text1;"""These falling sakura petals…""" text2;"""Does anyone really find them beautiful?""" text3;"""Does anyone really see a deep meaning in their whirl?""" text4;"""Maybe this interplay of color — the purple velvet against the setting sun — does mesmerize.""" text5;"""Back then, I must have thought the same as I watched the leaves fall.""" text6;"""Maybe too much time has passed. I have forgotten. I have changed.""" text7;"""Only the trees are still the same — they don't care!""" text8;"""They came into the world before me and they will yet outlive my descendants.""" text9;"""They don't care for the beauty of their falling petals, their speed, direction, or angle. It's all the same to them.""" text10;"""Why would they bother with such minutiae?""" text11;"""To them, this is nothing more than a routine change of the seasons.""" text12;"""To me, though, it is a flood of memories…""" text13;"""The tree in front of me now is exactly the same as it was that day.""" text14;"""The day when I had to do something — the day when it was too late to do anything.""" text15;"""It's the same.""" text16;"""The same are the petals, too, falling with perfidious indifference.""" text17;"""They truly don't care.""" text18;"""They don't care if, one day, a photographer makes an entire exhibition of their images, or if a pair of sweethearts falls even more deeply in love, enchanted by their ceaseless dance.""" text19;"""That's how nature is. It's not how I am…""" text20;"""Same as that day, a year ago.""" text21;"""That day the petals were falling off the trees as well.""" text22;"""Back then too nature was lying down — not dying, no — but falling asleep, to wake up again in the spring, its fire of life rekindled.""" text23;"""Sitting under this tree, I remember, remember all the joy and all the sadness.""" text24;"""Do you really love me?""" text25;"""Yes…""" text26;"""Truly?""" text27;"""Yes…""" text28;"""She turned away, while the petals kept falling, getting tangled in her hair and making her look even more beautiful.""" text29;"""You know, cherry petals really suit you.""" text30;"""She turned around. She probably didn't want to.""" text31;"""She probably expected something else. Elegant phrases, intelligent words — something that wasn't this.""" text32;"""Really?""" text33;"""Yes, of course!""" text34;"""She smiled.""" text35;"""I, too, must have expected something different; feelings, confessions, as beautiful as those fluttering petals.""" text36;"""But, at that time, those words were more important to me than anything else.""" text37;"""More important than the tree, more important than the moment, more important than life itself.""" text38;"""…because I realized that they were like a petal resting in my hand, before it fell to the ground — so near, so fragile, so precious…""" text39;"""…""" text40;"""I woke up.""" text41;"""The fan was humming as obnoxiously as ever. Its noise must have been what woke me up.""" text42;"""I was sick of it, of course, but it was a necessary evil — the summer heat was relentless even with the doors open.""" text43;"""It was three in the morning, and the silence was sickening.""" text44;"""Dear God, better to hear the blaring of police sirens, or the shouting of a tipsy neighbor, or the screeching of car tires!""" text45;"""Anything but this obnoxious fan.""" text46;"""I would have turned it off long ago, but then I would have certainly been cooked alive by the heat.""" text47;"""Hell, Russian winters had nothing on Japanese summers…""" text48;"""With effort, I got up and went to the kitchen for some water.""" text49;"""What were Russian winters like, anyway?""" text50;"""Muffled creaking came from the floorboards under my feet. But the rest of the house — which consisted of three bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and some pantries — paid no attention to its sole inhabitant.""" text51;"""Damn, it really was 3 A.M.""" text52;"""I gulped the water down greedily, spilling half over myself.""" text53;"""Next morning, I had to go to school.""" text54;"""Had to? Why, exactly?""" text55;"""Maybe I was the one who came up with these stupid duties and responsibilities, straddling myself with the necessity of socializing and waiting for the useless piece of paper that would attest to me possessing a high school education.""" text56;"""I must have invented this world myself, as was my wont.""" text57;"""I must have made it up alongside all the other worlds that I fabricate daily: for myself, for those I knew, for the whole world.""" text58;"""These obligations were nothing but stupid conventions of that world. By a stroke of bad luck, it was also the world that most people viewed as the real one.""" text59;"""I poured myself another glass of water and returned to bed.""" text60;"""The moon shone brightly, animating every speck of dust.""" text61;"""In its mournful light, my room looked entirely different, like a portal to another world —""" text62;"""— a world that was beyond even my imagination.""" text63;"""A silver ray fell on the table, inching towards a heap of papers.""" text64;"""School papers, an unfinished novel, letters… from my mother, from friends in Russia… and…""" text65;"""I got up and put a particular scrap of paper into a drawer.""" text66;"""Has it been a year since it arrived? Or…""" text67;"""Why should it even bother me?""" text68;"""Then again, why was it on my table? I should have tossed it long ago!""" text69;"""I jumped up, took a step towards the table, and came to a halt.""" text70;"""How could I?""" text71;"""It's not as if I hadn't tried before. More than once.""" text72;"""The phone rang loudly. Very loudly.""" text73;"""It was three in the morning; who could possibly need to talk to me at this hour — to a dejected high-schooler sunk in self-reflection?""" text74;"""Although, I was used to it.""" text45926;"""Answer""" text45927;"""Don't answer""" text45928;"""The telephone went quiet for a moment but immediately started ringing again.""" text45929;"""At this rate it would keep going the whole night!""" text75;"""Hello.""" text76;"""Hi, you're not asleep?""" text77;"""As you can tell…""" text78;"""I felt a strong desire to hang up and disconnect the phone.""" text79;"""But stronger still, I wished that she could be here now, close by.""" text80;"""How come?""" text81;"""How should I know? Probably because you called me.""" text82;"""She mumbled something unintelligible.""" text83;"""How are things in general?""" text84;"""How should things be, in general, at three in the morning?""" text85;"""I don't know — great!""" text86;"""Then they're great!""" text87;"""Oh, quit it.""" text88;"""Well, what did you want to hear?""" text89;"""I wanted… I thought… I just wanted to call!""" text90;"""\""You thought\"" it was okay to call at three A.M.?""" text91;"""I saw the light come on in your kitchen, so I figured you were up!""" text92;"""Are you spying on me?""" text93;"""No, I was just…""" text94;"""The line went silent for a few seconds. She must have been trying to think of something that wouldn't sound too ridiculous.""" text95;"""It's just that I couldn't sleep either.""" text96;"""Why \""either\""? What if I had been sleeping?""" text97;"""But you weren't.""" text98;"""Alright, let's start from the beginning. What did you want?""" text99;"""I wanted to know…""" text100;"""She paused-mid sentence, as if working up the courage, before continuing more confidently:""" text101;"""Are you coming to school tomorrow?""" text102;"""What if I am?""" text103;"""Then I'll come get you in the morning!""" text104;"""Now, that's just great — it's three in the morning, and you're going to come by. When? In three hours?""" text105;"""So we won't be late!""" text106;"""You know what, I think I'm going to pass.""" text107;"""Hey! You can't keep missing school! At this rate, you won't be able to graduate! And then, you won't be able to find a good job! And then…""" text108;"""She got entirely tangled up in predictions of my future.""" text109;"""Oh, well, no biggie.""" text110;"""It won't be a biggie! Leave the door unlocked, in the morning I'll…""" text111;"""You have your keys. What does it matter if I lock the door?""" text112;"""Oh, right! See you in the morning then.""" text113;"""See you…""" text114;"""I didn't feel like arguing.""" text115;"""What was the point anyway?""" text116;"""She would come and wake me up regardless.""" text117;"""It's what she did almost every day.""" text118;"""Why did I ever give her keys?""" text119;"""Well, that was a while back. It must have been about a year.""" text120;"""The cherry petals were probably falling on that day as well…""" text121;"""But to hell with them!""" text122;"""I made sure to set my alarm, so I'd be up before she came.""" text123;"""Not that it mattered much, but this was getting old!""" text124;"""What's more, I worried that I was getting too accustomed to it — seeing her familiar face every morning.""" text125;"""Dependent even, which was something I absolutely couldn't allow to happen!""" text126;"""So, if she wanted to come in the morning, fine, but she wouldn't be waking me up again!""" text127;"""…""" text128;"""A hundred bells chimed with a hundred melodies in my head, announcing the morning.""" text129;"""In that medley were the cheerful chirping of the birds, the construction on a neighboring street, the boisterous shouts of street vendors, the damned fan that hadn't quit humming for a second, and the grumpy muttering somewhere close by…""" text130;"""The fixed gaze of large green eyes, the pouting lips, and the two red braids all informed me that I had slept in.""" text131;"""What time is it?""" text132;"""The girl picked up the alarm clock and shoved it in my face.""" text133;"""But it's still early!""" text134;"""I protested.""" text135;"""The early bird gets the worm!""" text136;"""This is Himitsu.""" text137;"""I feel like I've known her my whole life. Or at least since my parents and I moved to Japan.""" text138;"""Her mother is Russian, although she divorced Himitsu's father when we were still children.""" text139;"""Okay, enough lounging around! Time to get up, wash up, eat breakfast, and go to school.""" text140;"""This is how most of my days start. Though, after all these years I've grown used to it.""" text141;"""Incidentally, I