Disclaimer: I might switch between present and past tenses suddenly, and I apologize if this is distracting. I'm still learning from my mistakes, even as a graduate, I make a lot more than I should.
Probably should've paid more attention to my writing classes growing up. My fault entirely. If there's any mistakes, please, don't be afraid to tell me!
Prologue: From the Top
Act 1: Body
Everything that is, has been
Everything that has been, will be
Everything that will be, has become...
. x . x . x . x .
You know that feeling of annoyance that you'd get, whenever something's so visibly wrong, that it's almost impossible not to sigh at? It's frustrating, I would know. Especially since that's happening right now. There's a blank space next to me where a usually bubbly girl should be; now, that's not a bad thing, don't get me wrong, but I've sort of gotten used to her. She stuck herself to me the moment I showed up at her school, and not having her with me right now? It's kinda-
"Heeeeeeeey!"
-oh, there she is. Ignore my tangent. Looking at the pinkette with a wry smile, I wave weakly at her. The poor thing doesn't even acknowledge all of the looks she's getting, and here I am, her target, others staring at me like I'm the weirdo. Her arms wave frantically back and I can't help but chuckle at her antics.
Sayori Nakai; clutz, foodie, professional slacker and best friend to all transfer students. Granted, I'm the only transfer student at this shoddy school, but I'm not complaining. Means I get all of the attention from her. Kinda-ish. That new club she's in draws her away somewhat, but again, I'm not complaining. Her open blouse flails to her sides as she stops in front of me, her face red as she huffs inwards and out.
I await a response with a hand on my hip.
"Haaah... aaah... ok-okay. Okay! I'm good... hah." With a final breath, she jerks upwards with a playful and loose salute. Her oceanic-esque blue eyes sparkle with mirth as she looks into mine. I almost feel tempted to look away with the intensity in her eyes. She must be on a mission. "I overslept again!" Her sudden whines draw me away from that conclusion. She lowers her hand to hover over her chest as she stares at me with an almost pitiful gaze.
I tsk and shake my head. "To think, I actually decided to wait for you today, too." With a condescending tone, it makes it even harder for me not to laugh at her facial expression. Her pout doesn't phase me. "Should've just left ten minutes ago, that would've made you regret it." Salt to wound, check. Jesus, I feel like an asshole.
She crosses her arms over her chest almost animatedly as she looks away. "Yeah well, maybe I should've slept in even longer!" Her what-if does little besides earning a brow raise.
"I'd've left after another ten minutes." As monotonous as possible, I couldn't take it anymore. I laugh slightly at the situation which brings her back to looking at me with that almost ever-present smile of hers. "Regardless, good to see you're up. You know I hate walking to school alone, anyway." Wait, maybe I shouldn't have said-
"Aww! You wouldn't leave me behind, you're such a big softie!"
-that. Her arms wrap around me tightly and I almost blanch. People were looking at us weirdly and I don't want them to assume I'm dating this weirdo. Wouldn't complain about it, but seriously. I try and nudge her off of me, but this only hardens her iron grip. "Get off me. We're going to be even more late than we already are." My suggestion falls on deaf ears.
... Looks like we're walking like this. Oi! Put your phone away, you bastard! I'd go over there and kick your ass if it wasn't for this death grip! Okay, maybe I would complain, but maybe I'm being paranoid... Always Bookfacing or whatever it is they do on their phones. If I see one image of her holding onto me on social media, I'm gonna scream. Physically.
After my internal rant, her arms slink away from my body and I let out a sigh of relief. I swear, if that guy took any photos, he's a dead man. I don't even notice Sayori giggling at my glaring. She says something which draws me out of my imagination.
"... planned?"
"Er, what?"
"I said, silly, do you wanna know what I've got planned?" Not really, no, but regardless of my answer, she's going to humor herself.
"... sure, why not."
"Sooo... I know that this is your last year here," her eyes shift downward to avoid mine, but I swear I briefly saw a hint of something in them. "And I figured that I'd try and make it the most awesome one ever! One so awesome, that you'll never forget it if you tried!" Suddenly her face is in mine once more with a wide grin threatening to split her cheeks. It kinda hurt to look at. I still can't help but question her idea.
"And how're you going to manage that? Everything else has been pretty forgettable if I'm being honest. Only thing I'm gonna remember here is you and your weird ass ideas, like this one for instance." Despite her pout, a splash of pink graces her cheeks for all of a second before she smiles once again.
"Easy! You still haven't joined a club yet, have you?" Her question throws me off for a second, but I recover just as quickly. With a shake of my head, I begin walking towards the school, her following suit.
"Joined a club? I told you already, 'Yori. I'm not interested in joining any clubs. Especially not during my last year, I'd much rather use my after school time to laze around and-"
"That's what I don't want you to do this year! You're always complaining about not doing anything, yet even given the chance, you still don't do anything! So, I signed you up for a club!" I stop abruptly in my tracks, even as she continued to walk into my back.
"..."
"! ! !"
"What." The deadpan was palpable. That sneaky little... "you signed me up for a club? Without my consent? How'd you even get my signature?" I had more questions than comments, obviously. I turn around to look at her, my head lowering to meet her bashful gaze.
Slowly, her two index fingers rise and begin to poke at each other as she mumbles to herself. "ikindofsnuckthroughyourbackpackafewdaysago."
What? "One more time?" I point my ear in her direction as if to hear her better somehow. Her voice raises slightly and she speaks more clearly.
"I, uh... I kind of snuck through your backpack while you were in physical education on Tuesday... hehe..." My stare goes blank for a moment as I try to think of something, but only one thought comes to mind.
"I leave my backpack in the locker rooms!" The revelation struck me like a lightning bolt. My underwear was in my pack that day! My mouth goes dry and my cheeks heat up. Slowly, I close my mouth and bite my lower lip as I turn back around.
"Are you mad?" Her question buzzes over my shoulder as I start walking once again.
I hear footsteps fall in sync with my own, and suddenly the right side of my body is poked at gently, her arm retreats as she asks again. "Wey'? You're not mad at me, right? Wey'?"
This question repeats itself for several more minutes before the school is finally in view. Of course, as with how late we are, we're the only students coming onto campus. This gives me a moment to breathe. "M-mad, ah, no. No, I'm not mad." God, I feel embarrassed. I haven't even let my mother wash my undergarments since I was 12, let alone allow another girl to see them now. Is this payback for last week, how I spilled my grape juice on her by accident?
"... good, I'd really feel bad if you were mad at me, Wey'." I feel her arms wrap around my right one, her head pressing lightly against my shoulder. Her tone was soft, almost hurt by my short ignoring of her. Way to make me feel things, 'Yori.
With my left hand, I pat her head softly. "Not mad, like I said..." I needed something else to say... ah! "... so, ah, what club did you sign me up for?" Her hold on my arm tightens as I can physically feel her mood brighten at my question.
"Ooh, it's a surprise! I'll show you after class, you're going to love it!" She continues to hug my arm against her chest, even as we pass through the school's main doors.
. x . x . x . x .
Broken
Forgive me, I apologize for the next chapter, I don't know Japan's schooling or their system, so I'm doing the classing by memory of my own high school experience. I'm 20, so don't think I'm weird or anything lmao. I only just got out of HS last year.
Also yes, I know it's spelled Manga.
Characters' ages:
Sayori Nakai - 19
Natsuki Akiyama - 17
Yuri Tsuda - 19
Monika Kuse - 18
Weyland Lemming - 18
