Happy first day of Pride Month!
It's some days later, and we see Ace at his desk finishing off a mountain of paperwork.
As the class vice president, it's his job to do what's assigned by the class president.
Only thing is, Komi wasn't the one who assigned him all this work.
That was thanks to plenty of people asking Ace to do all these favors because everyone felt bad about asking their goddess for so much.
Somehow, asking Ace was much simpler.
It wasn't that much of a problem though, you know that Ace is an ace with anything involving paper. That includes paperwork.
Ace smiled with a sigh as he put his pencil back behind his ear.
"Now to just put these away." Ace said, getting up from his seat.
It was a lot of work though. He'd ask his desk neighbor Komi for help, but last time he tried to do that, he swore he felt something sharp miss his wrists before going thud against the wall.
So he dared not to risk that again while there were still more than a few left in the classroom. He'd like to keep his hands attached to his body, thank you very much.
"Need some help?" a voice called out, making Ace look in the direction it came from.
It was Nene Onemine, one of the few level headed people left in this school.
The two had a talk once about how she thought that by being such a close person to Shouko Komi, that he must be troubled with how almost ieveryone in class either envies him, wants him gone, or wishes him the worst. That combined with how she thought Komi was adding salt to the wound by thinking she was the opposite of who and how she really is.
There's something that's not new at all.
Fortunately, Ace explained how everything really was and added in the fact that he's known her for a while which debunked her opinion. He even introduced her to Komi and she became her next friend.
"Thanks, Onemine, but I got it." he replied.
"Are you sure? That's a lot of work." "If I can carry all my paper and crafting tools in my jacket, I sure as heck can carry all this paperwork. Thanks for the offer though."
"Okay, if you say so." she said.
Even though Ace might be somewhere between an admirable and most disliked person, he was still one for being the one in class who still surprises people.
You should've seen him on the school's twenty-third annual sports day.
Flashback, three days ago...
Ace was lost in thought as he stood on his spot on the track.
He thought about Komi's reaction to the origami version idea he had for her.
I would think that this was sweet of him to think about her, but not right now because he's meant to be running the homestretch in the co-ed obstacle race!
He snapped out of his thoughts two seconds after Nakanaka tapped his hand, and he heard his class yelling his name when the other racers were already going.
He took one look at his class, smirked, pushed his glasses, and went zooming past the other racers.
I know he's quick, but sheesh! They are literally eating his dust!
Ace reached the finish line just before another class's racer could. By half a second!
"Whoo!" Ace cheered for himself as he did a little fancy footwork while hearing his class cheer for him.
When he stopped, he dusted his shoulders just before he felt a hand on one of them.
"Not bad, Daimu."
He turned to see that it was Chika Netsuno.
"Sixty-one point one degrees!" she said, giving him a thumbs up.
"Thanks, Netsuno...I think." He's still understanding how she uses degrees to measure someone's energy level.
End flashback!
Ace stacked all the papers in his hand before walking his way out of the classroom to put it all away.
Not before flashing Komi a smile.
She thought about that smile for a second before looking down at her desk and seeing something that wasn't there before.
She thought that smile meant something.
It was the origami version of her in a long white dress, her hair was tied behind her head, there was a pattern of small flower stickers on her head making a flower crown of some kind, and on the stand it was on it wrote the name Miss Kohana[コハナ].
The name Japanese name 'Kohana' means 'Little flower'. Kinda sweet when you think about it.
Komi examined it with wonderment. When she picked it up, there was a very small piece of paper that wrote,
Like it? -Ace
She did. She did indeed.
Sometime later that day...
The end of the school day was coming, and Najimi, Tadano, Komi, and Ace were chatting when all of a sudden, Najimi spoke.
"Hey, Komi, how did you and Ace meet in the first place?"
Unbeknownst to the group of four, the mention of said question yanked the attention of everyone in the classroom.
"I never told you?" he said.
"Mm-mm." they went, shaking their head.
"Oh, right." he said, "Well, it was a long time ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.
It was ten years ago, give or take a season..."
Flashback, springtime, ten years ago...
It was a nice spring afternoon and we see a five-year-old Komi walking side by side with her mother through a park.
They've been out for a good amount of time and they were about to go home when suddenly Shouko's attention was taken by the chirping of baby birds in a tree making her stop.
She admired them for a good minute before turning her attention to her mother...who she now realized wasn't there.
Her expression turned into a startled one, and she started looking around frantically.
Shuko wasn't in the area.
She then was sad and scared. She was in the park on her own, and she didn't know where her mother was.