forgot to introduce myself: Nikolai, a high school senior.""" text142;"""Niko-kun!""" text143;"""Himitsu's voice carried throughout the entire house, and it no longer felt quite so empty and lonely.""" text144;"""I quickly showered and dressed, then went into the kitchen.""" text145;"""This house really was too big for one person.""" text146;"""In fact, it was probably designed for a multi-generational family: grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren…""" text147;"""All the empty space felt oppressive even when my parents were still with me.""" text148;"""Now, it felt like a museum or a library.""" text149;"""Who in their right mind would want to live in one of those, especially by themselves?""" text150;"""Bon appetit!""" text151;"""Same to you…""" text152;"""An omelette and several kinds of salads graced the table.""" text153;"""I picked up a piece of cucumber with my chopsticks and lazily rolled it around the plate.""" text154;"""Not hungry?""" text155;"""I am, but I can't live off grass like a rabbit…""" text156;"""Himitsu frowned.""" text157;"""So instant ramen is better, in your book?""" text158;"""I don't know about better, but it's certainly tastier!""" text159;"""Hey!""" text160;"""She puffed out her cheeks comically, which made her look like a cute hamster.""" text161;"""I put real work into it, you know!""" text162;"""K.O.!""" text163;"""I could say nothing to counter that, so I concentrated on chewing.""" text164;"""What are you planning to do after school today?""" text165;"""I don't know… Kyosuke wanted to go to the movies, I think. Did you have another idea?""" text166;"""She set her chopsticks aside and looked at me intently as if about to say something important.""" text167;"""Maybe…""" text168;"""She laughed, trying to hide her embarrassment.""" text169;"""Never mind. It's not important.""" text170;"""Himitsu is in love with me.""" text171;"""I've known this for a long time but have done nothing about it. At some point, I grew so used to it that I couldn't tell anymore whether she loves me as a brother or a man.""" text172;"""To be perfectly honest, I didn't care one way or another.""" text173;"""If you want to go somewhere, I can reschedule the movie. It can do without me tonight.""" text174;"""Her face gleamed with an earnest smile.""" text175;"""Well, actually, I wanted to check out this one store near the station. It's just opened — the girls at school won't stop talking about it.""" text176;"""Someone else in my shoes might have considered this a date.""" text177;"""But I simply enjoyed spending time with Himitsu.""" text178;"""She seemed content with our arrangement too.""" text179;"""You haven't finished your breakfast!""" text180;"""Nor did I plan to — I might still have to eat more grass for lunch.""" text181;"""Why don't you ever make borscht or dumplings, or something…""" text182;"""Borscht isn't breakfast, and besides, I've made it before!""" text183;"""Himitsu pouted.""" text184;"""She had made it before, true, but not the same way I remembered from my childhood…""" text185;"""I wasn't about to tell her that.""" text186;"""It's one thing not to know how to do something — you can always learn.""" text187;"""It's quite another to both know and do, yet fail to meet expectations.""" text188;"""When that's the case, there's a good chance that you'll never learn.""" text189;"""You're right, sorry — your borscht is very good.""" text190;"""Borscht… yeah, borscht…""" text191;"""I repeated.""" text192;"""Himitsu glared at me.""" text193;"""Anyone else in her place would have long since emptied this bowl of imaginary borscht over my head.""" text194;"""So what's this store you were talking about?""" text195;"""They sell clothes.""" text196;"""She kept staring at me.""" text197;"""Dresses, sweaters, skirts — clothing. Women's clothing.""" text198;"""Do you think maybe you should go with one of your girlfriends then? I'm not saying \""no\"", it just might be a bit awkward.""" text199;"""Why?""" text200;"""I don't know. It's just the way things are here, and you know how I'm not always great with the local customs…""" text201;"""I was telling the truth.""" text202;"""Anyone else would have long since gotten used to the Japanese way of life, to Japanese traditions and cultural norms.""" text203;"""…or at least to the ways of the local high schoolers.""" text204;"""That's… no one is going to think anything. It's not like we're…""" text205;"""Himitsu was now completely flustered, which was making her upset. I couldn't tell if she was more upset with me or with herself.""" text206;"""Sometimes when I talked to Himitsu (and not only her), I would hit a dead end — I no longer knew what was expected of me, while the other person couldn't understand why I didn't get it.""" text207;"""In the end, the entire meaning of the conversation would end up buried under an avalanche of misunderstanding, which snowballed with every new remark.""" text208;"""At such times, it was better to agree or to remain silent.""" text209;"""Alright, alright, it's fine. No one's going to think anything. Why would they?""" text210;"""Exactly!""" text211;"""Himitsu said triumphantly and went to wash the dishes.""" text212;"""…""" text213;"""What was this kind of weather — early in the fall — called in Russia? \""Grandma's summer\""?""" text214;"""In Japan, at any rate, it was still very hot at the beginning of September.""" text215;"""Himitsu walked alongside me, smiling.""" text216;"""I occasionally glanced over at her, trying to figure out what was on her mind.""" text217;"""Not that I was particularly interested — more likely, I was just trying to distract myself from my own thoughts.""" text218;"""The image of the falling cherry petals kept surfacing in my mind, dragging up painful memories.""" text219;"""As for Himitsu, she never broached the subject. Was she keen to avoid reopening the wound or was she just showing tact?""" text220;"""Hey! Earth to Niko-kun, do you copy?!""" text221;"""Huh? What?""" text222;"""I had clearly been daydreaming.""" text223;"""We're almost there, and you're still sleeping!""" text224;"""Himitsu knit her brow.""" text225;"""As always, her displeasure looked more comical than intimidating.""" text226;"""I'm not sleeping. I'm solving the world's problems in my head.""" text227;"""Oh, yeah, what sort of problems?""" text228;"""She laughed.""" text229;"""The political sort…? Not even — geopolitical! Who else will solve them if not yours truly?!""" text230;"""Your grades are a little underwhelming for a future politician.""" text231;"""That… that's not important! There've been plenty of great people who didn't get the best grades in school. Take Einstein for instance!""" text232;"""I see…""" text233;"""Himitsu smirked.""" text234;"""…""" text235;"""We would have probably kept chit chatting like this if it weren't for a scuffle happening that moment at the school gate.""" text236;"""Several people had surrounded a girl; from a distance, we couldn't see who it was.""" text237;"""Look.""" text238;"""Said Himitsu quietly, slowing down.""" text239;"""I listened in.""" text240;"""She probably wears the same skirt all year!""" text241;"""It must be a hand-me-down from her older sister!""" text242;"""How does a bum like her even get admitted to our school?! It's not a halfway house! Go work at the fish market!""" text243;"""Careful now, you might catch something from her!""" text244;"""It's not like I was going to — you know — with her…""" text245;"""Hey, you're onto something! I bet that's how she spends her nights — earning a little side cash!""" text246;"""Poor thing…""" text247;"""Himitsu paused for a second.""" text248;"""Isn't she in your class?""" text249;"""I looked more closely. She did look familiar…""" text250;"""I think so.""" text251;"""Are you saying you don't even know who your classmates are?""" text252;"""Of course I do! That's Naka… Hita… Iwamura!""" text253;"""I fixed my hair and looked triumphantly at Himitsu.""" text254;"""She was not impressed.""" text255;"""In fact, she's our class president.""" text256;"""Himitsu was still looking at me reproachfully.""" text257;"""Well, what?! I've never spoken much with her! And, anyway, this is the first time we're together in the same class, so it's only been six months.""" text258;"""Meanwhile, the scuffle, if you could call it that, was picking up steam.""" text259;"""The girl remained stubbornly silent, only dropping her head lower with every minute.""" text260;"""This only continued to encourage the bullies.""" text261;"""Come on! Who would pay money for someone like her?!""" text262;"""Except maybe a couple hundred yen!""" text263;"""The speaker made a show of opening his wallet, stuffed with bills, pulling out a handful and waving them in front of Iwamura.""" text264;"""This is really getting out of hand…""" text265;"""I muttered under my breath.""" text266;"""But the other students walked right on past, pretending not to notice anything.""" text267;"""These damned traditions again! This isn't right!""" text268;"""Niko-kun! Don't. Let's just tell a teacher…""" text269;"""Himitsu tugged lightly at my sleeve.""" text270;"""And what is the teacher going to do? Scold them? \""My, my, aren't you ashamed of yourselves?