry at himself for no reason.

    When recess rang, the teacher finished his lesson and left the classroom, followed by half the students. As he waited for the quick end of the first day of school, Ryou put his cheek to the palm of his hand and looked at his classmates interacting with each other, and realized that his class was cohesive, which made him slightly happy about the fact that there were no bullies.

    Suddenly there was a shy girl next to him, whose look the young man could tell that she wanted to start a conversation with him.

    "Hayashi-san, would you like to take a walk together at recess...?" she asked confusedly, hoping for a better answer, and noticed Ryou flinch.

    "Um, no. I''m busy right now."

    Not at all. Ryou was completely free at this time and had no plans. He could only timidly say no to his classmate, whose arrival he could not expect.

    "Ah... Okay, then, I''ll... go!" she replied, breathlessly.

    The stranger literally almost gave the young man a heart attack.

    This was immediately followed by a call from the other three students, and coming down in front of him.

    "Hayashi-san, can I have a moment, please!"

    "You take such painstaking care of your appearance, Hayashi-san!"

    Ryou was puzzled by the influx of interest in his direction that he lost his grip and was confused by the arrival of the other students. How was he to know that the girls wanted to make new acquaintances with him when the situation he was now in appeared to be a novelty to the young man. He was completely inexperienced in talking to strangers.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    The girl sitting on the next desk was interested in what was happening near the newcomer''s desk, and the delight that emanated to Ryou managed to surprise her wondrous eyes as well. Deftly twiddling her pen with her fingers, she wondered slightly what had caused Ryou to become a favorite among her classmates.

    She thought to herself, frustrated, that the newcomer seemed to be giving her no peace now with his presence at the next desk. But, of course, he was not to blame.

    All Ryou wanted was to be alone with himself, with no extra faces around him.

    This evening, cornered by negative thoughts, Ryou sat wrapped in a blanket, staring relentlessly at the bright candles from the car headlights that cycled along the sides of the streets.

    He was torn up inside by the fact of how far away he was from his hometown. Negative thoughts flowed out of his head, manifesting in him a sense of depression.

    No feelings, he continued to declare. No screams from his father emanating from his room in the house. No desires to run away when he is surrounded by people who disgust him, and no primitive treatment of him as a human being. Closing his eyes, he clumsily covered his ears with a blanket, as if he wished to expel the hateful memories. No shouting in the house, he thought. In an unsociable place. To burrow into a hole, and spend his last year of high school unnoticed.

    He concluded in his head that Tokyo disgusted him. Initially, this city did not bode well for him when he moved. The unwelcome move for him revealed his desire to return to Kyoto, where his friends awaited him. On the other hand, the only thing that rejected the decision to return was his family, which the young man hated in the aftermath of recent events that signed him to make his choice.

    Thus ended his first day at his new school.

    The next morning, during the big school break, Ryou , angered by the resulting problem of students from the school stepping into his personal space, stealthily stood near an empty table, at which his desk mate was also sitting modestly.

    "May I sit here and eat?" asked Ryou with a weary look.

    The silent maiden immediately accented him, and after thinking briefly, nodded. Ryou sat down at the table, and straightening his back slightly, breathed a sigh of relief.

    "But you didn''t take anything to eat."

    "Never mind. I could barely get away from people. At least I''ll rest here."

    "Why, is your situation with the students bothering you?" the girl wondered in a modestly expressive voice.

    "Of course. What else could it be?"

    She gave a thoughtful look, pointing her index finger toward her chin. The maiden had a decent look and a delicate, fragile appearance, which made Ryou think of her as an ordinary girl, no different from the others upon first meeting her. But the young man couldn''t get her gentle eyes out of his mind, looking nonchalantly in his direction.

    "I thought guys liked overprotection from girls."

    "Maybe, but I don''t really care about that, somehow."

    "I see."

    The young man was not disgusted by the conversation with his girl classmate, and at least for this moment he could feel at ease. Stopping to think, Ryou took a more serious look and folded his arms.

    "Yumiko Sato, my desk mate. I always see you sitting busy during class, and from the looks of it, you have a tight social circle. My name is Ryou Hayashi, I''d love to meet you."

    "Yes, I''m glad to meet you, too. Is there something you need from me?"

    "Hmm? No... Although, yeah, you''re right. I want to address you."

    "And about what?" she asked with the same unfazed gaze, crossing her legs with rankness. "Is it about your circumstances?"

    "Apparently. My plans are to graduate quietly."

    "Quietly? Well, I suppose my answer will depend on what you suggest."

    On the one hand, Yumiko was really disturbed by the unnecessary noise in class. Though she didn''t know what he might demand of her, he would have liked to quiet his groupies, Yumiko pondered to herself, digging into her thoughts the benefit of her cooperation with the young man.

    "And they are not my groupies at all. However, I already know what will help me avoid interest from female students in the future."

    "So that''s it," Yumiko added interestedly, "So what?"

    "You and I need to declare to them that we are dating."

    There was no shortage of confidence in the young man''s harsh words. However, he had no idea how much he had miscalculated his choice of emotion in this situation. The maiden edged toward Ryou , and in surprise at this suggestion, which cannot even be called a suggestion, lowered her eyes slightly.

    "I see. Nevertheless, I will not be able to respond to your offer, for I see no profit in participating."

    "It''s true. I''m really at my wits'' end when it gets annoyingly noisy around me."

    "Anyway, Sato-san, I want you to think again. See if you can find a benefit in this, if you want, I can pay you monthly, too."

    Ryou tried his best to persuade Yumiko to change her answer. He was not in the mood to look for a better person for the role. A serene and perpetually thoughtful snow princess in the role of a young boy''s girlfriend caught up in the inevitable attention from the opposite sex.

    "No, no way!" she exclaimed, waving her palms. "It''s not about the money. Now, let me think..."

    Yumiko thought that on the one hand, if she took part in this farce, she could get back into her sphere of habitat. On the other hand, she was worried about something else.

    "Sato-san, are you worried about being bothered by angry girls after you confess? I don''t think that''s a problem, because whoever I''ve met of the students at this school is all modest, though a little selfish."

    "Yes, I''ve wondered about that. Look...don''t you think you''d be better off swapping desks with another person?"

    "No. The problem might take root and grow if I don''t do something about it. I could go crazy like that! Besides, there won''t be any benefit to me."

    The damsel with a slightly disappointed look wondered if he was being selfish. "Ahem, I see. In that case, I accept your offer, Hayashi-san."

    Ryou flinched at her unexpected reply. Smelling the scent of victory, a blush appeared on his face and his eyes shone.

    "Thank you, I knew I could count on you!"

 A Free Space for Thoughts

    "Thank you, I knew I could count on you!"

    "Now, Hayashi-san, I ask you not to disturb me now. I have to finish my food before my next class starts."

    "Of course! Thank you again for your answer."

    As he walked away, the young man waved his hand victoriously, and Yumiko noticed it from the corner of her eyes, after which a slight, modest smile appeared on her face. Before giving her response to Ryou she discounted the presumably bad consequences of her decision at zero, and literally held out her hand to the man who needed her at this moment.

    "Of course, you could have found a bunch of actual pros and cons before answering, but at this particular moment, I didn''t really care." A young woman wondered if she was unselfishly helping the man right now, or if it was just self-inflicted.

    That same afternoon, Ryou told his students that he was already dating a girl, and even apologized to them for hiding the fact. He repeated his words over and over again to every schoolgirl who came to him for affection, and because of this, he saw a lot of backlash. To those who asked him about the girl''s name, he answered directly and with a seriousness that the truth could not be distinguished from a lie. Throughout the day there was no misunderstanding on Yumiko''s face other than humility, and it seemed that their plan was paying off.

    As a result, the rumors spread through almost the entire school in less than a day, and Ryou was a little embarrassed, but he knew the trouble he was going to. Toward the end of the school day, as a bitter, sunny sunset wafted outside, the school''s huddled students walked out of the school. Looking at the rays of light slowly disappearing over the horizon as they swept across the city, and gazing up at that sun from the top floor of the school, Ryou, pensive, didn''t even notice Yumiko walking up beside him. She was holding a notebook in both hands and a bag on her shoulder.

    "No outsiders are allowed in here," she said jokingly and fondly.

    "My heart told me to come this way."

    "Do you like to look at pictures like this?"

    "Of course. They comfort me. You can remember passages from the past without end, warming your soul and heart."

    Yumiko was a little surprised by the young man''s talkativeness and realized that he, too, had his own oddities in mind. Though she was aware of his avoidance of people''s attention, she couldn''t fathom why Ryou wasn''t running from her as well.

    "I don''t have any of those," Yumiko replied to his words.

    "Ah... I see."

    Even though it was none of his business and they were no more than acquaintances and classmates to each other, the interest in learning more about her never left the guy''s mind. He stared at the sunset humbly, wondering why she always reeked of humility. From the influx of questions Ryou realized that he was greatly moved by her words.

    "By the way, how''s your mood? No one bothered you after what I said, I hope?"

    "Yes, your plan seems to have worked. Congratulations."

    "So it did. I got off easy."

    "And what are you going to do now?"

    "Hmm? I guess... I''ll lay low for a while."

    "Not coming to class, you mean?"

    "Maybe. My future goal is to be the invisible one that no one will pay attention to."

    Yumiko was suddenly interested in his answer, and soon assuming she could find a resemblance to him in this sort of way. Various moments from her high school life swirled in the maiden''s mind, which also made her realize that she was invisible.

    "But what are you so eager to hide from people for?" declared Yumiko, not daring to say that she was similar to him. Thinking that he would not be interested, she only set out to find out the reason for Ryou''s avoidance of society.

    Before Ryou could answer, the two of them heard the arrival of a certain group of schoolgirls who were waiting for the young man to come close to them. They had a distinctive look of confidence, and when they called his name, they caused Ryou''s confusion.

    Ryou headed toward the young schoolgirls with a tired and slightly stern look in his eyes. Yumiko, on the other hand, thinking it was her business as well, followed the teenager to her pleasure.

    "Hayashi-san, can you give me your phone number?" came the first female voice.

    "What are you doing up here on the roof?"

    "Is that your girlfriend beside you right now!"

    The group of maidens glanced from the humbled Ryou directly toward Yumiko, who was looking behind him. She had a slightly confused but not at all confused look, which meant that she trusted Ryou, who was about to give them an answer.

    "Not otherwise, you got it right," Ryou replied with deliberate indifference, and followed up by pointing his thumb toward his pretend mate. "Actually, we were just talking about our relationship, so please leave this place.

    "Is that his other half?" said one of the maidens sadly. "I guess we didn''t make it, girls..."

    Crucially, no one noticed the maiden with long, pink hair huddled against the stairs the whole time. As she listened, she stared at Yumiko''s aloof gaze and automatically repeated the entire conversation over and over in her mind, going into detail about the young man''s facial expressions and gestures, which eventually led her to conclude in her investigation.

    "I don''t believe it," she whispered in a gentle, feminine voice, pointing her index finger at Yumiko.

    Yumiko, returning home only in the evening, opened the front door with her key and removed her shoes with impunity. The modestly sized apartment had two rooms and a kitchen. What else would you expect from a private one-story house, at times like this you should be content with the compactness of the apartment. Placing her phone on the nightstand, she wandered quietly through the dark apartment. As she entered the hall, she noticed the picture of her mother asleep in a sitting position beside the TV on, about ten open alcohol cans and a ton of clothes strewn across the room. The mere sight could have made one despair and know the deplorable situation in her family, but the maiden was in no way surprised by the picture. She flailed her body as if everything seemed normal to her, and continued on her way, to her bedroom.

    She thought that nobody won''t be able to change anything, so she shouldn''t bother. It''s not worth wasting time on foolish things.

    Soon changed into her home clothes with naked, slender legs, Yumiko sat down at her chair and turned on her laptop. She always did educational assignments there, after she got home, over and over again. These assignments were of school and higher educational level. She loved to learn, but for the most part, she studied for no reason, which was clear from her excessive busyness. This was what made her seem like a nerd to her classmates.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Unexpectedly for her, there was a loud ringing of the phone call from the hallway, disturbing the calm throughout the apartment. Hoping to catch it before her sleepy mother noticed it and woke up, she rushed to pick up the phone. Grasping the phone, she sloppily almost dropped it, and answered it. Closing the door of her room, the first thing she did was look at the caller''s name. It was her father.

    With her father on the phone, Yumiko always spoke with a passive tone and saw the difference in conversations in person and remotely. In fact, her daughter had not seen her father''s face for more than six months, and she seemed completely oblivious to her business that she did not notice how quickly the days between their meetings flew by.

    To her, her father was the only family she had and something of a pillar in the midst of her difficult financial problems. She took her time listening to his every typical question and answering briefly. Understanding how much of a man her father is, exhausted from his never ending job, her daughter always asked him his health.

    "I see, I''m glad you''re well. You''re always tired after work, after all."

    "I promise I''ll visit you soon, daughter. Wait a little longer, and at our next meeting I''ll let you buy anything you want."

    "All right," replied the daughter warmly, sitting on the bed and pressing her body against his knees.

    "Daughter, is everything all right with mom''s condition?"

    "Yes," Yumiko responded after a long pause, and her frail hands clenched.

    Her father understood why Yumiko might be lying, and not wanting to ruin his daughter''s day, he changed the subject after each uncomfortable question if he thought his daughter was having trouble answering.

    "You can always call and talk to me. I can get away from work for a few minutes for your call. Just know that."

    "Thank you, Father."

    "About your brother..." hesitated the father through the tube, and he hummed, "Forget it. See you soon."

    "Uh-huh."

    Father ended the call. Yumiko silently lowered her arms onto the bed and pressed her back against the wall. Hearing an inaudible rustling through the door to the room, she stood up and opened it. Immediately a stern female figure, as short as her daughter, appeared before her.

    "Who were you talking to?" said her mother coldly, looking piercingly at the face of the worried Yumiko. "Answer me, who called you?"

    "I don''t see the point in answering," Yumiko announced depressedly, looking at her mother with mild disgust.

    "You cheeky girl... Why did he call you?"

    Yumiko thought that she didn''t want to be around her, mentally asking her to leave.

    "Why is he calling you instead of me...?" interrogated her mother nervously.

    Go away...!

    "Why you and not me?"

    "Yes, because I am at least someone in Daddy''s life!" pronounced the daughter''s testy voice, unable to stand her mother''s bitchiness and stupidity.

    "Lies!"

    Mom slapped Yumiko on the cheek with all her might, and she didn''t even twitch. A formidable look in her daughter''s direction manifested into further shouting: "He was always calling and making chit-chat with the bedfellows!"

    The daughter thought that was how he favored the likes of her mother.

    The mother straightened up and retreated back into the hall, whispering to herself, "Cheeky asshole."

    Mom''s communication with her daughter had developed a toxic relationship with them since childhood. Mom began doing this after her lover, Yumiko''s father, left her and the reason for this was her alcohol addiction. After such news, she was hesitant to quit, and it eventually came to an increase in her bad habits and nervousness. She had been pouring out her anger on Yumiko since she was a child, while at the same time considering her daughter a mistake of her youth. What was to be expected, Yumiko herself almost believed these words, until her father, who met her again, showed her daughter the right path to follow.

    Alienated, Yumiko declared to herself that she could not change anything. It was time to accept these thoughts as fact again. In her mind, she had expected too much from helping people. She shouldn''t have hoped for an answer, or a fate, or anyone else.

    Her eyes, lifeless at this moment, lost the outline of light, and her right cheek flushed hard with a slap.

    That same evening, Ryou sat by the window, wrapped in a blanket, gazing out at the Ferris wheel gleaming from the neighboring county. Where was he going to find it? It was simple: this ferris wheel belonged to a massive city park where the young man had not yet gone.

    He recalled fragments from his life, particularly those that had recently occurred in his family. One fragment the young man knew he remembered for the rest of his life: the loud sound of a vase falling and his father shouting in front of the window in one of his rooms, through which was reflected the irritated face of Ryou, who did not want to hear him shout in his direction.

    "Nobody asked you, Ryou!"

    "Shut up, father."

    "Darling, stop blaming him...!"

    The mother''s hands trembled, while the father''s strong hands clenched, just to keep from overreaching and making a ruckus in the apartment.

    These voices were muffled, gradually producing fractional shrieks. It seemed as if he could hear these voices, doused in water.

    "It''s the same thing every day, son," his father lowered his eyes with a stern but suppressed voice, and soon he waved his hand heavily. "When will you calm down?"

    "Don''t blame me," Ryou continued with a resigned look.

    Following, inaudible screams and gurgles in the water whispered. Those were snippets of life, and he remembered them with a chill. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in fresh water, unable to breathe. The gurgling didn''t stop.

    "So you''re moving out of your house?"

    A snippet of life came out when two young men were talking to each other, with their dark-colored umbrellas open, in gray and rainy weather. When this recollection was made, Ryou didn''t care.

    "Yes, but I have nowhere to go."

    "Go to Tokyo. To your sister''s place."

    Ryou''s gaze darkened sharply after hearing the words from his peer. He was stunned by these humble but confident words. Upset, Ryou lowered his eyes and stopped resisting his bitter emotions.

    His mental state was deteriorating.

    He was saved from an immeasurable amount of strained memories by the woman who called him affectionately by name. Her warm, feminine voice removed all tension from the young man''s body, and he looked in her direction. She stood meekly beside the kitchen table, holding her purse on her shoulder. Ryou lifted his head.

    "You came home from work a little earlier today than you did yesterday," he added with a weary smile, forgetting his frustrations.

    "I''ve never had a steady schedule."

    After making sure Ryou was okay, she walked over to him.

    "So, how long were you looking at me trying to sleep?"

    "I just walked into the house."

    "I see. Thank you."

    "Hmm? Why are you apologizing?" gave Megumi a misunderstood face, which was odd of her, since she''s always walking around with a neutral stare.

    The younger brother only shook his head.

    "I''m only glad to have a beautiful, kind sister. Why don''t you have a man?"

    "I have enough problems of my own. So why should I need a man when I have a handsome, kind younger brother in the house?"

    "Actually, I''m glad to hear that."

    The young man reasoned that his sister had always helped him. Ever since he was a child, she had been dragging him, holding his hands and pulling him wherever she could, so that he could see the beauty of life.

    Ryou returned to his original, affectionate state of mind. His guardian angel was his older sister, and she had helped him grow since he was a child.

    Memories of these happy episodes warmed his soul.

 Yumiko Meets a New Friend, or Doesnâ€™t She?

    The next sunny day, Ryou didn''t show up for class for reasons I don''t understand. Staring at an empty, vacant desk, Yumiko silently completed her assignments from the book. At this point, during recess, a girl with charming pink hair and reddish eyes walks relaxed into their classroom. Her humble face, which alarmed students all over the school, was full of naivete. She stood beside Yumiko''s desk, and the latter turned her attention to the stranger.

    "My name is Akiko Akiyama, I''m in the parallel class. Nice to meet you."

    A puzzled look flashed through Yumiko''s eyes, after which she stopped to write on her notebook.

    "Um, Yumiko Sato."

    The stranger slightly stuck out and lowered her head toward Yumiko and smiled. The maiden clearly wished to talk to Yumiko longer, and the latter could not refuse. Verbally, Akiko seemed to be an open girl who had no fear in communicating. Yumiko managed to analyze her tone of communication by a mere glance, so openly was Akiko''s innocence written all over her face.

    "What are you writing?"

    "Homework."

    "Homework-?!" frightened Akiko shook out her hands, showing her emotionality. "What a shame. I completely forgot to do it."

    Yumiko was confused as to who she was and what she had come to see her about. She did not seem to have met this charming maiden before, either at school or off campus. Nevertheless, she had heard her name from somewhere, and tried to remember where.

    Remembering that Akiko Akiyama was a popular name at school, Yumiko wondered to herself why the local idol had addressed her.

    "By the way, Sato-san," Akiko called out, turning back to the dialogue after thinking about her homework, "you look older than me, even though we''re the same age."

    "I''m hardly older than you at all."

    "I see. Then, Sato-chan, will you answer me one question? You''re Ryou Hayashi''s girlfriend, aren''t you?"

    "Ah, yes. That''s right."

    "Oh, I see... Nice."

    The study and the hallway were noisy, causing no one to pay attention to their conversation. All the students were busy communicating among themselves, gathering in their camps and mindlessly making gestures that no one but them would see. The two maidens noticed the noise, and assured themselves that they could only hear each other.

    "You''re pretending to be a couple, aren''t you?" the maiden whispered quietly in Yumiko''s ear. "To be honest, I looked at your faces when you were together, but I didn''t notice any affection. You lie to others."

    Yumiko was slightly stunned by her assertion, but Akiko hesitated to move further away from her, and continued to whisper in her ear.

    "It''s called fake love, a reverse effect mostly used by people to ward off influences from the opposite sex. Vala love is unnatural, that''s why it''s pretend."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    Akiko took a slight step back, and lifted her smiling head toward Yumiko.

    "Give Ryou-kun to me, and I won''t say anything about you."

    "What would that change?"

    "Look, if you refuse, I will reveal your secret. Nothing will come of it to Ryou, but your transgression will not be allowed to go away like that. Your position I will be able to bring you down to the bottom of the plinth."

    Yumiko took her blackmail with indignation and rejection, and decided on her note to end the dialogue.

    "What a pester. Do what you want, I''m off to the canteen."

    As Yumiko was about to leave and stepped over Akiko, she grabbed the gauntlet of her white shirt and raised her peaceful tone slightly with a nervous look.

    "What on earth are you getting away with? I can break your life."

    "I..." Yumiko half-said, and turned her head in her direction. The carefree and cold face of the maiden appeared to Akiko, whose eyes showed no excitement, "...don''t care."

    Coldness and indifference arose from the mouth of the girl with the dark brown hair, whereupon the astonished Akiko shuddered and gulped her saliva.

    "Even if I get laughed at, I won''t get anything out of it. You think because you''re worried about your importance among the herd that everyone else is like that, too? Excuse me, but you have the wrong number."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Yumiko turned away from her and withdrew from the office. Akiko couldn''t drop a word, and ended up biting her finger irritably. No one but them could hear their conversation, as expected, and Yumiko was able to speak out in her full strength without worrying about what the people not involved would hear.

    "Yumiko Sato is a student who is completely unconcerned about her surroundings...! Always sitting at her desk reading books, what''s wrong with this girl? And she thinks she has the right to be arrogant. What kind of foolishness is this hypocrite allowing herself? thought Akiko inwardly, biting her lips."

    Akiko hated Yumiko because of her hypocrisy. Before entering the office, she had set up in advance how the blackmail would take place, not at all expecting it to fail.

    "There was no point in continuing the blackmail because I have nothing else to hold on to. What bad luck, and it used to work with everyone... Yumiko Sato, who are you, and why aren''t you worried about your dignity?"

    The end of another school day was always accompanied by a sunny sunset and a tired mood of students after a difficult day. As a student of the last grade, Yumiko finished her lessons and patiently headed back home. Although, if she had been allowed to stay in the classroom all night, the maiden would have chosen better to sleep at school than at home, alone with her disgusting mother.

    Yumiko went outside, and unnoticed by the other students, she headed toward the front gate. Suddenly, she heard a call behind her, followed by intense running. It was Akiko, running towards her with all her might, with the intention of catching up. Even if she could run sloppily, Akiko''s slender legs were not lost in her movements, and she reached Yumiko.

    "Wait...!" she declared with a panting tone, and paused to rest.

    Yumiko waited patiently until the maiden finally lifted her head.

    "In that case, help me... Please!"

    "Help... with what?"

    "The thing is, I love Hayashi-kun," she declared blushing. "Help me be his love! I promise I won''t tell anyone anything!"

    "You''re just like everyone else," disappointed Yumiko, sighing. "What do you demand of me?"

    "I only want you to tell me about him sometimes, so that I can get to know him better, and that way it will be easier for me to make him fall in love with me. No, wait, I''m not asking you to waste your time on me! I''ll come to you myself."

    "What''s in it for me? I don''t see any benefit."

    "Hmm, try to find a benefit in it, any way you can!"

    Realizing that she had heard these words somewhere before, she sighed wearily and thought for a brief moment, then opened her humble eyes.

    "Help gets me nowhere. Helping me won''t get me anything in return."

    "What a bore! In that case, I ask you in all sincerity!" stated Akiko pitifully, and bowed. "Please-please-please you, Yumiko-chan!"

    "Yumiko-chan?" thought the girl, astonished at the familiarity of the pink-haired schoolgirl who bowed her head. "But on second thought..."

    Yumiko, putting her finger to her chin, looked in the direction of her interlocutor and pondered. Akiko, on the other hand, waited patiently for an answer, not moving an inch. And then, after a brief pause, Yumiko''s fragile lips moved.

    "Okay, I agree."

    Gratuitously, after her answer, Akiko was abruptly pleased and her eyes seemed to glaze over.

    "Thank you~! I knew I could count on you, Yumiko-chan!"

    "And I heard those words from someone else''s mouth."

    Unexpectedly for Yumiko, Akiko hugged him hard and pressed her face against her shoulders. Akiko''s height was slightly shorter than her peer''s. There was no shortage of happiness on her face.

    "Hey, enough already."

    "Let me hold you longer! You''re my savior."

    Soon, the surprised Yumiko stopped persisting. Something in her subconscious shook and sparked, and in a way she even enjoyed being hugged.

    For a first encounter, Akiko Akiyama seemed like a strange girl to Yumiko. Having initially shown her bad side, she decided to ask her directly. She''s really driven by something, Yumiko thought, maybe she even wants to hurt her. Does she wish to use her?"

    "In that case, let me be clear, Akiyama-chan."

    Akiko slowly let go of her hands and modestly took a step back.

    "You won''t succeed if you have bad intentions underneath your words. I won''t let anyone get hurt."

    "Of course not! I apologize for what happened ''to us'' this afternoon. It all turned out wrong...!"

    "A man can find common ground with even his worst enemy, I understand."

    "Good. I have to go now."

    "Well," Akiko said peacefully, and crossed her legs and gently fixed her hair, "see you soon, Yumiko-chan."

    Nodding, Yumiko turned away and left her seat. Akiko had achieved what she wanted. With Yumiko''s help, she was able to rise up in front of Ryou and get close to him. With this conversation, she revealed her secret love for a young man who doesn''t even know she exists.

    However, Akiko also had other intentions toward Yumiko. She hated the maiden because of her inner reasons, which she doesn''t tell anyone about. Maybe she would hurt Yumiko the next time she saw her, and maybe not - Akiko herself didn''t know what she would do next. Not deciding to guess, she also withdrew in search of her friends.

    At this time, in the empty hallway, a tall student was looking out the window. Huddled against the window, he peered out with an unflappable smile. It seemed that his patient gaze could shatter any solid thing with a single glance of his dark-colored eyes.

    As the sun fell over the horizon, the students left the school as well. Thus, by evening, there was no one left on the school grounds.

 Small Request

    On one of the following unremarkable days, after the school day was over, Yumiko would return home. For as long as she could remember, Yumiko always took the trolley to school. It was only in the evening that she could skip the trolley and walk home, even though it was a much longer journey, a choice she dared to make in order to be in the same house with her mother as little as possible.

    At least in this insatiable season, when summer was just around the corner and April was just beginning to flourish, the maiden chose to take the trolley home.

    After waiting for her flight at an unsupervised stop on an unsupervised street, she entered the trolleybus and sat in one free of all the last rows. Placing her bag in her lap, she lifted her head and noticed a boy about ten years old sitting silently in the front seat.

    The girl wondered what he was doing here when the sun was going down, when the street was dark, and without the accompaniment of his parents.

    Yumiko kept looking in his direction until the man sitting behind her and pressed against the seat turned to her.

    "The boy sitting in front of you..." he said in a man''s voice, causing Yumiko to turn her gaze sharply toward him, "...ran away from home recently."

    "Ah, it''s you, Glenn-kun. Hi."

    Before him stood a tall young man with charming yet intimidating dark eyes, and his warm gaze toward the maiden made it clear that they had known each other for months. Glenn was dressed in a white shirt that matched his pumped and dried body perfectly.

    "Hi. Are you on your way from school?"

    "As you can see. You, too, I presume?" the schoolgirl asked, glancing over his clean clothes.

    Glenn was the only one the maiden called by his first name among his peers, apparently because of the fact that when they met Glenn himself asked her not to call her by her last name. From his face and his foreign surname, Yumiko could assume that the young man was half-European.

    "No. The thing is, I''ve been on this trolley for hours."

    "And why is that?"

    The tall teenager moved next to Yumiko and looked thoughtfully toward the child. So far, Glenn didn''t seem to think to answer the maiden''s question.

    "Still wearing that chain?" asked Yumiko, observing the chain hanging around the young man''s neck, the bottom of which was hidden inside his shirt.

    Being peers, they talked more formally, showing respect for each other.

    "Uh-huh, but it''s not about that right now."

    "You seem interested in this boy?"

    "I keep an eye on him on this trolleybus. He''s been sitting here aimlessly for three days, not knowing where to go."

    "That''s how. And who is this child?"

    The young man''s serious tone dared not subside, and he did not raise his voice for fear that the boy might hear their conversation.

    "Yoshiro Kyoshi. A child, he ran away from home three days ago because of dire circumstances in his family. His parents filed a missing persons report, but no one has been able to find him until now."

    "Why didn''t you report him?"

    "There is a reason I cannot give him to the police, Yumiko-san. My patience is running out, but I''m holding back."

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "I''ve already talked to him. He''s been sleeping at my house for two nights. It''s my fault I can''t get along with him. I bet he''s afraid of me, even though I haven''t done anything."

    "You seem to have a pretty strong case for protecting him from the police."

    "Not at all. I''m not protecting him. It''s his own choice."If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Yumiko didn''t understand the point, but eventually decided to trust her peer. Though a slight doubt about Glenn''s rationality frightened her, the girl couldn''t let go of the idea that the guy was not telling some important details.

    "Do you have someone to call? Honestly, I need your help, Yumiko-san."

    "Call...? Ah, I think so, but why do you need another person?"

    "As extra help if I can''t get Yoshiro back in one piece."

    "Mm, so that''s what you''re after."

    Yumiko pulled out her phone and called Ryou, asking for his help, but deciding not to elaborate with him. She had learned his phone number from a teacher on an earlier day when she had wondered why the schoolboy wasn''t picking up the phone. Yes, Ryou hadn''t been in school all that time. He''d been missing now and then coming in, and no one could find out the reason.

    "He said yes," the damsel declared, hanging up the phone. "He lives in the central district, in twenty-five-story houses."

    "I didn''t expect you to find friends at school. Sorry, stupid joke."

    "Still, I don''t condemn your intentions, but why are you keeping quiet?"

    "I don''t want to talk about it on the trolley. I think I''d be misunderstood if they heard it."

    "I''m afraid you''re exaggerating."

    The trolleybus stopped at yet another stop, in the downtown area, the so-called "midway point," where many people of all kinds and qualities gather, as well as dense evening traffic.

    "Our stop," Glenn said, getting ready to get off the trolley. "Come on, let''s get off."

    "Hmm? What about the baby?" puzzled Yumiko added. "He''s not coming with us?"

    "No, he''ll stop at my apartment by himself."

    Yumiko didn''t understand where Glenn got such confidence in his words and hurried after the young man.

    They stepped off the trolley and met the cool, evening Tokyo, illuminated by hundreds of thousands of colorful beams. Nothing as beautiful as the maiden had expected from this city, a city of technology and perfect infrastructure.

    The glowing still lifes of bright lanterns and the lights emanating from the stores and large buildings kept the eyes of Yumiko, who was walking along the busy street with Glenn, on the west side of this picture. With that, Yumiko remembered how rarely she had walked downtown, and she had forgotten how mesmerizing the evening tone of Tokyo''s lights could be.

    "How beautiful..."

    "Imagine a man who has seen all the bad and the good in his life," Glenn addressed softly, continuing to walk at a leisurely pace. "He is indifferent to these beautiful sights that cannot be conveyed by mere words. Pictures that, upon looking at, people of the ordinary sort would encompass all kinds of emotions, and that would be a valid response to beauty, but not for the likes of ''them''."

    Yumiko, slightly disturbed by the young man''s distressed state, glanced over at him. His eyes were hidden by his dark hair, but his masculine lips showed a frustrated state.

    "I don''t want to become that man."

    Soon, the walk down the main street of the city ended for them, for they turned toward twenty five-story houses. The street on which these apartments were dotted turned out to be less lighted. As they entered the residential area, Yumiko was surprised by its uninhabitable nature.

    Upon reaching the entrance to one of several identical apartments, Glenn asked if this was the house his friend''s acquaintance had indicated, to which he received a direct, affirmative answer. Ringing his intercom, they awaited a speedy exit from Ryou.

    "I want to help the boy," he suddenly changed the subject. "I don''t demand compliments. I want to do good to people. That''s my only reason."

    "I see," replied Yumiko friendly. "I''m fine with that answer."

    "This boy''s family is on the verge of strife, and in his ten years, he has seen through his eyes the terrible things that have happened between his parents. It''s something I wouldn''t wish on any child."

    Yumiko fully understood Yoshiro''s situation and realized how similar their childhoods turned out to be.

    "Nevertheless, there is a chance to rectify his situation. How glad I am that I could meet him in the shortest possible time..."

    "Does his family have a chance to end the strife?"

    "Yes. At least, I hope so. By my calculations-"

    Glenn''s subdued voice was interrupted by a metal door opening, out of which a young man with thick hair looked out. Dressed in warm clothing for an April evening, he looked toward Glenn with mild bewilderment.

    "Did I interrupt you?"

    Glenn and Yumiko looked back at each other and shook their heads slightly, whereupon Ryou stepped outside, closing the door.

    "Glenn Zaliman, nice to meet you," Glenn announced peacefully, bowing his head.

    "Ryou Hayashi... Well, what did you call me for after all, Sato-chan?"

    "Hayashi-san, in truth, we have one request for you," the girl answered him.

    "Just briefly," Glenn said respectfully, looking off into the distance, as if every second he spent was important at the moment, "We should hurry."

 Destiny

    Glenn and his company of Yumiko and Ryou approached his apartment. The multistory, modern building was in a central area and the entrance to the courtyard was barricaded on all sides. Nevertheless, they made it in a short time.

    Glenn, who was walking in front of the others, glanced vaguely toward the front door and stopped. Yumiko looked out through him and noticed a child sitting silently in the corner. For Yumiko, the boy''s appearance was sad, rather because of Yoshiro''s lifeless face, waiting for the iron door to open.

    A young man resumed his stride, and coming close to the door, looked back at the child again.

    "Come in."

    Yoshiro slowly stood up and entered the entryway after Glenn opened the door, followed by the others.

    Yumiko declared to herself that boy knows exactly Glenn-kun''s address.

    Soon, they entered his apartment.

    After taking off his small boots, Yoshiro walked off toward the couch and sat down on it, unafraid of the lights turned off throughout the apartment. Glenn turned on the hall light and turned around at the two peers. It was a sign of trust. Yumiko gently walked over to the child''s side and sat down with her knees on the laid-down floor. Making sure the boy looked into her eyes, Yumiko gave him a velvet, warm smile, and Yoshiro instantly trusted that look.

    In that moment, the maiden found herself wanting to help the boy. This desire was sincere, with no selfish purpose. All because Yumiko did not want Yoshiro to start experiencing the same feelings she had in the past.

    No child should have to go through family conflicts. Children won''t put up with it, and parents will reject it. Yumiko had this opinion with her.

    "You just don''t turn away," Yumiko said gently and stroked the boy''s head. "Fight! You are a strong boy, after all."

    The distraught boy began to cry bitterly when he heard her words. He hugged the girl tightly, grasping her shoulders. Yumiko felt Yoshiro''s shaking body.

    "I understand what you''re going through. Things will get better, so please be stronger!"

    "I have no choice now..."

    "Does it matter that you''re out of the house? No one will mock you."

    "I don''t want to see them!"

    "Don''t say that. Let''s talk about the good stuff instead. How about we talk about toys?"

    Yoshiro turned away from Yumiko and wiped away his tears. His state of mind could easily be recognized by the chagrined look that was not typical of a happy child.

    "O-okay..."

    "So, Yoshiro. What can make you happy?" the maiden asked, straightening her back and sitting up straight.

    With their backs to the bar in the corner, the two tall boys watched the scene silently. Glenn seemed noticeably happier than before. The unbridled smile that he didn''t have in front of Yoshiro returned to his face.

    "Yumiko-san has a way with children."

    "Are you a close acquaintance of hers?"

    "We''ve crossed paths before, I remember last year of school. I''m in "B" class. And you''re a friend of Yumiko''s, I suppose?"

    "I''m her classmate."

    "So you don''t consider yourself her friend?"

    Ryou wondered about the meaning of friendship. For him, a friend was someone with whom one had a bond of friendship. Whether he was a friend to her, the young man did not know.

    "Stop calling me by ''''san'''' already," Ryou added, walking away from the answer.

    "I beg your pardon. I''ve had this way of speaking since I was a child. My upbringing is to blame."

    Ryou didn''t like Glenn. There was a strange aftertaste when he spoke to him, and he felt out of place when he was around him. His smile alone reeked of both cunning and mercenary.

    "This boy''s family used to be so much happier. How else could it be, when he was showered with the grace of his family every day. Eventually, something went wrong in the family, and the parents, not sharing their common happiness, began a feud. His father spent the last six months fighting and laying hands on his mother. The child could not stand the abrupt change in the home and chose the decision to run away."

    "Domestic abuse..." said Ryou, rolling his eyes dejectedly.

    "I don''t like hearing those details myself."

    "But how do you know so much about him?"

    Crossing his arms, Glenn glanced busily at the couch where Yoshiro and Yumiko were chatting peacefully.

    "Long story."

    "You just can''t tell?"

    "Depends on whether the information is important to you."

    "I suppose Sato-chan has no idea either. I want to find out."

    Glenn sighed wearily, rolling his eyes, and decided to reveal the secret he had been hiding from outsiders. Whether it was Ryou''s influence, or whether he had some kind of agenda in mind, the young man begged not to know the exact answer.

    "It''s about my work. I help people."

    "You''re about a social service job?"

    "Exactly. The questionnaire system, applying for help, commissions, and so on. It''s a whole separate iceberg."

    "Is that the kind of work you get paid for? This work epitomizes volunteerism, and many organizations do it for free."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "We have a broader list of help and waves of people asking for help from all walks of life."

    "I see. I''ve heard of such organizations in Japan somewhere."

    Glenn was more interested in watching Yumiko and the baby talk than in explaining the tasks of his job.

    "Ryou-san, do you know why we asked you to help us? Your task lies on an entirely different thing. After all, I can''t make sure Yoshiro doesn''t run away from home and Yumiko-san can''t handle it. Do you see where I''m going with this?"

    "To be a support for Yumiko...?" suggested Ryou uncertainly, lowering his eyes when he saw his and Glenn''s gazes cross.

    "Ryou-san," Glenn called softly, "why are you averting your eyes? Are you unaccustomed to interacting with a person...?"

    "I-it''s none of your business," the young man declared as he headed for the exit. "It''s dark outside. I have to go home."

    "Leaving already?" asked Yumiko confusedly, turning to face the young man.

    Ryou''s sad gaze was directed at Yoshiro, who was sitting behind the maiden. The young man could not shake off the weight of accepting the fact of the unfortunate situation that had occurred in the child''s life.

    Ryo took on this burden as well.

    "Yes," Ryou replied with a bitter smile, "I will be worried about me if I don''t come home."

    "I see..."

    Hearing her brief reply, Ryou slowly turned and continued walking toward the exit. Suddenly, he heard a male voice peacefully calling his name. When he looked back, he saw the friendly smile of Glenn, idly crossing his arms.

    "Good luck. Thank you for coming."

    Ryou smiled insincerely back at him and silently walked out. He thought he hadn''t done anything to deserve thanks.

    "Uncle''s being waited on at home," saddened the boy, "It must be good for him..."

    "Ah, he didn''t mean to hurt you. It''s just that Hayashi-kun is a busy man."

    "You have a family waiting for you, too," Glenn complemented, joining the conversation.

    "If they were looking for me, they would have found me long ago!"

    Glenn chuckled impulsively, averting his eyes.

    Yumiko chuckled embarrassedly, trying to reassure the boy. The main task now lay in calming Yoshiro down so he wouldn''t make trouble. The best choice for her was to be with the boy, because at the moment the child''s trust was on the maiden''s side.

    "Yumiko-san, would you like to sleep at my house tonight? Just for you and Yoshiro-kun, there''s a spare room."

    The schoolgirl thought about his offer. In any case, it was the best choice for her, and the boy wouldn''t let go. She looked back at the boy and saw his smiling eyes. Yoshiro with all his soul wanted her to stay with him. Pulling herself together, she could not refuse Glenn''s offer and the child''s plea.

    She ended up spending the night in someone else''s apartment, half the time talking to the child about anything they could find common ground on. Yumiko learned many things about Yoshiro''s life that could help her in helping the child return home to her family.

    "What''s happening to me?" thought Ryou, walking out of Glenn''s apartment a couple of hours ago. "Why did I run away? I could turn around..."

    Pondering his actions, the young man moved with quick steps down the deserted street near the central district.

    "Why do I always run away? I had a great chance to make a new relationship in a new city for me. Was I scared of Sato-chan''s friend? I couldn''t believe it... Was I afraid for my sister? No, she would understand, would I have called her and explained the situation to her... Was I afraid to lend a helping hand to a child who needed it so much? Rather, I was running away from responsibility, shaking my hand. Oh, come on, that''s it! Isn''t that what I thought?"

    The young man was confused in his thoughts. Physically, he was barely resting, but he didn''t dare stop, but rather wanted to tempt this tension. To feel the pain so that he could pick up his mind again and think normally about his current situation.

    "I made up my own problem. I only worry about my own problems. Glenn noticed this in me and tried to clear it up, but I shook it off again. I was only running away from myself."

    Remembering Yoshiro''s lifeless face the first time they met, Ryou lowered his head and gritted his teeth in anger at himself.

    "I couldn''t do anything to help that child..."

    The next early morning, Yumiko and Glenn cooked breakfast together at the bar. They had managed to get into their school uniforms in the time it took to regain consciousness. Their neatness in the way they wore their clothes, whether street or home, suggested from the outside that they were clean. Yoshiro was sleeping relaxed on the made-up bed. He seemed very tired after a long and peaceful conversation with the girl he decided to call sister, naturally because of the age difference.

    After carefully cutting the fruit and seafood, the two teenagers had a softened look. Figuring it would be quicker to kill time while cooking, Glenn began melodiously humming a tune that was a popular tune among young people. A soulful chant flowed from his lips, which harmoniously flowed into the ears of Yumiko, who listened to his vocals with calm thoughts. Soon she, too, joined in with him, dancing lightly with her slim legs.

    The schoolgirl was amazed at how much freedom this song felt, delving into every note of this piece of music.

    The sleeping child also listened to their singing, albeit dozing. He was dreaming happy dreams.

    Soon they were done singing, and an unforgiving peace reigned in the apartment once more.

    "What have you learned about Yoshiro?"

    "This kid doesn''t know exactly what his parents started fighting about, but he''s not sure he doesn''t want to be friends with the family either."

    Glenn listened thoughtfully to her words, not wanting to miss important details. After a brief pause, a distressed Yumiko continued her thought.

    "We have an opportunity to end his father''s toxic relationship with his mother. By giving them Yoshiro back, they can mend their relationship. They care about Yoshiro more than anyone else, Glenn-kun. I get that from what he says."

    "Good. I''ll start turning him over to his family as of today."

    "Wait, Glenn-kun!" interrupted the maiden, staggering his thoughts. "I want to help this child... I want to bring what I''ve started to a happy end. I should talk to Yoshiro about it, so give me a chance...!"

    "I see. All right, Yumiko-san, I''ll trust you with this matter, and I''ll handle the rest myself. I''ll think of a plan."

    "I understand..."

    Glenn put the knife down on the counter and turned respectfully to face Yumiko. Unexpectedly for the schoolgirl, Glenn bowed his head to her.

    "Yumiko-san. Thank you for everything!"

    "W-what? It''s okay, you don''t have to bow!"

    "It''s a sign of respect."

    "One thank you is enough for me, and better yet, you need to stop treating simple things with too much loyalty!"

    "I don''t know what you mean, I''m only talking to you on the same level."

    "I don''t smell any ''on the same level'' here."

    "All right then, Yumiko-chan."

    "W-what...?! It''s so weird..."

    With this conversation, the young man saw a confused Yumiko for the first time with astonished eyes, sweetly shaking off her hands in order not to bother him about such trivia. Glenn smiled in honor of the occasion, to which the maiden took a misunderstanding.

    Thus, Glenn''s work finally shifted and turned in a different direction, thanks to a girl mediator who had met him by pure chance.

    Or maybe it wasn''t an accident, and their first meeting in a long time was destiny.

 Glenn and Yumiko. Interlude (Extra)

    "Sensei, could you do me one favor?"

    Glenn had always been a mystery to Yumiko. They seemed to be people with completely different lusts, but despite the difference in their backgrounds, they were able to get to know each other. They had been classmates last year and had the highest grades of their peers. From the look on Glenn''s face, the girl could not guess that in addition to mindless socializing with people, the young man had a desire to study and did not sit idly by.

    On first acquaintance in the empty office, Glenn seemed to her a greedy individual, at least by the disappointing look in his eyes and his unprecedented modesty. The young man reeked of serenity while the maiden had traits of untouchability.

    At the end of the school day the teacher obliged the two of them to clean up the classroom, but they had no strength to resist; for that day they took on the role of duty in the classroom.

    A dead silence reigned in the classroom at one time, occasionally suppressed by the creak of the blackboard being washed and the warm breeze coming from the open window. The silence lasted until the young man decided to get to know the quiet girl better, and from that day on, Yumiko had her first acquaintance.

    "W-what? You really don''t talk to anyone?"

    "I don''t have a reason to talk to people as long as I like to study."

    "You like to be alone with your thoughts, then."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    In fact, many of their opinions on life values converged, and they managed to find common ground. In the end, Glenn clarified that the perpetually silent maiden turned out to be a girl with ambition and firm desires.

    The feeling of intimacy ceased when they said goodbye that day, and all the subsequent times they crossed paths with each other''s gazes were limited to the welcoming rituals common to all humans. Though their communication had ceased, their respect for one another had not been forgotten.

    The last time they crossed paths was at school. Glenn looked thoughtfully at the girl, who was reading a book serenely at her desk. Since that day, he had learned one more thing - Yumiko returned home much later than most of the schoolchildren.

    Then one day a teacher with long, dark hair approached her, importantly demanding an answer that changed Yumiko''s view of her school activities.

    "Would you like to be a member of the literary circle?"

    The circle, if you could call it that, set itself a low-profile goal, and thus had little relevance in the school and extreme unpopularity in the selection of clubs. For Yumiko, it was the best option for spending her time after school, and she agreed to join the club.

    Then, upon learning that this club was supported by another member, Yumiko realized that the teacher''s pretext was only a set-up by a mysterious person. A person who was the only one who knew of her passion for hanging out alone.

    This mysterious circle member had never once stopped by to check on the club. It was as if he had never existed, for the only person on the membership list was Yumiko.

    "Yumiko-chan, wake up," Glenn whispered in her ear, sitting in the next seat on the trolley. "We''re here."

    A serious conversation was awaiting them today, encompassing the subject of Yoshiro. Yumiko didn''t want to say goodbye to the baby so soon, but time was not slow. Time is never spared.

 Snowfall Forecast

    Heading toward the classroom they wanted, Yumiko and Glenn walked down a hallway that spanned its entire actual length. Stopping, Yumiko was the first to enter the classroom, and behind her the young man who had been walking stood at the door, looking out into the classroom.

    As she got closer, she met Ryou and Akiko stubbornly looking at a notebook that had mathematical formulas painted on it. Ryou was tirelessly explaining to the girl standing next to him about the solution to each problem on his homework assignment. Yumiko had no idea how stubborn Ryou was when it came to his studies, as she hadn''t assumed about his school knowledge in general due to his frequent absences.

    Also leaning against the window was a guy unfamiliar to her, staring meekly into the distance. Whether or not he had anything to do with Akiko and Ryou, the maiden could not know until this guy looked back at her. His calm gaze was memorable to Yumiko as it was directed in her direction, and soon the guy nodded for the two of them to be out of the way.

    Looking closer, Yumiko realized that Akiko had actually been looking fondly into Ryou''s eyes all this time and not paying attention to his explanations at all. With that, Yumiko guessed that her new acquaintance, if truth be told, was not eager to learn. But that was none of her business, she thought, and took a slight step forward before Akiko noticed her presence.

    Akiko had it all over her face: she was glad that she could talk to the young man she was sincerely in love with, and without the help of Yumiko herself. With a gesture of her eyes, she checked on Yumiko''s progress.

    Yumiko, seeing this picture, was uncharacteristically happy in return, which made her feel warmer. Maybe it was a reaction to a person''s dream that had come true, or maybe it was her desires, hidden deep inside her thoughts, which even the owner of those desires was barely able to get to.

    Ryou, who had been talking nonstop, suddenly fell silent as he looked at his classmate who had just arrived, and his thoughts instantly shifted to the other things he wanted to talk about in private with her and Glenn. Things about which no one but the three of them knew.

    "You showed up much later than usual today."

    "I couldn''t have arrived earlier."

    The guy who had been watching them in front of the window approached them to introduce himself to the young student he seemed to have known before, but chose to remain silent.

    "My name is Tomoyuki Yamashita, nice to meet you. I am a long-time friend and classmate of Akiko-chan."

    Tomoyuki seemed a decent and pleasant person to the maiden by his kind voice, and Yumiko bowed friendly to him in response.

    "Yumiko Sato. I am in this class with Hayashi-kun."

    "I see, it seems you''re not just here for the usual reason."

    "Have you figured out what you''re going to do next?" called Ryou attentively, expecting happy results, and then the maiden responded to his question with a nod.

    Akiko did not understand the point of their conversation. Gratuitously, the young man noticed behind Yumiko a tall guy who had just entered the classroom. He was a stranger to the rest of the people he hadn''t met yesterday. So it was, they hadn''t crossed paths before.

    "Do I seem to have confused classes?" jokingly wondered Glenn, then glanced at a puzzled Akiko, who hadn''t expected the stranger to arrive.

    "Glenn Zaliman, nice to meet you."

    "Uh... Akiko Akiyama."

    Glenn looked back toward Ryou, who was sitting at the desk, shone his confident gaze on him, and addressed his earlier question.

    "We have a plan, but first I must talk it over with one man who will help us carry it out."

    "Is he in school now? If so, who is that person?"

    "She is in the teachers'' office. Yumiko-chan, aren''t you supposed to know her? She kind of approached you last year."

    Ryou was confused as Glenn began to turn toward Yumiko.

    "You mean Masumi-sensei? But what does she have to do with the child?"

    "Oh, Masumi-sensei..." looked back Tomoyuki, thoughtfully. "I remember this teacher. She teaches chemistry to the kids in the middle grades. Always wearing something important, like robes or something."

    "She is the key to directly addressing the Yoshiro family. We should approach her before recess is over."

    "Just a second," Akiko interrupted a single thought, glancing in their direction. "I don''t understand anything you''re talking about here!"

    "Yumiko-san and Ryou-san and I have an important case formed. Come with us if you''re interested."

    "With you...?"

    "Dibs on me!" replied Tomoyuki impressedly. "Maybe I can help with something too."

    "Huh? In that case, me either!"

    A group of schoolchildren entered the teachers'' office. Unbeknownst to them, the office, arranged with tables and desks, was empty, with only a few teachers present doing paperwork.

    Following Glenn, they approached one of the desks, and behind the wooden wall that blocked the view of the person sitting there, a female figure peeked out.

    "Allow me to introduce Masumi-sensei. She has unprecedented relevance to our case, as she is a friend of Yoshiro-kun''s mother."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    He made a gesture of his outstretched hand to introduce the teacher to the students, and stepped aside and gave her the floor. The teacher was a young woman of thirty, whose characteristic feature was her long, dark hair. Coughing, she turned their eyes to herself.

    "First, I want to thank Yu-chan for helping my foolish apprentice immeasurably. Without you, he wouldn''t have moved one step."

    Yumiko rejoiced discreetly at her words, but shook her head lightly.

    "You overestimate my strength, sensei."

    "Mm. Secondly, let people who are not involved in our conversation leave from the room."

    Her stern and confident gaze concluded in the students'' minds that she would not continue until the extra eyes left them. So, the ducked Tomoyuki lightly clapped a disappointed Akiko on the shoulder, and they departed, leaving the others alone.

    A hushed Ryou said within himself how rude it was of the teacher, but he didn''t think to question her methods, doubting the meaning and his presence around them. His conscience would not allow him to participate in their conversation, for he thought he had done nothing to be there.

    However, curiosity got the better of the young man, and he decided to stay to listen to the teacher''s further dialogue.

    "Well, I guess I''m allowed to continue. Glenn-kun told me all the news, and I''m up to speed on the sharing. It''s worth noting that my friend is on edge. It''s the fourth day the organs have been unable to find her son, and the father doesn''t show up at home, either, looking. We should get the task done quickly before the young family falls apart because of the disappearance."

    "I''ve prepared a plan by which we can move around like fish in water. Yumiko-chan, you''re the central figure."

    "By the way, Glenn-kun. After we talk, we need to talk privately. Are you willing to stay and skip one class?"

    "All right, Masumi-sensei. I agree."

    Yumiko wondered if they had known each other for a long time, looking at the gentle interaction between student and teacher.

    Five minutes later, Tomoyuki and Akiko, standing in the hallway, had already waited for their acquaintances and let the ringing bell ring past their ears. Grudgingly crossing her arms, Akiko stuck out her lip and had a menacing look on her face. Looking back at her, Tomoyuki chuckled slightly.

    "They seem to be talking about something serious."

    "Nonsense! What serious things can accompany seventeen-year-old high school students? My patience is about to burst."

    "There are all kinds of people, Akiko-chan. Don''t judge others by yourself."

    "And anyway, why did you decide to pry into their business? It''s obvious to a fool that we won''t get any profit."

    "You''ll get it. You wanted to be with Ryou Hayashi as much as possible. I only gave you an excuse."

    "What a savior, man."

    Their peculiar interpretation was ended by the sound of the teacher''s office door swinging open. Yumiko and Ryou came out of the office, after which Akiko''s displeasure instantly changed to joy.

    "How did the conversation go?" inquired Tomoyuki.

    "We got our questions answered."

    "What a mystery you are, hiding secrets! Tell me, it''s not secret material!"

    Akiko stepped close to Ryou and with a twinkle in her eye she expected him to react back.

    "I beg you-u-u!"

    "Huh? W-well okay, except we have to hurry to class."

    They headed to their classrooms. Ryou briefly told them about the business that had caught up with him and Yumiko over the previous day. He didn''t reveal any details, though.

    At the end of the school day, Yumiko put her school tools in her backpack and immediately rushed to the bus stop. The sharply cold weather and light precipitation foretold a rare phenomenon for the spring season: spring snow. However, the thought of the cold could not stop Yumiko from hurrying to Glenn''s apartment. There, a child was waiting for her, bored alone in the spacious apartment.

    Before that, during her penultimate break, she met with Glenn and told him that she knew how to persuade the child to go outside. To this end, she had prepared suitable funds so that when she walked with Yoshiro, she would not refuse him any purchases. Glenn agreed with her idea and rethought his plan, the structure of which did not change.

    The overcast weather caught the attention of the students coming out of school in surprise.

    "Sato-chan!" Called the maiden following behind a running Ryou. "Let me help you!"

    They stopped at the exit. Yumiko turned to face him and shook her head with a peaceful tone, smiling back at him.

    "I don''t want to neglect your help, Hayashi-kun. I''m sorry, but this is a case I want to put a point on with my own strength. I believe it is the best option for me to find answers to my questions, for I am similar to Yoshiro-kun in many things."

    Turning around, she hurried back toward the exit.

    Ryou was angry with himself again after hearing his refusal to help. He was tormented by the fact of his uselessness in this matter, and he thought that any other man would have done a better job than he did.

    Suddenly, hearing the gentle and concerned voice of a familiar maiden, he looked around. A touched Akiko appeared before his face, tentatively trying to touch his shoulders.

    "Ryou-kun, are you all right?"

    "Yes... Thank you for worrying about me."

    Ryou straightened his back and hoped for the best outcome from Yumiko. He believed in her with all his might.

    "Is the weather expected to worsen?" said Ryou, looking up at the sky at the school''s front door.

    "The weather forecast predicted snow," complemented the unexpectedly arrived Glenn, who was looking confusedly down the side of the street from where Yumiko''s silhouette had disappeared.

    "Snow, also in April time?" misunderstood Ryou.

    "It is a rare natural phenomenon. The important thing is that Yumiko came out without a jacket. There are no jackets in my house, I leave mine in the school checkroom."

    "How come..."

    Yumiko managed to catch the trolleybus and get to her friend''s apartment in a short time. After catching her breath after a long run, she took the key to the door out of her backpack and quietly entered the apartment.

    There was dead silence in the house. Yumiko remembered this ambience of serenity, when the silence in the house interrupted the tide of time itself. Nothing had changed in her house for ten years. This silence was characteristic only of houses in which a melody of emptiness had been playing for all eternity.

    No light was on in any of the rooms, and as she walked down the hall to the living room, she switched on the light by pushing a button on the wall.

    The silhouette of a boy sitting on the couch appeared. He looked at the maiden and rejoiced.

    "Sis!", Yoshiro cried out and ran to her.

    "I''m back... I promised I''d be back."

 The Child of Discord

    The girl spent the next hour and a half with the baby. When evening came and it was dark outside, they looked at the snow that was falling heavily. The ground and sidewalks were already covered in white, and it seemed to her that the child herself wanted to go outside to see the evening beauties of Tokyo in the "gulch of the city."

    "Do you want to go outside?" gently asked Yumiko.

    "Uh-huh... But it might be scary out there."

    "Are you afraid, Yoshiro-kun?"

    "No, sis, I''m not. The view from the window draws me outside, to see the city under the snowfall."

    Yumiko looked outside again. She looked at the lights shining and moving all over the street. Looking to her right, Yumiko noticed the glowing city posters displayed on the walls of the skyscrapers all over the street. The people walking on the sidewalks, on the other hand, had a cheerful look because of the snowfall.

    "Smart boy."

    After a brief pause, the maiden rose and held out her hand to the child.

    "Do you want to go for a walk?"

    After thinking about it, the worried boy nodded and sloppily took her hand and they walked to the hallway together. The boy took his boots from the shoe rack, while Yumiko put on her jacket. Remembering that she hadn''t brought her jacket with her, for she hadn''t guessed this outcome, Yumiko decided to borrow Glenn''s extra jacket for the evening. But she didn''t succeed in that either - there were no jackets, male or female, in the clothing shelf.

    "What am I going to do... No jacket, and I don''t know Glenn-kun''s number to call."

    Yumiko tried to find a solution, but as a result she couldn''t think of anything.

    "Bummer," she said, sadly.

    "Sis, didn''t you bring a jacket with you...?" asked Yoshiro, wearing an insulated jacket.

    "Don''t worry about me," the maiden replied peacefully, not to grieve, and stroked the boy''s head. "Sis is perfectly fine. Come on, let''s go out."

    "That boy... He looks something like me."

    Then Ryou saw Yoshiro for the first time, sitting in the corner, waiting for the door to the entryway to open.

    "What if we hadn''t come? Would he have lain there all night, alone, in silence? Or would he have gone into the entryway of the apartment and waited there if the resident opened the front door?"

    Ryou was unhappy with the boy''s sullen appearance. The lifeless, family-fighting eyes spoke for themselves-the child was upset.

    "He''s been upset by his stupid parents!" he shouted in his thoughts. "If it weren''t for their adult antics, the child would still be happy! Why do adults'' problems always have to involve children''s lives?"

    This was exactly what he was like with the boy sitting in the corner. Waiting to be rescued, he himself didn''t know what he had found adventure on his head for. If he had not run away, there would have been no problem. But the kid ran away, and no one could blame him for that.

    "He made the right choice."

    Like all children, the boy desired only reciprocal joy from adults, whether family or relatives, acquaintances or strangers. The boy desired attention. Affection, love, happiness at the sight of happy people. The boy desired it all reflexively, without even thinking.

    "I couldn''t help him...Yumiko Sato, Glenn Zaliman...they work hard, but why can''t I? Out of nowhere and completely spontaneously, I made new acquaintances. But that didn''t save me from loneliness. I found the desire to help someone sincerely. But it didn''t work out for me. I am powerless."

    This sunset, overcast weather prevailed outside, heralding a rare natural phenomenon: spring snow.

    "Is the weather expected to worsen?" said Ryou, looking up at the sky at the school''s front door.

    "The weather forecast predicted snow," Glenn''s faint voice answered him, disappearing from his hearing area. "The important thing is that Yumiko came out without her jacket."

    "I don''t have time to remember."

    "I have to go," Ryou stated confidently, looking at his reflection from the mirror in his room.

    As she stepped outside, Yumiko instantly noticed the difference in temperature: a sweltering coldness came over her, causing her to temporarily lose her sense of touch. The boy, on the other hand, happily began to run in a circle, throwing the snow accumulated on the playground with his hands. Yumiko opened her eyes, and taking a couple of steps forward, looked back at the person standing five meters away from her, and not recognizing the stranger by his winter, dark uniform, she looked back at his face.

    The stranger turned out to be Ryou, humbly awaiting her arrival, and his eyes reverberated with shades of anger.

    "You''re not wearing a jacket."

    "Oh... yes."

    The young man silently handed her the man''s jacket he''d been holding on to all along. Now, his eyes began to reverberate with embarrassment and didn''t look angry at all.

    "Put the jacket on already, dummy," Ryou added in an awkward voice.

    Yumiko slowly stepped closer to his outstretched hand and accepted his jacket. Bowing her head, she put it on next. It turned out to be a coat made of quality leather, but unfortunately it turned out to be long for a fragile girl.

    "It''s long..."

    "At least you won''t get cold."

    "Uh-huh. Thank you very much, Hayashi-kun."

    "Enough with the formalities..." he replied with passive aggression, rolling his eyes. "No, nothing."

    Ryou got a lump of snow molded into his head by Yoshiro. He pointed his finger angrily in his direction, challenging the young man to a snowflake shooting match with his gaze.

    "Stop upsetting sis!"

    "Well hang in there!" played along with the boy Ryou, assuring himself that it was by these actions that he could help Yumiko cope with his task, and yes, make the boy happy by making him forget his frustrations for at least this moment. "No one has ever beaten me to a snowflake yet!"

    "It''s not a game for laughs, it''s a bet to a girl!" - the boy replied, taking a swing at Ryou.

    Ryou stopped abruptly after the child''s lips, and was confused.

    "At the girl?! I mean, Sato-chan...?"

    Suddenly, for the young man, a precise shot from Yoshiro flew across his face. Coming to his senses from the cold snow, he continued to have fun with the boy.

    "Doesn''t count, you cheated."

    "I tactfully took advantage of the verbal advantage!"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Yumiko was made happy by this picture of the boy and young man playing amicably. From her side, she saw her classmate amusing the boy to see the joy on his baby face. Ryou began to seem a friendlier and kinder person to the maiden.

    -

    Soon, as they strolled along the main streets, the middle of which had the name "the throat of the city," Yoshiro''s gloomy thoughts disappeared under the falling snowflakes. The boy genuinely enjoyed their time walking.

    As Ryou was walking, looking at the various kinds of establishments whose entrances were illuminated with bright diodes, a phone call came in. As he picked up the phone, he answered in a quiet voice to his companion, whose words could not be heard by Yumiko and Yoshiro in front.

    "I''m following Yumiko now. Soon, I think, we will reach the checkpoint. Have you got everything ready to meet them? I see, I hear you."

    The snow didn''t dare to stop. It kept falling, time after time. It calmed the girl, because she couldn''t have known how enchanting spring snow could be under the cover of twilight and city lights.

    They spent the next time looking around the road, peering occasionally at local restaurants of the highest caliber. The architecture lined up in Tokyo over the years of excellence in the fields of technology and modernity fascinated Yumiko. She did not believe that just walking through the streets could be fascinating and carry weight in the lives of young people who spent eternal time in such places. It seemed that the innocent maiden began to upgrade her outlook on life in stages.

    Eventually, they reached the central park, in the middle of which stood the ferris wheel, lit by floating diodes. Under the captivity of floodlights from everywhere, the entire park was illuminated as well. There were many entertaining things in the park that the boy had wished to go to before, and on this day it seemed to him that his wishes would finally come true. Yumiko was taking care of all of the boy''s expenses, leaving only his choice to go to any of the rides.

    "Ah, what to choose... What would be so entertaining to choose! I like everything here!"

    "You can choose anything you like. This time your sister will pay for your every whim."

    "You can''t do that, sis, otherwise you will be left without money!"

    "In that case ... take away the least desirable and choose your favorites."

    "Carousel!" immediately yelled out Yoshiro, pointing at the mischievous carousel.

    And like that, they rode in the places Yoshiro had chosen. Ryou, who refused to participate, only humbly awaited their arrival. Having ridden the most entertaining rides, the boy got a little tired and could not choose where else to go.

    "Let''s go to the Ferris wheel. You will be able to see all of Tokyo when our booth reaches the very top."

    Yoshiro did not refuse her offer, and the last attraction they got into felt completely different for a child: he did not want their slow flight to end.

    "Did you enjoy our walk?" Yumiko wondered calmly.

    "And you, little sister?"

    "Very. I was finally able to realize how wonderful a seemingly ordinary time in the city can be. This city is shocking with its beauty."

    "Then I liked it too! And that silent uncle, perhaps, liked it as much as we did. I still like it!"

    "This uncle is a good guy. He does his best to help us, even if he does not openly show his feelings."

    "Yes. To tell you the truth, sis, I really liked it. I''m very happy."

    Yumiko was slightly moved by his response and covered her mouth with her hand.

    As she felt a warm sensation, she saw a hidden part of herself in the boy. She smiled, glad that she could make him happy.

    "That''s why I trust you, little sister, but you should also show your feelings"" the child answered her, not at all embarrassed. "You attract people without knowing it!"

    "Really? Is it really visible on the surface...? Children nowadays are so clever."

    Yoshiro lowered his gaze and the tone of his voice dropped, as if something was upsetting him.

    "I want to apologize. You''ve spent so much time on me, you''ve been stingingˇ­ To tell the truth, I thought from the very beginning that my leaving home was a bad idea even in a state of anger."

    "Nothing. Everyone makes mistakes because of emotional outbursts. This cannot be taken away from a person."

    "It hurt me when my father shouted at my mother. It hurt when he yelled at me. Honestly, on the one hand, I think that their quarrels started because of me..."

    "Nonsense, it''s not your fault. Leave the case of the elders to the elders. Remembering the children, any family will forget the insults."

    Although, a completely different story happened to Yumiko''s family. She was not valued as much as every normal parent values their children.

    "And I''m sure your father and mother love you!"

    "Little sister... What else can I do? I have never wanted and will never want a family breakup."

    Yumiko stroked the child''s head and sincerely smiled a warm smile. To Yoshiro, she seemed like an older sister who would always protect.

    "You''re going to be fine."

    The boy accepted Yumiko''s consolation. He was glad to be helped at the right time. So, the boy was not lost in the darkness of his thoughts, which he was so afraid of, and resisted depression, tuning in to lighter things.

    Yumiko pointed her finger out the window.

    "Just look at it! That''s what I was talking about."

    Looking out of the window, the boy saw a fascinating view from the top peak of the Ferris Wheel, from where the whole glowing city was visible as on the palms of his hands. The boy had no idea how multifaceted and massive Tokyo is. Yoshiro concluded that he would never forget this view of the earth, even from the Wheel.

    Coming out of the booth, the child met the eyes of a stranger standing in front of him with a thin face and unruly hair. The gaze of a confused Yoshiro pierced the heart of this stranger, and he lowered his frustrated gaze. The man''s hands were shaking, and his body was pricking, he was not sure of his ability to put forward a phrase to start a dialogue.

    Looking up, he repented before the boy. The stranger turned out to be Yoshiro''s father, who was called by Glenn and Masumi. They looked at this scene from under a dark corner, hoping for a better outcome.

    Yumiko, realizing that an unforeseen situation had happened for her, which was not part of her plan, decided not to budge. She didn''t know that Glenn had other thoughts about their plan. Yumiko, on the other hand, wanted to give the child to the family on the day when the boy himself would want to return home.

    She thought peacefully that it seemed her plans were cut short on a good note, forgiving Glenn for being selfish for the good of the child.

    "I''ve been looking for you for so long..." my father repeated guiltily. "So many mother''s tears were shed. So many of my nerves..."

    "I''m sorry, Dad."

    "Please don''t apologize... It''s me who should ask for an apology, from the very moment I waved my hand at your mother."

    The boy didn''t say anything, and the father sloppily sat down on his knees.

    "Being a father, I couldn''t find out where you are. I''m sorry about that."

    "My elders have been helping me all this time."

    "I know. I thank them."

    "Dad, you didn''t miss work, did you?"

    "To hell with my job. I despise myself for not being able to create a perfect family for my son, and as a result, my laziness led to the partial disintegration of the family. Work has worsened our relationship. All these managers, buyers, administrationˇ­ To hell with all this, I want to see my son''s joyful look every day!"

    Raising his head and looking at his son''s worried and upset face, the father lowered his hands.

    "But I can''t even give you the joy that would gift a smile. I don''t want to impose false joy on you. I don''t want any more fake relationships in the family. Please, son, come home."

    "Why do you repent, Dad...?"

    "Because I don''t deserve to be forgivenˇ­ However, I promise to improve. Please give me one last chance!"

    "What can I do," the son answers, and with a strong sigh and a serious look he turns to his father and points at him with his finger. "I''ve already spent all my tears over the past few days being hugged by a beautiful girl like my mom! That''s why I won''t cry. So, father, please. Get up from your seat... let''s start all over again and forget about the insults."

    The boy''s bitter look changed to a satisfied one and he smiled sincerely. Yoshiro was glad that he was finally able to talk to his father and discuss his positions openly, not through physical force.

    Shocked by the words of his little son, the father automatically stretched out his arms to him, and Yoshiro immediately threw the desired hugs. His father received him with open arms. At that moment, the father began to cry, thereby throwing out his emotions accumulated over four days, and at the same time sincerely rejoiced at the return of his son.

    "Dad, please stop beating Mom. Her beautiful face does not deserve such treatment."

    "Yes, I give a man''s word."

    Ryou, who was standing next to the teacher and Glenn, looked at this scene with same concern just like theirs. He was happy with a family reunion. Inside, he wanted the same thing, because the situation with the boy was similar to Ryou''s. Both ran away from home because of family problems and both wandered in a storm of emotions up to a certain point. The young man realized that he was also rescued from the depths of these emotions by Yumiko, who asked him to go outside, and he thanked the girl for the support she gave him.

 Wishes Dont Come True

    On the eve of the night, the schoolchildren, together with the teacher, led the father and son to the highway. The child said good-bye to Yumiko with tears in his eyes and gave her immense gratitude. Father also sincerely asked for an apology for the inconvenience, to which the group responded with good wishes. The son also remembered to thank Glenn for hosting him in his home, albeit temporarily.

    After the father and son were forgiven and left, Masumi bowed her head to Yumiko and forced her to bow to Glenn as well.

    "Thank you so much for your help!" said the teacher. "Without you, that fool couldn''t have done anything. Please forgive Glenn-kun for dragging you into this."

    "It''s no big deal, I had the pleasure of spending my time like this."

    "Hmm, well. But I''ll take his good conscience off of Glenn-kun. Ah, yes, Glenn-kun, you also owe Ryou-kun for your irresponsibility. I don''t know, where do you get people on the team?"

    "Can I say something?" asked Glenn what Masumi hit him over the head with.

    "You should not speak at all. For your transgression, you will be obliged, in my name, to carry out all Yu-chan''s whims for the rest of this week."

    "How is that?! Well, it''s good that it''s even Thursday."

    Masumi hit the young man on the head again after he spoke. Yumiko seemed to think there was a connection between Glenn and the teacher, and that they really knew each other a long time ago. Their appeals to each other reveal a friendliness that they did not conceal.

    They decided to sit down in a caf¨¦ and order their own milk coffee. Sitting at the counter, the silent Ryou looked at the peaceful conversations between Glenn and Masumi, and occasionally Yumiko was also part of their dialogue when asked about things. Glenn often drew the girl and the young man into the conversation so that they would not be shy and join the adult group. Glenn''s conversation was more important and notable for the interview, making Ryou, who learned to speak easier, uncomfortable with his courtesy. Yumiko, on the other hand, seemed to be a multi-faceted person.

    "Let me thank you again for your work, Yu-chan, Ryou-kun," Glenn said modestly, beginning to call his acquaintances informally.

    "I didn''t do anything to get a thank you," said comforted Ryou.

    Deep down, the young man tormented himself with the thought that he had not been able to adequately help the boy with his misfortune, but was at least silenced by the fact that he had a happy ending to his story. Glenn felt Ryou''s anxiety from his dim gaze.

    "You underestimate yourself and your contribution, Ryou-kun."

    "By the way, Glenn-kun," Masumi turned to drinking her coffee. "Did you learn more informal communication from Yu-chan?"

    "Yes. In truth, I was also convinced by Ryou-kun."

    "It just makes me uncomfortable being spoken to in an important way. I''m not used to..."

    "Well," a teacher said to him, "Glenn-kun, from birth, was taught courtesy, though superfluous, and courtesy. He''s the most musketeer of the Musketeers."

    Ryou wondered how Glenn had been taught this kind of thing since he was a child, and there was bitterness on his face, as if the young man had remembered the unpleasant memories of life. Gentlemen, courtesy, the ability to communicate with important people - Ryou was sick of thinking, but he thought he was innocent of such reactions. "It''s all Father''s fault, damn it."Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    Glenn humbly looked back at Ryou, who seemed thoughtful and inhumane. He thought if that guy had illnesses in communicating with people.

    "It''s his job," said the teacher, turning an empty coffee glass. "Work in Social Assistance implies a service from any sphere of activity to people who have signed the questionnaire. According to the integrated tree of systems, any employee like Glenn-kun can take the questionnaire."

    "From any sphere does that mean? I mean, Glenn-kun had a choice between a missing person''s questionnaire and any other?"

    "Exactly, and that''s why he chose the first option. My student loves helping people - he''s their savior."

    "Okay. Thanks for the explanation."

    "Well, Glenn-kun can explain the rest to you at another time, if you''re interested, of course. There''s quite a lot of profit to be made for this job."

    "Right. I can make it clear to you next time we meet at school. Yumiko-chan, Ryou-kun, do you agree?"

    "All right."

    "Ah, yes," added the teacher who was going to get out of the chair. "Yu-chan, stop by my teachers'' lounge when you come to school."

    "Hm? What''s the occasion?"

    "Your circle is on the verge of losing support. It could close."

    Glenn immediately lost a comfort on his face. He was alarmed by Masumi''s words. Yumiko was also shocked, losing her grip on confidence.

    Unfortunately, they decided to leave the conversation for later. Their tired appearance screamed about their desire to return home quickly.

    The teacher gave Yumiko a ride home as a thank you. Faced in front of the apartment, the girl breathed deeply and with a moderate sense of caution opened the iron door and entered the dark apartment. The already-ingrained domestic silence in her private home once again engulfed the girl''s hearing, and she entered the room, taking off her shoes.

    In front of her, an unhappy mother appeared, whose hair was randomly confused and raised. She obviously made a racket in the house while her daughter was doing business.

    "Where. Were. You."

    "Fixing the problems."

    "Your father came home today. He came to meet you, but you bastards weren''t home. He scolded me for my sloppiness!"

    Yumiko, with devastated and dead eyes, wondered why her father had visit the house.

    "Why the hell should I listen to disrespect in my address because of you?"

    The daughter thought why wouldn''t her mother shut up.

    "He didn''t even talk to me, but he gave me an angry look when he saw beer bottles all over the room. Why didn''t you clean the house before you left, answer me?"

    Stop it, stop it...

    "You fucking idiot!" screamed a crazy mother, slapping her daughter in the face.

    Yumiko took a bitter blow to herself, unwilling to move and retain her hidden dignity. Her lifeless gaze was directed at a canister of alcohol lying on the floor close to her.

    Mother silently withdrew to the corner of the room and sat behind the sofa in order to continue mindless watching TV. Yumiko slowly went to her room. When she closed the door, she pressed against it and sat on the floor with bitterness. Her sad thoughts did not stop grasping her shattered consciousness. She didn''t even know what to believe, pride or shame, happiness or gloom.

    "Why does a man''s happiness not return with a coin...? Why should I endure it for more than a decade? Why did I even do it? Did I do something wrong?" she said quietly, leaning on her knees.

    The girl was on the verge of collapse, but there was still a glimmer of hope for the best. The only thing that kept her going was her goal, which she''s been going to since she was a kid.

    It was the cycle of her life.

 Before the Storm, They Met Each Other

    Since the start of the new school year, Ryou has kept a distance with all the schoolchildren and never thought to meet them outside the schools. He liked to be alone, and he referred to his thoughts that he did not need new faces and that his acquaintances should stay within the school.

    He needed his old friends.

    On one of the April days, Ryou stayed at home and finished all of his school tasks a week in advance, which meant that he had an incredible amount of free time. Ryou, knowing this, considered himself a slacker, but did not want to decide anything about it, because he was attracted by his current position, in which he has the possibility to be in his own comfort zone.

    At least that''s what he thought until some time later, looking out the window at the city at night, he heard a phone call.

    That was the day he decided to go outside at the behest of his classmates.

    As he went outside and discussed the whole situation Yumiko and Glenn had come into contact with, he was under the embrace of colourful rays that were shining near his home and realized that his life in a new city simply could not be under his comfort zone, and decided to help by trusting the word of someone I know.

    Remembering that he had run away from his parents'' house because they had moved without his own opinion, he felt sorry for Yoshiro the day they met, so he decided to ask Glenn when they were at his apartment.

    "Does the child have next of kin? He can''t stay with you forever."

    Ryou received a reply from Glenn in the form of a slight smile, after which the young man became a bit stale. They were talking, snuggling up against the bar in the corner of the room.

    Glenn turned his eyes back on the child who was sitting on the couch with Yumiko. "Do you really accept yourself at this moment, looking at the child? Personally, I don''t feel like Yoshiro-kun, but I''m only helping him out of choice."

