Hey guys... it's been a while, as usual...

Well, I think I don't need to explain why this story take so much time to update because I already said it many time in the previous chapters. Regardless, let me say thank you for you who still keep up and waiting for this one-chapter-per-one-month story... I really really appreciate it.

With that being said, happy reading...


3rd person POV

The new year finally arrived on this white land. Opening a new page when the nature was still asleep in a white blanket reflected by a large lake of frozen mirror.

"Happy new year...!"

"Ah, many happy indeed..."

"It's been a long time, isn't it?"

"Right... How was your winter vacation? Is it fun?"

"Of course it is~~~"

In one of the high schools in this small town where all the students with their new 'faces' greet each other and encourage themselves to start from zero after the winter holidays. Their first meeting at the school gate, which slowly begins crowded with students who came in droves coming from all directions with their friends. However, there was a certain scene where there was a student in blue feathers wrapped in a red scarf who was seen walking alone with his face staring at his feet buried in this white snow. He didn't look sad, or empty, he just seemed to be thinking something very complicated. His steps then stopped in front of the gate when he looked at a student who also stopped in front of him with her friend...

"Ah, G-Gracie... h-h-happy new year..." he greeted his childhood friend in a very awkward way.

Unfortunately, the girl, named Gracie, just looked at him without returning his greeting. She instead immediately accelerated her steps, entered the school environment, leaving the boy alone with her friend who thought there was something between the two of them.

"Happy new year, Blu..." Gracie's friend, Fany, greeted the boy. A boy named Blu who just started his new page with such complicated problems.

"Ah, yeah... happy new year to you too, Fany..." Blu replied, rather stammer.

"Then I'll go first." Fany continued, walking away Blu who was still standing quietly at the gate. She then followed her friend who behaved strangely when in front of him, while Blu could only nod lately after her shoulders had moved away from his sight.

'Something must have happened between the two of them ...' whispered Fany while walking into the school building, then sighed deeply and frozen breath can be seen from her.

After walking through the noisy hallway by other students who were enjoying their 'reunion' after one year -hyperbolically- vacation, Fany ignored them all and went straight into her class where she found Gracie sitting at her desk, arranging textbooks as if she was ready to acquire knowledge at the start of this frozen year.

"Ah, Fany... right here..." Gracie, smiling waving her wings, gestured to her friend who was still standing at the entrance of the class... called out to her to get closer.

Feny just sighed and whispered, 'I knew it...' then walked over to her friend's desk.

"You're going to sit next to me, aren't you?" Gracie asked her cheerfully.

"Yeah, the seat position changes every year after all." Fany then put her books into his desk drawer, right next to her friend, "You look so excited to study, huh... unlike your usual self." Fany said, intending to praise but teasingly, seeing her friend who was usually the noisiest shortly before the school hours started... but this time, she seemed calmer. She was reading the thick, bulky book she hated the most carefully, even to the point where she wrote small notes and added bookmarks in the corner of the pages that she considered have important information.

"Do you think who got grade A last year, huh?" answered Gracie, puffing out her chest. The person she meant was herself. It's true, she was the student who got the highest grade last year... of course there are many other students who didn't believe it because Gracie they know is, or maybe was, a sporty muscular girl. They never expected that her brain would also have some muscles that she could use to... think.

"You..." Fany answered in an irritated tone.

"He-he..." Gracie grinned proudly, but Fany had not finished speaking yet...

"Because of love..."

Right after hearing such a word, Gracie who acted arrogant suddenly flinched and was shocked...

"L-l-l-lo... w-w-what!? What do you mean?!" with a furious face... halting and messy words, Gracie tried to show her innocence.

"Tell me, Gress..." Fany looked at her friend who blushed, seriously, "Did something happen between you and Blu?"

Not enough words to shocked her... this time her friend also asked something more than shocking. As a result the pen in her grasp, reflexively, was thrown and almost hit her friend.

"Hey! That's dangerous you know!" exclaimed Fany.

"D-d-Don't blame me... you asked something weird even after saying such a weird thing!" Gracie replied irritably, her face getting even redder as if she was got fever.