\""""" text271;"""I was starting to get worked up.""" text272;"""If I had to think about it, what business of mine was this?""" text273;"""A fellow classmate? So what?""" text274;"""I hadn't exchanged more than a couple words with her before this day.""" text275;"""Still, it was hard to watch one poor girl getting picked apart by an entire pack!""" text276;"""Intervene""" text277;"""Don't intervene""" text278;"""Why should I stay on the sidelines? What if Himitsu were in her place?""" text279;"""After all, we weren't exactly the richest kids at this school either.""" text280;"""Sorry…""" text281;"""Himitsu only smiled slightly in response.""" text282;"""Hey!""" text283;"""I yelled and headed confidently in their direction.""" text284;"""Leave her alone!""" text285;"""At first, they just looked at me in surprise.""" text286;"""Iwamura, on the other hand, kept staring at the ground and didn't react at all.""" text287;"""And who would you be?""" text288;"""What do you care?""" text289;"""Keep walking!""" text290;"""Their tone was challenging, but that only boosted my confidence.""" text291;"""Four against one… Don't you think that's a bit unfair?""" text292;"""You want some too, is that it?""" text293;"""Two guys from the group stepped forward, cracking their knuckles for emphasis.""" text294;"""Seems like they could do more than talk trash.""" text295;"""What's the hero gonna do now?""" text296;"""One of them smirked.""" text297;"""Yeah, what?""" text298;"""To tell the truth, I didn't know either.""" text299;"""I'd been compelled to stand up for Iwamura by some kind of inflamed sense of justice, no more.""" text300;"""Because here you weren't supposed to act this way, and, there, you were supposed to help your neighbor.""" text301;"""But real life isn't manga or anime; in real life, I had no superpowers.""" text302;"""You're about to find out!""" text303;"""I got up close to one of them… and froze.""" text304;"""And what now?""" text305;"""But the guy staggered back, clearly rattled.""" text306;"""Who do you think you are?!""" text307;"""The same instant, the second guy rushed up to me, clearly intending to shove me in the chest.""" text308;"""My reflexes kicked in before I could think.""" text309;"""Out swung my arm. Crack — came the sound of the assailant's jaw.""" text310;"""The world around me seemed to freeze.""" text311;"""Iwamura, the other girls, and even the guy who I had just punched, all stared, seemingly transfixed with surprise.""" text312;"""But this only lasted an instant.""" text313;"""You! Do you have any idea who my father is!?""" text314;"""One of the girls shouted.""" text315;"""Don't yell. Let's just go. He's some sort of psycho!""" text316;"""Another girl tried to calm her friend down.""" text317;"""The second guy helped his fallen friend up from the ground.""" text318;"""This isn't over!""" text319;"""We'll remember you.""" text320;"""With these words, they quickly headed away from the school.""" text321;"""Himitsu rushed over to me the same instant.""" text322;"""Niko-kun! Are you alright?""" text323;"""Yes, of course.""" text324;"""I replied calmly while examining my slightly swollen fist.""" text325;"""Surprisingly, I wasn't shaking with adrenaline, as might have been expected.""" text326;"""Everything must have happened too suddenly.""" text327;"""Iwamura… senpai?""" text328;"""In all the commotion, I had forgotten all about the chief cause of this kerfuffle.""" text329;"""She stood silently, peering sullenly at us from under her eyebrows.""" text330;"""Are you alright?""" text331;"""Fighting is prohibited on school grounds.""" text332;"""She said quietly.""" text333;"""What?""" text334;"""A dumb smile spread across my face. I looked over at Himitsu.""" text335;"""She looked just as confused as I was.""" text336;"""I'm saying that there was no need to get into a fight.""" text337;"""In case you haven't noticed, I was kind of defending you!""" text338;"""They would have left in the end…""" text339;"""Iwamura went silent for a second, then looked up at me; her eyes flashed, but just as quickly her indifferent demeanor returned.""" text340;"""They always do.""" text341;"""Regardless, you could at least say thank you! It's just common courtesy!""" text342;"""I was even more upset now than a minute earlier.""" text343;"""And not only here, but in the whole wide world!""" text344;"""Iwamura's only response was to raise her chin, snort, and quickly make her way towards the school gate.""" text345;"""That's just unreal!""" text346;"""I told you not to get involved.""" text347;"""Himitsu said quietly.""" text348;"""But you did act like a real hero!""" text349;"""Some hero, right! Where have you seen heroes like this? In movies, the heroes get thanked for saving someone!""" text350;"""But you didn't do it for the sake of gratitude, did you?""" text351;"""Himitsu kept smiling, which made me flustered.""" text352;"""We'll see what sort of gratitude the teachers give me.""" text353;"""I grumbled.""" text354;"""Come on, let's go!""" text355;"""Thinking rationally, this was none of my business…""" text356;"""I didn't know the full story, didn't know the background.""" text357;"""Sure, four people ganging up on one girl wasn't cool, but my intervention might just make matters worse!""" text358;"""Fine, you're probably right…""" text359;"""I gritted my teeth, turned away, and took several steps toward the school gate.""" text360;"""Well, are you coming?""" text361;"""Himitsu was still watching the \""scuffle\"".""" text362;"""Yes, sorry.""" text363;"""…""" text364;"""Still, that's not right!""" text365;"""I was sitting near the shoe cubbies, watching other students pass by.""" text366;"""We should tell the teachers!""" text367;"""And what are they going to do? Well? What?""" text368;"""I couldn't shake off one thought —""" text369;"""— the thought that I had done the wrong thing.""" text370;"""What if it were you in her place? And if everyone just kept walking past with their eyes lowered?""" text371;"""Himitsu looked embarrassed.""" text372;"""But I have you…""" text373;"""What if I weren't nearby at the time?""" text374;"""I ignored her and continued my fiery diatribe.""" text375;"""Let's say I got sick! Or I slept in! Or… I don't know, what if I —""" text376;"""At that moment, Iwamura appeared from around the corner.""" text377;"""Himitsu looked at me quizzically, but, turning, also froze in surprise.""" text378;"""Iwamura rapidly changed out of her shoes and walked past me, paying no attention to anyone or anything.""" text379;"""See, I told you everything was going to be alright!""" text380;"""I didn't recall her saying that.""" text381;"""That's what you call alright?""" text382;"""I muttered under my breath.""" text383;"""I'll see you at lunch.""" text384;"""Yeah, sure.""" text385;"""I answered absentmindedly, still lost in thought, before heading off to class.""" text386;"""…""" text387;"""Another routine school day had now begun.""" text388;"""I couldn't remember my Russian school at all, even though I'd attended it for an entire six months.""" text389;"""But, for some reason, it seemed to me that schools were more or less the same everywhere in the world. As were people…""" text390;"""Really, how many ways could there be to get stuff into a kid's noggin?""" text391;"""If Marconi and Popov could, independently of each other, invent the radio, why couldn't identical best practices emerge in education at opposite ends of the earth?""" text392;"""A shout from the teacher snapped me out of these thoughts.""" text393;"""Whatever school was like in Russia, school here was pretty strict.""" text394;"""There was a reason, after all, why this was one of the best schools in the country.""" text395;"""My class consisted largely of the children of rich and famous businessmen, politicians, showbiz stars…""" text396;"""Sometimes I felt out of place here.""" text397;"""But then, even among this elite, there were people who were almost ordinary.""" text398;"""One such person — Kyosuke — came up to me during break.""" text399;"""I had known Kyosuke since middle school. He came across as a down to earth guy, with none of the attitude of the local privileged youth.""" text400;"""Hey, Nick! Did you hear what happened this morning?""" text401;"""I looked around the classroom and spotted one of the girls that had been harassing Iwamura.""" text402;"""She gave me a mean look but then quickly went back to what she had been doing.""" text403;"""Whatever!""" text404;"""No, what happened?""" text405;"""I asked, even though I knew perfectly well what Kyosuke was referring to.""" text406;"""This morning, at the school gate —""" text407;"""Kyosuke lowered his voice.""" text408;"""There was a brawl!""" text409;"""Some word for it! Couldn't they think of a better one?""" text410;"""Yeah, well, I'm aware.""" text411;"""What do you mean? Did you…""" text412;"""His eyes lit up; he leaned in towards me, and then continued at a rapid-fire pace.""" text413;"""Are you the guy? The one who punched Kurosaki from class B?""" text414;"""Somehow I neglected to ask his name.""" text415;"""I answered proudly.""" text416;"""And immediately winced.""" text417;"""There was nothing to be proud of here!""" text418;"""Now everyone was going to gossip about what a dangerous bully I was, and no one was going to remember that I had actually saved a poor girl from harassment!""" text419;"""Don't get the wrong idea! I was just defending…""" text420;"""My eyes were scouring the classroom in search of Iwamura.""" text421;"""…was defending…""" text422;"""But she wasn't there.""" text423;"""Was I really looking to her for proof of my \""heroic deed\"", for a confirmation that I wasn't just a troublemaker?""" text424;"""Well, anyway, I was defending a girl.""" text425;"""A girl? Who?""" text426;"""Kyosuke squinted.""" text427;"""Don't know who she is. Anyway, what's it matter? It was a natural reaction, you know. Anyone in my place…""" text428;"""I looked up at Kyosuke.""" text429;"""Any decent person would have done the same.""" text430;"""Uh huh­, yeah, sure! Don't forget to introduce me to this mystery girl of yours.""" text431;"""He seemed to want to add something, but at that moment the school bell rang.""" text432;"""Oh? What happened?""" text433;"""My conscience was still eating me up for not intervening.""" text434;"""Several guys from class B were apparently harassing a girl. I don't know who exactly.""" text435;"""No, I didn't see anything.""" text436;"""They make trouble for everyone!""" text437;"""Kyosuke sighed.""" text438;"""Yeah, not the nicest of people. I hope they don't bother any of ours.""" text439;"""And what do you care? If I asked you to list five last names of students in our class, I bet you'd get stuck after just two.""" text440;"""As if! I know your last name!""" text441;"""And who else's?""" text442;"""Kyosuke grinned.""" text443;"""Who else… I know Michael's.""" text444;"""Michael did not look up from his book, seemingly unaware that his name had been mentioned.""" text445;"""And besides that?""" text446;"""He crossed his arms over his chest, straightened out and looked down at me triumphantly.""" text447;"""And I know…""" text448;"""Iwamura's name kept popping into my head.""" text449;"""But if I named her now, wouldn't Kyosuke think that I had witnessed the scene