A teenager's high school life is not as easy as most adults think.
Sitting in a uncomfortable classroom, trying to write down all of the important facts your teacher tells you in less then a minute. Getting hit by pieces of papers by the boys in the last row, while trying to blend out the chatter from the girls next to you. Finding out rumors about you during the daily lunch break stairway chatter, reading love letters written on crumpled up paper ripped out from notebooks.
Stumbling dead tired into the library, hoping to get a bit of work done, but failing miserably and already falling asleep while picking out the books you need to read to finish your assignment. Walking home with a backpack on your shoulder, heavy enough for a high class boxer to use as punching bag. Entering your home too tired to even mumble the words "I'm home", before walking up the stairs to your room, passing out on your bed with your school uniform still on.
Waking up again around 10PM, stuffing some Umaibō in your mouth, as you work on your tasks for the next day, while waiting for your Instant Ramen dinner to be done. Finishing your work in the early morning hours in time to see the first rays of dawn, jumping in the shower, hoping you do not wake anybody up and then falling asleep for about two hours more before your alarm goes off and it starts all over again.
A teenager's high school life truly is not easy. Especially when you have a part-time job as well, siblings to look after, friends who need your help, love live drama, family drama and any other kind of drama. But adults do not understand, as if they have forgotten their own high school days in a blink of an eye as soon as they reached the age of nineteen.
Non stop ringing phones, the inhumane fast typing of the secretaries, open blind folds that let the sun rays enter the room and warm my back and the calming sound of the fan. That was my typical morning since the first month after the beginning of high school, as I waited for the school counselor to begin another one of our, so called, therapy sessions.
The room smelled like a medley of slightly burnt coffee, sweat and about four different bottles of perfume and cologne, while I passed the time swinging my legs back and forth, humming the melody that has been stuck in my head for the past few weeks, trying to read the chat the secretary secretly had with one of the teachers before giving her some advice on what to say when she had run out of ideas and flipping through an old manga from four years ago, that I had recently found again while cleaning my room for the first time in a very long while.
"Kijima." The familiar voice of the school counselor shouted, whereupon I jumped down the windowsill and disappeared in his office, closing the door behind me, before sitting down on top of the backrest of the old looking brown leather couch in front of his table.
"If your dirty shoes touch that couch one more time, I am going to make you clean the whole swimming pool on your own, do you understand me?" he almost growled, as I puffed up my cheeks, sliding down the backrest, before plopping down on the soft cushion. "You are pretty mean, Naota-san." I grumbled, carefully taking four sugar cubes from the cheap convenience store bought box, letting one fall into the white porcelain cup in front of him and the other three into the porcelain cup with the baby pink floral print in front of me.
"It's still Tasuku-sensei to you, brat." the male said with closed eyes, as he stood up and got the full can of fresh brewed coffee behind him, before filling both our cups. "Anyways." he said with a sigh as he let himself fall onto his black leather chair, which was the only thing in this room that at least kind of looked new. "We both know why we are here." he continued, taking a cigarette out of it's shabby package, placing it in the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, because I was forced to come here and you are getting paid for this." I said, holding my hands over the hot cup, warming them, whereupon Naota only started massaging his temples, before removing the cigarette from his mouth again. "Can you explain to me, why you weren't present in the first three hours of class today?" he asked, while I just took a long sip of the burnt coffee. "Because I had things to do." I replied. "And what are those things?" he asked, eyebrow raised, giving me a questioning look.
"Things." I simply said, not even thinking about giving him an actual reply, that would properly answer his question, whereupon he only gave me a strict look, probably wondering why he was still trying to talk to me about this topic, when we both knew that it was hopeless.
"Can I go now?" I asked, already getting up from the couch, walking towards the door, as an angry vein appeared on Naota's forehead. "Oi, we are not done here." he simply growled, yet before he could even continue talking I had already walked out, only hearing the sound of his orotund voice yelling my first name.
"Ah, here's your backpack, Kijima-kun." the secretary said, as she saw me walking out of his office, whereupon I only gave her a smile, before taking the dark blue bag from her hands. "Have fun in class." she added, without even looking up from her keyboard, as I simply nodded. "See you tomorrow." I chimed with a grin, causing a laugh to escape her lips.
With the ringing of the bell that announced the lunch break, I wend my way to the wending machines near the gymnasium. Normally I would rather stay in the classroom, or go to the roof top and relax, but since I forgot my lunch today at home and did not want to walk all the way to the convenience store across the street, I decided to just go grab a small snack from the wending machines, to calm my growling stomach - trying to embarrass me horribly in front of everyone around me.
"Ah, what do I want, what do I want~?" I asked myself, rocking forwards and backwards as I scanned the content of the wending machines, eyes landing on the last two Nerunerunerunes and Tube Ice Lollys, hurriedly pressing the buttons as I fed some of my change to the machine. Happily smiling as I took them out, before turning around, completely blind by my childish happiness, running into somebody.
"Eh? What a short girl.." a male voice reached my ears, as I immediately jumped a step back, looking up to the person I just ran in to. - A boy so tall, he could probably easily pick a star from the night sky if he wanted to, with lavender hair that reminded me of the Meiji Watapachi Grape Cotton Candy I had for breakfast yesterday and violet eyes, that lazily looked at me, with a gaze similar to that of a sleepy cat's which had just been awakened from her Sunday nap.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't see you." I chimed, as the male simply raised his eyebrows because of my words. "You're weird.." he mumbled, as he walked past me to the wending machines, before suddenly dropping all his change in shock. At once I had turned around and started to help him pick it up, looking at the male who simply stared at the candy machine with a look, that could make you believe he just got his heart broken.
"Ya, are you ok?" I asked with a frown as I had finished picking up his change, waiting for a reply, while wondering what was wrong with this boy.
"My Nerunerunerune candy..." he suddenly mumbled so quietly, I almost felt like I simply imagined him saying that, as I cocked my head to the side, mustering his empty looking eyes, before taking one of my Nerunerunerunes out and holding it up as far as possible, hoping he would see it.
"Ah, you..." he began in a small voice, as I simply grabbed his arm and placed the candy in his palm, together with his change.
"Eh?" he asked, eyebrows raised, blinking at me questioning. "You can have it, I still have one left." I said, as he ripped the plastic open. "Are you sure?" he asked me, looking like he was about to already start eating, without even preparing it first, whereupon I just snorted.
"You want this money?" he continued, holding out his hand, as I only shook my head. "Just take it." I said, before opening my Tube Ice Lolly, suddenly feeling the sugar coated, sticky fingers of the taller male on my head, petting me, like one would do to a small animal.
"Thanks-" he said, waiting for me to introduce myself, as a grin spread across my face.
"Chisaki Kijima." I said, as he only cocked his head to the side. "Chisaki.. Chisaii*..." he mumbled, while eyeing me from head to toe, before then simply putting his Nerunerunerune inside the pocket of his school uniform, placing his unnatural big palm of his hand on top of my head once again.
"Ma, see ya in class, Chisaii Chisaki." he said, before disappearing in the direction of the school building, without even telling me his name first.
"What a weird guy.."
*Note: Kijima is pretty short compared to Murasakibara, so her family name Chisaki fits pretty well, since it's similar to the JPN word for small, chisaii!