    Ryou realised that Glenn, by stagnating him a few seconds earlier, had learned of the feelings hidden within him by the mere sight of his eyes, since he had not even noticed his face showing concern for the child at the time.

    Ryou lost the conversation to Glenn without even being a part of it.

    "Like you, Ryou-san, I too feel responsible for the child."

    Ryou claimed that he wanted to help the child, but could not know the reason for his own desires, and he was tormented by the thought of it. Hesitating, he could barely hide the feelings on his face.

    The next early evening, Tokyo was snowed by spring snow. Yumiko walked out the door of the entrance and at the same time moved from the harsh cold. Ryou stood a few meters in front of her.

    He felt that his comfort zone was crumbling and that further relations with Yumiko were inevitable. With his nose up, Ryou stretched out his jacket to Yumiko and carelessly covered part of his face with a thin jacket collar. He was still uncomfortable with the fact that he had come personally to help a friend.

    Yumiko took his robe and put it on her fragile body. Ryou saw how cute and stupid she looked in it. A snowball flew into his head. Inexplicably looking back at the child who made snow balls, he realized that this child had in a short time managed to change Ryou''s future life in Tokyo, because it was Yoshiro who created the situation after which a young man stopped hiding more from people. In good faith, he and the boy play a little snowball.

    Ryou pondered whether this was the right time to begin to blend in with the new people, or whether it would be better to leave it as it was. He couldn''t exactly answer himself, but he liked being here and now.

    Two days before the events, Akiko ran towards Yumiko after school.

    Looking at Yumiko''s humble gaze, angry Akiko thought Yumiko was the fool who made her chase after her.

    "In that case, help me... please!"

    Yumiko helplessly accepted her request, through which she committed herself to sharing new knowledge of Ryou''s personality.

    Knowing that from that moment on she had developed some kind of relationship with Yumiko, Akiko could not keep the joy off her face. It was quite remarkable for Akiko to realize the fact that she had taken the first step and further bonded with Ryou.

    As she walked into the unsociable school checkroom to retrieve her jacket, her gaze met that of a young man who was smiling at her with his brown eyes.

    "The idol of the whole school herself," he addressed her in a sly voice.

    It was Tomoyuki, leaning against one of the school cabinets. Akiko instantly recognized him by his untucked white shirt without a jacket and his dark brown hair.

    "Do you need something, Yamashita-kun?"

    "Why so serious? I just wanted to talk to my classmate."

    "Really? We used to communicate only within the confines of school, and with great discontinuity."

    "I''d like to rectify that situation. After all, it''s not for nothing that we''ve known each other for a year now."

    "Okay," Akiko sighed. "And what are you so eager to talk to me about?"

    Tomoyuki looked up at the ceiling, contemplating certain things with a satisfied face.

    "I''ve really been watching your whole development all the way up to the level of a popular girl at our school," he continued slowly. "But that''s not what this is about right now. Really, how important can it be to talk about the past if one is moving toward the future?"

    "Yes, we have indeed known each other for a very long time."

    "I''ve noticed you''ve become involved with the silent girl from Class A. Yumiko Sato, an attractive and appealing girl with whom no one wants to communicate. Can you figure out why? It''s because she''s cold to everyone. So why would you, an idol, want to compete with a schoolgirl who doesn''t care at all about your intentions?"

    "I have personal intentions."

    "What are they?"

    "What do you care?" wondered Akiko, getting a little angry, which Tomoyuki tried to calm her down by waving her hand.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "I''m interested in her."

    The maiden froze, trying to figure out if she''d misheard by any chance. Soon, her face overflowed with a chuckle, and she chuckled. "Really? You, also on Yumiko Sato?"

    "She has one guy in her social circle at the moment, remembered by the maidens on her first day for his beauty. There''s another one, but I don''t know him. I can see why you decided to pick on Yumiko Sato-she''s the only one who talks to Ryou Hayashi in public."

    "How do you know about all this?"

    "I already answered your question. I''m interested in her."

    Tomoyuki thought, he didn''t tell her for nothing. Not only was he interested in Yumiko, but Akiko herself, along with Ryou Hayashi.

    "Not only that," the maiden added, coughing. "Yumiko Sato is Ryou-kun''s girlfriend, but only technically. She''s his pretend girlfriend and there''s no love between them."

    "Oh, I guess I wasn''t supposed to know that fact."

    "I don''t care about her, but I understand Ryou-kun. Not wanting to want an influx of restless schoolgirls, he had to make that move. And that hypocrite Yumiko took advantage of his trust..."

    Tomoyuki took a sharp interest in her story. In truth, he wasn''t following anyone, but only wanted to learn more about the silent maiden with whom his friend had begun associating.

    "That''s interesting. Is that why you decided to take aim at Yumiko Sato?"

    "She pisses me off to the bone. The fool got cocky and is now vacationing with Ryou-kun. That''s hypocrisy."

    "I see. I agree with you, Akiko-chan."

    Hearing him, she was struck by the similarity in their opinions. "T-true?" she said, losing her sense of annoyance.

    "I''ll help you with your case. You know you can count on me."

    "But why should you help me?"

    "As a token of my friendship for you, Akiko-chan. I respect you."

    Akiko accepted his last words, having a more positive and loyal opinion of Tomoyuki in her mind. Nodding, she agreed with him.

    "In that case, we''ll talk later."

    They said goodbye, agreeing with each other. The checkroom became quiet again after Akiko left the room. Looking out the window, through which the silhouettes of various schoolboys shone through, he thought deeply to himself.

    "Rotten you are, Akiko-chan. Ranking people beneath you, hovering somewhere in seventh heaven yourself. Rotten."

    A sly chuckle drifted quietly through the room, but no other soul heard the sound.

    A gloomy few school days have passed since then for Akiko. All that time, Ryou didn''t attend a single class, and his desk remained empty. Finally, the young man deigned his wish to come to school. That afternoon, Akiko and Tomoyuki decided to check on him together.

    That same day, Akiko soon heard from Ryou about an important case in which Yumiko, Glenn, and teacher Masumi were somehow connected.

    Interested in the personalities of his new acquaintances, Tomoyuki asked Akiko for a walk after the school day was over. Tomoyuki was at his place celebrating the arrival of precipitation in the sky. The sun that shone bitterly over the city was lost in the gray clouds, and a cool weather prevailed, brilliantly accompanied by a gentle breeze.

    They decided to stop at the playground near the school. Akiko sat down on the swing and began to sway with the smooth movements of her charming legs. Tomoyuki, on the other hand, stood beside her and quietly gazed at the clouds that covered the open parts of the sky, from which the sunlight peeked out.

    "The second person in Sato-san''s social circle turned out to be Glenn Zaliman, a Class B mestizo."

    "Hmm? I thought he was creepy," Akiko replied. "His vague smile and dark eyes... made me shiver just remembering."

    "You''re thinking of doing something bad to Yumiko besides attaining Ryou Hayashi''s love, aren''t you?"

    "It is my business what I will do in her direction. I don''t like her as a person present in Ryou-kun''s social circle."

    "So you''re thinking of making Sato-san disappear?"

    "Hmm, I think that''s exactly what I''m aiming for. It would be ideal if Yumiko Sato were to vanish. However, I won''t think about that until after she''s useless to me and Ryou-kun. Right now, he''s more attached to her."

    Tomoyuki closed his blue eyes. The wind blew through their gazes and blew their hair. The young man felt an inner peace and relaxed his shoulders.

    "Honestly, Akiko-chan, I don''t advise you to touch Sato-san at all."

    "Huh? Why is that?" perplexed Akiko at his inarticulate words.

    "I suppose Hayashi-kun and Glenn Zaliman won''t allow you such actions. Especially about the latter-you have no idea what he''s capable of. Neither do I, which is why I''m counting on your intelligence."

    "What do you advise me to do?" wondered Akiko, taking hold of her chin.

    "I advise you to wait out the moment when Sato-san becomes defenseless."

    "I see, I think you''re right. Nevertheless, why are you helping me with my immodest plan? I didn''t think you had any cockroaches in your head either."

    "I have my own reason."

    A strong wind suddenly blew through the street, and Akiko closed her eyes in defense and lifted her arms, unable to contain the sudden rush of that wind.

    "You won''t tell me then?"

    "Some other time," Tomoyuki replied with a serious tone, looking into the distance from where the wind was blowing. "Who knows, maybe I''ll change my mind."

    Tomoyuki felt within himself the arrival of something exciting. From afar it was approaching in his mind, as if heralding disaster.

    The next day, at Masumi''s request from yesterday, Yumiko approached the teachers'' lounge. When they met Masumi''s gaze, they nodded at each other. The teacher''s expressive eyes revealed all her emotions-she looked tired at the moment.

    "I''m still not awake from yesterday," Masumi yawned slightly, covering her mouth. "And how are you doing, Yu-chan?"

    "I''ve begun to adjust to my normal sleeping routine. I feel fine, sensei, thank you for asking."

    "Yeah. Oh, you came here about the mug, that''s right. I forgot~", Masumi stretched.

    She began to seem more serious, and Yumiko, who noticed her businesslike look, became alarmed, not wanting to expect the worst outcome.

    "You do care a great deal about the literary club... I understand that. After all, I''ve been administering this club since its inception."

    Yumiko nodded in response.

    "Yu-chan, your club may be closed for good due to the lack of students and the lack of support from the members."

    "So how can this situation be remedied?"

    "You have to get people in the club, Yu-chan. There is no other way."

    "Gather... people?" the damsel marveled, and all confidence was lost on her face.

    "That''s the only way you can save the literary club. I realize I''ve put you in front of a choice, but... you''ll have to make a decision about the continued viability of your club."

    Yumiko has been given the fact and obligation to gather new club members, or her daytime soothing clubhouse hangouts all by herself may be gone from her life forever. The seventeen-year-old girl, who has not maintained relationships with her peers all her life, now wants to revive her club, and now she has to find new acquaintances. At the cost of her time and the partial loss of her personal space, this outcome seemed like a worthy bargain to her.

    The five young lives met by the call of the heart or by a random current would begin to build acquaintanceships with trumps and bones up their sleeves.

 Yumiko Wants To Save Her Literature Club

    Since the rare natural phenomenon of spring snow had passed, two days later the snow had already managed to dissolve, leaving behind slush. During these days at school, Ryou began to perfect his active dedication to spending time with new acquaintances. Akiko immediately noticed a difference in their conversations - he began to answer her questions more and a small spark of intimacy, albeit a friendly one, was felt. Tomoyuki also saw them, but not too often, only occasionally.

    Yumiko, on the other hand, remained taciturn and quiet, and her life had only just begun to return to normal. However, she had a significant problem that she wanted to solve, but didn''t know how. After a serious conversation with Masumi on the further outcome of the literary circle, nothing was known, as the maiden had driven herself into a stupor. She just didn''t know who to call.

    When the big break rang in the school, Ryou and Yumiko agreed to go with Akiko to eat on the roof. Luckily for the students at the school, the roof was open for public use for all residents, and she set herself the task of relaxing the students during outdoor recess.

    Sitting on one of the benches, the three couples began to eat lunch. Akiko crossed her legs and flaunted her gorgeous pink hair so that Ryou, who sat in the middle of the two girls, could see her beauty.

    Ryou did bother to notice and thoughtlessly asked her why Akiko dyed her hair that color.

    "To be honest," Akiko closed in, not expecting him to ask such a harsh question, "it''s my look, yes. It makes me feel freer in front of people and more honest with myself."

    "I see. Thank you for answer."

    "Have you, Yumiko-chan, dyed your hair?" wondered the maiden.

    "As a matter of fact, no."

    "Really? The roots of your hair are dark, but the main color... has a slight brown vibe to it, or something."

    "I don''t know what could cause that."

    "Then you have a rare situation! Who knows, maybe one of your ancestors was European looking."

    "Maybe so. I haven''t inquired about my ancestors."

    Looking more clearly at the color of her hair, Ryou also ascertained the young lady''s words. He hadn''t noticed before that her hair reeked of auburn.

    Yumiko, despite her unhurriedness, could not get the club situation out of her mind. She sincerely wanted the club to remain open, but she was struck by the fact that for the sake of the club she was required to call new members.

    For the circle to continue to exist and be supported by the institution, there had to be at least five people officially present. Masumi repeated these words mentally over and over again, trying to find a solution.

    At this point, she walked mindlessly down the hallway and toward the club''s office. Without noticing the presence of the tall guy walking behind her, she was startled when she was touched on the shoulder.

    "What are you so scared about?"

    "Woah! Glenn-kun, don''t scare me like that!"

    "I had no such intentions. Are you worried about something?"

    Yumiko calmed her gaze and came to her senses. "Just wondering. What are you doing here?"Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Tomoyuki met me and we said hello. Then I noticed you."

    "I see. Still, I wonder at your equanimity. Where did your adaptation to stressful situations come from, Glenn-kun?"

    "Hmm? I don''t know. Maybe I''m what you say I am from birth."

    But even Glenn was smiling through his anxiety. You shouldn''t blame him for that, for everyone does. Glenn was only aware of what made him immune to difficult situations that put pressure on the psyche, but he didn''t dare tell Yumiko.

    "I see... Look, Glenn-kun, I''ve got a problem. Remember, Masumi-sensei came to me the other day. Well, she said that my circle was on the verge of closing."

    "I remember. What are you going to do?"

    "I don''t know what I''m going to do to save the club from closing. I think I''m at a point of no return that I can''t get out of."

    "Since you think so, maybe."

    Glenn thought Yumiko was seriously mistaken in her words, and her assumptions were nothing more than avoiding responsibility when faced with a serious problem. He decided to help her take the first step.

    "You''re wrong, Yumiko-chan, if you think you can''t handle it."

    "I don''t think... It''s hard for me to find acquaintances, and then there''s the request to enter the club."

    "Sometimes, if you look at the difficulty from the inside, you''ll find that solving it is easy."

    "I don''t think I can handle it," Yumiko said, continuing to doubt her own abilities, causing her to drive herself further and further into the abyss with negative perceptions.

    "I don''t believe what you say."

    Yumiko responded with nothing and seemed unsure. She added that she didn''t know anyone who could take her up on her offer to join the boring literary circle. Then Glenn answered her peacefully to look around her. As she looked at Glenn''s face, looking open and friendly, Yumiko realized what he meant by his words, and it was like it hit her.

    "I don''t know how to get people''s attention so they join the club. We''re talking about certain people, aren''t we...?"

    "Then call me into the club," Glenn replied in a gentle tone, "And you''ll find out by practicing on me."

    Yumiko was surprised at what her friend had said, for the man who had instantly left the club, after inviting her through her teacher, suggested that she invite him back. Though Glenn hid it, Yumiko was sure in her thoughts that Glenn had been a member of the club before.

    But now she had no time for reflection.

    "Mr. Glenn-kun..." the embarrassed girl said slowly, and took a pause to get over her shyness for a moment. "I realize that I''m a taciturn person and sometimes I''m hard to talk to, but... Regardless, I''m glad to have met people with whom I had the opportunity to have conversations... So, could you..."

    Glenn, with a slight smile on his face, waited for the question to be completed by the trembling and lowered head Yumiko.

    "Join the li-literary k-club...?" the girl finished, realizing that she was undeniably an apathetic girl who could barely get away with asking a man to join an innocuous club.

    She had reason to feel uncomfortable in these situations. By an obvious sign of unsociability, she hadn''t asked anyone for a favor before, the requests were also difficult for her.

    "Be cool, we''re friends." Glenn''s face reflected calmness and kindness.

    Yumiko, coming to her senses, gently teased that Glenn was still looking at her like a child.

    "Hurry, now we have to find the others."

    "Thank you, Glenn-kun," she replied, sweetly.

    Glenn only felt that Yumiko needed more reassurance when it came to the subject of entering society. He sincerely understood the girl''s feelings when she told him about the existence of the possibility of covering her club.

    A calm and thoughtful Tomoyuki watched the whole scene from a corner. It was obvious from his eyes that he was scrutinizing the misdeeds of his new acquaintances. For some reason, he wished to be kept abreast of all the events surrounding Yumiko''s fledgling social circle.

 I See Millions of Stars

    Glenn and Yumiko saw each other for the first time last year. They didn''t talk to each other in the same class, but from time to time Glenn noticed her sitting silently alone in the classroom. She was forever writing problems on her notebook and reading books, and that''s what they had in common. Glenn loved to read books, too, and in spite of his long hours, he didn''t forget his education.

    One day, Glenn and Yumiko bumped into each other by chance. The evening street was just showing the arrival of winter weather, and people were wearing warm jackets. Frost was slowly covering still objects, like cars in parking lots and state-grown trees in urban settings.

    Yumiko was surprised at the unexpected meeting. They greeted each other. The girl was confused, for she had never before interacted with her classmates outside of school. Sitting on a bench after a few minutes of slow walking, they sat in complete silence, not knowing what topic of conversation to choose. Glenn, after inquiring what Yumiko was doing downtown, learned that she had eaten dinner with her father at a restaurant dozens of minutes earlier and was on her way back home.

    Soon, he said, he noticed her at school studying even after school hours. Realizing what she was talking about, the damsel covered her face with a scarf.

    "What do you want to be in the future, Yumiko-san?" said Glenn respectfully, but heard no answer. "Personally, I could find myself in helping people. I want to save people from disaster and disease, for in health lies the beauty of man."

    Yumiko continued to be silent, covering her reddened hands in the sleeves of her white jacket.

    "It was my father''s personality that drove me to this decision. He was a medicine man and burned for his work. I want to be like him."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    And after these words, Yumiko threw an animated, surprised look at him. Realizing that their gazes had met, Yumiko lowered her head again.

    "I''m studying to get into a prestigious university where I can support myself," the girl replied. "Perhaps I wouldn''t mind moving abroad."

    Yumiko suddenly thought she''d said too much and closed her eyes, wishing with all her might that Glenn hadn''t laughed at her. But what a comfort it was to her when Glenn complimented her on her goals for the future.

    "What a confident goal you have," Glenn replied, admiringly. "You did well," he added, and soon looked up at the dark, open sky. "It''s important to have a purpose for yourself so you don''t stay in one place. People are inherently evolving, and that''s why they''re smart."

    Hearing his words, Yumiko also looked up. An amazing picture appeared before her spellbound eyes: millions of bright stars surrounded the entire firmament, and between their glow the girl spotted space dust with surprising accuracy.

    "Yumiko-san," Glenn appealed with a peaceful look, "Know your worth. Don''t turn your back on her, no matter what."

    These beautiful, ear-blissing words Yumiko remembered for the rest of her life.

    The next day, Glenn asks Masumi to form a literary club, and after the school day is over, he suggests that Yumiko join. Yumiko, upon entering the club, wondered if no one was really in it, since the office of the club was large, to which Glenn replied that literary clubs are of little use to anyone, so no one but him entered it.

    In Glenn''s opinion, sincere people deserve to be treated kindly because they are real and accept themselves for who they are. He wanted nothing more in his life, for he had already found his calling. He had never once appeared in a club he himself had created.

 The Circle

    Glenn accepted Yumiko''s request to join the club. On their way to the office, they met Tomoyuki , who looked out of the office door.

    "What''s up, Sato-chan?" he asked respectfully, receiving a peaceful nod of the head from Yumiko in response.

    She slowly walked over to blue-eyed guy and started the conversation decisively.

    "Yamashita-kun, please join the literary club!"

    "Huh?! Why so directly?" marveled at Tomoyuki''s request.

    "I''m sorry, but I really need it!"

    Glenn glanced contentedly at their conversation, huddled against the hallway window. Tomoyuki put his hand to his chin and thought carefully about her offer. He was trying to find the benefit of joining her club.

    "How many people besides me have joined the club?"

    "There was no one besides me in the club until today...Only one membership sheet has been filled out. I need to find three others willing to join."

    "I see. I think I''ll accept the invitation if two more people join. The more people, the more the merrier, right?"

    Yumiko agreed with Tomoyuki''s optimistic view of life. To her, Tomoyuki seemed like a good and fun guy to rely on. However, to Yumiko, his answer sounded like a rejection, and she contrived in herself exaggerated emotions that the club was over and she would not save it. Tomoyuki, on the other hand, seeing her saddened look, waved his hands consolingly and offered to find potential volunteers from her social circle.

    "Hmm, I wonder if Hayashi-kun and Akiyama-chan would agree if I suggested that they join the literature circle?"

    "Akiko-chan would definitely join," Tomoyuki replied, lowering his tone. He looked thoughtfully at the study where Ryou and Akiko were doing their homework before the end of recess. "If Hayashi-kun steps in, she''ll have no choice." Slowly the corridor began to be flooded from the other corner with students going to their classrooms.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Yumiko realized that Tomoyuki was aware of Akiko''s feelings for Ryou. She began to construct a picture within herself in which Tomoyuki and Akiko were good acquaintances.

    Soon, she entered the classroom and moved toward the desk near where Ryou and Akiko were. As she came closer to them, the attention of those two was drawn to Yumiko Sato. Glenn and Tomoyuki were peering thoughtfully from the doorway. Yumiko knew that with her conversational skills, convincing Ryou to join the club would be a difficult challenge, but gathering her thoughts, she approached them.

    Yumiko, full of confidence, urgently held out her slips to them and directly asked them to join the club.

    Tomoyuki was again taken aback by Yumiko''s directness, and with a sigh he realized that Yumiko was bad at communicating with people. However, he was attracted to Yumiko''s sincerity and her confidence was on a whole other level.

    Ryou wondered at this point about her proposal. Akiko decided that Yumiko was onto something and she wanted to get close to Ryou.

    "What''s the point of joining a literature club?" asked Ryou, bringing her hand to her mouth.

    Yumiko didn''t know what to answer Ryou''s serious question with. Glenn stepped into the office and stood up for the fragile girl.

    "We can always be together at the club," he replied with a peaceful look.

    "Why should I be with you?"

    Yumiko then took a confident step and disagreed with the pessimistic approach from Ryou.

    "In a circle where we can study, we don''t have to worry about being disturbed, and the literature circle itself is a quiet and peaceful place. We can have our lunch breaks there, left alone with each other, and come to the club at will."

    Ryou was surprised by her straightforward answer and statement of fact that looked appealing to the young man. Glenn, standing behind her, cheered for her statement. Scratching his neck, Ryou considered the decision and nodded.

    "I agree."

    With this approach ending in a win-win for Yumiko, Tomoyuki and Akiko saw another of her virtues. In the end, Akiko had no choice, and she also agreed in her unceremonious style.

    Walking out into the hallway, Yumiko looked at the two boys, openly cheering for her victory, and sighed contentedly. The outlines of a mouth of scarlet joy appeared on her face. Tomoyuki took her up on her offer and walked off in free steps toward Akiko and Ryou to get Akiko out of the office.

    Yumiko looked at Glenn, who was standing nearby, and saw him looking after Tomoyuki and Akiko with cold eyes. Yumiko thought something was bothering him at that moment.

 Tomoyuki-kun and Yumiko-chan

    It took two weeks for the Literary Club to fill up by four more people. At the first general meeting, the newcomers were surprised at the size of the club room, and decided to clean it up. The club was on the first floor of the school, and from the window there was a view of the back of the school grounds with the athletic and soccer fields for physical education.

    The kids had time to get used to the quietness of the literature club. In the middle of the classroom was a rectangular table near which they mostly gathered. Akiko and Tomoyuki were the only people who started the conversation during the gatherings. They pulled Ryou and Yumiko up to them, so they didn''t sit around with monotonous views either. Glenn came to the club less often than everyone else. Ryou managed to get a little closer to Tomoyuki and Akiko in a short time, and he had a positive and reserved relationship with Yumiko. Yumiko found it interesting that Tomoyuki had an open style with no preconceptions, and sometimes she found it difficult to talk to him, which resulted in her suppressing her emotions with calm and indifference.

    One clear day, high school students from Yumiko''s parallel class were having gym class.

    "One-two! One-two! One-two!" was heard the stern and commanding voice of the gym teacher, leading an even jog with the class in a traffic circle. At the exhausting run, Tomoyuki, who was thrown into a sweat, noticed the open window of the literature club.

    Yumiko was sitting alone in the club room with the window open, finishing her homework previously assigned by the teacher in class. Tomoyuki grasped the window with his palms and called out to Yumiko.

    "Oh, hello, Yamashita-kun. You''re in sports uniform."

    "Haha. I have two hours of gym today. By the way, why are you here alone?"

    "Hayashi-kun is talking to the teacher about some business right now, and Akiyama-chan decided to have lunch with her friends."

    "Wow! You''re so sensible," Tomoyuki replied, to which Yumiko peacefully shook her head.

    "I was only wondering why they were absent."

    "By the way, Glenn-kun hasn''t come to the club in days. He must have found a girlfriend, naughty boy."

    "I don''t know why he doesn''t come."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "Mm, well," he said, swaying his body fretfully, "If even you don''t know, I wouldn''t know a thing about it."

    "I''m leaning on his busyness. He works in his spare time."

    The blue-eyed guy was unaware of this news, for Ryou had never had to tell him before. Wiping the sweat from his face, he complained about the hot weather.

    "By the way, Sato-chan. I often notice Glenn-kun in the bathroom during recess. Do you know what this has to do with?"

    Yumiko shook her head and looked at her workbook again. With the fingers of her right hand, she periodically twirled her pen.

    "Maybe that''s how Glenn-kun sneaks schoolgirls into the bathroom," he said jokingly, grinning widely. "Who knows."

    Yumiko smirked back at his joke, and planted her cheek on his left hand.

    "And to be honest," Tomoyuki continued, with a bored sigh, "I don''t know what''s on his mind at all."

    The taciturn Yumiko nods and agrees with his words.

    In the middle of the school day, Tomoyuki and Yumiko were alone in the circle room. Asked why Sato-chan always seems busy reading books and writing down educational assignments.

    "Don''t you ever get bored with such chores?"

    "Not at all," replied the maiden politely. "I feel much more relaxed about my own work."

    "Are you really so clever! Aiming for a prestigious higher education?"

    "That''s right."

    "Are you thinking about your future, Sato-chan?"

    "I do, and a lot," Yumiko said. "I used to do nothing but sit alone near my desk. I didn''t know it could be more fun to be in company with people."

    "I guess you think so because ''this'' company of people consists frankly of perfect friends for you?" ranted Tomoyuki, in a cocky and boastful tone.

    Yumiko giggled back. "You really are good guys."

    "What-oh, I didn''t hear that, did Yumiko start to be frank?!"

    "Stop it," the girl replied embarrassedly, with a slight chuckle.

    Tomoyuki finally realized Yumiko''s point of view and outlook on life, and to him she seemed nothing less than a good-natured and determined girl, whose companionship provided a satisfying aftertaste. Yumiko, who had previously seemed cold and untouchable, unwittingly opened up to Tomoyuki from a different side, one that no one had noticed before.

 Bravery and Dread

    "What am I missing to get Hayashi-kun to pay attention to me?"

    Akiko sat tiredly beside her desk during a lesson she considered the most boring in school. Placing her hand on cheek, her gaze looked out at the athletic field from the window.

    The field, which was part of their school grounds, was, frankly, an imposing size, and many students would gather there in droves after the school day was over, for there you could find any sports gear you wanted.

    In fact, Akiko was looking at Ryou, whose class was having a grueling run with the gym teacher. There were no girls on the run, for they were practicing physical education inside the school.

    Ryou''s spiky dark bluish hair occasionally interfered with his running, causing him to have to fix it back. For Akiko, his backward hairstyle completely changed his beauty: while his normally wavy and downcast hair colored his smarmy character, his backward hairstyle gave him a brutishness.

    Akiko dreamed of dating him, but didn''t know where she should start to impress the silent, in her opinion, handsome young man. He hadn''t faced this problem before - all the guys she''d managed to date and rejected had confessed their love to her themselves. How disappointing for Akiko when she found out that Ryou didn''t even notice her.

    Why does she want to have a love relationship? It''s simple, because she has as many as two factors to acknowledge her love for the opposite half. The first factor is his beauty, for to Akiko''s social circle it has always been remarkable to have by no means an ordinary guy, and in their opinion, a guy should have a zest in himself. The second factor for her, however, was the usual cordial disposition, and Akiko also concluded in her mind that Ryou''s rank, youthful gaze drew her to him.

    At least, Akiko herself was sure she thought so.

    Or maybe she didn''t.

    But could Akiko have thought that her next private encounter with Tomoyuki would turn out to be a shattering split in her views and an influx of sharp catharsis. After the school day was over, Tomoyuki met her outside the hallway and called her to the field at the back of the school. His eyes gleamed with optimism as before, but in front of Akiko the young man looked more subdued.

    As they approached the field, they stood right in the middle of a running field circled in white paint. Tomoyuki, looking dreamily toward the sunset, enjoyed the general silence. His eyes were soft and closed until the silence was brought down by a misunderstood Akiko.

    "What''s new in total? You didn''t call me here, I hope, to fool around?"

    "Sometimes silence soothes the mind. I enjoy this melody, coming from the mouth of nature itself. It harmonizes with my desires to set everything aside and climb somewhere higher, to a place where it''s always cozy and quiet."

    "I don''t know what you''re getting at."

    "For you, you probably prefer the noise of the city and the incessant hustle and bustle of youth. I, personally, would choose a much more humble way of life. In the quiet mountains, for example."

    "I''m sure you chose this theme for a reason."

    "What else are you sure of, Akiko-chan?" the blue-eyed youth looked at her with tenderness. "Right now I am sure of what I feel like as a bird flying carefree through the open sky. What about you, Akiko-chan?"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "Have you begun to take an interest in self-development?"

    "You don''t understand anything after all. Let''s start talking."

    "Is there something you want to know from me?"

    "Yes, more specifically, your attitude toward Yumiko Sato. From what you''ve said in previous conversations, you have an abhorrence for her."

    "That''s true. Lately I''m starting to think she''s constraining my presence around her and Hayashi-kun. She pisses me off! She''s driven by self-interest and pretense."

    "Is that it?"

    "Hmm... Except for her annoying communication style-" she didn''t finish as she was immediately interrupted by Tomoyuki.

    "Is there anything in particular that causes you to despise her, would you say?"

    Akiko tensed at his prejudiced tone of voice. You could clearly see from Tomoyuki''s stern face that he was growing discontent with the maiden.

    "What more do you want me to say to you?!" shouted Akiko, whose defensiveness kicked in. She couldn''t stand the scornful attitude, and Tomoyuki''s gaze stabbed her right in the heart, reminding her of the sad memories that had happened to her in high school.

    Remembering the playfully sad face of a certain girl, the hard face of a certain guy, and the stern look of a girl turned away from her, Akiko was momentarily overcome with oppression. In her mind, she shouted for them to get out of her head, and these blurred faces uniformly showed one dirty, wide smile that judged her personality.

    "If your hatred only rests on the words you have spoken, then that alone makes no sense," Tomoyuki said, making Akiko flinch.

    "What do you mean...?"

    "All you have to do is hate aimlessly and play the harmless ducky."

    "I don''t know what you''re getting at..."

    "You have no reason to hate Sato-chan. I guess that''s just how you protect yourself from your inner fear. You''re afraid, and making the other person out to be the guilty one in your sense of the word. And what are you not stingy, what are you not self-interested?"

    Tomoyuki adopted a guilty look.

    "Don''t criticize me!"

    "You don''t know who Yumiko Sato is, and you don''t know who Glenn-kun and Hayashi-kun are. They won''t let anyone touch a fragile girlfriend. Ground yourself."

    "I don''t care! I thought you would understand me!"

    "I don''t have to. It''s written all over your face," Tomoyuki said, and after his words, the girl realized that her usual anxiety had already managed to turn into open stress. "You yourself, I''m sure, don''t know which way to go in order to make Ryou-kun fall in love with you. Alas, you are more useless to me."

    "What goals are you after?!"

    "Me? I only hate fake and two-faced people," Tomoyuki replied, and moved back toward the main entrance of the school. When he stopped, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Akiko, but their gazes were pointed in opposite directions. "And Yumiko-... Sato-chan is a good person."

    Resuming his step, he withdrew without turning away. Having endured a strong rush of criticism and hysteria, Akiko could not hold back her tears. She covered her sour face with hands.

    "Yamashita-kun, you overreacted..." she said quietly.

    This tense scene was observed by Yumiko from the first floor, who was sitting at the window of the club office, with an interested look. She was actually unable to hear their conversation unless she would open the window, but she had enough of their tense stares to know that their conversation had given the defenseless Akiko a great deal of fear. She didn''t bother to stop them, thinking that doing so would only make their conversation even worse.

    She couldn''t dismiss from her mind why they didn''t get along. With these thoughts, Yumiko for the first time began to worry about her new acquaintances.

 Feelings

    This evening, Akiko could not fall asleep immediately after arriving home. She wanted to go to sleep early so that she could forget about the stress and relax at least in her reverie, but her worries about what had happened today had not stopped haunting her. When she returned home, she instantly fell headlong into bed without undressing. From the look on her face, she was wrung out like a fruit, but she didn''t know quite how to react.

    As she unfolded her body, she sloppily placed her palm on her pubes and contemplated Tomoyuki''s harsh words, thereby looking up at the chandelier bulb that illuminated her modest but feminine furnished room. Her humble, darkish red eyes did not take their stare away from the light bulb, which for her seemed at this moment to be the only light moving her forward.

    "Tomoyuki-kun, you overreached," she said, calming down slightly, and laying lightly on her side. Her previously styled hair spread out between each other and fell over her face, but Akiko didn''t dare to fix it.

    "My feelings... are they wrong?" the maiden muttered to herself. "And when I saw Hayashi-kun on the roof, did I really fall in love with him?"

    Blinking slowly, Akiko was overwhelmed with emotion, which she didn''t have the strength to splash out. She only moved her fingers, and continued to stare aimlessly at one unremarkable point.

    "Yumiko Sato is a good person? You''re kidding..."

    Doubting her previously declared assertions, she quietly closed her eyes. What a pity it was for her when the door to her room opened after a few light knocks on it. A female silhouette with medium-length dark hair and the same face shape as Akiko''s looked out of the door.

    "Attyan, would you like to have dinner?" came the woman''s polite and gentle voice.

    "No, mammy, I don''t," replied Akiko, slowly.

    "Did you wash your face after you came, I hope?" asked the mother, with no less politeness to her daughter, to which Akiko shook her head without getting up from her seat.

    "Oh! Did the boy actually reject?" she asked with playful confusion, covering her mouth with her hands. "Well, did I guess?"

    There was a brief pause, but the mother was in no hurry for her beloved daughter. Finally, the daughter''s mouth moved.

    "Maybe."

    "That''s right, straight on! Your mom is brilliant!" she said, to which Akiko agreed.

    "You''re the best, mammy," Akiko said with an equally loving tone. Her voice no longer seemed depressed, which made Mama feel warmer in her soul.

    "Okay! I guessed it, but where''s my prize?"

    Akiko looked up and their gazes met. Their eyes the same color and the same hand gestures-Akiko was an exact replica of her mother, trying to cheer her stay.

    "Okay, but what prize does my mammy want?"

    "Um..." put her mother''s hand to her chin. "Your prize is action."

    "Okay, but what action?"

    "Wash your face and tidy yourself up, daughter," Mother said, with warmth in her words. Akiko could not refuse, and she had no reason to. She trusted her mother completely.

    "And then... tell me what new things have happened. Sometimes it is said that nothing is better than a mother-daughter conversation."

    "Okay," Akiko said, nodding. "I will. But I''ll be frank, mammy, would you be okay with that outcome?"

    "More than okay," Mom replied, lovingly.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Akiko needed those exact words in a moment of concussion from Tomoyuki''s shocking words that fuzed her mind. An ordinary heart-to-heart talk in the kitchen, alone with a loved one in front of whom crying was commonplace. It was then that she did not have this person, but when she came home, she realized that Akiko had no close girlfriends or boyfriends at all.

    On the next school day, well before school started, Akiko walked into her classroom and sat down at her desk. She relaxed her head on the hard, wooden desk and had light cushions under her eyes. In the morning, when she powdered that spot, she based her appearance on their appearance in the process of sobbing in front of her mother yesterday.

    "Tomoyuki-kun is an idiot," she muttered, frowning. "He made me cry yesterday. It''s infuriating!"

    As she looked up, she remembered an important thing, and silently began rummaging through her purse. Akiko thought, how could she forget such an important thing in her life. Finally finding it, the maiden pulls her personal diary out of her purse and puts it on the table. She thought how long it had been since she had written new notes and thoughts in it.

    Opening the first page, she began to slowly read a quote that played an important role for her.

    Be loved and love others. Only then will you become needed by yourself.

    "That''s right..." she whispered, coming to her senses. "How could I have forgotten my own words. The hardships I''ve been through... can''t just go away."

    Rising gracefully from her chair, her inner confidence gripped her. Or rather, it was she herself who brought it back, for she had enough confidence as it was.

    "I have to keep moving. Further and further."

    -

    In the middle of the study, Yumiko urged Glenn to go to the circle with him. Left alone in silence, the young man asked if she was concerned about anything, to which Yumiko went to the window and put her clasped hands to her chest and stared thoughtfully out into the distance.

    "I don''t know, I can''t express it. Glenn-kun, how am I supposed to be in these situations?"

    Glenn had only to guess what she meant by her concerned words.

    "Is it to do with the boys?" the young man asked, reflecting on the look in her eyes that was looking at him.

    Yumiko nodded. "Since this kind of situation hasn''t happened to me before, I don''t know how to relate to something like this or how to act."

    Glenn wondered if something really serious had happened that was also noteworthy to Yumiko.

    "I really don''t know," Yumiko complemented, not taking her gaze off him. "For one thing, I think I don''t even know what kind of face I should be taking right now to make you realize the gravity of..."

    "In that case, try to calm down and tell me as it is."

    Yumiko nodded, and for the next brief moment she explained to the young man the whole situation she had managed to see. Sitting thoughtfully and listening intently for every line of her words, Glenn eventually closed his eyes and began to ponder.

    "As much as I hate to scare you, Yumiko-chan..."

    "I want the truth," Yumiko said, confidently.

    "It''s probably all about you."

    "Me? But why... me?" she leaned back slowly against the window and pressed her back against it.

    "My guess is that Tomoyuki-san and Akiko-san are hiding something that only they know about. Do you, by any chance, have a hunch about anything?"

    "No," Yumiko replied, folding her fingers. "I don''t guess anything at all. What a bad friend I am."

    "It''s not your fault. I think there are some things they''re not telling you. After what happened, have you noticed a shift in their communication?"

    "Not at all... Akiyama-chan seems fine, though she seemed too upset yesterday. But I haven''t met Tomoyuki-kun, he only sometimes comes to our class room himself."

    "I see, so there''s nothing else I can do," Glenn said. "I''m sorry," he added, bowing his pitying eyes, to which Yumiko waved her hands and shook her head.

    "No need to be sorry! Thank you, for opening my eyes. Really, thank you."

    Hearing the thanks, Glenn made his way toward the exit of the room. Taking his eyes away from Yumiko, his gaze hardened at that moment, and his dark eyes darkened as if they had lost their vivacity.

    When the door closed and the office quieted, Yumiko was alone with her thoughts. Glancing again at the view from the window, she gently placed her hand on the window sill.

    In her thoughts, Yumiko apologized to Glenn for hiding her feelings, but this way she thought the young man should not know about such facts. Akiko''s pretending to be near Ryou, Yumiko couldn''t help but know, for she had an indirect part in it. Nevertheless, she never imagined that Tomoyuki could have upset her longtime friend and classmate so shrewdly. Yumiko began to wonder about Tomoyuki''s deceitfulness and secrecy.

 The Social Assistance

    After the first school lesson was over, all the club members gathered together in the club room. Akiko did not understand why they had been invited. Before that, they had been personally invited by Glenn, who was standing at the blackboard. Akiko told Glenn not to be lingering and to explain himself, and Yumiko asked what was wrong.

    "I have a proposal to all of you, which you are free to refuse," Glenn added, after which everyone in the office fell silent. "I called you here for a reason, having considered at length what happened with the child."

    "With the child?" said Yamashita, misunderstanding. "You mean your case about the missing boy you helped?"

    "Exactly."

    "What do you mean?" added Nishida, crossing his arms.

    "I''m suggesting you join the social worker case."

    After his direct answer, the audience quieted again for a brief moment. Yamashita pondered his suggestion thoughtfully while Akiko stared at the lowly Glenn.

    "What the devil is a ''social worker''?" asked Akiko.

    "It''s a formal job that doesn''t require any experience in professional fields only if you don''t join the roots of those same professional fields. By value, for high school students or people looking for a quick buck - getting a job as a social worker is the best choice."

    Glenn pointed his finger at the blackboard, and drew chalk diagrams on it.

    "The job of a social worker is to help people from various walks of life on their own volition. Jobs are given by questionnaire, and if the task is successfully completed, a monetary reward is given."

    "Simply put, settle in as volunteers, but get paid for it," Yamashita concluded, and Glenn nodded back at him.

    "I work as a social worker, and the baby story is not a random thing, to put it bluntly."

    "What is the global nature of this job?" asked Yumiko. "I seem to recall talking to you and Masumi-sensei recently about this subject."

    "Not unlike when we were moving this topic around in the coffee shop," Glenn replied. "Look at the diagram."

    In the form of a diagram, the young man drew intertwined rectangles with arrows.

    Social Assistance: demand> signing forms and selecting categories - physical and legal assistance> recruiting volunteers.

    "Let me explain thoroughly. People or companies in need of help or extra hands sign a questionnaire application and put the case out in the open. Volunteers from our Organization, on the other hand, choose the right one for their skills with these same questionnaires, and end up performing the task given to them."

    "What is the peculiarity of an employee in the Organization?" asked Nishida.

    "The organization where I take the job is called the Daisuke Corporation." Basically, people from all walks of life who want to work for the benefit of citizens or for money choose the field of social worker. By the standards of the Organization, such people are called "Keepers," in other words, keepers of people in need. To join this Organization as a Keeper, unfortunately, is not easy. However, I am able to get you there. Just think how many people you can save from the hardships that have befallen them."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Then Yamashita crossed his legs and leaned back slightly, the thing that worried him wouldn''t come out of his mind. Not wanting to guess for himself, he decided to ask Glenn directly.

    "What are you inviting us for?" he asked, whereupon Glenn took on a serious look.

    "I see the potential in you. We''ve only just begun to get along, but I couldn''t help but suggest you because I believe in your strengths."

    "But if we don''t want to waste our time on such things?" said Nishida, restlessly.

    "That''s all right," Glenn replied. "This work does not require constant activity, and the image of your work depends on your chosen free time for it," he added, soon lowering his eyes. "The situation with the child turned out to be much more complex than one would expect. Usually, people close the questionnaire in a day or two, depending on the overload of work and the keeper himself. Various psychologists or handymen along with white-collar workers moonlight in such organizations for extra money."

    "Hmm?" marveled Yamashita. "For what do specialists or highly skilled laborers moonlight in these kinds of organizations? Are...the sums suggestive?"

    Then Glenn turned back to the blackboard and began to draw numbers in chalk in large print. Then he stepped aside, and all the students sitting in their chairs marveled at the number he had written.

    4,000 yen.

    "The whole 4,000?!" opened Yamashita''s mouth.

    "But how?" complemented Nishida.

    "The price varies with qualifications and education. I mean, an average schoolboy of eighteen can''t have qualifications. So they''re given a smaller amount."

    Glen wiped the number "4" on the board with a rag and drew a "2" instead."

    "The bottom line is that the final amount is 2,000 yen for the completed questionnaire."

    The club members were amazed at such figures, and their thoughts changed dramatically to a very different direction.

    "Think about my offer now. We all need the money, but there is another reason to work as a keeper: to help people. I think my words carry weight."

    "At the same time," Yamashita added, "This job will help us get to know each other better?"

    "Not otherwise."

    "I suppose you have another reason for inviting us," Nishida said skeptically. "Come to think of it, you wish for something in return, for no one would have presented us with such an invitation on a platter."

    Glenn shook his head and smirked, "Other than wishing you happiness, I have no purpose. I could easily add you to my list of employees by taking advantage of my sheer activism."

    Without much thought, Yumiko agreed. Glenn only answered her with a smile.

    "I would expect nothing less from you, Yumiko-chan."

    Soon, too, Yamashita raised his hand optimistically. "I could use the money, and I have plenty of free time. Isn''t that a joy?"

    "All right, I''ll sign," he said, and looked back at the remaining ones. "And you, Nishida-kun, Akiko-san, agree?"

    Nishida seemed concerned, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Closing his eyes, he sighed tiredly.

    "I agree."

    Glenn nodded peacefully and turned to Akiko, who, meanwhile, could not give her answer and looked no less pensive.

    "It''ll be more fun together," Yamashita said affectionately, whose kind smile made Akiko flinch slightly.

    Soon, too, she agreed to join.

    "Fine," Glenn declared, clapping his palms together. "I''ll take care of all the questions myself. All you''ll have to do is sign the joining papers. I''ll bring them to you at another time."

    Still, Nishida misunderstood Glenn''s thoughts and what drove him. To Nishida, his offer seemed too dubious, but he also couldn''t help but think that he was only exaggerating his worries.

    As of this day, they had, in effect, signed their own sentence, which could not be refused. Whether Glenn''s self-serving thoughts really existed, or whether his worries were misguided after all, no one guessed. And why should they, since their relationship had only just begun to build into a more amicable one. One fact was clear - Glenn trusted his feelings and wanted to help Yumiko adapt to her new environment.

 Mercy

    It was Thursday. As third period ended, Ryou and Yumiko sat alone in the circle room. The familiar quiet atmosphere of the study was pleasing to Ryou''s ears. Still, he wanted to ask one question of Yumiko.

    "I haven''t seen Glenn-kun for three days. Do you know what that has to do with it?"

    "I don''t know," Yumiko said, not removing her gaze from the book she was reading. "After we signed the papers he brought, I didn''t see him either."

    None of them knew where Glenn was. But who cared, for one has a right whether or not to be present in another''s life. Ryou was just curious.

    "I remember," Yumiko said, closing the book. "He called for you today, before class. At that time I was just waking up and was sleepy. If I had remembered a little earlier..."

    "Nothing," Ryou added. "What exactly did he say?"

    "I think he wanted you to meet him, but I don''t remember where or when."

    Ryou laid his head tiredly on the table. He didn''t understand what Glenn was even trying to accomplish. "He''s kind of a strange man, I see. Always hovering in the clouds."

    "I wouldn''t advise you to understand him," Yumiko replied, putting the book in her purse. "It never ends well."

    "Even you don''t understand him well?"

    "I don''t really care what he''s trying to hide. I don''t doubt him or his approach. Even when he didn''t tell me about the change of plan when we were helping the boy, I trusted his gut."

    "I don''t think I''ll get along with him. Since he didn''t tell you about Yoshiro-kun meeting his father in the park, how do you keep trusting him?"

    "He was sure of his success, I suppose," Yumiko said. "Maybe he had no reason to explain it to me, because I had completely different plans. I only wanted Yoshiro back when he would have wanted it himself."

    Unnoticed, Yumiko''s phone, lying on the table, rang. The schoolgirl meekly picked up the receiver and put it to her ear.

    "Hello."

    "Hello, Yumiko-chan," issued a familiar male voice through the call. "Where is Ryou-kun now?"

    "He''s at the club, with me."

    "I see," Glenn replied thoughtfully. "Then I''m going in."

    Suddenly, the office door swung open abruptly, and Glenn walked in from it, holding the phone to his right ear. Upon seeing him, Yumiko assumed a non-serious look, and Ryou was childishly amazed.

    "What were you calling for if you were standing outside the club!" confused Ryou.

    "I didn''t want to enter the office without much reason."

    He walked over to Ryou and congratulated him on finding the questionnaire with a happy smile.

    "What questionnaire?" misunderstood Ryou. "It''s not like I even picked one."

    "Of course. I chose the questionnaire that suited the two of us."

    "Really? You managed not to ask me, then."

    Glenn nodded then, infuriating Ryou even more, and turned and walked back out. Before he left, he turned to face Ryou.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "Today, after school," added Glenn, whose voice suddenly became more serious. "Ryou-kun, don''t forget. I''ll be waiting at the gate," he added, and left the office.

    A frowning Ryou finally tsked, and looked away from the doorway. "What a cheeky one."

    "That''s the whole Glenn-kun thing," Yumiko said, comfortingly, trying to reassure Ryou.

    -

    Ryou had no idea what Glenn seriously wanted from him. After the school day was over, a bitter, sunny sunset was in full swing, lighting up the streets of Tokyo orange. Ryou walked out of the school grounds and met Glenn striding toward the front gate. Putting his hands in his pocket, he decided to caution and protect his personal space. Glenn noticed his arrival and smiled.

    "Let''s talk as we go," Glenn said. "You seem uncomfortable being among the other schoolchildren."

    Turning toward the street, the young man moved straight ahead. Ryou had no choice but to follow him.

    "Where are we going?" added Ryou.

    "To the bus stop."

    "I''m asking about the questionnaire and our job."

    "We''ll be helping a certain old woman who wrote the questionnaire. The job is not difficult: for a few days we have to stay by the old lady''s side and do all the physical work for her until her niece arrives in Tokyo."

    "All right, but I don''t yet understand why you chose the questionnaire without making arrangements with me."

    "Being a volunteer is hard," Glenn said, glancing up at the sun. "I only chose a job that wasn''t difficult for us."

    -

    After a while, they reached the old lady''s house. Meanwhile, the sun was gradually falling over the horizon, and the street was quietly covering with darkness. Fortunately for Ryou, the house was not far from the school, and it was a private, one-story house with its own lawn. As they entered through the open gate, the boys saw a woman sitting on a chair at the front of the house. With a smile on her face, she asked in an elderly tone if they were social workers.

    "That''s us," Glenn said, bowing his head, to which the grandmother rejoiced.

    The young man stepped closer and moderately asked her to enter the house with them, and the grandmother chuckled, saying he was right.

    "Unfortunately, I''m having a hard time getting around right now."

    "That''s why we''re here," Glenn replied, nobly putting his arm around her to help her get up. So, they entered a private, small house.

    As the young man interacted with the old lady, the social workers simultaneously tidied up her humble home. A portion of soup was prepared for her dinner by Glenn. Ryou only performed secondary functions, but listened carefully and discreetly to their conversations. It was learned that the grandmother was unaccustomed to having abrupt health problems. Recently, she had been hospitalized for blood pressure, and since then, her head has not stopped hurting. She also reprimanded that in her 65 years, she is already much more tired than usual, to which Glenn asked wistfully not to bother with household chores.

    It was evening outside, and Ryou, who had finished cleaning plates and cups, wiped off the sweat with a napkin and went outside to get some fresh air. When he came out, he saw Glenn sitting on a bench near the doorway. The young man seemed serious and didn''t take his eyes off the ground.

    "That grandma had absolutely no one around to help," Glenn stated sadly. "I am tormented by the thought that in her condition she is incapable even of mundane things..." the young man added, holding up a pause and clenching his teeth. "She could have hired a professional housewife, but she didn''t have the money for that."

    Ryou pressed himself against the wall, pondering his words. He couldn''t disagree with Glenn, for he had seen it all for himself.

    "That''s what we''re here for," Glenn added. "If it were not for our help, who would approach her? Who would show mercy?"

    "With her health, I doubt her speedy recovery."

    Glenn lowered his eyes. "She''s got a bunch of pills spread out in her dresser. We''ll ask about the right ones and give them to her according to the doctor''s prescription. She''ll be sure to get well."

    Ryou didn''t doubt Glenn''s words, whose voice seemed depressed but confident. Somewhere inside, Ryou hoped for the old lady''s speedy recovery.

    Late that night, the boys returned home. Stepping out of the shower, Ryou wiped his head with a towel in front of the mirror, and grabbing the sink with his hands, he examined his wet, wavy hair in detail.

    "They''ve grown out."

    Sitting by the window and covered by a blanket, Ryou looked out the shining city from the window and thought about Glenn''s words from a few hours earlier.

    "You think I don''t see the situation myself?" he said in a whisper. "I''m not insensitive, either..."

 Timeless Garden

    On the morning before school, Glenn goes to the old lady''s house to check on her surroundings. As he entered through the gate, he never imagined that Ryou would arrive before he did. At this moment, the young man was watering the lawn and the flowers, and he combed his hair into a ponytail with a rubber band.

    "Have you changed your mind?" asked Glenn jokingly, actually admiring the young man.

    "As you can see," Ryou replied nonchalantly, avoiding his joke. When he finished pouring flowers, he didn''t take his eyes off the lawn. "I thought about what you said yesterday and decided to help. The old lady deserves proper attention."

    "She''s kind," Glenn said, smiling. "We should wait until her niece arrives. According to Grandma, the niece will take her back to her town where there''s no urban unrest after she arrives."

    "Good decision," Ryou said, and squatted down, following with his chin tucked into his lap with boredom. "So quiet."

    Glenn looked back thoughtfully at the house and walked silently in its direction. As he entered through the curtain netting, he looked out into the room and saw an old lady sitting at the kitchen table. She was sitting without any purpose, just sitting and not interrupting the silence.

    "How are you resting?" asked Glenn peacefully, taking off his school shoes. "Don''t ruin the silence reigning around the house?"

    Turning around, Grandma smiled lawlessly. "Alas, in my house the silence hasn''t stopped for decades."

    Glenn walked over to the kitchen table, but dared not sit down at the table, listening to the old lady with interest. Placing her frail and sullen hands on the table, Grandma reminisced about the happy past that had overtaken her in her youth. Ryou entered the room gently, and tiptoed toward the nearest corner for him, where he sat down on a wooden chair.

    "My husband died about twenty years ago. Fortunately, of old age, and not of any of the diseases that overtook me. He was older than I was, much older than I was... A handsome man for his years."

    "I''m sorry you had to go through such a terrible event," Glenn said sincerely, to which Grandma responded with a waving of her hands.

    "Come on, there''s nothing wrong with that," she said, and looked back at the window beside her. "It happens to everybody. Death is a common occurrence. I just have to believe until today that my hubby didn''t go to hell."

    "He didn''t," Glenn replied decently and sat down at the table across from her. "I''m sure a good man doesn''t go to hell."

    Grandma was surprised at his conclusion, and it touched her soul. Then Ryou''s yearning lips quirked in an effort not to upset the old lady.

    "Would you, Mei-san, like to go back to your youth again?"

    "I would, of course. Back to the eighties, where youth movements were just beginning to advance from foreign cultures. Hehe, in your day, after all, you would call things from forty years ago old old-fashioned."

    "That''s true," Ryou replied, putting his cheek to his palm. "The world has evolved without a backward glance."

    "How fast time flies," Granny said, glancing at the round clock posted on the wall. "It''s half past eleven, you have to leave for school soon."

    "We''ll make food for you and make your bed, Mei-san," added Glenn, whose conclusion the worried old lady dared not interfere. Glenn got up from his chair and blinked his right eye at Ryou, who also got up to help the young man with the cleaning.

    After receiving the old lady''s thanks, the boys walked away to the bus stop and got on the bus. Ryou, who was sitting in his headphones, ended up removing his ponytail, thinking that this hairstyle was not suitable for him, since his hair wasn''t long enough to have a ponytail yet.

    After his last class was over, Ryou was leaving the school office, and he got an unexpected call from Glenn. As he answered the phone, he heard Glenn''s anxious and elevated tone.

    "Hurry up inside, Grandma''s in critical condition!"This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    The young man''s voice boomed out of his soul and involuntarily commanded Ryou, who, upon hearing his words, immediately ran outside.

    "Has the ambulance arrived?" asked Ryou loudly. "When did you have time to arrive to her?"

    "On its way..." said Glenn, as if lifting a heavy weight in his arms. Following, the young man exhaled. "I barely got to her when I saw her lying unconscious on the floor."

    "How come..." replied Ryou, eyes wide. "Hang in there, Glenn-kun! I''m on my way to you now."

    After reaching her house in the shortest possible time, a breathless Ryou entered the house. Seeing Glenn, sitting intentionally on his knees and propping his recumbent grandmother''s head on them, Ryou noticed the bed slanted to the floor, whose leg had broken along the line. The entire bed was strewn down, and Glenn didn''t dare move for fear of hurting his grandmother more.

    "She probably slipped getting ready to lay on the bed," said Glenn, whose gaze seemed lifeless and somber. "The leg of the old bed failed, and the bed staggered and fell with sudden force."

    "Don''t say anything..." replied a depressed Ryou. "You''ll make it worse for yourself by thinking. Just... don''t say anything."

    The bed was indeed old, but it did not look so old that it could no longer support the weight of a human. Casting his thoughts aside, Ryou clenched his fists.

    "I told her not to get out of bed without our help," Glenn said grimly, continuing to thicken the oppressive atmosphere. In a flash, the house fell silent. The only two things the boys had to do were give themselves first aid or wait for an ambulance to arrive. "I don''t know how long she''s been unconscious. Maybe an hour, maybe since we left-" muttered Glenn, who was soon interrupted by Ryou.

    "Keep silent."

    The soft sounds of quick footsteps could already be heard outside, which grew louder and louder with each rumble, and a few seconds later the medical evacuees entered the house in a blink of an eye. That moment, as they walked swiftly toward the victim, crossing Ryou, and Glenn looking desperately at his grandmother, Ryou saw so clearly that it felt as if time had slowed down around him and his heart was beating slower. Soon, the young man began to hear his own heartbeat. The young man could not move, and only watched the scene of the transportation of grandmother to the minibus. After a minute, when all the people were on the evening street, the transporter approached Ryou and politely asked if he would ride with them, to which Ryou nodded silently.

    Sitting in the ambulance transport, Ryou thought again about the words Glenn had said the previous evening. Ryou blamed himself for his irresponsibility, and thought that nothing would have ended up like this if Ryou had not left her house for school at all, but had only helped her.

    "Why is it now..." muttered Ryou to himself, depressed. "How could this happen..."

    Unintentionally, the young man noticed how he began to change. In his mind he wondered where his shift in point of view might lead, and if in a positive direction, he would be happy, but if in a negative direction, he would rather leave things as they were.

    The young men were in the central hospital and sitting on benches in the waiting room. Masumi entered excitedly through the glass doors, and noticed Ryou and Glenn deep in thought about some things that were beyond the young teacher''s knowledge. Noticing their weary glances, she walked over to them and asked how long they had been sitting in the hospital.

    "It''s been more than an hour since Mei-san was transported to the hospital."

    "Save your strength," Masumi replied, sighing excitedly. "It''s late in the evening."

    But the boys silently continued to wait for the doctor to arrive. Master Masumi, realizing that it was pointless to persuade them, sat down next to them in the vacant seat.

    "You did a great job," she said, comfortingly. "If you hadn''t stepped up, death would have played a part. You did a perfect job."

    But how could Masumi know about the young men''s work if Glenn didn''t mention the job when calling with her, Ryou didn''t care. He went on and on and on, pushing himself into a dark space with thoughts of guilt.

    "You''re not guilty of anything," Masumi added.

    Ryou realized that once again there was nothing he could do to help the man who had asked for support. It was as if each time no one had given him a word of choice, and his every action was decided for him, and he never had time to keep up. These realizations were not new to him. It was exactly the same feeling he had felt when he had lived earlier in Kyoto with a grumpy father and a defenseless mother.

    With his help, the boy wanted to make sure he wasn''t useless and had the right to choose. He wanted to make sure he really existed.

    A woman enters the waiting room from the corridor, elegantly removing her mask and making her way deliberately toward the waiting benches. She noticed Ryou sitting on one of the front benches. The woman was dressed in a long, white medical gown. As she approached the young man, they slowly met their gazes. Ryou had a devastated look, literally seeing tragedy before his eyes. After a brief pause, the boy''s dry lips moved unhurriedly.

    Glancing around, a dazzlingly beautiful woman appeared before Masumi and Glenn''s gazes, looking at her younger brother. The perfect combination of her fair skin tone, the mole on her left cheek, and graceful lips, accompanied by mesmerizing dark blue eyes, could easily make any man fall in love with her.

    "Sister."

 Seikatsu no Riyuu

    "Megumi Hayashi," the sister humbly introduced herself to the young man and the teacher. "Pleased to meet you."

    "Masumi Ito," the teacher answered her, rising from the bench. "I am a teacher at Ryou-kun and Glenn-kun''s school."

    "I am the doctor of this hospital."

    Glenn stood up and bowed his head. "Glenn Zaliman. I''m a friend of Ryou-kun''s."

    The nurse slowly glanced over at the young man and looked him over and over. "Friend, it turns out? Well, I didn''t know my little brother had friends."

    "So you''re Ryou-kun''s older sister?" asked Glenn, inwardly amazed, to which Megumi nodded and glanced back at Masumi.

    "What are you doing here, Ito-san?"

    "Keeping an eye on the students. It''s my responsibility."

    Megumi hummed when she heard her teacher''s words, then looked back at Ryou, who at this point was not leaving his lowered, gloomy gaze.

    "I see," the sister replied, meekly, without raising her tone. Then the teacher stepped closer to the woman, and crossing her arms, whispered in her ear.

    "We should talk in private, without the boys present."

    The teacher''s words sounded unabashedly confident in consistency with the saddened tone of her voice. Megumi only lifted her shoulders and they walked away. Their antics were strange to Glenn, and he couldn''t get a certain feeling off his head. It was as if their formality had been long lost to time, and familiarity was used for granted, before the young men. He got the feeling that the two women had known each other before, but how could he know if he himself was barely conscious at that moment. Glenn thought he was mistaken.

    In the blink of an eye, Megumi turned to face the boys, stopping her step.

    "The old lady is all right," she declared, and the boys'' glances simultaneously turned to the woman. "She fainted, she''ll wake up soon," the woman added, and continued her stride.

    Glenn inwardly thought that was not the case at all. There was a chance that after fainting, grandma might lose her mind or have even more problems with her blood pressure. Glenn wondered why Megumi hadn''t told him about that moment, but settled on the fact that she so wanted to warn her younger brother not to be sad.

    A little while later, the women returned, and Megumi added that they had discovered the grandmother''s use of headache pills before fainting, and it was likely that the old lady had overdosed in order to downplay the pain. The outcome, doctors speculated, ended in dizziness.

    "We could be wrong," the nurse said, giving the young men hope. "Maybe grandma was thinking of doing the household chores herself, but she failed. Maybe that''s why she wanted to take a pill without any help and get on with it."

    "But why..." said Ryou, pressing his lips together, to which her sister had no answer.

    "Maybe a personal grudge for being helpless," Masumi suggested, looking away.

    Soon, another piece of information came in. The sister said the grandmother was found to have blood pressure and to have heart problems because of her age. They also found muscle atrophy, and the presence of a contusion in her left leg. The old lady was believed to have suffered a severe contusion from a fall.

    "Recovery takes much longer in older people than in younger ones," Megumi added, "And so the leg will take a long time to heal. She won''t be able to walk on her own two."

    Glenn lowered his head, and Ryou felt a sense of self-loathing, for the young man thought he could do without the extra responsibility, seeing as how Glenn had supported the old lady on the first day and assigned Ryou secondary tasks.

    Nurse, looked back at the paperwork she was holding and added that grandma could have died if the guys hadn''t picked her up and called an ambulance. "Lying down disproportionately for a headache leads to even more blood pressure."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "What about her brain condition?" asked Glenn gently, hopefully.

    "Otherwise, she''s fine," Megumi replied. "Grandmother has a strong will. She''ll remember everything."

    Glenn was slightly comforted. Right now, grandmother needed a long rest.

    "So, in that case..." stated Megumi urgently, fearing for the young men''s health. "Ryou-kun, Glenn-kun, go home while the buses are still running. Mei-san will wake up soon."

    Masumi agreed with Megumi''s words and asked to obey her.

    "Be sure to call me when she wakes up," Glenn insisted, pitifully. "Please."

    Megumi nodded and obliged.

    There was nothing to lose. The hospital where the old lady was left to be treated was one of luxury, and despite the fee-for-service, the quality of the hospital was superb.

    A day after the incident, Ryou could not pick himself up. For a day already, he lounged around the house, not doing much of anything. In the evening, wrapped in a blanket, he huddled against the window and looked out over the bright city from the height of the twenty-five-story building, far from where people could see his presence. The young man worried about his helplessness and recalled how he had been unable to cope before. His parents, without their son''s opinion, had decided to move to another city just before the start of the next year at the old school. Ryou could not abruptly say goodbye to his old surroundings in the form of his best friends.

    According to Ryou, he never sought acquaintance, but instead, his friends found him by chance, and dragged him along so that he would not be alone. Fear of society was the worst situation a young boy could face.

    At night, as he was lying on the couch in the big kitchen, his sister, who had entered the apartment a few minutes earlier, came into the room. Thinking she would wake and frighten her brother, she stepped toward him.

    "Are you awake?" she asked in a whisper, gently rubbing her hand on the elbow of her other hand.

    "I''m awake."

    "I talked to your teacher," the sister added, sitting down on the couch. "She told me everything. I also have a responsibility ... and I promise that Mei-san will be fine."

    There was a closed pause.

    "I''m useless," Ryou muttered, after which the sister shook her head amusedly.

    "The soil of my decision to choose medicine is the love of helping people. You know, I used to wonder for a long time what I wanted to be and how to be in the future. In an instant, looking at you as a boy, your happy, sweet smile helped me find the answer."

    And then, Ryou looked at his sister''s gentle face, covered in feminine warmth.

    "Finally finding the answer, I was able to put all other thoughts aside and really started to do what was to my liking," Megumi added, and leaned toward the lying Ryou. "I left my parents for a similar reason: they used to force me to become a model, assuring me and the world''s brands of my beauty. What a pity it was for them when I moved out without saying anything."

    "Sister..."

    "More than anything else in my life, I was pleased to see you smiling happily at me," Megumi added, and pressed her forehead against her younger brother''s and closed her eyes. "And it doesn''t please me when my little brother loses his joy. So, Ryou-kun, be strong. Follow the call of your heart and find the answers to the questions that trouble your soul."

    Ryou remembered the times when they were little and walked around town secretly from their parents. His sister would always hold his hand and point the way, introducing him to the Kyoto delights that mesmerized their eyes. The rustling of sakura petals on a clear day and the two children sitting under a tree was a scene that the younger brother could not forget even ten years later.

    My sister, who reeked of a fragrant sense of happiness, got up from the sofa and stepped toward the kitchen. Unexpectedly for her, Ryou stood up to reach his sister and hugged her thin waist tightly. His head pressed against his sister''s back to hide his stricken look.

    "I only wanted to help them..." the boy replied with a shaky voice. "How am I supposed to prove that I exist? I''m confused."

    "In that case, ask your friends," replied the sister warmly. "And if you can''t, come to me. Reveal yourself, Ryou-kun."

    Megumi turned toward Ryou, who was sitting on the couch, and crouched down and gently touched his slim neck with her hand. She felt the pumped muscles and rejoiced mentally, for she did not know that Ryou was taut. Following that, she put her hands to his dark, thick hair that reached up to his ears.

    "You have stylish hair."

    "Sister," Ryou said softly, lowering his eyes. "I''m thinking of cutting them, but not sure, for I like my hair."

    "In that case, think about changing your image and start with your hair. Start with yourself, Ryou-kun, and that might be the beginning of what you''re looking for."

    Ryou listened carefully to her words, and could not look away from her face. And yet, she is incredibly beautiful, he thought within himself. The young man clung to the thin thread that pulled him up, away from the abyss of despair, where he might have fallen if the thread had failed. Accepting his sister''s comfort, the young man felt better than before.

 White Crow

    In the afternoon, while Ryou was eating lunch, he received a phone call from Glenn. Upon learning what the young man had called for, Ryou was momentarily amazed.

    "Ryou-kun, Grandma''s awake," Glenn revealed calmly, and the street noise and stomping of dozens of people could be heard in his background. "It''s fine to go in and see her."

    Turning off his phone, the young man hurriedly began to finish his lunch. Following, getting up from his chair, the boy ran to his room to quickly get dressed in city clothes. His older sister, who saw his hurry from the bar counter, was genuinely happy for him and understood without further ado what was the matter. Today was her day off. Ryou came out of the apartment and thanked her for the food and urged her to do the dishes for him today.

    After a while, Ryou took the bus to the central district and hurriedly entered the city hospital. After asking the dispatcher in the lobby for the room where Mei-san was resting, he climbed the stairs to the third floor. Finally the young man found her room number, and panting in front of the door, he fixed his hair. Slowly pulling the doorknob, he stepped into the bright, modest room and the first thing he looked at was the grandmother lying on the bed, smiling at the young man''s arrival, and a young woman sitting beside her, holding her grandmother''s hand. When he looked at the window, whose curtains were fluttering nonstop due to a strong draft, the young man saw Glenn, standing rankly at the window with his eyes closed and a sincere smile on his face.

    When Glenn opened his eyes, from his peaceful look Ryou detected a positive final outcome. One look from Glenn was enough for Ryou to be comforted, and the young man noticed how his opinion of Glenn had risen in recent days.

    The old lady, already recovered from a good night''s rest, thanked the two schoolboys, adding that she would not have made it if not for their presence around her.

    "By my foolishness I made the worst mistake," the grandmother recalled comfortingly. "All the last few years my physical condition had been deteriorating and I felt helpless. The week before my beloved niece arrived..." she said, looking back at a humble woman of Ryou''s sister''s age, "...I decided to sign a form for a nursing application. A man came to my house and asked me to sign some documents. Next, you showed up. I''m grateful to you, but inside I couldn''t stand my patheticness."

    "You''re not pathetic at all," Ryou stated confidently. "I completely understand what it is like to feel powerless. But you are not powerless at all! You have a strong spirit in you... a will, and an ambition. For that I respect you, Mei-san, for not giving up."

    "I wanted no one to worry about me," the old lady said sadly, admiring the young man''s words. "Thank you."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Her niece gave the young lads a polite and flattered look of gratitude, to which the boys bowed their heads respectfully. Afterward, the conclusion passed from the grandmother''s lips that the schoolboys'' work had ended successfully on this note. Soon, after her discharge, she and her niece should go away from the city, where the old lady would be much more at ease.

    Next to the bed in the corner was a wheelchair, from which an excited Ryou could not take her eyes off.

    "Don''t worry," the grandmother reassured the schoolchildren with a sweet tone. "I''ll be fine."

    Walking down the hospital corridor toward the stairs and then toward the exit, the boys simultaneously talked about the passing of their time, at a synchronized walking pace. The gulf between Glenn and Ryou seemed to shrink, if not disappear altogether, if one listened to Ryou''s more open tone when talking to his friend.

    "Our first work together is over, but not without consequences. Still, thank you, Ryou-kun, for your help. The money will be split and sent to us immediately, after the case is officially closed."

    "Come on, I didn''t do anything. It''s always like that: you seem to try your best, but it turns out you only did one-quarter of the work. Fools like me have a gift like that."

    Glenn chuckled back, not taking his eyes off the humble young man. Glenn was slightly taller than Ryou in height, though if they were one of the longest in the school.

    "About the reward. A separate amount of money is given for group work from single work, but it all depends as much on the keeper''s classification."

    "I don''t know," replied Ryou, coming down the stairs, "I''m not interested. At least you didn''t tell us we might encounter such difficulties."

    "Eh, that''s the kind of job we have," Glenn said, looking back with a smile at the portraits and signs hanging on the walls. Before he realized it, he and his friend had reached the front doors. At the front Ryou stopped, and Glenn followed.

    "I''m... thinking of staying on the job," the young man added without turning to face Glenn. "I have a few more questions I have to search for answers to. This job will help me in that, for through it I have learned some things that were not my own. The feelings I''ve experienced during this time... I didn''t know people could be so sensitive."

    Ryou wanted to hide the emotional wavering in his face from Glenn, and he didn''t dare turn to face him. Inside himself, he shook, biting his lips time after time.

    Glenn looked at him with a kind grin, and inwardly thought he was right about Ryou''s true feelings and outlook, so he concluded that he would help Ryou with his ailment.

    "Do you know what I thereby realized?" said Ryou surreptitiously, and slowly turned around. "People need help," he added slowly, with a confident tone.

 Untouchable Glance

    Akiko still couldn''t find common ground with Ryou, and in her opinion, she had driven herself into a dead end. When she entered the club''s office to see the young man, the only person in the office was Yumiko, who was reading a book she had recently bought. Approaching her, the girl peacefully asked if Yumiko knew where Ryou was. The initial response was a brief silence.

    "Hayashi-kun is with Glenn-kun now," the maiden soon replied. "It seems they are going to work together after the next class."

    "Together? With one questionnaire, or what?"

    "I think so. I don''t fully understand how these questionnaires work."

    Akiko sighed with hopeless fatigue and looked back at Yumiko. Noticing how she meekly continued to read her book, Akiko asked her with mild misunderstanding why she was reading, even during her short recess.

    Leaning against her desk, the girl pondered her desires. She realized that she had only decided to join the job for the reason of being closer to Ryou. Work, she thought then, could bring the relationship between them closer and break down the conversation barrier. Akiko did not understand what she lacked to satisfy Ryou.

    During the end of another day, a multitude of students gathered in the closets to their lockers, to change their shoes and put down their school items. Akiko quietly gathered items in her personal locker until her personal space was invaded by a student with a familiar male voice. Closing her locker, Akiko saw Tomoyuki huddling with his back to her locker. He was walking in his own style, without what he thought was a hot jacket and with the bottom button of his shirt unbuttoned.

    "Gotta salute," he smiled, innocently, to which Akiko blinked. "Getting close to Hayashi-kun?"

    Akiko locked her locker by turning the key lightly and turned to go out into the hallways. "You know the answer yourself."

    "Yay, what are you freaking out about!" waved his hands at Tomoyuki, trying to stop her. "Let''s talk about one thing."

    "Talking doesn''t appeal to me," the girl replied, slipping her purse over her shoulders. "It makes my heart go weak, and it''s bad for my health."

    "I didn''t mean to offend you then."

    "That''s the way it is. "It can''t be helped. Bye."

    Akiko stepped forward, at which point the guy leaned away from the locker and decided to move on to the conversation he was worried about directly.

    "I know how to get you Hayashi-kun," the young man said confidently, following which Akiko froze without finishing her step. She didn''t move for another short while, but the human noises around their ears didn''t die down. If the man in the study went silent, the others would continue talking as if nothing had happened. On reflection, Akiko continued her quiet but slender stride.

    "I''m not interested. You won''t let me touch Yumiko, will you?"

    "I am no longer interested in Yumiko Sato," Tomoyuki said. "I''m currently targeting Hayashi-kun, and that''s why I''ll help you," he complemented, following which Akiko turned on him.

    "How do I know you''re telling the truth? After all, you want to use me."

    "Please allow me to speak out in private. Soon the closet will be empty."

    As anxious as it was for the girl to be together with Tomoyuki and trust this guy who had brought her to tears, Akiko decided to reach for that thread again. It might work, thought Akiko, who still had a bit of patience left. Without realizing it herself, Akiko was already hoping to get not Ryou, but the status and prestige formed around his personality among many schoolgirls. The girl decided to rely on him.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    As was only natural, the schoolboys finished their business in the checkroom and departed, leaving only the boy and the girl alone, standing by the lockers.

    "First, please clarify one situation. I talked to Glenn-san and he found out about my plans, getting me out in the open. I screwed up."

    "How did that happen!" asked Akiko, not hiding her amazement. "And what were you talking to him for?"

    "Glenn-san has his own plans for all our communication, too," Tomoyuki said grimly, staring forward idly. " Think for yourself, what did he have to bring us closer together by a common invitation to work? He was definitely up to something, but I couldn''t get to the bottom of it."

    "Gotcha..." upset the maiden, crossing her legs. "What are you gonna do now?"

    "To wait," answered the young man. "He and I made a pact."

    "Huh? So you changed his mind?"

    "I don''t know... I didn''t really understand what happened," Tomoyuki touched his hands to his head. "It''s like he didn''t even try to refuse."

    Akiko wondered, but the meaning of his words didn''t reach her head either, She couldn''t understand why Glenn had agreed to the young man''s meanness, but putting her thoughts aside, she became interested in the things that bothered her at that moment.

    "What about Hayashi-kun?"

    "Sato-chan is absolutely contraindicated from being suspended," Tomoyuki replied firmly, with his arms crossed deliberately and against his locker. "Glenn-san won''t allow it. He looked confident then, and his dark-covered eyes... I had a hard time keeping stable."

    "I don''t know what to do. Every day I get more and more disgusted with Yumiko Sato. She won''t let me do anything, even though she won''t move from her seat. It''s pounding!"

    "Be with Hayashi-kun more often," the blue-eyed guyd said. "As often as you can. Drop your plans, turn your back on the doll friends in your entourage - I don''t care. You''re capable of that for your love, aren''t you?"

    The young man''s question took Akiko by surprise. Her wide-open eyes didn''t know what to do, and her hands went numb, as if for her this decision seemed to be a matter between life and death, and she herself had a surge of emotion from within. And then the young man spoke again with a smirk.

    "You love Hayashi-kun, don''t you? My words are your last chance to get your luxury."

    It took Akiko a long time to decide what to answer. She was unsure of herself and her desires. By losing her companionship, she could sink into the abyss of an ordinary life, without status, without any kind of cool, as she understood it, life. Her slightly trembling lips soon opened.

    "I agree."

    Akiko decided to move on as she intended. She put her status on the line.

    Thinking long and hard at home, Akiko lay down on the bed intentionally. In her mind, the girl was trying to figure out if she had made the right move in giving in to Tomoyuki''s dominance, whose plans were unclear to her. She wondered where all the farce around her had started. Akiko didn''t like love couples, because necessarily one of the couples was a traitor, and sooner or later revealed her true mask of hypocrisy. But what struck her most was the fact that there was a couple in her school who pretended to be in public to cover their skins. To her, this seemed like real hypocrisy and insolence beyond normal.

    Akiko wanted to re-educate the handsome boy and make the insolent girl disappear.

    After the third class, Akiko approached Ryou, who was sitting at his desk, about to leave the classroom. She naively asked if he was okay, to which Ryou calmly replied that nothing bad was going on, and he was just tired from work. Frustrated, Akiko added softly that if he was okay, then fine. Ryou gathered his notebooks into his briefcase.

    "Really, I''m nothing to worry about," the young man replied without looking back. The girl sensed an indifference around his person that Ryou did not choose to hide from others. That way, the boy could protect himself from intrusions by strangers.

    She was well aware that Ryou did not see Akiko as his girlfriend that he could be interested in. They seemed to be only acquaintances who simply met at school and chatted during club activities.

    Yumiko, who in the meantime had gathered her notebooks in her purse, was simultaneously looking back at their dialogue, and looking at Akiko''s saddened face as she stood beside Ryou, the girl was convinced that Akiko really loved him.