Like any child would do when they're on their own, she sat on the ground brought her knees to herself, and cried into her hands.
But that's when a hero appeared.
"Are you okay?"
Komi looked up from her hands and looked at the person who called out to her.
It was a boy with glasses and a piece of blue chalk in his hand. That was Ace.
She was nervous and scared so she couldn't speak.
But Ace understood why she was crying.
"Are you lost?" he asked, "What happened?"
She just sat there and didn't answer him while looking at him.
She wanted to say something, she really did. But she couldn't. But to her surprise, his next words answered his own question for her.
"Were you here with your mom?"
She was surprised silent.
"Were you distracted by something and now you can't find her anywhere?"
She gave a shaky and hesitant nod a second after.
Ace put a finger to his chin and looked around before looking back at Komi.
"I can help you!" he said with a helpful smile.
He lent out a hand to her and said, "Come with me."
She looked at Ace's hand, then at Ace, then back to his hand.
She hesitantly reached out to his hand, and he helped pull her up and he led her to a pavement where his older siblings were.
While Ace had explained why Komi was with her and what was the matter with her to Diaya and A.J., Komi was looking around when her eyes landed on a chalk drawing on the pavement.
It was of a Blue Morpho butterfly.
After, A.J. left to find Komi's mother leaving Diaya to watch the kids.
That's when Ace walked next to Komi and said, "Do you like it?"
She looked at him and just blinked.
"Thanks. I drew it myself." he said, somehow knowing what she wanted to say, "Wanna draw with me until your mom comes?"
She perked up, before becoming unsure and nervous. She never did something with another person her age before. And, she just met the boy.
"Please? It'll be fun." He held out a piece of pink chalk to her.
She looked at the chalk before nervously taking it.
"Let's draw a flower for the butterfly!" Ace said, switching the blue chalk in his hand with a green piece.
They both then went to draw.
In the end they drew a nice pink flower with part of a green stem.
Komi was surprised with how Ace finished the stem and it's leaves so quick.
He smiled and waited for her finish.
When she did, they reviewed their work and they admired the butterfly on the flower chalk drawing.
Diaya even took a picture.
"Shouko!"
They all looked where the voice came from and saw Shuko Komi coming this way with A.J. behind her.
Ace moved back as Mrs. Komi embraced her daughter with tears in her eyes. Shouko started to cry too when she hugged her back.
When Ace's siblings came over, Shuko said, "Thank you so much! I can't thank you enough!"
"You can thank our little brother for that ma'am." A.J. said.
She looked at Ace and he smiled and waved.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Ace Daimu." he replied.
"Thank you for helping my daughter, Shouko, Ace."
"You're welcome, ma'am."
Afterwards, the two had left for home. When Shouko looked back as they walked away.
She saw that he was drawing something else, before looking up and waving her goodbye.
End flashback!
"...Four days later, we saw each other again when we went to see the cherry blossoms. We became friends after that.
Our friendship has been unbreakable since then...that was until I moved away.
Four years later, I moved back to Japan, we became friends again, you know the rest."
The second Ace finished, the four of them finally heard the sound of the sobs from everyone in the classroom, causing them to go into shock while looking at everyone.
They were crying their eyes out.
"D-Did something happen?!" Tadano said, speaking for the group.
They were actually really moved by the story.
This marks the day that Ace gained a bit more respect for saving the school's goddess all that time ago.
After that, it was time for everyone to head home.
Ace was walking Komi home, but during the walk, the latter noticed that the former was quiet for most of the walk.
He finally said something while feeling guilty.
"Shouko, I still feel bad for not telling you goodbye when I left. If I could go back in time, I would've made my last day with you more memorable.
I just, I can't say sorry enough."
It was normal for Komi to not say anything, but this was different.
She couldn't say anything because of how Ace was feeling.
Shouko tapped Ace on the shoulder, making him look at her.
He knew what she wanted to say and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. There's no way I could've known. I guess I'm just upset with not seeing you for so long."
He now felt a lot less bad.
Komi then decided to change the subject.
She then brought out her notepad and wrote down on it and showed it to him.
What did you draw on the pavement when I left back then?
Ace smiled before taking out his phone and showing it to her.
The drawing was of her and Ace sitting under a rainbow.
"Diaya sent it to me when I first got a phone. I keep it as a reminder of how we first met, and the start of our relationship."
"Th-"
Ace looked at Komi who was trying to say something when she suddenly stopped walking.
"Th-Thank...you...f-for being...my first...friend." she got out.
Ace's bad feelings went away when as he smiled.
He gave Komi a hug saying, "Thank you for still being friends with me."
