Hello everyone, Lealius here, and I welcome you all to chapter 2
Let´s see our protagonist face what his actions bring on him, as well as meeting a new face
I want to thank to all people who left facorite or comments, your support means a lot
Let´s begin
Makoto was at home, studying at the dinner table, until he heard the sound of the door opening
-"I'm back" said his father
-"Welcome back, dad" Makoto replied
His father noticed him studying "Already hard at study?"
-"Just reviewing some stuff"
-"Well, you always have excellent grades"
Makoto only nod
Later, night arrived, and they were having dinner
-"So, how was your first day?" his father asked
Makoto swallowed nervously, he had yet to informed his dad about what happened at the bowling place, but he figure he should start slow
-"Just a regular first day at school, nothing out of ordinary, i am sure things will get more interesting as days go on"
-"I see"
They kept eating, until his father placed his bowl down, a serious expression on his face
-"I got a call from sis before arriving"
Makoto looked at him alarmed
-"She told me you and Yuu went bowling with some friends"
-"Yes… though i wouldn´t call them friends, except for Yuu" he thought that last part
-"She also told me what Yuu told him, about your… encounter with that girl, Nekozaki, right?"
-"Correct" Makoto replied, shame filling his mind
-"You need to apologize to her"
-"I know dad, i will first thing in the morning" that is what Makoto said, though his mind was something else "Bet she and the rest already hates me guts, wouldn't surprise me"
-"Tomorrow is your first appointment, make sure to go, i´m sorry that i cannot go with you"
-"Don´t worry dad"
After finishing dinner, and washing the dishes, he headed towards his room, once inside, he let out a sigh
-"Well, good day as any"
His phone rang, it was his cousin, Yuu
Yuu: Want to have lunch together tomorrow at school?
Makoto thought about it for a moment, and replied
Makoto: sure
Yuu: great! see you then
Makoto: Ok
Putting his phone away, he went straight to bed, today was draining, and tomorrow was a new day
The following day, Makoto arrived to school while listening to some music, until he noticed someone
-"That´s Nekozaki-san" he whispeded "Good time as any"
He walked towards her, she was talking to some girls
-"Excuse me, Nekozaki-san" he said
Nekozaki turned around, and was surprised "Oh, Rakki, um, hi"
-"Can we talk for a moment?"
She blinked, not sure she heard that right
-"Who is he, Nekozaki-san?" one of the girls said
-"Um, just the cousin of a friend" she replied "Sure, let's talk"
Taking the hint, the other girls left
-"What is it?" she asked
-"It's about yesterday" Makoto shamefully said "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, you were being friendly, i am really sorry"
-"Oh, that?" she smiled a bit "Don´t worry about it, i got the feeling I crossed a line, i can be a bit too much at times"
-"I bet you already know about my past" Makoto said
-"What about your past?" she tilted her head confused
Makoto´s eyes lifted up, that's not what he was expecting to hear
-"Really? I thought you will have lots of questions about why i did what i did"
-"I do, but you are the one who will tell me about it when you are ready, what, were you expecting me to squeeze Izumi for the details or something?"
That is exactly what he expected, he knew Yuu was not gonna snitch him, but still
-"That´s… good to hear" Makoto said, unsure of what to think
-"It's water under the bridge, so we are cool"
Makoto nodded in agreement
-"Morning, Kamiya-san!"
They turned their heads to the source of the voice, and there she was, Kamiya, and everybody was gazing at her
-"She seems quite popular" Makoto said
-"Morning, Kamiya!" Nekozaki said cheerfully
-"What the?!" Makoto said surprised, he realized Nekozaki dashed at Kamiya in the blink of an eye "When did she move there?"
-"Morning, Nekozaki" Kamiya replied politely
-"I am planning to go to the mall after school, want to tag along?"
-"Oh" she replied shocked "Um, i think i have plans already, so, maybe next time"
-"Oh" Nekozaki was disappointed, but still smiled "No problem"
Suddenly, Kamiya notice Makoto standing a few feet away
-"Morning, Rakki-san" she said with a wave of hand
-"Morning, Kamiya-san" re replied with a wave of his own
And she kept her way, Nekozaki stared at Makoto
-"Um, gotta go" and he quickly walked away into the building
-"Well, that went… better than i expected, glad Nekozaki-san is not mad or anything" he then thought about Kamiya "Wonder why she turned Nekozaki-san down? she seemed to be like… worried about something… then again, she has her right to do what she wants"
-"Yo, Rakki-kun!" he heard a voice from behind
Turning around, he saw Date Hirano
-"Oh, um… Date-kun, right?"