 Himitsu

    After successfully completing his first job, Ryou fell ill and bothered to lie down at home until he recovered. He was sure he got a cold when he returned home from the hospital in the evening, the day of the accident. He was closely monitored from time to time by his sister and Ryou was forced to swallow pills at her whim. Also, he was occasionally written to by club members in the general chat room they had created and asked about his condition, which made the young man feel warm at heart. Akiko was the most communicative, sharing messages the most often.

    Starting the next week, he returned to his routine, school life. During one school day, the club members noticed a certain change in his communication - the guy began to show his feelings more openly, to which Akiko and Yumiko were most surprised. Through his occasional smile on his face there was a sincere good-naturedness that had not been seen before by his club friends. Tomoyuki, seeing the fact that he had become more sociable and sincere, felt a sense of caution, but could not help but rejoice at the news.

    In fact, Tomoyuki did indeed often see Glenn in or out of the bathroom. For the young man, such an act was a mystery that he wanted to uncover someday. Tomoyuki was interested in Glenn''s personality, for he knew nothing about him to this day. Solving some mystery of the dark-eyed, tall young man''s identity was a priority for Tomoyuki''s plans, which he tells no one.

    A few minutes before meeting Akiko, after the end of the school day, Tomoyuki suddenly called Glenn to the soccer field behind the school and in its grounds. Outside, a sunset was setting in front of the boys, illuminating their humbled faces. As they were near the soccer field, Tomoyuki, who was standing in front, stopped and turned around. There seemed to be a strong rift in their relationship, which is why they had hardly spoken since the early days. In spite of this, he launched into blackmail in his own style.

    "Let me guess," Glenn said, faking a hand to his chin, "You want to talk to me about a particular subject, Tomoyuki-kun?"

    "Exactly."

    "You couldn''t have called me for no reason. We''ve never had a heart-to-heart."

    "I want to change that situation," Tomoyuki replied and turned toward the sun. Feeling the cool breeze falling on his dark hair, the boy sighed deeply. "What a lovely thing... to get some fresh air. Our school is a little farther from the central district, but still... the difference in air purity is felt strongly."

    "There are remarkably fewer poisonous fumes here," Glenn added. "The school is already followed by real mountain nature."

    "Glenn-san, you make a good point. Do you think you''re smarter than Sato-chan at school?"

    "Hmm? At school rates, our scores are the same, but I think that surpassing Yumiko-chan will be able to surpass me without any problem. Who knows, maybe she already has."

    "I''ve heard that you''re at the top of the honors list, and have been holding your spot for a long time. How has Sato-chan not been able to overtake you?"

    "I don''t know," replied the young man, with indifference. "I have no interest at all in who is at what level, in knowledge or discipline-I don''t judge people."

    The blue-eyed feigned admiration. "There he is - the genius of our school!" he said, and turning to Glenn, seemed more serious about the conversation. "They say geniuses have secrets most of all. Are you hiding something from us, Glenn-san?"

    "I wouldn''t say so. I only think it''s less meaningful to you than your present. What do you think?"

    "I feel you''re hiding some oh-so-serious things from us."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "Maybe so," Glenn replied, smiling. "But this is coming from a guy who has skeletons in his closet?" he complemented, and Tomoyuki stammered.

    "What do you mean?" the young man replied, sensing a faceless danger, and noticing how Glenn''s dark eyes widened like a boundless abyss, the young man was not easily alarmed.

    "How are you and Akiko-chan up to something?"

    "I don''t understand anything. We''re not up to anything between each other."

    "Of course not," Glenn added, raising his tone. "You''re not hiding anything. For instance, your last meeting at the running field didn''t happen at all."

    Tomoyuki''s hands trembled and he clenched them into a fist. His shoulders stiffened, he straightened with a wave of his hand, and seemed more confident not to lose his dominance in the conversation.

    "Right, nothing happened," he added, frowning, and then Glenn began pacing slowly toward Tomoyuki, not removing his harmless smile.

    "Of course I believe it. Friends won''t lie to each other, especially when it''s one circle that brings them together."

    "Is it the circle?" exclaimed Tomoyuki anxiously. "It was with the literature circle that you decided to bring our relationship closer together? B-b-but for what? Wh-what are you arranging this for?" disappeared the guy''s confidence as Glenn approached him. Eventually, Glenn overshadowed the young man''s gaze with his tall stature, and Tomoyuki was faced with the shadow of a young man standing just an inch from him.

    Glenn lowered his dark gaze to him. "I don''t understand a word you''re saying," he replied with a grim tone, and the sun came up to illuminate his smile, which made Tomoyuki wrinkle in fear. "You wanted something from me, didn''t you?"

    Barely restrained, Tomoyuki was unable to say a word for a long time. After a short time, straightening up, he contemplated setting aside his fear, at least not showing it on the outside, and stared at the young man with a hard gaze.

    "I need your help."

    Then Glenn closed his eyes and removed the gloom around his person. He had had enough of Tomoyuki''s confident words to stop pestering him with sudden anxiety. Tomoyuki exhaled, relieved of his tension and lowered his shoulders.

    "I see," Glenn said peacefully and retreated a few steps. "Friends I can''t refuse, of course, depending on what their request is. You, I suppose, are looking for something more imposing."

    "I want..." Tomoyuki''s gaze lowered, not expecting it to come to this outcome. He couldn''t have known he would lose the conversation, having no chance of winning at blackmail from even the start. "I want to strengthen my friendship with Hayashi-kun. Hayashi-kun is closed off right now and doesn''t show his sincerity in person - that''s what I wish to correct, at the same time giving Akiko-chan a chance to get close to him. Such is the case that Akiko-chan... thinks of Hayashi-kun, not just as a friend."

    And then Glenn thought deeply about the young man''s statement, and pondered within himself how his situation could be remedied. "I''ll help you," Glenn replied shortly, adopting a peaceful smile.

    "O-okay!" said Tomoyuki, bowing his head sharply. "That''s all I wanted!" he complemented, without raising his gaze. He wondered inwardly if Glenn really believed him, for the real goals could not be known to him because he had never told anyone about them before. He wondered how Glenn had found out about his conversation with Akiko, but most of all he worried about his undisclosed secret to Glenn.

    "Don''t get me wrong," Glenn added meekly and turned to the side. "If you''re pondering self-serving and mercenary things, you''d better get rid of them," he added, and glanced back at the distressed Tomoyuki. "You have so many faces, I''m confused to see the real one. Did you think no one would notice?"

    Tomoyuki was enveloped in shock again. "I-I don''t know what you''re talking about, Glenn-san."

    "Life is short, and I would have spent them on more worthy deeds. Who knows, if you suddenly get a deadly disease, God forbid, no one will help you," Glenn moved toward the exit of the soccer field, making Tomoyuki gulp his saliva with exertion. "And before you know it, you''ll be left with nothing, and your friends won''t notice that your remaining time of mortality is already counting on your fingers. That''s why life is short."

    Glenn walked away. Silently sitting on his knees, Tomoyuki soiled his school pants. He crossed his arms and squeezed his shoulders, contemplating his failure. He was almost exposed. So, the young man learned more about Glenn. About the dark side of Glenn that the guy only showed in extreme situations. For Tomoyuki, it was both a formidable honor and an unwashable shame.

 Papers Dont Lie

    Tomoyuki disliked mercenary and selfish people. In his opinion, such people seemed lying, self-serving, and stupid. Ryou''s spiteful attitude toward society and the negligence by which the boy looked down on his peers led Tomoyuki to think about examining his character in detail. Tomoyuki, in his own words, hated arrogance, and there was plenty of it in Ryou, at least he was convinced of it. Glenn, on the other hand, underestimated Tomoyuki as a person, and this trait of his crushed the guy, which made Tomoyuki feel hatred for the dark-eyed man. Tomoyuki judged them in his own way, and wanted to infiltrate their confidence in order to expose their fears and prove their false bravery.

    Friday came. Ryou, Tomoyuki, Yumiko, and Akiko sat in the club and talked to each other about things, as they always did. Akiko was unaccustomed to being with Tomoyuki, looking at his carefree face, but she decided to pretend that nothing happened between them at all. Masumi and Glenn entered the club together, and after a greeting, the young man made an important announcement.

    "A new job has been found, specially chosen by Masumi-sensei. Ryou-kun and Tomoyuki-kun will speak for the job."

    While Ryou perplexedly wondered why he was chosen again, Tomoyuki, on the other hand, pondered what Glenn intended by his actions. He was unaccustomed to understanding how, days after their conversation, the dark-eyed man had actually infused Tomoyukiwith Ryou, albeit as part of his job.

    "Why don''t we choose our own questionnaire?" complained Ryou slightly grudgingly, to which the teacher, who was sitting rankly on the edge of her desk, looked at him slowly.

    "Because you youngsters don''t understand what you''re capable of," she replied. "You may take a questionnaire that you find difficult to do, and you will be left with nothing, or you may choose a questionnaire that does not match your skills at all. Beware of such outings, Glenn-kun and I decided to choose instead. Any more questions?"

    Yumiko raised her hand. "What is your connection to the social service organization and what involvement do you have in this case?"

    "Indirect. I''m only helping Glenn-kun, for I was previously involved in the organization myself."

    "I see. I was not aware of that, thank you."

    Tomoyuki had not guessed before that the teacher might have had anything to do with the questionnaires, and it was after her statement that he was partially able to figure out the reason why Glenn was up to some sort of trickery. What exactly Glenn was thinking, Tomoyuki could not know, but the young man concluded in his mind that something was definitely amiss between Glenn and Masumi.

    "Why didn''t you make it clear to us earlier?" gasped Ryou, to which Masumi smiled softly.

    "Yeehaw, who would have thought you''d be interested in such a fact? I''m only helping you not to fail a task strictly assigned by the organization, and I''m saving Glenn-kun from unnecessary duties, just like his big sister!"

    "I wouldn''t mind if you were my big sister, Masumi-sempai," Glenn replied gently, with a sense of flirtation in his words.

    Tomoyuki couldn''t get it out of his head that and for what Glenn was up to with an elaborate but unknown plan, but the main thing that pissed the guy off was the fact that he and the others were unhesitatingly following his plan.

    "By the way," Masumi complemented, putting her index finger to her lip, "you''ll be taking the questionnaires on Friday specifically, so you''ll be comfortable combining work with school."

    "But under what pretext are you choosing the questionnaires?" asked Tomoyuki reproachfully, not at all surprising the teacher.

    The teacher thought Glenn was right about Tomoyuki''s judiciousness and willingness to get to the bottom of a truth he himself had invented, but was sure the young man could not beat Glenn''s conscientiousness. Masumi was aware of the dark-eyed, tall young man''s affairs.

    "Connections!" she said optimistically, shutting down the whole general topic at the same time. Following, Glenn

    Presented Ryou and Tomoyuki with a piece that spelled out the details of the job, and the boys signed off on the participation.

    -

    "Daisuke Social Services Organization."

    Name of requestor - Saori Kobayashi

    Questionnaire type - Physical

    Type of Service - SocialIf you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Taken up - Hayashi Ryou, Tomoyuki Yamashita.

    The boys decided to get to work instantly, after the school day was over. The two assembled at the gate, Ryou, following the documentation, called the person who had thrown the form request. There was a long silence, but the boys decided to wait, and soon the call was answered.

    "Hello? Is that you, Saori Kobayashi?"

    "Of course," sounded a bassy and characterless male voice. "A phone number written on paper is never wrong. People have a characteristic of checking their writing carefully, don''t they?"

    "I see... Can we meet somewhere?"

    "Come to Ueno Park. I''ll meet you by the middle field where there are lots of benches."

    The call went out and the guys were given a clear-cut order for them to follow. The only thing the guys didn''t understand was what was required of them. The type of service was spelled out as "social," but the meaning of that word within the job was unclear to Ryou. Asking Tomoyuki if he guessed what kind of care the guys were specifically asked for, Ryou received a negative answer.

    The public park was in the central district, which was a long way from the school, but the boys had nothing to lose. As they strolled through the large park in the evening, they admired the blossoming sakura trees that were snugly planted along the sides of the path, and the path itself was lit by lanterns placed at the corners. The number of trees mesmerized Ryou''s mind, and the consistency of the light pink of the sakura trees enveloped the entire park. Walking across the pond with shining lotuses and boats laden with couples in love, Ryou wondered how beautiful this park would have looked if they had walked through it in the light of day. There were waterfowl nestling on the pond, and beyond the pond area was a bridge to the southern part of the park, where all sorts of museums and historical exhibits reigned. The boys, on the other hand, had to walk toward the high ground.

    Finally, as they reached the rendezvous point, the schoolboys noticed a pile of campers set in the corners of the rounded path, where not a single soul was present except one man sitting on a distant bench. Slowly approaching with each step, Ryou noticed the features of the man''s face, hair, and clothing illuminated by the lantern next to the bench. He had blond, two-way hair that reached to his temples, and the features of his pale face and brown eyes indicated the man''s maturity. You could tell he was forty years old by the look on his face and the stately look in his eyes.

    The boys stood about two meters away from him, and the man slowly threw a cold stare at them. Adjusting his round, thin-rimmed glasses, his erect lips moved.

    "I didn''t expect to get schoolchildren sent to me this time," issued the wizened man in a low tone of voice. Taking a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his light-colored coat, he took one out and solidly lit it with the iron lighter on his other hand. Exhaling, he continued at a slow pace, "What motivated you to work in this line of work?"

    "Money is never superfluous," the young man answered him. "My name is Hayashi Ryou, and the guy on the right is Yamashita Tomoyuki," and bowing their heads, the boys looked down respectfully.

    From the corner of his eye, the man looked at them and took another drag.

    "And you, then, are Saori Kobayashi?" moderately complemented Ryou.

    "Papers don''t lie," Saori replied, and glanced toward the path from which the young men had come. "Papers hold truth and secrets. For centuries, and no one can disprove them."

    "Quite right," Ryou added, and looked up. Tomoyuki had mixed impressions of Saori Kobayashi. The personality seemed too detached for the young man, and he couldn''t help but notice the cold style of his communication, as if the man was basically indifferent to the boys'' arrival.

    "Have you had a chance to walk through the park yet?" asked Saori. "The nature of the park is fascinating with the thorny alleys and general tranquility. Especially in the evening, when there are no people around. In the daytime, however, the park takes on a completely different charisma, the charisma of a golden spring, smelling of teenage love. It''s like Yin Yang."

    "You''re right," Ryou replied. "It''s my first time here, but I''ve had time to take in the charm of the place. Obviously, you like to stroll around this place... but dare I ask you a question."

    "Is this about work?" gasped Saori, changing his gaze to the alley. "Let''s skip the sultry Tokyo work days. Enjoy what springtime Ueno Park provides with its thousand sakura trees."

    Rising from the bench, he extinguished his cigarette against a trashcan and headed toward the rose alley, whose path was scattered with sakura leaves and illuminated by lanterns. The young men followed Saori leisurely. There were trees planted on either side of the alley and a cool breeze was blowing that weathered the petals on the trees. The tranquility of the alley made Ryou think of Kyoto, how he and his old friends used to stroll all day long through natural gardens like this.

    "I was often carried here before," Saori declared, walking to the front. "I remember when I moved from the gnarly Osaka, then I met the real life. First impressions are always brighter."

    "Such tranquility as this park sometimes lacks in everyday life," Ryou agreed, to which the man snickered. Saori Kobayashi''s stony gaze hadn''t changed since meeting the boys.

    "What do you want, peace of mind in your life? You must be tired of the youthful routine, huh?"

    "Maybe so, I haven''t figured myself out thoroughly myself," Ryou replied meekly, and Tomoyuki stared at him.

    Saori mooed again. The alley ended, and the path led further away along the lotus pond. Pressing his hands against the fence behind which the pond was, Saori sighed wearily. The breeze fell directly on his blond hair. Unbuttoning the collar of his white shirt, he lifted his cold eyes. Before him in all its majesty was the open evening sky, with stars shining, and a white airplane flying.

    Turning his head toward the young men waiting silently for the man, Saori Kobayashi pursed his lips again.

    "I think it''s time to talk about work."

 Question

    "You mean you need help with your personal life problems?"

    "Who knows," Saori replied, leaning his back against the fence. "Personal problems don''t interest me. I have given my life to one goal, but I have no regrets. I just want to find the answer to one question. Do you think you can answer it?"

    "What exactly is the question that bothers you?" asked Ryou, interested.

    "It''s a question I''ve been asking myself since I was a child. No one has been able to answer it, and that is why you are here beside me to answer it for me," Saori lifted his head, enjoying the cool air that ventilated an entire area of the park. The trees rustled and the petals lying on the ground flew in the direction of the wind. "If I don''t like your answer, you may consider yourself a failure. How do you want to resolve your situation?"

    With his words, the man put the boys in an awkward position. Not only did they not know what they were dealing with, but the questionnaire was very strange, unlike any other. After thinking about it, the guys nodded at each other and agreed.

    "You want to know my problem, then. And I wouldn''t mind listening to the wind blowing further. In peace. But what can you do - work is work."

    "First of all, what is your question of nature, and does it have anything to do with your life?"

    "It does, indeed. I wouldn''t ask it any other way. To put it more accurately, it is more of a riddle than a question."

    Tomoyuki misunderstood what Saori Kobayashi was talking about, and inadvertently considered the man a bum in his head. It could not have been otherwise, he thought, for Saori''s manner of speaking was cool.

    "There is a human essence in your work. You know what that is? The essence of helping people and getting paid directly for it. No wonder your type of work still exists, because people always have something to talk about and problems to solve."

    "I assume by that you mean that our work is good for the state and for society as a whole?"

    "You are literally purgators, haven''t you noticed that yourself? You cleanse people of their sins and help them in difficult situations. Whoever asks for help, you help."

    "I can also make an analogy with warriors. As the task of the keeper is similar to that of the warriors to protect the people from calamity, we, on the one hand, do these same things, as do the police and the whole auxiliary health care field."

    "Hmm. On the other hand, you keepers don''t give lives to the people in return, like the same warriors or police officers. Undoubtedly, you are here to provide social assistance to those in need, but you lose nothing if you are defeated."

    Ryou fell silent.

    "Our conversation has reached an impasse. We can only be content that your work provides you with a fail-safe number of pluses and no minuses, but you also help people. Let''s stop there."

    "Are you interested in such Organizations performing social assistance?" asked blue-eyed guy moderately, entering the dialogue from the parish for the first time.

    "Absolutely, yes. I believe it will be such areas of activity that will build the future. I''m exaggerating, but the common people really do need Social Assistance Organizations."

    There was a brief pause. Clapping his hands loudly, Saori Kobayashi turned the schoolchildren''s gaze to himself, and with a cough, he continued the conversation.

    "I''ve always been interested in human nature. As I learned more and more about the world at large, I developed the necessary process for later life - maturation and development. Nowadays, in gratitude to my age, I don''t have much to do."

    "I understand you. Adults often face this stage of life."

    "And I thought again: what other things can the human soul be capable of? Nowadays, all people do is sit through their time working or getting an education. This is not bad, because this way they can develop and earn a living. However, there is a layer of people who do not live, but survive. Surviving on leftovers from their paychecks, they stagnate, limiting their livelihood."

    "Therein lies the human nature of our time."

    "I couldn''t agree more. There is a second layer of society, aka the middle class. Such people can provide themselves with subsistence opportunities, but they also suffer from stagnation, because when the money runs out, they have nothing else to do."

    "Most people around the world are middle class."Stolen novel; please report.

    "The third layer is the rich. I won''t explain, it''s all over their face - they love money and can take for themselves what the previous two layers can''t. However, there are rich people who don''t care about flying somewhere to another country and expanding their outlook, and there are rich people who don''t have free time at all. Do you know what ties all the people who don''t have proper free time for their personal deeds together?"

    "They lag behind those who have plenty of time for such deeds," Tomoyuki replied, confident in his assertion. Ryou looked back at the young man.

    "That''s right. These people don''t find time for self-development, because they''ve been doing only one thing for decades. They work, being rewarded for that work in the form of money, and the same money they spend to cover bills and food. The rest of the money they save for a rainy day or save to get new jewelry."

    "So what''s the point? Isn''t that how people can develop their country at the same time?"

    "Imagine now a man who can find extra time for absolutely any act. What kind of person can you imagine with your own powers?"

    "I think I can imagine two people: the self-developing one who doesn''t care to do himself or people a favor, and the degenerate one who irresponsibly spends his time and money on meaningless deeds," Ryou said after a short thought.

    "Case in point. We''ll discard the second kind of person, because such people are mostly in our society and are nothing interesting, aren''t they?"

    Ryou agreed with the man''s conclusion. "That leaves us with the type of person we are interested in, Kobayashi-san."

    "The kind of person who doesn''t care about reading a cool book or, at most, helping a homeless person in any way that isn''t morally out of line. Such people are seen as the future of the world. Can you perceive that such a person has actually seen more than ordinary people?"

    "Of course, because they wasted no time. Communicated with the right people and experienced more than just negative emotions throughout their lives."

    "Say, it''s easier to communicate with people like that, because they can always find a topic to talk about and a story to share."

    "What exactly is it about people like that that interests you?" asked Ryou, to which the man coughed and turned around.

    "Let''s walk for a while," the man said, stepping toward the path. The boys followed him. "And here''s the thing: when such a man has seen every possible thing in his life because of his free time, he begins to see human life from a different angle."

    "And what might this man have been doing, say, in life?"

    "Obviously, he was looking for himself in self-development and helping people. So, he was able to succeed in broadening his horizons. Suppose this person''s character was not different from other people, and the person himself was a commoner. So, he got to a state where he saw everything possible in life--the good and the bad, the honest and the evil."

    "You ask how different he could be from commoners?"

    "Exactly."

    "Then I think he was, at his peak, a kind of monk-prophet to people."

    "Do you think if you, Hayashi-kun, saw the absolute full range of human emotions in your life, would your consciousness change for the better or for the worse? Maybe you''d become a human helper, or maybe a serial killer."

    "I think if I were one, I''d be overwhelmed with neutrality about things."

    "I''m sure of that, too," Tomoyuki joined in. "If a man in his lifetime has learned of all the misdeeds and injustices in general committed by men, he would not want to help at all."

    "I agree with your reasoning. Our opinions are unanimous. Suppose a good man has met injustice and then justice with his own eyes in a short time. The fact is, it is injustice that will be remembered more in his life."

    "Why do you think so?"

    "By weighing negative experiences and positive experiences. Negative experiences outweigh positive experiences with their bitter aftertaste, making positive experiences less important than negative ones. Suppose you have made a mistake and paid for something important to you. You will try with all your might not to make that mistake again. But when you do a good thing, clearly it will be less remembered, and you may soon change your mind."

    "I think I get your point."

    "And here''s the bottom line: the person we mean, who has had any of the possible human experiences in his life, what will he end up being? Will he help people, or will he be left alone with a ton of weight in his thoughts?"

    Guys couldn''t give an answer to his question.

    "It doesn''t matter at all which path he chooses: the path of reason or loneliness, because that''s not what we''re talking about here. I am more interested in the other..." declared the man, and fell silent as he looked at the glowing pond that reflected the evening light sky. Taking a cigarette out of the pack, he set about lighting it.

    "What on earth are you wondering...?" asked Ryou gently, and the man exhaled the smoke that had gathered in his lungs as he took a puff, and lifted his gaze to the young man.

    "This man knows all the secrets of the land and has had all the experience, which is why the people call him great. Yet he does not care one gram for his greatness. I am sure that such a man can forget not only his own name, but be lost in all his selves. What would you call such a person who has seen everything in this mortal world? A man who has seen all human emotions and their essences, and is a jack of all trades because of his knowledge of all and everything?"

    Saori pointed his finger sharply at the two boys. Ryou was troubled by his prank, for he was already in a tight spot himself. Tomoyuki, however, continued his thinking in order to please both Saori Kobayashi and Ryou with his answer, which would allow him to have a closer relationship with Ryou in the future. Tomoyuki''s goals were self-serving, and he could not easily pass up his chance. After pondering his answer, he decided to respond with a direct and harsh statement to the face of Saori Kobayashi, who patiently awaited the young man''s opinion.

 Shitsumei

    Tomoyuki had the courage to make his point. Spreading his shoulders, he spoke in a neat selection of thoughts toward Saori Kobayashi.

    "The kind of man we are talking about does not exist. For when a man has had personal experience of everything in his life and has seen all the bad and the good, he stops doing anything. He ceases to believe in human righteousness and within himself will begin to condemn human life. Such a person becomes characterless and withdrawn. Such a person''s thinking changes radically, and he no longer seems human."

    "Okay, but what would you call such a person?"

    "I would call him a beast," the young man stated confidently, "For beasts are foreign to any instincts of morality, and such personalities no longer have anything human-like in common. These monsters can massacre humans without a thought, just as they can massacre the mindless beasts of the wild. My answer is monster."

    Tomoyuki thought he would make a vivid impression on Ryou with his statement, and he would be drawn to him. He wanted to do this not because he wanted to be friends with the young man sincerely, but for revenge.

    Ryou was surprised by Tomoyuki''s answer and closed in, thinking that the young man''s answer was correct from one point of view. Tomoyuki, on the other hand, saw in his words the rightness that revealed his inner world.

    The man hummed. "A worthy answer, I should think it over before I conclude. And you, Hayashi-kun, what do you think? What''s your opinion on the matter?"

    Ryou lowered his eyes uncertainly, and tried to think of an answer. The young man''s hands clenched into fists, for he doubted himself. The boy thought that if his answer didn''t please the man, they would fail the job, so he worried.

    "I don''t know how to answer..."

    "Hayashi-kun," Tomoyuki called out to him, concerned about the young man''s condition, "Don''t worry."

    "I see," the man replied, and after finishing his cigarette, he tossed it into the trash. "Have you ever committed an illegal act?"

    Tomoyuki shook his head in a moment, and Ryou, hearing the question, hesitated to answer.

    "What by illegal things do you mean?" asked Ryou.

    "For example, losing one''s virginity before the age allowed between people."

    "In that case, yes," the young man replied, to which Tomoyuki stared at him. It was news to him that Ryou had lost his virginity at an early age.

    "I see. The same thing happened to me. They say that when one finds one''s life partner, one''s life begins to take on other colors and one begins to perceive more of the meaning of one''s life. Hmm, what''s not to go for, to gain knowledge."

    "You don''t know the meaning of your existence?"

    "Even when there was love and responsibility in my life, I didn''t feel I had a desire to live for anything in particular. At that time, I began to ponder more important things in human life."

    "Kobayashi-san!" exclaimed Ryou. "You don''t have to search for the meaning of life by having sex... Have you tried answering your question with other activities?"

    "Not otherwise. I''ve tried, all sorts of things," turning to face the pond, the man fell silent. "Well, we''ll continue our conversation another time. That''s enough for today, you can go home."

    The young men had no idea that their conversation would end there, but they also decided to put the work away, announcing that they would be sure to help Saori Kobayashi with his difficulty. Ryou had many questions about the man''s identity, and he wanted to talk to him longer. Saori, on the other hand, gave his word that he would find better time to talk next time. Tomoyuki was unhappy with the man and thought he was stupid within himself. In Tomoyuki''s opinion, thinking about the meaning of life was stupid.

    After saying goodbye to the man, the boys walked down the same street.

    "Don''t take his words to heart," consoled a disgruntled Tomoyuki. "He''s a strange man to dare to think about such things in his forties. I hate people who mind their own business!"

    "Yeah, but..." replied Ryou, lowering his gaze. "I didn''t know that the keeper''s job included such activities. It''s not like we''re psychologists."

    "He''s crazy! Talking nonsense to schoolchildren, that''s a real old man."

    When they reached the crossroads, the boys went their separate ways. Ryou also wondered about the mystery of Saori Kobayashi. Tomoyuki did not understand why Glenn and his teacher had decided to choose this particular questionnaire for the young men. Not wanting to guess, he took his phone out of his pocket and called Glenn.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "Hello?" answered the dark-eyed young man, sitting on the couch in his room at the time, staring at the electric fireplace on the screen.

    "What are you getting at?" asked Tomoyuki bluntly in a disgruntled voice. "You promised you''d help me make friends with Hayashi-kun."

    "And you thought it was easy for people to achieve goals?" said Glenn with a satisfied look, squeezing the phone with his ears and shoulders. "Don''t underestimate Ryou-kun''s capabilities. And what''s the point of picking easy questionnaires if you end up on a boring note?"

    "Bastard... You really don''t know what you''re dealing with."

    "You don''t know who Ryou-kun is. I don''t know what you''re up to, but I''m not going to let you hurt anyone."

    "I have enough of my own opinions to decide what to do. Your motives are unclear, they are illogical."

    "Well, Tomoyuki-kun, you can always trust me."

    "Hell no!" exclaimed Tomoyuki angrily. "I''ll get along with Hayashi-kun without your silly jokes."

    "Getting Ryou-kun''s trust isn''t easy, you know. This guy is between two flames right now. Do the questionnaire - make a friend. How is that not help?" Glenn grinned, with a cheerful tone.

    Tomoyuki hastily ended the call. The conversation with the young man had gotten on his nerves, and he judged Glenn internally for another minute.

    "Turn in the questionnaire - I''ll get along with Ryou," Tomoyuki muttered quietly. "But also his personality will change, and he will become more open, which means he will stop being a hypocrite. If we fail the questionnaire, the same thing will happen, only in the opposite progression for Ryou''s stupid psyche, and the result will be the same. Either way, Ryou will walk away with heavy psychological pressure. Damn... I won''t let him know the easy pain for his hypocrisy!

    At night, Ryou couldn''t sleep because of what he thought about Saori''s words. He got out of bed, took a sheet with him, and sat down in the kitchen, by a window the size of an entire wall. Huddled up, the boy wrapped himself in a blanket and stared silently at the night sky, enthroned by millions of bright stars. The sky was covered in a dark, calm color. Pointing his hand toward one of the glowing stars, Ryou felt as if he wanted to be drawn to the sky, where he would be much more carefree.

    "What would I call a man who knows all human cares and colors? A god? A hero? A villain?"

    The next Saturday afternoon, Ryou decided to seek the opinions of others. He texted Yumiko and asked her how she would respond. It didn''t take long for a reply message from the girl to arrive. Following tradition, Yumiko greeted first in a respectful way, which made the guy not understand why you should even greet people if you see them every school day.

    "Sage."

    Yumiko in her own style, Ryou thought, but he couldn''t disagree with the girl''s opinion. It was strange to him that there could be oodles of correct answers, and at one point Ryou wondered if the riddle had a correct answer at all. Casting his thoughts aside, the young man followed up by asking Glenn about the riddle.

    "No one."

    Once again, Ryou could not argue with his friend''s answer. Glenn''s opinion he could understand, for to some extent a man who knows everything becomes a blank in a creature''s body. Especially if such a person becomes frustrated with existence and stops doing anything in life.

    At last the boy decided to get an opinion from Akiko, and surprisingly for him the answer from the girl came in seconds.

    "Monster."

    Realizing that asking people''s opinions was pointless, particularly because all the answers were correct, Ryou lied down on the couch and pondered his personal answer.

    Soon he received a call from Masumi asking how the questionnaire was going, to which Ryou briefly managed to lay out the situation that had occurred.

    "I see," the teacher replied kindly. "That''s what circumstances are like for a social aid worker. Sometimes you get all kinds of weirdos. You don''t get mad at them, that''s your job."

    "I... I think I''m gonna get along with him."

    "That''s right."

    "By the way, about the riddle... Purely skeptical, how would you answer him?"

    Before answering briefly, Masumi paused. On the other side of the tube, she painted her charmingly wide lips with red lipstick.

    "A man."

    Two young men, at Saori Kobayashi''s invitation, came to his house in broad of daylight. The house was in one of the outermost lands near the central district and was located in a quiet and comfortable street. The two-story apartment building was a dozen single-room houses of the same type, in which the tenants lived separately. The building was similar to a dormitory, but it was not.

    Entering the humble Kobayashi house, the man silently introduced the young men inside. The quiet place, where life seemed to stand still, instantly made Ryou shudder, for this was the first time he had felt this kind of aloofness.

    "Have a seat," Kobayashi said in his low and expressionless voice, whereupon the young men sat kneeling on the floor near the middle low table. Saori served his guests coffee, brewing it from the coffee machine, and poured himself one cup as well. "From birth I couldn''t hurt a single creature, not even a cockroach. I was a fool."

    The man sat down with the boys near the table and set a cup of coffee on it. The young men waited with a hard stare for Saori to continue.

    "I was afraid of hurting someone''s soul, and I thought my worldview was right until I killed a man with my own hands."

    The young men froze in shock at what the man said. Looking up at the boys, Saori Kobayashi darkened. It seemed to them that this story had changed the man''s life forever and turned him in a very different, despicable direction. The man''s eyes darkened.

    "I killed a man without a shred of regret."

 Kobayashi

    "Once when I was young, a mob tried to hurt me," Saori declared, staring at the guys. "While defending myself against a knife, I accidentally killed the madman who attacked me."

    "But why were you attacked?"

    "People like that have their own standards of truth, and they despise those whose opinions are not the same as theirs," the man replied, following up with a sip of hot, black coffee. "I was locked up for a few years. Then I realized how naive I had been in my time, when I tried not to offend the world around me and to represent justice to the best of my ability. Turns out, the world around me was hurting people every moment."

    "The way the bullies have acted is sheer injustice."

    "People in particular attack their own, in packs, in cold blood. The innocent take all the blows, while the unjust live quietly and peacefully. But most of all I am astonished at the fools who think themselves just, there is self-interest in them."

    "I don''t understand why people attack people?" asked Ryou contemptuously. "What do they need it for, to comfort their crazy desires?"

    Tomoyuki fell silent.

    "It''s pointless to re-educate people. Only time, and nothing else, can reeducate a man. With time, a person gains life experiences, no matter what those experiences may be. Through negative experiences, the structure of perception in a person''s psyche changes, because they go through trials and errors. Such experiences can easily bring down a person''s typical stance on life."

    "People learn from mistakes..."

    "When a person is caught up in a situation that has a positive outcome, he gets spiritual peace and an incentive to move on. The main difference between the two experiences, however, is that with a negative experience a person can turn to a bad road, and with a positive one a right road, in the typical sense of the word for people."

    With his light-hearted words, Saori smashed to smithereens Tomoyuki''s life position, at this time comforting himself from within with objections to every opinion expressed by the man. Tomoyuki was disgusted to listen to Saori, for his opinion was quite different. Who did he think he was, the young man thought, lowering his head in panic. Saori stealthily turned his attention to the trembling Tomoyuki.

    Ryou, on the other hand, was in deep thought. Removing his gaze from the estranged young man, Saori continued.

    "Have you tried to hurt the man so that the action is conscious?"

    "I''m not sure I''ve tried, but..." added Ryou, stroking his chin, "I was bullied by boys in my early childhood. Maybe I thought to hurt them then, but the spirit didn''t allow it at all," he added, and smiled warmly, as if remembering a joyful fragment from life. "In such moments, my sister always saved me, and I wondered at her strength. So I''m not sure I''ve ever tried to hurt a person."

    Saori hummed thoughtfully.

    "I wasn''t trying to hurt..." replied Tomoyuki suppressedly, lowering his eyes.

    "I see. So you two aren''t sure. The important thing is that you accept yourselves as you are. Don''t think of yourselves as fair people if you really aren''t. You will only appear pathetic."

    Tomoyuki inwardly wished Saori would shut up. With each statement the man made, he grew worse and worse. He could feel the pressure through Saori''s dark and unreflective brown eyes.

    "I''m not telling you what to do," Saori added, not taking his eyes off Tomoyuki. "The important thing is not to regret what you''ve done one day," he added, and after drinking a full sip of his coffee, he declared, "Damn, it''s strong."

    From Ryou''s flustered face, the man seemed to think that the young man wanted to ask him something. Truly, Ryou could not break the man''s silence.

    "Ask," Saori declared, giving the word to Ryou.

    "About the riddle... May I hear your opinion on Tomoyuki-kun''s answer?"

    "Of course, that''s what I was leading you to," the man said, and looked back at Tomoyuki. "In your opinion, if a man ceases to feel anything, the forces of good and evil are of no use to him. In the end, he will be alien to human laws and man will become a beast that ruins the human race. Right?"

    "Yes," blue-eyed said quietly. "Such personalities will have a negative effect on humans."

    "You took the idea that negative experiences have a greater impact on humans. With a psyche like that, a person will do more bad things than he will notice the good things."

    "Exactly... He will lose the importance of morality in society by learning how much the negative in the human world outweighs the positive. The negative outweighs the outgoing positive."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Only, the problem is that the bad will also cease to be noticed, for there is no more good or bad for him."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Such a person''s decisions are neither rational nor emotional. He ceases to have feelings from consequences and decisions. Eventually, such a person ceases to do anything, for he sees no point in carrying out any duty or action, even his own."

    "Why?" misunderstood Tomoyuki. "He would be an enemy to the people, after all!"

    "Why should he become an enemy to men if he has no interest in human relations? Such a man would simply shut down, for his point of view is collapsed by the facts presented from people committing atrocities. I don''t like your approach of thought to our mystery."

    Ryou looked worriedly at Tomoyuki. "Yamashita-kun..."

    "Sorry, Hayashi-kun... I thought I could handle the answer..." said Tomoyuki, turning his head away.

    "However, your answer was right for you," Saori complemented, tiredly. "I understand, such a man can begin to do bad things, for he no longer believes in the future of humanity. Most likely, you have a fear of such a situation, and you chose to name such an answer."

    Ryou lowered his eyes in thought, for it was his turn. Saori turns his gaze to Ryou, and takes a light sip of coffee.

    "Now, what is your answer?"

    Ryou seemed dejected, but after a few seconds bluntly replied that he didn''t know the answer yet. There was silence in the room and Saori put his chin to his palm.

    "Every action has a certain consequence," the man replied. "Do you think that if I had seen absolutely nothing wrong in the past, I would still be a good person? Only the past, with which one can no longer come into contact, knows the exact answer," Saori glanced at his glass of coffee and felt the glass grow cold. "Do you consider yourself a good person?"

    "It makes no difference," replied Tomoyuki instantly, "whether a person''s actions are good or bad-if that person is confident that his decisions are right, he will not care about others'' opinions about whether he is good or bad. He will only follow through."

    "I see."

    Ryou, on the other hand, was stumped. He didn''t understand how the situation he faced with Tomoyuki had to be resolved, but he soon remembered Masumi''s words about the young men finding common ground with Saori Kobayashi. Overwhelmed, Ryou took a deep breath.

    "Kobayashi-san, tell us about your past! Maybe that''s how we''ll know the solution to your question."

    Saori was slightly surprised by the young man''s confidence, and looking at his serious face, the man realized that Ryou was indeed interested. Silently taking a sip, the man looked at the contents of the glass.

    "It''s cold."

    Self-development is achieved as much by personal experience as by the experience of others.

    At home, Ryou couldn''t believe he didn''t know how to answer the riddle. The young man didn''t understand why the others bothered to find a quick answer, and he came to think that he was useless and stupid. He scoured the Internet for subjective opinions, but found no satisfactory answer. Opinions on various Web sites kept talking about reading books. Ryou had never read a work of fiction in his life, and he thought that this circumstance was the reason for his meager erudition.

    As a result, the young man decided to ask his sister. Ryou couldn''t spend his life hiding behind her expecting to be protected, and so he only wanted advice from her as an adult. Megumi was in the apartment at this time, looking out at the bitter, sunny sunset on the balcony with a carefree gaze. Megumi was smoking a mint-scented cigarette, and when her younger brother walked into the ventilated balcony, he didn''t smell the disgusting smell of regular cigarettes in his opinion.

    "Sister," Ryou called out, leaning against the window. "Do you like sunsets?

    "Sunsets are romantic and soothing. I''d love to get married in that atmosphere."

    "Not at all. I won''t let you marry anyone but me, sister."

    Sister was amused by Ryou''s stern reply, and she placed the burning cigarette on the ashtray. Slowly turning to her younger brother, she looked at him with a warm smile.

    "When my inner world is troubled," Megumi added, closing her eyes, "I look at the beauties of nature. The sunset, the sunrise, the night sky, the lights of Tokyo, they all give me hope to keep taking responsibility in my work."

    "What are you trying so hard for, sister?" asked the younger brother, whose outlook on life differed slightly from his sister''s. In response, Megumi pointed her finger sharply at her younger brother''s face and closed one eye.

    "Happy faces," Megumi said, and touched his gentle hands against the boy''s cheeks and widened his smile. "Come on, smile. It makes me uncomfortable when my little brother looks frowny."

    "Ha ha, get off!"

    Soon the playfulness among the in-laws ended on a good note and the balcony was once again covered in silence. Ryou poked his head out the window in a desire to enjoy the warm breeze. His medium-length hair curled and twirled.

    "I want to know the essence of life, sister."

    "I see," Megumi replied meekly, looking at the sun falling from the horizon with her arms crossed. "What advice do you want to hear?"

    "I need to... broaden my horizons."

    "In this case, find yourself. The answer you seek lies within you."

    Ryou gazed deeply into the distance.

    "Be more confident, Ryou-kun."

    "Yes... you''re right," Ryou replied importantly, taking his sister''s advice. His gaze seemed sterner, and his dark-bluish eyes betrayed his increased confidence. "I must decide for myself."

    For this is my burden, the young man thought.

 Keepers

    Ryou''s consciousness was in a dark realm. Thus, he pondered things known to him and his thoughts.

    "All the time I was in the same cycle," Ryou told himself tiredly. "Everyone helped me: Sister, friends, family. There was nothing I did of my own volition. I always demanded help."

    As he exhaled lightly, he heard the gurgle of water. Falling deep beneath the dark water, Ryou hesitated to open his eyes.

    "This cycle didn''t end... until I got my first form."

    Remembering his grandmother''s happy face, Ryou felt warm. The young man, embedded deep in his thoughts, became aware of joy in things he was previously unaware of.

    "Mei-san... you were grateful for my coming to the hospital. Had I done something useful? And the responsibility..."

    As he followed, Ryou opened his eyes and noticed the faces of the members of the club to which he himself belonged. He was in the club''s office with them. Each of these faces was minding their own business, and their faces shone with warmth.

    "You were trying to help me, too, and I wasn''t even paying attention..." said Ryou , and pointed his hand as if wanting to reach out to the boys. "Forgive me, I understand everything now," he added, and once again found himself deep underwater, where there was pitch blackness. "I''m changing. Tokyo has sheltered me? Has it given me a chance to be what I want to be...?"

    The space around him disappeared, and what was left was a solid dark, boundless light. Ryou''s tone became bolder, and no longer did the boy want to feel insecure about his goals. He decided to take full responsibility. Soon only his pumped-up teenage body began to glow with white light, illuminating the view around his visibility.

    "Glenn-kun, Akiko-chan, Tomoyuki-kun, Yumiko-chan, you were all confident from the beginning. I alone looked like a fool for moving aimlessly in one circle. But I can''t stop now."

    Ryou, who was lying down, opened his eyes abruptly, and getting out of bed began, at a brisk pace, to dress in his outdoor spring clothes.

    "I must do as I am!"

    Buttoning up his dark shirt, the boy put on his beige plaid jeans. He moved in a steady step toward the exit of the apartment.

    "Ryou-kun," Megumi called softly, but the guy didn''t turn around, "What''s the rush?"

    "Going to settle the matter," the brother replied, in a firm voice.

    Following through the apartment rumbled the sound of the door closing, which broke the silence. Megumi had no intention of stopping her younger brother, only to make sure he began to change for the better.

    "Good luck."

    By this time, it was evening time. In his haste, Ryou ran to the city park, where he made an appointment to meet a man. Running down the street, Tomoyuki met him near the entrance.

    "And why are we meeting Kobayashi-san twice in one day?" asked Tomoyuki, panting from the long run. "We can leave it for next time, can''t we?"

    "I''ll get it over with now," replied Ryou, not looking back, and continued walking down the path in the park where Saori Kobayashi was looking. "I''ll answer his riddle now."

    "Ryou-kun..."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The public walking park was nothing special. Ryou''s choice of this particular park was that the site was midway between the three people. Eventually, the young men met a man sitting on one of the benches. He examined Ryou''s confident visage with a quiet, casual look, and then realized exactly what the young man had called him for.

    "So, what is your answer to my question?"

    "I realized that I could never answer that question without confidence in myself," Ryou stated. "Being in contemplation, I was always caught in a dead end of thoughts. I wonder what I was thinking, for a man who can''t even answer his own questions wanted to help another."

    "Hmm," stroked the man''s stubby, blond chin, "I guess you''ve had a hard time."

    "Certainly hard. But I couldn''t back down."

    Tomoyuki only looked wary at the grim faces of both men.

    "The answer to the question is different for each person and there is no right answer. The answer sits within the man himself and his view of life''s situations."

    "That''s true, so what is it?"

    "What would I call a man who knows everything in this world?" clenched Ryou''s hands into a fist and squared his shoulders. "My answer is man!"

    Saori Kobayashi slowly widened his eyes as he heard the answer once familiar to him. Ryou''s gloomy eyes covered his hair, which the young man had not thought of in his situation. He decided to continue.

    "You said that as a child you were afraid to hurt even a tiny creature. That''s because you were kind and laid their way to live on with their lives. No one deserves to die. Including the man who has known all life we''ve been talking about all this time."

    Ryou was suddenly silent and took a tiny pause to take a big breath and state his opinion, to the crust. He clenched his fists even harder that it felt as if his fingers could drill through his palm.

    "Life may seem unfair, but man''s influence on the world is not measured by any laws! Our ancestors labored to achieve a carefree world, and here we are! How is this not human goodness? It is inherent in everyone and will not disappear, for man continues to exist because of this kindness," Ryou exclaimed with each passing moment, and soon lowered his eyes to the floor. "Even parents... People should be grateful to be born! They exist, here and now! Isn''t that a joy? And if the man we''ve been thinking about all the time and building riddles around his person forgets to thank his family, then I''ll be sure to come to him. I will come to him...and declare that he should treasure every second of his life again, for his family is waiting for him at home!"

    Ryou put his right fist right up to his heart and lifted his eyes. He was glad that he could open up and spout his opinions toward Saori Kobayashi. Ryou began to look at Saori Kobayashi in a completely different way after talking to the man in his house. To him, the man was no longer a strange uncle, resentful of the view of the world at large.

    "My sister has always been my support. She used to tell me how, since I was a child, I used to watch the same sunset. I didn''t see the point in it, for all sunsets looked the same, but when I remembered one important thing from my childhood, an unbridled feeling arose within me. I realized that she treasured every second of her life, for the sake of the people close to her. Everyone has their loved ones, and if a person loses their humanity, the feelings hidden inside them, even if they are dark, will remain! They can be released! That is why I will call such a person a human being. If I meet such a person who has turned away from the right path, I will advise him to turn around. If that person does not heed, then I will do whatever it takes to save him!"

    Ryou clung to life and sought answers to his questions. The sense of liberation and overwhelming responsibility for the things he had done, awakened within him, made him feel like a much more confident individual. Looking at him, Saori could not take his eyes off him, and Tomoyuki became alarmed.

    "So... Kobayashi-san," Ryou complemented, slightly subsiding his ardor, and unexpectedly for Saori Kobayashi the young man bowed to him standing up. "Thank you for helping us all this time and pointing us in the right direction out of the kindness of your heart! Through our conversations I have come to the conclusion that you are a great mentor!"

    The man was stunned by what he heard. He had been caught red-handed. In truth, he really wanted to give useful advice to the young boys, and he purposely chose the right words, and told them about his childhood so that the new generation would not make the same mistakes as he had once made. The subject of the conversation about a man who knew the world could fully tell everything about the man and his spiritual state. But there was a hitch: Saori Kobayashi really wanted to know the answer to his topic.

    Silently turning around, the man sat down on the bench and called to them in an apathetic voice. The boys sat down with him and waited for Saori to answer. The man discreetly took a cigarette out of the pack that was in his pocket and lit it. As he exhaled, he seemed more tired than usual.

    "I have something to tell you," the man declared.

 Shelter of Dreams

    "What class are you in now?" asked Saori Kobayashi involuntarily apathetically, looking back at the two boys.

    "In the last grade," replied Ryou, noticing in himself the man''s interest in their lives. "But, for what did you want to know?"

    "Last year, I remember in the winter, I met a desperate guy your age in front of me," Saori enlightened, remembering that day as he sat on a bench in one of Tokyo''s bustling streets, covered by the light of glowing garlands. The evening, which would have had no effect on his life, was remembered by the arrival of a dark-haired guy whose face was covered by a warm scarf.

    "Who is this guy?" the man asked then, to his companion sitting discreetly beside him, who smiled with feminine lips.

    The guy from Saori''s memory blindly approached the two individuals and looked up. Then, Saori skewered the guy''s deadpan gaze, which had no emotion.

    "Like who?" smiled slyly at the mysterious woman, whose competent tone rose as the guy appeared before them. "Suicide."

    Saori slowly turned his head toward the boys, who were staring at him with weary interest.

    "Kind of like you might know him. The eyes are dark, like untouched wilderness in the fog. In his eyes I noticed the horrified cries of suffering people. How could such a teenager still walk on his feet with his weight on his shoulders?"

    "What weight? Who are you talking about?"

    "Glenn Zaliman," the man replied. The presence of any sound around them froze. It subsided, as if time had cooled in the blink of an eye. The boys could not believe their ears that the man by his cryptic words meant their mutual acquaintance. As the boys sat with their mouths open, Saori looked forward again.

    "Ryou-kun, to have an answer like yours at your age is commendable," Saori added, and the stunned faces of Ryou and Tomoyuki changed abruptly. Ryou, remembering the purpose for which he had earlier called Saori to this place, began to worry about his answer.

    There was a questionnaire at stake. With slow movements of his lips, Saori revealed his opinion of the young man''s answer.

    "Exactly your answer I heard a long time ago, from two other people. I decided to rack my brain again and touch my memories from ten years ago. One of them was a young man, at one time a little younger than you. Genial in everything, his literate speech always amazed me. At every meeting, he said sensible things, which was uncharacteristic of his age, and constantly asked for my advice."

    "Who was the other one?" confused Ryou, and waved his hand sharply to the side, showing a surge of emotion in a time of stress.

    "Don''t worry," Saori replied, not moving a finger, and Ryou dropped the weight from his body. "The second personality, on the other hand, in truth, was the exact opposite of the guy. Furious, energetic, didn''t follow her words, yet she was the first to make me comprehend her response."

    The man fell silent, as if remembering a meaningful memory of his past. Barely lifting his head, his gaze was dazzled by the warm, evening sky. Millions of stars beneath the shroud of the dark universe illuminated Saori''s brown eyes.

    "She also worked in social services when she was young."

    The next noisy day at school, after the end of second period, a hurried Ryou headed for the chemistry lab. Screaming schoolchildren walking down the hallway went unnoticed by the boy, who with steady steps eagerly looked around study after study.

    At the same time, a young man with blue eyes and side-styled thin hair ran intensely into the literary club room. It was Tomoyuki, whose keen eyes screamed like a hurricane in a storm.

    Ryou entered the chemistry room, and saw the front of the room''s open window, from where a draught flew in and ploughed the rustling white curtains. From the window Masumi, dressed in a white long jacket, looked out with a resigned smile. The sunset was visible through the open window, which succeeded in boring the young man, but Ryou only motioned toward the young thirty-year-old woman.

    "Masumi-sempai."

    Masumi used her hands to fix her ventilated long hair and looked back at the boy nonchalantly. "How did you know I was here?" she asked playfully, knowing the guy''s answer beforehand.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    "It''s not the first time I''ve relied on intuition."

    "Well, you guessed right, then," the woman said coquettishly, in a soft voice. "And I, too, like you, prefer to act directly."

    "I''m done with doing the questionnaire."

    "I already have. Saori-san told me about it."

    "Huh... So you two really know each other?"

    "That depends."

    Masumi looked back at the sun falling from the horizon, and with a gulp, she continued to admire the beauty.

    "I love looking at the views. Whether it''s a sunset, a sunrise, or the stars in the night sky, I get an inner inspiration when I freeze to look at them for just a few minutes. You know, that''s how I was able to inspire Saori-san, too."

    "Saori Kobayashi..." confused Ryou in his speculation. "He knows you, Masumi-sempai... The choice of this questionnaire, was it really pre-arranged and rigged? But why?!"

    "Who knows," muttered the teacher. "It wasn''t my idea at all."

    Last night, the man idly continued to stare up at the starry sky.

    "Once upon a time, this unceremonious schoolgirl imposed herself on me. She was silent only on occasion when she looked at the celestial vistas. Maybe it was with her help that I began to pay attention to seemingly ordinary things."

    "What schoolgirl are you talking about, Kobayashi-san?" asked Ryou then, himself having some inkling of her identity. In response, the young man only saw a previously unseen lively smile on the man''s face.

    Ryou realized the identity of this person when he decided to test his hunches by coming to an empty chemistry class the day after school.

    "Whose idea was it, then?" asked Ryou to Masumi.

    "I only put my trust in a man whose decisions I consider infallible."

    "Who is that?"

    With a smirk, Masumi crossed her fingers and looked back at the sun again. "Who knows. My answer won''t do you any good. So, Ryou-kun, open yourself up to your friends first, and the answer itself will appear in the palm of your hand."

    "Friends..." lowered Ryou''s eyes, in a thoughtful voice. He found it hard to believe that the questionnaire provided by Glenn had some thought in it. The young man thought it was someone''s way of getting him closer, either to Saori or to Tomoyuki. The right answer he could not know for sure.

    Tomoyuki entered the study of the literary circle and nervously locked the door. It was as if he knew that there was someone in the study with whom he wanted to have a serious conversation. From the other end of the study near the window appeared Glenn, humbly reading a book.

    "You have to knock on the door before you come in, or you might have a heart attack," Glenn said with a frozen smile, and Tomoyuki flinched like a child who has had his ball taken away.

    "I wasn''t the least bit worried about jokes!"

    "It''s the man who comes to the rescue when he''s not even asked. He''s always on time. Well, you should be happy for Ryou. He forgave himself."

    "Bastard," Tomoyuki''s teeth gritted with anger, and his fists clenched like stone. "Why are you in my way?! What the hell do I care about Saori Kobayashi?! What the hell are you up to?"

    "You should consider that I helped you with your questionnaire," Glenn continued to bark, getting on the young man''s nerves with his casual and gentle voice.

    "You''re only playing with me. You''re not going to stop... What''s the point of making this whole farce?"

    Tomoyuki was suddenly stunned when Glenn lifted his grim gaze to him. Such a sense of inner fear the young man had never experienced before. The hollowed dark eyes and pale skin suddenly introduced great seriousness into the heated atmosphere. The young man''s smile no longer expressed na?ve amusement, but changed to a different direction.

    "All this for friends," Glenn''s voice sounded slow and low, and there was not an ounce of tenderness in it. "Our relationship," he added without looking back, "will become real, no matter what happens. Whether you make me disappear or not."

    Tomoyuki thought Glenn was crazy in that moment, but he couldn''t get what he said out of his head. All for his friends. What could that mean, Tomoyuki asked mentally, frowning.

    "All my fears... blended together," Tomoyuki repeated to himself in front of the mirror. His wet hair, which the young man had washed minutes earlier, was tucked back in a full pile, and his eyes were dilated. "I''m moving, for what it''s worth. But I''m scared..."

    Memories of his first interaction with the club members invaded his thoughts. Their faces, which the young man thought were pretend, seemed to him to be masks that hid the truth. He remembered what made him have a bad opinion of Glenn and Ryou, and something in his mind twitched.

    "Bastards...!"

    Atonement. Tomoyuki wished he could retaliate, including Akiko, for their duplicity and hypocrisy. Akiko in particular annoyed the young man the most. He remembered an episode many years ago, when he looked at Akiko dead-eyed at the entrance to a karaoke club near a certain street. That was a long time ago, but Tomoyuki couldn''t forget her compassionate face for the guy.

    "I''ll teach you all a lesson," he lowered his back convulsively. "You''ll pay! You will definitely pay..." repeated Tomoyuki in an animal-like tone, as if distraught with negative thoughts.

    The next school day, there were loud rumors that Ryou and Yumiko had suddenly broken up.

 Monzetsu

    Before the events took place. Ryou, Tomoyuki, Akiko, and Glenn joined the literary club. With the warm weather, school routines were going on, and in the club room, Yumiko was engaged in routine book reading. The silence in the room was also preserved by the dark-eyed Glenn, who was huddled against the closet. The young man was holding a newly purchased book from his favorite writer. Soon, with occasional glances back and forth between his book and her own, Yumiko decided to voice her interest.

    "What are you reading?"

    "Do you know the author who wrote The Filthy Passions?" A playwright who lived in the eighteenth century."

    "I know him. How could I not?"

    "That''s what I''m reading."

    "Great, what''s the title of the book?"

    "His posthumous work. "The Flowers of Innocence," seems to be about human needs in the norm of society."

    "I haven''t heard."

    Glenn didn''t take his eyes off the reading. Slowly reading the writing, the boy fantasized about every action written in the book. Glenn loved reading novels.

    "And how do you feel about our society?" said Yumiko, advancing the subject. "How would you describe the human environment?"

    "I think I relate to our human environment rather than looking from afar. The question rather builds on how do I relate to a certain stratum of people?"

    "Maybe so. Deign to add: what is your opinion of the vast majority?"

    "The masses will remain masses until the end of time. It only changes around them."

    "What do you think: are such people good for the world and society in general?"

    "Absolutely, at least for the state on the one hand. They pay taxes. They live, but they pay money to the state for their living."

    "And for the people?"

    "If people can make the saddened happy, their lives are already meaningful. The simple factors of service make the world a wider place."

    "So happiness is in simplicity?"

    "It is natural. Wouldn''t you be happy if you were made happy?"

    "I suppose I would be pleased."

    Glenn only smiled kindly. "That''s nice," he said, in a gentle tone. The boy saw Yumiko as his friend and wished her happiness. He couldn''t have it any other way, for Glenn''s nature was folded in doing good deeds. "People can always find a way out of any situation, it''s natural for us. It''s always possible to make amends and benefit society."

    "But why don''t many people dare to do such things! What does it take for them to figure it out?"

    "Desire."

    A couple of days after completing Saori Kobayashi''s questionnaire at school, Glenn was washing his hands and thoroughly rinsing his mouth in the men''s room. At an inopportune moment for the young man, Tomoyuki walked into the room, as if he knew Glenn was inside. The sly guy noticed the water Glenn was rinsing his mouth with was coming out bloody, and as he approached, he stared at his sore face. Glenn''s eyes seemed weak, and his appearance boded of intense fatigue.

    "Glenn-san, have you been spurting blood?" said the young man, and Glenn noticed his arrival. For his own personal reasons, he did not want to be seen weakened at all. Tomoyuki had his phone in his breast pocket, and the camera was peeking out discreetly.

    "Damaged his tongue."

    "A scar on your tongue doesn''t make you that sick," Tomoyuki''s interest in the situation escalated, and the young man decided to take advantage of the moment to intimidate. "It''s kind of weird how things are shaping up."

    "What are you...doing here?" the dark-eyed boy asked with a sickly tone, gripping the sink with his hands hard. It seemed as if he might have fallen to the ground and passed out.

    "I was wondering why you go to the bathroom so often."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    "Personal..."

    "That''s right!" goofed Tomoyuki in a non-serious tone. "What an unpleasant turn for you. And what to do... my sempai is sick with something terrible, but no one but him knows what! Gosh, you''ve been hiding it even from us?"

    "You wouldn''t be interested."

    "And the truth is," pouted Tomoyuki, exposing his low tone to Glenn, "Does anyone know about it?" he stared at the dark-eyed man, to which Glenn remained silent. "But you count me for a friend, don''t you? Won''t you tell me what this is about? You do everything for friends."

    The camera on his phone peeking out of his pocket filmed what was going on with clear quality so that Tomoyuki could use the evidence to his advantage. Glenn lowered his head and his thick, dark hair fell over his face.

    "I thought I was going to have a hard time, but you buried yourself in a hole, Glenn-san. Sempai you are. What would happen if I told everyone you know about your illness? Society has disliked the sick and contagious since the beginning of time."

    "Nothing..." choked up Glenn and spit out his saliva.

    "That''s where you''re wrong. None of your friends will stay with you, because they don''t want any trouble with a sick man who might soon kick the bucket. At least all the ones who hang out with you for the sake of appearances, right? I''m sure that half of those empty-nesters aren''t even capable of mooing. You surprisingly have an incredible amount of people around you, even though you don''t seem sociable from the outside. And yet, who will stay with you if you get into trouble? Probably... Yumiko-chan! After all, you''re friends with her, but what would she think if she found out you were sneakily keeping such a secret from her?"

    Glenn''s self-serving words were the last straw for Glenn''s peace of mind. The young man suddenly straightened up and turned grimly toward the young man. His stern shoulders revealed a rage in Glenn that he could not suppress with silence. The boy''s shadow fell across the short Tomoyuki''s face. A chain with the symbol of a cross popped out of Glenn''s shirt. Tomoyuki was confused.

    "Wrong man you found to manipulate," the tall guy declared with a blank stare and hand wrung out the wet underside of his hair. Earlier, his hair had gotten wet as he washed his face with cold water. "Tell whoever you want. Unlike some, I''m not bothered by the opinions of the herd around me."

    In Glenn''s words, the bewildered young man heard no slander, only truth.

    "D-do you expect me to p-think you don''t care about your position in society?"

    "If I am rejected, so be it. I will only know who is dear to me. But you won''t change anything with your words."

    "H-how are you s-sure of that?"

    "How can you believe someone who has been convicted in a murder case?"

    Tomoyuki fell silent. He lowered his eyes slowly, and his clenched teeth covered his lips, which ceased to betray the young man''s fear. He buried himself in himself for a moment, imagining his past, which had haunted his mind for years. Glenn, on the other hand, came to his senses and shrank back from his anger. Realizing he''d said too much, the tall guy showed a pitying face.

    "Don''t look at me with those damn eyes, you monster..." shuddered Tomoyuki. His voice was hoarse, as if the guy could barely pronounce the letters. He was clearly greatly upset by Glenn''s words. "Why are you blocking my way? You know how spoiled and undecided these... our boys are. They won''t do any good, they must be crushed..."

    "You''re not thinking right..." answered Glenn, quietly. "Any man can be re-educated ... without physical force. With kindness."

    Tomoyuki averted his eyes grudgingly to the side, and Glenn jabbed right at his head. The taller young man grasped his head and forcibly turned his gaze in his direction.

    "Hey! W-what are you doing?!" misunderstood the young man, trying his best to escape his strong grip. "You''re going to crush my head!"

    But Glenn just stood there like a pillar. He did not move, but only stared in amazement at Tomoyuki''s blue eyes, in which he noticed the very essence of his life.

    "Tomoyuki-kun. Why do I see... hell in your eyes?"

    "You''re crazy!" shouted Tomoyuki, and with deft movements of his hands he broke away from the stunned Glenn, using the fighting technique he had been trained in from long ago. Fixing his clothes, the guy moved toward the bathroom exit. "You''re all crazy in here. The whole bunch, a bunch of weirdos," he added, and walked away.

    Glenn''s shoulders were powerless, and he lowered his arms. His darkened eyes saw in Yamasite the unbelievable hell the young man had been able to go through in his years. He couldn''t know for sure, but Glenn was embarrassed to learn something new for himself.

    "How did we all get carried away together..." said Glenn, weakened. "It just can''t be an accident. How could our hearts have met? Among millions of different people..." he continued muttering to himself, illuminated by the coincidence of his meeting with the rest of the guys. In his mind, their acquaintance had taken place at that time and place.

    "How do you think people get off track and switch to the right one?" asked Yumiko in one of her private conversations with Glenn in the literature club office. Outside, the bitter, sunset light glittered.

    "People start doing things for themselves. Self-development comes with experience. One changes because one tries to grasp a happy future."

    "You know, Glenn-kun," Yumiko spoke with a warm, uncharacteristic tone that made the young man himself stare at her, "I''m new to dealing with new acquaintances, but..." she added, and then raised a happy look at the young man. "I''m glad your views coincide with mine. I''m lucky to have new friends, and before, I couldn''t even think of such a thing."

    Glenn was baffled by the warm words of his friend, whom he considered the only person whose gaze was always sincere and whose personality gave off an aftertaste of tenderness. Glenn was glad that he could help Yumiko find friends.

    After all, he always, always saw her lonely. Both at school and beyond her borders.

    He thought it wasn''t fair. That the whole world was being unfair to an innocent girl whose soul was coated with warmth. She should just open up, Glenn thought at the time, but he hesitated to help.

    He believed that Yumiko was an outstanding girl among the masses, who had purity, simplicity, honesty, and genuineness in her mind.

 Symbol of Friendship

    Every man needs someone to listen to him, or else he becomes withdrawn into loneliness. Ryou was already lonely since childhood. The only person who gave the child sparks of joy and a sense of hope was his sister, who was immense to others her age. Megumi considered it her duty to stay close to her little brother, for seeing his saddened face, the girl''s heart was torn with unhappiness.

    Neither Ryou nor Megumi was willing to reckon with her parents, who had been engaged in business and endless work all their lives. In an instant, Megumi was fed up with their attitude toward children.

    The infancy of Ryou was strange. His sister could not understand why the child did not want to communicate with her peers or anyone else, but only ran away when she met them. On the one hand, Megumi also had trouble introducing herself into her society, but Ryou''s situation went beyond the usual sociophobia.

    The child was afraid of people.

    His parents dismissed his situation, but Megumi did not want to put up with it. She tried her best to reassure her little brother by trying to introduce him to different children or girlfriends, but it all went to waste. Nothing worked.

    Her sister often took Ryou to the lawn by the bridge when it was sunny outside. They would sit with resigned gazes and stare at the sun that was falling relentlessly over the horizon, time after time. True, the boy was more satisfied with spending time with his beloved sister than he was with meaningless observation of the sky.

    "Do you like sunsets?" asked Megumi with a gentle tone, not looking away from the bitter sun falling behind the high-rise buildings.

    Ryou only looked leisurely at young Megumi''s beauty, which came naturally to her. Her mole on her left cheek, her silky brown hair, and her graceful, thin lips gave her a sense of confidence combined with an untouched tenderness.

    Then, the boy didn''t want any people or extra looks besides his sister. To him, Megumi was his only guardian angel.

    -

    The year before the move from Kyoto, the young doctor was walking home after university. Medin University was always held under strict circumstances for students and Megumi returned each day with a completely tired expression on her face.

    Meanwhile, under the bridge by the green field near the ditch, two young men were fighting. Megumi, who was walking on the bridge, noticed the antics of the teenagers, and with an unconcerned look, spotted the thirteen-year-old Ryou fighting with his peer. There were several people of the same age crowding around the boys, but from their faces, the boys didn''t seem to be trying to stop the youngsters at all.

    Ryou, whose white shirt had taken on a brownish color because of the dirt, lost his footing and fell to the grass.

    "Why are you always so untouchable?!" shouted the boy who pushed Ryou. He had brown hair and looked at the young man pitifully. "Is it so hard for you to face the truth...?"

    "I''d like to find out for myself!" flashed Ryou and swiped him lightly across the face. "I''m not trying to pull away at all..." he added, with a confused look. Both guys'' faces took on a red, battered look.

    Megumi''s loud voice popped up from the bridge, calling out her younger brother''s name, to which Ryou responded momentarily.

    "S-sister?!" exclaimed Ryou, seeing how, on the bridge, a lady in a shirt and a red skirt was looking perplexed.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    The young girl, standing beside the young men, gasped. "Is that your sister, Ryou-kun?" she asked, inspired, and ran up to Megumi. Her brown hair was long and neatly styled at the back of her head.

    Her sister, glancing as the damsel ran after her, wondered if she was the Aiko that Ryou often spoke of. Behind the young lady ran one girl and two other guys who had previously followed the fight.

    The young man with Ryou squinted toward Megumi to see her face, on which a spring, warm breeze was falling. When he saw her, he was greatly surprised by her beauty, though he had seen her from afar.

    "What a beauty!" he declared, dotingly.

    Ryou sat down on the grass and put his hand to the back of his head, scratching his hair afterward. "Yeah. Guess I''ll have to explain the whole situation to her."

    "You do that... Don''t tell her we were seriously fighting. I don''t want to miss the chance to meet my future wife. With your permission!"

    "She certainly won''t take you for a husband," Ryou grinned cheerfully. "You are too young and foolish."

    "I am desperate, but I never give up!"

    Climbing the stairs, Aiko adjusted her school shirt so as not to look reckless in front of the important lady, and rising, she took a steady step toward Megumi and bowed gracefully.

    "I apologize. My name is Aiko Yoshida and I am a classmate of Hayashi Ryou. Are you her older sister?"

    Megumi nodded in response and looked back at the young men sitting on the lawn.

    "Ah, don''t be mad at Isshin, that''s how they play!"

    "Playing?" the sister asked, quietly surprised. "So you are his close friends?"

    Without making his older sister wait, Ryou got to his feet and patted the dirty areas of his school uniform. The young man quickly ran to the bridge without waiting for his buddy, and so the latter ran after him in a hurry to overtake Ryou.

    "We''re, you know, not done solving our issue yet!" angrily chased Ryou, but the boy paid no attention. All he could see was the road to go up to the bridge and meet his beloved sister, nothing else he needed.

    After running to his sister first and climbing the stairs, the boy came close to Megumi and stood in front of his waiting peers.

    "I''m sorry about that brat not showing us around earlier," Aiko clarified grudgingly, "I guess he didn''t even try to tell you about us."

    The silent Ryou slowly turned his head to the guy who came after him, and spreading his thick hair, nodded optimistically at him. The guy didn''t flinch, and stepped forward and confidently pointed his thumb to his chest.

    "I am Isshin Yoshida!" the brown-haired guy announced loudly, and Megumi''s eyes widened in surprise. "To put it another way, I''m best friends with your brat," he added with a laugh, and received a slap on the back from a disgruntled Ryou.

    "And this one..." Ryou pointed with his eyes at the shortest guy in their group, "...is Iruma Takahashi" to which Iruma smiled good-naturedly and closed his eyes.

    Stepping into the corner, Ryou pointed to his sister at the widest, tallest guy. "That''s Oda Tanaka, tamer of women''s hearts, and most importantly, the heart of the most beautiful girl in Kyoto," he pronounced with a smirk, to which the modest and skinny girl standing in the middle became embarrassed.

    Aiko shook the skinny shoulders of the pretty girl with the long, darkish hair, thus giving confidence to the modest girl.

    "I... I..."

    "Come on, Maiko-chan," the comrades whispered, to which Megumi had a slight smile on her face, foreshadowing a good first impression of Ryou''s new friends. In truth, Megumi did have an impressive attitude toward the subject of her younger brother''s friends, for she was worried about his social circle.

    "I''m Maiko Mizuki!" shouted the cowardly shy girl, and the boys giggled. Maiko lifted her head, covered in red blush, and added: "We''re friends of Ryou''s. Nice to meet you!"

    For the first time in his thirteen years with Ryou, his sister saw his new Kyoto companions. There was barely a trace of joy on her face, and Ryou cheered the boys up by telling them that Megumi was only tired. Megumi covered her mouth and struggled to hide her shock. Tears of happiness could have flowed from her dark blue eyes, like the color of the universe, but her sister wouldn''t allow herself to.

 Beyond New and Old

    Rumors swirled around the school that Ryou and Yumiko had broken up. This news had serious consequences for Ryou - every class time girls came to him from everywhere and asked about his condition and whether he was really single, to which Ryou only ran away. He was uncomfortable.

    Akiko was worried about Ryou for a number of subjective reasons, hidden within herself, and hated Tomoyuki for his act and for not letting him know that he could have made such a move. But most of all, the young maiden consoled herself by despising Glenn, for according to Tomoyuki, it was the dark-haired fellow who prevented them from achieving their goals.

    As of this day, Tomoyuki said he was sick and would come in on Tuesday.

    The only place where Ryou could take a break from people was the club room. On this day there were three people in the clubhouse at the same time, Akiko, Yumiko, and Ryou .

    "I don''t like it," said Ryou wearily, putting his cheek to his palm. "I have five girls breaking in to me after every class... How could this happen?"

    "Hayashi-kun," replied Yumiko with a rank look, not taking her eyes off writing all kinds of assignments on her notebook, "More classmates come up to you. What are you going to do about it?"

    And that''s when Akiko, also sitting at the common desk, entered the conversation. "I can understand you, Hayashi-kun. But still... aren''t you happy with your situation?"

    "Hmm? Of course I''m not, I could go crazy running away from strangers."

    "Sure, but... You get cute girls your age or younger coming up to you every class. They ask how you''re doing and are always asking to go out with them. Isn''t that great for guys?"

    "I don''t care who approaches me. I just don''t like it."

    "You attract people..."

    "I don''t care about dating."

    "Maybe you feel uncomfortable interacting with people like those?" wondered Yumiko, to which Ryou squeezed his eyes shut.

    "I haven''t since I was young," he lifted his gaze, and became confused as he thought about it. "Why are you so thoughtful? Didn''t you realize that before?"

    Yumiko put a hand to her thin chin.

    "Of course we might have thought so."

    "Indeed," Akiko folded her fingers. "Hayashi-kun, you only socialize with club members, after all," she added, and Ryou''s gaze was all over her attention. "Hayashi-kun, are you... scared to talk to people?"

    "Scared?"

    "Son, are you scared?" came from out of nowhere a chorus of sounds from Ryou. His father''s unbearable howl did not cease, and a long-ago memory wandered into his mind that he was trying hard to forget forever. "Bow," issued his father''s stern voice, and it was repeated over and over again. The boy broke into a sweat, hearing the same word dozens of times. The subconscious glass that held these memories shattered, and fragments from Ryou''s difficult childhood blended into each of the sharp pieces of glass. "Bow before your eldest!" his father continued to yell, to which Ryou fearfully covered his ears. "Why won''t you listen to me?!"

    Ryou''s eyes sharpened and he could not blink. His teeth gritted and his lips pressed together as if all the life energy had been squeezed out of them.

    "Scared...?" shook Ryou, and lifting her panicked gaze, the girls could see all the terror the boy was feeling at that moment. "Am I scared...?"

    "Hayashi-kun!" crouched to him with trembling hands, but could not think of a sensible thing to do in such situations. "Wake up...!"

    "Indeed, I''m scared... To see their faces. Humans, they are bloodthirsty... insatiable. I''m afraid to mingle... with them."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Ryou repeated one word over and over again, remembering the tall men in important robes with ties. The boy''s lifeless face, seeing the shock, spoke of a shattered psyche, but his father could not take away his pointed, confused gaze at the important people. The mocking sounds came out in the darkened room, and the boy''s eyes found themselves covered in gloom.

    The boy stretched out his palm and lowered his gaze to discern his trembling, amidst the noise coming out through his ears. His hands shook like an unprotected skyscraper in the moment of a violent earthquake.

    Yumiko and Akiko were in great agitation. Akiko periodically begged for forgiveness, but did not move from her seat, waiting for a miracle. Yumiko rummaged through her purse.

    "Come to your senses..." grieved Akiko, dropping a tear. "Please... I''m sorry I hurt your feelings..." she said with a hoarse voice, but Ryou heard no one else''s voice.

    A moment passed, and taking a full bottle of water from her bag, Yumiko hurriedly opened the lid and poured the contents directly onto the young man''s frightened face. There was no water left in the crumpled bottle, but you could see his surprise through Ryou''s drooping wet hair. The boy woke up, and the tension was gone from Yumiko''s shoulders. The girl sighed, thinking that all was forgiven. Akiko, on the other hand, couldn''t believe her eyes and stared at the guy intently.

    Lifting his head slowly, Ryou saw Yumiko''s stoic face standing in front in confusion.

    "What..." the girl with the pink hair could not drop a word.

    "S-thank you."

    "All people have their fears," Yumiko replied with kindness in her words, and Ryou could taste the warmth coming from her lips. "It''s hard to grapple with them at times, but you can''t give in to them in any way. One must break their fears!" she added, following up with a napkin from her bag. She gently fixed her fallen hair and wiped the water from her desk. Her notebook was soaked, but Yumiko did not flinch. "You don''t have to worry about them every time, though, because there will be people who will take advantage of your flaw. So, Hayashi-kun, I''m not asking you to open up to us if you don''t want to yourself. Just, be strong."

    Ryou saw her sincere smile, and after a few seconds she held out her pink handkerchief for the young man to wipe his wet face with. Drops of water fell periodically to the floor, leaving behind the brief sounds of their falls. Ryou was reassured that he no longer heard the scornful and sharp sounds.

    "Thank you, Yumiko-chan."

    "You''re welcome," the girl answered him with a sincere smile, and Ryou felt a previously unexperienced sensation. Casting his thoughts aside, the boy squeezed his handkerchief and smiled.

    Akiko noticing the adorable look the young man was giving Yumiko, who was wiping his part of the desk, was upset. She was disappointed in her abilities, as Yumiko had taken control of the whole situation and left the best possible impression on Ryou.

    The next day, Tuesday, Tomoyuki returned to school. During the long break and club activities, all the club members except Glenn were seated near the common desk, and looked at each other aimlessly. No one could begin their conversation, and especially not Akiko, being in the same room as Tomoyuki. After a brief silence, a confused Yumiko dared to move her lips.

    "There is some news..." looked up at Yumiko''s peers, glancing back and forth between Ryou and Tomoyuki. "I''ve been declared in love."

    "Really?!" panted Tomoyuki, opening his mouth. Ryou''s pupils dilated. "And who did?"

    "Several people."

    "Wha-oh! Several at once?"

    "I''ve noticed," Ryou said, pondering. "Yumiko-chan has been approached more lately. Maybe it has something to do with you getting involved with people?"

    "Well, well, well!" shook his head Tomoyuki, to which Yumiko was confused.

    "Did I really look that aloof?" she asked, and the guys nodded in sync. The maiden didn''t think she looked lonely on the outside at all.

    "By the way, Sato-chan," Tomoyuki was suddenly interested, as if a light bulb hung over him. "Who exactly confessed to you?"

    "I think... From the parallel one big guy, what''s his name... I remember, Yamada."

    The room subsided, and it was as if a gray cloud had suddenly formed from above, heralding confusion and misunderstanding at the same time. Tomoyuki and Akiko instantly responded to the name of the guy who confessed his love.

    "What is it?" asked Ryou, for this was the first time he had heard the name.

