High school was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of my life. For many, it represented the peak of their youth. The entrance ceremony was probably what incoming students looked forward to the most. In the refreshing month of April, with cherry blossoms floating in the spring wind, it marked the beginning of new classes, new experiences, new friends, and new romances. For many, it was the first true step into adulthood.

My first term was good. It was great. I made friends, joined the school's softball team. We even made it to the district's championships although we didn't succeed in nationals. But I only had one problem: I had a record of running late. The first day of the second term was no exception.

With no time to wait at the bus stop, I sprinted to school straight from my apartment complex; a forty-minute walk that I would now have to cut down in half with a mad dash. When the school gates came in to view, I kicked up my knees and pumped my arms harder. My nostrils flared and my cheeks were undoubtedly pink from being chaffed by the wind. I imitated the look of a bull about to burrow head-first into the matador.

"Tokitsu High School" the gate read in resilient iron letters, a school known for not only academics but elite sports clubs. Most students enrolled at this school for that particular reason. The gym was large and the puddle-ridden yard was even larger, which made me falter and groan before picking up the pace with an especially hard push off the ground.

It was a curse I tell you. Ranging from five minutes to an hour, I was late at least once a week without fail. My mom got up hours before me for work so there was no one to wake me up at home. The alarm clock was useless since I always somehow managed to press snooze unconsciously. Occasionally my friends would call me but they were busy enough with their own morning routines. My homeroom teacher even arranged a conference with my mother to discuss the problem. Despite the scolding and discipline done at home, the problem simply could not be fixed. I wasn't a terrible student, so my teacher didn't give me such as hard time so long as my performance didn't drop below average. In short, I had a problem that no one knew how to fix, so we went along with the next best option: we decided to ignore to the problem, as bad as that was.

"Himari, what are you doing?" a voice hissed. Snapping my head up to the sound, I found a head with choppy brown hair and warm eyes peeking out from a window on the second floor. It was my friend, Yoshioka Futaba. "The bell already rang. You're late!"

"I know that!" I shouted back at her in exasperation.

"Then hurry and get your butt over here! Nakanishi-sensei isn't here yet so you might still have a chance."

I gave her a firm nod and prepared myself for a hard sprint once again when a shiver ran through my spine. I immediately flicked my eyes to the window that Futaba had been leaning out of, but it was already shut as she had returned to her seat. I glanced around the yard. For some odd reason, it felt as if I was being watched. Looking at the wall on the opposite end, I swore I caught a glimpse of eyes as cold and blue as the Antarctic Ocean. However, when I tried squinting, the image disappeared as quickly as it came.

I was quietly struggling to stifle my heavy gasps for air. No doubt my hair looked as if I had taken a stroll through a tornado, and my blazer appeared as if someone had attempted to rip it off of me. A couple snickers and giggles were heard as I entered the classroom, making my already red face even redder. I rushed to fix myself.

"Glad you could join the party," Futaba whispered with a teasing smile.

I glared at her. "Shut up."

In the beginning, we weren't always like this. At one point, we had been polite and friendly with one another. But after Futaba and I had grown closer over the past four months through class projects, presentations, and study groups, as well as through softball which we were both coincidentally a part of, you could say that she was my closest friend in high school.

Our homeroom teacher walked in shortly afterward and class carried on as normal. Lunch began at noon.

"Hey, Futaba. You packed a bento? I'm going down to the canteen to buy some bread. Was there anything you wanted?"

"If they have the mascot bread, get me one of those, please. I'll eat it before practice."

I grinned and waved before taking off. Hopping down the steps two at a time, my jaw dropped at the war zone occurring between the students. There was a frenzy over melon bread, onigiri, sandwiches. Coins were practically flying overhead. The competitive spirit of student-athletes radiated off of the horde. I groaned at the daunting sight. There was no way I was going to be able to get in there. I forgot this always happened on the first day of the new term. I seriously should have packed a bento the night before.

Dejected, I turned and walked down the hall to locate a vending machine. At least a sugary beverage would keep my blood sugar levels up until after school. Finding one in a particularly deserted hallway, I pushed coins into the slot and considered my options. I loved yogurt drinks with a passion. I used to have one almost every day after school in elementary on my way home. Unfortunately, this machine didn't offer any. Considering my other choices, I decided a cola was the next best thing. Pressing the button, I waited in anticipation as the aluminum can was slowly pushed forward before falling with a clank. My arm was halfway in the bottom compartment when my entire body suddenly froze.

