"And they lived happily ever after." Our teacher, Akira-sensei, had just finished a story about a princess being saved by a prince. They had married, having a big wedding with the entire kingdom attending.

"Now then, let's start math." A couple of kids groaned as Akira-sensei stood up, placing the book on a shelf.

"Return to your seats everyone." We were sitting in rows on a grey carpet which was located in the corner of the room. A wooden rocking chair was at the edge of carpet.

"Let's go, Hachiman." Hayato stood up before me, and he reached his hand out towards me.

I took it, and he helped me up. "Thanks."

He nodded, and then he did the same to Yukino-chan.

"Thank you."

He nodded again, and together, we went to our desks. The desks in our classroom were arranged into larger tables, each having four desks connected together. However, the odd number of people in our class made a table one short, only having three desks.

Our table.

I sat next to Yukino-chan and Hayato sat across from the both of us. Our table was near the back of the classroom, and Hayato had to turn his chair around to face the whiteboard where Akira-sensei would write math problems.

"Okay, let's begin. We'll continue off from last time, learning basic math." She had a small paperback book in hand as she wrote on the whiteboard. Thirty minutes passed, and she handed out worksheets with a dozen or so math problems reflecting the lesson she had taught us.

I got by the first few problems with little difficulty, but then I got stuck.

"Yukino-chan, I don't understand this." I pointed at the problem with my pencil and Yukino-chan looked over my shoulder. Hayato also stopped working on his worksheet to look at my problem as well.

"Oh, just do this." She did the problem on my paper, showing the steps as she went along. Finally, she reached a two digit number and circled it. "Understand?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Not a problem." She drew a smiley face on my paper and returned to her own work.

I looked up to see Hayato looking past me; a worried expression on his face. "Hayato? Is everything okay?"

"Yep." He smiled and returned to his work as well.

I looked behind me where Hayato was staring at and four boys were looking at me. Their eyebrows were narrowed with small wrinkles between them. They continued to look for a few seconds until they looked down at their desks, one of them whispering something to his table mate with his hand covering his mouth.

The pencil felt sticky in my hand.

The bell rung, and the teacher dismissed us from our seats. Hayato, Yukino-chan, and I grabbed our book bags and waited for the crowd in the front of the door to clear. I noticed one of the boys from earlier glancing at me as he left.

Finally, the exit cleared, and we were free to leave without much trouble.

"Be safe going home you three," Akira-sensei exclaimed as she wiped the whiteboard.

"We will," Hayato said in response, and we all waved goodbye, closing the door behind us as we left.

The hallways were mostly empty as most of the students had already reached their shoe lockers, so the walk to our own lockers was rather uneventful. Yukino-chan spoke with Hayato about Pan-san, and he laughed as she told him about one of his fabled adventures.

We reached the lockers, and as I opened the small door, a white folded piece of paper caught my eye. I took it out, unfolding it in front of me.

"What's that?" Yukino-chan and Hayato's lockers were next to mine, and they were both looking at the paper. Written on it were the words "Go to the playrgound. I want to tell you something."

"Are you going to go?" asked Hayato.

"Yeah. I can go alone though. Can you tell my driver to wait a little for me?"

"Sure."

We waved goodbye, and I parted from Yukino-chan and Hayato. I walked through the halls, wondering who wanted to speak with me and why. Was it the boys from earlier? Maybe I did something to them on accident. It was a good thing that we were meeting, then, since it'd be better to clear everything up than to just leave it alone.

I came across one of the eits and pushed it open, the bright sun making me squint my eyes. White clouds dotted the blue sky, and a plane left a trail as it flew.

A boy with brown hair was waiting. Upon noticing me, he walked towards me.

"Hikigaya, follow me." His voice was flat; his face expressionless. He turned around and walked away before I could respond.

I followed after him and he led me to an area behind some trees. Three other kids came into view, and my guide went to them. Slowly, they began to encircle me.

"W-What's going on?" I hesitantly backed away as they came closer, bumping into the tree behind me.

One of the kids scooped up dirt with his hand and threw it at me, some of it entering my mouth. I coughed, and the kids laughed.

"Hikigaya, stop talking with Yukino." The tallest out of the four stepped forward, standing only a few inches in front of me. I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn't move no matter how much I wanted them to.

"W-Why? We're friends. Y-You shouldn't call her by her f-first name, either."

He stepped forward, a smug expression on his face. His lips were curled upwards in a dreadful smile.

I saw him clench his fist, and in this next moment, It was lodged in my stomach.

I fell to the ground, both of my hands clutching my stomach. My breathing became raspy, and I felt the urge to vomit. My eyes began to sting from tears and soil.

A sickening laughter sounded around me, and they began to kick dirt into my face.

I managed to sputter out a pathetic threat. "M-My… parents…"

More dirt fell upon my head. "So? Tell them. I'm not scared of you."

The laughter increased, and a loud smacking sound rung in my ears. I looked up to see them passing highfives to each other.

Some more dirt was kicked into my face and then they left, one of them spitting onto the ground next to me.

I managed to sit myself up and leaned against the trunk of the tree. I stared up at the small pocket of sky before me.

My eyes began to sting, not just from the soil, but from the tears welling up. They slowly began to run down my face, staining my cheeks and clothes as they descended, leaving splotches of dark brown as they contacted the ground.

At least in my misery, something may benefit.