    "It''s the school bully," Tomoyuki added with a deadpan look, and scratching his head, he laughed hard. "But I didn''t know his tastes! He, and fell in love with you? That''s sensational!" he added, chuckling, and Akiko also chuckled. "I wish I could have seen his face during the confession. He must have been red as a tomato."

    The girl followed by naming another high school student a grade below him, but his name was unremarkable to Tomoyuki and Akiko''s ears, so the subject was silently dropped.

    "Temotsu Kawasaki."

 Victim

    Yumiko walked silently down the corridor, holding a file of school documents in her hands. So, unexpectedly for a silent girl, the girls from the parallel class attached themselves to her, and from their watchful gaze, Yumiko could think that she was in trouble.

    "Isn''t that you, Yumiko Sato?" exclaimed the girl standing in front of the other three. By the looks of them, they assumed they were self-appointed school princesses, keeping a stylish eye on their clothes and makeup.

    "Y-yes..." trembled Yumiko slightly, not knowing how she should have acted, for she had not encountered such people before. To her, it was a special kind of maiden who thought of herself as an all-powerful lord, like Akiko, but she looked much more humble.

    "Shall we go out for a few minutes?" asked the intruder, from whose lips the question seemed more like an edict, but Yumiko could hardly fight them off, and only swallowed her saliva.

    They went to the corner behind the school by the running field and pinned the fragile girl to the corner. Yumiko was misunderstood and didn''t know how to counteract them, and decided to take a step back, thereby pressing against the wall.

    "So you''re the same Yumiko who blew off my Yamada-kun..." the girl lowered her head, and the angry faces of her peers showed behind her. "I spent so much time pursuing him, and he picked you, the nameless girl who ended up blowing me off, too! Nonsense."

    "Um..."

    "Yamada-kun from yesterday for looking creepy," she raised her tone. "You devastated him, whore!"

    Yumiko blurred in her mind, not understanding why she was being called such names. Why they were angry at her, and why she deserved the nickname-all these thoughts were absorbed into her mind, and the girl stopped perceiving the aggression from their sides, continuing to bore herself with the negativity emanating from within.

    The situation around the girls changed when a tall senior from the parallel class came out of the corner. His folded dark pants pocket and unbuttoned collar with a chain around his neck caught the gaze of the confused girls first.

    "He''s..." said one of the girls, to which the other covered her mouth, "The tallest one in our school!"

    The attractive girl standing closest to Yumiko removed her indignant gaze and tsked. "Glenn."

    Before him stood a young man with dark hair that reached down to his ears and covered his forehead, and unsociable eyes that were perpetually rumored in their school to portend danger.

    Glenn approached the girls, to which they retreated, but Yumiko didn''t budge. "Hey, hey, did I interrupt your quarrels?" he added, appearing to be the goody-goody. "I apologize, girls."

    "What are you even doing here?"

    "Uh-oh, I completely forgot. Please forgive my tactlessness," the young man added, following up by getting in front of Yumiko. The boy lowered his gentle gaze. "The fact is that the frail and modest girl you attacked ... is my girlfriend."

    The four high school girls flinched, and to them Glenn''s words were news not previously revealed. They figured that was why the silent girl had been turning guys down as of late.

    The tall young man took Yumiko''s delicate hand and held it out to him, asking quietly if she was bruised, to which the girl shook her head modestly. On the girl''s face after Glenn''s arrival, all worries immediately subsided, and she succumbed to her friend''s improvisation. Glenn moved closer to her, squeezing her against the wall, to which the group of gals stared.

    "Listen. If you continue to molest my treasure like this..." Glenn said with a humble tone, and after subsiding, he turned to the maidens with dead eyes. "You may forget where the east is."

    The girls were startled by his gloomy eyes. What else, even Yumiko, who felt all the warmth of his body, recoiled from the unhealthy and dark atmosphere, which reeked of creepiness. Glenn was like a black raven that was not afraid to attack the city''s animals, and he searched suitable victims with his gaze, then ripped them to shreds. Such a feeling strained the maidens, and the chief of them tsked again with displeasure, and they went away.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Glenn-kun," Yumiko said modestly, and reaching for his jacket with her hands, to which she squirmed, signaled for the guy to step back. Glenn took a couple of steps back and saw the blushing maiden averting her gaze.

    "I''m sorry," the young man waved his hands, "I saw you coming outside. If I hadn''t gotten around to it, the situation might have been very different."

    "Yeah, it''s a good thing it worked out. Thank you."

    "This is the rabble of one bully from our school," Glenn looked intently in the direction the girls had gone. "One of them is his best friend, and the rest of them are the local ladies. How dare they touch you!"

    "Glenn-kun..." lowered the schoolgirl''s bitter eyes, to which the boy responded instantly. "It seems I owe you one again," she added, revealing her childish joy and femininity.

    "That''s all right. It''s a good thing you''re in one piece."

    At recess, Glenn walked aimlessly down the hall. He was in search of some interest to pass the time. After school he had his own work waiting for him. Glancing over at the students walking around in their dark uniforms, Akiko appeared to him, walking toward him. Stopping, they huddled against the windows of the long corridor.

    "What do you do?" asked Akiko, starting their conversation. She had never spoken to Glenn alone before.

    "Nothing. Just going in one circle."

    "Apparently you have nothing to do at all."

    "Uh-huh."

    It wasn''t that they treated each other with warmth, their distance could be felt in their conversation. Akiko wasn''t at all close at heart to the young man, but Glenn didn''t try to alienate him. He communicated with all people on the same level. A barrier seemed to shine through between them, preventing them from moving on to more private topics of conversation.

    "How''s the weather?"

    "Same as usual," a graceful smile never left Glenn''s face. It was a smile that every member of the circle had time to see, and Glenn himself often went with it.

    "Honestly, I never thought I''d run into you, and here you are. You seem to disappear a lot?"

    "Looking for ways to unwind."

    "To get away from what?"

    "To slow down."

    "I don''t understand you, and are you always so inarticulate?" gasped Akiko, and the young man chuckled. "You don''t seem like a sociable person. You don''t seem like one at all."

    "Hmm? How would you know?"

    "I listen to you a lot. You look like darkness in the darkness, and you seem aloof."

    "I''ll take note," he continued smiling, brushing her sullen words from her ears as if he hadn''t heard anything at all.

    "You''re an odd one. Your manner is similar to that of a cunning fox in the depths of the thicket. They can deceive any little beast."

    "And this is coming from a woman who hides her sincerity beneath the veil of an innocent girl?" the boy asked slowly, to which Akiko twitched. "After all, it''s not for you to judge me, and what''s the point of this conversation?"

    "What am I hiding?" cringed the girl. "Are you a fool to say nonsensical things?"

    "I revealed your secret with Tomoyuki-kun from the start. And you thought no soul would notice your ulterior motives under that mask? You just don''t show it, do you?"

    Akiko was confused when she heard the snide, sharp tone of the young man standing beside her. Her dark red eyes were agitated, and her ajar mouth showed surprise. Akiko stiffened unhappily.

    "How dare you-" she failed to express contempt as she was immediately interrupted by the exclamation of the big man who came up in a flash.

    "Hey-hey!"

    The pair''s gaze met that of a smiling guy standing in the middle of the corridor with a big, muscular body, tall stature, and decent-looking, dark grass-colored hair. The big guy''s confident gaze was aimed directly at the dark-haired guy. Akiko fell silent.

    In a lucky moment, a taste of unexpected anxiety immediately ventilated the sharp chime of the school bell that rang throughout the interior. The bell solidified the beginning of the next class, and all the students hurried into their classrooms.

 Falcon

    Before his last class, Ryou was summoned by Glenn at the school exit. Uneasingly, as he moved through the mass of schoolchildren going to the cafeteria on the first floor, he noticed Glenn standing in front of him.

    "Don''t tell me you''ve been waiting here for me like this," Ryou said, not removing his resigned gaze. "What did you call me for?"

    "I seem to be in a little trouble."

    As they approached the deserted field behind the school, the boys came to a corner where no one would see them. They encountered two tall, third-year seniors. One of them had a stout body and a confident look, and Ryou looked back at Glenn, misunderstanding.

    "Glenn, Glenn, Glenn...I don''t think we''ve spoken before?" the stout guy added, taking off his jacket. He glanced at the dark-eyed man standing a few steps in front of them.

    "Didn''t have to," Glenn replied, keeping his composure stiff. "Didn''t you say you were coming alone?"

    "You didn''t come alone, either. And the guy next to you is the guy who attracts all the schoolgirls? I envy people like you."

    Ryou looked at him with a sharp and contemptuous look, as if to declare that he had nothing to do with his situation.

    "Nothing to envy."

    "I suppose you won''t let our problem be solved in words?" the dark-eyed man asked, undoing the buttons of his jacket. "Eh, and I thought we could have gone peacefully."

    "Glenn, you do realize you hurt my friend, and I don''t forgive for that kind of thing," the fighting big man said defiantly, not letting go of the lanky smile and unruly confidence in his eyes. "I''ve heard a lot from my friends that you''re a good guy and a good fighter. My character''s a good one for trusting my friends, and I hope you won''t disappoint me."

    "Rest assured," Glenn slowly twisted the sleeves of his shirt to his elbow and exposed his skinny but long forearms.

    "Hey, with the wavy hair!" the big guy pointed his eyes directly at Ryou. "You gonna stand your ground as a backup?"

    "Don''t overestimate me, Yamada," Glenn deadpanned nonchalantly. "I''m not stupid enough to fight you alone."

    Ryou measured a sharp, murderous bumblebee-like sting across the tough guy. Placing his hands in the pockets of his caged pants, the young man hid his displeasure by noticing the good-naturedness in the battle-senior''s eyes. He''s not so formidable, Ryou thought.

    "So you''re the Yamada-san who got dumped by the girl in my class? I feel for you. It must have been hard to accept that you''re not omnipotent at some things."

    "Yeah. Sato-san''s a nice girl, seems calm and poised from the outside," Yamada responded with a warm tone, not losing hope in his words. "A real ideal for me! Yes, she didn''t lift a finger when she rejected me. I can be overly emotional, but unlike others like me, I try to turn that minus into a plus! I was born that way."

    "Well," Glenn smirked, ducking his belly and adopting a low body stance, "you''re not going to cry, I hope?" he sharpened his focused eyes on Yamada. "For I won''t cry either."

    Yamada slammed his fists together with pleasure and ducked his back. "That''s it! A real man''s honor. But don''t you forget, Glenn..." he added, and the high school boy standing beside him followed him into a fighting stance. "In a fight, you don''t give in when one side is less strong than the other. You won''t turn the situation in your favor with that plan."

    "I didn''t force you," chuckled Glenn, and Ryou immediately put his jacket on the concrete without fail.

    Calling for Ryou, the dark-eyed man had hoped on Ryou''s abilities, which he could only guess at the existence of. Thanks to his height, Glenn initially thought of some way to improve his position to beat Yamada, but when another senior intervened following them, the young man began to lose his grip.

    But when Glenn glanced at Ryou''s serious and watchful eye, aimed directly at the two opponents, the young man''s concentration dawned on him. Ryou was like a falcon, cold-bloodedly waiting for targets to strike. Glenn''s confidence returned to normal.

    A gusty wind swooped in from afar and swept across the white shirts of the four boys who were calmly waiting for the fight to begin. The wind blew across the school grounds, and the leaves that lay on the ground lifted from the gust and rolled away beyond the school boundaries.

    Yamada''s previously motionless straight legs shifted and his body stepped sharply toward Glenn and Ryou. The boys'' fists bared to deliver a painful blow that would result in a victory for one of the two sides.

    Ryou had always understood that all disagreements began because of a discrepancy in the views of certain parties to a conflict. In his view, wars have basically been in people''s blood since their inception. Conflicts were unavoidable, and disagreements were unavoidable. The very stupidity of men, in the end, led to grave consequences. Not a single human soul lived without quarrels and fits of aggression. That''s what pissed him off about people.

    Every direct attack Yamada made was hard to dodge, but his legs came into the force unglamorously. Yamada was good at all techniques of using force, but what amused the big guy the most was the thrill of glorious battles. His face lit up each time at the dignified evasions of the nimble Ryou, who seemed a dark horse, and Glenn''s savvy in allowing him to advance after every enemy miss made Yamada feel invigorated. Ryou was advancing on his opponents in moments, with not a shred of doubt in his movements, and this gave Glenn a boost of energy. Despite the equal fight, each of the contestants made mistakes, which were paid for with hand-waving from their opponents. They fell, but they didn''t give up, and no one cared about soiled shirts and reddened hands. This was what Yamada thought their battle was glorious. He had achieved his goal of experiencing that lost feeling of blood rush and desire to live.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    As a result, the scuffle ended in equal defeat for both teams. The decisive blow came from Ryou, kicking Yamada in the groin and causing him to lose his footing. Losing what little strength they had left, all four seniors fell to the ground. Greedily exhaling warm air, Glenn, who was sitting exhausted in the corner, could not open his eyes in any way. Ryou sat beside him, wiping his forehead with his red palms. Their faces were slightly battered, but their shoulders and legs took the most blows. Yamada''s back was lying on the cement ground with both of his hands under his head. He looked contentedly at the open sky. The boys'' shirtsleeves were soiled and battered.

    Ryou shook the dust off the dark plaid pants he had worn since the beginning of the school year, and none of the teachers complained to him.

    Closing his eyes, Yamada said quietly:

    "What a long time since I felt a sense of equal strength in battles. And yet, I wasn''t lied to about you, Glenn."

    "Your friends told me about you, too," Glenn replied placidly, lifting his dark jacket. "According to them you''re nice and good-natured, though you may look defiant."

    "Ha ha, then they didn''t lie about me!" showed a satisfied face. "And I like you guys. Call me Yamada, let''s get acquainted."

    "Ryou Hayashi," Ryou lifted his briefcase relaxed, and fixed his hair back.

    "Glenn Zaliman," the dark-eyed man added, smiling. "Let me introduce you, Yamada-san."

    "Shimada Satori," grinned the senior, "I''m in the same class as Yamada-kun."

    "Ha ha! And you''re a good fighter!" clapped his palms together. "Forget about our disagreement, Glenn-kun?"

    "There was no disagreement. You were asked, after all, by the girls who scornfully threatened Yumiko behind the school."

    "Threatened? I didn''t know about that. My friends came to me, saying that you had hurt them. I could have just talked to you, but they also informed me that you wanted to point your hands at them."

    "You have been deceived, and in the silliest style," Glenn retorted, to which Yamada flinched in embarrassment. "You shouldn''t trust a friend like that, who''s a trickster. You have to turn away from people like that in your social circle," Glenn muttered importantly, and he calmed down.

    "Sorry, bad habit," Yamada regarded his sternness warmly. Indeed, the good-nature of the rugged man was not uncommon. As they drew closer, the young men did not find him formidable.

    Glenn thought that his influence in his surroundings and kindness were used by bad people, and sincerely pitied Yamada, who could not do anything with his trust. Yamada had a pure soul, even though he fought and participated in street scuffles. He treated people loyally, but drove away the other bullies and bad people from the school and neighborhood where he lived. Glenn had heard good things about Yamada, and he didn''t want to hurt the good man. That''s why, in the scuffle, he didn''t use all his strength.

    So they became friends with the main bully of their school.

    Glenn and Ryou stepped quietly toward the entrance of the school building. Ryou dared not say anything, but only kept his calm. His calm eyes, the color of which referred to the expanse of a dark blue galaxy, on the surface of which the gods themselves rested, stared nonchalantly just below the horizon, and he was just a couple of inches shorter than Glenn.

    "I didn''t know you could fight, anyway," Glenn said.

    "Didn''t have to tell you."

    "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have brought you into my problems, but you helped me out, and for that I''m grateful."

    "You''re always like that. Your requests sound like orders, which to refuse is on par with the death penalty. You make me feel creepy."

    "I''m sorry," Glenn waved his hand with a soft look, trying to take away Ryou ''s displeasure.

    "But I never imagined I''d be so open with you... How come?"

    "All because you attract people, Ryou-kun," Glenn smirked. "We''re all attracted to you," he showed his tenderness, and Ryou froze in surprise.

    "I hate it when you smile like that," Ryou crossed his arms.

    "I certainly can''t help it."

    "There''s a reason there''s a scary legend about your look at school. It''s like you came from the graveyard, by God," Ryou continued, embarrassing Glenn with embarrassment. "But I like it. I appreciate this everyday life. I really appreciate it."

    "I''m glad to hear that," the dark-haired man closed his eyes approvingly.

    For that was the outcome Glenn had intended, so that Ryou would finally enjoy ordinary school days with the boys. So, he wanted to help the young man experience the height of his emotions while he could.

    -

    As he walked out of the bathroom, Ryou sighed wearily, as he was able to disengage himself from the schoolgirls asking about his battered face. Then, the young man firmly declared that he had helped his friend solve his problem, to which the girls admired the young man''s favor immensely.

    When he climbed the stairs to the second floor, at the same time putting on a black jacket, which he cleaned from dust, in the middle Ryou stopped, seeing Yumiko, who in her case saw Ryou, standing near the stairs on the second floor.

    Her calm, submissive look reeked of the same cold mood, but Ryou didn''t flinch. The young man knew that this way Yumiko could feel safe, and with the boys she seemed like a different, warmer person.

    "That was a good fuck," came out of her mouth in a carefree and slightly husky voice. "Will you tell me later what happened to you?"

    Ryou seemed stunned by her, and didn''t even notice how his estranged eyes came alive at the sight of his friend''s beauty and tenderness. He felt different with her, very different.

    "Yeah."

 Traitor

    The hot breeze of the sunny month of July was just beginning to settle in. Unexpectedly, all the members gathered at the clubhouse. Everyone inside the club office was in a gloomy state of thought and impatience to clarify how each member had bothered to gather. Such a thing only presaged two outcomes: either big news or the end of the world. The last time Glenn had set foot in a circle office was weeks ago.

    In Tomoyuki and Ryou''s mind, Glenn could only have come to the club for reasons of a new questionnaire or breaking news, but by his thoughtful look, no one could expect anything expected of the dark-eyed man, for such a thing could bring about change, say, the becoming of all the planets in the solar system in one orbit.

    Yumiko hid her confusion under the guise of modesty, and wrote her homework on her notebook. Glenn, on the other hand, looked back from the blackboard to Ryou''s lowered gaze and noticed the swarthy atmosphere around the boys sitting at the shared desk.

    "Glenn-kun..." addressed Ryou with a quiver on his lips, and Tomoyuki swallowed his saliva in impatience. "How did you end up here, in the Literature Circle office?"

    "Where else would I be?" didn''t understand Glenn''s seriousness.

    "But you..." retorted Tomoyuki quietly and discreetly, "In the club office... with your foot..."

    "What they mean is that you rarely show your face in the clubhouse," pronounced Yumiko, and Glenn glared in surprise.

    "So that''s what you mean," he laughed, covering his mouth, but the heat of anxiety around Tomoyuki and Ryou had not diminished.

    "Why did you step foot in here?" Ryou''s voice broke in with an important tone.

    "Am I really not in the club that often?!"

    The boys'' and girls'' stone faces instantly disappeared as Glenn closed the book he was holding with his hand. The book slammed down, leaving behind a disturbing ringing sound that left only the five schoolboys alone. Glenn''s face changed to an important expression.

    "I wanted to talk to you. We all turned eighteen here, didn''t we?"

    "Actually, I''m still seventeen," Tomoyuki objected embarrassedly, chuckling. "I''m the youngest among you."

    "I''m seventeen, too," turned Akiko''s moderate gaze, making Ryou twitch slightly. "Hayashi-kun... Didn''t you know?" she stared worriedly, and lowered her eyes sadly.

    "No, I just... I really didn''t know you were a year younger than me."

    "That''s all right... Some people go to school early and others start late. There''s nothing you can do about it," she declared, and her eyes sparkled with passionate embarrassment, as if playing with Ryou''s instincts. "If you want...I can call you Sempai..."

    "N-don''t! That''s too much. The difference between Tomoyuki-kun and me is nine months."

    "So everyone else here is eighteen," Glenn ducked, and ran his sly eyes over Yumiko and Ryou. "It seems, Ryou-kun, you''re a little younger than me."

    "Why do you need such details?" pouted Akiko, stroking the tips of her long hair.

    "I was beginning to wonder who was how old. Now let''s get serious. About the incident with Yumiko-chan and Ryou-kun."

    The environment around the guys froze, and their pupils dilated. Indeed, everyone had long wanted to have a conversation about this topic, for no one really knew where the false information that all the schoolchildren still believed had leaked out of.

    "We''re dealing with someone who wants to crush either Yumiko-chan or Ryou-kun."

    Tomoyuki imperceptibly swallowed his saliva, and Yumiko couldn''t believe what she heard. Ryou''s gaze stiffened, and he himself began to silently ponder what the dark-eyed man had said, folding his fingers and putting them up to his nose.

    Who could it have been, Ryou thought from the moment the girls started coming to him again. Who could have told them such nonsense? Who could have gotten such a thing into their heads? Who would... take an interest in his personal life?

    "At first, I could barely control myself when I heard about the rumors," Glenn closed his eyes smilingly, making Tomoyuki increasingly uncomfortable with his words. "A certain individual at the school started a false rumor and escaped into obscurity. Who would have thought that it would be a couple who would come under fire, who were the talk of the whole school on the second day of school."

    "There''s nothing wrong with me," Yumiko put her left hand to the elbow of her right hand. "The important thing is that Hayashi-kun is once again being kept up. I''m sorry, Hayashi-kun," Yumiko''s frail shoulders slumped, and the girl was covered in pity.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "I bet only a mouse with a lack of self-righteousness would go for such an act. I''ll be sure to find that jerk," rattled Ryou with a sharp, snake-like stare. Tomoyuki found the sight of him creepy, and he became alarmed.

    "Let''s save the hate for later," Glenn flashed a smirk. "There have also been rumors that a certain Glenn and Ryou have become close friends with the bully brat Yamada. Yamada-kun seems to be very prominent at school. Now we don''t have to worry about any need for help with physical power."

    Tomoyuki didn''t know that the boys had made contact with the beloved tough guy. Glenn broached the subject with Yamada with great gusto, thus making it clear that all it took was one flick and the school''s chief bully would immediately come running to help his friends. Akiko''s body grew hotter, realizing that Tomoyuki''s plan had ended in failure in the end. Slightly glancing over at the young man, Akiko caught up with how creepy Yamashita''s situation was. Glenn seemed intent on bringing Tomoyuki out into the open, and shaking all the self-serving powers out of him.

    "Now to Ryou," the dark-eyed man added, staring thoughtfully at Ryou''s notebook. "If we increase the density of rumors about the latter by getting close to Yamada-kun-all the girls will be chomping at the bit from the handsome man. We can also resort to another force, reducing Ryou-kun''s influence among the girls. To do that, he can use Yamada as a defense against girls."

    "In other words, either appear as a bully or gain influence among them."

    "This way, we''ll shoot two birds with one stone at a time: we''ll get Ryou-kun and Yumiko-chan''s peace of mind back, and increase the overall influence in the school. Isn''t that a joy?"

    The boy and the girl agreed to the dark-eyed man''s words. Yumiko was pleased with Glennu''s quick-wittedness and his sincere desire to help the boys of the club, albeit indirectly. The modest girl was glad to have such a trustworthy friend.

    "Now, what I wanted to explain to you," Glenn transformed, lowering his tone and removing the slackness from his face. His monotone speech could only be used when it demanded proper attention, and everyone in the literary circle knew it. "Among us there are..." he added briskly, staring blankly at the flinching Tomoyuki with sharp and gloomy eyes.

    Clearly, Glenn meant to say "traitor," but he was keenly playing with the young man''s feelings, that he sat silently and could not open his mouth. Tomoyuki''s eyes were confused in concern, and his downcast hands trembled. His ears groaned at the endless influx of Glenn''s negative and judgmental rants, and his eyes cried out in fear of revealing himself. Sitting with her hair down, Akiko could do nothing to help the young man.

    "The instigator," Glenn finished firmly.

    "Among us?" misunderstood Ryou, to which the dark-eyed man comported himself and waved his hands.

    "Wrong. I meant at our school."

    The anxiety around Tomoyuki and Akiko subsided, but the boys were unwilling to lift their fearful eyes.

    Yumiko had been quietly glaring at the two boys the whole time, who were hiding their moods. The girl guessed who Glenn''s important talk meant, but she hoped her guesses were just nonsense. She wanted to believe in Akiko and Tomoyuki, who had become companions for her in a short time. Yumiko was silently worried about them.

    "If at our school, how will we reveal this person''s identity?"

    "Alas, people are capable of changing their views to suit their positions. So, there''s no way we can uncover the instigator. It''s pointless for us to look for him, so we''ll score."

    "Do you really want to brush it off?" asked Ryou, frowning. "People like this are like a virus, spreading air from the outside and casually ruining people. We should get rid of the rat that brings disease into our midst."

    "That''s exactly why we won''t do anything about it," Glenn grinned foxily to the side, as if to suggest that everything was under control. "This little rat will come running to us on his own, and he''ll reveal himself, too. Ryou-kun, would you forgive the rat if he came up to you and sincerely apologized?"

    "Just let him dare. I''ll smash the hell out of him. Such things only bring pain."

    Tomoyuki''s lips quivered, at the same time showing gritted teeth. He was stumped.

    "Now for the good stuff," Glenn cheered, making Ryou uncomfortable. "You guys are a little overthinking, aren''t you? It''s like there''s a cloud over you."

    After pausing for a moment, Glenn yawned with exhaustion. Yumiko noticed an exhaustion in his yawn that hadn''t been seen in his face before.

    "There''s going to be a Fireworks Festival on July 7."

    All the club members responded with surprise.

    "Indeed, there''s a festival in a few days," Ryou mused. "I''ve never seen fireworks in Tokyo before..."

    "Since this is our last year of school, I''d like to have more highlights. We''ve all been in contact with each other since the beginning of the first trimester, and I''d like to invite you all to come to the festival with me. We can capture the evening ahead together."

    Tomoyuki thought deeply. On the one hand, Glenn''s goals might have seemed innocuous and the young man was only inviting his friends on a whim to spend time with them, but on the other hand Tomoyuki understood that in this way the dark-eyed man was determined to bring their relationship with each other closer and wipe his plans off the map.

    "That''s a great idea," Yumiko said, "I''d like to have more highlights with all of you, too. But to tell you the truth, I''ve rarely been there, because I hardly ever leave the house."

    Akiko still looked at Yumiko with the same hateful, routine look on her face. Tomoyuki nodded optimistically. The young man contemplated creating something, but already in the direction of the nasty Akiko.

    "This is the perfect time," winked Tomoyuki. "We can enjoy the Fireworks Festival to the fullest."

    Ryou agreed and announced that he would go with them to the festival. Akiko agreed, too.

    "Great," Glenn reasoned with a kind smile. "We''ll discuss the details in general chat. We won''t likely make it before recess."

    The teenagers began packing their things and putting stationery in their bags and briefcases. Akiko thought that this would be the best moment to get closer to Ryou, and there was no way she could miss this chance.

 Hanabi Taikai (Fireworks Festival)

    The children were eagerly awaiting the start of a new event. Four days before the Fireworks Festival, Yumiko was looking for a new yukata on her own before coming to school.

    Three days before the festival, Akiko also stayed awake and looked for a yukata that Ryou might like. A suitable color between pink and beige was impossible for the girl to choose.

    With two days to go before the festival, Ryou told her sister that she and her friends were going to go there. In response, her sister made Ryou go with him to a clothing store to buy him a matching kimono.

    The day before the festival, the whole town was excited. The neighborhood slowly began to be decked out in colorful lanterns, and more and more customers showed up at the traditional clothing stores. The whole town was buzzing to participate in the upcoming festival. In the evening, Glenn posted in the general chat room whether they were ready for the festival, to which everyone else responded positively. Yumiko and Akiko were excited about the festival and looked forward to the next day. For Yumiko, this would be her first experience of spending time with her friends. Ryou wanted to have a good time at the festival and fantasized about the day, not even noticing how he wanted to see Yumiko in yukata towards the end. Tomoyuki lay silently on the bed with his eyes open.

    Just like that, the seventh of July came. It was a day everyone in the club remembered as one in which they had invested a lot of energy to spend together for the first time. For some the day was necessary to find new acquaintances, for others it was just a way to relax. In all cases, the day was an important entertainment for people all over Japan.

    It was five p.m. outside and most people in Tokyo began to gather for the festival by the Sumida River. The club members organized a meeting in the vicinity of the big bridge, right in the middle of the street. The whole area was full of city lights, and the colors of the big buildings shone nearby. Coming in his new kimono, Ryou took his time meeting at the point. His hair was styled back in a rubber band, but his top remained in place. When he reached the designated spot, he met Glenn, also dressed in a kimono. Ryou was surprised.

    "I thought you were coming in a undertaker''s uniform."

    "Ryou-kun, stop teasing!"

    "Didn''t you notice the others?"

    "No one but us shows up to the meeting before the appointed time."

    "True enough," Ryou relaxed, and gathered himself to wait patiently for the others to arrive.

    On the way, they met Akiko, who had run through the crowd. Her yukata was the color of a sakura and her hair was styled back in a ponytail. There were no words, the young girl looked cute and could brag about her beauty, which she had achieved on her own. She matched her light makeup perfectly, and her flushed cheeks matched her whitish powder perfectly. Ryou marveled at her good preparations for the festival.

    "Wow, Ryou-kun!" approached Akiko and slowed down. "Your new hairstyle style?" she pointed her eyes at his hair, to which the young man blushed.

    "Just wanted to try... My sister did it!"

    "She knows how to style! It suits you very well."

    After a little while, Yumiko came up to the guys as well. Her yukata was also the color of a sakura, but a little lighter, and her delicate, silky hair was styled in a bun. Ryou was most stunned by the sight of her, which struck him as cute. Pretty soon the short Tomoyuki, dressed in a kimono, arrived, too.

    They walked together toward the center of the festival, and as they approached they noticed more and more glowing booths and playful lanterns that gave a warm atmosphere before the festival of lights itself began.

    On their way they encountered a whole block of stalls and game boutiques, by the river. Such places were plentiful throughout the area that day, and the street was dragged by the stomping and noisy chatter of crowds of people dressed in traditional garb. Everyone wanted to try the sweets prepared for this festival. All these places were lit with lanterns of Japanese origin, glowing bitter red, and illuminating the whole neighborhood, which made the effect of a warm festival feel strong.

    The boys took their time piling up and walking down the straight street with the stalls and examining the handicrafts that were interesting to their eyes. They reached the counter where they were molding large cotton candy with a variety of flavors. Noticing Yumiko and Akiko''s eyes sparkling with cotton candy making, Ryou spared no expense to buy cotton candy for all five of them. Yumiko said not to, but Ryou insisted.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Another time, Akiko and Ryou were playing target shooting, and Tomoyuki was silently watching the couple. Yumiko, on the other hand, was standing at the fish stand, where she watched the fish swimming in the small pool. She was childishly curious to get her hands on one goldfish.

    Anyway, the boys were furiously going about their business, and Akiko saw Ryou''s eyes sparkle with vigor for the first time as he hit the targets the first time. The young man whipped out his toothpaste, which made the humble maiden laugh.

    Glenn and Tomoyuki stood watching. The dark-eyed man was more interested in what Yumiko was doing alone, but looked back at her to realize that she was happy to keep an eye on the fish.

    "I seem to be completely unused to the holidays," Tomoyuki said, closing his eyes. "I''ve stopped finding them meaningful."

    "Holidays bring people and nations together. People need to believe in the magic of holidays."

    "But it also wastes a lot of material resources, Glenn-san. Do people have to like a few days off the entire calendar to still spend money from those days for holiday enjoyment?"

    "People pay for the fun with funds, isn''t that a fair exchange? Families, on the other hand, enjoy the vacations by being together. It''s the same here."

    "As far as I''m concerned, fairness comes from a very different order. Pay to laugh or cry? No thanks," Tomoyuki clarified.

    "And what is your perception of justice based on, Tomoyuki-kun?"

    "Paying back what one deserves, how else could it be? The weak should be helped, and bad people should not be spared. That is the basis of the vitality of all humanity. Once a bad, always a bad, and it won''t change," he crossed his arms thoughtfully.  "They harm good people, they burden their lives. It''s only fair to stop at their forgiveness and atone for their sins in full. Justice is when a person may get nothing in return for committing an act. But he won''t stop evolving."

    Glenn hummed wryly, tempted by his bitter, hard answer.

    "Maybe you''re right," the dark-eyed man said, and looking slowly then at Ryou and Akiko and then at Yumiko, he smiled sincerely. "But people can change. For the better. And it is only fair to let them forgive themselves. The person who accompanies the rejected to the right path will be rewarded in full. I believe that," Glenn added, and looked back at Tomoyuki. "I know that. And the joy that people experience, paying by any means necessary, will affect them fully so that they will change and forget all the bad things."

    Tomoyuki froze for a few moments, then turned his head away and pouted his lips. "Your understanding of justice is incomprehensible to me," the young man retorted, and ran up to Yumiko.

    "Yamashita-kun!" called out Yumiko cheerfully, not looking away. "Look at those fish!"

    "Come on! There''s a lot of golden ones floating around."

    "There''s another one swimming in the tank."

    Glenn, who approached them, immediately returned his smirk, "You''re surprisingly much more energetic today. Do you really like it?"

    "Glenn-kun," Yumiko finally uttered, and, lowering her lashes, turned her head gently toward him. "Are you our mother?" the maiden added, causing the dark-eyed man to falter and Tomoyuki to clutch his stomach with laughter.

    "Ah?! Have I really crossed the line of being overprotective?"

    "Quite."

    "That''s hilarious!" slapped Tomoyuki on the dark-eyed man''s back. "And you didn''t notice that yourself?"

    "Glenn-kun," Yumiko retorted with a rank look, and Glenn became all ears. Tomoyuki, seeing that the maiden had kindly squinted at him, voluntarily withdrew. "Is that what you meant when you said that Yamashita-kun and Akiko-chan''s conversation was about me?"

    Glenn followed her eyes and looked back at Ryou and Akiko passing the dash. Ryou whipped out a teddy bear the size of half a maiden''s hand, which made Akiko not be able to drop a word for the first few seconds. Of course he would, because men don''t need teddy bears at all, Ryou counted in his head. Akiko, covered in blush, warmly accepted his gift.

    "Akiko-chan probably doesn''t like me," Yumiko looked at the fish swimming aimlessly in the small aquarium. The modest girl had no time to recover from her musings, as the goldfish turned its gaze on her and froze.

    "You shouldn''t worry," Glenn stared meekly into the distance, trying not to show his emotions. It pained him that Yumiko was thinking about such things, for, in his opinion, the worst thing a man can feel in his own skin is an insult to his dignity. "I will certainly save you all," he complemented without hesitation. Yumiko did not doubt his confidence either, for they had come to trust each other wholeheartedly. Only to her could Glenn utter such words.

    "Then I will wait. If it can take forever, I''ll wait."

 Vue du Sommet

    Ryou''s sister called and he stepped forward from the stall. Akiko, who was beside her, looked with vivid interest at the corn-dogs that were being sold at the nearby counter. She couldn''t look away, for their taste was distinctively exquisite, and the maiden sensed this exquisiteness with all her taste buds, so much so that she was thrilled even to think of touching one corn-dog with her lips. Glenn, looking at her eager to eat the corn dogs, calmly asked to give the vendor three pieces. Akiko was surprised by his ambiguity for her. Glenn quietly handed her one hot corn-dog. The maiden like fox pushed back a step and instinctively hissed, lest the young man trick her with bribery. But the fox was hungry, and the dark-eyed man graciously served one fresh corn-dog with his hand. In the end, Akiko couldn''t object.

    "Oh my, you''re the best!" returned Akiko''s human manners, eagerly devouring the sweet, crunchy corn dog. Akiko was completely oblivious to the aroma and taste of this food, and she covered her face with her pink hair and continued to eat. When he noticed that neither Tomoyuki nor Yumiko were around, the dark-eyed man looked around. There was no sign of Ryou either, as if they hadn''t been there all along. He decided to give the other two corn-dogs to her, since he wasn''t too hungry himself.

    At this time, Yumiko was looking at the stalls with a fierce gleam and Tomoyuki''s unprecedented interest. Tomoyuki kept an eye on her.

    "You look like you''re no native at all," Tomoyuki stammered bashfully when he saw some of the stares of strangers passing by squinted at Yumiko.

    "But there are a lot of interesting stuff here...! I don''t know at all what I want to buy out of all the items."

    "In that case, buy the one you liked the most. Honest to God, Sato-chan, you''re like a child."

    "I can''t help it. I love being here!"

    And this is just the beginning of the festival, Tomoyuki thought to himself, covering his eyes with his hand. Tearing his gaze away from the girl, he stared at Ryou, who was talking over the phone. Tomoyuki couldn''t figure out who was calling him.

    Ryou walked ahead, and finally hanging up with the words that he had to go, stopped pacing and looked around all corners, but found no familiar soul. Tomoyuki saw him, and in fact he was not far from the boys, but he still looked around eagerly in all directions. Maybe it was because of the large gathering of peoples that he couldn''t find his friends, or maybe he didn''t have any in this town at all. Who knows? Certainly not Ryou, for he had cast aside all thoughts and was only going to spend time with his comrades.

    "Sato-chan," Tomoyuki looked away with all humility, and the maiden sitting near the counter smelled a certain spark of unidentified hope in the tone of his voice. "I''m having fun at the club and hanging out with you, too. But I''m sure it will stop someday, for I don''t know where I stand. How many extra masks are left on your faces?" he folded his hands into his sleeves and darted a step toward Ryou. "When you notice the revolver pointed at my whiskers - change my mind. For then, even hell won''t be terrible for me," he finished breathlessly and with a monotone that Yumiko might not have taken note of the young man''s words at all. Tomoyuki continued to step.

    Ryou finally saw the humble Tomoyuki walking in his direction, and was glad he was not lost alone among the crowd in an area unknown to him.

    "Where did it take us?" the young man with the wavy hair asked, and saw Yumiko sitting behind Tomoyuki, who in the meantime was looking at both boys.

    "I think we got separated from the others. What a setback."

    "I''ll try to call them."

    "No need!" Tomoyuki waved his hands confusedly. "I''ll get them myself. They should be nearby," and he ran to meet the lost ones. So, Tomoyuki stealthily walked away through the crowd and Ryou''s eyes involuntarily stopped discerning the amount of people nearby.

    Yumiko continued to look around the counter, and the young man followed her.

    After watching her face from the angle, the boy calmed down. He couldn''t tear his eyes away from her flat forehead and natural lashes. To the young man, she seemed graceful and harmless, like a princess sitting at the very top of a lonely tower where no man had ever set foot. This was exactly what Yumiko''s innocence seemed like.

    "Once when I was a child," Yumiko muttered softly, "I went to the Fireworks Festival with my father. What a shame, I don''t remember anything of what happened back then. When it comes to realization, you begin to appreciate... how important memories are. Happy, warm memories. But the mind soon forgets them too. They are lost in the abyss of new, fresh memories, whether they are as warm or not. I would like... to have happy memories that I will capture and never forget again."

    Ryou couldn''t find the right words for the girl''s revelation, staring serenely at the starry sky. Somehow he tried to respond and cheer the girl up, but he didn''t know what he should have done better. Laugh? Not likely, he would only sink before her eyes that way. A shrug on her shoulders? Would Ryou have been pleased if he had received such an incomprehensible response?This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    "I don''t socialize with my family," Yumiko continued, dismissing the silence beneath the veil of people''s clatter, "That''s why I don''t remember festivals! Sorry."

    "Neither do I..." muttered the young man bashfully, lowering his gaze, but Yumiko heard every letter from his trembling lips. "Rarely went to festivals with my parents."

    A spark of bitterness soon appeared on the maiden''s startled face, followed by the warm smile that Ryou''s presence so lacked.

    "I see. Festivals like this are only memorable when you have someone to celebrate with, so we don''t remember what it was like when we were kids!" encouraged Yumiko the boy, folding her arms behind her waist.

    Ryou dared only nod. So did the space around them as the pair looked up, open, expansive, and filled with millions of stars glowing from afar. It was a starry sky, giving the lands of Japan a noble sense of light and human hope, intoxicating the human soul. Death, pain, suffering... All these burdens only paled at the sight of the whole galaxy shining through the sky, like a path that it is not a sin to follow in order to meet a better world. A world without death and pain and suffering. Through the girl''s wide-open eyes the stars reflected, and in her ears rang the music of will and of human willfulness. In that sky flaunted true freedom.

    "Do you see them too, Ryou-kun?"

    "Uh? Ah... yes. An endless number of... bright stars."

    "But what do they illuminate with their light?"

    "Space that humans can only get to after hundreds of generations."

    "And beyond it? What is there...?" Yumiko continued to ask, struck by the greatest sight for her eyes.

    Seeking friends among the crowd of people, Tomoyuki paused not without reason, and tearing his resigned gaze away from the counters, stared up at the starry sky. A crown of hope flickered in his belly, giving confidence to his striving. Tomoyuki''s blue pupils dilated and his eyes shone, as if he had seen the same feeling from years ago.

    "The view from the top," Ryou and Tomoyuki responded simultaneously.

    Tomoyuki was slapped on the back by Akiko, unnoticed because of her short stature, and behind her stood Glenn, who hid his anger toward the young man under the guise of sadness. Akiko tapped the young man on the shoulders and shook her head toward the path down the street to direct them toward Ryou and Yumiko. Tomoyuki slowly pointed with his hand which way to go, and Akiko continued treading in her haste.

    "Stop it already..." drilled Glenn quietly, staring at the boy, "You don''t know what you''re doing yourself. Awake."

    "Locked in endless despair will not escape the cycle," alienated Tomoyuki stared at the dark-eyed man with a weary gaze.

    "The heavens harbor uncountable mysteries that mankind cannot solve," Yumiko finally added. "Well, we can''t imagine what lies behind that sky. But I do know that somewhere out there in the distance... there is calm and serenity. And there are black holes."

    "Black... holes?"

    "Some say that inside the black holes, deep-deep, there''s a void, and some are sure it''s another dimension. Another, not like ours. But no one will know exactly what this mystery holds within it either," she touched her fragile hands to her heart area and closed the eyes gratefully. "Ever since I was a little girl, I''ve wanted to know if my lost, happy life was out there in the black hole. If I knew for certain that I could be reborn with a family whose smile never disappears from their faces, I would surely sacrifice my life."

    Ryou listened intently, with so much interest that he could hear her light, mind-stirring sighs. Her modest and soft lips faintly moved, and the hand rankly placed against her chest showed the girl''s decency.

    "I''d settle for being sucked in there," Yumiko whispered, but Ryou heard. He couldn''t help but hear, his indifference to the dialogue that broke the time count around the boys would not have allowed him. Those endless footsteps of strangers no longer mattered to the young man''s ears, for the only thing he heard was Yumiko''s gentle, and slightly hoarse voice.

    Ryou suddenly imagined a black hole appearing in the middle of the street in front of Yumiko, and noticed the girl reach out her hand to the hole, and the levitating illusion began to fly up at a low speed. Catching his breath, he imagined as if it were real, and imagined all the pressure from the black hole that it was even pulling the air toward him.

    "Even if I had plans for the future, I''d give up everything to experience myself with a family like that. For that...I could afford even death itself."

    The black hole touched Yumiko''s finger, and Ryou''s ears rang violently, so ringing that he stopped discerning people, and was enveloped in momentary darkness.

    In an instant, Yumiko saw Ryou grab her thin arm and pull her aside, grabbing her forearms. The action that occurred in a split second lost its meaning when the girl soon noticed the flitting sadness and fear on Ryou''s face.

    Upon coming to his senses, Ryou threw back his hands and dropped his gaze to the ground. The boy didn''t realize what he had done, but the only thing he knew was that his reaction was due to his attachment to Yumiko''s identity.

    "Sorry."

    "Ah... yeah, it''s okay... I think you''re overworked."

    Ryou nodded, and Yumiko fell silent. Glancing around the one-lane area, the girl finally recovered from her reverie.

    "We must have gotten lost from the others."

 Aves

    Twilight finally thickened. Through the crowds of people walking harmlessly down the straight, blocked street, Akiko ran tirelessly in search of the truth. She searched for the truth of her feelings, was there any, or was it all just one illusion that she herself believed? In her hands she held a bag with a teddy bear peeking out. Noticing the outline of Yumiko standing in the middle of the road, the girl ran up to her. With a flustered and somewhat disgruntled look, Akiko looked questioningly at Yumiko, whose gaze expressed a single look of surprise.

    "He said he went to the bathroom..."

    Akiko, eagerly twisting her breath, squinted her eyes and lowered her head. Her face was half-covered by her long hair, and her lips pressed together as if she couldn''t bear the heartbreak.

    "Why are you always in my way?" she complained impetuously, causing Yumiko to feel a sharp surge of anger emanating from Akiko. "Perhaps you will let us-" the maiden could not control herself, but her anger was put to rest by the arrival of Tomoyuki, who called the maidens.

    "Sato-chan! Are you all right? We were worried."

    "Yeah... I''m fine."

    "Fine then... The lights are about to start, Glenn-san is already taking suitable seats. We''ll be seeing a fantastic view very soon!"

    "Yes, you''re right..."

    "Come on, Sato-chan, this is what we all wanted!" glowed Tomoyuki earnestly, dazzling Yumiko''s eyes with hope in happiness, and in unfulfilled wishes. "Together! We wished to meet the festival together!"

    "Y-yes!" fascinated Yumiko, believing this hope coming from the guy''s lips. Even if only a drop, the maiden let herself be led and believed in the desires. In the desires that kept moving forward, toward the light.

    Gathered together, they walked to the bridge, where Glenn was waiting for them. Right in the middle of the bridge was a clear view of all the outlines of the star-covered Sumida River. That''s where the lights were about to begin.

    Impatience was taking over people''s minds immaculately - they all wanted to behold the beginning of the festival. To see the dazzling eyes and the celestial blue of the lights that would dance over the face of everyone present.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Standing at the edge of the row of guys, Akiko''s lips were full of sadness and showed genuine self-pity, but Ryou poked her on the shoulder, quietly saying that the moment would soon come. He stood beside Akiko and gazed with all his eyes at the river, the girl giggling dreamily.

    After a pause, that moment came.

    There was a flying explosion of bright particles flying upward, and a few moments later, glowing and multicolored fireworks blossomed, unfurling into the sky. Like flowers, they burst open with sparks of light and dissolved all the horrors of the people who were looking at them. Everyone was enthralled and thrilled by the sight, which in addition was illuminated by the sky with its bright stars.

    Standing on the other side, and alongside Tomoyuki, Glenn quipped in a slow and hollow voice to ask him:

    "You wanted to leave Yumiko and Ryou alone for Akiko to taste the pain, am I right? She doesn''t even look happy and stunned now, looking at the fireworks. But in her eyes... it''s impossible not to see the fading faith in her truth."

    He was sure that others would not hear him, except Tomoyuki, who dutifully watched the dance of multicolored lights. His pupils reflected all the light of those lights, but the boy''s eyes did not glimmer. They were frozen in one place.

    "Who knows," Tomoyuki answered at last. "Dreaming like her is not my thing. People''s dreams are shared only by... death. Aspiration, faith, and hope are all factors that absolve people of responsibility. After all, at least this way, they feel a little freedom."

    Ryou looked back at Yumiko and saw her happy face shining with the smooth colors of fireworks, and inside himself he compared her delightfulness to a brilliant butterfly, whose wings were the color of blue peacock tails. The wings seemed to flutter behind the modest and fragile girl, whose senses even a bug seemed to be able to break. He was delighted by her beauty.

    Akiko, who noticed the boy''s admiration, slowly lowered the eyelashes and covered her face with hands. Ryou looked back at the sad look on the fearful girl''s face and touched his hands to her lowered arm.

    "Don''t be afraid," whispered Ryou bitterly, "It will soon be over."

    Akiko was not afraid of the lights at all, as Ryou thought, but of his desires, of which the boy himself had no idea. Everything was visible from the outside. Akiko inwardly called Ryou a fool.

    Meanwhile, the bright fireworks continued to unfold, capturing people all around.

    But after a time, the performance ended, and the river area completely subsided.

 Strings of Courage

    After the end of school exams, at the end of the first trimester, on July 18, two questionnaires were received at once from the teacher Masumi. A little earlier, Ryou had asked why they had stopped giving the questionnaires, and Glenn answered that the teacher had decided to give them a rest. Handing the two questionnaires to the couples, Masumi asked them to read thoroughly the dossiers of the demanders.

    "Ryou-kun along with Glenn-kun, and Yu-chan with Akiko-chan," Masumi muttered. "I did not divide you into two groups by chance: we chose the questionnaires that best fit your skills."

    Tomoyuki, who was also in the circle room, understood why these particular teams had been chosen, and why he had not. The boy assumed internally that Glenn had decided to bring Yumiko and Akiko closer together by taking Ryou with him through a second questionnaire.

    He concluded that Glenn was in an attempt to finish off Tomoyuki''s trampled goals, for it was somehow better to finish them off than to leave them to recover. Tomoyuki thought that after the festival there was a break in work due to preparations for school, since Yumiko would not do anything other than study for exams, and Ryou was sure to get them closed. It was the same with Glenn and Akiko.

    Akiko, on the other hand, was shocked by this composition, for she had to work together with her hated Yumiko, whose rage had surged since the festival. With her skills, she still harbored her shock, but the slight surprise didn''t go anywhere.

    "I''d be happy to work with you," Yumiko smiled with velvet affection as they left the office. Akiko''s lips were full of confusion.

    "Of course."

    In the words Tomoyuki heard in another of their recent meetings, Akiko became aware of Glenn''s meanness in choosing questionnaires and lineups. She used to think that jobs were chosen at random, and upon learning of the sneaky truth, the maiden''s disdain went to another level. Glenn also ruined her plans to eliminate Yumiko from her social circle with his indirect involvement.

    Now that she was in the same lineup with her, Akiko didn''t know how to be.

    The sun was setting behind the skyscrapers that were visible even from the school grounds. The end of the school day heralded a rest for the students. Ryou, along with Glenn, were walking out of school.

    "When are we finally going to start doing the survey?" gazed Ryou at the bitter sunset.

    "The day after tomorrow. And also, Yumiko-chan and Akiko-chan''s work starts tomorrow."

    "Hmm? You mean the girls will have to be excused from school? Yumiko-chan would never do that."

    "She''d have to," Glenn added thoughtfully, in spite of his own doubts about it. "Their profile is of an entirely different type. Ryou-kun, understand the whole situation. These two questionnaires are more serious than usual, and failure is unacceptable. No one has any other choice."

    With such a serious look, the dark-eyed man told them about their situation that Ryou shuddered. Is everything so atypical, he thought, remembering all the earlier questionnaires.

    -

    "Daisuke Social Services Organization."

    Name of requester - Sakura Ichijo

    Questionnaire type - Legal

    Type of Service - PhysicalThe author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Taken Up - Ryou Hayashi, Glenn Zaliman."

    -

    "Daisuke Social Services Organization."

    Name of requester - Masashi Miura

    Questionnaire type - Physical

    Type of Service - Social

    Taken Up - Yumiko Sato, Akiko Akiyama"

    -

    Dusk was thickening behind the windows of the houses, and objects that were losing their outlines under the veil of advancing darkness were forgotten in their eyes. Ryou and Glenn were in a public bathroom inside a shopping mall. People''s eyes peered out from the open bathroom door to see them, dressed in a stylish tuxedo in black and white. The guys'' hair seemed to have a similar style: with gel, the tips of their hair neatly styled back, glistening under the light. It didn''t seem for nothing that they had matured.

    After washing their hands, Ryou and Glenn rubbed them with their handkerchiefs, and as they left the bathroom they checked their white gloves in their pockets. Ryou repeated to himself their assignment to participate in a noble banquet among the rich, as young men to two young ladies.

    "One thing I don''t understand," he glanced thoughtfully at the dark-eyed man. "What are we for, if the rich should have their own personal guards?"

    "Maybe for some reason they don''t want to walk around during the banquet under the supervision of their guards."

    "It doesn''t make sense."

    "The important thing is, Ryou-kun, do you have the skills to express yourself in a gentlemanly manner?"

    "Hmm? Well, yes. I''ve been taught gentlemanly honor since I was a kid."

    "Really? That''s a miss..." weathered Glenn with excitement, bloated unseriously with relaxation. "So I didn''t screw up."

    "My parents used to make me learn such principles. It was a disgusting feeling to do something you didn''t want to do."

    "Do you know why they made you, Ryou-kun?"

    "All because of my last name," ran through Ryou''s quiet voice. He looked out into the far corridors of the mall, where the sounds of people were coming from. Variety boutiques were at every turn. "It seems they wanted to make their family name famous not only in the business industry, but in the rest of the world. And honorable politeness contributes with high discipline. In my parents'' opinion, it would allow me to make my way into their stratum of work."

    Glenn thought in his head that this discipline had helped him, even though Ryou spoke of it with resentment. Ryou''s talent shone through and he handled all the school worries and matters of education with ease.

    "Most likely your parents foresaw your high mental capacity," Glenn pronounced, making Ryou twitch with the gloom with his words.

    "Stop flattering...you''re scaring me."

    "But it''s true. You also have perfect genes, that''s not fair."

    "Let''s get to work."

    Still, Ryou was scared. To see the faces of important and rich people looking down on the rest of us again was something a guy wouldn''t wish for even in his nightmares. But work was work. If he thought for even a moment about his fear, he would immediately get goosebumps running through his body and shaking his fingers. His pupils contracted fearfully. But the boy got a grip on himself. He knew there was no turning back, and a banquet that lasted two hours could not make his life worse by burdening him with difficult acts. Not at all, the boys were only required to accompany the maidens of honor.

    They used a cab and drove straight to the restaurant. Ryou could imagine what this restaurant was like from the inside, being a highly skilled enterprise among its competitors, but when he saw its size and architectural structure, he marveled at its gracefulness. The bulky exterior of the restaurant was covered in the glowing light of spotlights. The architecture itself was reminiscent of the architecture of Renaissance-era Italian landmarks. It was immediately clear: the European restaurant was extolling its opulence in the middle of the street, also hinting that an important banquet would begin today. Few banquet-goers had gathered at the entrance and on the grounds, and the parking lot was quietly filling up with mind-blowing new-generation luxury cars that teenagers like Ryou and Glenn could only dream of.

    It was known that not only people of Japanese descent, but also people of European and Western descent would be participating in the cross-national banquet. Ryou and Glenn mentally prepared to begin their work. Clenching their hands into fists, straightening their shoulders, and adjusting the sleeves and collar of their tuxedos, the young men stepped foot, albeit temporarily, into the upper class.

 International Independence

    "Forty minutes to go," Glenn explained, glancing at the phone clock. As time passed, more and more people arrived.

    Inside the huge establishment, the staff was still getting ready to serve. The banquet must come out perfect because it would involve not only Japanese rich people, but also many foreign visitors.

    "Do you speak English well?" asked Glenn as they approached the entrance. "I reckon we could use it tonight."

    Ryou nodded positively.

    As they got closer to the building, the gentlemen were met by a woman on the steps near the entrance. She stood quietly with her personal guards, waiting patiently for the keepers to arrive.

    "There''s the orderer," Glenn winked in a low voice, and moved close to the woman standing on the last steps.

    Finally, the woman''s gaze reached the dark-eyed fellow. She measured Glenn''s gaze and soon crossed over to Ryou, who stood slightly behind. The red dress, whose neckline exposed the thin woman''s right leg, matched her slender body perfectly, as if the master himself had chosen her outfit. Red lips painted with lipstick and a pair of rejuvenating makeup gave grace to her seemingly tough personality.

    And also two tall guards in black, silently carrying out every order of their overlord, stood slenderly beside her presence, showing the seriousness of this woman.

    "Is that you Daisuke cavaliers?" she spoke importantly at last, and with her peaceful but stern tone of voice roused Ryou. The guy couldn''t have known how different her simple intonation and approach to her choice of speech was from the usual, street-smart one.

    "Right," Glenn replied with a frozen smile, and the woman mused.

    "You''re too young for this kind of work. But may you look noteworthy and clean-cut, as befits a gentleman."

    "We are grateful. Deign to introduce yourself, my name is Glenn Zaliman."

    "Ryou Hayashi," he bowed his head following Glenn.

    "Hmm, Hayashi? Or... is Ryou a last name? Ah, nevermind..." the woman perplexedly animated, and carefully ran her gaze over him. Finally, uncertainty formed on her face, and she soon dismissed unnecessary ideas. "Anyway, okay. I am Sakura Ichijo. This evening you will serve as our heart and shield. My younger sister has also arrived with me."

    "But where is she?"

    "You know..." stammered Sakura, staring excitedly at the dark car that was in the parking lot. "Here''s the thing."

    The security guard, opening the passenger door of this car, waited impersonally while a thin foot in long shoes awkwardly climbed out of the interior, and then a girl whose look was similar to Sakura''s, but whose face seemed much younger. She unaggressively told the guard not to touch her, and looked like an untouchable to him.

    "Himeno can''t stand tall and broad men," Sakura agreed. "That''s her fear, born from infancy. All because of her short stature."

    Dressed in an emerald-colored sequined dress, the girl gave off a very different vibe from her sister: a slightly shy face, but slender steps rallied her sense of courage, offset by a youthful, girlish look confused the boys.

    Indeed, the sisters revealed similarities, but only visual ones. Their eyes, uniforms, and affectionate gaze converged and accompanied their decency, but Hime?o lacked calm and firmness. The younger, 22-year-old sister seemed like a girl influenced by her family''s status at the sight of her older sister. From the manner of Sakura''s speech, the 29-year-old established woman without a second thought, the boys thought she was only interpreting important things and took the tone of her life in stride.

    "Are you the keepers?" asked an incoming Himeno, hesitating. The girl was hesitant, but she didn''t give up hope for the best. Eventually both young men nodded closedly, and the girl''s face brightened with joy. "What luck, and you''re my age... I didn''t sign the form for nothing, then!" she finished, sighing with weariness.

    The banquet began. The inside of the building met all the guys'' expectations: luxurious decorations and architecture in the style of the Italian Renaissance and curtains, combined red and beige, covered the walls with their grandeur. The far edge of the great hall contained a fountain with statues of three children near a tree, one of whom was a girl, and near this statue rose a snow-white staircase leading to the next floor, where there were tables.

    Himeno held onto Glenn''s elbow with childlike contentment, while Sakura held onto Ryou''s. Ryou could somehow manage the gazes of the people who were randomly pointing back and forth, but it was Sakura''s presence that put even more pressure on him. It was as if there was a nobility around her without frills, something Ryou had never encountered before. He wondered to himself why she paired him if there were guards and only Himeno insisted on personal gentlemen.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    The two pairs approached the center of the banquet in the main hall in undivided synchronicity, yet they remembered to keep some distance between them so as not to look typical in the eyes of the upper class. This idea had originally appeared in Sakura''s mind, and it was her duty to appear worthy of her status. Ryou, who was squinting at those present, noticed that the Japanese people were not the only ones in the room. He thought to himself that those present were from all branches of the business world. Glenn and Ryou looked more than respectable, giving the women the same reliable support. The banquet was businesslike, covered with the noise of people talking among themselves from every seat.

    Sakura was greeted by a middle-aged man with blond hair and a European appearance. Being of medium height, a woman of about the same age as Sakura walked beside him. Ryou guessed from their friendliness that they knew each other. After greeting Sakura in English, the man measured Ryou standing beside her with blue eyes.

    "Who''s the guy next to you?" came from his lips in a low and unstringent voice that made Sakura shudder imperceptibly.

    "That''s my young man," Sakura replied in an English accent, and Ryou shook hands with the man in a gentlemanly manner.

    "Ryou Hayashi."

    Tracing the manner of Ryou''s hand movements and entire body, they noticed 20th century Western etiquette in them, which was rare even in current Europe. Gentlemanliness as an honorable image of a man had long been forgotten. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Elliot Breeze," the man replied admiringly to the prim and unflappable young man. "I shall confess, Sakura, this is the first time I have ever seen such a thing. Alas, Hayashi-kun, deign to ask, how old are you?"

    "Eighteen years old," Ryou added, and they were literally stunned. It seemed to them that the young man could have been in his twenties by his adult appearance, but by no means eighteen. Ryou''s gaze did not appropriate childish manners.

    "After all, Sakura, I''m surprised at your discernment. For the sake of the banquet, you''ve cooked up a real phenomenon! You never cease to baffle me."

    "It''s nothing..." caught Sakura''s breath, covering her mouth in confusion. To herself, though, she wondered about the young man''s age. A kind of doubt crept into her, and she still couldn''t figure out who Ryou really was. Giving up her foolish thoughts, the woman accepted the present and reluctantly admired his etiquette.

    With further humble conversation between Elliot and Ryou, she became convinced that the guy had all the appropriate manners for a true gentleman, and completely relieved the pressure, once again showing herself to be a graceful rose at the sight of the others.

    "Well done, Hayashi-kun," Elliot added with a hearty chuckle. "I suggest we stop being serious and switch to Japanese."

    "I suggest you get off the guy with your questions, too," sounded a tease from Sakura, and Elliot opened up even more.

    "I understand. After all, I haven''t seen you in over a year, Sakura," he shrugged, and soon glanced over with impassive eyes at Himeno, who was glistening with a smile, talking to other people nearby. "Himeno still looks innocent. I remember she shined brightest as a baby too, dazzling everyone around her."

    "At the moment, she has finally taken her first step into the family business. Even fools like her can eventually start thinking with their heads."

    "I''m glad she''s doing well. I feel like a father in front of her."

    Ryou remembered Sakura''s words about Himeno, that in a business organization her communication didn''t seem so important and firm. Now the young man realized-Himeno had not previously set foot in the family business, wanting to advance on her own, with her own personal goals. He preferred to think of Hime?o as a girl similar to him in some respects.

    "But she knows the value of conversation, and despite her familiarity, she will be able to stand up for herself in conversations with important people."

    "Really?" relieved Elliot at Sakura''s words, and giggled childishly, covering his mouth. "I''m going to go greet her," he motioned to Hymeno when Sakura politely agreed. The woman beside him walked off after him.

    After a brief silence, which Ryou and Sakura devoted to watching Elliot and Himeno joyfully embrace in what from the outside seemed like a long-awaited father-daughter reunion, Sakura sighed, slumping her firm shoulders.

    "Elliot is the head of an important business organization in the United States. He has known my and Himino''s father for a long time, and so there is a closeness and affection between us. We''ll meet lots of people like that, but they won''t be so friendly anymore. So please don''t slow down your pace."

    "Okay."

    Sakura thought within herself that it was striking to have such qualities of communication at his age, for Ryou''s mannerisms were appealing in their firmness and bulkiness.

    Meanwhile, an hour had passed since the banquet began, and Glenn and Ryou were at the counter, and Ryou was pouring grape juice into his glass glass. Stuck to the edge of the counter, Glenn silently held the half-poured glass and looked up with lifted eyes at the bulky chandelier hanging firmly on the top floor.

    "These girls are adorable; they''re obviously more tired than we are, but they don''t show it," Glenn declared, twisting the wrist of the hand with which he held the glass."There are people gathered here from all over the world. It must be hard for them to find common ground with the giants of their business."

    Ryou, without removing his frown from the full glass in his hand, said:

    "Hime-no-chan is like a fawn among wolves and lynxes. But despite her naivety and cuteness, she is still a person in their family organization. Here''s what I think, Glenn-kun: we''re needed here to give her more confidence around these bobcats and wolves, and to accompany her on her journey to join the big leagues. That''s why Sakura-chan trusted us in the beginning, because she only wishes her little sister happiness."

    "I hope you''re right."

    "But you knew, or at least guessed. Didn''t you?"

    "No, I had no idea," Glenn blurted out in a satisfied smile. "But I''m happy for you, Ryou-kun, you did great."

    "That''s enough," embarrassed Ryou clutched his mouth open and crossed his arms. "We have two more hours."

 Servant, a Young Beauty

    Glenn, at an inopportune moment for the young man himself, was met by a familiar man in his fifties. Japanese descent, lean body shape, and graying hair: Glenn instantly recognized the mature man. Dressed in a dark gray kimono, this man seemed a distinctive personality around the other guests dressed in tuxedos, and true, for he is the current head of his clan. Sakura and Himeno did not discourage the young man from his duties and let him go for a while. Ryou, too, remained at the whim of Glenn himself.

    The man greeted the lads according to Japanese custom, as befitted the head of the clan, bowing his head approvingly. The young men were to respond appropriately.

    "Hirota-sama," voiced Glenn with moderate joy on his face, "I didn''t expect to see you here."

    "What can I say, I''m surprised to see you here, too," Akihito chimed in. "Is it work?"

    Glenn nodded. By the look and manner of his speech, Akihito was not a frivolous or seemingly elderly person, but rather, the man had followed his health and age gloriously. Akihito looked around at the unfamiliar guy, and wondered who he was.

    "Ryou Hayashi," the young man added briskly.

    "Akihito Hirota. You''re Glenn-kun''s mate? Do you happen to have parents who run their own business?"

    "Yes. Now, I''m a work colleague. We go to the same school."

    "Ryou-kun," Glenn called out, "You should be enlightened. Akihito-sama is the current head and descendant of the historical Japanese aristocratic Hirota family, who once earned state honors."

    "The truth is that with each generation, the importance of the remaining clans disappears, as do all clan systems," Akihito clarified. "It doesn''t matter now, for our clan is now engaged in a different line of work, and we have ceased to interfere in politics."

    "Sad truth."

    The realization came to Ryou that he didn''t know at all who Glenn was associating with outside of the literary club members, and the familiarity of Akihito surprised the teenager.

    A child''s face appeared behind Akihito, followed by a girl of about twelve with blond hair and black clothes. The girl''s face showed an atypical nonchalance for children her age, and she didn''t move one step away from Akihito.

    "Good to see you again, Mari-chan," the dark-eyed man said cheerfully, and the girl bowed silently.

    Ryou''s gaze changed as the noble girl appeared. He couldn''t understand why there would be children in a place like this, but she didn''t seem to surprise the others, as if her presence were commonplace. Ryoukept wondering who she was, and his thoughts all converged to just one conclusion.

    Akihito turned at the call of the other mature man, and greeted him with a greeting and asked Mari to bring them a glass each. To Mari, Akihito''s requests were errands that she was obligated to perform without question, and Mari retired to the waiters'' table. Ryou realized that the girl was Akihito''s maid. Looking back at Glenn, a wide, happy smile appeared on Mari''s face.

    After a while, Glenn and Ryou continued to walk in pairs with the women. The women managed to talk to a lot of familiar and not-so-familiar faces in all the time. When they finally finished talking, they stood in a deserted corner to catch their breath.

    "Phew! I''m so tired," Himeno proclaimed, which made Sakura giggle, also admitting her fatigue.

    "You''re doing great," Glenn spoke fondly. "If I were you, I''d be mad by now. You''re peerless."

    "Every businessman faces this sooner or later," Sakura muttered, "...With the obstacle of entering the society of grim but important people. You can''t avoid it, you have to get used to it and stand firmly on your own. To you this day will be a useful experience in the future."

    "I can''t believe I''m still on my feet," Himeno crossed her thin arms. "Humans aren''t robots. It''s hard to get what they want."

    "You have to learn. It''s most important to you."

    "I understand," Himeno sang in a sing-song voice. "But let me relax just a little bit!"

    "That''s what we''re doing now."

    "That''s good! Then we''ll rest in silence. Before that, I should thank you, Hayashi-kun, Zaliman-kun!" stepped Sakura closer to the attentive guys. "I don''t seem to be a person of importance, even if I am one of the main ones in a widely known business organization... I lack confidence, and everyone knows it. But I will try, I will work hard for myself and for my sister, so that I will no longer be a burden."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Ryou was the same way. He was horrified to hear the revelations from Himeno, whose life was only blossoming with new colors. Having been victims of involvement in the adult realm since infancy, they were equally disowned by . Whether it was reluctance or justification, the truth was lost within themselves.

    "And yet, Hayashi-kun, Zaliman-kun," Sakura pierced the young men with a sharp look, and soon squeezed out a smile that made them confused by the sloppiness. "Thank you for your help."

    "Ah, t-that''s alright...!"

    "Wh-what are you afraid of?"

    "Sister, you don''t know how to thank people at all."

    "Hmm? Is it... because of my smile?! I''ve been practicing it in front of the mirror!"

    "How to say, sister. Your training has gone to waste!" laughed Himeno and the young man. "But you tried."

    "Shame... It''s worth training harder."

    "But this evening I can do it, for the future of our company rests on us," Himeno added, resolutely straightening her back and squaring her thin shoulders. "I must manage at least now, or I will never forgive myself."

    "You certainly can manage," declared Glenn, "We''ll help all we can."

    "Thank you! We don''t doubt your strength."

    A loud adult male voice came out over the microphone. All in attendance pricked up their ears and fell silent, and the microphone voice announced that the long-awaited performance was about to begin, and for all the guests to gather in the theater room.

    The theater hall was a large, dark hall with hundreds of seats and a large stage. This is where all the guests gathered. After a respectful greeting from the cameraman and his words about the performances, the performances themselves began. The performances were Japanese traditional ensembles, including a chorus of specially trained singers of all ages, as well as national Japanese dances, in which a suppressed majority of Japanese women in national dress participated. With slow movements of the whole body, the actors and dancers glided through the dances like brilliant butterflies. In the prescribed order of composition they fluttered then with their whole bodies at the approach of the climax, then settled gently into the shadows at the arrival of quiet notes, giving an air of mystery. Foreign guests were captivated by the spirit of Japanese flavor, and the Japanese guests were proudly admiring the stage.

    After the performance, guests gathered in the banquet hall served by a dozen or so dressed-up waiters. The edges of the banquet hall were covered with sleek flesh-colored drapes, and the middle of the hall contained two incredibly long wooden tables with delicacy-level food, near which the guests were seated to begin the long-awaited banquet. The tables were covered with white cloth and, in time, waiters served oriental folk food, which could not have made the guests more welcome.

    Ryou and Glenn stood at the edges and looked nonchalantly at the setting of Sakura and Himeno sitting in the very center, and by the look on the face of an embarrassed Himeno, it seemed that the guests were praising the girls of the Ichijo surname and their business activities. In the community of these people, many were either executive directors of their large-scale businesses or chairmen. Even came the top of the board of directors of the joint-stock company and corporate culture. Ichijo could make great connections and friendships with guests.

    From a corner, a girl stealthily approached the teenagers and called out in a childlike voice to Glenn. As they looked back at the girl, the boys noticed Mari, who had recently met with Akihito, appearing before them.

    "Mari-chan!" the dark-eyed one didn''t hold back his joy, shifting his knees.

    "Hello!" with all the cheerfulness Ryou had never seen before, a stunning young beauty Mari rushed in a gentle tone. "How long it''s been since I''ve seen you, dear Glenn-sama!" and seeing Glenn drop his knees to match her small stature, Mari, almost tripping over her childish fidgeting, threw herself into the dark-eyed man''s arms with all her passion.

    "You''re wrong. We met almost an hour ago."

    "Not otherwise, but...! That was a surprise, because I was with Akihito Hirota-sama at that time! So it doesn''t count," the girl pouted falsely, "It doesn''t count!"

    "Okay, okay. The important thing is that we''re finally alone together."

    Ryou didn''t interfere in the conversation, though he was confused by the atmosphere among the teenager and the little girl.

    "I wanted to talk to you earlier, as I was pouring wine into a glass, for the esteemed Akihito-sama, but I didn''t meet you. So I decided to come to you later!"

    "Good girl, Mari-chan," Glenn stroked her light head thoughtfully, making Mari, who shone with the brilliance of a diamond, to soften in pleasure. "It was nice to see you here with Akihito-sama."

    "Of course! I must always walk with my lord and tend to his health, after all. It cannot be otherwise, for it is my duty as a man of my kind to watch over the lord."

    The inconspicuous young man with wavy, parted-back hair glanced back and forth at the girl and at the banquet tables, and Mari was only interested in his presence when the surge of warm emotion she had not held back before Glenn failed to subside.

    "And who is the young gentleman next to you?" inquired Mari, whose presence reeked of either impatience or childlike kindness. Ryou couldn''t resist Marie''s wide glowing eyes and glared at her. "Your dear friend?"

    Glenn agreed, and Ryou finally introduced himself to the sweet girl, whom it was difficult to consider seriously, but to her master Marie seemed like a very different person, determined to protect him in any way she could. Ryou had no idea who Mari was besides a servant after all, and addressed her in you, which made Glenn chuckle. Mari-chan responded by transforming into the very person the young man had met at their first meeting, and saluted importantly by bowing.

    "Mari Asahina."

 Terror

    Toward the end of the guest reception, an older man stepped into the middle. His large body, his gray hair, and the row of guards behind him signaled the importance of this person in the banquet. He stood in the middle of the hall, and the guests were silent when they saw him. He good-naturedly thanked everyone for coming and congratulated his campaign on his thirty years of laborious life. He was delighted when everyone in the guest room applauded after his speech ended with smiles on their faces. The banquet ended successfully. With that, the guest reception ended and everyone walked back out into the hall. After another of Sakura''s conversations with familiar faces, she and Ryou continued to move around in search of the next interlocutors. These conversations with people were a mainstay for maintaining cross-national friendliness and the image of the companies.

    As they talked, one person casually looked back toward the serene faces of Sakura and Ryou. This person gasped, covering her mouth, and without thinking about things, headed towards them with feminine steps.

    Ryou heard a soft feminine voice that came from behind him. Turning around, he saw a woman in an important, long grayish-colored dress walking toward him. Her dark, long hair and wide-open eyes of a color that reflected a dark blue galaxy immediately caught the guy off guard in a way that raised his eyebrows to a house and caused his mouth to spontaneously open in disbelief. Unsure why her gentleman had stopped, Sakura turned her head, and what a surprise it was for her to see a familiar female face.

    "Indeed, Ryou..." the woman lowered her lashes in a suppressed tone of voice.

    Ryou''s breath caught and he fell silent in a desire to erase his abrupt stress from the arrival of a woman looking inexpressibly like himself.

    "Kurumi-san!" opened Sakura''s mouth in impatience, causing the woman to stagger as she saw her behind Ryou. Sakura looked out from behind him.

    "Sakura... How long has it been since we''ve seen each other," the woman closed her eyes, and looked back at Ryou. "So...you''re being courted by my son."

    Puzzled by what she said, Sakura glanced over interestedly at Ryou, who by this time had hidden under a guise of indifference to look at him sideways. "Oh, indeed, very similar."

    After a brief conversation between Kurumi and Sakura, Sakura clarified that she didn''t know that her young man was the son of Kurumi, the head of a large Japanese business company, Kurumi asked the woman to take her son away for a while, which resulted in them going to a sparse corner near a table with drinks on tap.

    Ryou could at least consider the possibility that you might be here, but he did not believe it, for a meeting with an impressive volume of guests would be possible. Meeting your parents here was the most unwelcome situation for a guy in the most unwanted place.

    "So how are you?" his mother asked with confusion. "Getting used to life in Tokyo?"

    "Yes."

    "It''s a very noisy, big city. It must have been hard to get used to..."

    "Yes."

    "But we''re doing fine. Our move was a success and now we live in downtown Osaka. We''re not complaining about the city, much less picking on the infrastructure..."

    "Of course. Osaka is a good city."

    "And our health is fine...! However, your father is a little nervous about his work, but we''re settling in a little at a time. You don''t have to worry about us!" added Kurumi, trying her best to remove the indifference from Ryou''s face, but her attempts were even. Ryou didn''t lift a finger.

    "Of course," the young man added, ending the brief silence between them. "Did you even tell Megumi that you came to Tokyo?"

    "No..." lowered Kurumi''s head, feeling guilty. "You know yourself, she won''t want to hear. And you, sweet son, how are you doing?"

    "I''m fine."

    "Oh, I see... Moving to Osaka was the best idea for us to further develop our company. Unfortunately, things have been busy lately, and it''s getting a little boring at home, and fatigue and old age are showing."

    "Is Father here now?"

    "He''s... on the second floor, talking to the general manager of oil and gas construction. I don''t think I need to know why you''re here and are Sakura''s beau, but I think she''s pleased with your effort..."

    "Of course. I won''t be here long."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    "And you''d better not see your father," the mother muttered guiltily, with all aloofness, as she continued to stare into her son''s blank eyes. Not a spark shone through his eyes, as if Ryou''s soul had lurked deep, so that no one could harm it. "He''ll be on the second floor before the whole banquet is over..."

    Kurumi was unable to ignite a spark in her son, who showed no interest in the conversation. From her perspective, the darkness thickening around Ryou shielded him from outside emotions like a defenseless child who didn''t want to listen to the scolding in the house.

    "I''ll go."

    "Yes..." the mother took a step back, in a quiet tone so her son wouldn''t hear the sadness in her voice. So, she didn''t want to burden him with the sadness she had burdened him with before he moved in, and which she recalls to this day. His tired, angry eyes were something Kurumi remembered for life. "I''m not holding. Be safe."

    "Don''t worry," Ryou barely squeezed out a faceless smile, "I''m fine, really," and he turned around and motioned to Sakura, who was standing at the other end of the hall.

    Kurumi slumped her shoulders in despair. Not really knowing how to strike up a long-awaited conversation with her son who had moved out like his sister during the unexpected meeting, Kurumi remembered that day over and over again. Ryou''s angry and tired eyes on that evening afternoon kept her restless and put some kind of fear in her mind of showing her emotions. The only thing she was happy about, and that warmed her soul, was seeing her son.

    "It''s just as it was then," her soft, cowardly voice trembled. "Megumi, are you doing well...? Wonderful child, Akito-kun, take care of him so he doesn''t make trouble."

    After the banquet was over, people slowly began to go outside. People''s noises moved in at the entrance of the room and outside. Sakura and Himeno stood in front of the front door, by the stairs, waiting for the guards.

    "Thank you for your service," Sakura bowed her head with a rank look, and Himeno repeated. The sisters seemed slightly exhausted, and Himeno''s movements became sloppier, as did her shoulders sagging slightly. Sakura seemed to hide her fatigue to the full under the guise of her humble importance, and it occurred to the young men: that''s the difference between the sisters'' experience and training!

    "What a pity," covered Himeno''s mouth, looking at the boys, "I wish I could have been a goody-goody with you for a little while longer. Unfortunately, I''ll have to crowd among the muscular men again," she stuck her tongue out frowningly, remembering their tall stature and broad shoulders. "The guards are so scary!"

    "It''s been a pleasure doing business with you."