-"That´s my name, don´t waste it" he let out a chuckle
-"Can I help you with something?"
-"Nah, just checking how you are, want to hit the cafeteria at lunch?"
-"Sorry, i have plans, I am meeting my cousin, Yuu Izumi, for lunch"
-"Oh, I heard about him, from 2-4 class, known for his bad luck"
Makoto frowned a bit
-"Oh, right, your cousin, sorry about that, anyway, just checking on you, let me know if you want to hang out"
and he headed towards the classroom
-"That was weird" Makoto said confused "Why was he checking on me? Does he want something?"
Makoto realized how negative he was being, and let out a sigh
-"Gotta work on that"
The morning went on, and it was lunch time, Yuu and Makoto met outside, luckily for them, there were the only ones there, so they can talk peacefully
-"So, getting used to the school?" Yuu asked
-"I guess, it's only been two days" Makoto replied
-"R-Right" he replied nervously
-"Your birthday is coming up" Makoto said "Are you excited?"
-"Yeah, I hope things go well, I still remember my birthday party when i turned 8"
-"That was the one where you choke with the cake?"
-"Yeah, it was still delicious"
The duo let out a chuckle
They kept on eating, until Yuu put his chopsticks down, looking concerned
-"What´s wrong?" Makoto asked
-"I… I am sorry!"
Makoto was confused
-"Why are you apologizing for?"
-"For what happened yesterday, I might have put too much pressure on you to go to the bowling place. Also…"
-"Also what?"
-"I told my mom what happened, with you and Nekozaki-san"
Makoto stared at his cousin, the silence filling the environment, until he spoke
-"You did nothing wrong"
-"Huh?" Yuu was confused
-"I said you did nothing wrong, you did what you taught was correct"
-"I only did it because i was worried, and i figure mom could talk to uncle and help out"
-"I know, you are looking after me, so it's ok"
-"Are you sure you´re not mad?" Yuu asked, not entirely convinced
-"I am not mad, nor angry, nor disappointed, nor any negative emotion you can think of, and I know of those, it's just"
-"Just what?"
-"...Don´t waste your time on me"
Yuu´s eyes went wide in shock
-"It's for the best, Yuu"
-"I am not wasting my time!" Yuu said, raising his voice "Don't say that!"
-"Yuu, don´t worry, I am not planning to hurt myself if that's what you are thinking. Focus on being there for Shikimori-san and your friends. I´ll be fine on my own"
-"Makoto" Yuu felt hurt at his words
Makoto saw the pain in his cousin eyes, and honestly, he felt bad, he hated doing this to him, but it was for the best, it was the best for everyone
-"I better go" Makoto picked up his stuff and left
-"...Makoto… no… I am not giving up on you… and neither will you" Yuu said with determination
The day at school was over, now Makoto was sitting on a waiting area of a medical clinic
-"Makoto Rakki" he heard someone calling his name
-"Coming" he said and entered the office and closed the door
-"It's nice to meet you, Rakki-kun" the doctor said "I am Dr. Yukimura Nozomi, please, have a seat"
-"Nice to meet you Dr. Nozomi" and he took his seat, this was his first time at his psychologist
-"So, adjusting yourself to the new city?"
-¨Kind of" he scratched the back of his head
-"I talked to your father earlier today, since he couldn't assist here, he told me you have a cousin at your new school, same year but different class, right?"
-"Yes"
-"And how is that going? Do you two get along?"
He remembered his lunch today, and how harsh he was with Yuu
-"I…" he was struggling
-"Take your time"
-"I… might have been somewhat harsh on him"
-"Why? Did he do something wrong?"
-"No, it's just… he tried to help, and… I pretty much told him to go to hell"
-"I see" the doctor wrote some stuff down "Why did you do that?"
-"Because he should not waste his time with me"
-"I don't see how helping you is a waste of time"
-"Because it will be for the best"
-"The best, you say… The best for him, or you?"