"Hachiman! Hachiman!" Mom ran over to me as soon as I stepped into the foyer of my home and hugged me. I just stood there, my arms at my side. I saw father slowly follow after Mom, and he stood behind her, watching the scene unfold in front of him.

Mom finally parted from me, her hands on my shoulders. Her eyes were red and puffy. "Hachiman, who did this to you?" Her voice quivered.

I listed the names of the boys who attacked me, their faces staining my memory as I spoke. Father left immediately after, leaving for his personal study in the house.

"Hachiman, we're going to enroll you into martial arts, okay? Okay?" Mom frantically spoke to me, but all I did was a half hearted nod.

We later drove to the doctor's office. I was left with a bruise on my stomach, but other than that, my injuries were mild. However, I would require a day of rest.

I spent the entirety of the next day in my room reviewing the previous day's math problems. Later, Mom and Dad would give me my missing assignments, and I spent hours teaching myself that day's math until I mastered it. Komachi would frequently try to barge into my room to play, but I always shooed her away.

As each hour passed, I hoped for Hayato and Yukino-chan to come visit me. However, they never did, and I was left alone with my thoughts

I buried myself in books, trying to ignore the taste of dirt that lingered in my mouth, and my stomach became numb from the constant icing.

Finally, the clock struck nine, and I went to bed, fearing for the next day.

As soon as I stepped out of the limousine everyone's eyes were on me. It was terrifying. Staring at the ground, I walked towards my classroom. Even with my sight directed towards the ground, I didn't run into anyone. As I walked, rumors of the incident filled my ears.

"Did you hear? Apparently they got in a fight over Yukinoshita and he threatened them!"

"Oh my god, they got expelled too! He doesn't look beat up at all, they should have only gotten suspended!"

"Imagine having someone like him liking you."

"That would be terrible, except for his money."

I covered my ears after hearing that.

My steps slowed in front of my classroom door. I could looked past the door, and everyone appeared to be in groups whispering amongst themselves. I braced myself and walked inside, everyone's gazes instantly turning towards me.

I quickly walked to my salvation, my table, my friends, the people who would understand.

But something had changed.

The seat where Hayato usually sat in was empty. Instead, he sat in my seat, next to Yukino-chan.

Nervously, I walked up to Hayato who was talking with Yukino-chan.

"Hayato, isn't that my seat?" I asked warily.

He turned around slowly, a smile on his face. "Yeah. While you were gone, we decided to switch seats. Is that okay with you?"

I forced a smile of my own, though a knot began to form in my stomach. "Y-Yeah, that's fine."

Sitting down, I placed my bookbag beside my seat. Hayato continued to talk with Yukino-chan, though she began to look uneasy.

"Yukino-chan- "

She flinched and looked away.

"Yukino-chan?"

Ignored.

I shot up from my seat. "Yukino?" I exclaimed.

The room suddenly fell silent, and I slowly slid back into my seat. Whispering began to happen at full force now. I desperately tried to block out the noise to no avail.

It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault.

But no one cares.

Hayato and Yukino didn't visit me. They didn't even ask how I was.

My gaze fell upon my desk. With my fists clenched, I closed my eyes. The feeling of betrayal coursing through me.

I don't care.

Weeks passed, and the distance became ever so noticeable between us. I continued to sit there against my wishes, there being no other seats available in the room. Each day became more and more stale, the taste of dirt ever so present in my mouth. When I got back home, I would attend my judo practices and spend my time studying; specifically mathematics and japanese. On the weekends, I would play tennis and read the books on Dad's shelf.

During this cold period, Mom and Dad became increasingly busy, often leaving me and Komachi in the care of the household assistants. They didn't seem to notice me not meeting with Yukinoshita and Hayama anymore, either. I would always leave my tests out in the open for Mom and Dad to look at when they came home, but they would be in the same spot when I woke up in the morning, untouched.

One day, when I came home, Mom and Dad were present in the house much to my shock. They were seated in the living room, appearing as if they were waiting for something, no, someone.

Mom gestured for me to enter. "Hachiman, come here."

I did as I was told, sitting down in the chair next to Mom.

"What's going on?" My eyes darted between Mom and Dad.

Dad cleared his throat. "We're sending you to the United States. You'll complete your elementary education there, and you'll attend two years of middle school there as well. You'll come back when you would've been taking your third year of middle school in Japan."

Mom continued. "The Hayamas and Yukinoshitas are sending their children to the states as well. However, they'll be coming back to Japan before second year starts."

"That's…" Mom and Dad looked at me, as if anticipating an argument. "That's fine with me. But what about Komachi?"

They breathed a sigh of relief.

"Komachi will be staying in Japan. She won't be going to the states, however," replied Dad.

"When am I leaving?"

"Eight days from now. Akemi-san will be your guardian and english teacher while you're in America. You are to listen to her as if she were your mother, understood?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Good. Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Is- " I paused. "Am I going to the same elementary and middle school as Yukino and Hayato?" Their names sounded foreign to me. not rolling off the tongue like they once did.

"Yes." Mom answered for Dad, her eyebrows raised at my aparentally odd question.

"Is it possible for me to switch schools?" I asked with averted eyes.

"...Yes, but why?" Mom leaned closer to me in her chair. "Did something happen between you three?"

"N-No, it's just…" I tried to think of a lie, but nothing came to mind.

"Hachiman, you don't need to answer now, but we do expect an answer in the future."

I nodded my head in response.

"Alright then. We can arrange that for you."

"...Thank you."