    "And yes," Sakura stepped closer to Ryou, "Hayashi-kun, I apologize, again."

    The guards finally came to the call. Without burdening the women to stop talking, they stood aimlessly behind them. Ryou and Glenn led the girls off one last time, and said goodbye, wishing each other good luck. How could it be otherwise, for luck was required on both sides, there was no way without it. Accepting the warm words, the guys left the territory of the luxurious restaurant, inside which they had a chance to enter and meet many influential in different spheres of business. Ryou knew that he really didn''t want to deal with business at all, preferring a risk-free, smooth, straightforward life.

    Walking through the small and idle park across the road from the street, Ryou noticed on his phone how the clock was half past the hour and the main shuttle buses were no longer running in town. The park''s narrow road was lit by lamps and streetlights. The dark color of life that covered the night roads reflected the moon reigning in the starry sky in the windows.

    "I''ll call for two," Glenn said, poking his phone for an available cab. Ryou only nodded and let the unobtrusive breeze pass over his tired ears from the ringing of people''s noises.

    Ryou''s hair managed to fall unerringly back into a routine, covering his forehead with the long ends of his dark, thick hair. After a few seconds, Glenn said with a stammer that he would be right back, and retreated to the edge of the path. Noticing walking alone, Ryou turned away and noticed Glenn leaning over the grass with painful steps and grabbing the branches of a tree with his hand. An abundance of blood spurted out of his mouth, which he had been struggling to cover with his other hand for those few seconds, and he quickly moved the bloody hand away, causing the drops to fall directly onto the road. Ryou rushed over to him, and lowering his head, touched his back. He heard his friend''s heavy and ragged breathing. From the corner, noticing his still shaking frowning face in pain, Ryou crouched down.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "A little... tired."

    "That doesn''t make you harp blood! Glenn-kun?" caught Ryou''s breath immediately, as the dark-eyed man turned to him with a blushing and bloated face, and his gloomy eyes floated as if his eyes were double or even triple. In disbelief, Ryou put his arm around Glenn''s shoulders and gently lifted his aching legs.

    "I''m all right."

    "Be quiet. Otherwise I''ll hit you."

    As he walked, Glenn pulled a small jar of pills from his inside pocket and took a dry sip of one white pill.

    A few minutes later, outside, the boys waited for a cab to arrive, and Ryou , shoving Glenn into the back seat, got out of the car himself and asked the driver to take him straight home, giving him his apartment number.

    "I hope you can make it on your own," he worried for Glenn, talking through the window. "You should cool off and lie down. I don''t know how bad you''re feeling, Glenn-kun, but bringing yourself to this condition is a disaster. I hope you''ll listen to me."

    "Thank you," Glenn retorted in a hoarse voice, smiling sloppily. His eyes filled with sorrow, realizing that Ryou had seen the scene. "No one must know. Please, Ryou-kun," he mouthed toward the end, and silently received a brief nod. The lifelessness on his face subsided slightly, and Glenn rejoiced. "That''s your promise. We need to keep going forward despite everything," he said.

    As the cab drove away, trailing inseparable shadows behind it, the dark-eyed man''s troubled eyes kept coming into Ryou''s head, again and again, until he gritted his teeth. The boy was burning with his hopelessness. He wondered if there was anything he could do to help his friend besides the actions that had taken place. Soon, there was only one silence outside.

 Alarm Signal

    On the previous day, which seemed to bode well for the rest of the teenagers, the two girls asked permission to leave school in the middle of the day to finish their questionnaires before the sun went down over the horizon. Filled with the desire to get rid of the questionnaire as quickly as possible, Yumiko and Akiko met at the exit of the school and walked together toward the house of the man who had asked for social assistance. Lifting her head, Akiko squinted at the bright glow of the sun and raised her hand up straight toward the light.

    "How bright."

    The entire school grounds emptied of unwanted presences, and a light buzz of hot wind rolled around all the corners of the doors and gates, making the girls'' hair flutter more and more each time.

    "What do you think... about our work, in general?" asked Akiko, beginning to walk down the sidewalk. She was immediately followed by Yumiko.

    "How can I put it... Our work benefits the community, while also paying us money. That suits me fine."

    "Is this the first time you''ve had to get out of school by lying?"

    "Yes... I rarely take time off from school myself, and you?"

    "Often. Oh, by the way: about the person who requested the questionnaire itself..."

    "Yes, the person who requested is a boy of sixteen, a student at Central High School. The case is, for help with him and his girlfriend."

    "Looks like we got an inexperienced love couple. They probably want to ask us how to solve their love problems, don''t they?"

    "I don''t know about that sort of thing..." retorted Yumiko quietly.

    "Have you ever been in a love relationship?" Akiko''s eyes shone cheerfully, and she looked askance at her embarrassed friend.

    "Never..."

    "Bus!" exclaimed Akiko with all her might, shifting her gaze to the white bus driving behind. Responding, the schoolgirls ran toward the empty stop.

    -

    They reached a high-rise apartment in the center of town, the address of which was written on the form as the place of residence of the requestor. Ringing the intercom of the ten-story apartment, a tune rang, which was rare even in new buildings. After a few seconds of waiting, the nasty ringing shut up and a teenage voice came from the other side.

    "Yes, come in."

    Following the calm voice of an unfamiliar young man, the iron door to the entryway opened. Once in the white elevator, the girls walked silently up to the eighth floor. Akiko''s body was slightly covered in excitement, because it was the first time for her and Yumiko to do the questionnaire, but looking at Yumiko''s poise, the girl was not unnecessarily embarrassed. Stepping out of the elevator and approaching the door, Yumiko knocked first. A moment later, quick footsteps were heard, and the door was opened for them.

    "Please, enter," said a short guy with modest eyes, and he headed toward the hall through a long corridor leading to three rooms at once.

    Once in the hall, the guy asked them to sit on the couches in the middle of the room.

    "My name is Masashi Miura," he said, lowering his tone. He sat in a chair and folded his arms, eyes downcast. "A problem presented itself in my life that I did not want to solve on my own."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The girls responded by introducing themselves.

    "Can you explain verbatim the problem that presented itself to you?" asked Yumiko, and Masashi nodded intently.

    "Three years ago I met a lonely girl by the school soccer field," the boy told me with unconcerned eyes, at the same time remembering that day. "Then I asked her name, but she didn''t answer. The next time I met her on the street. A lonely, taciturn girl... Eventually, we became inseparable. Every breath we took was devoted to each other, just as every decision for us became one. Day after day I heard new stories from her about her life, and we looked up to the sky. Besides me, she had no friends."

    While Yumiko slowly ran her eyes over the young man, listening deeply to each soft word, Akiko froze. Masashi did not look up, continuing to stare aimlessly at the glass table beside the couches. After a brief pause, he continued.

    "I introduced her to my acquaintances, and after a while she revealed herself fully. It turned out she was even nicer than she had previously seemed. Finally, she made new friends. Being involved in the girls'' school group, she began to grow her hair and dye it, followed by starting to dress in much more modern feminine looks. Finding classmates, she began posting pictures on social media. Soon, her social circle consisted of one youth from the center. She transformed into an idol," again he stopped talking, and an embarrassed Akiko couldn''t contain her worried question.

    "What exactly is the problem?"

    "I''ve lost it around me," Masashi looked sternly, not at the girls, but with hatred for the words he said. "We''ve become seldom in touch, even on the Internet. Especially since I''m not a knight on a white horse to forbid her, but... I don''t know at all what''s on her mind and what prompted her to give up prolonged communication."

    "More details, please," Akiko added, and Masashi nodded.

    "I''m tired of waiting. Knowing that Suzuka-chan wants to progress and try new things, I still don''t understand why she gave up on me."

    "Are you sure she turned you down?"

    "The current her is the exact opposite of the girl I met by the field. I know Suzuka-chan is the only one who realizes everything, but neither she nor I have decided to do anything about it. She lives alone now."

    "I see," Akiko put her hand to her thin chin and closed the eyes. "You don''t know what to do next?"

    "I don''t know what her feelings are, but I think Suzuka-chan... has lost interest in me. Of course, why need an inconspicuous me when she has plenty of prominent friends around..."

    "I think... you could be wrong," Akiko stated, doubtful. "I have some questions for your girlfriend. Do you know where she lives?" she complemented, and received an answering nod of her head.

    "I want to get this over with," Masashi announced, pouting. He was sure he couldn''t handle it without extra help, but he didn''t want to end the relationship easily, and neither did his tortured soul. "That''s why I wrote the questionnaire. I''d rather you decide for us, and Suzuka doesn''t mind, either."

    "Fine with it?!" burst out Akiko angrily. "No one should decide your personal affairs for you. Are you unable to end the problem yourself?"

    "I realize I''m worthless," the boy covered his face with his hands in sorrow, lowering his back, "But there''s nothing I can do about it. We''ll accept any outcome, just please finish our business."

    "I don''t understand..." alarmed Akiko, and waved her hands, not wanting to accept what the saddened young man said. "This is nonsense! Your love problems must be solved by yourself."

    "We can''t... It''s a vicious circle of longing from which there is no escape."

    Akiko was at a loss for words, looking at Masashi''s unsightly eyes. According to him, neither he nor his girlfriend was willing to end their relationship by simply talking in private. Akiko was confused as to why, since it costs nothing to end ties with your other half by simply talking.

    "Okay," Yumiko stood up, about to leave the house. "This is part of our job, and you called us because you had a problem. There''s no way we can say no."

    "Thank you. I''ll let her know you''re coming and write down her address. The sooner this is over, the better for us."

    Masashi only wanted to hear opinions from outside. His abnormal relationship with his girlfriend was wearing Masashi out. At the very least, he thought it was worth putting a decisive point immediately, but he couldn''t make the first move himself. He drew conclusions, time after time, until he assured his mind of his futility. In the end, Masashi dropped his arms.

    Embarrassed by the outcome of the conversation, Akiko muttered to herself that she didn''t understand the young man''s actions, and that his decisions were wrong.

    After they said their goodbyes, the girls went out into the entryway. Akiko''s stare, frozen with confusion, didn''t leave for a few more minutes, and stepping into the elevator, she pressed herself against the wall, remembering the Judgment Day that had brought her to the present. That horrible, abominable day that had shattered her thinking was the point of no return for her.

 Judgement Day

    "You can close your eyes to things you don''t want to see, but you can''t close your heart to things you don''t want to feel."

    In her first year of high school, Akiko was still a young girl, with dark hair and dull eyes. She was an ordinary schoolgirl, but without wanting to be, she was notable for most of the guys who were crazy about her. The other girls weren''t too attracted to this arrangement, and over time Akiko began to notice the keen eyes of her classmates around her more and more often. The girls'' gloomy, judgmental eyes that stared at her every move drove the girl into an abyss of thought. Akiko had no luck with her school and her society, where gossip and human creepiness reigned supreme.

    She was looking for a support person who could help her in difficult situations, and cheer her up when necessary. Her hidden search is crowned solid failure, because the girl did not know how to talk to such bright people, and what topic to start, to seem even the slightest bit interesting. At the time she thought that only with such people could she communicate and feel open. It made her uncomfortable to realize her unimportance, but the girls didn''t care, because she was being stared at by unintelligent, faceless guys.

    To dispel her fear, the young teen listened to relaxing jazz combined with the sounds of nature and space, as well as sonatas by Austrian and German composers.  Mimicking the pianist''s hands affected her inner world, as if she were actually playing the piano with her fingers, pressing every button. The music of tranquility played in her mind.

    One day, she was summoned to an empty office by a teacher, from whom there were many rumors that the man was a lover of schoolgirls. That day the girl''s ears rang with the music of horror, as if trouble had caught up with her vicious soul, dissolving every hope of humanity among men. The vile teacher threatened the silly girl that she would get bad grades in his subject, resulting in Akiko''s ineligibility for admission to the next school year.

    The teacher demanded that she do a humiliating act that teenagers should not do or even think about doing with their years. The filthy man grabbed her fragile shoulders with his stiff, chubby hands and forcibly pulled her to his ungroomed, fat body. He said that her parents had let her into the school for a reason, and it would be oh so bad if Akiko failed.

    Akiko''s mind went blank. The shocked girl couldn''t think of such an abomination that could happen to girls her age. The teacher who had always supported her previously rotted away in the darkness in the girl''s devastated eyes.

    The key-locked door swung hastily open with a loud clang, scaring the teacher away and cooling Akiko''s hopelessness. A student, slightly older than the girl, appeared in the office.

    "Bastard, how dare you?" gritted his teeth at the furious stranger, piercing the teacher with his sharp, brown eyes.

    "W-what are you d-doing here?" fumbled the fat teacher, who was thrown into a fever. "The office is locked!"

    The student drew a spare key to the study demonstrably from his pocket, and twiddled it with his finger. The teacher wondered how that could have happened. From that second on, his career and quiet life were over.

    The guy defended Akiko, discouraged by his actions, leaving the rest to both the principal and the emergency police. Soon, they were standing in a hallway empty of people''s glances, propped up against a wall. Akiko''s downcast eyes seemed cute to the boy, but he never got around to introducing himself to her. As the sun set bitterly beyond the distant horizon, he thought it was about time.

    "You''re the one... the one who walks around with the students all the time... the womanizer," Akiko began the dialogue, which made the young man grab his stomach and laugh heartily. His bright face represented good-naturedness and incorruptible sincerity, and his eyes sparkled with joy. His feat Akiko worshipped as never before.

    "Is that really what the people around me think of me? Ha ha! Whatever the case, I''m happy I made it in time. You can call me Kinoshita. That''s my name, aren''t you?"

    "Akiko..."

    "What a beautiful name. It suits you perfectly, Akiko-chan."

    "Th-thank you..."

    This was Akiko''s first time talking openly to a peer who cared about her. From the look on Kinoshita''s face, the girl made sure that the ground of this guy''s acquaintance was not a desire for profit, but only pure interest in her new friend. Harmony reigned around them, carefully soothing Akiko''s heart from all troubles. They became friends, and she found the man she could call a support. But soon, Akiko''s frequent presence around Kinoshita alarmed the young man''s close friend. Her eyes blurred into stern nonchalance as she spotted the new acquaintance along with her old friend.

    One day, unwilling to endure any longer, the stranger prevented their intimacy by blocking their way in the middle of the school break. Akiko remembered instantly that this girl was the idol of their school. It was understandable by her excessive cleanliness and grooming for beauty and image. She was known throughout the school - Nanami-chan herself approached the inconspicuous Akiko and her tall friend.

    "Kinoshita-kun, let''s go," she stated imperiously, but there was no will to dominate in her voice. Nodding with a smile on her face, Kinoshita involuntarily dashed after her, leaving only a bottle of unfinished juice on the wall. Akiko was absorbed in the questions, standing there wondering why the young man left in a flash without saying goodbye. Nanami''s face only gave off a look of pity for Akiko.

    A few days later, Kinoshita let Akiko into his social circle, which consisted of three stylish guys and three other girls. They had been friends since kindergarten, and their inseparable closeness was shown by their open actions toward each other. Nevertheless, all but the silent Nanami were loyal to the new acquaintance. Akiko thought that she would never become as close a friend as they were, and it was hard to fit her into the conversations. This fact was illuminated by an event in which she and Akiko gathered together on an overcast day at a karaoke club in the middle of an intersection of narrow streets.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    In the middle of the time, when the guys were in full swing at karaoke, Akiko and Nanami sat on the couch, quietly looking at the guys singing along to the rhythm of a modern song. With indifference Nanami looked at Akiko, and the girls'' eyes met.

    "Do you know what ''Inseparable Shadow'' is?" asked Nanami, breaking the silence around the two of them. "Everyone should have one to make them feel alive. An inseparable shadow is the closest friend you can trust with your life, giving every last drop of yourself in return. My Inseparable Shadow is Kinoshita, this is the truth. And you, Akiyama-san, who is your Inseparable Shadow?"

    Akiko, after the girl''s strange question, wondered to herself if she had such a person. Without realizing it herself, as the question began to worry her, she was unable to give Nanami an answer.

    Some time later, on Nanami''s whim, she and Kinoshita and stepped out of the karaoke bar for some fresh air.

    "Kinoshita-kun, I''d like to talk to you," Nanami looked out into the dim street, hiding her face from the young man.

    "Tired we are, I suppose, for the day," Kinoshita pulled up, straightening his back. He simply let Nanami''s words pass his ear, making her wince.

    "Yes," snapped Akiko''s fingers, cheerfully.

    "Hey, Akiko-chan," the guy added again with an interested look, "Come again with us sometime?"

    Suddenly, Nanami turned sharply toward the young man, raising her angry and sad eyes. She was clearly jealous from her quivering lips.

    "Kinoshita-kun, will you stop already?" announced Nanami, desperately. "Can we stop with Akiko-chan already?"

    "Hmm? What are you talking about, Nanamine?"

    "I don''t understand... Without looking, maybe I''ve made you angry somewhere foolishly? Why don''t you notice me?" fluttered the wind in her hair, exposing the despair in her thawed voice. "Most importantly, with the appearance of Akiyama-san, you... became unhinged. It''s as if you''ve begun to withdraw from us..."

    "No... How come, I would never-" Nanami interrupted the young man''s aggravated sadness.

    "I''m getting tired of this schoolgirl walking around with us!"

    Akiko''s mouth fluttered open in a breeze. A harsh, unkind song rang in her ears, encompassing the frightened girl''s mind.

    Hoping Kinoshita would finally come to her senses, overpowered by the hatred in what she said, Nanami continued:

    "Who would you choose, me, or Akiyama-san? Kinoshita-kun, who is more important to you...!"

    "Nanamine? What are you talking about..."

    "I didn''t mean to give such an ultimatum because it''s wrong, but... the way you started looking at that schoolgirl... I don''t think Akiyama-san is worth your attention."

    Tears flowed out of Nanami''s eyes, soon turning to actual crying, and barely holding them back, the girl''s legs trembled. Seeing the sight of her, the boy''s eyes darkened and his face transformed into a lifeless carcass. Kinoshita was stunned.

    "Akiko-chan," the boy said slowly, listening intently to his close friend''s every cry, "She''s crying because of you," he added, impassively.

    Akiko took her breath away from the sudden stress erected by the order of factors that arose after the harsh accusations. The guy''s frozen gaze made her heart squeeze, and what he said shattered something important inside Akiko that she had kept to herself. Remembering the dead coldness in the guy''s voice, a shard of her soul shattered, leaving only hatred and contempt behind.

    Nanami groaned in remorse, and the guy finally moved. The other guys ran out of the karaoke club building in excitement, and cheered Nanami on, encouraging her with warm, friendly words.

    "Akiko, get away from us," muttered Kinoshita quietly, following up with the others. Seeing Nanami''s eyes wide in remorse, the young man embraced her frail body. Then, without waiting for a frozen Akiko, they left on their way back to the bus stop.

    The girl''s saddened face, the boy''s hard look, and soon the face of another girl looking back at Akiko standing behind her revealed a filthy, wide grin that made Akiko shudder. That nasty smile seemed utterly paradoxical, with the effect of condemning and oppressing the person it was intended for.

    Once Akiko couldn''t understand why she had been treated so harshly, feelings inside her felt hopelessly dulled. What to do in such situations? Moan with grief? She felt like a piece of slag that had been thrown into a basket with the rest of the rotting slag.

    "Why did Furukawa-chan look at me like that, like garbage...? She must have hated me before," Akiko muttered aloofly, looking at her feet. "But she seemed friendly to me before. How did her gentle smile turn into this horror? Did they dislike me a lot? Were they secretly saying nasty things about me? Could it be because I deserved to be treated that way?"

    The lazy bright glow of the yellow sun peeked out from the scant clouds, capturing some of the gray sky with its white rays. The darkened gaze of a dim Akiko haunted her for much longer. Melodies of absolutely every negative emotion played in her ears, thickening her head without end. Eventually, Akiko surrendered to these negative emotions, removing the resistance from her goose-steeped body.

    "Do I really deserve this kind of treatment?" she repeated over and over again, wordlessly.

    Her nerves were fraying with each passing moment, rendering distress to her current state of mind. Akiko regretted her existence, wickedly accepting the theory that she was hated because she looked insincerely beautiful. A theory invented by the boys at her hated school, who self-servingly stared at her with lewd looks.

    "Well the hell with it, I don''t care!" she laughed nervously at the top of her voice, opening her eyes. She grabbed her face with her hand, wanting to tear it off. Through her eyes her sharp, cat-like eyes were visible, foreshadowing cruelty. "I''ve been treated unfairly...cruelly."

    She adopted a hysterical look, and ran wherever she could see. As she ran, her legs involuntarily moved to repeat the waltz, and Akiko spun, dancing with herself. In her ears she heard a restless piano melody with harsh and sometimes inappropriately placed chords, expressing her broken inner world. With awkward movements she echoed the movements of the dancers from a certain waltz that she remembered.

    "The whole world is spinning around me! So why do I worry about silly things? Forget all nonsense, Akiko, for it no longer matters!" she exclaimed with joy. "The whole world is against your existence. You are forbidden to feel alive! So why swim in this current among the mindless, faceless creatures?"

    When she reached the intersection, Akiko stopped abruptly and stood in the middle of the empty road. Lifting her head, bright sunlight streaked through the scruffy hair that covered her gloomy eyes. The open daytime sky reigned over her in all its glory, shining directly on her.

    "After all, you''re here. Here and now," she lowered her husky tone of voice. She began to speak slower and clearer, enjoying every word she said. "This will be the day of judgment. I will have my revenge, for every pain I have caused. I will avenge every unrequited love. I will avenge every wish that will never come true because of you! Revenge!"

    At that moment, she dreamed of her glass heart shattering to pieces, with no possibility of remaking itself. Sadness gripped her soul, and a frozen cold crept inside the girl was the point of non-return for her.

    "I will have my revenge," she muttered slyly in her sleep, lying in bed the next day.

 Crimsun Sun

    On the bus, Akiko stared at the view from the window, aimlessly browsing every corner of every street. Her musings on the case with Masashi led her into a stupor of anger and misunderstanding of the seemingly simple situation. But to make sure of the simplicity, she longed to hear his girlfriend''s opinion and clarify the nonsense that had attracted a mountain of sad emotions behind it.

    In an attempt to cheer Akiko up, Yumiko, who was sitting in the front, turned to face her and pressed her hands against the back of the seat.

    "This is our first case," Yumiko declared with an unassuming optimism on her face, "But we''ll make it! Besides, I''m sure it''ll all work out on a good note. We''ll get through this quickly."

    Frozen by the suddenness, Akiko marveled at the way Yumiko acted in this situation. Seemingly nonchalant throughout her conversation with Masashi, she still cheered up a dull Akiko. Though Akiko hated the brown-eyed one by her ideology, she saw a new side of Yumiko that hadn''t shown before, and wondered if Yumiko had been hiding this quality, or had mastered it while bonding with her new friends.

    "Yup."

    "Don''t worry, it''ll all work out - you just have to try harder and everything will be fine," Yumiko said, producing a warm, submissive smile. The girl with the pink hair felt a warmth in her soul without realizing it herself.

    "Yeah, you''re right."

    Following the inscription on the sheet written by Masashi, the girls arrived at the address of the high-rise apartment. When they reached the right floor, they stood at the door of the house. It was Masashi Miura''s girlfriend''s house. When they knocked on the door, a dead silence spread through the entryway, and soon the door opened. In front of the girls'' faces stood a charmingly modest young lady in open, homely clothes, and with the dyed gold with red shades of her short hair, Akiko took a closer look, not waiting to talk to this girl. With a sleepy smile, she greeted them and let them inside. The girls sat at the table in the guest room, and the hostess poured coffee into two glasses, taking them from the top shelf.

    "I am Saki Togo," spoke softly to the girl, who was two years younger than Yumiko. Her name was popular with today''s youth, for as a result of video blogs about her life and dancing, her face spread widely on social media. "Did you come to our order?"

    The girls said their names in response. "That''s right," Yumiko complemented. "We came at the request of Masashi Miura for social aid."

    "What do you want me to say?" said Saki, filling two mugs with milk coffee and serving them to her guests. "Did he tell you how we met?"

    "Of course," the brown-eyed woman continued, with serenity on her face, "We want to get your opinion and help you."

    "Help?" sat Saki down at the table, and crossed her thin, delicate legs. "Well. I suppose I can''t refuse. You don''t want to leave empty-handed."

    "Nor do you, Togo-chan, want to leave the matter unfinished," Akiko declared, and a look of surprise appeared on Saki''s face, followed by a sweet chuckle.

    "What do you want to know?"

    "For example, the situation on your behalf and your opinion."

    On reflection, Saki put her cheek to her palm and looked at the chandelier.

    "Masashi-kun didn''t hide anything, I''m sure of it. He wouldn''t lie, because he takes our case extremely seriously. I really stopped communicating with him because I realized I didn''t need it."

    "Why would you abruptly give up on a guy?"

    "I want to evolve. I''ve found my true pleasure in social media, and I get paid for it. I can support myself until I get bored."

    "Did Miura-kun do something wrong?"

    "It''s just..." lowered Saki''s lashes guiltily, and with an uncertain voice she added, "I don''t want a relationship anymore."

    "How so..."

    "Wait, Togo-chan," Yumiko tried to clarify. "Are you sure?"

    "Yes, it''s true that I don''t see the point of a relationship. Masashi-kun probably understands-" Saki understated, as she was interrupted by the girl''s voice.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "Not fair!" exclaimed Akiko in worry. "You''re not being honest with yourself. Why are you lying?"

    "I''m not lying...I really don''t want a relationship."

    "But you''re afraid. Are you not used to talking about it? You seem insecure."

    "How can I say..." took hold of Saki''s elbow, and drove her eyes from side to side and leaned against the back of her chair. "I''ve always been insecure. Masashi saved me now and then and protected me from trouble. In an instant, I was already far behind him. I couldn''t catch up with Masashi, he was too bright. But now everything had changed. I became independent of his affection and protection. Still, I haven''t stopped loving him, but there are much more important things in my plans, and dreams, that I should pursue."

    "Togo-chan," Yumiko added, softly, "Miura-kun wants us to decide for you. On that point, do you think it''s worth giving the floor to us mediators?"

    When Akiko sensed the intense heat of displeasure, Yumiko immediately approached her and took hold of her thin, crumpled hand in her fist. Seeing the brown-eyed woman''s worried face, Akiko overcame her fear.

    "Yumiko-chan..."

    "Let it be," Saki closed her eyes with a nod. "I, too, will not oppose your domination of decisions, and will follow the path you have chosen for us. How is it, now I look like a girl who has her issues decided for her..."

    "That''s okay!"

    "By the way, Sato-san, Akiyama-san. I... still have feelings for my Masashi-kun, and if you can manage..." her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and with a heaviness in her speech, stammering, she continued: "T-then I... wouldn''t... mind, and maybe I''ll retract m-my words."

    The dialogue ended on a note of agreement between them to hold their common meeting. Also, Yumiko went out to the balcony to call Masashi and tell her the news. Forgetting how much time had passed, the brown-eyed girl''s pupils dilated, surprised by the crimson sun coming in beyond the dark skyscrapers, emitting a bluish glow through the clouds. The wind blew through Yumiko''s ears, blowing her brownish hair carelessly. In the humble living room, two girls were cleaning mugs.

    After saying goodbye to Saki, the girls left the apartment and walked up the road.

    "What do you think?" asked Akiko, walking behind. Because of her interest in the situation, the damsel couldn''t help but ask Yumiko''s disposition.

    "Togo-chan said she still has feelings for Miura-kun, and from talking to him, Miura-kun loves her too. I think that means something."

    "Such as?"

    "They won''t give up on the final decision we choose. We should renew their relationship, in which case I think it would be better..."

    "We shouldn''t," Akiko interrupted. "Didn''t you see their faces when they were talking about each other? They were sad to remember their relationship. Miura-kun also said he wanted to end it with them by putting a stop to it."

    "I''m sorry, but I don''t understand. What are you suggesting, Akiko-chan?"

    "Of course you wouldn''t understand," Akiko nibbled her finger. " It pisses me off that this couple doesn''t want to decide anything, leaving everything to us. It''s not easy, choosing their personal lives for others, actually."

    "Yes, it''s wrong to choose for others. But they have their own opinions, too. I don''t think they''d mind continuing their relationship."

    "That''s why you don''t understand anything," Akiko replied rudely. "You haven''t had a love relationship, how do you even know how Miura-kun and Togo-chan feel right now?"

    "Akiko... chan?" the brown-eyed girl turned her face, her mouth gaping open. The maidens stopped in their tracks.

    "When Togo-chan said that she could retract her words if they were persuaded to meet again, except that she spoke through force, averting her eyes nervously. She looked insecure, and it wasn''t her sincerity that motivated her to say those words, but her own beliefs-it hurt her to upset people. I know from experience - Saki Togo doesn''t want Miura-kun to be upset. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she may want to date, but right now she''s driven by her desire to develop."

    "It can''t be that complex. Especially since they''re younger than us, and who knows what they''re really thinking?"

    "And what are you thinking, Yumiko-chan?" killed Akiko''s confidence in her friend with sharp words. "Do you really want their abnormal love bond to continue? It could lead to unfortunate circumstances, especially since Saki herself isn''t sure if she loves Miuru-kun. Would it be selfish of us to make them love each other?"

    "I don''t know about love, but I think their relationship will get better... They should talk in private finally. Maybe that way they''ll forget their difficulties and the obstacle between them will break down."

    "That doesn''t happen in reality, only in books and movies," Akiko lashed out sadly, stating in an impassive voice. "I honor your thoughts, Yumiko-chan, but you are wrong. Alas and ah. Who knows what outcome would have been chosen, if I hadn''t known about relationships..."

    With a tired sigh, Akiko slumped her shoulders and quietly added:

    "Here''s what we do: I''ll take on Miuru-kun and erect my proposal to see how ready he is for the final decision. You, on the other hand, Yumiko-chan, take on Togo-chan. You can follow your ideals, but we''ll still leave the choice to the pair. It will be a battle of two opinions, and whose answer they like better, that outcome gets the right to exist."

    "Okay... I''ll arrange a meeting for tomorrow. Since tomorrow is a day off, I don''t suppose we''ll be busy?"

    "Everyone will have to attend," Akiko rushed forward, passing Yumiko, and stopped shortly thereafter. "Get ready to challenge me. Maybe you can change Togo-chan''s mind before that, though I doubt she loves Miuru-kun. My opinion remains unchanged," she finished and moved on, not waiting for a frozen Yumiko.

    The meeting was set for early evening in the crimson sun.

 Haunt

    Thoughts of Yumiko at home brought Akiko to mixed feelings. One she realized that her hatred was driven by a tendency to aggression towards pretend girls like Yumiko; the other, from today, was seized by doubts about Yumiko''s nastiness, because she had provided support at an important moment for Akiko. Her warm, sincere smile on the bus was remembered by the maiden, making her involuntarily recoil from her warm feelings for the Yumiko she hated; or it was the principle that lay a rock in her ideals, born in the aftermath of a doomsday for her.

    The next day it was half past six on the clocks of all Tokyo apartments, and no sooner had the sun invaded from the clouds than it was already setting behind the new buildings and shafting over the mountains, following to the illumination of the next points of the world. Be that as it may, Japan was not the only country in the globe, but covered only a small part of the earth. At this evening time, in one of the thousands of uninhabited courtyards, where, like everywhere else, the wind blew in from all corners, scattering the fallen leaves from the roads away, four schoolchildren met each other. There was a silent patience in their gazes, combined with a certain handful of sadness in their eyes. It was Saki who was looking at Masashi with a confused look, clutching her wrist, and when the boy''s confident gaze bladed to her, she quickly averted her childish gaze. The two girls had the whole fate of a longtime love couple on their hands, and Yumiko could feel the weight that hung over her. It was exactly the same weight she had felt with the child she had met in April. Goosebumps ran through Akiko''s body, but she did not flinch.

    Determined to end the dead silence, Yumiko straightened up and gathered herself to make a prearranged speech:

    "I will give my full opinion, leaving you two to choose how best to proceed. Having been in contemplation since yesterday, I realized that I am not inherently commanding, and I would rather erect my opinion without any intention of forcing you to comply."

    "Please," Masashi said quietly, nodding. Saki, on the other hand, already knew what her new acquaintance would be talking about, but she was petrified all at attention, wanting to hear her conclusions again.

    "I have noticed that both of you are not trying to resolve your personal relationships by eventually coming to the idea of signing a form in Daisuke. However, you have to consider your feelings as well, because you may not internally agree with our opinions, so I''m counting on your discretion," she sighed, having the courage to interpret in front of an audience, even though that audience consisted of three people. "I think a compromise must be made. First, according to Togo-chan, she wants to develop further in her career; second, Miura-kun is not trying to find out the reason for the broken bonds; and third, Togo-chan believes that she does not need relationships in her life. After thinking deeply about these points, I want to tell you, Togo-chan, that the relationship is unlikely to affect you in a bad way, because Miura-kun himself understands your desire to strive further into the future."

    Yumiko paused briefly, switching her eyes to Masashi and stretching her fingers, and continued again:

    "Still, no one forbids you to continue communicating as before, but on weekends, so that Togo-chan can handle the timing. Relationships are meant to help each other, then why can''t Miura-kun help Togo-chan with her burdensome and time-consuming development? For example, you can meet on weekends and vacation together, there won''t be a problem with that. Togo-chan, I think that might be the best choice to continue the relationship," Yumiko finished, taking a step back, thereby clarifying that she was done.

    Masashi and Saki''s confused looks were wrapped in doubt and confusion, resisting the inevitable sadness. Even then, she hoped to be right in Yumiko''s gentle and ardent words. And then, an inconspicuous Akiko stood in the middle, and lifted her previously downward-facing lashes.

    "It''s not about time at all, (it''s about desire)" she declared, taking control of the conversation. "Yumiko, I understand that you want this to end in a happy ending for everyone, but there is a catch here that such a choice has not been made by them before," and then the couple''s eyes widened, wondering if she had at least figured it out. "No timing type nonsense is going to affect their future relationship, and that''s because they decided everything a long time ago. They just needed an excuse not to frame each other for fools. At the sight of them, I was troubled by doubts about the sincerity in their candid words about remaining in love. In reality, it was a common lie. An unwillingness to accept the truth."

    The couple''s lips clenched tightly and their teeth were gritted in guilt and resentment. But this resentment was cast solely toward themselves, not toward Akiko, who brought them out in the open. After a brief pause, Akiko continued to tear the couple apart with bitter facts:

    "I can''t judge. Your relationship lasted a happy three years, bestowing upon you the love and value of life. You decided a long time ago, but you didn''t want to upset each other. This has brought you to the point that now you can not even look at each other. What kind of conversation in private can we have?" she scowled at Yumiko. "Do you get it now, Yumiko-chan? Things don''t always end well. Not speaking of a good note, one must realize that reality is full of misery and dishonesty. The absurdity of it all is that negativity wouldn''t exist at all if people appreciated each other. We all sin with it, that''s why we''re not perfect. Open your eyes, Yumiko-chan, it''s only sadness caused by people''s mistakes. This is the world we live in."

    For Yumiko, her friend''s words sank deeply into her soul, though she refused to believe this reality from Akiko''s point of view, the brown-eyed woman could not hide her face of frozen intemperate shock. Akiko''s words unwillingly tore part of the template of idealism within Yumiko, built like a great portrait from her childhood.

    "Togo-chan has chosen her own way, and Miura-kun should come to terms with that," Akiko added, lowering her tone. "And yet Miura-kun wanted to know if he was doing the right thing by not publicizing his feelings of lost love," her voice boomed again, as Miura immediately fumbled for his heart area in sadness. "But these days were worth it. I''m sure Togo-chan had the best relationship."

    Saki covered her bewildered face with her thin hands, barely restraining her cries lest she upset the boys. Once again, she realized she didn''t want to upset anyone.

    "Akiko-chan," said Yumiko weakly, whose heart was pounding deafeningly, making her feel every pulse, "So that''s what you meant by ''You don''t understand anything,'' and I really couldn''t imagine..."

    "Don''t worry," Akiko calmed down, removing her emotions, "Everyone''s been through this. That''s why I was scared to imagine if Miura-kun and Togo-chan got caught by those who didn''t know a lot about dating at all," she turned to the couple, taking a step aside.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The couple was barely going to move their shaking lips. Inside, their souls were screaming out loud for the truth that they had hidden deep within them in such a way that they themselves believed the invented false facts. Akiko''s raising their doubts finally prompted the couple to think about the real thing, their future life and relationship.

    "There''s no point in lying to myself anymore," Masashi revealed, gradually releasing his trepidation and rejection. "I''m tired of hiding under a false mask that doesn''t match my very nature," his body cried out with surging emotion, as if the guy felt alive. Glancing over at Saki, he continued: "I''ve decided that we should forget about the vulnerability in our hearts, and end the relationship. It will be better for ourselves."

    "Uh-huh," Saki hissed awkwardly like a bunny. "We have to move on. Go forward without fear of obstacles. For me, the main obstacle to moving forward was only you, Masashi-kun... All I could think about was you, and all my thoughts became dependent on you alone. I don''t want to... depend on others anymore."

    Akiko was flustered by the maiden''s reply, but as she measured her eyes over their guilt-ridden faces, the girl guessed that the pair had made their choices so sure. Yumiko couldn''t help it anymore, and closed her astonished mouth, lowering her eyes slightly. The fight was won by Akiko without a doubt, and under the veil of feelings that came over the couple, they forgot at all about the existence of any other option but Akiko.

    Once everyone had calmed down, it was time to say goodbye. Masashi and Saki thanked them for their favor, and the young man added that the girls had successfully done their job. In addition, he summoned a cab to the nearest street so that the keepers would leave in one piece.

    "See how happy they are," Akiko muttered as she glanced at the former couple walking away on the opposite side of the road. Now, however, they had become regular friends. Yumiko only followed the gaze of a tired, happy Akiko. "I think it''s the perfect outcome. Even though he''s not successful from some point of view - he''s gifted them with happiness. Isn''t that a victory?"

    "Yes. It''s their innocent choice."

    "Good point. It''s just that no man with a little bit of intelligence in his head is capable of choosing for others, much less having others choose for him. We, in turn, pushed them to make true choices, even though they had to go through the pain."

    Akiko wondered inwardly why Glenn had quietly chosen this particular case, and whether he knew what might have happened, or was counting on intuition. Akiko hadn''t seen the whole picture, especially since Yamashita wasn''t saying many things either. She thought that if Glenn wanted to bring her and Yumiko closer together in this way, he was a complete fool. She stopped in impatience, appearing behind Yumiko with a gloomy look of personal doubt. Yumiko stopped, too.

    "Yumiko-chan, give up on Ryou," she suddenly declared, leaving a questioning look at Yumiko. "Stop contacting him, please. Leave him to me, or I won''t be able to control myself."

    "Akiko-chan, what do you mean?"

    "I want to get Ryou. At any cost."

    "Okay, but what does that have to do with..."

    "Because I can no longer treat you like I used to," Akiko fell in spirit, lowering her head. Her thoughts settled beneath a fog through which only darkness and boundless space could be seen. "I thought you were a bastard, Yumiko-chan. A bastard who didn''t go with Ryou for his own good. But I realized that things were far from what I had learned to think. I''ve been thinking all sorts of nonsense, and I''m sorry for that."

    "Akiko-chan... you''re sad again. Please stop torturing yourself."

    "There''s no other way. We can''t be friends because I still hate you. I mean, I don''t like you. Things must be called by their proper names. The truth is, I don''t want to do anything.

    I''d rather keep it that way than try to change it. I''m haunted... haunted by a dreadful pain. Next time I won''t be able to talk to you the way I used to, because it just doesn''t make sense anymore. I''ve had enough of the old lying conversations... I almost forgot myself in these reveries. Just, give me Ryou."

    Clenching her hands into a fist, Akiko said softly:

    "You are a good man who always thinks of others. Then... please - think of me. It would be the best way out for me, because I can no longer understand what I am doing or where I am. I am haunted only by pain."

    Above their heads hung a ringing stench of desolation and acceptance of the bitter truth. Heavily closing her eyes, Akiko hummed, and Yumiko''s wide eyes seemed to pass through pain and compassion for others. Something awoke in Akiko that engaged part of her hazy mind in a change, bringing a warmth to it. Looking back at Yumiko, the girl saw the brown-eyed, pained girl squeeze a warm, guilty smile on her tired face, and that chagrined smile brought even more warmth and tenderness to the red-eyed Akiko.

    "The work is done, I''m going home," Akiko retired with quick steps, looking down. So, Yumiko suppressed her feelings and was left alone, waiting for a cab that took her straight to her quiet home. Upon entering her cozy den, the schoolgirl felt faint, and without fail lay down on her bed, taking off her skirt and the dark tights with which she went outside.

    The next sunny day, the phone lying beside her vibrated, and finding out who had texted her, lying Yumiko was surprised. In the general chat room, Glenn wrote that the next profiles would be a while away; and Akiko replied for him to go to private messages. Suddenly, Yamashita texted the brown-eyed girl personally.

    Yam: "Did you know that Glenn doesn''t really pick questionnaires by chance?"

    Yumi-kun: "What do you mean?"

    Yam: "All of these cases are chosen by a clearly stated design. Only Glenn-kun himself knows what he wants to accomplish."

    Yumi-kun: "Are you sure?"

    The young man responded by throwing a smiley face with his shoulders shrugged and palms raised to the side.

    Yam: "All I know is that Glenn has access to a selection of any type of questionnaire from somewhere. You do remember that you can only choose questionnaires based on your specialty or skills, right? So how come Glenn-kun has five at once?"

    "I''d like to know too," Yumiko whispered, sleepily. "Akiko-chan, are you okay..."

    Lying on the bed, Akiko turned off her phone, texting Glenn, and it was obvious from the red in her eyes that she had recently cried. In aimlessness, her gaze froze motionless at one point.

 Storm, a Harbinger of Imminent Calamity

    A dark, boundless void opened in Ryou''s eyes as he woke up in an unknown place. The fog that filled that void shook through the place with every scream and wail of the memorable woman''s voice. Sparks of fire rang in the guy''s ears, from which strange, unfamiliar fragments of life flowed out. Time after time, these fragments complemented each other, but Ryou did not remember them. His indifferent gaze stared into the thickening darkness. These fragments flowed away in quick jerks that it was impossible to comprehend the existence of these memories. Whether they were memories, the young man did not know.

    In one fragment, he and Tomoyuki were sitting in an empty library, his hands clutching one book.

    In another fragment, in a dark room, Yumiko took a white, small pill in a hurry. Her hands trembled and tears kept flowing down the brown-eyed girl''s cheeks in an abnormal panic. All her thoughts dissolved into unknowing sadness, tearing all the warmth in her heart over and over until it was filled with doubt.

    Next, a cold, pale autumn appeared in his eyes. The guy and the rest of the club were strolling through a small park he hadn''t seen before. A narrow path led directly to wooden benches.

    Following, he felt the sharp cry of broken glass, throwing back hundreds of glass crumbs that reflected familiar faces and events that had happened to Ryou during his time in Tokyo. At a brisk pace, various voices of familiar people were heard around him, which made his consciousness shiver. A coldness enveloped his entire glow-in-the-dark body, and Ryou covered himself with an invisible blanket. He looked at the galactic space that appeared above him, composed of stars and planets. Ryou''s eyes glazed over at the swiftly falling star. In a split second, the white star, emitting fire from itself, fell right on his head. The boy''s ears ringing with angry heat ceased, and all that remained was dead silence.

    Calamity.

    Ryou slowly opened his sleepy eyes, waking up in his favorite room, on his bed. When the ringing in his ears stopped, the boy forgot all about the strange dream, which in a way seemed like a vision to him. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall by the shelf, the young man decided to start his new morning with a murdered look, and sloppily readjusted his bed as he stood up.

    Opening the unremarkable curtains and drapes, through which the typical morning sunshine did not come out, Ryou saw the sketchy, monotonous weather outside, laced with strong winds. The forecast from the television set on in the living room said that a storm was coming today.

    "A storm?" asked Ryou perplexedly, eating breakfast at the kitchen table. "Does it happen in Tokyo?"

    "Not often," responded the busy woman cleaning up the extra dining items on the dark-white tabletop, like the rest of the kitchen. "Mostly, it heralds a sudden change in weather for the next few days, and hail."

    "Hail? I''ve never seen it with my own eyes before."

    "Maybe it''ll come with the rains. Our summer is so lacking in rain."

    "And grayness."

    "You can feel the grayness in the fall. It''s rare in summer."

    "Whatever''s meant to happen always does."

    Obviously, the gray, majestic clouds suggested a heavy rain that would engulf the entire city. From these clouds that reigned over the immense sky, the glow of the rising sun faintly emanated, and the light dulled all the colors around it, serving them in a pale, dreary tone. Today''s melancholy caught Tokyo on its meanest day, a business Monday, when people need a burst of optimism to stimulate in them the urge to go to work or to school. After finishing his meal, Ryou stepped into his room, dressed in school uniform.

    At leisure that same morning, Tomoyuki wandered deliberately down a vacant street with private, modest houses. He found the strength to call one caller and announce his imminent arrival. Once at the outside gate, Tomoyuki clenched his fists and took a firm breath, pushing his chest forward and exhaling with all determination. As he opened the gate, he stepped into the courtyard of a one-story private house. His raised eyes caught sight of a woman''s silhouette, with arms crossed, on the porch awaiting the young man''s arrival. Pressing her shoulder against the wall of the house, the woman stared at the teenager standing there with tortured eyes. Smiling heavily, this woman, with her soul torn because of a dead loved one, finally said:

    "It''s been a long time since you came, Tomoyuki-kun."

    "Hello, Matsuoka-san. I''m glad to see you again."

    "Came to see Takashi?"

    "Yes," the guy''s eyes shook slightly. Tomoyuki''s long-awaited stamina and confidence in preparation were gone, as was all his will in showing fear.

    "Please. He''ll be glad to see you. Oh, what good fortune to have you visiting us, Tomoyuki-kun."

    Tomoyuki silently stepped down the path toward the house. As he climbed the steps of the porch, his heart rate quickened, and as the hard pounding of his heart sounded within him, Tomoyuki stopped on the last step.

    "Is something wrong?"

    "Nothing," the shadows of his hair covered his dark eyes. "It''s been a long time since I''ve been here," he barely squeezed out a smile, and opened the front door.

    The guest stopped in front of the door to one of the two rooms as he walked up the floor. His blue eyes were wide with daze. The woman stood on the stairs with only lowered eyelashes, looking bitterly at the schoolboy. Tomoyuki imagined his whole hand, stained with an abundance of someone else''s blood, slowly flowing to the floor. The bloody hand tugged at the doorknob, revealing the entrance to a room that looked as dim as the rest of the house because of the overcast weather. Tomoyuki''s thoughts emptied and he stepped foot into the room, closing the door. He was alone with himself in a room that reeked of the fragrance of the present and decency. Like the screams of hell, the grinding in his ears ceased, and feeling the silence and smoothness of the pale room, he approached the wooden table placed in the corner near the window, on which were arranged family albums, a plate with an unlit candle and a remarkable looking frame with a portrait of a certain young man, looking the same age as Tomoyuki. The dark brown color of his hair, like that of the woman in the house, and the sharp eyes that gave a mocking effect recalled Tomoyuki, and he approached this portrait. Carefully examining the image, which did not seem to have much detail, the young man clenched his elbow with his other hand and sat down beside the table.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    "Excuse me, Takashi-kun," he pronounced, looking at the unmoving image in the frame, "I am still as childlike as I was. Now, I just want to give the hypocritical brat of schoolchildren what they deserve, just like you taught me, Takashi-kun," Tomoyuki added, and then pressed his lips tightly together and said weakly: "The darkness is thickening. I don''t know what I should do. I''m in doubt, Takashi-kun, what should I do next? I''m still a child."

    The candle glued to the plate was lit by a light flame coming from the lighter that Tomoyuki kept in the inside pocket of his dark, long shirt. Closing his eyes, he was filled with memories from the past: both the good ones associated with him and Takashi, and the bad ones when they had their differences. Fragments of vivid memories passed imperceptibly through the unformed boy''s mind. Following the silence, which was broken by the rumble of the street wind, Tomoyuki opened a hard gaze, and said:

    "Shining like crystals ruby eyes that present distress to the people around them and take the breath away of those in need... I remember everything. If I am fortunate enough to meet him, I will talk to him about you. You have my promise."

    On one bright, nauseatingly routine school day, to the delight of all the members of the literary circle showed up at the study. Sitting around the middle square table, the boys chatted about all the interesting things that had happened to them over the past weekend of everyday life, and their faces were covered with warmth in their smiles. An intoxicating tenderness hung over the study, which, combined with the warm, bittersweet light from the crimson sun, quelled a bunch of negative thoughts at least for now.

    "I was wondering," pronounced Yumiko as Tomoyuki finished talking and the boys subsided, "Are you thinking about a future, post-graduation path? For example, what university to go to, or what profession to choose."

    "That''s something to think about," Glenn replied, "...After all, we have to prove ourselves in the last exam soon. Next comes the hour when the graduates have to decide which institution to apply to."

    Yumiko nodded. "We are future graduates. Our whole lives are ahead of us. Have you chosen what you want to do in the future?"

    "I''m going into the medical field," the dark-eyed man added, surprising the others with a straight answer. "The truth is, I don''t know exactly where I want to go yet," he rubbed the back of his head with a hand of mild embarrassment. "So many choices for medical schools, I could go study in a different country."

    "Great goal," Yumiko shook her head, satisfied. The girl had no doubts for Glenn because he can stand up for himself and clearly knows his worth. "You can do it, especially since you learn better than I do," she giggled, glancing back at Ryou next. The boy coughed.

    "Sure, I''m not trifling, but... still thinking about where to enroll."

    "Come on," Glenn cheered the boy, "You''re a better student than I am."

    "School grades don''t mean anything. I should probably choose a major in my favorite subjects."

    Nodding, Yumiko glanced at Tomoyuki, which made him smile and close his eyes.

    "The truth is, I don''t know where I want to go either," he chuckled, depressed. "I''ll decide in the course of the current year, but I have something in mind. Architect," and looked Tomoyuki at Akiko, sitting aloof beside him. After a while, Akiko finally pursed her lips.

    "Maybe..." she was confused, "I''ll go to be an architect. Or become a merchandiser!"

    Gathering all her friends'' opinions, Yumiko sated herself with composure and satisfied herself with their free will. Of course, she knew that most teenagers take a long time to decide what they want to do, but to think that people didn''t have a choice of their own was just reckless. Everyone had at least once thought about which road to take, or which goal to have. It is their life, and they have the right to decide for themselves. That''s how people achieve independence.

    The boys all at once shot warm glances at Yumiko, causing her to sway slightly. When she realized that it was her turn, the schoolgirl pressed her hand to her chest and closed the lashes in awe.

    "There is so much in this world unexplored by ordinary people," she retorted. "Spacious mountains where the cold reigns forever; reassuringly quiet blue oceans; large nature preserves; and huge waterfalls," Yumiko opened her pretty eyes. "Maybe I''m fooling around, but the thought creeps in, just once to think about the tall, cohesive waterfalls... I want to travel."

    "Of course, you have the right to decide your life," Glenn twirled a pencil in his hands. "But a traveler is not a profession."

    "I-I understand..." confused Yumiko, whose cheeks were flushed red. "I was just thinking that I want to travel alone when I grow up. I h-have to go into journalism!"

    The boys were surprised by the girl''s liveliness and the concern in her face. After a second, Glenn chuckled, and Tomoyuki could barely contain his laughter, causing Yumiko to bow her head sideways in perplexity.

    "Nothing," Glenn shook his head, "I don''t get to see you carried away very often."

    "Honestly, honestly!" exclaimed Tomoyuki. "You always look like you''re out of this world."

    "E-excuse me."

    Harmony reigned in the room again, and there was no trace of the confusion in Yumiko''s gaze. Thus, she believed in her friends and in their dreams. Days like this did not happen every day at the club, and alas, they rarely got together to discuss their teenage leisure time. These were the days Yumiko became proud of, treasured, and kept in the illusory folder of her happy memories, naturally in her mind. These days, the boys themselves didn''t notice, became empowering. After all, most of the participants already considered each other friends, and some had already managed to get much closer, though you couldn''t tell by looking at them.

    This school week was a harbinger of hot, summer vacations, when the desire to go outside and open windows disappears. Schools at such times send the whole class on summer trips to other cities. The choices on the summer trips were vast, and the purpose of such concerns was to awaken in the youth a love for the country and its traditions. The students, on the other hand, were not opposed to it at all; on the contrary, participating in a summer trip for them was equal to being awarded a medal for honorable studies, and was equal to a luxury.

    Outside Yumiko''s room, the twilight of the city, illuminated by bright street lights, billboards, and endless traffic, was dazzling. Her room was empty, but light lit up from all corners, inherently leaving shadows at each object. No squeaks could be heard through the closed door of the room, and Yumiko was in one of the other rooms herself. What a lucky day it was for her when mother didn''t come home today. Who did she even bother to talk to, the daughter thought with indifference, but she was concerned about other things today. The phone lying on her made-up bed vibrated, and then turned on the screen notifying her of an outgoing call from a known caller. There was no answer from the busy girl. The phone continued to vibrate until finally the call automatically disconnected. That call was missed.

    A notification popped up on her touchscreen phone with the missed call and the calling contact signed as "Brother."

 Ryou Goes Back to Kyoto

    The calendar loomed on the 5th of August. On that hot day, the school newsletter came to all high school students inviting them to a summer trip. The summer trip was scheduled for the next five days. This year, a massive school trip across the country was officially planned to expand traditional high school student connections. At its core, the trip to a different city was chosen at random, so it was unknown until the last moment where third graders and Ryou''s class would end up going. This intrigue lasted until the news was announced to them that the seniors of their school would be going to Kyoto as a class. Ryou was shocked by this, as he had an excuse to meet his friends from Kyoto whom he had not seen since March. Still, their communication on the Internet continued in its own way, but the effect was quite different from what he had previously experienced in person. He treasured his old friends and decided to participate in the school trip.

    Ryou, whose thick hair was already over his ears, was excited about the trip to Kyoto. After texting his old friends in a general chat room, he learned that most of them would also be going on the trip on the 10th, and unfortunately, they couldn''t refuse. Ryou was embarrassed to realize that he would not be able to meet some of his friends. Asking them which cities they would be sent to, the young man remembered that they all go to the same school. Ryou was sad, however, because he wanted to celebrate the reunion with the whole cast. Before he knew it, the chat room finally answered him.

    Island: "Cheer up, Ryou-kun!!!"

    This user also dropped an abundance of red hearts, thereby revealing an embarrassed smile on Ryou''s face. Overcome with sympathetic bliss, the teen remained content with the fact that he would return to his hometown to his friends. The others following also began to type and console Ryou.

    Isshinho: "Don''t you worry: Oda and Maiko-chan will stay in Kyoto for their own love reasons."

    Ryou chuckled at the last written words, noticing that Oda and Maiko are the two current love couples in their social circle.

    Mizuki-chan: "Stop it!!! Embarrassing and infuriating!"

    User Isshinho wrote to Ryou in personal messages, calling him out for a visceral reason. Ryou immediately opened a chat room.

    Isshinho: "You are obligated to meet them. Ode, our bully, is in his early twenties and is attending Kyoto College, and our genius, Maiko-chan, is graduating from high school. You know what I mean? By choice, Maiko is about to fly to America to study at a university there. You haven''t forgotten, I hope.

    That''s right, Ryou just remembered this long-ago news. Squeezing his shoulders, the grief-stricken young man contemplated Oda and Maiko''s future relationship. Opening the touch keyboard, he began to quickly press the buttons.

    Ryou: "I''ll meet with them."

    A new message arrived in the general chat room.

    Isshinho: "I wish I could see you, Ryou-kun. That share will go to Oda and Maiko. Still, it''s worth finding the upside, too: I haven''t seen your stupid face in five months."

    Toward the end, the user dropped a mocking sticker with his tongue hanging out. Ryou was both chagrined and twitchy with annoyance. This user continued to write in the chat room.

    Isshinho: "Still, chatting is nothing compared to the real thing. By the way, Island can''t wait to meet you. Missing you, I guess."

    Ryou laughed again at this user''s jocularity. On the other side of the screen, the user received a blow to the head from the girl. They were both sitting with their backs to each other in their dark room.

    Island: "Not true! Anyway, come back soon."

    Ryou bored with their old companionship. Still, they had not changed, and the young man''s strong attachment to the Kyoto boys had not faded after five months of premature separation. Sighing with longing, the teenager decided to take part in a summer trip.

    From the morning of August 10th, the students gathered in rows and boarded the buses. Each class entered exclusively on its own bus and left the meeting place in strict order. In fact, the school trip this year was held as a field trip for several days, and with the occasion to show and tell all the delights in this excursion, each class was presented with their own guides on the bus. These guides were obligated to walk together through the various preserves and historical sites on the trip. The trip, however, from Tokyo to Kyoto, could last seven hours, but with long stops could go over that mark. As they drove along, students would stop at popular traditional sites in Japan, such as: landmarks, whether they were buildings or nature reserves. The history of the places encountered was told by the guides, with careful preparation. Ryou sat in the penultimate row, near the right side. Noticing Yumiko seated a few rows in front, on the left edge, he could see the girl staring serenely out the window with her head pressed against it.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    While touring the town of Tsuru, which is the entrance to Yamanashi Prefecture, they reached the Monkey Bridge, which is a pedestrian wooden bridge over a precipitous gorge that has been listed as a place of scenic beauty in Japan.

    An abundance of green grass and herbaceous stuff was woven around the bridge, greening the rich history of it. In a lecture from guide Sagiri, the students learned that this bridge was one of three ancient ones from the Edo period. It was understandable that the bridge didn''t want to look new so it was a reference point for the tour.

    Eventually, the class reached Yamanashi Prefecture, and as they stepped out into the sunshine, some of the students were surprised by the warm temperatures. Be that as it may, the temperature was indeed noticeably different from Tokyo''s, and a sleepy warmth reeked outside. The prefecture was surrounded on all sides by mountains and the main attraction was Mount Fujiyama, which protruded nobly behind the other low mountains in comparison. Ryou''s class, as well as the others who arrived, stopped in town. Sagiri, the tour guide, was a woman in her thirties and gradually lectured about the prefecture. Her lectures did not seem to be interesting, but she herself interested people with her openness and gentle sociability, which ended up endearing her to many students. After taking a break, the students went to the local inexpensive restaurants, cafes, and stores. Surprisingly for Ryou, he didn''t meet any of his friends at school. Yumiko, on the other hand, had disappeared somewhere, and Ryou went to look for stores. Noticing how many students were ordering Hoto in the dining establishments, Ryou became interested in trying it out. Hoto was the main food in Yamanashi, so most people bought it. Hoto was an udon of wheat noodles with plenty of miso broth.

    After reaching Fujiyoshida Prefecture, the guide anxiously announced three places to rest - Fuji-Kyu Highland, Ropeway, and Lake Kawaguchi. Upon reaching the first point, they saw an entire amusement park equipped with roller coasters, a Ferris wheel, and all the rides that bring pleasure to young lives. However, the guide and teachers did not throw themselves into the rides, only allowing the students to walk around the park, which made most of them sad. Indeed, to come to an amusement park and not get on one of the rides was comparable to a sin. Next, the next point was the short Ropeway, which the students took the bus up to, located on top of Mount Kachi-kachi. After boarding the square stall that serves as an elevated cable ride, the students saw a spectacular view of the prefecture, Mount Kachi-kachi itself, and soon, Lake Kawaguchi. The panoramic bird''s-eye view presented both the verdant surroundings of the prefecture to the teenagers, and from the corner finally looked out a distant mountain with a snow-capped peak that struck them with its size. It was far away, but the students had plenty of time to see it from the windows, memorizing its every shape. It was Mount Fujiyama itself. Ryou was especially surprised by the view of the prefecture''s summer nature, for it was the best time for flowers, trees, and plants to bloom.

    And finally, the last point was Lake Kawaguchi, according to tourists from all over the world, which was a noble place to rest, because across the river there was a view directly of Mount Fujiyama. One of the Five Fuji Lakes, it is the largest. Ryou and his group, except for Yumiko, were near its quiet shore. After hearing stories from the guide, people asked if they could stop here for a while and take pictures, to which the guide agreed. She proudly declared for people to take pictures here before it is too late, for this place is particularly delightful, and added that photos with friends would be just right to keep for the future.

    Ryou stood behind the assembled crowd and heard their conversation. He never found any members of the club other than Yumiko, and she didn''t talk to him on the excursions either, and it suddenly seemed like something new to him, to finally feel the quiet life and enjoy the beauty of nature. Just as he had wanted from the early days of silence around him, he got this most untouchable feeling. Ryou stood under a green tree, shut out from the daylight. There was also a slight breeze blowing around the river, which made the students'' dark school uniforms and the girls'' sleek hair ripple back and forth, flying away with that flow into the unknown.

    Surprised that his phone had been dead since the start of the ride because of low battery power, Ryou turned the phone on and plugged in his dripping headphones and found himself searching for music. That''s when it hit him - the young man noticed how the messenger instantly filled up with messages and his phone began to vibrate loudly for several uninterrupted seconds. Upon entering the general chat room, Ryou learned that the rest of the club had been periodically chatting and looking for each other throughout.

    "So that''s why I haven''t seen Yumiko... they were setting up meetings," Ryou said, sinking into thought, and as he flipped messages down his phone completely discharged. He managed to notice Akiko looking for him at the past two meeting points, but all to no avail. Ryou sighed and put his phone back in his pocket.

    Sitting on a bench under a blooming sakura tree, Ryou looked out at the quiet lake. Seeing the lake''s sparkling surface, where the blue sky and the top of a high mountain reflected, his eyes lifted to that mountain, the view of which was clearly visible.

    "This view sinks into sleep," he whispered, wincing, and with a rush of boredom he lowered his head. "I want to get to Kyoto quickly," Ryou closed his eyes, lulled by the natural harmony that caught his ears.

    A few seconds later, as he heard quiet, approaching footsteps, a familiar female voice benignly called the young man by name. As he looked up, before him stood a thin girl with modest shoulders, the outlines of brown at the tips of her long hair, and wide, brown eyes. Her perpetually apathetic and cold appearance would not have been confused by Ryou with any other, for to him this girl differed from the mass of other people, obviously by her carefree nature.

    "Yumiko-chan?" muttered the young man, reacting confusedly.

 View of Nature

    A day has passed since the tour began. After visiting Lake Kawaguchi, Ryou''s group had time to go to one more location. It was a national park whose main attraction was Shiraito Falls. Many lectures about the park were given by the guide, and the students explored the area all around, also taking pictures next to the waterfall. They spent that night quietly at the hotel. Ryou, after putting his phone on charge, went to bed with the rest of the boys in class.

    The next day, at one o''clock in the afternoon, the bus reached Kyoto, where everyone expected it to be. To where the uninformed students had originally planned to go. The guide advised all the students to go eat at nearby places, for the excursion today would be especially exciting. Truth be told, she said this every time she prepared the students for their next stops, so the students were already used to her extreme altruism.

    Ryou and the club members deliberately met at a nearby restaurant and began to talk about their everyday lives as they toured. Even though they only reached the city itself today, the guys found a lot of topics to talk about. They shared their emotions. Ryou listened quietly to what they had to say, noticing their very positive opinions of the tour. He also noticed how their conversation had transformed into a more friendly one. Glenn was sitting in a white shirt, thus escaping the heat, and his silver chain protruded from his unbuttoned collar. Amazed by this chain, Akiko immediately spoke up:

    "Glenn-kun, what''s that around your neck?"

    "Souvenir," he blurted out in a welcoming smile, guessing that none of them, except Tomoyuki by fate, had seen this chain of rectangular links in its entirety. Slipping his hands into the collar of his shirt, the young man pulled out the hiding part of the chain, the golden cross. Seeing his strange chain in full view, the boys literally gasped.

    "A necklace with a cross on it?" muttered Yumiko anxiously. "I noticed how you always wore it."

    "Yes. I always walk around with it, for my own sake. I hide it inside the collar from prying eyes."

    "Then why are you... showing it to us?"

    The gleaming golden surface of the cross reflected rays of glowing light from all over the place, making it glow even more. Glenn lowered his eyelashes to look at the cross, which he carefully held with his hand.

    "Because you are my friends."

    "It must mean a lot to you," Yumiko added softly, calming herself down.

    "I got it from my father. Thanks to this chain, I do not forget his good deeds. It is my dignity. This cross reflects my father''s sparkling, pure soul."

    Glenn tucked the cross into his collar, and the chain, strange to the boys, reappeared as a plain silver chain, worn for appearances. Ryou hung his nose. He was touched by his friend''s story about his father and his dignity. Deep down, the boy still wanted to have that kind of father-son relationship. To himself, he wished Glenn''s father a bright life.

    Akiko, in the middle of the conversation, detected the boy''s silence, for even Yumiko herself sometimes joined in the conversation, and tried to cheer him up by saying: "And how was your everyday life on the trip?"

    Coming to his senses, Ryou opened his mouth slightly at Akiko''s sincere desire to cheer him up, and a bitter, grateful face was expressed on the guy''s face.

    "I''ve been trying my best to avoid meeting the pesky yous."

    "H-hey! Not funny!"

    The conversation turned jovial, and the restaurant reeked of friendly color.

    When it was time for the tour around Kyoto, the club members dispersed into their groups, and the guide began to lead her group forward through the streets and roads, where cherry blossoms bloomed all around and the blue sky cherished above. The students were fascinated by the sakura trees, nestled in almost every nook and cranny they explored. Maybe it was this particular neighborhood that was covered in brilliant colors of pink, but the sakura trees never disappeared from view, no matter which street they turned into. Kyoto was painted in the pink of graceful rose-colored trees. As he looked around at the nearby sights, Ryou silently recalled how he had been here before, and memories flashed before his eyes. Behind him ran out unnaturally bright children who were playing tag. In the very back a girl with darkish hair ran sloppily and with a heavy gasp, and in front two young boys chased each other. This was Ryou''s childhood stroll through these surroundings. In some places he remembered walking with his sister at an early age, who at the time seemed like a young beauty from fantasy novels. He also saw himself having all day fun with his friends in the park, which he walked through with a guide. Ryou felt nostalgic. Even though he hadn''t moved in until March, all those exploring the neighborhoods captured his soul. Yumiko, who walked behind him, peered through the crowd at his both happy and sad looks.

    -

    In the evening, the tour stopped at the hotel. From the saturation of the evening chill, Ryou went outside, dressed in a warm black turtleneck. The hotel was closer to the center of town on the outskirts of a large street. After walking around in a circle, Ryou walked away from the hotel and sat down on a bench by the lighted road. The road traffic seemed surprisingly quiet, making it feel peaceful, without the hum of vehicular congestion. Sitting in the meeting place, Ryou was waiting for his friends from Kyoto to arrive, and turning on his phone, he opened a gallery of photographs. With slow movements of his fingers, he opened the folder with the downloaded photos and unfolded the last photo full screen. The photo had been taken that day when the boys from the club had met in Maruyama Park on a field trip, and were happily curling up for the camera, standing at the bridge in front of the sakuras. In the next photo, the boys made an imperious look while standing near a mock-up with samurai armor in the museum. Flipping to the next photo, the teenager''s mouth dropped open. In this selfie picture, only Yumiko and Ryou were standing by the lake, with a view of Mount Fuji overhead. Ryou remembered how with an awkward, high-pitched tone he had then asked her to take a picture, inspired by the guide''s admonition to take photos together while the opportunity presented itself. After looking at the three photographs, a moderate smile spread across Ryou''s face. Then he opened Messenger and entered Oda''s chat room. The edge showed that twenty minutes had passed since the last message had been written. Sighing, wrung out from the nonstop walking, Ryou continued to wait silently.

    No sooner had he lowered his head with boredom than his eyelashes closed and Ryou dozed off.  After a while, Ryou''s consciousness, which was in deep water and slowly sinking, heard a soft and inarticulate low-pitched call. The boy paid no attention, and sank further into the depths, hearing only bubbles in the water. His thin and taut legs continually gave off a humming and stabbing pain. As he heard again the voice of a man calling the young man''s name, Ryou immediately responded and looked in the direction of the exuding sound. He saw a guy in his twenties standing nearby with broad shoulders and a short haircut. A small light in this guy''s brown eyes floated around the corners, reflecting longing on his face combined with peacefulness. Losing his voice, Ryou stood up from his seat. It was Oda, Ryou''s friend, the eldest of their fellowship group.

    "Oda..." shook Ryou''s lips. From the back of the broad guy''s silhouette peeked out the frail body of a thin girl with long ash-colored hair. She was as excited as Oda, whose body stiffened at the sight of the thick-haired young man.

    Dressed in a light blouse and black skirt, the girl finally spoke:

    "Ryou-kun," she squeezed out a bitter smile, overcome with sadness at the long-awaited reunion, "Welcome back."

    "Maiko-chan... I''m home."

    Oda lifted his arms, showing that he was ready for a hug. "Drop the sadness, Ryou. Be not filled with doubt."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Ryou walked with heavy steps toward his friend, and embraced that hug he had missed since March. Maiko, too, snuggled gently against the boys.

    "I''m sorry I didn''t give you any notice of my leaving."

    "That''s okay," Oda answered him with his eyes closed, "Today won''t ruin anything anymore."

    "Yeah..." mumbled Maiko faintly, nuzzling her face against the boys'' shoulders. "We meet at last."

    The three of them sat in a nearby park and talked about things that had happened during Ryou''s absence. From the chaste Oda''s words, the young man realized that he hadn''t missed anything important, and he already knew a lot of the news in the general chat room. However, Ryou could not help but miss the most important news for them, from which he decided not to be silent:

    "Maiko-chan, how are you going to fly to America?"

    "Oh, that''s... The move is going to work out, no matter what, but I''m leaving this week."

    "Why in the summer?"

    "I start studying in America in September. I already turned in the paperwork in June."

    "And you''re okay with that?" added Ryou, and the couple broke into a bitter smile. They were just as worried about the case, too, but inside themselves they had made up their minds long ago.

    "I''m fine with it," Oda replied in a lowered voice. "I''ll stay in this town to work further, bringing at least some income into the house. Maiko-chan is a pure-blooded genius, you don''t see that often. I wouldn''t want her genius to go to waste because of me."

    Maiko hung her head in dejection. In truth, both Maiko and Oda are seniors in their social circle, and Maiko had already graduated this year and Oda was a year ahead of her. Ryou thought that their decision could not be objectively challenged, with Maiko being a person who strives to evolve and not stay in one place for long. Oda, on the other hand, is a pure softy, with a habit of taking full responsibility, and in spite of his physical strength, he won''t touch a fly.

    "Are you two going to keep dating? How''s your life together?"

    "We shall see, we''ll find out."

    "I see," Ryou grimaced, and Maiko touched his shoulder in a hurry.

    "Tell us more about yourself, Ryou-kun. How are things in Tokyo?"

    "Yes... Tokyo is a great city. To tell the truth, at first I had my doubts, but soon began to understand Tokyo. I began to feel every pulse of this city, as if it was a living entity. I began to notice how this city slowly covered me in chains, but for what, I don''t know. To keep me from escaping? But I have nowhere to go. Tokyo is taking over the minds of the innocent."

    "How scary..." puzzled Maiko. "Kyoto doesn''t have that feeling at all. It''s as if it doesn''t hold back, but rather gives free rein for actions."

    "Tokyo also has a lot of people on the city streets. This town never falls asleep. Also, the city is more beautiful in the evening..." Without realizing it, Ryou remembered Yumiko in the evening cold when he handed her his coat. Even then, under the cover of twilight, the brown-eyed girl''s face illuminated by the light of spotlights and street lamps suddenly came to his mind. And toward the end arose her gentle, comforting smile on both the boy''s heart and soul.

    "You seemed to like it there."

    "I made friends there," the teenager continued to ponder, and Maiko gasped, covering her mouth.

    "Really?"

    "They''re good guys. I''m sure you''d like them."

    Seeing Oda and Maiko''s interested faces, the teenager went on to talk about his friends, capturing every moment that happened in his life in Tokyo. At the core were his feelings after the move and getting used to the new space that had surrounded him for five whole months. Ryou was genuinely happy and altruistic in that moment, realizing that he now had the faces of his good old friends by his side. As much as the guy denied it, he really missed his weekdays in Kyoto.

    When it was time to say goodbye, Oda said that Ryou had a hidden surprise that they wouldn''t tell him about. The important thing is that Ryou waits for him. The schoolboy misunderstood what ultimately led him to accept the existence of their secret. On a final note, however, Ryou was sad to say goodbye to them, for the afternoon tour would end and he would be leaving back. His concern for Maiko was not unreasonable, for the news of the separation felt unfavorable. In response, Maiko comforted him. Everything will turn out all right, she said. They won''t disappear without her, whispered her innocent voice, feeling her heart break. Eventually, they said goodbye.

    As Ryou approached the hotel, he finally saw the light from the hotel''s front door approaching. Near the wall, where the light from inside the hotel didn''t reach, stood the painfully familiar silhouette of a stout guy drinking coffee. Ryou recognized Yamada from a crossed glance. At first, they greeted each other, but couldn''t find a common topic of conversation, eventually deciding to chat about how their everyday life was going after the fight.

    "I''ve cut ties with those young ladies who stood up to Sato-san," Yamada announced, without any regret. His directed gaze into the distance pacified Ryou.

    "Huh? Well, they really did a nasty thing," said Ryou, staying nearby Yamada. "Pestering a defenseless girl with a mob is the peak of depravity."

    "I can''t understand where betrayal comes from. One day they come to you with all the sweetness in their souls that you begin to believe in their purity, and the next day they stab you in the back," the young man handed Ryou his glass of hot coffee. Ryou silently accepted the glass, gently grasping it with his fingers.

    "That''s why I limit my social circle," Ryou replied, taking a sip of the hot contents of the brownish glass.

    "How do you know if the person in front of you is sincere with you?"

    "I guess you get that through prolonged communication," the thick-haired man reflected, huddling against the wall.

    "But there are people who can exploit your flaws uncovered from your gaze. They don''t make a show of it in communication."

    "People are attracted to the same people as themselves. Inwardly, they are friends with those who are on par with them."

    "So here I can''t figure out who''s really friendly with me and who''s using me as a pawn. Maybe I''m too trusting, I don''t deny it."

    "I don''t know," Ryou replied, in a soft tone. "I only know what I see. I have no friends who are insincere with me, and certainly not with themselves. Besides, I have no harmful friends who wish to do me ill."

    "Cherish these friends. You may never find the likes of them again."

    The boy was passionately captivated by Yamada''s sustained enthusiasm. Who knew they could cross paths again, but with regular, friendly companionship. Yamada looked up at the evening sky and gave a deep gasp.

    "I''ll tell you a secret. I admire starry skies and natural vistas. That''s why I wouldn''t leave this excursion behind. To some, but this summer trip will sit in my mind for a long time."

    As she looked up at the open sky, millions of bright stars gathered in a wide line before his eyes, hidden in an immaculate, dark galactic space that humans had centuries to reach, and wandering shooting stars floated across the sky in a huddle for a moment, as if a group of doves were flying west, and disappearing from the horizon.

    These shooting stars were not for everyone to see, which made the vivid colors in Ryou''s eyes shine doubly bright. The dark blue stardust was recognized in the eyes of the students, soon appearing in all its nonchalant glory. The color of his eyes, which matched the color of the stardust, was reflected in his pupils, as if it belonged to them.

    Thus ended the day with the two teenagers. The atmosphere of harmony recreated the silence that Tokyo lacked. The vicious circle of driving cars on the street had subsided, and not a single person on the sidewalk could be seen again.

    The tour ended in this way. In the morning, Ryou met with the circle members, and together they waited for their buses to arrive, away from the cluster of students. As the first bus arrived and before it departed, the students said goodbye to the guides, and the tenth-graders insisted on their next lead-in next time. As it happens, the guide also stated that she was eager to meet them next year as well. A beaming smile appeared on his face as he looked at this scene, as the guy realized that there would be no next time for him. The trip back took seven hours, and the bus never stopped along the way. Following the end of the four days of the tour, the school trip was over. The members of the literature club had another memorable time in their final year of school.

 The Door of Hope

    The fifth of October came as quickly as the members of the circle had time to adjust to each other even closer. By this point in the serene days of school, the hot weather had finally subsided, followed by the long-awaited cool autumn breeze. The arrival of autumn seemed to pass before his eyes at high speed, and looking at the calendar in his room, Ryou was dumbfounded by the arrival of October.

    After school ended, Akiko and Tomoyuki were at the back of the school. The first thing Akiko smelled was cigarettes from Tomoyuki''s shirt. The girl didn''t care, for she had arranged the meeting for an important occasion. The conversation could not begin as Akiko stared intently at the young man, making Tomoyuki realize the value of what the maiden had decided to talk about.

    "I won''t try to remove Yumiko again," Akiko assured him.

    "Hmm? Your attempts have been unsuccessful as it is. To put it simply, you didn''t do anything at all."

    "Fine. You''re the one who keeps saying it''s pointless to annoy her-the dogs will come running. What, then, is the point of my presence in your motives?"

    "True, I have said so. But you didn''t foresee the moments yourself that you might end up eliminating your disliked friend."

    "She is not a friend. I didn''t tell you that over the summer I told her not to touch Ryou-kun anymore. From then on, she started crossing paths with him rarely."

    "It could be a coincidence. It''s summer vacation, after all, and in September students are taking up studying for crucial exams, participating in preparatory classes, and hiring tutors."

    "As a fact, I don''t communicate with Yumiko-chan anymore myself," the maiden added, reflecting on her everyday life over the past two months of summer and all of September. "I''ve found it easier to communicate with Ryou-kun, it''s true. Yumiko-chan won''t puzzle me anymore, so I won''t touch her."

    "Hmm? Is it just me, or are you remembering Yumiko-chan warmly? Have you changed your mind about her?"

    "W-what nonsense! That''s all I wanted to tell you," she exclaimed, and headed back to school. "We''re done."

    Tomoyuki didn''t stop the maiden, watching restlessly as she walked away. In his opinion, such carelessness whined about the point Akiko had made in her goals. She had accepted what she had and was content with the current situation, in which Yumiko had already dropped out by no longer communicating openly with Ryou. This way, Akiko could feel like she was in a winning position, even though she had lost her own fight. Tomoyuki, on the other hand, did not desire her comfort, for he was not yet done with her, a maiden considered by Tomoyuki to be the definition of wickedness. To him, Akiko was a target, for behind her lay dozens of pig sins that no one really knew about. All the stories of unmasked love and break-ups of submissive love couples, in which Akiko was indirectly involved, Tomoyuki did not forget. Her stance of pandering to light couples annoyed the young man, for that was why Akiko initially joined the pretend couple Ryou and Yumiko in order to crush the fragile girl''s mind, something they had been doing earlier. If Akiko continues to mingle with members of the literary club - she, a two-faced girl, is not to be wished any harm, Tomoyuki concluded to himself.

