You shouldn't judge people by the way they look. The way they act, whether moral or evil, doesn't define them. You don't know them. You just pretend to know them. They're your friends because you have no one else to turn to. They're your enemies because they need someone to hate.

Yoshiki Kishinuma had spent his whole life alone. He'd knew better than to trust anyone else—trust yourself, because you can be sure the job will be done. You don't have to rely on empty promises to keep your hopes up. You know better than to believe in something that will never come true. You can certainly hope—that foolish word that had kept him going ever since he left the house. You can hope they'll pay attention to you; you can hope they'll come after you and want you back. You can hope…

Sakurato Morishige never allowed people to get close to him. He'd stayed a safe distance away, pretending to busy himself in his work. Keep to yourself, and you take your secrets to the grave. Keep to yourself, as others will surely turn their backs on you once the job is done. You know you'll do everything in group projects and your friends will claim all the credit. You'll know you'll be used by others. You know better to trust others with your deepest darkest secrets. And when you want to confine in others they're never there. You can hope someone will come to you in your time of need. You can hope they'll appreciate you for what you truly are. You can hope…

The first impression of Yoshiki Kishinuma is that you would consider him a delinquent. He'd get in trouble, ditch school, smoke in class. He's everything your parents warned you not to be. Bleached hair, uniform in disarray, a dark glint in his eyes. Even the bullies avoid him. And when you'd try to approach him you'd get hurt… or worse.

The first impression of Sakurato Morishige is that you would consider him a righteous young man. He'd hang out in the library, book in hand, always reading something. He's everything your parents wanted you to be. Combed hair, proper uniform, a cold glint in his eyes. People always ask him to be their partner. He'd comply without a word, always getting the job done.

But no one knows about their lives. No one bothers to ask. Everyone, like everyone else, let their perception affect their judgement. No one bothered to ask Yoshiki about his solitude; no one bothered to ask Sakurato what he wanted to do. No one asked because no one cared. And they might as well live the rest of their lives as society regards them—silent and unapproachable.

But it only takes one right person to change a life completely. Only in your darkest times do you cry. Only in your darkest times do you hunger for acceptance. Only then do you forsake your differences in order to gain companionship.

It started awkwardly enough, with Yoshiki the bully and Sakurato the bookworm in the same room. But as time passed on they realized how much they had in common. No one had asked Sakurato what his favorite food was before Yoshiki nonchalantly stopped by his house. No one had asked about Yoshiki's parents until Sakurato mentioned it at his house. And no one had asked who their crushes were when they stopped by for an awkward sleepover.

You can never judge anyone by their appearances. Behind that facade lies a storm of suppressed emotions society can never accept. But when the right people come along, you can truly be yourself. You can share your secrets; you can rely on them. You can hope they'll be there until the day you die… maybe longer than that.

You can hope they'll always be themselves. Every afternoon at Kisaragi Academy you can see two boys walking home together, laughing. The cherry blossoms scatter beneath their feet, swirling into the skies overhead. Only with companionship is there true happiness.

Let's hope the good times will last a little longer.

…

…But it's never that easy, is it? To hope for something that is too good to be true.