Her breath is cold against my cheek, intimate in the wrong way—like the room emptied itself just to make space for her.
Her eyes widen—an unnatural red glow, a small dot suspended in the center of a white eyeball, making her iris and pupil look lost at sea… floating in an endless ocean.
Her mouth jerks—into a smile? Into a frown? I can't tell. It's swallowing me whole—like my body convinced itself it was useless before any real damage could be done.
My eyes stay glued to her.
Unable to look away—
Like someone has their fingers hooked behind my eyes, keeping them aimed forward.
Silence
Sweat forms at my hairline, like the sun has been staring at my head alone.
It finally spills down my face—small droplets slip from my chin, tapping against the notebook trembling in my hands.
They're the only things that seem to know where they're going.
I felt her hand tense on my shoulder, and her expression followed.
She looked down—too fast—to the open page of the notebook. My picture, placed in the center like a worshiped bible. And those symbols I don't understand—
Her hand reaches—
She softly snatches the notebook —
She leans in front of me, then steps past—moving ahead of where I sit. I'm left staring at her back. My hands refuse to steady, and my heart pounds out of rhythm, too loud inside my body.
The open book in her hands—the page I left open— she stares at it for a second before slamming it shut.
The sound hits my chest like a gunshot.
She pulls it against her body, arms wrapping tight, elbows and shoulders tensing—
her whole frame shaking like she's clutching something precious.
What… the hell is—wrong with you?
My mind scrambles over what just happened in front of me, unable to make sense of it. I don't know how to react—or even what I'm supposed to feel. I don't have enough life experience for this crap.
Fuck..
What do I—
A realization hits me—along with the urge to stab myself a thousand times.
I looked at her diary.
…
Without her permission—
my mouth moves on its own—
"Min… Mi… Mina… I-I'm s-sorry. I… I didn't m-mean to—"
I force my head down in one motion, my hands clenching into fists before slamming against my lap in desperation.
She cut me off.
"It's okay, Haru…"
The softness in her voice compared to how she looked at me five minutes ago felt unreal—like a simple rocket burning just enough fuel to reach the edge of the universe.
I held my breathe—
I lift my head.Slowly.Slowly.Slowl—
She's…
Shes looking at me—
Smiling… her face is swallowed by shadow, but her eyes and teeth remain. And the dark hue of her hair now a dark purple—
That same smile
Just like the night I tried desperately to erase, the one I pretended never happened—and everything avoided rose up in front of me.
"Haru,"
I jumped.
My eyes adjusted to her.
"Haru," she said again but I couldn't see her mouth move this time.
I swallow.
…
No…
No.
She grips the diary tighter to her chest. Then cradles it to one side. She reaches behind her skirt pocket.
Slowly.
My heart beats faster.
Images of a knife.
My eyes pick at the door where I can leave but also my foot, my ankle—I can't go nowhere.
Slowly.
"Haru," she said again.
My eyes snap up, breathing like I'm dependent on oxygen.
She stopped, her hand behind her back.
Like she's going to pull something out.
…No.
No…
…
No.
No.
My hands move on their own, their natural instinct covering my body.
Wrapping around it.
My legs curl up.
No.
She giggles.
But all I see is her purple hair and her body.
Small tears form at my eyes.
I blinked,
It comes down, slowly.
Tickling on my skin.
She started walking towards me away from her desk.
Closer. Closer.
Her hand still behind her back while the other grips the book.
Closer.
Her face became more and more visible.
More visible—
Whoosh—
She pulled out something quick and put it in front of my face.
I jump back in shock, almost falling back off the chair.
…
…
A—
A ring?
A thin black ring, solid, with in the middle a red gem, a dark red or even a deep, deep red.
She hands it out in front of my face, her hand shaking but her head down slightly.
…
My mind still on the fact that I thought—
My breath relaxes and my eyes look at Mina's head bowing like handing a gift to someone.
All this for a ring…
A creepy ass ring at that.
No… there's no way…
"Mi.. Mina I couldn't… accept… s-something like this," I tried saying but my body is still shaken up.
She pauses, lifts her head a split second, water around her eyes. A soft puppy dog look.Then she looks back down, her head back to bowing.