    Tomoyuki  also noticed her news of Ryou''s abrupt hysteria in the circle''s room. On his reflection, Ryou''s shock had formed since early childhood, leading the boy to a disturbance in his psychological stability. Most likely, Ryou has difficulty communicating precisely because of this dilemma, Tomoyuki speculated. Still, he didn''t like Ryou either, since it''s obvious that the farce with the pretend love between him and Yumiko was invented by him. Also, his arrogant stare and indifference in his interactions exacerbated Tomoyuki''s desire to give him what he deserved. Tomoyuki himself didn''t notice as he pondered to himself, becoming gloomy that even the air near him was heating up in horror. His perspective on human nature was pale, filled in vague, and merciless.

    -

    A few hours earlier, a pleasant, ear- caressing long recess had been taking place, telling the students to take a big break so that all the students could eat. In the month and a half since the summer trip event, Ryou''s hair had grown thicker, which caused him to tie it into a bun, and if he had continued to walk around with his previous hairstyle, his hair would have looked like a jag. As all the members of the circle sat in the club room, Masumi, the chemistry teacher, came through the door with a smiling look, and delivered:The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "There''s harmony reigning in me today, kids!"

    "You''re something special happy," Tomoyuki said, appearing humble. "Ah, did... did you happen to find a new job for us?"

    "No way," Masumi shook her head, "But there''s much better news: in honor of the anniversary, our school will be throwing a major Cultural Festival. Starting in the next few days, preparations for the festival will begin. The catch is that it will be the students who will be organizing, to surprise the teaching staff with their talented imagination."

    "And what do you want us to do?" asked Yumiko decently, not sharing the same interest as the teacher.

    "As fast as the organizers act, so fast will the preparations for the festival go. Better yet, the preparations require the minds that can make a truly spectacular festival in the history of the school," Masumi clarified, lowering her voice afterward. "The only thing I know is that you guys are doin'' great. I thought you might be able to help organize the festival, because it''s important to us teachers. After all, this place binds us all together," she lowered her lashes and looked down at the floor. "Don''t think I''m imposing on you at all! It''s strictly at my behest, I understand, and I''m only asking you for a favor. Help the hosts, please."

    The students thought deeply. They could not give an exact answer, for they did not know what participation in the production of the upcoming Cultural Festival could bring them, and they had not dealt with it before.

    "There are three of the best students in this circle in grades," the teacher pleaded further, begging, "Please consider my initiative!"

    "Don''t!" marveled the guys at Masumi''s bow.

    "Please raise your head," chimed in Yumiko. "Are you short-handed in organizing the festival?"

    "Not only that. It takes brilliant minds capable of leading a mass of people and assigning actions to them. It is known that the president of the school board and the others will be in charge, but that, alas, is not enough."

    "Yumiko-chan fits all the criteria!" added Akiko. "She''s the best choice!"

    Excitement flashed across Yumiko''s face. From the reassuring look of the stimulating Akiko, the girl realized that she was afraid to lead the crowd.

    "I''m hardly capable of..."

    "I''ll agree with Akiko-chan," Ryou added unintentionally, which made Tomoyuki, who understood Akiko''s point about nominating Yumiko as an organizer, look confused. "Yumiko-chan," Ryou appealed, "I know you can do it. If you accept, I''ll follow as an assistant, too."

    Akiko immediately went pale. She thought that if she elevated Yumiko to organizer, she would stop coming to club activities because of her busyness, but she was completely lost in herself after Ryou''s statement.

    "I don''t mind helping out either," Glenn raised his hand along with his dark eyes. "The more hands, the better the festival will come out," he smiled.

    "Then I don''t mind, too," Tomoyuki muttered. His slight smirk reached Akiko.

    But Akiko had no regrets. After all, her idea had a place to exist. Wanting Ryou to notice her, the girl was ready to become an organizer. Masumi was delighted by the general agreement of the boys, and eventually an entire literary circle came together to help prepare for the Cultural Festival.

    "In that case, start tomorrow," the teacher added. "Volunteers will gather after classes are over to participate in organizing the festival. Of course, some of them may decline after the meeting, so you should try to prove to them the opportunities that will open up in the festival if they become involved in helping."

    "Of course, we will have a lot of responsibility," Yumiko stressed.

    "After class, then..." pondered Ryou, taking hold of his chin. "Are you guys sure you''re okay with this?"

    "I''ll adjust my schedule to the meeting," consecrated Tomoyuki, blithely. Glenn, on the other hand, ducked. Akiko and Yumiko nodded, stating that they, too, were free.

    Still, Ryou didn''t understand why Yumiko had agreed to participate. He thought that the girl would be caught up in her studies until the spring. Looking at her as the teacher and the rest of the guys encouraged her to embarrassment, to him Yumiko then seemed happy.

    Thus came the next day, and the time to meet in the second-floor study room followed. Yumiko was going to go to a meeting after school with her friends. Standing near the entrance to this office, Yumiko guided her hand to the doorknob. Stopping halfway through, her hand shook. What if she failed, if she couldn''t live up to the expectations of her friends, she wondered within herself, fear running through her body. The fear continued to pierce until the modest girl felt two hands placed on her slim, soft shoulders. They were the hands of Ryou and Glenn, whose reassuring gazes were also directed toward the door. She noticed from their smiles "''You can do it, hang in there!" so she dared them, and eyes glazed over. Proud of herself, the girl opened the door. A door that gave desire and possibility to the maiden, for behind it Yumiko could find something she missed. Maybe it was a signal that meant the arrival of novelty in her equal life; or her long-awaited miracle, through which the girl would assure herself that she was ordinary, similar to the rest of the people. The door of hope.

 Soul Exchange

    When they opened the door, the members of the literary circle saw a common square of tables in the middle of the room, with students sitting silently on chairs, and others standing in the corners behind them. These students waited until all those interested in organizing the festival were assembled, and their gazes synchronously flicked to those who had come. There were about forty people in the meeting, and not only high school students, but middle school students as well. Two of the girls sat in vacant seats, and the boys leaned against the wall. Coughing theatrically, a tall guy, one of the school board representatives, who sat importantly on opposite sides of the chair, coughed, thus creating the appearance of his leadership.

    "Well, if everyone is assembled, may we begin the meeting," he declared, with a friendly and nonstrict tone. All the students listened carefully, however, without averting their gaze. "My name is Natsuki Inoue, and I am the acting head of the student council. We are all here for one reason: to organize a major Cultural Festival in honor of our school''s anniversary. The festival will be held on Culture Day, November 3. Before we begin, I ask with the utmost respect for all of you here: are you willing to lend a hand in organizing the festival and assist the chapters in fulfilling our responsibilities?"

    After the chapter''s smooth speech, the students in the room froze in thought. After a couple of seconds, not confronting the filled silence, they lifted their faithful gaze directly to Natsuki. No one raised a hand. Squeezing out a smile, the head continued:

    "Fine," he folded his hands on the table, and the schoolgirl with pigtails standing behind him handed him a stack of blank office papers. "At the end of the meeting, we''ll decide which areas some people will work in and which others will work in, and write down your names so it''s clear who will get to work. We will divide these pieces of paper in sections to serve as a report in which area decisions have occurred or will occur. Also, we should sort out the areas of activity, and nominate our own leaders from each area."

    Opening his eyes, the head took on a hard look:

    "As of today, we will be making a detailed plan, which we will follow to achieve what we want. What is required of you is productivity and desire. From the very beginning we have a barrier in front of us - a one-month period is set for the realization of our goal. On weekends, we are all certain, no one will want to come to a meeting, which means we have five days a week to spare. We will set certain days for the general meeting, listening to your opinions, and make provisions for the ideal time. Importantly, from the following days we will need to begin setting up the school for the festival. So, a certain part of us will stand out as people doing physical labor."

    At the head of the conversation was the structure of preparation for the upcoming event and the organizing of the final lineup. The Cultural Festival, which kicked off in November, was also, by regulation, an Open House. Students had access to invite their parents as well as friends from other institutions or acquaintances. The Cultural Festival was meant to be an event designed to bring out the inner workings of students and showcase their level of culture. Students had the right to show organizational, creative, and artistic talent at their best, and all students were involved in the festival. Circles were prepared to showcase their particular talents; and elementary and middle grades could put on concerts or various entertainment contests. The older grades both helped the young creatives and took the lead in organizing large-scale projects like music concerts.

    "Plus, it''s up to us collectively to coordinate every step of our responsibilities and choose a theme that will inspire our high school students," the student body president added. "After all, besides us, the circles and younger classes will begin to prepare. We owe it to them to help. We''ll start assigning areas now, team heads, that will be made up of willing students. Following that, we''ll streamline our responsibilities in the plan. I await your opinions."

    Through brief negotiation, a timeline for interviews was established. As a result, the meeting was held after school on even-numbered days, twice a week. It also became clear how meaningful the choice of a theme for the festival design was, and people began to choose types of industries.

    "I guess we should assign sections to work on, and it would be easier to move through them," stated one high school student who raised his hand.

    "Shall we also appoint minds in each section as leaders?" said another girl.

    "For that, we should certainly write down everyone present as a participant, consequently choosing which labor each one is suited to in her personal opinion," Yumiko neatly spoke up, raising her hand. "We all know that the departments will differ from one another in the type of labor, and by starting with this step, I think we can build the foundation of a plan that we are going to follow."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The hushed people listened to every word the modest girl said, and when, after a brief pause, Yumiko noticed people nodding positively, she threw back her head and stopped fretting. The guys from the literature circle put on satisfied faces.

    "Great," the student council president replied. "Let''s get started immediately."

    First, the students chose types of labor and poured each into a separate section. As a result, three sections were identified: the art section, the educational and recreational section, and the concert and performance section. While the art section was in charge of specifying and decorating the school, the second was in charge of doing things with the appearance of game contests. The Concerts and Performances department was involved in staging acting skits and local concerts among students in the auditorium. Truly, this idea was suggested by Yumiko and considered by the participants as an ideal choice. These departments were created to set the students in order in preparation for the festival and to help them discover their skills. These assistants can accompany the students in their work in every way, both physically and inspirationally, serving as facilitators. Yumiko literally presented the working idea on a platter, going into great detail about the hypothetical decision to start with a big step, and took in every detail that might be needed to avoid unintended interference. After her words, the student council president and many of the participants lined up an opinion of her being really serious about the Cultural Festival, and her train of thought was supported even by the student council.

    Assistant presidents from the student council began to go to everyone present with sheets in hand to make a list, and asked everyone what department they wanted to join. When they went around to all the attendees, the final list was forty-two people.

    "We have a long job ahead of us," Natsuki said, putting his hands on the table. "The final touch for us today is to choose the heads and leaders of the divisions!  Let those who sincerely believe in their abilities and wish to become leaders of the three departments hold out their hands. We need those who know how to draw people with them!"

    Gratuitously, three participants raised their hands, confidence shining on their humble faces.  As they addressed everyone, one short guy and two girls, one by one summarized their intentions and gave inspirational speeches.

    The current department leaders were Haru Shogo, Kaneko Uki, and Tsubasa Mori, deputy president of the student council.

    "I look forward to your cooperation and productivity, new acting leaders," Natsuki soothed the ears of the leaders with a gust of gentle care from his lips that made their apprehension disappear. "Now, let us proceed to the selection of the heads. As we found out, the best thing to do is to have two chapters at the table. This idea is excellent and coincides exactly with our common goal of organizing tentatively the largest festival in the history of our school. First of all, please allow me to nominate myself as the first chapter," he declared, choosing persuasive words about his importance, which only made the students agree.

    Pleased by the attention and friendship of the large group, Natsuki became one of the two acting heads in the formation of the upcoming Cultural Festival. Coughing, he continued with his own seriousness:

    "Now, raise your hands to those who are ready to lead forty lives and eighty able-bodied hands," he exclaimed frantically, causing Yumiko''s thin body to shiver and her own cowardly eyelashes to lower. Finding herself in deep thought, the girl wondered if she was sure of herself and if she could guide people on an unmistakable path. "Show of hands, who is confident to achieve orderliness among the school and wishes to lead the whole discipline in the intended festival!"

    All the faces of those gathered aggravated, and many in consternation either closed their eyes or lowered their heads altogether, pressing their hands to their knees. As a result, after a long pause, people lifted their heads and saw two girls raise their hands at the desk closest to the front door. A frightened Yumiko felt the gazes of forty people on her, and, wanting to know what was the matter, she looked at her desk mate without lowering her hand. She saw the raised hand of Akiko sitting beside her, whose hard gaze was obscured by her pink hair falling over her eyes. Her lips pressed together hard.

    "Akiko-chan...?" the brown-eyed woman''s hands shook as she glared anxiously at her friend.

    "I..." the girl lifted her gaze slightly, lowering her even tone, "...no longer willing to put my hands down," her pale tired eyes showed through her bangs. "I want to fight for my dignity."

    Those present, including the acting head, stared at the pair in amazement. The wide-open eyes of Ryou, Glenn, and Tomoyuki''s friends huddled against the walls behind them staggered back and forth, whirling their heads with questioning thoughts.

    In the evening, Yumiko was already at home, and tiredly flipping through newly published pictures of people from social media, she turned off her phone and jumped out of bed. Dressed in shorts and a long T-shirt, she sat down at her desk and began to prepare a detailed plan for the organization on a worksheet.

    As was evident at the meeting, Yumiko was chosen by the students as the second incumbent chapter, far ahead of Akiko in the vote. Even the student council president favored the brown-eyed girl, which made Yumiko notice by the end of the meeting how Akiko''s head and shoulders were uncharacteristically lowered, and there was a sense of darkness around her aloof presence. Failure, Akiko thought, was irreversible. Victory had been destined for Yumiko from the entry.

 Still Waters

    "Again, I have failed."

    Facing the warm bed, Akiko had no desire to move. Being in meditation, her thoughts shortened that sense of her unfitness that the girl tried to hide both from those around her and from herself in order to have a reason to keep moving forward. But now, she was only in the depths of her own smoldering thoughts, falling into the center of a dark whirlpool.

    "What is my weakness?" wondered Akiko to herself, and through her long lashes looked out eyes that were about to cry. "Just then, my life became a succession of failures as I joined the literary circle for my desires. But why did it turn out that way? Am I wanting too much?"

    She remembered the early days of her meetings with Ryou and Yumiko, and how Tomoyuki and Glenn joined in after them. Of all these people, Akiko was glad to meet Ryou alone. Only, why did she have to go so far, since she was disgusted with almost every member of the club? Did she have faith until the last that they would prove suitable for her close association with Ryou, who only a few months later began to turn his attention to Akiko?

    "What was the foundation of my thoughts?" she closed in on herself, delving even deeper into the temple of her hidden thoughts and desires classified from prying eyes. "Especially, for what did I work so hard to entice Ryou-kun, since it didn''t work for me to begin with?" she muttered, followed by a memory of the brown-eyed girl''s face. "That''s right, it''s all because of her presence. By her existence, she was preventing me from getting a grip on Ryou-kun."

    Her mind lit up with anger toward Yumiko. Her unparalleled brown eyes in the bright lights made Akiko furious, causing the girl to immediately grind her teeth. In her opinion, she was also hindered by Glenn and Tomoyuki.

    "And anyway, my main dream was to date Ryou-kun, re-educating him," she immediately cooled down in impunity. Her thoughts were only of the guy, and she proceeded to recall every moment she had with NishRyou ida when she got close to him. "Ryou-kun, why are you so far away from me, even though you are a few steps closer? How is it possible that I couldn''t attract a guy to me? It used to be so much easier. Your pretend love with Yumiko-chan for profit pissed me off initially, but after looking at you, I realized that it would be better to take you in. To shelter you with me."

    But she apparently did not succeed. One mistake she made in thinking that Ryou would be an easy target was that Akiko failed to consider that the thick-haired guy has an opinion and is not at all as vacuous as the other guys Akiko had seen earlier. Especially since Ryou himself couldn''t fully accept his own identity, having doubts about the correctness of his own thinking. Youngsters like Ryou were popularly called "troubled teens", or incomplete teens, whose goals and ideas in life were clouded and whose character was not well built. Akiko didn''t understand that kind of person; to her, they seemed strange, unintelligent, and mere children.

    "Why the hell would I even want this guy...?" muttered Akiko, and then pressed her lips together, covering them in shock. "Where did such thoughts come from..." she couldn''t believe her thoughts, mired in contradiction. Maybe she misspoke, maybe she didn''t, and her words were just the beginning of accepting her real self, which she had been hiding in every way. Even Akiko didn''t know for sure. "Maybe I misspoke... I love Ryou-kun. He''s my main target. What a fool, just blurted out nonsense by accident."

    Early in the morning, Akiko arranged to meet Tomoyuki outside the square, where few people were gathering at the time. After waiting for a short time, the girl''s eyes glanced back at Tomoyuki, who was approaching with a backpack on his shoulder with a carefree look. He was dressed in a dark shirt with a white T-shirt inside, and against the chilly wind he was walking in darkish jeans.

    "What do you have in your backpack?" wondered Akiko as the guy got in front of her. Rolling her eyes, she headed indifferently toward the entrance to the plaza. The guy only scratched his head.

    "You don''t seem to be in the mood today," he reeked of slight positivity. The couple walked along the empty path inside the flat square. "After last night, I suppose?"

    "We''re going to the sculpture fountain."

    "Hold on a minute! What is this, a date? With the very idol of my school?! What honor."

    The speechless Akiko just frowned. It seemed to the guy that she wasn''t giving it away, but something was really bothering her. Something she had been telling herself, presumably since this morning, and wanted to tell someone.

    "Which of the ten statues do you like better?" quipped Tomoyuki to the silence around the couple.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    "Dolphin."

    "Really? I, on the other hand, like the bunny statue better. Shy and small, but agile, gifted in its essence to run away hare."

    The youths reached the center of the square and stood near a long fountain with iron statues covered in dark paint, from whose holes water spurted out, forming fountains, surrounding the large fountain in the middle. They stood beside a sculpture of a dolphin, Akiko''s favorite since childhood, and sat on the tiled curb. The girl in the skirt crossed her bare legs and rested her head on her arm.

    "I''m lost in my ideals," the girl raised her eyes to the sky. "I am troubled by my reluctance to free myself, though I realize that I may be deeply mistaken in my reasoning."

    "There''s nothing I don''t understand about you, Akiko-chan. You seem very concerned."

    "Yes, I just... I don''t know what I want. What do I want? Lately, I don''t realize what I''m doing myself."

    "Akiko-chan. I won''t understand if you keep communicating in riddles."

    Akiko hung her nose and looked at her thin hips and closed her eyes bitterly. Soon, she replied to Tomoyuki:

    "How do people gain confidence? And patience, caution, wholeness? These qualities become alien to me each time. I begin to forget my principles and the habits that have made me here and now. Why does this happen?"

    "Hmm? Since when did you have your first suspicions?"

    "Since, at the Fireworks Festival. Maybe even earlier, when I became a member. I don''t know for sure, but since the summer I''ve been bothered by the same thoughts."

    "Thoughts about a loved one?"

    "About wrongdoing."

    With his head up, the misunderstood Tomoyuki took in a breath of fresh air, and so much so that his head ached. After cooling his thoughts, the guy turned soft and said: "I don''t understand."

    "Bygones," the girl leaned back from the curb with indignation and faced Tomoyuki and put her hands on his waist. "And how are your days going?" she asked, nonchalantly.

    "Let me think," he lifted his eyes, in thought. "None of the things that torment you have ever happened."

    "Huh? You''re a real scoundrel. Rascal!"

    "Oh, stop that. Better let me finish. About how people gain confidence. I can tell you from my own example - I have the will and the drive to finish what I start. Once I''m comfortable, I shouldn''t relax because threats are coming from everywhere. You may consider every step you take right or wrong, it makes no difference, just don''t you dare deviate. If you start, finish. If you fail, do it again. Even though there is no hope, believe in yourself."

    "Ah, I see... Tomoyuki-kun, it doesn''t suit you to look gloomy."

    "Not for you to judge," the boy said, scratching his neck. With a jerk, he abruptly bounced off the curb, and stood behind Akiko, looking at the dolphin sculpture. She waited until hard water flowed from his open mouth.

    "I won''t chase anymore," Akiko stammered in impatience.

    "You never came in handy."

    "I know, because I''m useless," she pressed her hand to her chest, not removing her warm smile. "I can''t help it. But I''ve lightened up. I''m not going to be bothered by thoughts like that anymore, because they''re not going to get me anywhere. I only get worse by continuing to brood over them."

    A primal silence closed over the area, which made the ears of Tomoyuki, who had never heard silence, feel the arrival of anxiety. Turning slowly toward Akiko, he noticed that the fountain had stopped flowing, and that the people nearby, sitting on benches to the side, had fallen motionless silent. The lull was ended by a woman''s lips, from whose humble lips it slowly announced:

    "Right now... I want to see the fountain."

    The fountain finally emitted sharp jets of water from every crevice, creating a perfect symphony of flowing lines. Akiko''s eyes shone in spiritual delight at the sight. The sight reminded her of her childhood, when she was always asking her mother to go to the square together. She blurted out a childish, joyful smile.

    Seeing her pleasure, Tomoyuki erupted in disdain. The guy clearly didn''t want it to end on that note. Akiko should not find deliverance this way, he plotted in his thoughts. His ruthless lips quirked as the pair immediately felt a sharp gust of cool wind that straightened their sleek hair.

    "I hate you."

    "What?" she turned to Yamasita with a questioning face. She couldn''t hear the guy''s quiet words over the wind.

    "Forget it."

 Call of Freedom

    Yumiko had wanted to get away from home since early on, to get away where evil could not get her. But she couldn''t resist, because where would she go? To her father, who lives in another city, and occasionally comes to see her? Not a fact, since Yumiko had a talent for learning. Tokyo teaches better than any other city. Since the first grade, she went to the same school, which was one of the big ones in the city. It made no sense to move to her father''s place, since there would be no strong teachers and tutors in his city, which is the capital. Yumiko shut herself up in her room for days, as in her own world, which embodied her fantasies. She tried to believe in a fiction where she had a full and happy family. Quitting school, she insisted, was pointless - it was the only door that could open a passageway to ordinary life. Seeing her mother drinking alcohol and staring mindlessly at the television once when she was younger, the scene soon began to repeat itself throughout her nine years, each time worsening the girl''s desire to have a better family. Her face grew cold and indifferent until Yumiko finally withdrew into herself.

    There was always one scene going on in her house, from her childhood to her present period. At one point, a furious and drunken mother slapped her in the face, asking her why Yumiko didn''t pick up the phone. At another time, the girl felt the same pain from the slap, but her mother complained that she hadn''t made breakfast. The third time, the same slap sounded, followed by a shout: "Take out the trash, dumbass!"

    Outside the door in her room, the girl could constantly hear the screams and grunts of her mother, whose mental situation was getting worse every year because of alcohol. Lying on her bed, she wondered to herself why she didn''t have a regular, loving family. Sitting outside the door, questions came to her mind as to why she could not have an ordinary life. The maiden dreamed of being an ordinary girl with an ordinary character and ordinary friends. For her, these thoughts became reveries. She lived her whole life without her mother''s support, in incessant agony.

    As a child, she had promised herself that she would run away from home, and she repeated this promise every time she was sad, thereby motivating herself to move on. Thus the promise has been kept for nine years, and she has not stopped repeating it, lying on her bed with her cheek reddened by another slap. In the afternoon, when she was at home doing her schoolwork on her subjects, she glanced at her pen and wondered wistfully when she would move to the university, where she would live alone, without the presence of her hated mother. Meanwhile, the date of August 28 of last year was marked on the calendar.

    Akiko and Tomoyuki stood in the open area by the fountain in the same square. The girl could not find common ground with him, for she did not know what Tomoyuki might be thinking, or what was always going on in his head. To her, this young man''s desires were alienated from this world.

    "Listen, what do you do in your leisure time?" swung her legs at Akiko sitting on the bench, looking bored at the standing Tomoyuki.

    "I''m making plans for the near future. Truth be told, I haven''t been very good at thinking about things to come lately," the boy chuckled frustratedly, and taking his backpack off his back, started rummaging through it with his hand.

    "Do you repent of the things you''ve done?"

    "Like what?" he didn''t pay attention, continuing to search for something.

    "For example, your conscience took its toll, and you walked around with a guilty head, pondering your rightness."

    "Judging by that kind of detail, you certainly had to. And I..." half-spoken, the young man finally took the long thing out of his bag. Akiko saw him stick out a bubble wand.

    "I''m not doing anything outrageous," Blue-eyed youth agreed, spreading a welcoming smile.

    "Are you really going to blow bubbles out of that stick?"

    "How else?"

    "Isn''t that childish?" smirked Akiko, crossing her legs. "Or is that how you soothe yourself? The girl''s been gone a long time, apparently."

    Separating the product from the lid, Tomoyuki blew into a soap stick, small bubbles popping out of its holes at first, but large bubbles followed. Taking a deep breath, Tomoyuki raised the stick to the sky and blew again. Three times as many bubbles appeared, and they flew around the guy at a low pace. One bubble flew up to the face of a puzzled Akiko, and bumped against her little nose and exploded unnoticed.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "What''s the point?" wondered Akiko in confusion, and she discerned a slight, meek smile on the satisfied Tomoyuki''s face. The bubbles continued to appear until the guy stopped exhaling the last of the air from his lungs. "What are you happy about?"

    "I''m content with the little things. It would seem, how can ordinary bubbles make a man happy...I''m lucky to have such everyday things in my life."

    "Do you enjoy spending time with the guys at the club? What about your contempt?"

    Tomoyuki turned to face the girl. Then she saw his wry smile and kind blue eyes, which reeked of bright sincerity.

    In the light of day, during a school routine, Ryou and Tomoyuki randomly met and sat alone in the club room.

    With each new day, the November sun grew pale with the cold and the arrival of intermittent clouds. When the time came for the thick clouds to cover the blue sky, citizens would realize that true autumn had arrived. For now, everyone was content with bright sunshine.

    "What a meanness!" swung Tomoyuki pompously. "Before we can straighten up, it''s already New Year''s Eve. It''s only three months!"

    "Indeed..." said Ryou quietly, wiggling his chin sideways. "And not long ago, summer was nurturing."

    "Listen, Ryou-kun, how are you going to spend your winter vacation? With your family?"

    "Oh... I don''t even know. Probably here."

    "Aren''t you visiting?" Tomoyuki leaned his head on his arm. "I thought you said you decided to finish your last year of school in Tokyo."

    "Yes, I used to live in Kyoto."

    "So you moved here with your parents? Or did they stay for work?"

    "No... Actually, my parents moved to Osaka."

    Tomoyuki''s eyes flashed in confusion. After thinking briefly, the boy asked:

    "So you want to spend New Year''s Eve in Tokyo? Do you have relatives here?"

    "I live with my older sister."

    "How cool!" gleamed Tomoyuki with his black hair and blue eyes. "We can celebrate the New Year with the whole literary circle. Are you excited about that, Ryou-kun?"

    "Ah... of course," Ryou squeezed out a friendly but dull smile. "We''ll celebrate the New Year together."

    "And how''s your older sister? Maybe she can join in, too?"

    "No, she can''t. She''ll be busy working in the New Year, too."

    The blue-eyed guy hushed and lowered his temper. Pensive, he inquired of Ryou:

    "How are things with you and her?"

    "She and I are thick as thieves," Ryou replied modestly, causing his friend to raise his shoulders. "Like a single organism. Sometimes I''m surprised myself when she helps me. It''s like she knows what I''m going to do from the beginning. But I''m not bad either! We are inseparable."

    "Wowˇ­ I guess you two have a lot in common?"

    Ryou subsided, following up by stroking his chin. He remembered the words Megumi kept telling him on a lucky occasion when they were sitting under their favorite tree. Her gentle words, overflowing her younger brother''s caressing ears, voiced a story she had told many times before:

    "There is a deep, green forest at one point in the world. It is said that people who entered the very forest soon came out with happy faces. This forest, they said, fulfilled all their longed-for wishes."

    Turning to her younger brother, her long hair fluttered. She added:

    "We''ll definitely go there, the two of us. That''s our promise."

    Ryou fondly recalled these carefree times.

    "I love the Forest," quoted Ryou to Tomoyuki cheerfully.

 Cultural Serenity

    An interview was also held on the following fall day, in which the development of a plan for the Cultural Festival was the main topic of discussion. The report, which Yumiko had been writing all evening, announced specific tasks for the assistants from each department. The president of the student council announced the start of the first phase of their work, in which each member pledged to figure in the development of the plan. The heads demanded each person''s opinion for the sake of agreement.

    After the meeting was over, as Yumiko was about to leave, Haru, who had been chosen as the leader of the study-and-entertainment branch, approached her. Friendly, asking the girl to go with the head and the other leaders to the caf¨¦, he left her no chance to refuse. Yumiko understood that everyone was in excitement over the festival at the moment, and she herself had reason to worry, for she had a major responsibility. Calling in a low voice to the waiting members of the literary club, the maiden awkwardly asked the guys to go without her. Before leaving, Ryou glanced over at Yumiko''s interaction with Haru, and retreated after the others.

    The sky was shrouded in gray clouds, preceding the imminent precipitation. The color of the sunny autumn was now and then thwarted before the colorless weather, destroying the stability in the climate. It was one thing when the sun shone for a whole week and the following week thick clouds rose, but this month the weather alternated sharply day after day. People began to dress warmer - in jackets, windbreakers, and other outerwear. Walking into the cafe, Yumiko and her four colleagues sat down at an empty table and asked only for coffee.

    "In truth," Haru measured a wary glance at the others, "I want to ask you... what do you think about the festival?"

    Haru was looking for reassurance that their team could handle the big event. No one was sure, but they were left believing in their own abilities. "We can do it," they kept saying to themselves, "But how?" they soon came to think. The president lightly and briefly recounted the plans that had been discussed today and yesterday, to which Haru replied:

    "I understand everything, but...will we be able to accomplish everything in the plan? Do we have enough time... and spirit?" he muttered uncertainly, trailing off burdening them to show their true emotions on the matter. Everyone''s faces seemed agitated.

    "Of course, we have a great responsibility..." lowered Tsubasa''s eyes, "...And even the teachers have placed all hopes on us high school students. But despite the fear of failing, we have to make it. That''s what I move, because it''s my duty..." her voice wavered periodically.

    The extreme anxiety of those who aren''t part of the student council who haven''t participated in such events before was understandable due to lack of experience.

    "We can''t give up," said Natsuki, who understood the feelings of Haru, Kaneko, and Yumiko. "Don''t forget-we''re all on the same boat, so let''s help each other. The organization of our team will erase all doubt, rest assured!"

    "Yes, that''s why we should start as early as possible and get everything ready in the right plan," Yumiko spoke up. "From next week the plan should take effect and take a major role in our lives until November. The second phase ought to begin next week," the modest woman barely overcame her uncertainty with courage, setting the pace for the rest of the boys, making her succumb to her leadership. Her words came out sincerely, and hopefully without error.

    Agreeing with each other, they considered the importance of having all factors and every action voiced in the reports. Haru decided to help Yumiko with her paperwork, and the president and deputy and Kaneko took over the rest, including inviting extra hands.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "I''m sorry, Sato-san, for burdening you with paperwork," Natsuki said as they were about to leave the caf¨¦. "I still think you''ve taken on an unfair amount."

    "Don''t worry, Inoue-san," Yumiko shook her head amicably. "I can handle the paperwork and working out the plan."

    "I''m helping Sato-san, too, after all!" optimistically connected Haru, revealing a wide and radiant smile. "Sato-san, it''s a pleasure to work with you. Let''s work hard!" he chuckled proudly, charming Yumiko with his openness. Inspired, the girl sloppily nodded her head.

    Before going outside, Yumiko warmly wrapped herself in a sleek scarf by the door, covering herself up to her nose and ears. That way, she shielded herself from the cold and unwanted cold.

    From the next meeting, the heads began to work diligently and developed a precise plan to prepare for the start of the festival. Haru chose to assume the position of paddler, lending his confidence to the team in every way possible. As an exception, everyone agreed to participate in the last meeting of the week on Saturday afternoon. On this chilly meeting day, the students came in loose, warm clothing. When the heads and leaders announced the end of the first phase of preparation, victory clapping and thanksgiving reigned in the office. Yumiko was as embarrassed as a tomato as she looked at her literary circle friends clapping faster than the rest of the crowd. The girl was lucky enough to detect the solemnity written all over their faces.

    As Saturday''s meeting came to an end, the literary club walked lightly through the area and found a walking park. As they strolled through the park, they sat on one of the benches by the path and chatted. Glenn and Tomoyuki stood looking at the two lovely girlfriends. Truth be told, the social circle of the five became the boys themselves, and without even noticing it, they began to spend more time together, adjusting to each other. The grayish tone of autumn was thickening, leaving behind a sharp aftertaste of chill and gradually approaching frostiness. Hoarfrost managed to settle on the trees of the neighborhood overnight. The boys were ready for the next work week to bring themselves in for the benefit of common interests and responsibilities.

    The boys wore dark and long trenchcoats, and Tomoyuki walked around in a khaki jacket. Akiko glanced blankly at the meek Glenn, whose dark eyes spoke of submission. The boy was speechless, remaining the center of attention. Such was his enigmatic personality. Ryou, on the other hand, caught a glimpse of Yumiko lowering her eyelashes. It seemed as if the maiden had not heard her friends talking.

    "What is it, Yumiko-chan?" called out softly to Ryou, but Yumiko''s pensive look did not change. Calling her name again, the brown-eyed woman responded. "You really didn''t hear me call you?" the boy wondered, and Yumiko silently shook her head.

    "Something seems to be bothering you," Glenn leaned toward the maiden.

    "Oh, it''s nothing," the maiden tried to cheer up in a tired voice. "Nothing to worry about at all."

    "You look tired. You should get some sleep."

    "Yes, Glenn-kun, I do sleep. Really, you needn''t worry."

    The boys knew how intensely Yumiko participated in job interviews and did paperwork at home. Also, the girl was always lugging around a few dozen documents every day, which soon became a mountain. Yumiko was unusually hard at work on the upcoming festival. According to her early words, she needed these documents to describe in writing all the stages of preparation and the plan itself as a whole.

    Ryou, looking at her cheek, noticed a small bruise that wasn''t visible without looking closely, and worriedly informed her of it. Yumiko was surprised and soon answered comfortingly that she had bruised herself in the house when she was tired about to go to bed and had fallen.

    "Think about your health and sleep more, Yumiko-chan," the boys cared, which made Yumiko giggle happily. Everyone except Akiko, who stared intently at the brown-eyed girl''s cheek, She knew by the bruise that Yumiko had lied to the boys. It wasn''t a bruise at all from the fall, but from the occasional hard slap on the cheek. The girl was distraught.

    On Sunday, the organizers took a break.

 Cloud

    The second stage of preparation began and the helpers went into force. There were about thirty helpers in all, including the rest of the club, and their job was to help with the fill-in sheets, physical strength, do the rest of the leaders'' errands, and act on the assignments written in the report that was handed out to everyone the first week. Yumiko commented on their positions in the school recesses, but some complained that they wished they could rest during the recesses. Then Yumiko asked them why they joined in organizing the festival if time was precious to them. She asked the boys to take their best initiative before November. Yumiko was in the juice, pushing the students during her speeches. The preparations for the Cultural Festival were just beginning.

    At the end of the third school day, club members were walking in the same park and talking quietly about the fickle weather, discussing Yumiko''s awakened leadership.

    "I honestly didn''t know that you, Yumiko-chan, could handle forty people," Tomoyuki tuned in, and Yumiko was embarrassed. "I''ve noticed we''ve been taking frequent walks in this park lately."

    "It''s comfortable," Ryou remarked, and the blue-eyed man nodded his head.

    Yumiko was glad to be spending time with her close friends. Without thinking long, the girl decided to open up:

    "I''m comfortable being with you guys, honestly," she bemused when she saw the surprised faces of the boys. " A-ah, I shouldn''t have said that! Sorry."

    "I''m comfortable with you, too," Tomoyuki shrugged his head with a bitter look, which made Akiko, who was walking beside him, respond.

    "Spending time with you after a difficult worry was just what I needed," the brown-eyed woman added. "And this park..." she lifted her gaze to the manicured trees on the sides, "...has come to mean a much dearer place to me."

    A few days later, in her first class, instead of schoolwork and class work, Yumiko was surreptitiously busy filling out worksheets. Ryou stared in her direction, detecting a change in her routine. Yumiko herself didn''t realize that she was fully engrossed in preparing for the festival and stopped working as hard in school classes as before. However, the teachers knew that she was a leader, and their respect for her for not failing once in all of her 11 years at school intersected with the decision not to torment the leaders in organizing the festival.

    During the meeting, Yumiko reported on the current preparations and declared that she would move on to the third phase as soon as possible, starting next week. The students in the office couldn''t stop thinking about how grateful they were to the girl who had taken on the main task of giving everyone the best festival in the school''s history. After her next performance, the president expressed his sincere gratitude to her. However, when Tsubasa started to speak about the current state of affairs, and how they would go into active work at the beginning of the third stage, Yumiko, listening to her intently and with her tortured eyes periodically closed, suddenly passed out, starting to fall head over heels against the table. Noticing out of the corner of his eye her sudden body movement, Haru, who was sitting beside her, managed to react before she would have tripped over a chair and fallen, and grabbed her halfway down in time. The people in the office only caught sight of her fainting at the last moment, and a shocked Ryou finally saw Haru catch her in time.

    Akiko, who was standing next to her, didn''t even realize what had happened and covered her mouth with her hands out of concern. Tsubasa stopped talking when she saw the situation, and the president sitting next to her couldn''t believe his eyes. Haru shouted her name, to which Yumiko quickly woke up, but the girl''s weary face finally settled into the thoughts of the guys in her circle. Soon, Yumiko responded by uttering: "What?!" and saw the concerned faces of each student. Before her sleepy gaze, Haru presented himself, clinging to the girl''s back.

    "Yumiko-san..." dumbfounded Haru, who had gray hair. "Well, why would you work so hard to torment your health! You could get seriously ill..." he continued worriedly. Yumiko''s sleepy eyes could barely catch up with the words that were reaching her ears.

    "Shogo-kun..."

    "Haru is telling the truth," Natsuki regretted, folding his arms. "I''m very sorry. I hadn''t considered that you might have overreacted, Sato-san. After Mori-chan''s speech, the meeting ends for today," he announced to the entire cabinet. "Sato-san, just so you''ll notice - we''re all grateful for your efforts and willing to help, so we''ll take over the process from today and stop putting all the work on you anymore. I didn''t keep track, and all the responsibility rests with me."

    "But it''s okay!"

    "No one minds doing the heavy lifting for you, Sato-san, so get some rest. You should relax."

    The participants were fine with the student council president''s stated decision, and one aide added that if this way they could help the leaders with their hard work, they were undeniably in agreement. Yumiko, who watched the scene admiringly, apologized to people for not withholding her fatigue for the benefit of maximum productivity.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "It''s not your fault," Ryou exclaimed behind the girl''s back. "We''re the ones who didn''t keep track...!" he added, following up by looking back at the club members with a regretful look. "How can we be called her friends after that!"

    Ryou''s serious gaze stunned the members of the circle, and among them Tomoyuki seemed regretful, making Akiko cringe. Why does he look distressed, Akiko wondered, having previously thought that Tomoyuki''s path led to a strictly laid out plan that he came up with in hopes of hurting Yumiko and Ryou, but lately she had begun to doubt the guy''s seriousness. And whether the plan even existed, Akiko didn''t know for sure. Ryou''s teeth whined in frustration. That feeling was inherent in everyone.

    After Tsubasa finished her speech and the meeting ended there, Yumiko didn''t notice how she had already found herself in the park where she and the guys occasionally walked. She was sitting on a bench, holding a cup of coffee from the restaurant with one hand, and looking at the sullen faces of Ryou and Tomoyuki.

    "Why are you so self-destructive, and for this job...?" shuddered Ryou''s shoulders, revealing Yumiko''s resemblance to Megumi, who at one time also toiled at her job. The boy didn''t understand the girls'' feelings. "We''re worried about you, Yumiko-chan, and it won''t be good if you get sick."

    Yumiko only acquiesced, glancing back and forth at her friends'' faces and at the hot cup of coffee her frail hands were holding.

    "I apologize..."

    "Stop apologizing. I only demand that you pay more attention."

    "You don''t have to hide your tiredness from us," encouraged Glenn, "We can always give you a helping hand."

    "That''s right! We should be strong enough to handle a job like this," replied Tomoyuki, concerned about Yumiko''s burden.

    "Guys..." the brown-eyed woman lowered her head, regretting her action. "Indeed, I have changed a little. Forgotten, without even realizing it myself, that instead of lessons I started preparing for the festival. I took this job not because I decided to help the committee and the teachers, but when I saw how you believed in me and that I could be useful."

    Upon hearing the girl''s experiences, Akiko gasped in bitterness. She was saddened that Yumiko had taken her incitement as something friendly, which made her feel sorry, for Yumiko really could not recognize either aggression or angst, and had only forgotten, forgiving Akiko''s every transgression.

    "I continued to be a leader for the sake of fitting your trust. My friends believed in me, and so I worked hard for the festival... You asked me to participate. How could I say no to my first friends?"

    An outline of shyness showed on the girl''s face as she confessed her feelings. Her stunned friends opened their mouths and looked away, also embarrassed.

    "I also want my friends to taste the feast of our last cultural festival..."

    Akiko felt guilty for the first time in years. During this small October period, her opinion of the brown-eyed girl was transformed, each time breaking an earlier notion of her. All the while, Yumiko worked for the members of the literary circle, and what a pity it was for Akiko when she realized the value of friendship for the brown-eyed girl. On reflection, Tomoyuki caught up with how much Yumiko had become attached to them during this year of study.

    "Whatever you want to do on your own, Yumiko-chan..." ogled Tomoyuki, "...Someone will come to your rescue. They will. So, please, share your thoughts with us as well."

    "That''s why we''re friends," Ryou added, scratching the back of his head in discomfort. To the boys, such words from Ryou amounted to a revelation, for the guy was not good at expressing his feelings on his own, for fear of being pushed aside.

    "Let''s make promises to each other!" retorted Glenn, surprising the depressed boys. He was eager to lift their spirits. "Let''s stand in a circle and shake hands. That way we promise both ourselves and others to keep our word and not cheat. The game is mediocre, but it helps in difficult moments."

    "I remember this game," Ryou replied. "Glenn-kun, do you remember the times of early childhood..."

    Glenn nodded. The circle members stood in a circle, and Glenn and Ryou held out their hands first. Everyone followed, thus closing their eyes. Glenn muttered softly, "I''ll keep my word - I''ll never cheat." The others inwardly repeated his words, for the rules of the game required this in order to make a miraculous pact. Basically, this game was played by children as they declared their promises to each other.

    "I promise," Glenn concluded, "not to cheat anymore, always to ask a friend for help and to help.  I promise."

    Following him, Ryou mouthed, "I promise," and opened his eyes as well. The baton alternated clockwise until the girls were last. Yumiko wholeheartedly promised herself not to withhold anything from her friends anymore, and held out her fragile and chilled hand to Akiko.

    "Akiko-chan, you''re next," Yumiko called in a friendly tone to the girl with long, pink hair. The feeling of tenderness and kindness around her enveloped Akiko with warmth, even though she doubted her rightness. Akiko realized within herself that there was not an ounce of contempt, fear, or hatred in that feeling, but only genuine friendliness. Swallowing, Akiko slowly accepted her hands.

    "I promise."

 Kaiji

    From the next day, all the organizers and assistants began to work intensively in the committee, and there was a busy atmosphere everywhere. Looking at the people dragging cupboards and chasing papers, Yumiko was surprised by the hectic pace of preparations. In order to free up space and help the rest of the students preparing for the festival in their own way, helpers gathered to move some things to other places or give them away temporarily to members of various clubs. This fuss was also due to the work being done even during the school breaks. Also, some brought in boxes of posters and ribbons. Haru so explained to Yumiko that every member would now start trying as hard as she did, and hoped for her understanding. Yumiko had enough prudence to thank each worker and helper for their work, and she had no qualms about covering the important points in their work, thus controlling every move, like a strategist who knew all the moves in advance and used them to the benefit of the community. She was stubborn, and even after Natsuki asked her to rest, she dared not suspend her work. This was the essence of Yumiko, who was admired by the members of the literary club.

    When Haru and Yumiko were left alone to discuss any things naturally affecting the theme of the festival, Ryou, who was reverently peeking at the pair, flinched when he was lightly slapped on the back by Tomoyuki, who was hauling crates of supplies with another guy. The blue-eyed man asked him to step aside. Even though Ryou clearly understood the brown-eyed man''s excitement for the Cultural Festival, a certain sense of inner discomfort didn''t leave the guy. In the end, he counted the unprecedented feeling as concern.

    While Glenn was picking up boxes of festive ribbons and other gear, Akiko, who quietly approached him in a sober manner, asked if he needed any help. The boy, seeing her frail hand reaching out toward him, could not refuse, and for the sake of her company gently gave her a light crate in her hand.

    "But this box is too soft."

    "I will not be bothered to give a heavy one, Akiko-chan."

    "So be it," Akiko stepped slowly. "You think I''m too squishy a girl."

    "Not at all. Akiko-chan, how are you doing?" he followed the girl. "You''ve become more pessimistic lately."

    "You''ve only seen me in a good light. Here I am, the real Akiko Akiyama - quiet as can be."

    "I didn''t mean to insult you."

    "I don''t even know who I''m talking to right now. Who are you, Glenn-kun? Looking at you only makes me go through meager thoughts, but what''s that got to do with it? Whether you are a good man or a bad man, I cannot know, for I am unable to foresee your actions. You have been a mystery to me since we met."

    "I ain''t a tyrant at all," Glenn paced quietly with the girl down the corridor. The guy with the naturally mocking eyes didn''t mind answering openly. "I have nothing to hide - I promised you. What have I got to hide? If you want, I can tell you all the things I think, because I trust you. We are friends, after all."

    "Friends. But how do you choose your friends? By certain criteria, or maybe you''re just acting as our big brother who helps us behind the scenes every now and then?"

    "I want to bring you out of your anxieties and provide your feelings with sincerity, so that you may finally realize who you really are and get rid of the troubles that surround you. I told you, Akiko-chan, I wouldn''t lie, so I didn''t."

    "That all sounds too welcome, however, why would you do that? You''re literally invading our personal affairs."

    "What personal matters, my dear friend, can we talk about if you haven''t really formed as individuals yourself. I am no judge, deciding lives for others, God knows if I would have done so at all. But sometimes people need a little bit of chutzpah to succeed. Success itself comes from chutzpah and pride, don''t you and Tomoyuki-kun know that?"This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    "I don''t. Life hasn''t rewarded me with success, only a line of failure."

    With a sigh, Glenn replied, "I haven''t planned anything. I have nothing more to plan, for my time is running out. I am honored to make friends with you, Akiko-chan, for you are a peculiar person. You are different from the rest of the rabble, at least in your desire to succeed. All the people have already chosen their roles, and now it only remains for me to rest."

    "It looks like you''re tweaking the movie to suit you and stocking up on popcorn so you can watch quietly what you end up composing."

    "Maybe so. But there is one fact that pleases my heart and soul. Yumiko-chan has been able to change, for the better. I revere her, and would not question her resolve. I have a heart for her personality, for she is as pure as a diamond. People change. They change because the world around them changes. For Yumiko-chan, the world is our affection for her and her desire to look away."

    Time passed quickly, and it was now the third week since Yumiko had become the head of the Cultural Festival. There was a noticeable change in the behavior of the students as they anxiously awaited the start of the festival and were just as diligent in their preparations as the helpers. Ribbons and posters were hung on the corridor walls, and colorful balloons were preparing for their time to hang from the ceilings and surroundings of the whole school. Holiday curtains stepped into force for the windows and large halls, where the schoolchildren were going to plot theatrical skits and musical plays. There was a sharp buzz among the students about the upcoming event, and everyone was eager to finally face the holiday month of November. All that was left of the organizing team was to see things through to their expected conclusion.

    One bright day, as daylight shone on the school grounds, Ryou saw Yumiko and Haru coming out of the committee room. The pair were solemnly talking about what they had left to finish before the festival began. Ryou felt something again that he hadn''t known before, but he didn''t understand what exactly he was anxious about. Maybe it wasn''t anxiety at all, but something else that he didn''t want to reveal or really was in the dark, only he himself knew. The boy rummaged for an answer within himself, but it was in vain-he could not fully put the puzzle together, and he continued to muddle on. So why does his spirit take over when he sees Haru and Yumiko together?

    "Jealousy," Tomoyuki answered him, sitting back in his chair and looking directly at Ryou when he dared to ask.

    "Jealousy?" asked Ryou excitedly, not knowing what he was talking about.

    "Huh? Are you kidding me? It''s clear to the eye that you''re experiencing jealousy."

    "I swear to God, I didn''t know. Jealousy... but why?"

    "You seem to be uncomfortable with Yumiko-chan being with another guy."

    "But why would I be jealous? Haru-san is certainly a responsive guy, but I didn''t think I was ever envious of him until you enlightened me. Maybe you''re wrong after all."

    "Anything could be," Tomoyuki bowed his head to his hand. "That''s the first thing that could have popped into my head. The answer lies only in you, Ryou-kun, and in your feelings. It doesn''t make me shudder that you didn''t really want to believe you were jealous until the last. What was it that made you so anxious?"

    Ryou began to wonder if he had missed the early pores of life when such incidents should have occurred, after which specific answers could be pushed back. He had, after all, been in the process of stagnation all along, until he had made his first friends in Kyoto, and that at the age of thirteen. Tomoyuki, on the other hand, repeated within himself that it was more likely that Akiko had once again failed in her task, giving Ryou a chance to act unanticipated. But now the crooked-eyed blue-eyed man was unobtrusively concerned about Ryou''s own feelings, declaring him his friend, thereby contradicting his values and ideals.

    "Do I envy Haru?" muttered Ryou in his room, sitting in front of the window, wrapped in a warm blanket. As he looked out at the evening stars, he thought of how bright they were sometimes, how they could illuminate the lives of entire people, giving them a reason to move on. Toward the end of his reflection, the boy remembered the incident with Yumiko during the Fireworks Festival, how he had grabbed her hand for fear of being captured by a black hole. "Why did I freak out then?" asked Ryou to himself, absorbed in other thoughts as he continued to stare wearily at the evening sky. "I seem to have changed."

 Taiman no Joutai

    Ryou gathered the confidence to ask Yumiko directly about her true feelings. It was the next school day, and during the big break, the boy met her with eyes wide open. At Ryou''s request, they were left alone in an office empty of students and school desks.

    "What am I thinking... about Shogo-kun?" clung Yumiko to her forearms, which the boy had grabbed earlier in order to drag her into the study. "But why, Ryou-kun, did it become important to you?"

    "I want to know," said Ryou firmly, unable to pick up a word out of excitement a few minutes ago. Yumiko, on the other hand, was not at all shy, but found it difficult to give a precise answer.

    "How do I feel about him...? Well, he''s a good leader, and always gives help to both the assistants and the other leaders. Because of his strength, our team is organized and friendly at the same time. He''s a good friend. Ryou-kun, was I able to satisfy you with my answer?" puzzled Yumiko at the end, and Ryou lowered his lashes in doubt about his abilities.

    "So he''s a good buddy for you..."

    "Y-you wanted to talk to me about him? Maybe he didn''t please you in some way? Ryou-kun, you look pouty. N-nothing''s wrong?"

    "Not at all! Alright, gotta go!" the guy left the office, wishing he could get out of the girl''s sight as soon as possible so she wouldn''t notice his face blushing with embarrassment. Yumiko contemplated the farce that had occurred, and could not come to terms with the vagueness of Ryou, in the middle of running away. Assuming what Ryou had in mind under his creation, the modest woman pressed her lips tightly together in amazement, unable to imagine for what other reason a guy could ask such a thing of a girl.

    Glenn, meanwhile, who was socializing with the schoolgirls in his class and helping them with moving things to their desired classroom, noticed in his own suave way how he was becoming more open with his surroundings, who had not previously touched his life. He wondered if this might be the effect of Yumiko and the rest of the guys on his space, previously encircled in nothing but work and silence. Maybe his new friends had produced a change in his indulgence and gallantry. Indeed, it was an obvious assumption, for Glenn began to talk to people in a more familiar and social manner. When his lady classmates thanked him for his favor, Glenn was abruptly shocked. Asked what was the matter, the girls got the answer that the boy had an unexpected stomachache, and he left with a general apology.

    Reaching for the bathroom with all haste, Glenn grasped his arm around his neck, and with his other hand turned on the faucet, from which cold water immediately poured out. Blood gushed from the tall guy''s mouth, and his dark eyes turned a sickly red color. Lifting his murdered gaze, the young man saw that clean tap water was flowing into the bloody sink. He realized the danger that had come. Panting from the lack of air he was getting, he lowered his face into the water and pressed himself against the white tiled wall. His downcast, thick hair was wet. The pain that had descended upon him dulled his senses, and he concluded that this wave of anguish was the worst to endure in the last few times. Each time the pain increased in frequency, arising at the most inopportune moments, even while he slept, causing Glenn to suffocate in his own blood.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    "My time is running out," he said with a pained look.

    "I''ve really changed," Yumiko said, looking at the mirror in her pretty room. The girl sat on a stool beside her desk, her skinny body pressed against her knees. "What''s up today... Why would Ryou-kun be worried about who I''m making contact with? Maybe he''s just worrisome," she bowed her gaze to her luminous knees. She couldn''t help feeling lost, of course, because this was the first time she''d ever encountered something like this, and she didn''t know how to act or react. "Is it possible that Ryou-kun has a crush on me?" she bewailed, covering her head in embarrassment. She couldn''t believe what she said, and if she reasoned, Ryou had indeed avoided close and open communication until early on, but soon became quite an outgoing young man. And he did socialize with Yumiko quite often, if you count how friendly he was with her during all that time. Yumiko almost inadvertently concluded to herself that the young man was really in love with her.

    People who confessed to her unexpectedly, she did not count for something terrific, because it is unfair when the other half does not know much about the person who confesses his love. That''s why she would never agree to such a confession. Opening the brown curtains, she looked out the dusky window and wondered how much had changed in her everyday life in this brief year. She was happy when she thought about walking together and talking with the members of the literary club, because then she could feel comfortable between the shoulders of her friends. It didn''t stop her from thinking of Akiko only in a lovely way, even after her outspoken antics, right up to the very meeting. Yumiko could only silently admire the guys who were cheering her on.

    "They''re all cute. Cute as light rabbits. Their epathetic, dreamy, and stylishness draws me to hang out with them about the weather, weekdays, and anything else I feel like talking about! Isn''t that a symbol of friendship?" revived Yumiko, dreaming of their future relationship. "Wow... even I got friends. I couldn''t have dreamed of that."

    It was the beginning of the first day of November. The weather had finally warmed up. At school the preparation came to the final stages and the decorated corridors and classrooms embodied a festive mood, and the cheerfulness of the younger classes flourished in full force around the school. Through the hallways you could see teachers talking to students about the festival, and the readiness for the event was coming to a close. A sense of liveliness dominated the school, as if all the students had forgotten about exams and other worries for a time, in order to participate in the largest Cultural Festival in the school''s history. There were two days left before the festival began. The middle school students prepared all sorts of fun themes like fantasy role-playing games and scare rooms, while the older grades focused on cafes and multifaceted fun. Of course, everyone had mixed themes.

    Yumiko stood at the window and regarded the front gate of the school, waiting patiently for the third day of fall November, when everything would be filled with people, benches, and fun. She was filled with an inner confidence to proclaim the success of their common work, and she hoped for the responsiveness of the teachers. As this Cultural Festival was the last in the school life of the circle participants, she with all her soul believed in the best outcome.

 Sentence

    It was November 3, Bunka no Hi and also the long-awaited start of the Cultural Festival. Throughout the neighborhood a festive mood cherished around the school, embracing the minds of people passing by. All people who were in any way related to the people studying at this school were invited to the festival, and everyone who wanted to be a part of the festival walked around the neighborhood. Across the school gates there were stalls of food arranged decently, which were sold, raffled off, or given as gifts by schoolchildren in honor of such a colorful event. It was a schoolchildren''s day, a day when fun and entertainment was possible for everyone present. Yumiko was especially happy that day. At times, there were situations where the gazes of various young men were only directed at her, looking at her lovely eyes and charmingly thin figure. Ryou, who walked with her, upon reflection, at times gave himself to the thought of being pleased with his attractive friend. However, there was no word from Glenn that day, but Yumiko should not despair ¨C maybe they just could not be bothered to meet because of the onslaught in the festival. As they got closer to Ryou, Akiko mentioned a certain exquisite atmosphere around the school grounds and a bright bustle. Ryou agreed. The boys walked around the neighborhood and kept an eye on the area with the stalls and the oddball entertainment created by students of all grades. Fear rooms; all sorts of game contests and high school cafeterias ¨C all the human labor was truly presented as written in the plan. Everything was perfect in the festival, and the students, along with their satisfied teachers, enjoyed a rare burst of holiday cheer. Some students kept saying there would be a big concert and talent shows the next day of the festival.

    One memorable moment from the high school cafeteria amused the kids: Yamada, being a willy-nilly waiter, politely served the order to the startled students. Afterward, they enjoyed a game created by middle school students of shooting water pistols at robots with artificial intelligence moving around a small field. Yumiko was interested in following the creations of the members of the various circles, and as soon as she became aware of the greatness of Culture Day, she was immediately forced to take part in the entertainment by fellow festival organizers. She ended up getting a warm welcome at one of the high school cafes. Against the backdrop of a soccer field, the younger classes were childishly engaged in a game of tag. With a sigh of happiness, Yumiko was finally convinced of the success of the hard work she had done.

    At one o''clock, Tomoyuki called her on the phone with an offer to go together to the evening parade, which would begin closer to dusk. Yumiko made no attempt to turn down such an enticing offer from her close friend, and asked him to invite the others as well.

    The first day of the Cultural Festival was coming to a prolonged end, and people were about to leave when teachers came on the street stage to offer their thanks, and toward the end the president of the student council was given the floor, who eventually acknowledged the efforts of Yumiko Sato and the others who had participated.

    Before she left, the brown-eyed girl noticed the students about to close for the day and the buzz of people talking everywhere. It was a scene Yumiko wanted to capture for the rest of her life.

    Eventually, they reached the central park and joined the crowd of people gathered in a row near the open road for the start of the parade. At the fault of the density of the crowd, the four boys scattered, with no way to find each other. Meanwhile, the glow of the bitter sun had stopped glinting over the clouds altogether, and the sky turned to its evening stage as the light from the streetlights flickered across the city. Having never gone to such parades spontaneously before, Yumiko could barely locate Ryou under the cover of other people''s faces, and the pair met in the front ranks. Asking each other at the same time, they said they had not seen Akiko or Tomoyuki. Glenn certainly hadn''t appeared in their gaze that day. A high whistle blew, and the people around them steered clear of the wide road. A march of a long band of appropriately dressed men appeared from a corner to a melodious song, appropriate to the solemn nature of the festivities, and soon reigned in a gleaming and steady chorus. Following, a melody of violins played one part of the march. The march proceeded with the singing of various instruments, eventually triumphing into a harmonious song that lasted the entire parade. The musicians, on the other hand, who lavished the entire stage with excited chanting, were carried on red carriages.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    And now, the performance of lights began. The girl''s eyes marveled at the actors, who nobly played with the red, frisky lights for the performance. They danced, inhaling and exhaling fire, thus shocking the audience. Next, people saw a certain part of the march move around behind them, surrounding a large iron instrument on wheels, created in modern fretwork.

    As this part of the march approached the main crowd of people, the instrument launched, illuminated by bright led lights, and formed huge multicolored holograms of fish on their heads, as if floating through the air. These stunning holograms captivated the audience, floating confidently above their heads at a slow pace.

    "Beautiful..." submitted Yumiko, staring tirelessly at the dolphins and seahorses that soon appeared. Ryou couldn''t help but agree.

    Unobtrusively, Akiko and Tomoyuki stood a few meters behind them on a ledge where they could see their shining faces through the crowd. Barely tearing her gaze away from the parade, Akiko noticed Tomoyuki standing beside them looking with puppyish delight at the pair of friends. She didn''t know for sure why the guy was staring at them so deeply, never taking his gaze off.

    "Here we go," Tomoyuki mouthed, making Akiko''s shoulders flutter.

    "What are you cheering about?"

    "I am neither merry nor sad, but my joy is inherent only in what I have and will have."

    Tomoyuki''s spirit seized him. Sensing his trepidation, the girl''s trembling eyes slowly responded to Yumiko and Ryou. All around, the raging commotion of the parade subsided as if nothing had happened.

    Ryou elusively reached down with his palm, and touched his friend''s hand, deciding to take hold of her tightly, with all passion. Yumiko, who sensed this, moved her hands away in confusion, as if she were commanded not by her broad mind at all, but by the girl''s own convictions. Halfway through the realization of the matter, Yumiko begged the guy''s forgiveness with a grim, downcast look. Akiko, whose breath caught at the sight of this scene, moved to rush toward them, but at the same instant the blue-eyed man abruptly blocked her path with his hand.

    "Wh-what are you doing?" perplexed the maiden, but Tomoyuki dared not look back at her. His cold face unnecessarily alarmed Akiko even more, making her legs flinch. The young man only waited for the right moment.

    "I can''t," Yumiko said aloofly.

    "Okay."

    "Excuse me, Ryou-kun."

    Seeing the slow movements of their lips in the lights appropriated by the holograms of sea creatures and the great whale that filled the whole sky above the heads of the audience, Tomoyuki made his way through the subdued crowd to the unhappy couple. Taking Ryou by his stiffened shoulder, he whispered sadly to him, "It''s worth leaving." Ryou responded with a small nod, and unwilling to show any poor emotion or react in any way, walked away with his faithful friend away from the frozen Yumiko, whose eyes were hidden by the shadow of her darkish-brown hair. Unsure of what to do, the girl''s mind was saturated with gloom and sadness, making her want to hide immediately.

    Akiko could only sway in one place, looking with hesitation at the lonely maiden who had just been abandoned by the boys.

 Ignorance

    The next day, the Cultural Festival continued at the same volume, but Ryou didn''t show up. Excited about this, Akiko didn''t dare question the brown-eyed girl, and when she involuntarily found herself at the door to Yumiko''s classroom, meeting her eyes, she ran back to her friends. On this day, the assembly hall was in full swing preparing for a performance, and was closed to passersby and ordinary schoolchildren. Yumiko didn''t socialize with any of the members of the literary club, and Akiko avoided her in every possible way, not knowing her own actions.

    When she met Tomoyuki, who was looking for her all over the school, Akiko was dumbfounded: the guy''s face seemed strikingly confused.

    "Akiko-chan..." he uttered, restlessly, and grabbed her shoulders, "why isn''t Yumiko-chan communicating with Ryou-kun...? Why isn''t Ryou-kun in school today?"

    "W-what..." the maiden shuddered casually, thinking that Tomoyuki was mad.

    "You''re the only one of us who knows how to handle love properly, so why don''t you share your opinion with her...? Yumiko-chan is in a lot of pain right now!"

    "Tomoyuki-kun," her dark red eyes darkened with fear and ignorance, "has a demon gotten into you?"

    "Huh? This is no time for jokes!" continued Tomoyuki''s vehement concern, with obviously trembling eyes. "They''re in a state of discord, and if we don''t bail them out... Will Ryou-kun and Yumiko-chan stop communicating! We can''t let that happen, because our friendship will come to naught!"

    "What on earth are you saying..."

    Not daring to waste time until after the festival, Tomoyuki skipped the school concert and performances in the auditorium, and after making a call to Glenn, met him in the middle of the yellow sunset. The street was blue with a warm and gentle breeze, burdening the town with tranquility. The boys stood one-on-one by the empty sidewalk, taking a distance of five or even a little more meters from each other. While the stern Tomoyuki was dressed in his school uniform, the dark-eyed one stepped out in loose clothing.

    "With each new day I bring myself to the thought that you are my worst enemy. Why do I get these feelings, Glenn-kun? Maybe my assumptions are wrong and nonsensical, but there''s no way they could have come out of thin air."

    "So we won''t be able to have a quiet conversation today. Are you dissatisfied with something? Tomoyuki-kun, your feet should be in the auditorium right now, and your eyes should be looking at the actors on stage."

    "You didn''t show up for any of the days of the festival either. That doesn''t matter, though. More important are my doubts about my own intentions. All the more so, I guess it''s appropriate to connect you to the expiration of these circumstances. You played a part until I realized it in my thoughts. Where did the doubt come from?"

    "That''s how. You seem to be silenced by thoughts of my involvement in the personal lives of every member of the literary club, but why should I explain myself if you already know all the answers? Especially, I thought you, Tomoyuki-kun, would crack much earlier, but your promptness to believe in silly ideologies surprised me."

    "Not another word about the stupidity of my views. Only I decide how to deal with my life! If I had wanted to, I could have dealt with all of you earlier, but something stopped me. There was a certain feeling that made me and my heart feel scared, if I thought about it for even a second..."

    "No frills, you''re insane," Glenn stiffened in disdain. "This is the first time I''ve ever seen a man whose principles have split in two. You are the opposite of yourself."

    "Why? My world is surrounded by an abundance of hate, so why should I suffer? Foolishness unheard of, no one would do otherwise, would be in my place! Why can''t I answer with the same coin?"

    "You feel far more pain than we do-that''s true, but I don''t agree with your view of repaying the wretched. Your position on the distinction between good and evil is unfair to people."

    "Why should I retract my words!" waved his hands, nervously, Tomoyuki. "You can''t imagine the feelings I had before I reached my current position! Oh, and what you keep saying about duality!"

    "There is no such thing as a split personality. One merely escapes responsibility in the hope of unfulfilled and false principles. He who imagines men to be two-faced is himself such-a coward unwilling to put up with his position."

    "I repeat," lowered the depressed Tomoyuki''s head, "it is not for you to decide my course of action. I have believed in the unfulfillable for too long. In my eagerness to steal the hopes of others, I was intent on appropriating them in my own way. This was what showed my false self-sufficiency, for until I met you, I shunned truly true feelings. I was weak, since I thought my ideologies were correct," the blue-eyed man clenched his fists. "That is why I will destroy anything that would confront me. Though my views are unaccustomedly false, I will continue to follow them blindly, as I have learned to do for a long time. No one will reproach me for my choices, for we live in a society where everything is rotten to the core. See my eyes, Glenn-kun? They speak of my pain and my confidence at the same time."

    "Neither stingy love nor false feelings tell of the inner beauty of a person. Only purity in the soul, to which people''s gaze is subject, is worthy to cause consternation about the fullness of the person in whom that trait is placed."

    "By your words do you mean Yumiko-chan?" suggested Glenn.

    "Yumiko''s humility awakened my attentiveness. Then I thought I had found in her someone equal to me and my views. Though I had no detailed preference, and may seem pathetic to other people, Yumiko Sato was able to crack the barrier of my thoughts. Nevertheless, I will not adhere to a different exclamation, and will continue to stride where the call of my personal point of view guides me."

    "Then disobey! That point of view will surely ruin you. Instead of intending to prove to people how thorny your life has been, you''d rather announce your worries to the boys. They''ll help you!"

    "No one will understand," Tomoyuki exclaimed, "how I have felt all along! Let me be the opposite character to everyone in their lives, rather than open up. I have, after all, chosen this decision myself!"The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "But you made a promise."

    "Damn what those childish promises mean!"

    "You don''t know what you''re saying," Glenn assured his friend breathlessly. "Are you really going to believe that they''ll have a much nicer life without you? You''ve got the boys all over you with your sincerity, which has been expressed in your self-proclaimed double standards. I''m sure the mere thought of becoming part of the family for our boys gave away in you the temptation to be present around them as a trusted friend!" Glenn''s lips quivered, and he grabbed the elbow of his other hand. "You may do as you please, though you may bore all the detractors as you please! though you may bore them to the ground, but do not touch the merits of your friends whom you truly consider to be family. "

    "Not another word. I don''t want to hear any more of your nonsense! our conversation has hit an irreversible dead end, and I''m putting a fat stop to it."

    Such a loud conversation ended with the lull of the boys, and Tomoyuki walked away. The young men dispersed, no longer wanting to continue to express their personal views on Tomoyuki''s hidden desires. Glenn only wanted to help his friend, and deep down, the blue-eyed man understood that. Arrogant and lazy, Tomoyuki had to choose his future course of action: abandon his false ideologies according to Glenn, or finish his case to the end. From the blue-eyed man''s sour look, it was becoming clearer and clearer that the boy doubted his behavior.

    Ever since last night when Yumiko came home, she had locked herself in her room, wondering the whole time why she had done wrong to Ryou, and if there was a much better option. Her thoughts formed into a mess of judgement and fiction. Thinking back to Ryou, the image of Akiko kept popping into her head. Relying on her drowsiness, the girl hoped for the next morning, but nothing helped her wake up tomorrow either. Hearing her mother shouting in her direction, she went into the kitchen.

    Recess rang and the third period ended. Yumiko, who was walking dejectedly down the corridor of the school, entered the literature club room, and noticed Akiko leaning against the closet. She was clearly expecting someone, Yumiko thought first, and the two girls'' eyes crossed, causing the brown-eyed girl to have no right to hide. Akiko''s eyes locked, and she gestured with her index finger to tell the girl to come closer.

    "Why are you desperate?" asked Akiko as she approached. "Ryou-kun didn''t come to school today either."

    "Yes. It''s no more than my fault."

    "I saw you in the parade," she surprised Yumiko with her words. "You rejected his hand without a second thought. Subsequently, he and stopped answering the phone and coming to class. How are you going to make things right?"

    "I don''t know... I''m sorry."

    "You''re pulling one song. I don''t need an apology for nothing. I expect you to get our routine back, that''s all."

    "Y-yes, I''m sorry...!"

    "How many times do I have to tell you?" she sighed with bewilderment. "Why don''t you answer why you rejected Ryou-kun? You must have a visceral reason for it."

    "It all happened out of the blue. I n-never knew what else to do," Yumiko replied, folding her fingers in uncertainty. "Things didn''t work out for the best, which I couldn''t have predicted..."

    "Uh-oh, don''t tell me that my words in the summer, back then, played an important role? If that''s the case, you''re a real fool."

    "I-I don''t know. On the one hand, I really might have thought so, but I really can''t quite figure out why I made my decision."

    "Don''t know what motivated you, or are you afraid of the truth?" skeptical of everything Akiko was, pondering Tomoyuki''s words about the division of opinion and love advice. She thought to herself that the blue-eyed man was missing the point, and she didn''t consider Yumiko to be a girl she wanted to share an opinion with at all. "Look, you''re supposed to have an opinion."

    "Ryou-kun abruptly took my hand like a thunderbolt out of the blue. How else was I supposed to react?"

    "So be it. What did you say to him next?" she pondered to Yumiko.

    "I... said I couldn''t accept, and asked for forgiveness."

    "But why? Are you not satisfied with Ryou-kun? Your act is so selfish and careless, by God, you could have been abandoned in the moment. You act like an angel in heaven, but you really aren''t! What''s that supposed to mean?"

    "I really don''t know what I had to say to him! Maybe I seemed careless, or stupid, or something else, but I couldn''t think of anything more in a situation like that, for I simply hadn''t been in that position before...!"

    An unbearably short pause that made the girls'' bones rattle and their minds blur. Akiko''s duality of feeling subjected her to a collapse, from which she slowly whispered: "Tell me, do you have feelings for Ryou-kun?" and shocked the modest girl into silence.

    "Why are you silent?" repeated Akiko''s question.

    "But you love Ryou, don''t you!" opened up Yumiko''s excited emotions. "How could I ever, knowing that this guy loves my friend!"

    "Y-you''re acting guilty now?!" gritted her teeth at Akiko, shouting at the schoolgirl. "Knowing that Ryou-kun is adorable to me, you took all the victory for yourself! The reward of this boy''s love went to you. How many things I did not do to win him over to my side, to get him to stop looking only at you, and it all went to waste. All the things I''ve done have been for nothing, all because of you. You''ve ruined my life!"

    "D-don''t talk nonsense! You can still have it, for I am no longer a nuisance!"

    "It''s too late," Akiko grimaced as she ducked her face into the girl''s, and slowly darted toward her, "it''s already missed, there''s no escape."

    "You''ll definitely make it," continued her friend''s fearful encouragement, "just keep your hands upˇ­"

    Akiko''s hands rose sharply and swung to Yumiko''s face. Finding herself in what she thought was a hopeless position, Yumiko did not resist, and was ready to take another slap. Halfway through, the girl came to her senses, and Akiko''s slender hands stopped. When Yumiko opened her eyes, she saw Akiko''s cowardly look.

    "H-hey," came a shaky high voice from Akiko''s mouth, "why are you so afraid of being slapped...?"

    Not daring to answer, Yumiko immediately ran out of the study, taking the wind from her waving long, darkish-brown hair with her.

    A ringing heat hung over the study, and only Akiko was left, standing soullessly in one place. Gloomy clouds settled on her head, as if lamenting her actions.

    "What did I... want to hit her?"

    As she fled, Yumiko wondered what life was putting her through a painful ordeal for, if all she had ever wanted was to finish her studies. Tears stubbornly flowed from the schoolgirl''s eyes as she remembered Glenn''s words that it might have been her cause.

    "Nobody really knows what''s going to happen next," Ryou muttered to himself as he watched the bitter sun fall through the skyscrapers from a twenty-story-high panoramic window. "Alas, but nothing can be forever," he added as he closed his eyes and pressed his head against the window. "How long have I been here?"

 Salvation

    "I just wanted to finish high school and go to a decent university."

    The decision to move out of her hated mother''s house in the future concluded the childish mindset of nine-year-old Yumiko. This could have been helped by foreign universities, whose dormitories she would have moved into, or indeed anywhere, as long as she was not under the same roof as her mother for the rest of her life. Her mother had made do with scolding her every time she was dissatisfied with the things of life from an early age. Yumiko was aware even then that she was an unwanted child, and from birth her mother could not tolerate her presence. Throughout her life, her mother wanted nothing but affection from Yumiko''s father, but in return she received one disappointment in the form of child rearing. Her father had a wife in addition to her, and had been a ladies'' man since childhood. After accidentally melting Yumiko''s mother''s heart, he soon paid the price for her harmful character, which is why he left her, leaving his home. In response, her mother stopped raising her daughter. When Yumiko was five years old, she finally decided to talk to her hunchbacked mother, who was mindlessly watching television. When asked if they would celebrate her daughter''s fifth birthday, the horrifying answer came instantly.

    "Stay away from me!" she shrieked when Yumiko tried to touch her shoulders with her hand. "Don''t touch me, you brute."

    On her birthday, her daughter received a furious yell from her parent. With a sharp step, she slapped the child, causing Yumiko to fall to the floor. Sensing her daughter''s sense of fear, the mother took passionate pleasure and laughed hysterically with all her might. She enjoyed hitting her daughter.

    Now, Yumiko felt her affection for her friends, for they bonded with her in spite of even her unsociability. She was thrilled on those weekdays when she walked through the same park with them every day, because this place had become a haven for her, which saved her from fatigue. Literally every bit of her friends'' element was bloodily remembered in her eyes. Especially Glenn, for whom the girl had exceptional feelings, for she considered him her equal. The others at first seemed to Yumiko as unremarkable persons, but soon her attitude changed dramatically ¨C Yumiko realized that through long communication with a person one can change not only his opinion about his person, but also to rethink the essence of his views in general. The girl subsequently found that her views were raw and vague, and completely changed her opinion of people, thus becoming more sociable with her surroundings. Thus, she noticed a true change in her inner self in preparation for the Cultural Festival.

    "What a stupid thing I''ve done!" coddled Ryou in a circle on the bed, covering her face with a pillow. "Indelible shame! How could I have allowed myself such an oversight? I have no doubt that if Yumiko-chan broke off all relations with me, and within a few days I would be a nobody again... Our friendship, it will end because of my stupidity!" he exclaimed, ignoring his face flushed with shame.

    Meanwhile, it was early morning, opening the curtains, the abundance of light caught his eyes, and Ryou squinted them unable to open. Opening the balcony to air out the room, he continued to think to himself that he couldn''t go to school due to his confusion. He did not deign to face her for much longer to cool himself and her.

    "But I so want to go to school," his lips pressed together at the sight of the phone that lay on his desk, "not because I''d like to study, not at all. I want to see them. Again, and talk about everything that''s happened in the last few days like nothing''s happened. Talking to them all day long is exactly what I prefer. But, I lost it all. In the blink of an eye. And I didn''t really tell them about my personal life."

    It had been three days since Ryou had shown up at school. Ashamed to talk to the other members, Yumiko stopped showing up in their office. Instead, she sat on the roof in her spare time and gazed out at the humble surroundings of their district, while at the same time doing her study assignments on her notebook. At noon she contemplated persuading everyone to arrange a joint meeting for the purpose of leaving all grudges behind, for she herself was not accustomed to spending her school leisure time alone. She longed to regain her comfortable position among her friends.

    The neighborhood around the school was covered in yellow from behind the petals of the trees. As she stepped outside, she approached the corner where she always looked from her desk. A yellowing tree appeared before her, which was the only tree on the school grounds, and was near the side entrance for the teachers. Yumiko shut herself in peace, but the peace in her ears was soon disturbed by footsteps that approached from behind.

    "Yumiko-chan," a sweet female voice said, and Yumiko slowly turned toward the intruder. When she opened her eyes, she saw a restrained Akiko standing at ease on her two. "Would you like to arrange a meeting with the others?"

    These words were a balm to the brown-eyed schoolgirl''s ears.