-"What are you talking about?"
-"I talked to your previous school, and the… incident that occurred"
Makoto looked away
-"What about your classmates? Have you made any friends?"
He thought about his classmates, and the bowling incident
-"Not really, I went bowling yesterday with some of Yuu´s friends, but that was more of a favor for him than anything. I also helped a classmate from my class find one of her belongings, but nothing else"
-"I see. have you considered joining any clubs or anything?"
-"No, haven't really check on those"
-"You should, you are already a second year, soon you will graduate and start college, you ought to do some good memories"
-"Last time I tried that, it ended poorly"
-"Doesn't mean it will end the same way now"
-"Doesn´t mean it will end different either" he said bitterly
-"I think i am starting to get the picture now"
-"Huh?"
-"It's just I find it intriguing, on one hand, you don't want to associate with others, yet you won't hesitate to help them or feel bad for how you treat them, taking your cousin for example, or that classmate you helped"
-"So what are you implying, Doctor?"
-"What are you inferring?"
-"Is this 20 questions?"
-"You want to play it?" the doctor said amused "But getting back on topic, I think your issue is that you are afraid of connecting to people"
-"It's for the best if I don´t!" Makoto said, raising his voice "I will only be a burden for them!"
-"Or you will get hurt again" the doctor stated
Makoto´s eyes went wide in shock, that comment hit a little too close home, he looked down to the floor
-"I…" tears started to fall "Do you have any idea how much it hurted?"
-"No, I don´t, but at the same time, you can't run away from living"
Makoto remained quiet
-"You might not have realized yet, but you have so much potential in you, Rakki-kun, but there is only so much you can and will be able to do alone. I can't force you though, you need to start with yourself, do you have any plans after leaving this appointment?"
-"No"
-"Then try to do something that will take your mind off things. I know this coffee place that I go to, I´ll write down the address for you, I´ll even give you a coupon for it. Try going there, alone if you want, but try to get familiar with the new environment"
-"I´ll give it a shot"
-"I also suggest trying to open up to your classmates, not saying all of them, but how about the one who sits next to you?"
He thought about Kamiya
-"All I did was retrieve one of her belongings"
-"It a good starting point, you might surprise yourself"
Makoto doubted that
-"I believe that will be all for now, talk to my receptionist to schedule your next appointment. Take care Rakki-kun, and remember what we discussed"
Makoto stood up and left, feeling conflicted
-"What the hell do I do now?"
Makoto was walking down the street, thinking about his appointment, and his day in general, until he noticed a gaming store
-"Now that i think about it, I haven't checked one of these in a while"
He shrugged and went inside, it's not like he was in a hurry
-"Excuse me" he asked the clerk "Where is the section for Nintendo Switch games"
-"Aisle 3"
-"Thanks"
He walked towards that aisle, and started to check
-"Let's see" he was checking the different games, until he heard a sound, he noticed someone dropped their game, he got down on his knees "let me help you"
-"It's fine" the other person also got down
They both looked at each other
-"H-Hachimitsu-san?" Makoto said surprised
-"Ah, Rakki, Izumi´s cousin" Hachimitsu said, a neutral smile on her face
-"Um" he was nervous, this was unexpected
-"You look like you want to say something. It's in regards to yesterday"
-"Took the words right out of my mouth" he thought
-"Rest assured, Nekozaki told me you apologized to her, that's enough for me"
-"Um, thanks"
-"Have you decided?"
-"Huh?"
-"What game are you gonna buy? I assume you have a switch since you are here"
-"Oh, yes"
-"I see" she took out a paper and pen, and wrote down a number "here" she gave it to him
-"Excuse me?"
-"This is my friend code, feel free to add me, I am also on PC a lot if you want"
-"Um, why are you giving me this?"
