Early April arrives, and the view of cherry blossoms in full bloom is serene.
Everyone seems a little more cheerful with the arrival of spring.
Even Selene-chan adorns her hair with cherry blossoms today.
She had seemed a little despondent these past few weeks, but her mood has lightened now.
Of course, that doesn't mean her acerbic tongue has sweetened.
Bakugou and Selene-chan have a roasting contest because he needed an outlet for his anger, and Midoriya had been called to the teachers' lounge. And the fact that Aizawa-sensei is napping, the opportunity is golden. This isn't the first time they've bantered, but it's entertaining every time. I watch the exchange with unhidden fascination and alertness. Though, I will interfere if things get too chaotic.
"My cousin is getting married next week. She's looking for someone to be her flower girl, and I think you'll be perfect for the role. You wear flowers all the time. It won't be a problem if you throw some of them on the aisle, too," he goads.
Her retort makes me grin. "That's interesting. Because there is a position vacant at my home, too. Of the housekeeper. I heard that you can do the laundry, cook meals, sweep the floor, dust the rooms, mow the grass. One of the workers recently quit, and my family really needs someone to maintain the house."
"You expect me to be your servant?!"
"I've brought the application form if you would like it."
"As if! You're talking to the future Number One hero. I am no one's servant."
She smirks devilishly just before she taunts him again. "But I am the Devil, and it is believed that the Devil is a portent of misfortune. Would you really invite the Devil to your cousin's wedding?" Bakugou is speechless. With no comeback coming to mind, he sputters a bit and then sneers. That doesn't deter her, though. "It would be a shame if your cousin had to undergo a divorce so soon after the happiest day of her life. Or become a widow. And that's only the best case scenario. Would you like to hear the worst?"
"Screw you, Salt-and-Pepper," Bakugou rants.
"The feeling is mutual, Bakugou-san," she barbs.
With an audible huff, he turns around to return to his seat, but Selene-chan calls out after him, "Give your cousin my best regards. May her married life be full of joy!"
He gives her the middle finger - which immensely irritates me - and she snickers in victory.
School ends for the day.
Despite the fact it's late afternoon, the sun is already setting, casting a reddish-orange glow on everything.
A gentle breeze blows from the west.
The path Selene-chan and I take is lined with rows of cherry blossom trees.
I'm a fast walker, but when I'm with her, I walk much more slowly, keeping pace with her. But she stops partway, and I don't realize she's not with me until I stroll a few meters ahead. I turn back to call out to her, but stop. Her eyes are shut, face lifted to the wind. Her hair changes color from raven black to a monochrome gradient: black at the roots, grey in the middle, white at the ends. With the sun just behind her and the cherry blossoms falling like soft snow, she looks serene. Ethereal. A sign that no matter how difficult life can become, there are beautiful blessings like this to live for. Another drawing of her to add to my collection. The falling blossoms combined with the blossoms already tucked in her hair, a flower crown creates itself around her head.
My edges of my mouth lift slowly to smile. I catch a few of the cherry blossoms in my hands, and quietly make my way toward her other, stopping only when we're face-to-face. Stifling my imminent laugh, I blow the blossoms on her face. Her eyes pop open in amazement, and she staggers back a little. Now I don't hide my laugh. Chortling at her look of astonishment, I gasp between bursts, "I couldn't help it. You looked so in tune with nature, it was beautiful."
"And you thought it would be wise to shatter that beautiful illusion," she mutters with a light shove to my chest.
"Sorry. Here, let me help with you that." I brush off the flowers from her hair, untangling a few of the ones that were already fixed in her hair. Then I put all of them in my backpack, intending to place each one of them between the pages of the thick tome in my nightstand. The tome where each of one Selene-chan's flowers I took is preserved. "Would you like to stay for a little longer?" I ask her.
She tilts her head and stares at me with a puzzled expression. "Hmm?"