at the gate this morning and lied to him?""" text450;"""No, come on. Now I was just being paranoid!""" text451;"""Hey! What's up?""" text452;"""The rescue came from an unexpected source — a classmate had suddenly materialized near my desk.""" text453;"""And I also know his last name!""" text454;"""Kyosuke was surely going to finish me off by asking for the actual name, but at that moment the bell rang.""" text455;"""My friend mumbled something that sounded like a cross between \""This time, you win\"" and \""Damn you\"" and sat down reluctantly at his desk.""" text456;"""He didn't need to know that the girl was Iwamura.""" text457;"""She had it pretty rough as it was.""" text458;"""Then again, maybe part of the blame lay with her.""" text459;"""The next lesson was Contemporary Japanese.""" text460;"""I've been in Japan for ten years now and speak the language fluently, of course, but writing still gives me grief at times.""" text461;"""When the break arrived, I rushed out of the classroom to avoid a continued conversation about the morning's incident.""" text462;"""Kyosuke could be pushy and persistent, but he didn't entirely lack tact, so I was probably being too cautious.""" text463;"""English was next; it came much more easily to me.""" text464;"""I spent the better part of the lesson gazing out at the sports ground, where a soccer match was taking place.""" text465;"""Soon my thoughts took me far from school, to the day when the cherry petals were falling…""" text466;"""Fall was here, and that meant that the trees would soon be shedding their foliage again.""" text467;"""The color palette might be different this time, but would my feelings remain the same?""" text468;"""A couple more weeks, a month at most, and I would know…""" text469;"""…""" text470;"""The bell recalled me to reality, and my stomach started gurgling noisily.""" text471;"""Didn't have breakfast today? Let's make a cafeteria run.""" text472;"""You're always ready to chow down!""" text473;"""Where there's a whole body, there's a whole mind!""" text474;"""A whole lot of body, more like it.""" text475;"""I was, however, really hungry, and I didn't want to wait till lunch.""" text476;"""Alright, let's go.""" text477;"""The memory of Himitsu's healthy, balanced breakfast was still fresh in my mind; I wanted to eat something unhealthy but delicious.""" text478;"""Sadly, food poisoning was not on the menu. The cafeteria, like everything else at this school, was first-rate.""" text479;"""I couldn't tell you if the food here was on par with what they serve in the world's top restaurants, as I hadn't been to one, but on the whole I had no complaints.""" text480;"""Besides, the menu had plenty of European options. No borscht among them, of course.""" text481;"""We entered the cafeteria. Kyosuke was babbling on about some new magical girl anime.""" text482;"""I wouldn't called myself a huge anime fan, but I watched them sometimes too.""" text483;"""Though, if you had to put my enthusiasm for them on a scale, I was as far from Kyosuke as Tokyo is from Moscow.""" text484;"""Suddenly, bam!""" text485;"""Something jabbed my side, not too hard but enough to be felt. On top of that, I was doused with a liquid…""" text486;"""A girl, holding a tray, popped up from behind.""" text487;"""I was dripping with orange juice, while she gazed in bewilderment at the fruit of her labor.""" text488;"""Hey, careful!""" text489;"""I was more frustrated than angry.""" text490;"""She didn't react in any way. Instead, she just kept looking at me in surprise.""" text491;"""…""" text492;"""Finally, she seemed to come to her senses.""" text493;"""You're the one who should watch where you're going!""" text494;"""What?""" text495;"""I was so taken aback, I smiled like an idiot and even retreated a step.""" text496;"""Meanwhile, the girl scowled and glared at me.""" text497;"""I said, watch where you go instead of sleepwalking!""" text498;"""You were actually the one who bumped into me.""" text499;"""And why would I bump into you?""" text500;"""I was lost for an answer.""" text501;"""The girl was talking nonsense, but she was doing it so confidently that I couldn't help but question my own judgment.""" text502;"""And… why would I?""" text503;"""How should I know? You're the one who bumped into me!""" text504;"""Alright, you got me, it won't happen again.""" text505;"""I snapped back and was prepared to leave.""" text506;"""Wait.""" text507;"""She said quietly.""" text508;"""You're… well… all wet.""" text509;"""I looked myself over — not the prettiest of pictures, to be sure.""" text510;"""And what do you suggest? A joint trip to the shower?""" text511;"""Me? I wasn't… How could you even think…""" text512;"""The surprise and confusion on her face gave way to indignation.""" text513;"""Here was an insulted and humiliated victim, and I the culprit, naturally!""" text514;"""OK, just forget it. Everything's fine.""" text515;"""Wait.""" text516;"""Her tone changed faster than the weather in the tropics.""" text517;"""Here, take this.""" text518;"""She handed me a handkerchief.""" text519;"""I accepted it without an argument and was about to thank her, when she snorted, turned on her heel and left to join her girlfriends at the far end of the cafeteria.""" text520;"""What a strange girl.""" text521;"""Nick, you, you…""" text522;"""Started Kyosuke when I sat down at our table.""" text523;"""He was flaring his nostrils and gasping, like a fish out of water.""" text524;"""Do you know who that was?""" text525;"""No, who?""" text526;"""That was Ellie-sama!""" text527;"""He looked probingly at me as though expecting me to exclaim \""Oh, Ellie-sama! You mean her?!\""""" text528;"""-sama who?""" text529;"""I inquired coolly.""" text530;"""How can you not know?! And you want people to believe you're a student here!""" text531;"""I don't want that. It's what the paperwork says.""" text532;"""If only you paid more attention to what goes on around you!""" text533;"""Alright, enough suspense already, just tell me.""" text534;"""He was clearly chomping at the bit.""" text535;"""Kyosuke repositioned himself more comfortably on his chair, assumed a serious look, and began:""" text536;"""Ellie-sama! She's like the school queen! She has perfect grades, she's great at sports, she's won awards at the national — no, not even —the international level!""" text537;"""Not the interplanetary? What a relief…""" text538;"""Anyone would consider it an honor to be acquainted with her!""" text539;"""To have her spill a drink on you? Is that what you meant?""" text540;"""Kyosuke ignored me and carried on:""" text541;"""I'd give up my entire manga collection to have her start a conversation with me!""" text542;"""Your entire collection?""" text543;"""Okay, half.""" text544;"""I squinted.""" text545;"""Fine, a third.""" text546;"""Alright, I get it. I should expect the police to show up at my door now, and await my sentence — death by glares. Except, hold on a second — I'm completely innocent!""" text547;"""You don't get it at all…""" text548;"""Kyosuke sighed.""" text549;"""Then again, maybe you should expect the police. After all, her grandfather is the chairman of the school's board of directors.""" text550;"""And what I am supposed to do now? Keep apologizing to her? She was the one who bumped into me and spilled juice all over me!""" text551;"""He sighed again and returned to eating.""" text552;"""I turned slowly and looked in the direction of the \""school queen\"".""" text553;"""Judging by the lively conversation and laughter coming from her table, Ellie-sama had already forgotten all about the incident with my lowly serf self.""" text554;"""…""" text555;"""The juice dried pretty quickly, leaving behind noticeable yellow stains on my white shirt.""" text556;"""I didn't really care about my appearance, but the school had its standards and didn't take kindly to such sloppiness.""" text557;"""So I had to change into a jersey and track jacket.""" text558;"""…""" text559;"""After another uneventful lesson, it was time for the long break.""" text560;"""Also known as lunch time.""" text561;"""Had I agreed to meet Himitsu for lunch? I couldn't remember.""" text562;"""I could just go for a stroll around the school, seeing as I'd eaten only an hour earlier.""" text563;"""Go for a stroll""" text564;"""Join Himitsu for lunch""" text565;"""One thing was certain — I couldn't stay in the classroom.""" text566;"""Actually, I just didn't want to listen to Kyosuke's empty chatter for another half hour.""" text567;"""More stories about anime, manga, and school gossip.""" text568;"""New stories every day, all equally meaningless.""" text569;"""Not that I didn't like Kyosuke, he was a good friend, but I doubted he could be of much assistance when my mind was occupied with something altogether different from magical girls.""" text570;"""I wasn't going to have lunch with Himitsu, but I told Kyosuke otherwise.""" text571;"""The hallways and the schoolyard were all crowded with students.""" text572;"""That's when it dawned on me: the roof! The roof wasn't the most popular spot.""" text573;"""Wonder why…""" text574;"""I quickly stopped by the cafeteria to pick up some rolls and a bottle of milk.""" text575;"""The door's hinges, badly in need of lubrication, screeched horribly as a powerful gust of wind welcomed me up.""" text576;"""I was forced to take a step back and grab the stair railing to steady myself.""" text577;"""Then I found myself on the roof.""" text578;"""The bright sun was blinding, but at least there was no one here! Or was there?""" text579;"""At the far end of the roof, a girl was sitting on a bench and eating a bento.""" text580;"""It was Iwamura!""" text581;"""She was gazing out into the distance, towards the horizon, looking dreamy.""" text582;"""I hesitated to approach her, remembering the morning's incident.""" text583;"""I hesitated to approach her, remembering the morning's incident and my cowardice.""" text584;"""What was I going to say to her?""" text585;"""The roof seemed too small for both of us at that moment.""" text586;"""On the other hand, I looked stupid just standing there.""" text587;"""If I turned around now, she would think I was scared.""" text588;"""What was there to be afraid of, anyway?""" text589;"""I approached her slowly