    In the evening, Akiko tried to think of a way to persuade Ryou to meet, and even get him to respond to messages. Without realizing why she needed to maintain the relationship between the circle members, an idea popped into her mind to announce an appointment in the general chat room where they were all. Before writing the message, the girl wondered simply whether she should intervene at all, since she was so eager for such an outcome beforehand. In fact, Yumiko and Ryou''s relationship could have sunk into oblivion, and Akiko would have gained nothing but upside in terms of developing her intimacy with her boyfriend. Yumiko was no longer a target for her. However, the girl''s hand resisted against her will, and her body trembled, with the goal of dulling her owner''s thoughts. A new caption appeared on the general chat screen in the corner, informing her that Tomoyuki was typing something. The maiden froze as she read the new message from the blue-eyed man.

    Yam: "I propose a meeting in the park, tomorrow at 3 p.m. No, I demand that you, and especially you, Ryou-kun, come."

    Akiko didn''t understand why Tomoyuki would want to arrange such a meeting if it wouldn''t do him any good. Whether it was worth wasting his energy on those he hated, Akiko could not answer the question, guessing at the contradictory nature of his views.

    Yam: "Stop hiding."

    His message was obviously addressed to Ryou-kun, but Akiko involuntarily noticed a certain ambiguity in that sentence, as if Tomoyuki was addressing everyone, and not just Ryou was involved in the purpose of arranging the meeting.

    Yam: "We should put an end to what happened."

    Akiko wondered if the blue-eyed man had decided to give up on his ideals, which had brought the club members'' relationships to a critical juncture. Had Tomoyuki stopped at the very end, without the confidence to fulfill his and Akiko''s goal?

    Ryou: "Alright."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Ryou''s response shocked the girl. The guy, who hadn''t read anyone''s messages in the last three days of his lull, suddenly came back in touch. Of course, this also made Akiko happy, but not in a way that made her less worried about tomorrow. The meeting was officially set. The only one who didn''t answer the call in the general chat room was Glenn.

    The overcast weather didn''t stop even in the afternoon the next day. As they entered the park, Yumiko made out the silhouette of a short guy standing near a bench nearby. Dressed warmly, the two teenagers met as soon as Yumiko ran closer to the guy. He turned out to be Tomoyuki , waiting relentlessly for his friends to arrive.

    "You showed up early," Tomoyuki addressed, chuckling, and averted his gaze. "I couldn''t come any later, either. I was worried."

    "Nothing at all...!" the girl waved her hands, and approached the blue-eyed man. Smelling a pungent scent, her eyes widened in surprise. "Tomoyuki-kun, do you smoke?" she asked openly, causing the guy''s shoulders to shake.

    "Why would you think that?"

    "You stink."

    The girl''s words puzzled Tomoyuki, and the boy felt uncomfortable. Noticing how embarrassed he was in his youthful confusion, she waved her hands again, hoping to cheer him up.

    "I didn''t mean to insult at all. I just... remembered the smell of my father," and she blurted out a bitter smile, remembering her childhood days to herself. Tomoyuki froze.

    Walking over, Akiko walked over to the couple as well. Sitting down on the wooden bench, Yumiko breathed a few times on her cold-reddened hands. In a place filled with nothing but relaxing silence, the boys dared not make a single sound, but only waited for the remaining guy to arrive. A little while later, a certain silhouette appeared at the far edge of the path, moving deep into the dull park. The girls'' breath was taken away, and Tomoyuki sharpened, waiting for this silhouette, marked masculine for its firm features of movement, to approach. Finally, after a slow time, approaching the boys, he stopped and stood still. A young man dressed in a dark, elegant cloak stood in front of the boys, whose dejected look they recognized instantly: it was their beloved Ryou, bringing sincere joy in meeting and prudence in communicating. This time, he brought them a welcome sense of satisfaction that he had arrived at the meeting.

    "I apologize for not answering the phone," averted Ryou''s uncomfortable eyes, beginning the conversation on this note. Convinced that the timing was favorable, he immediately bowed his head before them, and exclaimed as best he could, "I am very sorry to have condemned you to a predicament! My imprudence has played a cruel trick on me. Especially to you, Yumiko-chan, I am ready to ask for forgiveness... even for life! Please accept my apology! I am selfish, and on top of that I am stupid to ask for such nonsense, but it would simply kill me to be dishonored if I keep silent... I don''t want our friendship to disappear!"

    They were embarrassed by his loud words, which made them shy. Especially Yumiko, who hadn''t expected such pity from the young man, wanted to start with her own apology herself. Ryou''s gaze was not about to rise, waiting leisurely for one of them to speak, or to comfort.

    "I," Yumiko gathered her courage, and swallowed her saliva, "started this childish babble, so it''s not Ryou-kun who needs to apologize here. To apologize to you... should be me."

    "Don''t be silly! If it wasn''t for my tactless decision in the parade, nothing would have happened!"

    "God be with him, that decision. What happened is what happened, but don''t make a big deal out of it! I said some foolish things prematurely."

    "That''s not true at all."

    The barrier between them crumbled as if to give free rein to their feelings. Ryou didn''t want to hold back her emotions in front of them, just as Yumiko adored talking to them, for it gave the girl strength. As now, it was as if their relationship was back to normal when Tomoyuki chuckled during the arguments of the two self-proclaimed guilty friends. Akiko''s restrained smile let Yumiko know that she was finally satisfied, and Ryou soon laughed too, raising his joyful eyes. Glancing over at their laughing childish silliness, Yumiko said goodbye to the resentments of days past.

    "You guys are worth each other," Tomoyuki said, as if mockingly and sincerely.

    "Did Ryou-kun cry?" played up Akiko at the sight of the guy.

    "Nothing like that!"

    No matter what, Yumiko had some excitement about Glenn''s absence. He hadn''t been in touch for four days. Puzzled by this question, Tomoyuki immediately told her that Glenn was busy with other things right now, and asked her to urge her not to call. When asked why, the blue-eyed man replied softly: "That''s what he said so you wouldn''t have to worry about him. He''s had some personal problems that Glenn-kun can solve on his own."

    "We shouldn''t discourage him, or pry into his personal life," Ryou pondered. Akiko, on the other hand, suppressed, remembering the past conversation with the dark-eyed man.

    Tomoyuki''s words brought Yumiko into deep thought, for the girl could not believe that the dark-eyed man could say such a thing.

    "Come on," Tomoyuki waved his palms, "Yumiko-chan, cheer up! Tell me, what have you been up to these past three days?"

    "Actually, I''ve been thinking all this time about how much I''ve been able to change because of you," she replied, prompting her friends to respond. The two girls sat on a bench. "I realized that I would still be that Yumiko from the past if I hadn''t met you. Even though that Yumiko had far fewer open features and was a cold girl, I still hope that she is alive, inside me. So, I am grateful to be surrounded by you!"

    "We all think so," Tomoyuki answered her.

    "I think," Ryou said, putting her hands in her pocket, "we are similar. People are attracted to each other''s similarity ¨C that''s what someone important to me said. That''s the meaning of friendship."

    "I didn''t have any friends before. I just stayed home and did my homework. I didn''t think about making friends back then, but eventually... I''m glad I see you here and now."

    At Tomoyuki''s initiative, they left the park and walked down the road to the caf¨¦. The gray clouds, along with the cold autumn climate, covered the city in a pale, dull light. Adjusting her scarf, Yumiko pulled it up to her ears. The cold made the boys'' faces blush lightly, and they bought themselves a glass of milk coffee at the cafe and chatted until they were comforted. On leaving the establishment, the schoolchildren cleaned up after themselves and put the empty cups in a bucket. They walked out the front door together, and Ryou heard a rustling behind him that reminded him of the sharp feeling of shock. Glancing in that direction, ten meters away the boy met his eyes with the four frozen silhouettes of teenagers, and one of them had a bag falling from his hand. Akiko, who had noticed Ryou''s silence like a stone, responded to these four unequal silhouettes.

    "Ryou..." from the lips of one unfamiliar fellow expressed a restrained shock, causing each of the members to turn their gaze to him.

    Examining each of the strangers in detail with modest eyes, Yumiko realized that they were her peers, and one of them was a short girl whose bag lay irreversibly near her slender legs. Akiko glanced over at Ryou, finally noticing his stunned look at the surprise of their encounter, and slowly hooked her fingers into his cloak. Tomoyuki glanced stale behind his friends, as if without a moment''s surprise.

    After a brief silence, Nishida''s lips quivered, and a trembling voice sounded from his lips:

    "Isshin?"

 Runaway

    "Yo, Ryou-kun," put his hand to his temple, the young man standing meekly in front of the others.

    "But," stammered Ryou, "how did you find us?"

    "Well, we know from you that you walk here often. So we followed the map, hoping for a meeting."

    "Stupid, you could have called me..."

    "Just kidding! We were aware. Tomoyuki-kun gave us the details!"

    All the club members turned on the blue-eyed man at the same time. Tomoyuki, who had become sad, barely uttered, "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you..."

    "We wanted it to be a surprise, so you shouldn''t be mad at Tomoyuki-kun good-naturedly arranging a meeting."

    "Anyway, you''re a fool, Isshin."

    Between Ryou and Isshin, a familial nature of communication had formed since long ago, and the boys could easily share joking insults with each other. This was what showed their distinctive friendship. In an instant, the boys'' frowning faces changed to a sincere smile, followed by them approaching each other and hugging each other tightly.

    "If your surprise met your expectations," Ryou said, "Then I''m the happiest man in the world."

    "We missed you," Isshin dared not let go of his best friend. The other Kyoto boys looked at each other enviously.

    "Inseparable reunited," the girl said, putting her hand on her belt. Following, they joined the young men.

    This picture embarrassed the members of the literary circle, making them feel their presence here was inappropriate. After all, their friend from Kyoto had finally met his former friends. Blaming something on Ryou was pointless.

    "You all..." muttered Ryou softly, "came all the way to another city to visit me? Oda-kun, Iruma-kun, Isshin, Aiko-chan..."

    "Depends how you look at it," Aiko replied. "We''ve always loved making surprises."

    "This surprise," complemented the short, tall Iruma, "I hope I, you won''t forget?"

    "No, never."

    Suddenly, Isshin deftly pushed away from the embrace and exclaimed with a preponderance of admiration on his face:

    "So that''s the kind of girlfriends you got!" and turned his head toward Ryou, raising his thumb. "Pretty girls like that are worth finding."

    "Stop staring at them," Ryou measured him with a sharp look, folding his arms firmly.

    "Sorry," chuckling, Isshin seemed happy and lowered his lashes. "How nice of you to have a new relationship."

    The thick-haired man reacted with incomprehension, and wondered what he meant. Isshin directed his eyes back to the Tokyo teenagers.

    "I beg your pardon, are we interrupting your conversation?"

    "Not at all," Yumiko replied openly, "Ryou-kun is all yours."

    The brown-haired boy expressed their request by leaning toward them and folding his palms together, as if casually. Yumiko responded by shaking her head amicably.

    "We are very grateful to you," expressed the lovely Aiko, "for taking care of this fool."

    "I''m not a fool at all!"

    As he approached the members, Ryou discomfitedly apologized to them for leaving them for the day. He was uncomfortable about them, for originally this day had been entirely planned for them.

    "It''s not like that at all. We''re not holding you back."

    "I''m the one who should apologize," Tomoyuki replied, clenching his hands into fists with embarrassment.

    "It''s nobody''s fault," the brown-eyed prude continued to comfort. "Ryou-kun, I hope to see you soon."

    The members of the literary circle departed together, causing the thick-haired man''s heart to burst with pain. Turning at Isshin''s call, he stepped down a different path with them. This day meant more to him than usual, at the same price as an entire canopy of gold. He was finally reunited with his humble friends from his past city.

    "How little we know about Ryou-kun," muttered Akiko, whose hazy eyes were lowered to her feet, slowly stepping after Yumiko and a silent Tomoyuki.

    They entered a modest restaurant, where they ordered a table for three. Once seated, the boys took their time discussing, and while they waited for their lunch meal to arrive. A warm and cozy place this restaurant was, where people often ordered soups or salads to take a break from work at lunchtime. Even here there were their regulars, which the members were not. Even though they were here for the first time, they immediately took a liking to the place. When the waiter served them red hot noodle soup on the table, Tomoyuki put his hands on the table and folded his fingers into a lock.

    "I know what you''re thinking right now," Tomoyuki added in a low tone, waiting patiently for the ignorant girls'' questions. "If you have anything to ask, I''m all yours."

    "Really?" gasped Akiko, sarcastically. "If you deign, of course!"

    "Originally, Isshin-san wrote to me with his request back last month, asking me not to tell Ryou-kun. When I asked him, he kept saying that they were willing to stay in Tokyo for about two weeks to meet Ryou-kun. They have a man in his twenties at their disposal, so they had no problem with the trip."

    "Why didn''t you notify us of the surprise?" wondered Akiko, restlessly, at which Tomoyuki''s eyes dipped to the food.

    "I don''t have an answer. Maybe my inattention followed that, or maybe I didn''t want to bother you in preparation for the Cultural Festival ¨C you''re free to think."

    "But why did you agree to help them?"

    "How could I be otherwise? Ryou-kun is my friend; his joy is my joy," he shocked Akiko with his words. "They wanted to see their old friend, how would I refuse?"This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Silence.

    "More importantly, they want Ryou-kun... to go back to Kyoto."

    The girls were startled, feeling a shiver in their thin hands. That shiver rushed right down to their bones, causing their minds to shift into a pile of mess. They were too thoughtless to respond in any way.

    "Isshin-san is quite supportive of their opinions. And I... don''t know what to do about it. On the one hand, Ryou-kun has the right to choose for himself. Although no, there can be no other choice here, the decision goes to Ryou-kun personally. We don''t decide anything here..."

    Tomoyuki''s voice was interrupted by the girl''s clinking palm on the table. Unwilling to listen any longer, Yumiko, rasped by the blue-eyed man''s negative thoughts and reasoning, voiced out:

    "We won''t let him get away with it!" she gritted her teeth. "We''re not going anywhere without him."

    "Stop holding on to your selfishness," Tomoyuki replied softly. "It''s not up to us to decide what he needs."

    Akiko, whose body was gripped down to the bone by shock, sat mournfully, unable to get anything out of her mouth. Looking at her, a gazing Tomoyuki realized how pitiable her mind was at the moment. As he achieved, he crushed her with his humble assertions. That shout-out from Yumiko sharply sobered his mind.

    "As sad and wistful as it is," the brown-eyed girl''s shaky voice said, "to know the state of things, we must not stop. Of course Ryou-kun is free to decide where he wants to go, and we''ll have to accept whatever he thinks, but if we don''t want to let him go so easily, why don''t we be selfish? I''m sure we''d all be fine if he stayed with us. We should talk to him some other time."

    "I don''t mind. Especially since Ryou-kun himself is unaware of his friends'' lusts. See if they can change their minds, though that''s unlikely. We should wait until the time finally comes for them to talk to Ryou-kun."

    Anyway, the girls quietly accepted his words, which made a sad Tomoyuki glad that his opinion carried any weight for them.

    Ryou and his friends were in the VIP lounge of the local bar, where he occasionally stopped by on his sister''s whim. His friends chatted cheerfully about how Ryo''s hair had grown and about his change in style. Ryou also noticed how they were keeping up with the times, and there was a distinct difference in their outfits. After all, they were only newcomers; people dressed differently in each city, depending on the climate, the vastness of pop culture in certain places, and the rest of the youth movements that came from overseas. Eventually it came down to soul-searching and parsing. Seeing the waiter serve a can of fizzy beer to Odeh, the guy realized how fast time was flowing and how many years they had been friends.

    "So Maiko-chan flew off to study at the American University..."

    "She successfully got into a prestigious institution," Oda replied, cheering. "Don''t forget to congratulate her sometime."

    "Where am I going to go. It turns out that Maiko-chan is no longer with us."

    Immediately a mournful cloud appeared over the room because of the boys'' sad faces, making Isshin grow restlessly aggravated.

    "That''s no reason to be sorry! You crybabies, at least you''d be glad for your friend again. I promise you, they''ll be amazed at her knowledge, too! Just watch, when she becomes popular, Oda-kun will have a hard time keeping his honorary title of boyfriend."

    "Just don''t be silly, idiot," Ryou expressed with caution, and Oda chuckled, modestly thankful for his protection.

    Soon Ryou dared to ask how the boys were going to stay in Tokyo, and Oda clarified that thanks to his presence, the others, which included the minors, would be able to stay safely in Tokyo. They have already taken up a vacant dormitory for two weeks to see the thick-haired man and explore their capital.

    "The surprise, by the way, was set up by Isshin-kun," said sixteen-year-old Iruma, "for he wanted to see Ryou-kun badly!"

    "Not true!" blushed the sharply flamboyant boy with brown hair. "Iruma-kun, you are a complete fool!" he added, and followed offensively by repeating himself countless times.

    "Now he will deny every word said in his direction," laughed Iruma.

    "You got your way," chuckled Oda, taking a sip of fresh and cold beer.

    "Oda-kun, you shameless!" mouthed a squeamish Ryo. "Bad manners you show the children! Aren''t you ashamed of yourself?"

    Oda brittle in embarrassment, and Miura and Ryou laughed. The boys liked to make fun of each other, and especially of Oda, whose kind character drew people to him. So they weren''t embarrassed when they learned that Maiko had been crazy about him at one time, and that they soon got together.

    "The thing is," Oda grimaced, telling the boys, "at one time we decided to experiment with Maiko-chan, and tried all sorts of lustful positions and toys..."

    Aiko, furious with confusion, immediately punched the bully in the head, and his short hair couldn''t hold back her stern punch, causing Oda to take all the direct damage.

    "W-what are you saying?! Lusty, rascal!"

    This was how their ordinary conversation was structured, but there was also something fascinating about it-that magical feeling of having their entire companionship together communicating to the fullest, without looking at the time period. It was just part of their inseparable relationship. Toward the end, when the boys were tired and Oda, who had been taking charge since the morning, fell into a deep sleep. They knew it was better not to wake such an Oda, and it was unlikely he would awaken from mere shouting - he needed a whole dump truck for that. In a whisper, Isshin called Ryou outside to get some air.

    Meanwhile, the outskirts of greater Tokyo were shrouded in the cold, evening twilight. The street lights were on, shining off whole streets and the central district, which was a long way off, but the light of these lights did not reach them, and the boys had to stand under the blue sky. Leaning against the iron fence near the front door of the bar, the boys breathed in the fresh air coming from in front of them, straight from a distance where their feet had not reached. Looking out at this distance, Isshin calmly took a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his checked gray jeans and lit up. Seeing this, Ryou responded.

    "You started smoking?" he asked, probably not knowing the answer why.

    "You''d understand how hard it''s been for me to do without you. What a terrible feeling it is... when one loses half of one''s essence."

    "Why did you have to ask Tomoyuki-kun if you could talk to me about meeting? You put my friends in an awkward situation."

    Lingering, Isshin didn''t give a look. He remained silent.

    "It was my initiative that brought us to Tokyo, so you can take offense at me. They had nothing to do with it," and, silent, he bowed his head. "Fourteen days we''re going to live here. To hell with school, we wanted to see you."

    "Isshin-kun?"

    Turning to Ryou, he uttered: "Don''t you want to go back?" and waited leisurely for his reaction. Aiko looked surreptitiously at the boys through the door, listening carefully to every word they said. "We can handle transferring you back to our school, and you''ll manage to live with Iruma-kun and his parents, they don''t mind and would rather be happy. As a last resort, my family can take you in as well, and Aiko-chan will be happy."

    No answer came. Sighing, Isshin threw out his cigarette and smiled quietly.

    "Only you have the right to decide. Think about it, maybe you want to leave town, or vice versa, stay."

    "Yes, I''ll think about it," the thick-haired man fervently said. Aiko walked away from the door back to the VIP lounge.

    "You know, I haven''t told anyone about my new goal yet. I think it''s about time. I''m thinking of going to a foreign university, and for that I''m going to keep studying and trying until I get in."

    "That''s a great idea, Isshin-kun. Like Maiko-chan, are you going to skip one year to study?"

    "Yes. Ryou-kun, we can fly away together, then Aiko-chan will agree. The three of us would be much easier together. Consider that offer, too, if you don''t know where you''re going after school. Your mental faculties, I''m sure, will unfold entirely with a higher education."

    "Okay, I''ll think about it..."

    "Thank you. I''ve decided not to stay in Japan alone. I want to evolve, and Aiko-chan shares my thoughts as well."

    To Ryou, Isshin is the sincere and purest person whose worries for his friends are able to bypass all obstacles.  He trusted him more than anyone else, even his sister, whose trust was never to be doubted. Isshin would never leave them in trouble, Ryou concluded. He treasured his surroundings, and he needed no one else. It was he who brought them together in one day.

 Brave World

    At the request of Kyoto''s friends, Ryou entered the dormitory with them. The large one-room house was perfect for visiting teenagers, both for its location and its favorable price for a temporary stay. It was cozy and a little empty, but the boys couldn''t complain. One of their conversations revealed that they had settled into this dormitory the morning before. Also, at Isshin''s question, the thick-haired man told them about his new friends, praising their interests. It was as if the heavy burden that he had been carrying ever since Ryou had left for another city had been lifted from Isshin. He was worried that his friend wouldn''t be able to settle in among the urban youth from the capital, and the boy had his own personal justifications for that.

    "You''ve changed," Aiko said, "Ryou-kun, and that''s for the good."

    "Who was I before that you noticed a change in me?"

    "I can see it in your eyes," Isshin replied, stroking his brownish hair, "that you''ve transformed. You''ve become more open-minded! Have you forgotten how you, Ryou-kun, didn''t like to get involved with people, or even start conversations?"

    Everyone in the room fell silent. Isshin pushed a sore subject for them, which made Ryou express his displeasure with his eyes. "Looks like we should thank your friends here for their hard work that we couldn''t do!"

    "There you go again."

    "Why, are you unhappy, Ryou-kun?" he continued to provoke his friend, communicating in a prejudiced tone. "They''ve really done more than we''ve done in more than three years of a relationship. By the way, how did they do it?"

    Remembering the girl with the long, dark brown hair and the charming brown eyes, Ryou momentarily forgot his hatred for the dialogue, as if he had found himself in a reverie.

    "One girl brought us all together in an empty literary circle," said Ryou, whose memories made him happy, causing his cuteness to express itself outwardly. "Isn''t that ridiculous? The unwanted circle alone was able to connect me to them. Thanks to them, I''ve made acquaintances with whom, truth be told, I wouldn''t mind chatting with during school breaks."

    "One girl? Hmm, looks like Aiko-chan has some competition!"

    "Shut up, Isshin!" the cute girl with the brown hair blushed, and glared angrily at Isshin throughout the conversation, making her brother feel uneasy. Aiko was nicknamed the brilliant princess from birth, for she had a bright and mysterious look that Isshin did not have in her case, though they were twins. The bluish color of their eyes gave their personalities a charismatic quality, and they attracted good people to them with their leadership abilities.

    Eventually, it was early evening and Ryou said goodbye, thanking them for coming here. He also said that he would visit them often, for two weeks could fly by quickly. Everyone accepted his thanks, and Isshin approached him and reminded him of his offer. Ryou replied that he would think deeply about it and would reply soon. Ryou began to wonder if he should leave town. Being at home, he sat by the window and thought about Isshin''s offer. On the one hand, he wanted immensely to go back to Kyoto and resume his routine with his old friends. On the other hand, a certain keen feeling and desire to continue his studies in Tokyo held him back. To these feelings and a sense of weakness in front of the club members led him to his memories in their surroundings. Ryou didn''t know what he should have chosen so as not to make the mistake of feeling his usual sense of self-pity again, and as a result he was assured that there could be no right decision here at all. Such a choice between one of the two, in Ryou''s opinion, could mean more in his life than the rest, and the consequences could be irreversible for reasons unprecedented.

    The next Sunday afternoon, he visited his dorm friends again. When he knocked on the door, he waited a few seconds until Aiko opened it for him, behind her, in the room, the boys were having lunch in silence. He sat down next to them and only glanced, answering the girl that he wasn''t going to eat.

    "Maybe," Isshin said, mouth full of food, "you and Aiko-chan will take a walk alone around town?"

    "Sure, that''s obligatory," Ryou added, putting his cheek to his palm. "If my walk with her will make Aiko-chan happy, I won''t mind at all."

    "R-right?" blushed Aiko, full in kindness after his gentle words.

    "Then it''s settled!" sharply Isshin pointed his spoon at him. "Let''s go out for a walk in Tokyo tonight!"

    "Finish your cooking first!"

    "Isshin-kun, talking with your mouth full is unethical. Also, you''re yapping."

    Outside, near the door to the dormitory, the two young men huddled pensively against the thin parapet. Isshin thought then that it was about time he told Ryou about one thing that could have potentially motivated his friend to decide whether or not to move out.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "I keep getting this feeling about your relationship with Aiko-chan. I won''t mind if you, Ryou-kun, go out with her."

    In response, Ryou recalled an earlier moment in his life when he dated the attractive Aiko. Back then Ryou didn''t know at all how life was supposed to be for the guy he loved for his girlfriend, for he had no experience in love affairs, which kept him in the dark until the last moment, whether he really loved Aiko, or whether he was mistaken in his feelings. Aiko, on the other hand, was patient and acted recklessly every time.

    "I am her brother," added Isshin, "Ryou-kun, and I worry about both her everyday life and her future. I want to be able to, you know, provide her with a happy future with the guy she loves. The thing is, all her life, Aiko-chan has loved..."

    "Don''t bother," Ryou interrupted, sensing his friend''s sadness.

    "However, I think you have your own problems and reasons for not reciprocating her as it is. Know one thing, I give you permission to court her and make any decision regarding her, for I trust you."

    "Aiko-chan was planning dates instead of me. How foolish I was in my sixteen years, not understanding how to handle my love and conduct myself alone with girls."

    "I''m glad you realized your stupidity and recognized it as part of yourself."

    "One joke is better than another."

    "Those two girlfriends ¨C would you be kind enough to give me one of the two?"

    "Never in your life will you get them!"

    "That''s right, they''re yours. You have, then, three girls already waiting for your answer? Then, accept me into your harem!"

    After a little time, which the boys decided to spend tidying themselves up, they came out groomed, as befitted the standards of morality. Having dreamed of seeing the sights of the capital since childhood, Iruma bothered to take a professional camera with him. Oda, on the other hand, planned to check out popular restaurants and cafes in order to compare them with Kyoto, since his parents'' family business was a catering establishment. All in all, Ryou was doomed to have a busy day, and his expectations were justified by the fact that the guys really strolled back and forth through the streets, looking at every nook and cranny of a pebble. The first thing they did after reaching the central point was to go to the Hachiko monument, and Iruma, to get his parents excited, asked the boys to take a picture together and get their picture taken in front of one of the main sculptures. They took a walk in the central park; went to a large restaurant on the whim of the big guy, but Aiko forbade them to buy food; and went to the National Museum of Nature and Science, which Ryou wanted to visit for a long time. The Kyoto boys were fascinated by the enormity of this city and its distinction from quiet Kyoto. They had never before imagined that Tokyo was a perpetually awake ant city in which a sense of both busyness and inner freedom prevailed at the same time. This was what captivated the boys, even though they felt somewhat overwhelmed by the relentless noise of city traffic and the saturation of human pragma.

    As dusk fell, Tokyo transformed into its own kind of bright, irresistible city, with big banners and city lights shining from everywhere. As it began to get colder, they immediately boarded the bus back home and shared only glowing emotions with each other, expressing their opinions about the exclusivity of this city from any other. As they reached the dormitory, they expressed their gratitude to the tired Ryou, who was made happy by the pleasant faces of the guys. After saying goodbye, they left for the house, and Aiko, dressed in a light-colored dress, was the only one left with the thick-haired man. They remained to gaze one last time at the starry sky, which whispered in the girl''s ear favorable thoughts in an effort to lock them within her. Enchanted by the stars, she longed with all her heart to grab one of them and bury it in her palms as a personal guide.

    "You''ll catch cold," he marveled at her radiant face, embodying true femininity and natural beauty in the smallest detail. "And Isshin will scold us."

    "Just a little longer," she snickered in a doting voice, not taking her eyes off the sky, "I want to dream a little longer. How time flies, and how quickly we''ve grown. Before I knew it, I was a teenager, dreaming of a bright life, a coveted job, and a loved one I longed for. I think it''s time for us to grow up, too. To change, as much as we''d like otherwise."

    "Loved one?"

    "I envy you, Ryou-kun, and your desire to remain in the dark. It makes life so much easier, because if you immerse yourself in reflection, you end up unwittingly realizing how sad the world around you is, and how sad people are if they try to seem different."

    "Maybe that''s the point of my nature, not to look away or back."

    "I don''t care at all," Aiko changed the subject, gripping the boy''s palm with her hands, "whether you''re coming back with us or staying. I just... want to be with you a little longer. Just a little more..."

    Ryou was silent in surprise. Not knowing how to answer her, the young man continued to stare into her pitying eyes.

    "Ever since you moved out, all I''ve wanted to do was hold you, hard and hard. What kept me from going crazy was the desire to be near you. All my thoughts, Ryou-kun, in truth... have long since merged with your desires. They became one. My feelings haven''t gone anywhere, they''re only meant to..."

    Ryou interrupted her by taking her hands in return and intertwining their fingers. Hugging her tightly, he closed his eyes, accepting the circumstances.

    "Tomorrow. Aiko-chan, would you like to go for a walk with me?"

    "Apparently, I agree," she lifted her head to him with a happy smile.

    Their relationship seemed rather odd from the outside in terms of love, but that didn''t embarrass them, because every day they spent alone with each other had a special meaning to them, which encouraged the couple not to care about unnecessary uneven looks.

 Imouto

    The next day Ryou also knocked on the dormitory door, and there was a rumbling sound through it, followed by Isshin''s slurred voice wishing good luck to Aiko. When the door opened, the lad was greeted by a dressed-up girl with a bit of makeup, pretty much prepped for her date. Aiko''s excessive cleanliness was fully justified as Ryou''s mouth dropped open and his eyes widened.

    "Well," Isshin looked out the door, "let''s stay out of your way!" the young man complemented, slamming the door shut. The young couple was left alone, in humble silence, not knowing how to begin a conversation.

    Lifting his eyes, the boy spoke softly: "Come," and Aiko agreed. Their date began with an ordinary walk to the bus stop, with the aim of going to places the girl had not yet visited.

    Barely out of bed, a sleepy Akiko, who had earned insomnia a couple of days ago, barely made it to the balcony in her room. Squinting from the afternoon sun shining directly on her head, the girl yawned and pressed herself against the parapet, looking out onto the street. Against her will, she wondered about the club members and their unknown to her everyday life. Rejecting the parapet, she stepped out of the balcony and began to get ready for school, overcoming the carefree urge to sleep.

    Meanwhile, having missed another day of school, Ryou walked with a friend from her hometown throughout the day. During that day, the couple, at Aiko''s insistence, saw the bulky diagonal intersection of Shibuya, had a modest meal at a well-known lounge bar, and walked through a park of the same name closer to the central district. The young man took all the expenses on his own initiative, deciding not to bother her. Ryou didn''t dare take his eyes off Aiko every time she admired the evening lights of the city and its large streets, and the tall and shining Tokyo buildings brought the girl into shock. Strolling down the main street with the endless light of traffic and human noises, the cotton candy-eating Aiko held hands with Ryou, shyly turning her shiny eyes and foxy lashes to him. She was genuinely relieved when she got over her insecurities, for the girl had wanted to hold hands with her beloved friend since lunchtime. Constantly looking earlier at his free palm, Aiko had long refused in her last moments, fearful of being rejected.

    Before saying goodbye, Ryou walked her to the dormitory door.

    "I am very grateful to you for this beautiful day you spent with me, Ryou-kun."

    "We''ll go out alone as many times as you ask me to and want to."

    "Then... let''s do it tomorrow! Oh, you have... school time."

    "Come on, what school time when you all company came from out of town for me?"

    "But you won''t get kicked out for missing a lot? After all, two weeks of absence is quite affecting a student''s grades and general activity. At least we''ve communicated our departure in advance by getting the okay."

    "Of course I''m not going to be absent for two weeks."

    "Good. Thank you, Ryou-kun, I shouldn''t be gone too long, or the boys will go crazy with hunger. All they need is an excuse to eat food cooked with feminine hands."

    The couple giggled. Turning to the front door, Aiko tapped gently with her thin knobs, and Ryou departed. There was a loud rumble and whispers from the door, and when the noises subsided, Iruma awkwardly opened the door with, "Welcome..." and the young man, seeing Aiko''s face light up with fierceness, shuddered, barely finishing, "...in."

    "Don''t you have anything at all to do but bug out the door with the three of you!"

    Frowning in fear, Iruma bit his nails from his fingers and asked for help.

    "Yes!" stuck out Isshin''s chest solemnly. "We heard every last letter!"

    Puzzled by her brother''s excessive hubris, Aiko sighed wearily, taking in the pointlessness in the aggression emanating from herself.

    "At least you''re honest about it."

    "So," he hoped, flashing a stretched smile, "did it work?"

    In response, the girl presented her joy outward and raised her thumb. Isshin and the boys cheered sincerely for the lovely Aiko.

    The school day ended literally without any memorable news. Therefore, in the conversations of the club members, the influence of the two absent boys on the behavior of the others was strongly felt. Coming home a little early, until the evening Tomoyuki pondered about something that had been bothering him for the second day. It had to do with Ryou and his friends from Kyoto, and on top of that, Tomoyuki was constantly in deep thought, remembering old familiar routines that might no longer exist because of his self-interest. With the balcony curtains open, the plastic windows due to the bright light in the room reflected the stern gaze of the blue-eyed young man, clearly confident in his eagerness to snicker.

    He switched on the chat with Ryou, who was online, and texted him personally to see if he was busy tomorrow, in order to find out what the thick-haired man was going to do next.

    Nishida: "Going on a date tomorrow morning."

    The blue-eyed young man''s face expressed a surge of excitement, and as he reflected, he realized the importance of accepting ideas as soon as possible, ending what he believed to be a toxic friendship in their circle, from which he temporarily succumbed to false beliefs, as did the wayward Akiko, who had completely forgotten what she had joined the literary circle for.

    Yam: "Where to? I wonder."

    Ryou: "Remember that atmospheric restaurant we went to in the summer? There."

    Tomoyuki wondered why the guy would go to the "Romantic Restaurant" if the customers there were mostly young, and according to the blue-eyed man, smarmy and fickle couples, and came to the surprising conclusion that Ryou started dating a girlfriend from Kyoto. Such an outcome, if true, would make Tomoyuki''s goals of crushing Akiko''s life position, which was already on the verge of breaking, twice as easy, and the young man, relying entirely on Ryou''s theory of love relations, rather wrote to the girls of the literary club to meet tomorrow at the "Romantic Restaurant," and discuss the matter with Ryou.

    Attyan: "Huh? Why would you want to meet at a dating restaurant?"

    Yam: "I like it there."

    Attian: "Oh, aren''t you a sissy? Okay...".

    "What a surprise," Tomoyuki muttered to himself, "it all worked out as if I''d been given a chance to successfully viviparate," gloating, he grasped his fickle face. "It''s their time for a turning point."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    -

    Waking up in the morning, the boys gathered at the "Romantic Restaurant," located in one of the middle streets of the central district, where many loving couples went. Apart from Tomoyuki, neither Ryou and Aiko nor the members of the literary club could have guessed that their destination held them in one place. The open sunny skies kept telling Yumiko that the warm weather was welcoming, and on her way out she dressed in a red skirt with dark tights and an autumnal blue shirt. Others did the same, noticing the unusually warm weather for a November day.

    As they followed down the street, Tomoyuki spotted Ryou and his friend walking up the steps to the restaurant just in time, and huddled against the clear wall of a nearby store, hidden in the shadows, he began to wait for the girls to arrive. He counted the time on his wristwatch. After a little while, from the intersection of the streets from the back of Tomoyuki appeared Yumiko and walked toward the restaurant, and from the front street, as far as his keen eye could reach, stood Akiko at a red traffic light. Halfway to the restaurant, Yumiko, feeling a tense look from her right shoulder, turned to face the dark wall of the store, and noticed an unperturbed Tomoyuki. Their eyes unhurriedly met each other''s, without being able to cry out anything, and a strange foreboding swept over Yumiko. He bowed his right hand to his temples, and unemotionally said: "Yo," to which Yumiko bowed her head in disbelief. Stopping to stare intently at the dial, the young man lifted his gaze to the restaurant''s front door. Crossing the road, Akiko''s sleepy eyes caught sight of Yumiko standing in the middle of the sidewalk, and she looked back to see Tomoyuki standing in the shadows. The silhouettes of a couple looked out of the glass door of the restaurant, and when it opened, Ryou and his girlfriend stepped outside. Aiko was drinking juice from a straw with relaxed eyes. Akiko stood in the middle of the crosswalk. Yumiko, on the other hand, looked straight ahead, and fell sharply into a slight stupor at the sight of a guy with dark blue hair. The couple, who had descended the short steps, turned toward the road where the brown-eyed girl was standing, and as she lifted her eyes, a sudden surprise swept over the guy. The couple''s and Yumiko''s gazes met, forming a general confusion. Shocked, Akiko ran toward the guys as fast as she could. Turning back toward the quick steps, a pink-haired girl appeared to Ryou''s dark blue eyes. Looking over to his friends, the young man called their names and asked how they got here. Stepping back from the wall, Tomoyuki stepped out into the sun and placed a hand on Yumiko''s shoulder to bring her to her senses.

    "I called them here for a meeting," Tomoyuki said.

    "You wanted to go to the restaurant, too?" perplexed Ryou. "But you go to places like this for a reason!" and realizing how Tomoyuki''s hands were touching the brown-eyed woman''s shoulder, became slightly dazed, not knowing how to react in any other way. There was another misunderstanding.

    "Nothing with us," the blue-eyed one replied, "and the restaurant was the starting point for the walk. We wanted to meet in the morning and have a good time."

    Confident that Ryou would trust his words, Tomoyuki stood relaxed. The guy didn''t miscalculate ¨C Ryou actually believed him.

    "So that''s why you asked yesterday if I''d be free tonight," Ryou hung his nose.

    "Yeah, but finding out you were going to be busy at the Romantic Restaurant, I just couldn''t leave you alone," Tomoyuki glanced back at Akiko, whose eyes held a grim sadness. "You really don''t go here for the usual reasons, do you, Akiko-chan?"

    "Y-yes..."

    "Still," he removed his hand from the girl''s thin shoulder, "an unobvious place came my way to meet my friends, but there were reasons for that, too. Ryou-kun, did I accidentally mislead you?"

    "No," muttered the thick-haired guy, still having his doubts. In his opinion, guys didn''t usually hold on to girls'' shoulders and encourage them by whispering in their ears. Tomoyuki did, however, but he whispered to Yumiko about something else entirely.

    "We''ve been waiting here for one more person, since you didn''t come. We''re having a friendly, steamy date."

    "Okay... I understand."

    Tomoyuki''s words clearly put pressure on both Ryou and Akiko. That''s what the guy was trying to do, making up non-existent situations. Yumiko only glanced silently at Tomoyuki standing next to her.

    "So you''re those friends of Ryou!" exclaimed Aiko cheerfully, barely catching a moment to blend into the conversation, which made the guys shake slightly. Leaning toward them, she folded her palms together in front of her and said: "Deeply sorry we didn''t warn you! This fool''s brains are completely fused."

    Seeing Aiko bow her head, Yumiko came to her surprise. Ryou''s not-so-encouraging look frolics to ask Tomoyuki about how much had happened during his absence, but he knew that in his position, he would be better off keeping his mouth shut. Aiko, on the other hand, only showed her bright side, just to avoid offending Ryou''s friends, whose faces she knew that they were at least partial to him.

    "Ryou-kun," came the suppressed voice of a sad Akiko from the guy''s back, "have you started dating?"

    "Nothing," the brown-eyed schoolgirl omitted the painful question, in an effort not to aggravate Akiko''s anxious state. "We seem to have interrupted you, so please get on with your day! We will leave."

    "Not at all!" replied Aiko. "We were going to call it a day."

    "We''re leaving immediately, so please... just take care of yourselves."

    Ryou couldn''t express himself, being in the knowledge that he would only make things worse, and the reliable Aiko who kept her safe from all sorts of trouble wouldn''t let him speak. Taking care of the scene, Aiko apologized again, and the couple walked away in another direction. The edge of the conversation between the good-natured Yumiko and Aiko struck a chord with the pink-haired girl. Towards the end she only lowered her eyelashes and covered her face, taking in the long tips of her hair. Aiko, on the other hand, finally realized how close the bond between Ryou and his Tokyo friends had become.

    Yumiko is doing a fine job of not venting her filled with bitterness, Tomoyuki noted to himself, seeing the confidence in her well-wisher face. She was the only one, in the boy''s opinion, who was a worthy person of light society, of which there were few on this earth. Yumiko was like a time bomb about to explode in the fullness of tragedy. She wondered if Tomoyuki and Akiko could have set up this scene on purpose to make Ryou''s problem worse and turn her own feelings against herself. She was in the dark, so she couldn''t trust them or herself.

    Upon entering the restaurant, they sat down at a free table. The cozy restaurant offered a time of complete relaxation, and the warm tones of the muted lights and thin candles accentuated the whole romantic atmosphere. Akiko, who sat down next to Yumiko, was intimidated by her previously unseen gloominess and sulkiness. Folding her arms, she unfolded her disgruntled eyes and stared at the young man.

    "I expect an explanation," she said, barely containing her anger.

    "An unforeseen encounter, nothing more," Tomoyuki added, appearing cold.

    "Why did Ryou-kun mention that you were aware of their date?"

    "I didn''t know we would cross paths. It was a one-in-a-million chance."

    "We picked the perfect time to meet Ryou-kun," she regarded his answer with disdain, and darted a glare at Akiko.

    "Honestly, I don''t know! I had nothing to do with this farce, especially since I couldn''t get the word out when I saw Ryou-kun..."

    With a hopeless sigh, Yumiko shook the weight off her shoulders. "I can''t suspect you," she said, soon smiling. "You promised you wouldn''t lie, didn''t you?"

    The friends shuddered as they heard her sincere words. In the end, they felt ashamed of themselves, especially Tomoyuki, who had dragged Yumiko, a fragile girl who deserved so much better than friends like them, into such a tense scene. Lowering his lashes, the blue-eyed young man added:

    "Still, we learned a little more about Ryou-kun. As a matter of fact, he started dating an old friend. That more than means about the final choice for Ryou-kun where he should go."

    Yumiko''s heart fluttered, only realizing the situation further, as Ryou moved out of Tokyo without announcing it to anyone. As a result, Yumiko would be left without one good friend she treasured dearly.

    "At least the decision will remain with him," she said, "I don''t want my fears to come true. I will miss him so much if Ryou-kun disappears... Yes, he''s already started to disappear, but that doesn''t matter at all, compared to his possible relocation."

    Yumiko didn''t back down to the last minute, lest she alarm the friends around her. As he delved into her concern for the people she called friends, Tomoyuki grasped the idea that he was getting his hands dirty by actually burdening Yumiko with worry. He realized that he was doing her an injustice by throwing her into his purposes where she did not belong. The girl hid her emotions from her friends, only to eventually cry alone.

    "Your order!" the waiter sounded as he approached their table.

 Tenderness

    The next morning Akiko was able to wake up sober, for she had managed to shake off her insomnia by taking on a lot of housework yesterday and ended up falling asleep from overexertion. After taking off her home clothes in the bathroom, she took a shower. Her slender body, slightly shorter than Yumiko in height, barely shone through the partition with an abundance of steam. Turning off the water, she touched the ends of her long pink hair, which was slowly losing color. The girl remembered that she had decided to grow her hair out and dye it just to boost her school idol image. Her thoughts shifted to worrying about Yumiko, and, in her mind, through the pile of piled-up difficulties Yumiko kept climbing up. Akiko longed to have the same resilience as the brown-eyed girl she couldn''t call a friend for some unknown reason. The girl began to wonder about the rightness of her views, not noticing how she had long since forgotten about her troubles with Yumiko.

    After tidying up her room, Akiko, dressed in a long tank top and shorts, opened an empty private chat with Yumiko.

    Attyan: "Hi. Can I drop by your house?"

    Bringing her phone up to her small breasts, the fragile girl wondered what she had decided to text the previously hated Yumiko for. Eventually, she found a pop-up message on her phone screen.

    Yumi-kun: "Okay. Sending the coordinates."

    With a sigh, she relaxed, and a sense of slight joy awakened in her that she hadn''t felt before toward Yumiko, who had literally become her best friend. Unfortunately, Akiko herself did not notice this feeling and how dear the brown-eyed girl had become to her.

    After taking a minibus to the nearest stop to Yumiko''s house, she found herself in a residential neighborhood with one-story private houses and clean roads, where she could not hear the annoying cry of the endless city traffic. As she approached the house in question, she noticed how it was barely different from the others: the roof was brownish, and there was only withered soil in place of the sunken lawn. It looked to her as if the owners had long since abandoned the yard, or else the tools and untidy wood scattered across the earthly concrete would have come from where? Akiko touched the door, gently jerked the handle and opened the door, which made her dumbfounded. Both the front gate and the door to the house were open, and there was no sense of family or human presence in the house itself.

    "Sorry for the intrusion," she quietly entered the hallway, and taking off her sneakers, she walked down the empty hallway. Immediately finding herself in the hall, the girl took notice of the cleanliness of the house, and walked to the sleeping room, where a girl was lying on the floor in a semi-recumbent state. Yumiko''s school uniform was scattered about her. From the corner of her eye, Akiko realized: she had passed out, in an attempt to get out of bed.

    "Yumiko-chan!" rushed Akiko with all her might, lifting the light girl up at least enough for her to sit up, for despite her small weight, Akiko was unable to cope. "Wake up!" she complemented, grabbing both of her hands.

    "Ah..." barely opened Yumiko''s wistful eyes, "Hi. I was trying to change, but I didn''t pay attention to my weakened legs."

    Yumiko was dressed in her open clothes. Looking closely, Akiko couldn''t think how slender Yumiko''s legs were, and she discerned a slight, careless shaking in them.

    "Why, you''re overworked..."

    Akiko, who was able to lift the slovenly girl, laid her down on the bed, and touching her low forehead, immediately wrapped a blanket around her pretty body. "You have a fever," Akiko said, and springing up from her seat, she cleared the floor and followed her away to the kitchen in search of medicine.

    The brown-eyed schoolgirl, without taking her eyes off Akiko, thanked her friend affectionately. The friend never in her life would have thought she would receive appreciation from Yumiko.

    "I''ll get the medicine. Lie here until I come."

    Yumiko softened in affection, making Akiko uncomfortable. Pressing her palm against her chest, she felt warmth unaccustomed to her.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Entering the kitchen, the first thing she saw was a whole bag of empty beer cans, and without thinking long, she began to search through the medicines in the cabinets, dressers, and countertops. Much to Yumiko''s dismay, she found nothing: not a hint of fever pills except painkillers and small cans of antidepressants. As she approached Yumiko, the girl did not lie about the lack of medication.

    "I see," she replied painfully, "I''m not surprised. Other medications we don''t need at all."

    "Are your parents very busy? I haven''t heard you talk about them ever."

    "Yes," replied Yumiko, not hiding anything personal from her friend. "I don''t have parents."

    "How so? And that mountain of beer cans in the trash can?"

    "Oh, that''s... my mother. I didn''t lie to you, because at least I don''t think of her as my mother. She''s... shall we say, mentally ill. Answer me, Akiko-chan, have I lied to you by assuring you that my parents are absent?"

    "I think... you speak from the heart. And father?"

    "You can forget about him. To me, my father is a fickle character, akin to an invisible man. Do you think I''m as sick as my mother, too, because I say such nonsense?"

    "I''m sorry," Akiko couldn''t hide her sadness under a guise of calm. "I couldn''t imagine the life you have behind the shroud of school and outings. It''s amazing how you''ve been able to survive such family circumstances."

    Sitting down on the bed, she involuntarily dismissed her negative thoughts and took a closer look at Yumiko. In response, the brown-eyed woman took hold of her delicate palm and intertwined their fingers in a lock.

    "From the looks of things, your family is in a perfect relationship... that makes me happy. Don''t get discouraged, Akiko-chan! I''m not sorry at all, for there''s always a way out of any situation."

    "At least you''ll lie in bed today!" almost cried Akiko, exclaiming.

    "But it''s a school day, after all."

    "If you go to school today, you''ll feel even worse. I won''t be able to watch over you forever and keep track of your movements!"

    "Come on, if I don''t go to school, my competence..."

    "No one needs that competence. Ryou-kun over there is trying his best to skip school so he can experience the whole process from adolescent pleasure."

    "Adolescent pleasure...?"

    "Didn''t you previously have friends that you went out for walks or play in the playground with as a kid? Keep it simple, everyone has had those occasions in life!"

    "No," she surprised Akiko with an answer, "I didn''t actually bother to relive that time."

    "Ah, but from you, I''d say you''re more than pleasant to people when communicating. What does that have to do with you unknowingly attracting people to you?"

    "I don''t know. Maybe it''s about¨C" Yumiko coughed heavily, agitating her friend. Rising from the bed, she reluctantly weaved their hands away.

    "I''ll go get the medicine, or you''ll continue to be sick. Please, just take care of the pain until I get back."

    "Thank you," Yumiko replied, "Akiko-chan. I''ll rely on you," and smiling, she said with pleasure: "You''re my best friend after all, how can I not trust you with my life?"

    Confused, Akiko barely stepped back. She went over her thoughts, which had blurred into mush due to shyness. "I-I''ll be right back!" she shouted, and in her haste she withdrew.

    Akiko completely lost the remnants of her dislike for the brown-eyed girl and began to think of her as a bright and pure schoolgirl, perpetually apathetic because of her loner syndrome. Fortunately, the club members were able to overcome the effects of loneliness on her, which changed Yumiko into a more open-minded person who had friends who she considered friendlier than anyone else in the world. Akiko, accepting these facts, stopped holding back her sympathy for her. The girl also changed Akiko''s views on many things, including those concerning Ryou, whom she loved as a high school idol because of his immense popularity among other female peers. Seized by a thirst to have only the best in herself, Akiko set her sights on getting Ryou from day one. Now she began to question whether she even wanted anyone other than members of the literary club. Her views jumbled, not forming into a clear picture, making Akiko aware of her fickleness and the foolish judgments she had been subjected to before and to which she thought the weary Tomoyuki was still subjected.

 Regret

    "I can''t change anything. No one can."

    The door of her house closed, and Yumiko was alone. Looking at the mug of hot tea on the nightstand, she thought about reaching for it, but didn''t dare, for she was exhausted. The schoolgirl thought what a fool she was, since she couldn''t sleep all night because of the incident outside the restaurant, and became so helpless that even Akiko gave her a helping hand. She tried to figure out to herself what things she had begun to waste her precious time on, for she would not have fallen for life''s tricks before, giving her whole self to education. Yumiko had missed today''s school day, which made her feel very ashamed. The change in her surroundings and character, she felt, was beginning to have a detrimental effect on the promise she had kept since childhood. Closing her eyes, she immediately fell asleep. The hot tea remained undrinkable.

    Regret.

    "Yumiko..." came a muffled child''s voice. "Yumiko, are you here?" continued to echo, deep in the girl''s mind. "I''m scared, Yumiko. Save me..."

    The little girl''s voice never dared to fade, repeating again and again, but as an endless echo, as if the girl were in empty space. In an instant, the echo ceased evenly, and the voice exclaimed the brown-eyed girl''s name. Awakened by the shouting, she barely woke up in her warm room, lying on her bed. When she looked around, she saw a girl with dark brown long hair in a white dress standing beside her, and she realized that her dream had been brought down by one girl.

    "Yumiko, there you are awake!" The little girl rejoiced mercifully, and Yumiko woke up as if nothing had happened.

    "What are you doing here?" Yumiko wondered, causing the little girl to pout. "The door was locked."

    "No it wasn''t, it was open, like always! Mama is still waiting for Daddy ¨C and that''s why the front door stays open all the time. It''s a bad habit of hers! What if a maniac gets in?!"

    "Nonsense," Yumiko replied nonchalantly, and pointing her hands toward the girl, she stroked her head. "No one is going to hurt you."

    "I''m hungry!" Lucky said the girl, and Yumiko nodded peacefully. "Let''s go to the kitchen, Yumiko!"

    In her attempt to get out of bed, the girl felt no weakness in her body. She could move her muscles freely. Standing on her feet, with small steps she carefully followed the girl. In the hall, the girl grasped the TV remote and drummed her fingers hard on the buttons, looking for exactly the one that would turn on the TV screen.

    "Wait, you''ll break it!" Yumiko remonstrated, noticing the girl''s haphazard actions. Sitting on the couch, the button-pushing girl was able to turn on the TV, and the first channel that came up spewed the daily news on the screen.

    "Ugh! Stupid news again," she stuck out her tongue, and finally noticing the beer cans at the bottom of the empty table, puzzled. "Beer cans? Is she still drinking? That''s the trouble."

    Yumiko looked at the sad girl, not knowing what to say to her. Rejecting the couch, she ran into the kitchen. The girl had no choice but to follow her. Once in the kitchen, the little girl set her chair against the countertop and reached up and pulled a chef''s knife from the wooden counter.

    "Wait, don''t take..." Yumiko couldn''t finish the sentence as the ringtone of the house phone in the hallway rang unusually loudly. When she reached the phone, she gently picked it up and put it to her ear. The first thing she heard was a hiss of failure.

    "Hello," came a mature female voice, "Yumiko Sato, you didn''t inform the school today that you wouldn''t be participating in class. What''s the matter?"

    "Ah... I forgot to call you."

    "Do you realize, high school student, how hard it is for the school committee to take care of people who don''t report their absence from school? Can you imagine the significance of one student day to your education? Missing classes is not a serious matter."

    "I understand it all..." Yumiko didn''t finish, because she was drowned out by the somber and low tone of the caller''s voice, which no longer resembled that of an educator.

    "One mistake, and your whole life will go down the drain," came this frightening sound, and Yumiko''s body felt a kind of fear.  "Your fickleness makes me come to you and decapitate you. Your trembling amuses me ¨C you''re always scared to be alone in the house, aren''t you?"

    Yumiko abruptly hung up, trembling with her whole body. Goosebumps coursed through her skin like crazy. Her tranquility disappeared gratuitously with the arrival of an eerie anxiety. She walked back into the kitchen and saw a brown-eyed high school girl as tall as she was cutting up a mango that she found in the house by no means. Yumiko was sure they hadn''t bought mangoes. The girl stopped after cutting only half of the fruit and turned to Yumiko. Their gazes crossed, shocking Yumiko. Both girls were perfectly identical, as if they were looking at themselves in a mirror. Exactly like her, the girl seemed to be smiling, and there was a yellow carnation attached to her right ear.

    Approaching from behind the shocked girl, the little girl uttered: "Oh, you have arrived!" and jumped up. But the little girl ran up, not to Yumiko herself, but to the one standing by the tabletop, and embraced her. Yumiko was trapped in even more confusion, making her unable to even cover her mouth.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "However," the girl added, turning coldly to the brown-eyed girl, "you are not the genuine Yumiko, but only a liar who called herself by her name. A genuine Yumiko would not skip school or waste her time on useless things for education, for she treasures every second of her life. She spends her free time tirelessly on self-improvement, caring only for the future, as befits an intelligent person."

    Removing a yellow carnation from her ear, the doppelganger awarded it to the girl. The girl, quietly accepting the carnation, walked over to Yumiko and gave it to her. The flower withered as soon as the brown-eyed girl took it in her hands.

    "I am disappointed in you. You see, you are a different Yumiko. No longer the impassive girl you used to be ¨C you''re a fragile Yumiko. Fragile as crystal.  You have changed, but only for the worse.

    Silence.

    "Pity," the girl added, showing a kind smile, "you must have forgotten my name and who I am. It really upsets me! You should know how awful it makes me when you forget about me."

    "What... is your name?"

    Smiling again, the girl said poisedly: "Yumiko Sato." Completely lost in the pattern of what was going on, the girl became indignant, so much so that she accepted all that was acceptable, letting only her ignorance get in the way.

    "But what is my name?" Yumiko said, wandering in her mind.

    "Just Yumiko," replied the girl. "You wish for your father''s last name, after all, because you don''t want any connection with your mother. So, you''re just Yumiko!"

    "Yumiko..."

    The little girl cried out as if from under the ground: "Mama''s here!" and made the brown-eyed girl turn around. In front of her stood the hated mother, who must have been hungry. Her stern look did not portend anything to mark anything useful in the conversation to come, for she was only moved by mad emotions and aimlessness in life. The doppelganger, calling to her mother with the words, "Food is ready," placed two whole large plates of fruit and tropical berries, and the mother, passing Yumiko, sat down on a chair, taking her meal. The little girl, along with her double, followed her example, which made Yumiko cringe.

    "No... wait for me."

    In an effort to join in, she began to step toward them, but the abnormally heavy footsteps weakened her. The girl could barely lift her leg, let alone take a step. Like a magnet, she was pulled back so she couldn''t get any closer to the kitchen table. The strong air rushing from the kitchen into the girl''s face made every window in the house shudder. Behind her, the doorknob of the front door began to beat frantically, and not withstanding, the door in the hallway swung open. The wind of the front door opening immediately drew Yumiko to the exit of the house. She kept getting sucked toward the exit until the girl finally weakened and stopped resisting. There was no trace of the girl.

    It was just a dream. Almost gasping in shock, Yumiko lifted her head from the bed. Glancing around every corner of her room with her eyes, the girl came to her senses calmly. Feeling a headache, she touched her forehead, wondering if the fire had disappeared. Nor did she know how long it had been since Akiko had gone to get her medicine. There was a heavy knocking at the front door, which made Yumiko immediately get out of bed and tiptoe over. Who is frantically knocking, she asked herself, and wondered if her mother was in trouble. If the door was knocked because of her mother''s misconduct in any way, she had obviously done a terrible thing. As she stopped in front of the door, she froze, coming to think of some criminal or serial maniac who had come after her. It could have been anything from a mob agent to middlemen her mother owed money to. Barely reaching for the doorknob, the sound of ferocious knocking disappeared as if nothing had happened. The house went back to the silence and serenity that the girl had dreamed of for the past few seconds.

    "Yumiko-o-o!" sounded her friend''s voice outside the door. "Open the door!"

    Responding, the girl wondered if she had only imagined those knocks, since Akiko couldn''t knock hard. As she opened the door to her friend, she met the lovely Akiko, and let her inside.

    "I completely forgot to bring my phone with me," the guest said, "and I had to go back inside. It''s in the kitchen."

    "I''ll get it," Yumiko rushed into the kitchen, and her friend followed. After handing her the phone, Yumiko''s stomach rumbled and she wanted an apple.

    Finding a red apple in the grocery cabinet, she walked over to the kitchen counter and began slicing the fruit. Akiko, who was sitting on the chair with her phone, squinted her eyes.

    "Yumiko-chan, why didn''t you go to school today?"

    "Why how? You asked me to stay home, so I took your advice."

    "You''ve become dependent on us," Akiko spoke with a gruff tone, and Yumiko immediately turned around.

    But what she saw was not Akiko at all. Instead of her friend, standing beside her was a two-foot tall thug with unhealthy skin and a bloody mask on his face. The girl could hear his every creepy sigh, and the madman''s face was turned toward her. Yumiko knew at once ¨C it was a maniac who stood in front of her and found himself in her house. Her eyes lit up with hopelessness incarnate, for she could not escape anywhere with trembling legs. Suddenly she heard several loud bells ringing simultaneously from adjoining rooms and, turning sharply toward the hallway, she saw an exact replica of herself dressed in her home clothes. A dried carnation was attached to the doppelganger''s ear, and her face was aware of despair, looking at Yumiko as if she were a breathless body. Tears began to flow from her eyes.

    "You took my Yumiko from me...!" the doppelganger shrieked, literally shocking the girl. Looking beneath herself, Yumiko comprehended how she was dressed in her school uniform. Turning to the apple, Yumiko saw a mango cut into pieces instead. The apple was gone, and the wide man was out of sight.

    Yumiko was lost in thought. The only thing she could think of to relieve her anxiety was to close her eyes, hoping that what was happening around her was a nightmare. Wandering around in her mind, she did not believe that this could be a dream she was having, but rather wished that such premonitions had never visited her in the first place.

    Suddenly, all was quiet. The light that glittered from every window of the house disappeared, and the burden around her darkened, as if Yumiko had entered a different, vastly dark dimension.

    "Are you worried about something?" echoed. It was a childish, girlish voice, coming from everywhere: from every corner and neighborhood, causing Yumiko to cover her ears slightly.

    When she blinked, she immediately saw a little girl with dark brown hair and a white dress standing in front of her.

 Tsunagari

    "You have just seen the embodiment of all your anxieties and emotions that have been involuntarily repressed by you. They represent, in a way, your essence and fragility."

    "But why," said Yumiko, "are you showing them to me?"

    "All of this is so that you will not forget, Yumiko-chan, your aspiration.  You''ve become entangled with other people''s excitement lately, and so you''ve lost your grip."

    "What have I done wrong? Yes, I am troubled by thoughts of people dear to me, but hasn''t their appearance in my faceless life given me salvation?"

    "Your mind has completely floated," the little girl kept saying. With a snap of her fingers, the surroundings around them transformed into their ordinary hall room, where her hunchbacked mother sat on the floor, staring aimlessly at the TV on. "It''s a terrible sight. Shouldn''t you feel sorry for your current home life, since you''re so ashamed to tell your friends about your parents?"

    "That sight really depresses me."

    "It was for the sake of not seeing that scene again and feeling sorry for yourself that you decided to make a promise to yourself. Perhaps I am mistaken in our common beliefs?"

    "You are right..."

    "A quiet, gloomy house, where time itself had stopped flowing: that''s where you wished you''d run away from. For all nine years, all you''ve wanted to do was to go to a prestigious institution of higher learning and to live far, far away from this oppressive, humiliating home. To come out of the four walls and see the world you have never seen, a goal that only intelligence and diligence can accomplish. All your efforts at school mustn''t go to waste, must it?"

    "That''s exactly right."

    "So why are you turning around?" The girl gritted her teeth. "Why do you turn around to people you wouldn''t have cared for without meeting them? What moved you to stop at the very end? What moved you?! Answer!"

    "I, I don''t know... I don''t know!" Yumiko closed her eyes in anguish, and the world around her fell silent. Slowly opening them again, she found herself in the kitchen, near the countertop, where a red apple had been cut into round pieces in front of her.

    "You stopped doing anything. This was the consequence of the situations that had occurred. Feelings of regret, helplessness, and worry for others drove you into chaos in your impoverished mind."

    Silence.

    Glancing over at the cut apple, the little girl continued: "The apple in your dreams was a symbol of the happy life you long to reach for. Life, friends, and love ¨C what meager needs for happiness alone... but I like it. Mango, in turn, was your key to forgetting and accepting yourself as you were hiding from. Tell me, are you really so tired that you were ready to give up at the end?"

    "A happy life..." Yumiko could barely keep from chickening out, "...that''s what I''m striving for. To achieve success in my future career and finally become a human being free of all troubles. I want to feel like... an ordinary, carefree girl."

    The little girl hummed in thought.

    "But still, seeing your doppelganger, dressed in her school uniform, cutting mangoes, you really saw the old Yumiko, who had no friends. It seems like friends are supposed to make each other happy, but why are you sad for them? Their presence in your personal life made you completely oblivious and stopped clinging to life with your promise. You were ready to blindly chase after a desirable life, so why stop?"

    "You don''t believe the old Yumiko is gone...?"

    "Who knows," replied the girl. "Now, you are between two fires, and which life to choose. I am left to wonder which Yumiko will disappear and which will continue to exist. There is no other solution here."

    "Can you answer one question that troubles me?"

    "I already know what you''re thinking, silly. I, on the other hand, am the embodiment of your consciousness. So, I wonder, do you really care about your friends... but once you have friends to spend your time with, how will you move out of the house? You can''t rent an apartment because you don''t have the money, and a college dormitory only accepts commuters who need a roof over their heads to live in a major metropolitan area."

    "I could have asked my father."

    "My father didn''t give up on someone like you. He abandoned our family when we were kids. I still remember his cold face as he walked out the front door with his own things..."

    Yumiko closed in, believing the truth of the little girl''s words, who is her exact replica of a nine-year-old.

    "All the more reason for you to go to a prestigious university abroad, since you will become inseparable from the members of the literary club."

    "I understand."

    Ryou Hayashi, a tall guy with perfect facial features like a model and thick, bobbed hair, appeared in front of the girl in the center of the kitchen.

    "How do you feel about Ryou-kun?" the girl asked coldly, not taking her eyes off Yumiko. "Do you think if you knew your future would be a happy one with him, would you choose mangoes?"

    "A happy future...?" Yumiko trembled, and the girl nodded. Lowering her eyes, she doubted herself, but she dared not hold back. "If I will not achieve with my own hands, but give up my will halfway... then this life cannot be happy for me. I want to achieve everything myself, for that is how I will be able to feel less miserable."

    "All right, but how do you feel about this guy who is friendly to you?" made the girl Yumiko forget herself in her thoughts of the cute guy looking at her with a warm smile.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "I..." Remembering all the happy memories with the young man, Yumiko replied firmly, "...care for him!"

    "However, this boy may leave you for his friends, and it is unlikely that you will ever meet afterwards. Come to think of it, we are left with the choice of saving this boy, which will attract to getting his heart... Ah, what a beautiful story! On the other hand, you have one friend who treats you with doubts, and hardly considers you her friend ¨C she is a school idol, after all. What a pity she has feelings for the poor boy, too."

    "Obviously, I won''t ruin anybody''s heart!"

    "You''ll only end up destroying yours," said the girl. "You like to play the victim so that society will think to pity you. Why would you do that, Yumiko-chan? You might as well sacrifice someone else''s happiness to get your own."

    "I can''t do that. I''m too pathetic, don''t you think...? But I am what I am."

    "Once again, you will choose the most reliable outcome of events. Even Akiko-chan has noticed this trait of yours recently. Really, isn''t there a better option, or are you so susceptible to feelings that you''ve become powerless? Why subject yourself to suffering for the sake of other people?"

    Yumiko didn''t dare move her quivering lips, causing the girl to utter a heartbreaking phrase that made Yumiko barely able to contain her emotions:

    "Maybe you''re addicted to your new friends?"

    The girl''s face was covered in excitement and indefatigable shock. Deep down, she knew she was, but desperately tried to prove to herself otherwise, that her addiction to the members of the literary club was confused with her overwhelming experiences.

    "Too bad..." saddened the girl seriously, "I thought you might be able to take all the initiative and bring things to a happy end for us," and she took a brief pause. "Yumiko, do you really not remember me? I always came to you when you were sad, after all, and reminded you of our hope. Whenever you needed any support at all, I kept showing up, coming to you in your dreams and supporting you. More precisely, I was created by your subconscious mind to be your friend! It was with my help that you did not turn from the right path."

    "Yu-chan..."

    "All because when, as a child, you made a promise to yourself for the future and assured yourself that you would certainly fulfill it, you created me! From then on, for the next nine years, you kept that promise to yourself... How could you forget it?"

    The little girl''s face soon expressed seriousness, and she added:

    "Do you remember why you made that promise to yourself?"

    "I wished... to get away from my mother''s house and live alone sooner."

    "Not really," she surprised Yumiko. "You wanted to free yourself from the despair that has long been your chains, limiting your actions. You hated your family, for it did not contain the joy that was ordinary but desirable to you, but only bitterness and suffering. Yumiko-chan, it''s time to realize that you don''t want to get rid of your mother at all, but to get the freedom and commonness you long for.

    Without really noticing the anticipation of something to look forward to, Yumiko blinked, and felt a sharp display of natural harmony and silence. Around them formed a warm and daylight, a silent and boundless field of green, to which no human bitterness ever reached. She found herself dressed in a gorgeous white dress, and a little girl stood before her.

    "Believing it, you coveted independence."

    The clear field was staring out toward the endless horizon, and fields of red blooming lilies danced nearby because of the wind, not lost in the true beauty of the natural expanse. Along the edges of the field were apple trees in their full bloom. Breathing in the clean air, Yumiko whirled her head around to see every corner of this green area. Nature, appearing out of nowhere, took over the girl''s consciousness, and set it in order.

    "Freedom..." Yumiko said in a calm voice, looking thoughtfully into the distance. "It felt so warm in my soul, and all my problems went away. I''ve never felt so peaceful."

    "That''s what your independence looks like," the girl smiled. "It only remains for us to reach it at last, so that our soul may behold eternal tranquility. For this is how you saw your future state of mind when you would have your independence."

    "This place... represents my desired inner peace?"

    "A happy family, a loving mother, and a father who often spent time with me: we didn''t have all that, and that''s why you promised to free us from the shackles of despair that still hold us to this day."

    "How could I have forgotten that..." Yumiko took hold of her forehead. The girl nodded to her.

    "Then why are you addicted to your friends? Don''t you get enough from your shackles and decide to appropriate another one for yourself? Do you really want to drag them into your personal life so they can suffer, too?"

    "Maybe I wanted to relax and forget my immediate problems," she replied suppressedly. "After all, these are the first people I''ve been able to build a relationship with, and our feelings are sincere, no matter how some might think otherwise. Thus, thanks to them, I began to meet more and more new acquaintances, which is a novelty for me, and now every fifth student at school has said hello to me. What kind of person am I, since I swam in other beliefs."

    "Yumiko-chan, understand: you''re getting weaker and weaker by giving all of yourself to your friends! I''m not saying it''s bad, but... friends won''t help you in fulfilling our promise."

    The girl in the dress shook her head in moderation, disagreeing with the girl:

    "Yes, because of them I almost failed, and would remain a slave to my promise. However, Yu-chan, I have now realized what I must accept. First of all, I will divide my needs, put the fulfillment of the promise I made to myself first, and stop being dependent on my friends. I believe I will gain independence in my soul, and I will gain freedom with ordinariness!"

    Glancing up at the infinitely blue sky of clear skies and the horizon of green fields, Yumiko added, "I will no longer let go of my arms. I''ll try my best, even if my arms don''t sag yet, but I''ll achieve what I want. My last year of school... should not be in vain!"

    The little girl was surprised by her answer.

    "Yu-chan," said the girl, "thank you for always being there to carry our burdens. I am grateful to have you with me."

    With her eyes quietly closed, a happy smile appeared on the girl''s face. Crying, Yumiko didn''t hold back, and hummed every second.

    "Thank you for these nine years... From now on, I will take care of myself, and I will give up the remnants of the past to take a step toward a happy future. Sleep well, Yu-chan."

    Soon, everything around me was covered by a meager shadow. The trees and circles disappeared, once again forming an indistinct darkness. Yumiko concluded to herself, without excess, that even if she could not master the ability to change anything, she would do her best to make sure her actions were not in vain, and in spite of all the uncertainty, she would not hesitate. All because in order to change the influence of her environment, she must begin by changing herself.

    She awoke on her bed in her perpetually hushed room and, opening her sleepy brown eyes, touched herself to the damp bags under her eyes. Realizing she had been crying in her sleep, she tried to remember, but failed. Alas, her dreams did not linger in her memory, causing her to remain forever in the dark, unable to recall her reveries.

    "What happened..." she uttered, sleepily. "It''s so warm in my soul that I don''t even want to get up. What is this feeling of peace that has come over me?" the girl added, and fell asleep again, as if nothing had happened. Like a child, her affectionate smile involuntarily revealed itself as she slept.

 Hero

    The sun was slowly setting over the horizon. Meanwhile, Akiko was sitting in school for her last class. Her eyes were rolling with fatigue, she wanted to sleep, and after asking the teacher for permission to leave, she went out into the long empty corridor. From the windows she could see the crimson sunset coloring the streets in warm hues, and the light breeze sweeping over the trees, making their green leaves rustle. As she wandered about thinking about Yumiko''s ailing condition, she didn''t notice that at one point she wondered why she wasn''t jealous of the brown-eyed girl for Ryou, if she was dying of jealousy before, ready to chew on the girl.

    She walked into the literary club''s office, where she hadn''t entered in a week, and wondered if she had dared go in there without the goal of being close to Ryou. As soon as she crossed the threshold, her expression abruptly changed to one of obvious surprise ¨C Glenn, whom the girl hadn''t seen in about two weeks, was in the club office, perched loosely on a chair and staring blankly at the ceiling.

    "W-what are you doing here?" Akiko asked, drawing the dark-eyed man''s attention to herself. "I haven''t seen you in two weeks, where did you disappear to?"

    "Hello, Akiko-chan," he barely squeezed out a smile, illuminating Akiko with bewilderment. The girl instantly noticed the difference between his smile and his usual one, and sensed that the young man was going through a rough time in his personal life. "May I not answer your questions?"

    "You look like a rotten fish."

    "Thanks for the remark, you Akiko-chan, as always at your own pace."

    "I don''t understand why you stopped responding to chat messages and coming to school? Do you even know what everyone else is going through right now?"

    Glenn looked regretful, and his eyes, shrouded in a darkness in which not the slightest glimmer of light could be seen, trembled hopelessly, unable to think of a cheerful answer. The girl knew by the look on his face that there was a reason Glenn had stopped making eye contact with them.

    "Glenn-kun, what''s happened to you lately? Answer me something...! Tell me you''re okay, or give me a wink so I don''t have to worry! Glenn-kun..."

    "I have a request," he replied, and rising from his chair, walked silently over to his beautiful friend. Noticing how Akiko lifted her chin heavily to see his face, Glenn stopped and added: "Tell the others that I''m all right, and that they don''t need to worry about me. I need to finish one thing I''ve been doing for a long time. Please."

    The tall guy''s shadow completely obscured the girl, and, worried, she couldn''t look away from his grim eyes, ready to traverse the thorny path.

    "But for what?" Akiko spoke slowly in a soft voice.

    "For the sake of friends."

    "Glenn-kun, are you sure you won''t ask for help from us...?"

    "I hope it won''t affect you, for I treasure you like the apple of my eye. I must finish my own work. It''s my selfish decision, which I can''t refuse."

    Considering the girl''s pitying face, Glenn soothingly stroked her cheek and promised Akiko that he would surely come back alive. The girl thought his words were meant to cheer her up, and gave in to the reassurance, agreeing with the guy.

    "Tell me honestly: will you come back?"

    "I will," he hastened with a sincere smile. And soon he was gone, returning his inner peace.

    Settling into Glenn''s chair, Akiko reflected on all the memorable events that had happened to her over the past month. Deep in her mind, remembering how she had spent her leisure time with the club members and endured hardships together with them, she remembered that Ryou might be planning to leave Tokyo soon. Realizing her reluctance to part with him, Akiko realized that she was addicted to the school routine of literature club classes and walks in the park. She had a burning desire to return to these daily activities because they gave her freedom. The kind of freedom she hadn''t felt since high school, entangled in the guise of a school idol.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Her phone rang. When she picked it up, she didn''t get a good look at the caller, so she put the receiver to her ear and said hello. She was immediately answered by a woman''s gentle voice, which she found difficult to remember, so Akiko asked who was calling her.

    "Akiko-san, is that you?" The gentle voice said again. "I am Ryou-kun''s friend from Kyoto. Being excited, I would like to talk to you about yesterday."

    "Ah-ah!" Akiko came to her senses, and immediately exclaimed: "Yes, of course! And your name is..."

    "Oh, how embarrassing... My name is Aiko Yoshida."

    "Nice to meet you, Aiko-chan! So... what exactly is bothering you?"

    "Well, I''d like to tell you how Ryou-kun has been acting since yesterday. He''s been getting kind of... restless. Unable to suppress my genuine concern for my friend, I dared to let you know. It is unlikely that I and the others can cheer him up, for we have nothing to do with his worries, and so... It is hardly possible to clarify things for you intelligently through a call, so, Akiko-san, would you agree to a meeting?"

    "Of course, I agree."

    "Thank you! I can''t believe you said yes... We can set up a meeting tonight, if you''ll let us."

    "In that case, I''d like to make an appointment for half past seven."

    "Fine!"

    In the end, Akiko went to the meeting as soon as the school day ended. Aiko was standing in the children''s square near the sandpit, with an abundance of sand due to the playfulness of the children lying on the ground. Hearing their joyful cries, Aiko kept talking on the phone.

    "And next, as we were walking through the central square, he told me he wanted to go home. He said he wanted to be alone. Explain to me, Akiko-san, was Ryou-kun always like this with you?"

    "He often disappeared from school," Akiko rode the bus.

    "I''m sure it has to do with your close relationship. We don''t think we''re in a position to talk him down."

    "I''ll be at the meeting place soon. Aiko-chan, shall we continue this conversation in person?"

    "I agree."

    Aiko''s words poured out intermittently, and one could guess that the conversation between the girls would drag on for a long time. However, Akiko didn''t mind talking to Ryou''s close friend from Kyoto, as she wondered who the young man had been in contact with before. Akiko was driven by a desire to recapture their old days at the literary club and beyond, and not realizing what denying Tomoyuki''s goals might be worth, she stepped out of her stop and gathered her will into a fist. As she crossed the road, she wondered if the members of the literary club were real friends to her, for she had no friends she could call close or real before that. She was friends with only pacifiers, who could not really moo, talking only about fashion and mediocre charms. This urban environment was for her a means of drawing attention to herself, to prove her importance in the society of young people, however faceless. The ruthless desire to appear as a social leader and a pretty idol overshadowed her real self, which she was afraid to join after "judgement day," which brought with it a change of personality and image. But all of this has been hard work for her. Now that she had finally accepted her new friends, it occurred to her to drop the false guise of the exceptional girl that she was not. While she spent her daily routine with Yumiko and the others, her life values crumbled at an incredible rate, leaving Akiko in a state of uncertainty. All the while her feelings were nothing but wild lies, which only made her more miserable. She wanted to find happiness, but accompanied by close friends who gifted her with sincerity.

    Walking on her way to the rendezvous point, she recalled a fragment of the past when she first met Tomoyuki at the entrance to the karaoke. The sad guy of short stature stood aimlessly behind the shoulders of three tall hooligans who had clearly turned him into their prey. At the time, Akiko could only accept the fact of his existence as unremarkable, knowing the three thugs by sight. Wondering to herself what Tomoyuki''s true feelings were, and whether he still hated the members of the circle, she noticed how she ended up at the playground, the place where Aiko was scheduled to meet. Saying hello to each other, she wondered what Yumiko might think if she found out that she was helping her keep their mutual affection. She was sure she was partly doing this for Yumiko''s sake.

    "I''m glad to see you, Akiko-san," the girl with the light brown color of her long hair said politely. "Well, since we bothered to meet... I must tell you the truth about everything that''s wrong with Ryou-kun."

