"Ran away from home, huh?" The boy, who introduced himself as Nishinoya Yuu sat right next to me on the bench while holding a Popsicle. Nishinoya was a second year like me although he's in class three that's why I never met him before. Right after that moment with him hugging me, he invited me for a talk, and for once in my life, I opened up to someone else rather than Saiyo-san. "Gee, your problem is way worse than mine. And you were damn right escaping through that hell!" He added and it just made me chuckle.

He also talked about how he was suspended from club activities and got suspended in school also because of that, he just came back a few days ago and has been contemplating about it since. I felt bad about how he had a fight with the volleyball club's ace, Asahi Azumane-san. He doesn't seem to be doing well whenever he thinks about it. "Hm, the parent-teacher meeting, huh? I'm surely gonna get a whooping kick from my mom once sensei and her talks about my grades." He sighed, "I just suck at studying, it's just too boring and I'm just too lazy!"

"So, how's life?" He asked bluntly, finishing his Popsicle. I looked down with a shrug and a fake smile as an answer. He looked at me when he didn't get any answer from me. "Spit, Ame. How is your life doing?"

I took a deep breath and looked at him in the eyes, tears once again welling up as I remember my problems. "I'm suffering." I said really softly because that's all I could utter right now. Nishinoya is supposedly the talkative one but when he saw me, he just shut up. "I… I don't know where to get money to pay my rent, I don't know where to find food after this, and I'm scared on what will happen next. It's like I want to end it all…"

"Wow, wow, wow. You're not talking about killing yourself, are you? Stop for a moment and look at me." He said, his two hands holding my cheeks just so I could look at him and only him. "Life is great, and you don't deserve to feel this, Ame." There it is again, his eyes that seemed to always sparkle whenever he smiles. "I'll ask my mom to attend the meeting at your class as well as your guardian." He said all of a sudden and I snapped back to reality, "W-what?!"

He grinned at me again and I just felt like he was some angel that came from the heavens to help me. "You actually don't need to do it though. I mean, I can think of some ways to find a guardian."

"What is said is what will happen, my mom's going to attend at your class as your guardian, after she has a meeting with mine." He said. It made me chuckle and I just smiled at him.

"Thanks a lot, Nishinoya."

Nishinoya looked at me with widened eyes, what now? He grinned at me and said, "You look so cute when you smile, Ame. Just keep on smiling, okay?"

I swore I felt my cheeks were getting hotter as time flew by, how is that even possible?

/

"Welcome, how may I help you?" I greet a customer by the time he arrived inside the restaurant. I work at a family restaurant close to the apartment, Saiyo-san was the one who suggested me this and they hired me without any hesitations. Even though the pay is small, it kept me going. The chef here even gives me food whenever he makes too much. Yum!

I escorted the man to a table and got his order, I walked to the counter where the kitchen was located and placed announced one of the chefs the man's order. The other chef placed a newly cooked meal on the other end of the counter. "Table five!" He said. I quickly took it and served it to table five.

My schedule for work is from Monday to Friday after school, and I work at a full day on Saturdays while Sunday is my day off. I finish work at 10 pm every day.

"Good work, Amemiya. You're pretty cheerful than usual!" The manager, Sanae-san praised me. She was a 45-year-old woman who looks really young compared to her age. I gave them a smile and thanked them for their hard work then proceeded on going home.

I skipped my way to the apartment which was just ten minutes away from the restaurant I work in. Wait, why the hell am I skipping? Wow, since when have I been so cheerful like this? "Nishinoya?" Holy shit, why did I say his name out loud?!

But, instead of thinking of the answer, I give out a smile and continued my way to the apartment while skipping. "Welcome back, Rain-chan! How's your day?" Saiyo-san greeted me from the counter and I waved at her to say hi.

"It was great, well… Horrible at first, my classmates were being douchebags and all so I ran out of my classroom." I never get tired of talking to Saiyo-san about my day. "I thought that I would cry all day but then there was this guy, he asked me what was wrong and I didn't answer him. Then he just suddenly pulls me up and gives me a hug…" I trailed off when I realized what I was talking about just now. I glanced at Saiyo-san who's smirking right now.

"Is little Rain-chan finally in love?" She asked me while wiggling her eyebrows. My cheeks turned red for some reason and yelled a big no at her. She just giggled and waved her hand, "Hai, hai."

She took a plastic bag of food from under the table and handed it to me. "Food for the week," She said. "You look paler, you haven't been eating well, have you?"

I feel like I could cry right now but that would be embarrassing so I just hugged her then ran upstairs to my room. I told you she was a softie.

Basically, now that I got a week's supply of food from Saiyo-san, I could save a lot more. I owe her so much that I don't even know what to give her as a thank you.

/

"Ohayo, Ame!" I heard a familiar voice greet me as I walk into the school entrance. Nobody has ever greeted me a good morning in my entire life at school. Nishinoya, why are you so damn nice?! "O-ohayo." Was all I could muster.

He took a good look at me before giving me a thumbs up, "Looking better than yesterday, Ame!" He said. I just realized that he's been calling me 'Ame' ever since I met him, what the hell?!

"I-I just noticed, why are you calling me Ame?"

Nishinoya gives me his signature grin, "Because it's shorter!" I rolled my eyes expecting something nicer, he was just in fact lazy to call me Amemiya…

I rolled my eyes—in a good way—and giggled. "Right, right. I'll call you Noya then? Because it's shorter!" I stuck my tongue out, teasing him. He just smiled at me and patted my head, at least he was tall enough to reach my head without tiptoeing.

"I don't mind, just keep smiling. Wait for me at the gymnasium after school where the Boys' Volleyball club practices, I'll just finish practice and we'll go to my house. You should meet my mom."

A nod was all I could do and then he ran off to his class. Seriously though, I have never smiled like this in my entire life, no one has ever made me laugh the way he did, and it was an amazing feeling to be able to smile every day.