and stood nearby.""" text590;"""Reluctantly, Iwamura granted me her attention. Apparently, she had been aware of my presence all along.""" text591;"""Which meant I did the right thing.""" text592;"""I remembered how she behaved in the morning, after that tussle with those bullies.""" text593;"""And after that, I was supposed to feel awkward around her?! Or guilty?""" text594;"""Can I sit here?""" text595;"""Iwamura shrugged her shoulders and scooted over to one side of the bench.""" text596;"""I sat down, opened the bag containing my simple lunch and glanced furtively at Iwamura's bento. It seemed just as good as Himitsu's.""" text597;"""Well, if Iwamura really was poor, it stood to reason that she knew how to cook.""" text598;"""You know…""" text599;"""I still felt awkward around her, which was really bugging me.""" text600;"""What?""" text601;"""If I spoke my mind now, was I going to get the same reaction as earlier?""" text602;"""I was wondering. Why were those jerks after you this morning?""" text603;"""Why do you care?""" text604;"""How about because I was directly involved in that incident! Had the police been there, I would have gone on the books as an accomplice.""" text605;"""They're always harassing me.""" text606;"""What, just because, for no reason at all?""" text607;"""You wouldn't understand.""" text608;"""Maybe she was right, I'd never been bullied.""" text609;"""I don't know the full story, sure, but it seems to me that nothing happens without a reason.""" text610;"""Everyone has their own reasons.""" text611;"""Iwamura said cryptically.""" text612;"""But there are… laws, I don't know. It's not right!""" text613;"""Laws?""" text614;"""She pulled away from her bento, turned toward me and looked at me severely.""" text615;"""Laws exist for normal people, not for people like them.""" text616;"""…""" text617;"""Or for people like you!""" text618;"""Should I remind you that I was the one who…""" text619;"""\""Saved you\"" would have sounded inappropriate.""" text620;"""I was the one who helped you.""" text621;"""She said nothing back and resumed eating.""" text622;"""You could at least have said thanks!""" text623;"""Thanks.""" text624;"""Said Iwamura quietly.""" text625;"""Now we're getting somewhere!""" text626;"""She slammed her lunchbox closed and stood up briskly from the bench.""" text627;"""Thanks again. Enjoy your meal.""" text628;"""She snapped back, without so much as looking at me, and left.""" text629;"""Right, see you later…""" text630;"""I muttered to myself, quickly finished my lunch, and left for class.""" text631;"""By all means.""" text632;"""I hadn't expected such politeness.""" text633;"""I sat down next to her, but Iwamura stood up immediately and practically ran towards the roof exit.""" text634;"""Well, now…""" text635;"""I muttered, left all to myself.""" text636;"""I probably should have intervened this morning, after all… I kept chastising myself.""" text637;"""Maybe Himitsu and I had been too conspicuous by staring when everyone else walked past with practiced indifference.""" text638;"""Iwamura might have noticed us.""" text639;"""I couldn't imagine that anyone would be happy to have a gawking audience in a situation like that.""" text640;"""It reminded me of a bull fight, where a little mouse had taken the bull's place — not that the bull ever stood much of a chance to begin with.""" text641;"""I slowly chewed on the stale roll.""" text642;"""I really should have gone to the cafeteria! The food there was incomparably better.""" text643;"""Even Himitsu's seaweed and grass fare would have been preferable.""" text644;"""The breeze picked up, and on its wings the first autumn leaf, tinged with yellow, floated gently to the ground next to me.""" text645;"""At least it wasn't from a cherry tree.""" text646;"""Maybe Iwamura's personality had something in common with hers.""" text647;"""What was that personality type called? Sanguine, choleric, melancholic? I could never keep those big words straight.""" text648;"""Anyway, people's personalities are much more complex than that. Upbringing, environment, and experiences make a big difference.""" text649;"""I knew next to nothing about Iwamura, but I was trying to justify her behavior by assigning the blame to anything else.""" text650;"""But if not for the damned petals, I probably wouldn't have even cared about any of this!""" text651;"""I got up, crushed the leaf under my foot, and confidently strode back to class.""" text652;"""…""" text653;"""Kyosuke was already waiting for me there, grinning ear to ear.""" text654;"""So, how was lunch with Himitsu-chan?""" text655;"""Fine.""" text656;"""Where was he going with this?""" text657;"""Oh, really? So, that was some other Himitsu who came looking for you five minutes ago?""" text658;"""Didn't you know she has a twin sister? Her name is Shinjitsu.""" text659;"""Yeah, sure!""" text660;"""I swear! Himitsu is the good one, and Shinjitsu is the evil one. Or the other way around… You got very lucky, by the way, because her superpower is sucking the souls out of fat and excessively curious otaku.""" text661;"""Whatever, man.""" text662;"""Kyosuke sounded offended and went back to his desk.""" text663;"""…""" text664;"""Maybe we did agree, and I had simply forgotten.""" text665;"""I had no interest in listening to Kyosuke's chatter, nor in chewing on the stale rolls from the cafeteria.""" text666;"""Well, you do what you like, but I have an arrangement with Himitsu.""" text667;"""Okay… okay…""" text668;"""He drew out the words cryptically.""" text669;"""…""" text670;"""All the classrooms in our school looked the same to me.""" text671;"""Not just because they were, in fact, identical, but also because I didn't know a single person in them.""" text672;"""But others knew me, so no one was surprised when a senior walked into a juniors' classroom.""" text673;"""Hey, I seem to remember that we planned to meet for lunch…""" text674;"""Just in case…""" text675;"""We didn't exactly…""" text676;"""Himitsu seemed slightly caught off guard initially, but she quickly continued with a smile:""" text677;"""But, I guess we did. Shall we?""" text678;"""We walked outside and sat down on a schoolyard bench.""" text679;"""Himitsu took out two bento boxes and said with a straight face:""" text680;"""Choose.""" text681;"""But they're the same.""" text682;"""No, they aren't! See, one is wrapped in blue and the other in red.""" text683;"""I was sure that the difference ended there.""" text684;"""Alright then, give me the blue one.""" text685;"""Himitsu made me lunch every day, although, for whatever reason, she shied from admitting it.""" text686;"""She just always happened to have an extra bento on her, as if by accident.""" text687;"""The way a guy would end up with an extra show ticket for a girl he liked.""" text688;"""Here.""" text689;"""Not really though.""" text690;"""She would often tell me in advance that she was bringing a bento.""" text691;"""But at times like this, she still surprised me.""" text692;"""So, let's see what we've got here today!""" text693;"""I unwrapped the box and opened it.""" text694;"""Rice, tomatoes, tamagoyaki, and… oh, my, what have we here?! A meat patty, wow!""" text695;"""…and, of course, the mandatory grass — the whole thing was drowned in salad leaves.""" text696;"""What's the occasion?""" text697;"""I picked up the patty with my chopsticks and held it to my face, as if trying to ascertain its authenticity.""" text698;"""Well, you didn't like the breakfast.""" text699;"""No, but… Wait a second! Didn't you prepare this before breakfast?""" text700;"""Of course not!""" text701;"""She laughed.""" text702;"""I just decided to switch things up a bit.""" text703;"""I really shouldn't have been complaining about her cooking.""" text704;"""…Especially considering that she did it all free of charge, selflessly, no strings attached, and without expecting anything in return, not even a thank you.""" text705;"""My conscience was like a lump in my throat, preventing me from taking a bite, so I said:""" text706;"""Thank you. It's very good. And I'm sorry about this morning.""" text707;"""I couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse even if I tried, so it was better to just apologize and leave it there.""" text708;"""It's okay. I'm used to it.""" text709;"""Himitsu laughed again, but now I felt even worse!""" text710;"""I put my head down and focused on eating.""" text711;"""I still feel bad for that girl.""" text712;"""She sighed.""" text713;"""Huh? What girl?""" text714;"""Himitsu looked me at me gravely.""" text715;"""This morning, at the gate.""" text716;"""Oh… right.""" text717;"""Preoccupied with my meal, I'd drifted off for a moment.""" text718;"""Have you talked to her since?""" text719;"""No… I didn't really have anything to talk about.""" text720;"""I noticed the reproach in Himitsu's eyes and continued:""" text721;"""I mean, seriously, was I supposed to walk up to her and say: \""I am very sorry about what happened to you. Oh, and how about showing some thanks for the miraculous rescue?