    Akiko stood in anticipation, trustfully squaring her thin shoulders, ready to accept the words of Ryou''s friend, who knew more about the teenager than anyone else who had ever encountered the young man.

 Values

    "To tell you the truth," Aiko muttered, "the purpose of our coming to Tokyo is not only to see Ryou-kun. Originally, my brother... Isshin Yoshida started this in order to take Ryou-kun back to Kyoto. But when he saw him walking around with his new friends... I guess his plans changed. My brother couldn''t foresee how Ryou-kun could have made any friends at all, and he thought the statements in his chat messages were questionable."

    "Your brother didn''t trust Ryou-kun in this way?"

    "There''s a visceral reason for that," Aiko replied adamantly, rolling her eyes afterward. "We''ll get to that later. I just think Ryou-kun won''t get away with talking to you, but there''s no way he can dare. Sure, he''s cowardly, but it shows his sincerity. In reality, Ryou-kun isn''t that confident, and also... He has a trait of unreasonably taking the words of those closest to him at face value."

    "Ryou-kun is strangled by regret for yesterday...?"

    "Of course, he doesn''t think you''re nothing! He has become inseparable from you, though he used to say how much he disliked Tokyo when he moved here. He may not have been able to track you down himself, and it was you who found him, but I''m sure that in any case Ryou-kun is immensely grateful to you for being around him!"

    The value of friendship for Ryou Hayashi was placed above everything else, and he could only consider as friends those who were sincere with him and accompanied him through difficult times. The tendency to defend what he held dear was what he called a value. Having clarified her friend''s philosophy, Akiko unhesitatingly pulled out her phone and called a person who had become important to her. On the first attempt, the call was automatically cancelled, for the caller was busy with another call. A short time later, Akiko called that caller again, and a woman''s sound came from the other side of the receiver:

    "Hello? Akiko-chan, please forgive me. I was on the phone with someone else."

    "Listen, Yumiko-chan," Akiko turned and put the sound on speakerphone. "Keep your phone on."

    With her hands down, Akiko asked Aiko if her friend could listen to the conversation, to which Aiko did not refuse, adding that it would be much better if as many of Ryou''s friends here could listen to the conversation as possible.

    "Yumiko-chan, we are now in the playground in the yards on the south side of the school. Aiko-chan, we can begin."

    Nodding, Aiko gained confidence and pulled a calm look.

    "I''ve known Ryou-kun for a little over five years," she said. "First of all, I had a love affair with him at one non-long time. My brother, Isshin Yoshida, personally gathered his friends around him, and lo and behold, our friendship did not expire over time, but learning that Ryou-kun personally wanted to leave Kyoto left his friends in shock. Now convinced that Ryou-kun was having fun in his new environment, my brother no longer pursued the goal of bringing him back to Tokyo. Brother was worried about Ryou-kun for a reason. I... shouldn''t tell anyone about this, but hiding it from you is useless."

    As soon as Aiko started to tell the truth, Yumiko''s breath took over, and the pink-haired girl could hardly contain her emotions. Her words were a blow whose truth the girls could not have guessed before.

    "Ryou-kun, he... Until Isshin picked him up by our group five years ago, he literally didn''t communicate with anyone but his older sister. For all thirteen years Ryou-kun had no contact with his peers. At first, he seemed like a withdrawn child, and he had to get used to us over the next few months.

    "A few months?" said Akiko. "Come to think of it, that''s a long time."

    "Until the moment Isshin became his best friend, I didn''t suspect anything. My brother told me that Ryou-kun had developed mental weakness and a fear of society since childhood for terrible reasons."

    "What is she saying..." Yumiko''s voice shook. Aiko, on the other hand, pressed a thin hand to her heart.

    "So now my brother wants Ryou-kun to finally be able to determine what he should choose. We''ve always protected him, and it''s grown into something special: it''s like Ryou-kun has turned into a kitten who has nothing to do but obey his masters and stand behind their backs. Isshin doesn''t want it to go on any longer, and Ryou-kun should solve his own case himself."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "So it is with your support that Ryou-kun is who he is now..." Akiko lowered her eyelashes as she saw Aiko respond with a slight nod.

    "So, please talk to him! It would be the best gift for me and my brother."

    "Aiko-chan?" the pink-haired woman was upset. "You shouldn''t bow!"

    "I have no choice but to ask you to talk to Ryou-kun!"

    Her words brought down such a surge of excitement on Akiko that her ears scattered in an instant to the ringing rustle of the leaves of the green trees that lined the courtyard, and the breeze blowing on her pretty face muffled the girl''s excitement. The warm tones of the crimson glow tested the girls'' senses, trying to calm the shock that had fallen upon them. The sun continued to slowly wan, hiding behind an unknown horizon.

    Hearing intense footsteps beside her, Aiko raised her head and met her eyes with a girl with dark brown hair and frank brown eyes, who looked back and forth charmingly at her and at Akiko, who was surprised.

    Saying hello to her loudly, Aiko confusedly added: "Since you look older than me, and I turned seventeen a few months ago, I ask you not to bow!"

    Yumiko, chuckling, replied that she would be eighteen very soon, and was not much older than Aiko. She looked healthier, if you recall her condition this afternoon.

    "What do you mean?" Aiko''s head snapped up. "I thought it was just me and Iruma-kun and Isshin who were the youngest among the enormous seniors, like Ryou-kun."

    "Oh, how I understand you..." Yumiko added, also upset about this. She remembered Glenn and Yamada''s height, which made her shudder sharply. "We have plenty of closet-sized guys like that at school. Especially since the tallest young man in school is considered our good friend."

    "Really...? How tall can an eighteen year old at school be considered the tallest boy in the whole school!"

    "He told me he was 185 centimeters tall!"

    Yumiko surprisingly quickly became friends with the girl from Kyoto, and thanks to her, the former heated atmosphere was replaced by a softer one. Yumiko reasoned that Glenn was three centimeters taller than Ryou, fifteen centimeters taller than her, and Akiko was a full head taller. Nevertheless, Akiko could not help feeling alienated. At the silence, she called out to her:

    "Would you like, Yumiko-chan, to meet Ryou-kun...?"

    Upon hearing her, Yumiko forgot herself in sentimental thoughts. Pulling herself together, she added: "We should do that," she paused briefly. "But we''ll all talk to him, together. If that''s how we can give Ryou-kun confidence, I''d be willing to move mountains."

    "Yes," Akiko''s eyes quivered, barely holding back the bitter tears. Lifting her thumb, she barely smiled a faithful smile. "We will do this. For the sake of friends, so that Glenn-kun''s efforts won''t go to waste."

    Yumiko didn''t quite understand the meaning of her words, which made the pink-haired woman ask her to ignore it. Expressing their gratitude to the overjoyed Aiko, they brought her, emotional, to tears. While the two lovely girls comforted her, Aiko wondered if this was the outcome Isshin wanted, that Ryou wouldn''t return to Kyoto, because he finally admitted to a new relationship, feeling that someone needed someone in a completely different city.

    Ryou''s domestic, boring leisure time, lying on the couch for more than an hour and staring pensively at the ceiling, was interrupted by the annoying ringing of the street intercom. As he approached the door and peered through the surveillance camera, he was surprised: three teenagers outside were silently waiting for the entryway to open. Opening the door for them, Ryou waited at the front door of his apartment while the members of the literary club took the elevator up. Meanwhile, behind the panoramic window, the light of the bitter sun was just fading, being replaced by the twilight of the evening pore. The guy immediately opened the door for them as soon as Akiko made one knock. In front of them was a high-tech, post-modern apartment with an unusually beautiful view from a panoramic window the size of an entire wall. It was everyone''s dream home.

    "What did you come to see me for?" Ryou said as they undressed their shoes.

    "Came to investigate your condition," Akiko answered immediately, admired by the brown-eyed girl dressed in a light-colored shirt with a red skirt.

    Looking up and down his house, the teenagers finally gathered in the hall room and sat down on the couches. Ryou realized that playtime was over, and his friends had come to see him for a reason.

    "Ryou-kun..." Akiko muttered, bringing a smile to Yumiko and Tomoyuki''s lips. "Talk to us. About everything that''s bothering you."

 Rain

    "You will never be a worthy member of society!" shouted a man''s voice. From the windows came the monotonous hum of heavy rain in gray weather. "Son, are you scared?"

    Ryou''s father, Akihiro Hayashi, had always wanted a boy to inherit his firm, which grew and expanded year by year. When the boy was born, his father was more excited than ever, realizing that his wish could come true.

    Ryou and his sister lived in two houses. The minka, a wooden house with a canopy built in the traditional Japanese style, was not inherently considered the main house for the family ¨C the main house was also in Kyoto, but in the middle of nowhere. On weekends, they would come to the second house to take a break from the tedious work of the family business. The father of two children was strict about all the misdeeds the children committed. For every mistake Ryou listened to his father''s voice, who tried his best to teach his son the norms of their family business. Because his parents did not give their children enough time, Ryou developed attention deficit disorder. His sister constantly helped him master everything his hand could reach, making them inseparable despite the ten-year age difference.

    From the time Ryou was five years old, his father and mother''s business was booming, and his father decided it was time to educate his son about the business. Taking a short break, the father began to teach his son discipline and formal competence. Every day he would call the adults with whom Ryou had to build a social-professional conversation and have him go with him to negotiate in the work sphere.

    "Ryou, bow. Put your feet wrong, repeat. Low bow, Ryou!"

    The child felt intense pressure from his father and the invited guests, looking at their stern, sullen faces, eager for only one thing: for him to run all his errands flawlessly. The negotiations, in which Ryou participated at his father''s insistence, did not do his son any good in mastering professionalism. Of course, after all, he was six years old. Building a conversation with a complete stranger, thirty or even forty years older than he was, entailed a child''s fear of strangers and their heavy faces. Every day Ryou worried that his father wouldn''t dare finish teaching him gentlemanliness and ethics for the next few years, but he couldn''t help himself, because his father''s word, according to his mother, was an immutable law.

    As a result, an incident occurred: when his father called the man with whom Ryou was supposed to build communication into the room, the son felt a strong psychological pressure, feeling the stranger approach him and look at the boy with completely cold eyes, which foreshadowed a nervous breakdown. The son began unintelligible screaming.

    After this, when his father took his son to a company meeting, Ryou would not speak to his colleagues, but when he was touched on the shoulder by an important man with whom his father was to negotiate, Ryou experienced a rush of terror and fell from his seat, exclaiming to be kept away from him.

    Shocked by what they saw, the negotiators turned condemning faces toward Akihiro Hayashi, knowing full well that Ryou was the man''s son. The negotiation ended in failure for his father''s firm, and he lost the reputation he had built over the years as a man worthy of being called a role model. Akihiro was labeled a tyrant in the eyes of his comrades-in-arms, and some firms that heard the news refused to negotiate with him further. A series of failures hit the company, causing father and mother to completely shut down in order to regain their former glory. From that day on, Ryou stopped going out and talking to other people, and the only ray of light in his lost consciousness was his sister. He was terrified of nervous breakdowns as soon as the child remembered the horrible days spent under his stern father''s care. The need to attend school forced him to go out on his own.

    His meager, hidden life within four walls continued until Ryou, at his thirteenth birthday, shot two twins who spoke to a loner for the first time. They were his first classmates, speaking to him at the beginning of his new year of school. As he got to know Isshin better, his life was turned upside down ¨C his new friend became the second person in his life who understood Ryou''s situation perfectly. Thanks to his support, Ryou was also able to find common ground with Aiko, a kind girl with a bright personality who took it upon herself to keep Isshin out of trouble. According to Isshin, it is possible to find common ground with anyone when establishing a relationship: to do so, one must find common interests in communication and build a long-term bond.  In this way, Isshin created an entire friendship team by getting his best friends to join the twins, and gained Ryou''s trust. Oda and Maiko were the twins'' childhood friends, and Iruma proved to be another of the young man''s precious finds. They literally complemented each other, though each had a different kind of communication ¨C nothing embarrassed the teenagers, which made Ryou able to talk freely.

    Aiko, however, could sometimes notice how uncomfortable Ryou became when talking to unfamiliar faces. It seemed as if the young man wanted to run away and hide from unnecessary human eyes, and Aiko decided to ask the opinion of the others. Everyone answered in the same way: Ryou''s incomprehensible anxiety was noticed by them too, but they all had clouded impressions. Ishin, on the other hand, was hesitant to talk about it until last, staying behind the scenes. To see for herself what made Ryou have the traits of a prude, she suggested dating him. It was a surprise to her when she found out that the guy knew absolutely nothing about love. In her search for the truth, Aiko never imagined that she would eventually fall in love with Ryou, who previously seemed to her only a friend. She began to like everything about him, from the color of his eyes to his facial features and gait, which made Aiko think that she was immersed in his life up to her neck.

    Their love began at the beginning of high school. After class, as the pair strolled through a sparsely populated neighborhood filled with local stalls, Ryou cornered the girl. The guy''s shadow fell on Aiko, making her confused. Then the guy misunderstood, saying that he had learned what a love relationship was like, and how sincere love between a couple was revealed. He added, "If that''s the case, why don''t I feel any surge of concern as I snuggle up against your body?" and noticed how the girl stopped resisting.

    "What do you feel?" Aiko asked, lowering her lashes.

    "A feeling of pity. Tell me, please: is our relationship mutual? I don''t understand why I don''t feel a surge of love, but honestly... I want to feel it."

    "You haven''t been lied to," Aiko said. "We haven''t progressed in one month. Wherever, we still look like normal friends. Ryou-kun, do you really know nothing about relationships?"

    "Nothing."

    The boy did not intend to let go of his hands from her palm and shoulder, unresponsive to her red-coated face. Finally, confident in her feelings, Aiko quietly suggested that he have sex with her so that Ryou would know his feelings for her. In the end, the confused guy still agreed, and, except for them, no one found out about what had happened.

    The young man would often lounge with the twins on the clear lawn, with a full view of the open blue sky, which delighted Isshin with the beauty of its freedom. Always Ryou did not understand why his friend liked this view, and at the same time he kept repeating (quoting his sister''s story) about the forest, where people''s troubles did not reach. The boys often quarreled and fought, but their quarrels were by no means aggressive, with no aim of degrading dignity, but rather friendly. Isshin would not allow such a thing to happen, especially toward Ryou.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "I wonder," Ryou dreamed, "when will the time come when we grow up and go our separate ways..."

    "You''re certainly not going anywhere," Isshin frowned.

    "Why is that?"

    "There are two things a person has to do with growing up: make new relationships and socialize. If you are not capable of such things in the present, you can expect no future development."

    And then Aiko threw out a remark for him to stop, but she was interrupted by the calm voice of the thick-haired guy:

    "I understand perfectly. Talking to people isn''t easy for me, but there''s nothing I can do about it, because I''ve been abstracted from the world for thirteen goddamn years. Of course, it''s my direct fault, too, since, I can''t muster the will in my fist to have a relationship..."

    "Dopey!" Isshin interrupted him. "It''s not your fault! Understand, your parents'' stupidity isn''t your damn fault! How can you cram adult ideas into a boy''s brain..."

    Involved in his friend''s trust, Ryou accepted and appropriated Isshin''s assertions. To his extent, Isshin was also happy to accompany his best friend, but he realized that by doing so he was depriving Ryou of his individuality and his word of choice. There was nothing Isshin could do about this misfortune, knowing full well that it was his childhood experiences and prejudices that had led to this outcome in Ryou''s inner state, building in his subconscious the desire to obey a foundation in the form of someone close to him to whom he could give his will.

    -

    Toward the end of March, before the start of his senior year, the family had an important conversation at the dinner table where it was announced that they were urgently moving to another city because of his parents'' job.

    "How so!" puzzled Ryou, hearing about this news for the first time. "Why didn''t you tell me earlier that we were going to move to Osaka!"

    "You didn''t need to know beforehand," my father hummed, folding his arms.

    "The decision was postponed until the last moment," Mother pitifully tried to clarify. "We deliberated and found that Osaka, as the city in which all the major buildings of most large firms are stacked, would be the best fit for the family business to thrive. Moving would be the best choice because of the benefits."

    "You didn''t even bother to ask my opinion! What about school and my friends?"

    "You can finish school in Osaka," my father added, "and your friends won''t go anywhere, and you can make new ones."

    "That''s not right," Ryou denied his parents'' assertions. "Where''s my choice!"

    "Do we give up your choice," my father exclaimed, "if you, like your sister, have renounced your job at our firm? Use your head: instead of continuing the family business, you have chosen a different outcome."

    "Let it be, but it''s all wrong!"

    "I don''t care about your childish correctness! At your age, you shouldn''t rely on adolescent maximalism ¨C otherwise you''ll ruin your life before you grow up!"

    In desperation, Ryo rushed to his room, collapsing his chair. To the sound of broken dishes came the monotonous hum of heavy rain in gray weather from the windows. After hitting the wall in his room with all his might, the boy didn''t know what he should have done next. His father''s principled attitude infuriated him, so he ended up changing into a dark shirt and taking a dark umbrella with him to go outside and meet Ishin, whom Ryo considered a man capable of helping in a difficult situation and giving instructions on what to do next.

    They met on the descent of the road in an unsociable neighborhood. Isshin was waiting for him under the roof of a small establishment to shelter him from the pouring rain. Ryo looked regretfully at his friend''s droopy face as he explained the situation to him. Isshin could not utter a word.

    "In a few days," Ryo added, holding an umbrella in the rain, "they''re going to move the whole firm to Osaka... My mother told me about it."

    "I see."

    "I honestly don''t want to tread further down the path of the family business. My gut tells me it''s not my thing to deal with the paperwork and other things associated with my father and mother''s work. I don''t want to move to Osaka either..."

    "I understand," Ishin finally interrupted the silence, and to sober up from his estranged state, he stood in the pouring rain. Wet to the shoulders, the boy''s eyes disappeared behind his hair. The only thing Ryo could see on his face was trembling lips.

    "Isshin-kun, can I become a worthy member of society...?"

    Isshin still stood in the rain, not about to swing open his umbrella.

    "Isshin-kun, this way you will catch a cold."

    "Stop worrying about others. Take care of yourself, for you are not in a position now to think about trifles."

    Silence.

    "So you''re moving out of your house?" Isshin complemented.

    "Yes, but I have nowhere else to go. Kyoto''s no longer a possibility for me."

    "Go to Tokyo. Go to your sister''s. Mother will understand you: she treats you leniently. If you say you want to go your own way, she''ll understand."

    "Mother will probably help, but Father..."

    "Father won''t be able to decide anything anymore once you get your act together. Leave tonight, making sure you let your mother know."

    "Are you sure that''s the only option?"

    "Why?" Isshin continued. "Did you get your own choice? Are you finally starting to think with your own head?"

    At that moment, Isshin had very different thoughts in his mind. For his friend''s sake, he neither reprimanded him nor protected him at all, obeying his desire to leave Ryou in charge. Isshin thought that this outcome might have been the best for Ryou''s growing up.

    Ryou remained silent, taking Isshin''s words for granted. That day, he didn''t meet his other friends, slumped in his musings. After informing his mother, late that night he packed his bags and left for Tokyo, for Megumi.

    "There''s a deep, green forest at one point in the world," Ryou recalled to himself, hoping to calm his mental state. On the plane, he dreamed of how his sister might have changed in the few years since they had been separated. "It is said that people who entered the very forest soon came out with happy faces. This forest, they said, fulfilled all their longed-for wishes."

    "We''ll definitely go there..." his shoulders shook. "That''s our promise."

 Choices

    Regardless, the yellowing glow of the purple sunset was slowly disappearing from view, and a dim moon was slipping across the disconcertingly clear sky, heralding the imminent lull of the warm breeze and the onset of dusk. As he was about to leave the house, in the hallway Glenn reluctantly shifted his gaze to the secluded glass aquarium, furnished with decorative flora and studded with petals. The aquarium was empty of wildlife and dark, making the guy''s face contort with longing for the one person he longed to talk to in his time of need. The torrents of thoughts trapped in his soul tore outward, pounding his heart with deafening blows.

    At that time, the other club members were lounging in Ryou''s apartment, eavesdropping on his story time and again. Ryou ran through his past, uncluttered, revealing his past life to his friends. He opened up to them about his family problems, his Kyoto friends, declassifying himself from all sorts of angles to his friends. The only thing he left out was his love affair with Aiko, which he would not have enlightened about in front of Yumiko and Akiko.

    "At least," he added, smiling bitterly, "that''s all I can remember. My life before I came to Tokyo, contrary to my aloofness, did not begin at all in infancy. I only started to see the world in different colors from the age of thirteen."

    The girls looked frustrated, having finally figured out the secret of Ryou''s quirkiness. The nervous breakdowns of his childhood remained an unhealed scar in the boy''s soul,

    "If you now think me a fool," said Ryou, "and have changed your opinion of me, I will understand, for I am worthy that all ties with me should be severed."

    "Never!" - Akiko exclaimed, waving her hand. "I''m sure none of us could ever think of such a thing."

    Nodding, Yamashita carefully said: "Don''t be silly, Ryou-kun. Our friendship will not fade. All the more reason for us to learn more about you!"

    The support from his friends touched Ryou, letting the guy know how great his friends were.

    "I still want to continue to accompany you as a friend. I''m insanely happy that I was lucky enough to find you..."

    Yumiko''s dumbfounded head sat silently, alienated in her thoughts. The girl''s heart was literally bursting with the mere realization of how stupid she''d been by talking to herself about her past. She thought that no one else''s childhood could compare to her meager one, and other people simply had happy childhoods.

    "How foolish of me not to tell you friends about myself earlier... I was hiding, I thought I would be laughed at..."

    "Now," Akiko retorted, "we can communicate more openly. To think, Ryou-kun is the child of the CEOs of a large company!"

    "The truth is, I don''t want to touch the family business in any way. I''m not attracted to that kind of work."

    "I''m glad to hear something new about you," Yumiko said, good-naturedly. "What do you guys think ¨C should we forgive Ryou-kun for cheating on us with other people?"

    Her sarcastic words made Tomoyuki laugh and made Ryou uncomfortable, which made the guy immediately apologize, blushing.

    "I''m kidding. These are your childhood friends, after all, who came to Tokyo for you. No wonder you treasure them, Ryou-kun. They must be good..."

    "I''d like you to meet them," Ryou smiled at the boys, giving them a sincere reason to rattle what the young man''s friends are like in conversation.

    "It''s settled, then! Let''s have a general meeting and get to know each other."

    Delighted by Yumiko''s openness, transformed in a year from a lonely girl to an outgoing friend, Ryou lowered his head, hiding the red blush on his cheeks. Akiko, on the other hand, who was sitting on his side of the couch, looked at the blushing young man, not sure why she didn''t feel an ounce of jealousy. She wondered if she had let Ryou out of her thoughts by accepting the truth of her feelings. To her, Ryou used to be seen as a target she had to fall in love with in order to get even more attention from other people; but now she began to think from a very different angle. Akiko had developed a false crush on the thick-haired guy from the beginning. Looking at the brown-eyed girl''s captured joy, Akiko became convinced that Yumiko was overshadowing her feelings for Ryou for some unknown reason.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    As the evening weather turned, they said their goodbyes, each going their separate ways back to the house. Keeping their thoughts to themselves, they could only analyze again and again, feeling the bitter aftertaste of the young man''s story. Thus, Yumiko finally realized how much the relationship between her and Akiko had changed recently. She revealed that Akiko had become important to their friendship, while Yumiko herself had become convinced of the importance of both her friendship and her future. Freedom: she clung to this hope, through which she would be able to experience the long-awaited euphoria. In anticipation, she had plans to continue intensely learning.

    After all, each of them was concerned about Ryou''s decision to move. Both sides had their truths, and the teenager, choosing between the two options that would determine his future, ideally wanted to please both, even though he knew that such an outcome was unacceptable. Choosing between one social circle and the other is difficult for every adolescent, especially one who does not know the consequences of the decision he makes. In this case, Ryou would have preferred not to choose at all, but he would have made the situation even worse.

    As the next day dawned, with the cool, sunny light outside the window and the yellow leaves of the trees falling on the blooming ground from the rushing wind, Ryou finally woke up on his usual schedule. With all the unexpectedness of meeting him in the clubhouse office, his friends (excluding Glenn) could barely get used to him dressed in his black, school uniform. Ryou promised not to miss any more classes, and on the first day he wrote all sorts of explanations to the school for his unexcused absence.

    At the end of the school day, he showed up at the dormitory where his friends from Kyoto were temporarily living, and in the middle of their usual conversation, he announced that he had decided to stay for the rest of his studies in Tokyo. His friends were astonished, and Ishin''s gaze soon expressed joy, causing Ryou to pout, asking if he really wanted to get rid of him.

    Not about to be ceremonious, the twins in turn said, "We''re going to go to American University," thus revealing themselves. It was the university that Maiko had attended, and, from her emotions, they were aware enough of it to have a reason to go there.

    None of them regretted their choice. Without dropping their hands, they were proud of their decision, and, in their determination to follow the unseen, were intent on building their own future, one in which they could take responsibility for themselves. To some extent, Ryou had the confidence to accept this responsibility, and his friend, Isshin Yoshida, was immensely pleased with his decision, realizing that even fools can grow up. Immediately, Miura childishly exclaimed that he, too, was going to attend American University. Taking in the news from the twins, Ryou had some thoughts about the future and what upcoming steps he had to take so he wouldn''t regret the result.

    He had arranged for two groups of his friends to meet over the weekend, and as they gathered in the main square, the eight teenagers barely found common ground. Fortunately for Ryou, with each new conversation on seemingly mundane topics, the boys overcame their discomfort and got used to each other. Pleasant to talk to, Isshin and Akiko seemed head and shoulders above the rest. As a result, the friendly horde of teenagers walked around Shinjuku, going to restaurants at one time and places of entertainment at another. The Kyoto boys, in turn, finding a great excuse for a photo shoot, took many beautiful pictures with views of both landmarks and local beauties. Ryou was glad that their favorite peers were able to get along with each other in just a couple of hours, because it would have taken a long time for a guy to do that.

    After the weekend was over, the teens became more and more surprised by the fast flow of time. The next morning, while Yumiko was cooking breakfast at her leisure and texting with a caller, she got a call from Ryou.

    T.K.: "Are you sure I should go to the talks without lenses? People might be discouraged to see me."

    Yumi-kun: "You don''t need to be embarrassed about your appearance ¨C you''re an adult, after all!"

    Picking up the phone, she put the phone to her ear.

    "Ryou-kun?" she immediately uttered. "Oh, yeah, we have algebra tomorrow. Let me look in my diary to see what assignment they gave us."

    Iruma''s parents became worried, even though the boys had warned them of their temporary departure. Their time was running out, and in a few days they were to return home. When the hour of farewell came, Ryou and the members of the literary club escorted them straight to the station, and the Kyoto teenagers, sincerely wishing the young man well, boarded the intercity train. Ryou humbly looked after the departing train, wondering if he had made the right choice, but when Akiko and the others called him out, he realized that there was nothing to regret.

    The four teenagers sat in the clubhouse. They didn''t talk much, devoting their time to doing homework and other things. Akiko and Yamashita, as was obvious from their indifference to their studies, were cheating off the two geniuses of the school. Nothing foreboded of trouble, so they sat relaxed in their chairs until, all of a sudden, the silence in the office was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door, behind which the silhouette of a tall teenager appeared. The boy entered the office in the most unceremonious way imaginable to his friends. He waved his hand, giving them his cold, unapproachable gaze.

    "Glenn-kun...?"

    Glenn showed up exactly a month later.

 Seishin

    The last days of October. While preparations for the Cultural Festival were safely coming to an end, Glenn''s health was rapidly deteriorating. He kept counting the times he coughed up blood and took pills, and lately he''d been vomiting blood every other day, so he thought he was about to give up the ghost. Of course, he might have been exaggerating, for he knew as much about the illness as he did about his remaining time. On one school day Glenn began to bleed internally twice. Each new time he rinsed his mouth thoroughly, so that no one would know of his condition: the young man wanted to stay behind the scenes of what was happening. But he could waste no more of his precious time, so he decided to end the affair that had haunted him for three years.

    Upon returning home, Glenn pulled his keys out of his pocket. After unscrewing the front door to his apartment with the key once, he reached for the doorknob, but the door wouldn''t open. This confused him, for when locking the door the teenager always scrolled once and checked, which led him to believe there could be no mistaking it. After unscrewing the key a second time, the door finally opened, and as he entered the hallway, he noticed the bedroom light was on. Someone had come home before Glenn. Giving himself a subdued look, he took off his shoes and walked over to the sleeping room.

    There were two people sitting quietly on the bed. A woman, who looked to be in her forties but had lost none of her youthful beauty, had long, dark hair, and her good-natured look, coupled with her Asian appearance, was directed at the girl sitting next to her. The girl''s blond hair and her European appearance stuck in Glenn''s mind, causing the boy to open his mouth slightly. The girl immediately responded to him, reassuming a cold look, and fell silent. The woman followed her eyes and looked back at Glenn.

    "Hello, son," the mother said in German.

    "Mom," the boy replied, and held out a brief pause. "You haven''t been home in six months."

    Humble as Glenn was, the girl''s lips finally quirked:

    "Hello, dear brother."

    The girl made a bow of her head, saying hello in Japanese.

    "Liliaˇ­"

    The color of the woman''s and the girl''s eyes was the same, a brown color that suited their appearance in such a way that Glenn was ready to tell how perfect their looks were.

    "While I was away in Japan," the mother clarified, switching to Japanese, thus interrupting her son''s indecision toward her daughter, "I finished my duties in Germany. I''ll tell you later, when we sit down at the table. In the meantime, let''s eat, come on!"

    "Yes. I''d forgotten how marvelous your cooking is, Mother."

    Lilia refused in a soft voice, saying that she was already full of food. The girl preferred a minimalist style of dress, which is why she had only such clothes in her closet, and had a nice taste in color choices ¨C she wore dull-colored city pants and a black woolen sweater with a collar.

    "In that case, Lilia, I ask to participate in our conversation."

    "I don''t mind, dear brother, for I haven''t seen you all year. Is it all right if Hoshi joins us?"

    Her mother agreed, and then Lilia got to her feet, putting her head under the bed. She pulled a locked pet cage from the bed.

    "Hoshi will be glad when he gets back to his aquarium."

    And so, the family was finally fully assembled sitting around the table. The boy stared nonchalantly at Lilia, a meter-long white snake crawling across her frail neck and slender body. The snake''s noble blue eyes did not leave Glenn alone, and Lilia, for her part, playfully fondled the creature with her hands. Hoshi was two years old, and the teen wondered how a snake at that age could have a crystal-clear appearance.

    "Lilia has already started fifth grade," her mother declared, "and all the teachers love her."

    A red blush appeared on the girl''s face, and she was slightly confused as she awaited Glenn''s reaction. His brother, on the other hand, marveled as he came to the realization that Lilia was eleven years old and had managed to grow a lot in the past year

    "After working in Germany for a long time, I decided to take Lilia with me to Tokyo for a while."

    There was no response from Glenn. He hesitated, I don''t know why, and my mother felt that her son wasn''t interested in Lilia''s situation.

    "All right," she said, lowering her eyes in regret. Lilia closed in on herself, too.

    Folding her arms, the mother added: "During the time I was in Germany, son, I was offered a new job there. This job is closely related to my industry and is also built on charitable assistance to victims from all over the world. I was called to serve at Caritas, a Catholic charity."

    "Mom..."

    "Son," my mother looked at him with bitter eyes, "I was finally able to achieve what your father wanted for me..."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "That''s great, isn''t it!"

    "I don''t think I could refuse their offer, but then I would have to leave the service in Japan. I''m truly sorry, son, but it had to happen sometime. I think you should forget the legacy of the past, because with your new job I''m sure you can fulfill the dream you''ve been longing for."

    A sadness showed on the dark-eyed man''s face, which gripped his slender body as he remembered about Germany. The lad still had unpleasant memories in that country, and those reminders gave him an inner resentment for his own mother, who, in her own case, could understand his feelings perfectly.

    "Please, if you do not wish to think about it now, do not trouble yourself, and give your answer when you are ready. I will wait, for I want to be able to protect you."

    She pulled an envelope from her leather purse. This envelope was from Glenn''s work, provided for packing a cash bonus from the company for a successfully completed questionnaire. Mom placed the empty and already opened envelope on the food table, and Glenn realized that she was wondering what he had been doing while he was home alone.

    "Son, did you find yourself a job?"

    "Yes," Glenn replied, figuring out how he should lie to dampen his mother''s interest in his job.

    "I never saw an envelope like that before, when I was still in Tokyo. What does that mean: have you been hiding it from me all this time, or have you just recently taken a job?"

    Glenn didn''t answer, and then his mother asked a question that sent shivers running through his body, dulling his senses:

    "It''s a welfare job, right?"

    "No. I got a short-term job to go outside of school."

    "But why, son? Wasn''t the money I discounted for you every month enough for you? It couldn''t be."

    "Brother," the humble Lilia interjected, "do you want to help people?"

    "I wasn''t going to help anyone at all," Glenn rose quietly, about to leave. "I''m saving money to make life easier."

    Short-term work wasn''t enough to save for the future. Although her mother guessed that Glenn was hiding something important from her and Lilia that he couldn''t tell his own family about, it was annoying to see her son''s nonchalant face. And yet, back in Tokyo, she wanted to see him happy.

    As Glenn left the great living room, Lilia uttered:  "Why doesn''t my brother want to talk to us?"

    "That''s not true, he wants to, but for some reason he can''t right now. He probably thinks it''s not the right time."

    "Not a good time...?"

    "I''m sure your brother just isn''t in the mood 0 he''s in the middle of puberty. When you''re alone with him, talk to him, and he''ll probably be glad to talk to you."

    "Talk... to my dear brother?"

    Hoshi suddenly stopped crawling and looked intently at the frozen girl. Soon their gazes met, and with every second spent gazing into the snake''s sparkling blue eyes, an inner calm returned to Lilia, and she realized that Hoshi was the best creature she had ever seen in her life.

    Having overheard their last conversation behind the wall, Glenn finally entered his room. Mindlessly lying on the bed, he pondered what the family had said, and nervously biting his tongue, he closed his eyes to sleep.

    At an early age, he often ran around with his peers. He was living in Germany at the time. He had a weekend ritual of always coming home at 6 p.m. to watch his father go about his business. One day, when it was raining outside, Glenn, though he made it home in time, still got soaked. Upon entering the house, he listened as his mother, angry at her son''s stupidity, wondered why he had walked until he was soaked to the boot. Glenn always answered such questions with a childish distortion of the truth, but he dared not lie to his mother, somehow regretting his action. In response, however, his mother patted him on the head and told him not to do it again. After changing into his new clothes, he refused to eat and ran to his father''s room, which stunned his mother to the core.

    Glenn''s apartment at the time was plain, with faux dark wood inserts on the walls. As he entered the dark, warm room of his father, who usually worked there on weekends, the boy noticed his hair, bright and shiny from the rays of the big monitor, the screen of which simulated an artificial fireplace, and he realized that his father was busy with important work. Clad in warm, homemade clothes, his father sat at his desk, filling out paperwork. Quietly sneaking up behind him so as not to disturb his work, Glenn stood beside him, and his father, turning his attention to him, showed his beautiful and easy smile, the sincerity of which delighted his son every time. Soon Glenn was sitting in the chair next to his father, watching as he continued to fill out the sheet with his pen.

    "Dad, how much longer can you fill out the worksheets if you work at the hospital?"

    "My job requires," pronounced his father''s gentle, brutal voice, scratching his smooth, short hair with confusion, "that after every work week I engage in writing worksheets (reports) about summarizing my work."

    Glenn always listened to his father, never missing a phrase ¨C it was a symbol of filial admiration for a parent he rightly considered an object to emulate.

    "Glenn, you can read German letters, can''t you?" his father asked when his son took a closer look at his report card.

    "Yes, I learned!"

    "What a nice boy, and I still can''t learn Japanese, your mother''s native language."

    "That''s no good, Father. You must learn, even if it is a difficult language for you!"

    His father chuckled, agreeing with Glenn, and then asked if his son liked his job. Glenn immediately nodded, with eyes that were brighter than a shining star in those days.

    "I want to be just like you, Father!"

    Upon hearing this, the father expressed a bitter smile, "Do you want me to tell you how my work went this week?

    I didn''t have to wait for my son to answer, as Glenn shook his head up and down, like a dog, as if to express a nod. This was how their family weekend went. Before bed, as Glenn lay with his head on his father''s slender legs, he muttered: "I want to be just like you, Father," and fell asleep. The happiness on his father''s face was not to be missed. As soon as her mother quietly opened the door to the room, she saw them both stretched out in deep sleep on the same couch. She knew it was better not to interrupt their evening.

 Sense of Strive

    Without wasting a second of his precious time, because of his family''s arrival, a confused Glenn was already at the base of his work organization the next day. The main base was located in the middle of a central county, with several smaller ones at various points around the country. The modern architecture of the large building attracted the attention of ordinary passersby, thus forming a whole procession of citizens demanding social assistance. In addition to keepers, the base also employed a number of secretaries, contact centers, and guides.

    Glenn, having access to the entrance to the room (archive) for documents (questionnaires), searched for the available questionnaires that suited his tastes. In this room lay only recently printed questionnaires awaiting official acceptance from the organization. As he looked through the sheets of questionnaires like "social assistance," he quickly ran his eyes over the headings, flipping through the ones he didn''t like. To be honest, he was confused by the small size of the fonts in the text, and involuntarily brought the sheets close to his eyes. In fact, all the texts were in regular font. The archivist next asked how long it would take for the guy to finish. Glenn asked her to wait a little while, still standing at ten full shelves of papers. Eventually, the young man flipped through more than ten new applications, but when he found one that seemed odd, he stopped there. Glenn froze in place as he read the description and name of the person requesting assistance.

    After signing the order, the employee wished him a glorious job, and added, "Still, I still can''t get used to you having free access to the archives." Glenn remained silent.

    As he crossed the roads and crosswalks, his ears were literally muffled with bewilderment, making him unable to hear the sounds of cars passing by or people whose gaze went unheeded. His bewilderment was caused by the strange questionnaire he had accepted for execution. Glenn entered the house, unscrewing the key from the front door twice. When he saw his mother and younger sister sitting in the hall room, he approached them with an anxious look, letting his mother who had noticed him know of the seriousness of the soon-to-be conversation.

    "Glenn?" his mother smiled, sitting on the couch. "Why aren''t you in school?"

    Glenn was dressed in his school uniform so that when he left his mother would not ask unnecessary questions. Opening his briefcase, he pulled out a questionnaire and showed it to her.

    "Mom, what did you need this for?"

    Guessing what her son meant, she smiled again.

    "I guessed you were working in social services."

    "You also noted that you wanted me to be the one to take part in the help. Answer me: are you serious?"

    "I thought it would help. But why, son, do you have to work in this kind of work? You told me, looking me in the eye, that you don''t work there."

    Glenn put his hand down, adding that it was his personal decision, not one that required the family''s discretion.

    "Son..." grieved his mother, "...Do you really want to help people? At your age, when your mind should be surrounded by education and schoolwork... Of course, I would try to understand you, for your father has had a great influence on you and your outlook, but you are wasting your precious time on this!"

    Glenn averted his eyes to the side, pressing his lips together.

    "Tell me, what was the purpose of your entering this job..."

    Collapse.

    The guy suddenly felt a painful rush of blood in his throat, a headache, and a fever. Oh He lowered his head and covered his mouth with his hand, barely allowing himself not to cough up blood in front of his family.

    "Glenn!" the mother shouted, seeing his murdered eyes. "What''s gotten into you?"

    "Choked," he said and ran to the bathroom.

    Lilia, looking at him perplexed, decided to follow her brother with interest. Closing the door, Glenn ran up to the sink, and grabbing it, blood splashed from his mouth. He opened the water faucet to maximum, and, unable to restrain himself, fell to his knees. An unrelenting pain clutched his head every time he coughed. Without the ability to react sensibly, Glenn was left with only more air to sigh at.

    Soon, his mother gathered him to the table and revealing a serious look, asked:

    "Why didn''t you tell me about your illness!"

    Lowering his head, he awkwardly mumbled: "There was no occasion."

    "There was no occasion?! Do you realize how important the fact of your illness is? Son, that disease your ¨C father had it. Is it a hereditary disease? My father had it chronically ¨C with no possibility of a complete cure... This disease was destroying his health over time, condemning my father to a hopeless death."

    "I understand."

    "But if you developed the disease as a teenager ¨C God, it''s a lot worse than it might seem from the outside! Without proper hospital prophylaxis, your life is in imminent danger!"

    Silence. Glenn was not about to interrupt her speech, disregarding his opinion in this regard. Lilia, on the other hand, sat at a loss, withdrawn in her thoughts.

    "We must send you to treatment immediately," said the mother, doubting her certainty.Stolen novel; please report.

    "Anyway," Glenn replied, with a cold look, "the first symptoms appeared about two years ago, but I didn''t pay attention to it, thinking the disease was just a common cold. Now, looking at the facts, it will take more than a few tens of thousands of dollars and several painstaking years of my life to treat it effectively. Mother, tell me: do we have enough money for such sums?"

    His words brought the mother into a state of carelessness that made her shoulders tremble. This was the situation with her husband, and the prices for treatment were a fabulous hundred thousand dollars. At that time he told her that he wouldn''t take the treatment, because instead of preventive care, which took several years, he could save over hundreds of people from serious illnesses in those few years. So she left the money to the family.

    "Do you really want to do what your father did?" she rose from her chair, gritting her teeth.

    "I get paid more for this job than in regular jobs. True, it depends on my swiftness and overall reach. On the other hand, I was driven by a desire to see people happy. I have been working as a social assistant since I realized the phenomenon of my illness. I used to raise money, my mother - there was no other way."

    "But.. .we could have figured something out!"

    "You shouldn''t be burdened with such sums on you alone, for you are not physically up to the task. You work tirelessly to provide for your family, and I envy you, Mother. You don''t tire yourself out."

    "Son, are we really short on money?"

    "Before he died, Dad was saving a huge amount of money to provide for us. Mother, do you know more clearly how much in twelve years we have left?"

    "Less than the calculated amount of the presumptive cure...in triplicate. Son, perhaps you have a different kind of disease? Have you consulted the doctors?"

    "Father''s disease had its own name, and were the doctors able to identify it?"

    The mother thought seriously, and missed her son''s question.

    "Father became seriously ill a few years before I was born, but he didn''t show it. He tried his best to beat the disease without intending to go to bed! My father decided to give his life to saving people by being a doctor."

    Stopping to speak, he gently grasped the cross of his pendant. His hands trembled, waiting for the worst outcome, but he dared not overexert himself for his own good.

    "But I''m not going to just drop my hooves," he said. "I have people I want to spend my youth with; I want to find companions in life that will accompany me. But I am not going to dream without purpose: right now, I want to survive, for if I fail, I will die, left in the shadow of the past."

    "Your father," the mother covered her mouth, "he left me a hundred thousand dollars at the same time as everything else he had. We spent most of that sum to buy a house in Japan and move, which was directly your idea. You became afraid of Germany, after all, when your father-"

    "In any case, until I become like my father-a kind, conscientious man ¨C I refuse to die in vain."

    "And if you count the money left over from my father and add the full amount of my rainy day money, it comes to about forty thousand at the most... Son, you haven''t been collecting money?"

    Nodding, Glenn replied that he hadn''t spent any of the money he earned at work. Coughing, he continued: "I''ve collected $7,500, if you don''t count the money you''ve been dropping on me: that''s about nine thousand with it."

    "That much money?!" - Mom''s mouth gaped. Lilia looked dumbfounded, too. "But how... especially in two years!"

    "Working as a social assistant can be lucrative if you pour your whole self in. In particular, questionnaire status lasts from one to several days, and even through a measure of continuous work I have only managed to accumulate that amount. They give so much yen for completion that any teenager moonlighting elsewhere would have their eyes rounded."

    "We can lend it out."

    "Excluded: otherwise we will become limited. I will not allow my family to be financially dependent, providing only limited goods for themselves. Especially since we have two houses in two different countries-if we sell them, we will be left without a roof over our heads, acceptable for the life we have learned."

    "For my son to survive I will do anything!"

    "But Lilia won''t be able to have a luxurious education, and I''ll be incapacitated for several long years if I find myself in a critical situation. Also, you are called to serve in the job you, mother, have been dreaming of so much."

    "How could this happen..." she touched her forehead, imagining the horror that might come to pass if Glenn died like her husband. "We can''t do without loans. Even if we''re doomed to a poorer life-nothing worries me more than your future."

    "There''s a second option ¨C to work hard," he retorted, in a confident tone, and motioned for the exit.

    "Son, you need to keep your health!"

    "I am not at my most discouraged. As long as I can move, I should help you. You won''t be able to change my mind."

    Relieved, he went out into the entryway and locked the front door. My mother was in despair, analyzing what had happened and the news that had been brought in, and Lilia could not understand one thing: why the calamity was happening in their family, when the rest of the family was living a happy, full life, filled with multiple colors.

    Persuading her mother was really pointless. Glenn had an endless source of aspiration inherited from his father. His goal was to secure not only an existence with his family, but to instill that same sense of purpose in his family, especially Lilia, who had the character of an unsociable girl.

    "Mother..." Lilia said, fearing for her mother.

    "It''s all right, Lilia..."

    "Is dear brother in poor health? Just like he was with his father...?"

    "We''ll manage. Your brother has his whole life ahead of him. We won''t just give up."

    From the outside, no matter how serene Lilia felt about her brother, family excitement could never leave the family, for she had been his sister since she was born. Their bond is eternal, even if they are not like each other. Lilia was distraught, wondering to herself why Glenn would want to go to the trouble himself, and why he hadn''t warned her mother earlier. Eventually, the girl led herself to believe that her brother didn''t want her to worry about him. The facts matched the assumption - Glenn really wasn''t intrusive, but what he did, Lilia thought, was foolish and irresponsible.

    In Glenn''s case, he huddled against the wall in the entryway, wondering how unlucky he was. He couldn''t physically avoid the negative consequences, and he thought to himself that while the students from the literary club, whom he might have considered real friends, shouldn''t know the truth. Surely, after all, they were already in a heap of trouble at that point. He hoped they might have become friends during his absence, and as he took steps toward the elevator, he forgot about unnecessary worries.

    "I have to keep moving."

 Solitude

    A person who has witnessed the death of a close person right in front of his eyes can never be the same again. The world around him collapses, and the emotional component goes into the stagnation mode. Glenn''s mother tried to persuade him to stay in Germany, not even realizing what the boy''s environment had become since the death of his father. For him, Germany had become a terrifying, disgusting place, where light no longer shone and darkness grew thicker. Glenn asked his mother to move to Japan, her native country, to forget the past altogether. But forgetting the past, he was unable to.

    On the day his father passed away, Glenn went outside the hospital, but instead of the usual daylight and the scent of warm spring, he saw only fire blazing across the land. The child''s worldly foundations had been shattered.

    He had created an illusion that he did not mind believing. The boy felt that there was nothing else for him to do since the brightest man in his world had disappeared and his light was shrouded in darkness.

    "If father had not died," he said to himself that day, with gloomy eyes that saw agony, "in what circumstances would he have lived? Would he have lived longer, would he not have had a family, or would he have died much earlier from loneliness? He had fought hard for his cause, and he was hardly as interested in family as he was in his work and his assertiveness in doing good to people and giving them help.

    When he looked up, dark eyes that didn''t refract light showed through his dark hair. It became his burden that made the boy unable to forget the agony he had endured. But he dared not forget his father''s exploits. How many people he had saved with his own hands was a number the boy did not know, for it was great.

    "In that case, I will continue your journey. All that you have preserved, I will also preserve."

    In the days following his mother''s arrival with Lilia in Tokyo, his mother called Glenn again for a talk when the boy had some free time to be at home. She talked about her motives for going back to Germany, but this time for the sake of getting a new job. Since they did not have enough money to provide her son with treatment at a decent Tokyo hospital, she decided on a rather dubious move, partially obeying her son. Everything depended on how long Glenn could hold out in this condition, because literally at any moment there could be a sharp deterioration in his health, which would be followed by further therapeutic measures.

    Glenn agreed to her suggestion that she move in order to make more profit from her work instead of sitting around the house for no reason. Mother was a person who didn''t want to stop for a second, and all sorts of hardships seemed from the outside to be of no concern to her. Glenn added that he could manage his illness without his mother leaving, if it took a few more months.

    "But how much longer are you going to be away from school?"

    "I''ve notified the teachers of my extended absence."

    "And every time you don''t listen to me, son, when it comes to things you care about. I won''t forgive you if after your confident speeches you lie dead in a dark street corner somewhere."

    "You don''t have to worry about me, Mother."

    "Don''t even try. I will worry about you, but right now I want to hear your promise. I''ll simply go crazy leaving you unsupervised. Son, if you have any friends or acquaintances who are willing to shelter you for a while, ask them for help. You have to stay under the care of reliable people and their parents."

    The first thing that came to mind was his friends from the literary club, but he instantly dismissed the idea. After pondering her words a little, Glenn said:

    "I know the head of a powerful clan himself. My guess is that I can get his help..."

    "The head of the clan?!" the mother wondered. "How is it that you happen to know people like that?"

    "I''m not sure if this man will like my request, but there''s nothing to lose. I helped this man once before, and I''m sure my service, if you can call it that, he can''t forget it until now."

    "What did you do that he remains grateful to you even now?"

    "...Saved his life."

    Not knowing what Glenn was talking about, his mother trusted his intuition and left it up to him.

    A couple of days before his mother and Lilia left, the boy, gathering his thoughts, drove to the territory of a powerful clan. The territory seemed enormous because of the external surroundings and Japanese traditional style houses left over from past centuries. The grounds were carefully monitored by their employees, and were allowed inside the courtyard by strict invitation. This place was on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by natural beauty and vegetation. This area was set apart from the dwellings, lending luxury to the architecture of the structures entering the courtyard. Through gradual updating, the heads of the family kept this place from dying out.

    Glenn stood at the gates. Soon, after a short wait, both gates opened automatically in front of him, and, feeling calm after entering them, he stepped into the courtyard. Meanwhile, an early sunset was setting outside. As he walked down the path, he saw one maid dressed in a kimono, and she informed him that the head of the clan was waiting for him inside. Thanking her, he followed her and entered through a door into one of the rooms. Walking down the empty corridor, he entered the chambers and seeing a mature man with a lean body and an attractive Asian appearance sitting on his knees in the middle of the room, Glenn bowed low. Asking the young man to sit down before him, the latter smiled not unreasonably. Glenn had noticed his kind eyes two years ago when he had first met him. And it was Akihito Hirota, the current head of the Hirota clan, who was fifty years old this year. The last time Glenn had met this man, he had met him at a banquet in the summer.

    Though the clan held to old traditions, it was impossible to sidestep technological approaches to modern realities. For all that, the clan was equipped with cameras for the safety of the persons in the courtyard and buildings. Behind him stood guards dressed in tuxedo and two mature maids stood at the front door. At Akihito''s orders, the guards and maids left the room, but at the same time, he told one maid to call for Mari.

    Glenn sat down on his knees, waiting patiently for Akihito to speak.

    "And now that I am your client requesting social assistance, we can have a heart-to-heart talk."

    "I sincerely apologize, Akihito-sama, for wasting your time in addressing the questionnaire."

    "Something seems to be troubling you," Akihito continued in his pleasant voice. "It is time you should explain your situation to me in more detail. What is the occasion for your appearance?"

    "I thank you for your understanding. You devoting your precious time to some teenager ¨C isn''t that happiness for me?"

    Chuckling, Akihito uttered: "Not at all, for you have done me an unparalleled service that I could not forget, even if I tried hard enough."

    "So you still remember? How was your treatment?"

    "I''m fine now. If it weren''t for you, Glenn-kun, everything my ancestors built would have collapsed because of my transgression. I was so careless by touching that alcoholic stuff."

    "I only gave you an admonition so you could move on."

    "Still, it was encouraging to hear something like that from the mouth of a teenager than from an inveterate psychologist. By the way, Glenn-kun, according to the psychiatrists'' check, my nervous system is no longer in danger."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    "I''m glad you''re better."

    Akihito spoke to Glenn in a more than friendly manner, and one got the impression that the atmosphere between the two men had really been building for a long time.

    "Now," Akihito declared, "tell me what happened."

    "...In a couple of days, my mother will leave for Germany and become a permanent resident there, but she''s not going to leave me here for two reasons: first, I am a schoolboy in my final year; second..."

    "Second?"

    "Whether you believe me or not, I shouldn''t have to hide it from you. In short, I am terminally ill."

    Akihito faltered, and said in bewilderment: "How come?"

    "Just don''t think my illness is contagious...!"

    The young man''s voice was interrupted by a girl dressed in a kimono. Quietly entering the chambers, she bowed her head and stood at the door. Glenn immediately lost confidence, realizing that this girl would be involved in his process, too, if she heard his explanation. Her dark ash blonde hair was neatly bundled up so as not to interfere with the girl''s duties.

    "Mari-chan..."

    "Go on," Akihito insisted, and the boy could not remain silent.

    "What I was talking about is transmitted through the genes, and the weaker the health of the host, the faster the development."

    "What kind of disease is it exactly?"

    "At least the doctors don''t know exactly. Some may have given a vague answer, but I hope for the best."

    "Strange... The doctors couldn''t identify the type of disease ¨C then how are you going to deal with it?"

    "It will take a lot of time and money to cure serious illness ¨C of that I am sure. My father once had similar symptoms as an adult, and the doctors couldn''t identify the exact cause of his disease either."

    "So your father died of the same disease... How could it be passed from father to son?"

    Glenn could not answer the man''s question. Mari stood concerned about the young man''s condition, but dared not utter a word, believing that her duty was more important than her emotions.

    "The bottom line is that you came to me about¨C"

    "Mother must know that after my departure I shall remain under the care of my elders, to whom I can trust wholeheartedly. I know it''s a lot to ask, but please let me stay with you for a while!"

    Akihito hesitated. He didn''t mind, but he was worried about what Glenn would do next. What would a young man do, knowing that he would be homeless in a major city as a nineteen-year-old.

    "After you live with us for a while, will you go back to your home or will you go to your mother''s after you graduate?"

    "Of course I''ll go live with my mother and take my treatment in another country. There''s nothing keeping me here after school - especially since I have a little sister whose future I''m worried about."

    "Nothing''s holding you back, then? So you haven''t found any reliable friends after all."

    Glenn remained silent, feeling doubtful about his earlier words.

    "I see," Akihito said softly, making Glenn''s shoulders tremble. "I did the right thing in agreeing to submit the form. You surprised me, Glenn-kun, and even gave me the choice whether or not to refuse, putting your successes on the line. The top of your organization will not forgive you for failing, for they know my name is of great value."

    "I deeply apologize for doing so."

    "Now, there is nothing left for me but to do you my favor," Akihito said, and chuckled. "It''s great, after all this time you''ve remained the same sensible teenager. I praise your persistence."

    "Thank you for your words."

    Akihito agreed to the boy''s request, and Glenn, surprised, could barely comprehend the truth that he had been accepted to live at Hirota Manor. Acting on intuition, he rejoiced at what he had achieved, and assured Akihito that he would not harm the reputation of his clan in any way. Akihito, on the other hand, was happy to see the smile on the face of an old acquaintance.

    "Your mother seems to be more serious than you are. She, I am sure, will not tolerate formal ostentation on my part when she visits the manor."

    "Rest assured: she will only become proud when she sees your highness. Of course, she will not forgive me if I break my promise to her to reside with you."

    Mother was to leave the country with Lilia in two days, on Monday. That way, from Monday the doors would be open to Glenn, and he would be free to move around the interior of Hirota Manor. When they discussed about the questionnaire signed by Akihito, the man insisted on the strict rules of the agreement and promised to give the full amount from successful completion. Akihito''s questionnaire, however, was purposeless, with little reason for social aid.

    "Mari-chan," Akihito called to the girl standing still at the door, "would you care to join us?"

    "Ah-ah, I sincerely apologize, sir, but I am not at liberty to enter into your conversation! I am grateful to you for such a generous offer, but I am not worthy."

    Mari looked regretful, as if in drawing attention to Akihito, she had done a thing comparable to a terrible transgression that could not be atoned for.

    "Don''t overdo it. You are within your rights to join in."

    The girl promptly obeyed and quietly walked over to Akihito and stood behind him, as befitted a maid. A surprised Glenn thought that Mari had always obeyed Akihito''s orders because of the family traditions that had long existed in both families. Mari Asahina never thought of deviating from her duty given by her ancestors. It was a true devotion to both man and tradition.

    "As of Monday, you will also become Glenn-kun''s personal servant," Akihito declared, "and you will do his bidding."

    Glenn was at a loss for words, and glanced over at a delighted Mari, embarrassed. Mari, hiding her joy, modestly thanked her lord for his decision, adding that she would not forget such a kind act. Mari''s delight and admiration for her master was bubbling from within.

    "I don''t suppose Glenn-kun would refuse?"

    "No."

    Soon Akihito let the lad go with his subject. Bowing their heads before exiting the chambers, they departed. In the corridor, Glenn turned to Mari, who was directly glowing with joy, and took in her sweet aura.

    "Hello, Glenn-sama!" spoke Mari, whose sweet voice unobtrusively killed the boy''s gloominess. In front of her the boy could forget himself, enveloped by her affection and the light she radiated. "How seldom we see each other that I even begin to miss you every time!"

    Her every word could not go unheeded, for she spoke to him only in a high, joyful tone. In her style, she purposely lengthened her greeting to fully saturate herself with the pleasure of Glenn''s nonchalant response.

    Glenn responded with a warm greeting, and it was obvious from Mari''s expression that she was looking forward to his next move.

    "Totally forgot," Glenn caught up, and stroked her on the head. Mari blurted out in tenderness, and her face smoothed into a playful smile.

    "I shall look forward to Monday to accompany you, Glenn-sama, and to introduce you to the manor, if the lord will permit!"

    "I can''t wait for that day, Mari-chan."

    At eleven, Mari was, in the boy''s opinion, a terrific child-she had more aspirations than Lilia, who looked very reserved in comparison. But Mari was age-appropriate in appearance, and Lilia was not, because of her height, which seemed high for girls her age. What bothered Glenn more: he found it hard to believe that Akihito''s answer to his request was obvious from the beginning. He thought that if Akihito knew his answer from the beginning of the conversation, then Mari''s summons to the chambers was deliberate.

    "Glenn-sama," she woke the young man from his wandering contemplation, "you look tired. Wouldn''t you rather spend the night here?"

    "That''s all right."

    To Glenn, Mari was like a younger sister who loved her brother with all her soul, and did not hide her love, but rather showed it at every opportunity. Glenn couldn''t hate her for that - he thought she was an incredibly intelligent and loyal girl with whom he could always find common ground. They talked like brother and sister who hadn''t seen each other for a long time and had already missed each other, so their communication was intense, and they walked slowly around the grounds themselves.

    As they stepped outside the territory of the Hirota clan and headed home, he realized that he really thought of Mari as his little sister.

 Doctrine of Life

    Glenn had always been sure that his father valued work more than life, and thus, obviously, family. On such occasions he would approach his father and sometimes snuggle up to him to see his reaction, but all he would end up getting was the same response - he would stroke his head. Not that Glenn liked it, but he couldn''t find out his true feelings about the price of his family, and the picture was literally incomplete. Periodically piecing together his father''s stories about his work, he wanted to see his father in action with his own eyes, for he liked the concept of the doctor''s work eerily. But his father refused to let him near him, thinking it might damage his childish mind, which was his greatest fear at the time, for Glenn was still eight years old. Every time, for five years, at the end of the week, when he opened the door to his room, where the first thing he saw was his desk, with a bookshelf behind it, and an artificial fireplace that always had a screen of the equipment that isolated the room, Glenn saw his father sitting at work. But as soon as he opened the door, he saw no one in the room but an empty desk and a wooden chair that hadn''t seen its owner in a long time.

    Sitting in the subway on his way home, Glenn counted the number of questionnaires he had completed in ten days, and ended up counting six successful ones. It was a huge number when you consider that on average it takes two days, or even more, to complete the orders, and Glenn''s success was direct proof of his competence. The teenager spent an inordinate amount of energy on such a suggestive result, which left him huddled alone against the subway wall, unable to perceive his surroundings soberly because of the headache and fever. He could barely stand being overworked.

    Later, he woke up abruptly, lying on his bed, as if he had seen a nightmare. When he came to, he noticed he was sweating profusely. Whether his nightmare had been so terrifying or some kind of harbinger of the future was no longer important to Glenn as he opened the curtains of the balcony window and looked up at the evening sky from the fifteenth floor. A clear, dark blue sky. Glenn had been suffering from insomnia lately, sleeping four or five hours a day.

    The next day was scheduled for his mother and Lilia''s flight to Germany, and he helped the family with their luggage. They waited for a cab on the road. Inwardly, the mother still doubted the rightness of Glenn and the solution to his problems. In addition, earlier, Lilia had offered to leave her in Japan for a while longer, but her mother was adamantly opposed because she did not want to cause problems for either Glenn or Akihito, whom she had met the day before to make sure that her son had not lied to her. Lilia''s school is in Germany, and she arrived in Japan, having taken a brief reprieve for family reasons. In fact, her mother understood the reason why Lilia wished to remain in Tokyo-it was the girl''s family feelings, which she kept to herself and of which her older brother was unaware. Her mother always wondered what effect her father had had on the lives of their two children. Even too much - the mother was worried about Glenn''s extreme attachment to his father, whose goals he was hesitant to let go of until now.

    Meanwhile, in the sea of floating thoughts and memories, a cab called by his mother appeared on the road. Saying goodbye, his mother reminded Glenn of his promise to her. She regretted that she couldn''t leave Lilia here to spend more time with her own brother, but because of the situation, that couldn''t happen. Her mother had originally taken Lilia with her to Japan so that she and Glenn could finally become friends, because she understood that''s what the girl wanted.

    As he said goodbye to his family at the airport, Glenn hurried to the Hirota clan estate. The metal gates swung open, and as he entered, the young man was met by the silhouette of a dark ash-haired blonde girl dressed in a kimono in front of him. It was Mari, patiently awaiting his arrival. Bowing to each other, they smiled politely. Glenn again forgot his troubles. Soon the little maid introduced him to his room.

    "Though the room is empty," Mari added, "it has everything to live in!"

    A bed, a change of light clothes, a mirror, and a sink - the small room had everything Glenn wanted. On the other hand, he couldn''t complain-it was free living. Seated in the middle of the room, they looked at each other patiently. Mari asked if she could make him some tea, and the boy agreed, adding that she shouldn''t refuse either. The overjoyed girl brought two cups of tea, and they sipped together.

    "What are you going to do now?" - Mari said, and the young man took on a more subdued appearance. "You found yourself here for a specific reason, didn''t you?"

    "Yes," Glenn marveled at her cleverness. "Akihito-sama''s agreement to help me has a direct link to my goals."

    "But what exactly do you want to accomplish?"

    When the boy lifted his head, Mari saw his impetuous eyes.

    "I aim to win, for my life is at stake."

    Mari perked up, involuntarily believing Glenn. Happily folding her thin, small palms together, she said: "I have no doubt that you will make it, and I will pray for your health with all my heart.

    Most of the time, when talking to Glenn, she chose topics pressing to both the young man and herself, but occasionally, because of her interest, she might ask what it was like to live outside the gates. Of course, Mari went outside, but only for urgent reasons and when her obligations demanded it. From talking about the seasons and the weather, the teenager came to the conclusion that Mari liked going out in the yard the most in winter, when the trees were covered with whiteness and the roads were fluffy.

    Coughing, she added: "Glenn-sama, as a matter of fact, the master had wanted to talk to you long ago, but could never find the time. Now that he is finally free, he has had the good fortune to meet with you again. I think you should take the initiative to talk to the masterˇ­ The master is not inclined to be intrusive and does not like to interfere in the private affairs of others, although he does show an indecent interest. Dear Glenn-kun, I beg youˇ­"

    "I''ll be sure to talk to him," Glenn nodded, smelling that Mari was ready to cry, telling him about his relationship with Akihito.

    "Please, dear Glenn-sama," she took her hands to the sleeve of the teenager''s gray sweater, "I think this business the lord is thinking ofˇ­has to do with me."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Soon alerted by the servants of the manor that she wished to arrange a meeting with the lord, Glenn was invited to his chambers. As a room, the chambers were indeed not much larger than the other rooms, and also had no fittings. This was due to the fact that Akihito''s real room, in which he slept, was elsewhere. Akihito called him for a walk around the huge, manicured courtyard.

    As they strolled along, two mature yard maids followed them nearby.

    "So, Glenn-kun, what do you wish to talk to me about?"

    "Having moved in with you, I haven''t seen much of you. I apologize if I interrupted you from important business."

    "For the moment I am temporarily resting. Let''s just say I''ve decided to prioritize peace of mind over perpetual negotiations with powerful people. After all, our business thrives on my family''s reputation."

    "Do your blood relatives also reside here?"

    "Yes, but they are too busy to squander their time and sleep in their own apartments. Besides, some of them live in other cities for the benefit of their work."

    Glancing over at Glenn, Akihito folded his slender arms behind his back and added: "Is there any particular reason you deigned to talk to me?"

    Nodding, Glenn briefly explained Mari''s excitement and the fact that she had asked him to speak to the lord. Akihito took hold of his thin chin.

    "I see, that explains it," he said, and asked the servants to leave them alone.

    The garden in the courtyard of Hirota Manor was an art form in its own right, mesmerizing in its natural colors. From time immemorial, this garden had been part of the forest on whose shore the manor now stands. Stopping by a bamboo tube, into which a trickle of water flowed and slowly accumulated inside as its design deterred animals and pests, Glenn and Akihito waited for the heavy end of the tube to fall on a rock and make a loud sound.

    "I worry," Akihito added, standing in thought, "for this little girl''s future. She has from the beginning adhered to her duty, for that is what her ancestors taught her. She has no parents or family connections left, but by the look of her, she intends to serve until the end of her days, surely to bear an heir in the future so that their line will be preserved."

    Glenn responded to the man''s words. Regret flowed through Akihito''s words, driven by concern for another man''s soul.

    "Regardless of the oath, which is historically centuries old, I don''t think it would be human to take away both Mari-chan''s future and childhood. I don''t want to take the life of a little girl. Her grandmother died in an event two years ago, which I will regret until the day I die. My hands are bloody, Glenn-kun, and I don''t want to get them dirty again by taking the life of another person to whose childlike grace I have managed to become attached."

    "Akihito-samaˇ­"

    "It would be better to leave the regular maids of the manor, paid for their work and not bound by the oath of the two clans."

    Glenn delved deeper into the meaning of his statements. The teenager understood Akihito''s concern about this, for the death of the old maid (Mari''s grandmother), whom Akihito genuinely respected and a bright person, had affected his morals. She had served him and been with him since his birth.

    "I have a request," he addressed the teenager, "that I''ve been thinking about for quite some time. There is no way Mari herself would agree, even though I realize that my words are law to her. As much as I would like to leave this girl''s life alone, I can''t afford to throw her out of the palace, let alone leave her in the care of strangers. I don''t care about any oath if this decision is good for Mari Asahina."

    The bamboo tube filled with water, its heavy side fell directly onto the stone and clattered, making a loud sound.

    "Shall I persuade her?"

    "Yes. It''s a request. If you can persuade Mari-chanˇ­I promise I''ll do whatever you want."

    Akihito''s speech captured the teenager''s soul, and he lowered his dark eyes, finding himself pondering. Obviously, Akihito was saying the right things in his opinion.

    "I will do whatever it takes to make your wish come true, Akihito-sama."

    "Thank you."

    "But I am perplexed because Mari-chan feels good about her life as a maid. Would she have felt better if she had felt a big change in her life when she was first freed from her duties and she didn''t like it? It''s not like she''s complaining about her life."

    Barely suppressing bitterness, Akihito tried to appear loyal. All he needed was his wish to come true. Despite the seriousness of his choice, Akihito did not hesitate to defend his point of view.

    "May such a change be good for her. It is only important to me that Mari-chan become a free person, not locked up in an estate for the rest of her life. Glenn-kun, this is my last order for you."

    Having put together a coherent picture, Glenn realized the man''s intentions. Eventually, their walk and conversation ended on a positive note, and after taking another lap around the yard, they said goodbye. The sun was setting on the mountains and skyscrapers, gilding the surrounding area.

    After all, Glenn was sure of the difficulty in changing Mari Asahina''s mind, a girl who lived by the vows made by their ancestors several hundred years ago. Akihito, being a man who wouldn''t hurt a fly, didn''t want to impose the oath on the little girl, considering it foolishness, even though it was included in their clan culture. Contrary to modern human standards, luckily Akihito refused to do such an act, preferring morality over outdated standards. Also, Glenn reflected on the man''s words about complying with any request he made, and noted this fact to himself. He was, after all, also partial to Mari, so he eventually decided that he would comply with Akihito''s request at any cost.

    Walking through the hallway, he reached the door of his room. When he opened it, he saw Mari sitting in the same spot she had been sitting in the last conversation. When their gazes met, Glenn realized from her estranged eyes how much this problem could affect the girl''s childlike perception. Her lips trembled, and softly she said the teenager''s name.

    "Let''s talk about the world," Glenn said, smiling, "the wonders of winter, a little more, everything you want to know."

 Snowchild

    Glenn woke up for the first time in years in someone else''s room, in someone else''s bed. Previously, he had been to Hirota clan estate, but hadn''t bothered to spend a whole night there. Now that he had the opportunity, the guy began to wonder about the cheating in his life. Being dressed in a gray kimono with only his slender body inside, he was about to leave the room. As he opened the door, he met Mari''s gaze, standing at the entrance. She was holding Glenn''s ironed street clothes. Taking a step away from the door, Mari smiled.

    "And how long were you standing at the door?"

    "Not long at all!" she exclaimed, dotingly. "It was a miracle that we met like this, and nothing more! Glenn-sama, I washed your clothes."

    "Thank you," he took the clothes and put them in the thin closet in his room.

    "Master is waiting for you to join him for breakfast."

    "For breakfast alone?"

    Mari shrugged her thin shoulders.

    "All right."

    Next, they were in the living room, in the middle of which was a long table on which was arranged strictly natural and harmless food, which made it so exciting to finally eat. Glenn and Akihito were seated at the table, and Mari was standing near the door with another maid. After praying, they proceeded to eat.

    "I''m going back to a busy life soon," Akihito said, "and we won''t be able to see each other as much anymore. You''re going to be staying with us for a long time, aren''t you?"

    Pointing with sly eyes at the subdued Mari, he smiled toward Glenn.

    "Now that we''ve clarified our requests, will you finally tell me about your terminal illness?"

    The teenager went pale in a flash. "The first symptoms appeared two years ago. Both my father and grandfather suffered from the disease. I don''t count on the accuracy of my words. Throughout this time I concealed it from my mother, not wanting to depress her with unnecessary worry, and collected the money myself."

    "Why didn''t you start telling her? Was there some sense in it?"

    "My mother didn''t have a terrific income, much less a younger sister living in another country. While paying her tuition, my mother also gave me money for expenses, occasionally showing up in Japan herself. The only thing that gave us freedom about money was the savings in my father''s lifetime."

    "I see. But what about the treatment itself?"

    "This disease literally destroys the body from the inside, gradually killing off all the essential micronutrients for life. My mother told me when I inquired about my father. For the treatment itself, according to the doctors, my father was told that it could take several years, depending on the severity."

    "I see," Akihito put a finger to his chin. "And what condition are you in now?"

    "I don''t think I''ll die in the current year. After all, moving around on my own two is working out."

    "That doesn''t prove anything. You should check with the doctors!"

    "You don''t have to worry about me," Glenn smiled. "That''s why I want to warn you that a large amount of my time will be spent working. So, please allow me to go beyond the boundaries of your so charming estate."

    "If it can help you with that, of course. Just, Glenn-kun, don''t overwork yourself."

    His last words brought Glenn to calmness, making the heaviness on the lad''s shoulders disappear and his lips took on a slight smile.

    The topic quickly changed to a routine conversation between two adults about things. Even though Glenn was nineteen, Akihito considered him grown up, having the value of his life, and so he could trust him wholeheartedly.

    Returning to his room, Glenn walked around accompanied by a small maid.

    "Were you able to find common ground with the master, Glenn-sama?"

    "Of course. Our conversation turned out to be interesting."

    Rejoicing, Mari declared: "If you say so, then all is really well! I am now free from my duties, for my master has summoned the other maids to join him."

    Giggling, Mari immediately appeared sad. Her eyes contemplated childlike envy and concern for the other person who was her raison d''¨ştre in her fluid life.

    "I feel that Akihito-sama is deflecting from meˇ­ It''s as if he wants to cut me off. Gosh, what a creepy outcome of eventsˇ­"

    "Mari-chan, it''s only been a day since you were appointed my personal maid. It''s obvious why Akihito-sama decided to do this."

    Mari shook her head.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "For the past month, I''ve been experiencing this premonition."

    In Glenn''s opinion, Mari was trying to get Akihito to pay his attention. Wandering in thought, Glenn analyzed what he should have done to ensure that Mari found happiness. Would the right choice be to remove her from her duties and set her free?

    "Mari-chan, why don''t we take a walk before I go?"

    Awkwardly lifting her head, she agreed.

    At the ducked and slow walk, Mari glanced over at Glenn, who was interested in the surroundings in the courtyard. The scenery, the nature ¨C everything the teenager liked about the place, and he felt a kind of rush of reassurance.

    "Glenn-sama, answer me to satisfy my interest: yesterday with master ¨C was your conversation about meˇ­?"

    "I am surprised at your guessing."

    "I don''t think I''m right, howeverˇ­ I have a hunch that you were communicating about my debt relief?"

    Glenn found it unbelievable ¨C five points for her discretion, no less!

    "That''s exactly what it was. I cannot hide the matter from you, for you are closely connected with the causes of Akihito-sama''s anxiety."

    "I am not sure that the subject you have been talking about will please me, but I thinkˇ­ my heart is pounding and commanding me to find out what you are hiding from me!"

    "Mari-chanˇ­"

    "E-excuse me. I think I''d like it if you''d tell me what you were talking about the last timeˇ­"

    The teenager knew he never wanted to do the girl wrong, and instead of all that, a idea crossed his mind, and he came up with a compromise.

    "Mari-chan, I think you are a delightful and charming girl, and I am sure you will become even more beautiful as an adult."

    The girl was embarrassed.

    "Be that as it may," Glenn appealed, "your master is worried about your bright future. He worries that if you stay to serve him, you will be trapped within the walls of this manor forever. Akihito-sama will not forgive himself for destroying the little girl''s future. After conferring with him on the matter, I learned that he wants to let you go."

    Mari did not answer the teenager, still standing still with her head down. Her shoulders trembled and her lips could not utter a word.

    "Listen, Mari-chan. It will be difficult for you to decide ¨C I understand, for you will have to break the oaths of centuries ago made by your ancestors. In your master''s case, he thinks that no oath can defeat human values and feelings. The past must be left behind."

    "I understand, Glenn-sama, that the master seeks the future. I understood about everything, but if I were to choose freedom, I would only be in more trouble. I had not been outside Hirota territory, and I was not fortunate enough to meet the snow in the city, even the snowfall, alone with my thoughts. I have seen nothing of the outside world, and from your stories I can only imagine how interesting it can be. I feel colickyˇ­ and I''m fearful, Glenn-sama."

    With a pained look, Mari turned to the teenager. She had to lift her chin to reach Glenn''s gaze. The boy guessed from her that she was having a hard time talking about the subject.

    "Mari-chan!" Glenn said. "Did you want to go out sometime? Take a walk around town with your relatives? See the sights or take a picture with a view of nature?"

    "Glenn-sama?"

    "Didn''t you want to be a regular girl, living the life of a child carefree?" he continued, trying his best to comfort the girl.

    "Living a carefree lifeˇ­? It never occurred to me that I could have such a life. Such a thing was out of the question. But walking around the cityˇ­ Yes, I''ve always wanted to walk with you, Glenn-sama, and see the rides, or visit the museums. After your stories, I was curious to know how full this world is! I would love to walk with you, anywhere ¨C I don''t care where, as long as it''s with you. To learn more about the outside worldˇ­ the truth is, I''d go anywhere!"

    Mari felt better, and, dreaming, her spirits lifted again. Her speech gave the teenager strength, for he was able to shed light on her hidden desires in her soul.

    "However, this cannot compare to my desire to fulfill my duty set by my ancestors. I simply do not understand why the lord refuses me? It is my duty ¨C to serve I give my life to the utmost."

    Mari wept relentlessly, repenting what she had done wrong. Glenn''s heart broke when he saw her in that position. No living soul, in his opinion, should have such a sad position, and the line between happiness and sorrow should remain only a line. The tendency to empathize with pain for others was Glenn''s weakness.

    "All because," Glenn stammered with a trembling voice, "your master doesn''t want your submissive captivity! He wants your life to take on new colors and you to experience feelings and emotions never before seen. He is anxious to let you go so that you can become a full human being!"

    Glenn began to sweat. His dejected eyes blurred at the sight of a saddened Mari.

    "I think so, too," he continued. "Mari-chan, the way you imagine walking around town is really so exciting!" ¨C exclaiming, his words awakened Mari''s eyes to widen in wonder. "Especially in the evening! This city becomes truly breathtaking when walking in the evening!"

    She tried to choose between the first and the second, no, she cited positive facts in favor of each choice, so she could eventually figure out the exact pros and cons of both. Noticing Glenn''s body soften, and himself carelessly averting his eyes, the girl became worried about his condition.

    Glenn, at this time, was showing up dizzy, experiencing a high fever, and his eyes were split open.

    "Glenn-sama! Are you all right?"

    "Not worth the excitement," he stepped awkwardly toward the wall of the house, but his sloppy body movements, unable to withstand the attack of pain, caused him to plummet. Mari was able to pick him up, but because of the weight difference and Glenn''s great height, she was only able to grasp him halfway. She placed Glenn on the floor, and he slumped against the wall, barely conscious.

    His ears rang irritably, making the guy want to close them with his hands. Mari desperately tried to save him from decay.

    "Mari-chanˇ­" he uttered quietly, and closed his eyes. His perception receded away. All he could see with his eyes was solid darkness, blurred by Mari''s muffled screams.

    "It seems," he said to himself: I made the young girl cry for me. What a fool, for my own health I cannot answer."

    Running his eyes over the dark space, he was content with the tranquility of the place. He didn''t want to fight for his life here, nor did he want to fear for his spirit to expire.