"I... I like you Yamazaki-kun. W-Will you please go out with me?"

Yamazaki-kun? That name sounded oddly familiar.

And then it suddenly dawned on me. This was a confession. I wasn't supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to be hearing this. But I was one-hundred-percent unable to move from my position. Every fiber of my body went stiff. As much as I didn't want to, the only thing I could do was listen in. A low mumble was heard from what I assumed to be Yamazaki-kun, and soon enough light footsteps were heard as a girl came dashing out of the empty classroom, most likely in tears. She ran right by me without even stopping.

"Oi. Bobcut."

Crap. I couldn't move.

Heavier footsteps were traveling towards me at a leisure pace.

Crap crap crap. My mind was working at the speed of light, forcing the gears to get in place. Although I couldn't remember the exact details since I was never early enough to hear the full morning announcements, if my memory served me correctly I did remember a Yamazaki being mentioned as a member of the swim team who recently made it to nationals. And if this Yamazaki-san was the same Yamazaki-san on the said team, this meant that he currently ranked among the top ten in the country for butterfly. And if this Yamazaki-san was indeed the same Yamazaki-san who had a secret cult of fangirls that wouldn't hesitate to cut someone if they had even bothered to look in his general direction, this put me in a very, very scary position.

A shadow loomed over me.

I was screwed.

"I-I-I didn't see anything!" I shouted as I bolted up with my back facing him. I had no intention of showing him my face. The last thing I needed was for him, or his fan club, to peg me as his prey for the rest of my high school career.

"Turn around," the voice instructed.

No way in a million years was that happening. Thinking of a quick way to divert his attention, my eyes naturally turned towards the cola in my hands.

"Um...Um... You can have this," I said shoving the soda can towards him before pivoting on my heel. "Don't mind me. I'll be on my way."

"Hey. That's not what-"

"BYEEEE," I shouted before booking it down the hall.

I was so so so very tired of running. I already ran enough this morning. Heck, I already run enough on a daily basis. My lungs were on fire as I was internally screaming to release all the pent-up stress. Exercising when I was this hungry and low energy was definitely not good for my physical health. He probably wanted me to take this secret to the grave. If not, his cult of fangirls would make sure I stayed silent. I'm. Seriously. Going. To. Die.

Turning the corner, I lunged up the flight of stairs, made a sharp right, then left, before diving into my classroom and ducking under my desk.

"Looks like Wakamiya-san is running again," a classmate said with a laugh.

"Hey, Wakamiya-san," a male student hollered, "what trouble did you get into this time?"

I peeped my head over the desk surface to shush them before retreating. It's not like I was going around asking for trouble all the time. It's just that trouble always seemed to find me.

"Himari, what's going on," Futaba asked. "And where's your lunch?"

"It's a long story," I whispered. "But let's just say that I witnessed the swim team's Yamazaki-san being confessed to and he might be on a rampage right now?"

"What?" Futaba asked in disbelief, reeling back in her chair. "The Yamazaki Sousuke coming after you? Why would he?"

"Wait. What did you say his name was? Sousuke?"

"Uhh yeah, Sousuke. But why would he be coming after you? I know he gets confessed to quite often but he's pretty well known for not caring about that kind of stuff so I don't think you should worry..."

Futaba's voice faded in with the rest of the classroom ambiance as I slowly rose from under my desk and settled into my seat. I only knew one Yamazaki Sousuke, and he was one of my elementary friends that only lived in my memories, before my parents had gotten a divorce. We spent so many days after school together, buying yogurt drinks and colas from the local mom-and-pop shop, and parting ways in front of my house while he continued down the road to the community pool with Rin. The Sousuke of my memories was a boy who always wore a permanent frown, yet had the sweetest smile. He liked working independently and avoided group work whenever he had the chance, yet he never hesitated to help someone in need. But that was back home. This was Tokyo. What was he doing here?

Whatever the case was, to hear that he was here, and now ranked in anything that put him in the top ten of the country, as well as being confessed to on the first day of the after summer break had me thoroughly impressed. I now had a new resolve: to track down Yamazaki Sousuke.

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