\""""" text722;"""Don't be like that. She's having a tough time.""" text723;"""You know, somehow, I didn't pick up on that.""" text724;"""She's just hiding her feelings because it's a habit for her at this point.""" text725;"""Himitsu grew sad.""" text726;"""That's fine. I wasn't asking for flowers or medals or commemorative plaques. A simple \""thank you\"" would have been enough. How hard is that?""" text727;"""For you it might be easy.""" text728;"""So, am I in the wrong?""" text729;"""I don't know…""" text730;"""Finally, Himitsu smiled.""" text731;"""Anyway, I'm glad you helped her.""" text732;"""Yet, at the time, you were saying that we shouldn't get involved.""" text733;"""I smirked.""" text734;"""I did, but I've changed my mind.""" text735;"""Why?""" text736;"""Because what you did was the right thing!""" text737;"""No, really, what was I supposed to do? Walk up to her and say: \""I am sorry I didn't help you\""? What's done is done.""" text738;"""You're probably right.""" text739;"""Himitsu grew visibly sad.""" text740;"""Please, don't start! You yourself said we shouldn't get involved!""" text741;"""The last thing I needed was for Himitsu to start blaming me now.""" text742;"""I already knew what I did was wrong.""" text743;"""I know, but on the other hand, I feel for her. It's tough holding things in for so long.""" text744;"""But what else can we do? Yes, it's an unpleasant situation, no question, but what now? Start breaking their faces?""" text745;"""Niko-kun, you're made of stone!""" text746;"""Stone! Have you tried the rolls from the cafeteria? They're made of stone. Or how about the bread from my kitchen cupboard? It's so hard, not even the mice would touch it. Me — I'm not made of stone. I'm just a realist.""" text747;"""The way this came out, it sounded almost like some politburo speech.""" text748;"""But Himitsu did not share my enthusiasm.""" text749;"""I just think it would've been the right thing to do.""" text750;"""Somehow, Himitsu reminded me of a Soviet Pioneer Scout.""" text751;"""The comparison made me burst out in laughter. I choked, and rice went flying everywhere.""" text752;"""Now look what you've done.""" text753;"""She took out a handkerchief and wiped off the grains of rice stuck to my face.""" text754;"""Wait… stop. What are people going to think?""" text755;"""I was, generally, much more relaxed about this kind of thing than the Japanese, but doting on me in public like that was perhaps crossing the line.""" text756;"""I wondered why it didn't embarrass her.""" text757;"""What should they think?""" text758;"""Himitsu seemed genuinely perplexed.""" text759;"""Nothing at all!""" text760;"""I looked around in an exaggerated fashion to show we weren't alone.""" text761;"""Don't worry about it!""" text762;"""She smiled and started packing away the now-empty boxes.""" text763;"""Sometimes, I just didn't get her.""" text764;"""…""" text765;"""I got back to the classroom just a couple minutes before the bell.""" text766;"""Kyosuke was sitting at my desk, talking to another classmate.""" text767;"""Hey there, Romeo. How was lunch?""" text768;"""It was fine.""" text769;"""I replied concisely, but for some reason still looked away.""" text770;"""…""" text771;"""The school day was coming to a close.""" text772;"""Worn-out students had started counting off the minutes, but there was still one more class to go.""" text773;"""Himitsu stopped in during the break to remind me that we had agreed to go shopping after school.""" text774;"""At first I had trouble figuring out what she was even talking about.""" text775;"""The teacher was trying, unsuccessfully, to call the class to attention, but most students were ignoring him.""" text776;"""I mean, a lot of the students at this school were genuinely invested in their education and keen to learn, but a good half only sat through the lessons for the sake of their prestigious diploma.""" text777;"""Why worry about trivialities like grades or detentions when your whole life is planned out for you decades in advance?""" text778;"""Settle down!""" text779;"""The teacher kept repeating.""" text780;"""Regrettably, he could not yell at them.""" text781;"""Alright, if you don't calm down, you're not going to find out that we have a new girl joining us today.""" text782;"""Instantly, the classroom plunged into silence, broken only by a few whispers:""" text783;"""A new student?""" text784;"""In the middle of the year?""" text785;"""Is she cute, I wonder?""" text786;"""I wasn't particularly excited; I was used to their constant gossiping, and I couldn't care less if the class gained another student since I didn't know the existing ones very well to begin with.""" text787;"""Come in.""" text788;"""A subdued murmur rippled through the classroom, but I felt too lazy to even lift my head.""" text789;"""But then I felt a strong shove in the back.""" text790;"""Hey!""" text791;"""I turned around and looked at Kyosuke.""" text792;"""He sat there, mouth ajar.""" text793;"""Who could the new kid be that even these over privileged children would react like that?""" text794;"""I faced the blackboard… The classroom was a whirlwind of scarlet cherry petals.""" text795;"""Does anyone really find them beautiful…?""" text796;"""But how, why?""" text797;"""The girl from my visions, this visitor from the past, was standing a just a few meters away from me.""" text798;"""Well, go ahead and introduce yourself.""" text799;"""My name is Catherine Winters. Actually, I know a few people here already.""" text800;"""She quickly surveyed the classroom, without pausing on anyone in particular.""" text801;"""I look forward to studying with you.""" text802;"""She deliberately distorted the standard Japanese greeting.""" text803;"""Catherine Winters… So official!""" text804;"""She had always been just Katya to me.""" text805;"""She was the one with who I had watched the petals fall.""" text806;"""Then she moved away.""" text807;"""She just left and never really gave a reason.""" text808;"""She left me alone, breaking my heart and shattering my dreams.""" text809;"""I should have been mad, should have hated her even, but I couldn't!""" text810;"""Ah, how disgustingly trite and hackneyed it all was!""" text811;"""Like I'd been trapped inside a second-rate shoujo manga.""" text812;"""Now she just needed glittering sparkles around her face and some wispy clouds in the background.""" text813;"""I would wait for it, it was nothing I wasn't used to.""" text814;"""I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself hard. Nope, not a dream!""" text815;"""Hey, Nick! Why is she back? Do you know something? Why haven't you said anything?""" text816;"""Kyosuke was prattling on annoyingly behind my back.""" text817;"""My world had contracted into a dark tunnel, with me at one end, immersed in total darkness, and her at the other, bathed in light.""" text818;"""Except that waiting for me at the other end was, surely, no paradise.""" text819;"""Meanwhile, the teacher showed Catherine to her desk. She walked past me without so much as a glance.""" text820;"""I was at a loss for words. Was I supposed to jump up in the middle of the lesson and scream: \""What are you doing here?!\""""" text821;"""My classmates' initial astonishment had faded away in the meantime.""" text822;"""Many did, in fact, know Catherine — she had been a student at this school before.""" text823;"""The rest probably just hadn't expected to see a foreigner — after all, there weren't that many of them even at our school.""" text824;"""I doubted they considered me a foreigner — that is, if they were aware of my existence at all.""" text825;"""…""" text826;"""I met Katya in my first year of high school.""" text827;"""Somehow, we ended up dating.""" text828;"""She and I — rather incredible!""" text829;"""Her mother had been working in Japan for quite some time, same as my parents.""" text830;"""Time passed, and everything seemed to be going well.""" text831;"""Then, one day, Katya told me we could no longer be together.""" text832;"""Something about her mother getting transferred…""" text833;"""I could probably accept that story. I could forgive and forget.""" text834;"""But didn't it hurt her even a little? What, was I just a coworker, someone you simply cut ties with when you transfer to another office?""" text835;"""Why, we should have had an office farewell party, I would have stocked up on gifts!""" text836;"""\""I'm sorry. Goodbye now.\"" Cold, hollow, everyday words!""" text837;"""And after all that, she was going to just show up in my class?""" text838;"""\""Nice to meet you. I look forward to studying with you.\"" Seriously?!""" text839;"""Was there not another school in all of God damn Tokyo? I couldn't believe it.""" text840;"""But, still, somewhere deep inside, an ember of hope remained.""" text841;"""What if she came back because of me? …and that's the reason that she's here right now?""" text842;"""Right, hope springs eternal.""" text843;"""…""" text844;"""I was watching the seconds go by slowly on the clock.""" text845;"""Talk to her… I had to talk to her!""" text846;"""The bell, at last.""" text847;"""I worked up the courage and…""" text848;"""She floated right past me, heading for the door.""" text849;"""Had I been too slow? Too indecisive? What did it matter now?""" text850;"""Hey, Nick! Are you asleep or what?""" text851;"""Kyosuke's words seemed to come from afar, as if from another world.""" text852;"""But what was I going to say to her? \""Hi, long time no see. How are things?\""""" text853;"""Anyway, why hadn't she approached me first? Was she scared? Shy?""" text854;"""Nonsense. That wasn't like Katya at all!""" text855;"""Then, she must not have wanted to talk.""" text856;"""I knew her too well.""" text857;"""Kyosuke was shaking me franticly and muttering something, but I was ignoring him.""" text858;"""Niko-kun…""" text859;"""A new voice…""" text860;"""Niko-kun!""" text861;"""Himitsu.""" text862;"""I lifted my eyes and looked somewhere past her.""" text863;"""Earth to Niko-kun! Do you read me?!""" text864;"""I snapped back to reality.""" text865;"""Yeah, what is it?""" text866;"""You've forgotten again, haven't you?""" text867;"""She was pouting comically.""" text868;"""I knew you would, so I decided to come fetch you.""" text869;"""What did she want with me? Fetch me? What for…?""" text870;"""Oh, right, we had made some kind of plan.""" text871;"""But what did that matter now?!""" text872;"""Catherine had left, and she was moving further away with each passing second.""" text873;"""Maybe the distance between us now was far greater than all the miles of the Pacific Ocean.""" text874;"""But I had no idea what I was going to say to her. I had long been secretly hoping to get over her, to let go and move on with my life, and now this!""" text875;"""Regardless, I had to make a decision!""" text876;"""If I was going to run after her, I had to get going.""" text877;"""Run after Catherine""" text878;"""Do nothing""" text879;"""What the hell was I still doing here?!""" text880;"""Sorry, I have to go…""" text881;"""I said quickly, jumped up, and rushed for the exit.""" text882;"""Hallway. Stairs, steps flying by.""" text883;"""Lockers. Change my shoes? No time! I bumped into someone. He'll live. Schoolyard. Gate.""" text884;"""Outside — cars, people. I looked right. No one. I looked left…""" text885;"""Catherine was standing next to the school fence, looking sidelong at me with indifference.""" text886;"""It took me a few moments