"Haru… I'm sorry… sorry for everything… for hurting you… you're the only one who was nice to me," she said on the urge of sobbing, sounding sincere.
My heart feels like it stopped beating half through her sentence…
She's…
Sorry…
"Sorry" the word played in my mind and the way she said it like it was real.
I think.
…
"I know it's not much to make up for my… failures… but Haru… I… I…" her arm that carries the diary now dropped to the floor, her hand putting the ring to my face now shakes violently.
She stood there shaking.
Then—
She burst forward.
I made a startled yell sound.
Bang.
I fell backwards on the chair, laying out.
Mina's on top of me.
Her hair creates a curtain.
Where I can see her face.
Her eyes..
Each tear falling out faster.
She grasps my shoulder tighter with both of her hands.
"Please… Haru… don't… hate… me," she said, trying to hold it together.
Her tears hit my face.
"Don't… don't… DON'T," she kept repeating—crying as the word broke apart in her mouth.
I lay there, my body heavy with surprise and confusion.
I'm not sure…On what to say.
No one ever really asked for my forgiveness….
Things that happened.Things that were done to me.Even something as small as bumping into someone—I'm always the one who pays for it. Pays for it all, its always my fault…
But…
I should be happy…
Right…?
Lying here—
seeing Mina do this—
makes me
feel—
A memory plays in my head—being stripped naked in the bathroom, being recorded, being beaten at the same time, and the only thing I ever did was say sorry…
My stomach turns as I look at Mina fall deeper and deeper into her own pain—
I don't know why she's this way.
I don't know anything but—
But.
"M… Mina," I said softly. "I… I… I—"
I'm doing this.
I'm really doing this.
Images flash—my bullying, my past, my begging.
"I forgive you!" I said—sharp, stern, loud.
She instantly stopped and that dead glow in her eyes returned back with color.
In awe.
"Haru… you," she said, pausing, her mouth open like she's ready to say more words but none comes out.
"Yes," I said, a little afraid—I can admit that.
But a feeling washed over me, one I couldn't describe, couldn't name, couldn't even think about.
Did I make a mistake?
Was this… the right thing to do?
Do you…hate me..?
Her mouth formed words, letters, but nothing came out.
"I lo—"
RIIIINNNGG.
The school bell cut her off.
The first period bell.
"Looks like it's time for class,"
My voice comes out weirdly awkward, like introducing myself to a class at a whole new school.
"Oh… yeah…"
She then stood up off me.
She helped me up and sat me on the chair.
She wrapped my feet, then pulled on the sock and shoe.
No words.
She smiled while doing it, but her eyes felt busy—elsewhere.
She stood up straight. Too straight.
She looked down at me.
I looked back, fighting the urge to lower my eyes.
She then places—or even forces—the ring on my hand.
Now in my palm.
I awkwardly look at it in silence.
…
She's waiting for me.
To put it on.
I think…
No, I can't.
It looks expensive—
and something about it feels wrong. Creepy as hell.
"Oh… yeah. How nice of you Mina, it's soo nice," I said trying to sound genuine but came out sounding so weird.
She's still staring, smiling.
Still waiting for me.
…
Hell no.
"So um… I have to get to clas—"
She cut me off.
"Put it on," she said, smiling—yet serious.
My heart jumps.
"But… I—"
She cuts me off again.
"Put… it… on," she said again—her voice melodic, her smile unchanged.
I instantly put it on my left ring finger—without thinking.
I won't make her upset..Ill follow the rules.
She makes a startled sound.
My eyes snap to her.
Her face flushes red. She covers it quickly, whispering under her breath.
"No, Haru… we're too young to get married," she says, swaying back and forth, breathing hard, fingers pressed to her face.
…
What the hell is she on about?
…
Oh.
Right—class.
"We gotta get to class or we will be late."
She stops her expression now calming into a smile as she removes her hands from her mouth
"Right,"
She helped me walk down the stairs to my classroom, behind the door, and waved her hand goodbye.
I waved back, smiling—somewhat relieved I got away—then shifted my focus to the door.
I slide the door open.
My eyes scan the room…
Kurozawa..?