I rub the back of my neck, all amusement vanishing and shyness appearing. Still, I don't break eye contact. "I don't want to board the train home just yet. Spending time with you like this feels soothing. Do you remember the café we went to while we were working on that playground project? The owners made a new addition. They turned it into a cat café. Would you like to come with me?"
Selene-chan glances at the time on her watch. We still have an hour before nightfall arrives. "Our families …"
She doesn't have to finish. I know what she's talking about. "This is exactly what they want. For us to grow closer to suit their agendas. Let them think that. You know and I know that is not why I'm inviting you."
She hesitates for a few moments before accepting.
Intertwining my fingers with hers, we continue down the path.
Cats adore me.
I did not know that about myself until seven kittens decided to hop onto my head, my shoulders, my lap, and snuggle.
They make occasional purrs of satisfaction and swish their soft tails, tickling me. On Selene-chan's insistence, I agree to let her take pictures - from my phone, as was the condition - of the cats and me. Because of the kittens hogging my arms, and my unwillingness to disturb them, I haven't even taken a sip of the macchiato I ordered for myself. When she finishes taking pictures, I tell her to put the phone in my backpack, and save me from the irrecoverable assault of kitten adorableness. I do use those exact words. She retrieves a few kitten toys and beckons them to play with her. The kitten using my head as a pillow and two using my shoulders as beds leap and saunder curiously toward her. Now I can drink.
I retrieve the phone from my backpack and scroll through the pictures. I look visibly uncomfortable in each one. Don't get me wrong, I love animals. But this was a bit much. I instantly regret thinking that. The owners of the café said that these cats were abandoned by their former owners, some mistreated, some sick, some found in cardboard boxes on the streets. Here, they have a home, with ample space, plenty of food and water, and easy access to a veterinarian, whose clinic is a little further on the street. Finishing my drink, I watch the kittens hiss at Selene-chan, who is utterly confused and ashamed at their reaction.
"There must be something about me that they dislike," she laments.
I try to comfort her. "Don't be sad, Selene-chan. Cats just take a while to open up."
"Do you think it has to do with the fact that cats can sense my aura."
"I'm not so sure. Even I have a dark aura, but they behave normally with me."
Those kittens return to me, and jump to their respective spots for more cuddles. I feel a lot more comfortable now.
When it gets dark, we leave the café.
Unfortunately, the trains are packed with people.
They hustle and bustle in and out of each compartment quickly.
Remembering Selene-chan's agoraphobia, I suggest that we wait half an hour, and perhaps by then the crowd will have lessened. She does an excellent job of hiding most of her panic from her face, but it appears in her staggered breaths and darting eyes. "It's all right," she says courageously after gulping audibly. "The station will be more dangerous the later it gets. I can … I can manage."
I hold her hand to ease her mind. She clenches it tightly. It hurts, but she deserves this much. The train we have to board arrives, and as soon as all the passengers who need to exit do, I pull into a compartment and beckon to the ceiling handles hanging from the roof of the compartment. We stand across each other, trying to keep our grips as people jostle around us. And when the train starts moving, there's hardly any space to breathe.
A stop arrives - not ours - and the jostling starts again. We're pushed from behind carelessly. She flinches and curls into herself every time physical contact is made. With each push, she is one step closer to a panic attack. Then some really careless lady jerk pushes her so hard that her hand slips from the handle, and she stumbles forward. Into me. I manage to snake my arm around her waist at the last second to prevent both of us from falling down. That jerk seizes the opportunity to claim the now vacant handle.
"It's okay," I whisper, as I pull her closer to myself. "Put your hands on my shoulders, Selene."
I'm all too aware of the contact between us.
Never meeting my eyes, she does as I say, clutching the fabric in her fists.
The jerk stares at us with unveiled disgust.
I return a nasty glare before focusing on Selene-chan.
"Don't concentrate on anything else. Just listen to my voice. You'll be okay. Just a little longer. Nod if you are listening."
She nods.
And for the rest of the fleeting train ride, I utter words of assurance and comfort softly in her ears.
That panic attack never arrives.