to catch my breath.""" text887;"""There was absolutely no need to rush.""" text888;"""She said coldly.""" text889;"""Don't be so surprised. I knew you'd run after me.""" text890;"""What else was I supposed to do?""" text891;"""That wasn't at all how I wanted to begin the conversation.""" text892;"""… when you dash off… after all these years…""" text893;"""It's only been a year and a half.""" text894;"""I guess… but still! You could have said something — a simple hello, at least!""" text895;"""Let's clear something up right away. If you think that I've come back because of you, you're mistaken.""" text896;"""Why then?""" text897;"""That's none of your business.""" text898;"""Catherine frowned.""" text899;"""If that's the case, why did you choose this school?""" text900;"""Why not? I studied here before, and it's a prestigious school.""" text901;"""I was forced to acknowledge the logic in her words.""" text902;"""On the other hand, Tokyo had more than one decent private school.""" text903;"""Either way…""" text904;"""She was sneering at me! I was starting to lose my temper.""" text905;"""You could've at least said a word or two! You're acting like there was never anything between us!""" text906;"""There wasn't.""" text907;"""She replied, unruffled.""" text908;"""I felt completely deflated.""" text909;"""Had Catherine always been this cold and cruel, and I just never noticed?""" text910;"""Had she been toying with me and my feelings then tossed me aside, like an out of style blouse she'd gotten bored of?""" text911;"""Katya, don't be like that…""" text912;"""Don't call me Katya!""" text913;"""She never did like it when I called her that.""" text914;"""Although she had never given a reason. It certainly had nothing to do with US-Soviet relations.""" text915;"""Alright, Miss Catherine. Would you be so kind as to explain what's going on?""" text916;"""She frowned more deeply.""" text917;"""Catherine-san.""" text918;"""Maybe this wasn't the best time to try to be witty.""" text919;"""Catherine suddenly turned around and was about to leave.""" text920;"""Without thinking, I grabbed her arm.""" text921;"""Wait!""" text922;"""Let go! Or I'm going to scream!""" text923;"""I just want to talk! Do you really think I'm going to believe this garbage?""" text924;"""I don't care if you believe it or not!""" text925;"""Then who were you waiting for here? What if I hadn't come running?""" text926;"""There was no chance of that happening.""" text927;"""She answered more calmly and stopped trying to pull away.""" text928;"""I let go of her arm.""" text929;"""I know you.""" text930;"""Ah, so you do know me after all! Because earlier you were saying there was nothing between us.""" text931;"""It's all in the past. I am here now because I had to come back. My mother got sent to Japan again.""" text932;"""I get it. All I want is to talk, to understand…""" text933;"""What, am I supposed to justify myself to you?""" text934;"""Maybe you are!""" text935;"""To be honest, this wasn't the first time we'd argued like this.""" text936;"""Maybe before I just hadn't thought much of the fact, accepting it as par for the course. \""Youngsters' quarrels are soon mended\"", huh?""" text937;"""Only later, after Catherine had left me, had I started to reflect and to analyze.""" text938;"""What if she saw things differently? What if every one of our fights had caused her real stress and anguish?""" text939;"""But even if that was the case, it was no excuse for acting the way she was now!""" text940;"""If you're through with me, then at least be consistent! How do you know I haven't started a new life here?! Maybe I never expected to see you again!""" text941;"""…""" text942;"""And now you show up. You don't want to talk, yet you'll always be around.""" text943;"""That's an interesting state of affairs. Like a rope around my neck! I know how it's going to be: I'll have to constantly endure silent glares from you, even if they \""don't mean anything\""!""" text944;"""Catherine was going to say something, but I continued:""" text945;"""Then I'll start to feel guilty from your silent shaming. You said yourself you know me, so you have to understand!""" text946;"""And after all this, you're going to insist that nothing's going on, and that you don't need to explain anything to me?""" text947;"""You can think whatever you want.""" text948;"""Okay, I see! So we're going to feign innocence now, are we?""" text949;"""How long had I been yelling, I wondered.""" text950;"""Passing students glanced at me warily: the girls whispered among each other, while the guys looked on in disbelief.""" text951;"""After everything… Are you really going to tell me there was nothing between us, is nothing now, and never will be?""" text952;"""The last part was clearly too much.""" text953;"""I blurted out everything that'd been weighing down on my chest.""" text954;"""Was I really hoping that we could get back together?""" text955;"""I must have been. There was no point in lying to myself.""" text956;"""But it was one thing to hold out hope when Catherine was in another country, thousands of miles away, and quite another when she was standing in front me and treating me like I was a public enemy.""" text957;"""She put on a barely perceptible smile, but I could see the contempt in her eyes.""" text958;"""I just think I deserve an explanation.""" text959;"""There's no point in explaining anything to you.""" text960;"""Catherine remarked in parting.""" text961;"""Whatever! This isn't over yet! We're in the same class now!""" text962;"""A girl told her friend not to look my way, as the two walked past.""" text963;"""…""" text964;"""To hell with it!""" text965;"""I hissed under my breath on my way home.""" text966;"""Thinks she's so special… I've seen better!""" text967;"""I was angry at Catherine, really angry.""" text968;"""We had quarreled before, but this time she treated me like dirt!""" text969;"""If there was ever a good time to purge her from my heart, wasn't it now?""" text970;"""A bunch of boisterous middle-schoolers ran past me.""" text971;"""One of the boys caught me lightly with his shoulder and said \""Sorry, onii-san.\"" As in, \""dude\"", \""man\"", \""uncle\"", \""gramps\""…""" text972;"""Did I really look that old?""" text973;"""Although, the way I'd been reasoning just now…""" text974;"""I wondered how long I'd be able to hold a grudge against Catherine.""" text975;"""Would I forget again and revert to an idealized image that clearly did not match the girl I'd just been arguing with at the school gates?""" text976;"""…""" text977;"""Only after getting home was I able to calm down a bit.""" text978;"""How much longer was I going to let this continue?""" text979;"""A surgeon has to excise the rotting flesh to prevent disease from spreading to the rest of the body.""" text980;"""Since we were classmates now, I was bound to find out eventually why she had come back.""" text981;"""Of course, I remember.""" text982;"""I said confidently, stood up, took Himitsu by the hand, and headed for the door.""" text983;"""Wait, what about…""" text984;"""I turned and gave Kyosuke a glare so furious that he shut up immediately.""" text985;"""Anger, resentment, longing — all these emotions intermingled within me.""" text986;"""I walked down the hallway, oblivious to the world around me.""" text987;"""I stopped only when we reached the lockers. I looked around the schoolyard. What if she was still here?""" text988;"""Niko-kun…""" text989;"""Himitsu ventured timidly.""" text990;"""What?""" text991;"""I snapped back, turned around, and realized I was still holding her hand.""" text992;"""Sorry…""" text993;"""I let go.""" text994;"""Did something happen? Don't say it didn't — I can see something's wrong. Kyosuke-san looked agitated too.""" text995;"""Kyosuke?""" text996;"""I snickered.""" text997;"""The only thing likely to agitate him is some unrealistically shaped anime girl.""" text998;"""The look in Himitsu's large eyes didn't change.""" text999;"""I meant that he was telling me about another anime again. You know, the one about magical girls! They show it at six, you must have seen it.""" text1000;"""Why was I lying to her? Why was I lying now?""" text1001;"""I knew I couldn't hide Catherine forever. Sooner or later, Himitsu was going to run into her at school.""" text1002;"""Or, worse yet, Catherine would show up at her house. They did know each other, after all.""" text1003;"""Anyway, it's nothing. Let's go to your store. Where did you say it was again? By the station?""" text1004;"""Himitsu wasn't going to pry, it wasn't in her nature.""" text1005;"""…""" text1006;"""Guess what… So, the teacher asked Rei-kun today: When did man first land on the Moon? And you know what he said? 2079! Can you believe it?""" text1007;"""Mm-hm…""" text1008;"""And then, during PE…""" text1009;"""Himitsu carried on as though nothing happened.""" text1010;"""Maybe nothing did, where she was concerned.""" text1011;"""The store wasn't too impressive from outside.""" text1012;"""Maybe it was the low prices that drew girls in?""" text1013;"""By the standards of our school, Himitsu's family wasn't terribly wealthy, but her father worked for the government, so they weren't poor either.""" text1014;"""We went inside.""" text1015;"""Himitsu was trying on one outfit after another.""" text1016;"""How do you like it?""" text1017;"""It's fine.""" text1018;"""How about this one? I think this color will be in fashion this winter.""" text1019;"""It's fine.""" text1020;"""What do you think of this dress?""" text1021;"""A little discontent was starting to seep into her voice.""" text1022;"""I liked the last one better.""" text1023;"""If only I knew what she'd tried on before…""" text1024;"""I was in no mood for a fashion show.""" text1025;"""To me, Himitsu looked good in any outfit.""" text1026;"""Why did she even need all this stuff? Did she not have enough clothes?""" text1027;"""Really, why?""" text1028;"""I had known Himitsu for a long time, but I couldn't recall her ever being in a relationship.""" text1029;"""But she wasn't a child anymore, she was a beautiful young woman. It was high time for her to get a boyfriend!""" text1030;"""Hold it. Was I feeling jealous?""" text1031;"""No, of course not…""" text1032;"""Anyway, if she had