"So it's true... you two are fighting, huh..." after the situation subsided, Fany returned to guide her friend to the main topic of this morning's conversation.

Gracie just paused, averting her eyes from her... didn't seem to be responding for a while. As a result, Fany continued speaking...

"I've seen your career plans, you know..." she said, "You're trying desperately to achieve high grades... doing something you hate so that you can be accepted at top university in London which is also close to the university where Blu will enroll."

"W-w-well, what can I do, right?!" Gracie shouted, suddenly exploding after all her plans were revealed, began to explain the reason with an awkward smile, "You see, London is a big city... thousands of times bigger than this small town. Plus, Blu... he's not a bird that can do anything independently except when writing. So, you know... there must be someone to accompany him there."

"Then why don't you just marry him?" Fany answered, teasing her.

"W-wha- Look! Again, you're saying such a weird thing!" Gracie increasingly raised her tone, after being shocked three times by her this morning.

Fany chuckled seeing the expression and emotion that was clearly visible on her friend's face. She was very satisfied 'bullying' her this morning, at the beginning of the new year... seeing her friend being able to express her honest feelings made her heart feel rather relieved...

However... this complicated relationship...

'Unfortunately...' Fany whispered to herself again, 'Does Blu also see you with the same feeling?'

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Then, in the evening... at Mimi's place...

Blu's POV

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It's been two weeks since that 'incident,'

(...you... have no choice but to love me)

Since those words came out, but was that really the thing I heard that time? I have no idea, my mind has always been unstable since that day. Thinking too much about it, yet not expecting anything from it. I always thought that such words wouldn't come out of her beak, maybe at that time I heard wrong due to the sound of heavy rain, especially the one who say such a thing was Gracie, a girl who likes joking around...

What should I do? Or rather... what's wrong with me?

A woman's mind is indeed an impossible puzzle to solve, like an enigma... they are really scary...

"For how long do you keep daydreaming?!"

A voice, Sis Mi's voice shook the bones of my ears, made me wake up from my delusions and returned to the real world that was in her place. I, who had just woken up, confusedly looked down, which apparently there was a piece of paper flooded with a pool of black ink.

"Waaah... why? Is this ink leaking?!" I innocently shouted in panic, keeping the ink puddle from smudging.

"You're the one who had a leak!" exclaimed Sis Mimi, who was standing behind me, nagging at me.

"I can't believe it, even someone like Hyacinthum G can't focus while working..." it turns out that spicy words didn't only come from Sis Mi but also Lisa who was apparently sitting on the sofa in my right. While drinking a cup of hot chocolate, she looked at me with a look of disappointment, "I've waited for almost an hour to see the paragraphs you modeled for me."

"Ah right," I looked at my black sheet again, it's true that I was apparently writing something. It's not finished yet tho, but there are one or two sentences that I've finished writing and it turned out... it was an expression that was inside my mind a few moments ago and without realizing it I wrote it down on the paper, "Unfortunately, I haven't finished it at all. Ha-ha..." while laughing awkwardly, I squeezed the black paper before Sis Mi and Lisa realized, not caring whether this black ink would dirty my wings or not.

"Yes... I know that. I can see it." Lisa answered, sighing...

"Did something happen, Glu?" asked Sis Mi, she seemed to be worried about me... well, yeah of course she is...

"It's nothing, Sis Mi... really... ahaha..." I smiled, hopefully she didn't misunderstand me.

"Haaah..." Sis Mi then sighed, staring at me as if she was trying to talk about me due to lack of focus on work, "Listen, Glu... you told me you wanted to apply to the top literature university, right?"

I nodded...

"Then I beg you to focus more on writing. You're going to face top northern writers, you know? The competition earlier this year will determine your future as a writer. January's almost over, stop playing around."

As expected, Sis Mi started lecturing me. I didn't hate it at all, instead I thought I deserved it and listened to her carefully. Because everything she said was true...

"Your three years of absence has had a huge impact, you know. If it wasn't for my connection with the editors around, maybe you would've a hard time finding editors who were willing to publish your new books, because in their eyes you're considered a newcomer again. Plus your failure in summer also has other negative effects on you." Sis Mi continued.