-"Because you are a fellow gamer, be warned, i don't hold back" and she left
-"What was that about?" Makoto was confused
After buying his game, he figured he should stop by the coffee place the doctor recommended, at least to not waste the coupon
He entered
-"Welcome!" a male voice said
-"Huh?" Makoto said shocked
-"Eh? Rakki?!" Inuzuka said
-"You gotta be kidding me?! First Hachimitsu-san, now Inuzuka-kun?! At least Nekozaki-san was planned!" Makoto thought, slightly annoyed
-"Here, let me prepare a table for you" Inuzuka said, he was wearing a long-sleeve white shirt, black pants, and a green apron
Letting out a sigh, he walked towards his table "just have your coffee and leave"
-"I see you have a coupon" Inuzuka said
-"Yeah, I got it as a gift" he said and whispered "Which reminds me I need to change psychologist"
-"Huh?" Inuzuka said confused
-"Nothing important"
-"I´ll get your order ready"
After a few minutes, Inuzuka placed the coffee on his table
-"Here you go"
-"Thanks" he grabbed the cup and drank some "It´s good"
-"Thank you" he sat on the opposite seat
-"Don´t you have to work?"
-"It's not rush hour yet"
Makoto rolled his eyes, and kept drinking his coffee
-"Hey" he said
-"Yes?" Inuzuka said
-"It´s Yuu alright?"
-"Well" he scratched the back of his head "After lunch break, he seemed to be down"
Makoto looked at his coffee, feeling ashamed
-"But, at the same time, determined"
Makoto stared surprised at him
-"Determined?"
-"That's what he told me when I asked him what was wrong, so I guess whatever happened, it must have worked" he smiled a bit
Makoto remained quiet
-"I figure something happened while you two were having lunch" Inuzuka said
-"Maybe" he replied
-"I figured, but I am not going to pry into it until either you or him are ready to talk about it"
-"I see… Just"
-"Just what?"
-"Make sure to be there for him, that's all I ask"
-"No need to tell me that" Inuzuka smiled "He´s my bro"
Despite his bitterness, Makoto grinned a bit, and drank the last of his coffee
-"Thanks for the coffee" he stood up
-"You are welcome"
Makoto headed towards the exit
-"Hey!" Inuzuka said "If you ever want to talk, let me or any of the others know. And come back soon"
And with that, he left the coffee place
He was at home, after eating, and talking with his father, he headed towards his room and landed on his bed
-"Man, I'm tired" he said "Too many coincidences for one day, what's next, Shikimori-san?"
Afterwards, he fell asleep
The following day, he was at his classroom
-"I have to remember to pick up Yuu´s gift" Makoto thought
-"Listen up, class" His teacher, Haruko said "I'll be announcing the pairs for your school project"
Makoto´s eyes went wide at that "That's the last thing I need"
-"Let's start, the first pair" she read from her list "Rakki Makoto and Kamiya Ai"
-"Wait, what?!" Makoto thought
He felt a death stare, and looked at his left, some of his classmates were looking straight at him, and he could swore there was a dark and menacing aura emanating from them
-"They sure are angry with me, not that I have that much of a good reputation to begin with, I don´t talk to anyone"
He looked at his new partner, Kamiya smiled at him
-"Let's do our best, Rakki-san"
-"R-Right" he said "I can´t let her down, my personality aside, I won´t bring down her grades"
The school day was over, Makoto picked up his stuff and looked at Kamiya
-"When do you want to meet to get started? I have to run an errand"
-"I have practice today, so I´ll be busy today"
-"Then tomorrow after school?"
She nod
-"See you then"
And he left the classroom
-"Excuse me, Rakki-san" a voice said
Makoto turned around, It was Shikimori
-"Are you free today?"
-"I have to go pick up Yuu´s present, I am sure you know this, but his birthday is this Sunday"
Shikimori´s eyes sparkled "Do you mind If I go with you? I haven't picked anything myself, and I could use your help"
Makoto wanted to say no, but he can't be rude with her, it's his cousin´s girlfriend
-"Sure"
-"Thank you"
-"Mind if I go to the bathroom first"
-"Sure"
And he went to the bathroom, once he made sure no one was there, he looked towards the ceiling
-"I was kidding when I said "what's next, Shikimori-san" he said to no one
He left the bathroom
-"Sorry about that" he said to Shikimori "Are you ready?"
-"Lead the way" she replied with a smile
And they left
And that´s the end of that, life sure is full of coincidences, for better or worse
We are starting to get a grasp on our protagonist story and his past, and what let him to be so depressive, and how he´s not sure of what to do with himself or how to even feel, what will happen next?
As usual, thank you all for reading, leave comments or anything
Peace