found somebody, I would have been the first to hear about it.""" text1033;"""I think what matters is that you like it.""" text1034;"""But I like a lot of them! I like this and this. This one — not so much…""" text1035;"""Himitsu was shuffling through the clothes.""" text1036;"""What had she done to deserve this treatment from me?""" text1037;"""Catherine is back.""" text1038;"""I said, trying to be casual.""" text1039;"""What?""" text1040;"""She seemed not to have grasped what I said.""" text1041;"""She showed up in class today right before the last lesson. I guess we're going to be classmates now.""" text1042;"""Really…?""" text1043;"""Himitsu became instantly miserable and dropped the dress she'd liked so much.""" text1044;"""I see you're not too happy.""" text1045;"""I'm happy… I just thought that she had moved away permanently.""" text1046;"""Well, that's what I thought too.""" text1047;"""And what is she planning to do now?""" text1048;"""What do you mean?""" text1049;"""I mean…""" text1050;"""Himitsu was hurriedly putting the clothes back on the rack.""" text1051;"""…she's been gone so long, you're seniors already.""" text1052;"""You know, honestly, I hadn't asked her about her life plans.""" text1053;"""Hell, I hadn't even talked to her!""" text1054;"""What about you? Are you glad, Niko-kun?""" text1055;"""She asked gently.""" text1056;"""Wouldn't call the situation straightforward, but what's there to be glad about? You know full well what happened last year.""" text1057;"""Yeah…""" text1058;"""But that's all in the past now! We'll see what happens. I'm sure she has her reasons.""" text1059;"""At least I didn't have to keep lying to Himitsu.""" text1060;"""Sure I hadn't told her everything, but what was the point of dumping all my worries on her?""" text1061;"""In the end, this was between me and Catherine.""" text1062;"""Are you not going to buy anything?""" text1063;"""She paused to think.""" text1064;"""No. Everything's very expensive here, and I'm almost out of allowance for the month.""" text1065;"""But it's only the seventh!""" text1066;"""I exclaimed.""" text1067;"""Well, let me get you a present then! That white-and-yellow dress, it looked good on you!""" text1068;"""No it didn't!""" text1069;"""Himitsu countered unexpectedly.""" text1070;"""I look fat in it.""" text1071;"""You, fat?""" text1072;"""I laughed loudly, drawing annoyed looks from the store clerks and the other shoppers.""" text1073;"""See? This is why I didn't want to come.""" text1074;"""I whispered.""" text1075;"""Himitsu just smiled and said nothing back.""" text1076;"""…""" text1077;"""We hardly talked on the way home.""" text1078;"""I felt awkward. Now would have been a great time to hear stories about Rei-kun or Saya-chan, who couldn't hit a volleyball over the net.""" text1079;"""Don't feel bad because of Katya.""" text1080;"""I feel fine.""" text1081;"""Come on, I can see it! Don't worry — I'll be alright. It's been long enough.""" text1082;"""The important thing is that you believe that yourself.""" text1083;"""I do. It's just all a bit unexpected. But you know how she is: she comes uninvited, leaves without saying goodbye, always self-centered.""" text1084;"""I smiled involuntarily. Himitsu noticed and grew even sadder.""" text1085;"""Thankfully, by then we'd already approached my house.""" text1086;"""Well, I'll be off. See you tomorrow?""" text1087;"""See you.""" text1088;"""I wanted to say something else but instead just watched as she walked through the gate.""" text1089;"""I spent the rest of the day trying futilely not to think about Catherine.""" text1090;"""If I continued like this I was going to lose my mind!""" text1091;"""Every five minutes, the phone rang.""" text1092;"""I didn't pick up because I knew it was Kyosuke.""" text1093;"""Who else would be calling me? When it came to that crazy otaku, I was lucky he wasn't pounding on my door.""" text1094;"""In the end, I unplugged the phone.""" text1095;"""I tried to keep myself distracted with TV and video games, but they got boring quickly.""" text1096;"""I even did some homework, for a change… played the bass for a bit… and fixed myself a simple dinner.""" text1097;"""Needless to say, I would rather have eaten Himitsu's cooking.""" text1098;"""But she must have been busy.""" text1099;"""Not that Himitsu was under any obligation to make meals for me on a daily basis — but I was used to it.""" text1100;"""Thinking about it, I realized that my habits had become an integral part of my life, to the point where they'd started to take center stage in it.""" text1101;"""Catherine's reappearance was threatening to throw everything off balance!""" text1102;"""It was like I'd grown senile and flabby in the past year and a half!""" text1103;"""…to the point where I craved stability above all.""" text1104;"""But why did I need chaos in my life if nothing good was going to come of it anyway?""" text1105;"""Suddenly, the doorbell rang.""" text1106;"""It was probably Himitsu… But at this hour?""" text1107;"""I slowly made my way towards the door, but halfway, a thought struck me: Why would Himitsu need to use the bell?""" text1108;"""Then it had to be Kyosuke! Although it was definitely late for him.""" text1109;"""The evening routine for my well-fed friend was anime followed by bed.""" text1110;"""But whatever…""" text1111;"""But there was nobody at the door at all.""" text1112;"""I looked around and walked outside, but the street was empty.""" text1113;"""Stupid pranksters!""" text1114;"""Yet someone had definitely been here, as on the way back I discovered a note on the doorstep.""" text1115;"""The note read: \""Nikolai-san, be careful! You are in grave danger. Certain very powerful people, linked to your father, are after you. This is not a prank or hoax.\""""" text1116;"""Yeah, sure…""" text1117;"""Next in order would be a busty magical girl in my living room, ready to obey my every command.""" text1118;"""Kyosuke!""" text1119;"""I shouted.""" text1120;"""This isn't funny!""" text1121;"""And why bring my dad into this?!""" text1122;"""My parents… The incident…""" text1123;"""They fled the Soviet Union when I was seven. In Japan, they worked as regular engineers at Kobayashi Corporation.""" text1124;"""After they passed, I had the option of going back to the USSR to live with my relatives, but I ended up staying, since I'd lived in Japan for most of my life.""" text1125;"""My father's friends had helped take care of the legal formalities, while his bank account kept me from starving.""" text1126;"""Kyosuke…""" text1127;"""I called out, less confidently this time.""" text1128;"""The only reply I got was from a neighbor, who barked something about it being nighttime and my yelling.""" text1129;"""Well, maybe it wasn't Kyosuke. But then who?""" text1130;"""If the note was a joke, its author had failed to deliver the punchline.""" text1131;"""And what if there was a simpler explanation: What if it was for real?""" text1132;"""I twiddled the note between my fingers. It was an ordinary piece of notebook paper, carefully clipped.""" text1133;"""The words were Japanese, written in a steady hand, although the spelling left something to be desired.""" text1134;"""Why write by hand at all, I wondered.""" text1135;"""Wouldn't it have been simpler to type out the message? Or, in a pinch, clip words from a newspaper and assemble the note that way, like in those cheesy crime shows.""" text1136;"""At least I could rule Kyosuke out, I would have recognized his handwriting.""" text1137;"""\""You are in grave danger \"" … \""linked to your father\"".""" text1138;"""What if it were those punks? Just because their parents were loaded didn't mean they had A's in Japanese.""" text1139;"""Or maybe Ellie-sama's servants had decided to take revenge for the cafeteria incident… No, that was ridiculous!""" text1140;"""Ultimately, who would bother with a regular Japanese student? And why now of all times?""" text1141;"""Right on the heels of Catherine's return, too!""" text1142;"""To be honest, I couldn't remember how good Catherine's Japanese grades were. I couldn't remember her handwriting either, but I knew she'd spent considerably less time in Japan than I.""" text1143;"""Catherine had been a decent but not straight-A student, and after a year and a half without practice…""" text1144;"""At any rate, she was the prime suspect now!""" text1145;"""It didn't even occur to me to ask \""Why?\"" Her motives had stopped making sense to me long ago.""" text1146;"""Either way, I had to try to find some answers at school tomorrow!""" text1147;"""But now, it was time for bed. I hadn't felt so worn out at the end of a day in a long time.""" text1148;"""…""" text1149;"""But sleep wouldn't come. I kept tossing and turning and getting mad at myself for it.""" text1150;"""Meanwhile, the clock ticked past midnight.""" text1151;"""I flinched and perked up my ears — perhaps, I'd imagined it.""" text1152;"""Not again?!""" text1153;"""I hopped out of bed, eyes scanning the room for anything I could use to defend myself. The bass wouldn't do…""" text1154;"""I walked up to the door on stiff legs and asked in a shaky voice:""" text1155;"""Who is it?""" text1156;"""Niko-kun…""" text1157;"""I breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door.""" text1158;"""Do you know what time it is?""" text1159;"""Sorry… but your phone was off.""" text1160;"""So? Is that a reason to turn up here in the dead of night?""" text1161;"""No, but… I tried calling several times — I wanted to know if you were going to school tomorrow.""" text1162;"""If you're so concerned about my attendance, you shouldn't wake me up in the middle of the night!""" text1163;"""I'm sorry…""" text1164;"""Suddenly, I felt bad. Himitsu was just being herself while I was taking my problems out on her.""" text1165;"""She wasn't the one who had brought Catherine back or left the note.""" text1166;"""Not, it's my fault. I should be apologizing. It's been an awful day.""" text1167;"""I mean, it's been a tough day, very busy. And I was already asleep.""" text1168;"""Trying to sleep, at any rate.""" text1169;"""Okay, I'll be going then.""" text1170;"""Good night.""" text1171;"""I shut the door behind her and returned to bed.""" text1172;"""If today was tough, what would tomorrow be like?"""