"I understand, Sis Mi... I'm sorry..." I said, bowing my face.

"Well, don't be discouraged yet... your presence at the cultural festival at that time proved to the world that your name still exists in this world. Your loyal readers still remember your name, and even keep your old books." Sis Mi then smiled at me, "Therefore, I want you to fight in this year's special book competition. Just so you know, this is the most famous competition in the north region. And if you win it, you will be invited to take part in a world-class competition and your books will once again be known all over the world. You must pay for your absence and failure at the competition earlier this year. Got it, Hyacinthum G?"

Then...

"You don't have to come to the hospital anymore..."

After being satisfied with Sis Mi's lecture, I walked home through the same road, which as usual were already quiet at this hour. Though before going home, I intended to visit her at the hospital, like my daily schedule... until suddenly I got a call from her who said something contrary to what I intended to do...

"Huh?"

"The final's coming up soon, right? If you have time to come here, you should go over the white sheet instead. Pound even more phrase into your head." Jewel's voice was heard from my phone very clearly in the atmosphere for tonight was so quiet,"So that's it... bye-bye now!" she then hung up, not even bothering to ask my opinion regarding her sudden decision.

"What's up with that?! She's the one who told me to check in regularly! She's so selfish! So irresponsible! So outrageous!"

Of course I was annoyed to hear that. Even though she always nags me if I don't visit her for a day, but for some reason... she suddenly, out of nowhere, forbids me to come to the hospital again!? Such a wishy-washy girl, I tell ya...! At least gimme more reasonable reason than just because of the competition...

Luckily it was late at night, so my cries of resentment wouldn't be heard by anyone and wouldn't disturb anyone. After giving up all my frustration I continued my journey home... stepping slowly on the sidewalk... clean from snow.

'Did I do something wrong?'

My feelings of frustration were quickly replaced by feelings of guilt. I seemed to be looking for the reason why she forbade me to come to the hospital again...

'Maybe I shouldn't have eaten that chocolate bar at the hospital... and I didn't say anything when I was there. Maybe I pissed her off by talking about Lisa?'

Too many possibilities, I have no idea which one...

'If I stop checking in, then... I won't have a reason to see her anymore.'

While facing another dilemma, the ring of my phone surprised me. I stopped my steps and checked it. And the one who called me was her again...

I picked up the phone and shouted, "What do you want?!" I mean of course I suddenly screamed because only a few minutes after she hung up, she called me again.

"Look! Look! There's a plane in the sky! It's a night flight... amazing, isn't it?"

"Huh?" automatically, I looked up, "Ah, you're right..."

A large-engined bird, indeed seen flying in the night sky glittering with starlight... perhaps it could be said to be more like swimming in a galactic ocean full of tiny, sparkling colorful lights. It was indeed an amazing sight as she said...

"What? You can see it, too? Wow, the sky's connected, then, huh..."

"Wait? Is that all? You call me back just to tell me that?"

"Yeah... something wrong?"

"Ahahahaha... yes! You're right again... it is amazing!"

Damn, this girl... she managed to make me laugh happily this time, after making me upset by her strange decision. Even though I often call her a selfish, irresponsible and outrageous girl... she still seems to have an innocent side like a normal girl of her age. Amazed by trivial matters and insisted on showing it to someone... in fact I could say she was still a bit childish.

The plane crosses the sea of stars... you silently creep up to me...

"You told me not to come to the hospital."

"But I didn't say I wouldn't call you. It's flying really low, even though it's night."

She bombards me from an unexpected angle. As a result, I'm dumbfounded... always following you...

"I'll stop by again..."

I don't care if she asks me not to come to the hospital again...

"I told you, you don't have to... you know, you don't have the time."

"It's not about the time...

Because now I have found an absolute reason to be able to push myself to see her...

...I just want to see you..."

A lump of steel, like a shooting star... just seeing the same sky as you makes familiar scenery look different. I swing between hope and despair at your slightest gesture and my heart starts to write a stanza...

What kind of feeling is this again? What do they call this kind of feeling? I think it's probably... called loved. I'm sure this is what they call love...


Chapter 38 : Those Who Gaze into the Sky


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"Can I?"