Kazumi's POV

"Yo Kazumi! Are you even listening?!"

I shut my eyes in irritation. "No. I don't really care."

"Hey! That's just plain rude. You should learn to respect the elderly!" Her response made me raise a brow. "Seriously? I'm older than you, for your information," I said with amusement as her expression changed from mild snappishness to just exasperation.

Hadzuki rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. For a few days."

"I'm still older than you. Respect your elderly," I said, smirking. She replied with a groan and laid on the grass with a cute pout. What a child.

"Are you just going to lay there and ignore me?" I asked, but received no response. I only heard her mouth incoherent words, which I presume as curses. "Alright. You won't talk to me, so I might just well leave."

"Wait, don't!"

I enjoyed myself from watching the performance Hadzuki's displaying as she struggled to get up and avoid falling because of the slippery grass. She stood up and faced me and I almost burst out laughing when her eyes widened as she noticed that I didn't move a single muscle.

"What the frickity frack?"

"What's the matter? Is something wrong?" I teased, leaning back and crossing my arms behind my head. She rolled her eyes as a response and groaned for the nth time, proceeding to massage the bridge of her nose. "You know what? I give up. I actually want to talk to you about something else." Her sudden change of tone made me sit up straightly. "What is it?"

Her gaze went all around the place. One second, she's looking at the trees around us then staring at the ground the next. I tried to stifle myself from snapping but I'm not really good with control so I just sat there while gritting my teeth. "What are you waiting for? Holiday?"

"Huh? No! It's just...." she trailed and gave a sideways glance at Mitsuko's direction. Wait, don't tell me—

"As you can probably guess, yes I have a crush. On a girl."

.

.

.

.

.

"You....? Dang, my best friend is gay. How could I not know this?" My eyes stared at her unwaveringly as my mouth hung open. To say that I was flabbergasted is a big understatement.

"Umm, you already know. I literally just told you. Also, I'm not gay. It's called being a lesbian. But I'm actually pansexual though."

"Whatever. May I ask how you ended up crushing on well, the girl?" I questioned. I glanced shortly at my watch to see the time, before raising my head to look at Hadzuki who's now wriggling like a worm. No, she's not on the floor doing the worm dance. She's just sitting on the grass with her arms wrapped around her while she swayed from side to side.

"Duh! I mean, come on man! She's drop dead gorgeous!" She exclaimed and threw her hands up in the air. She then snuck a glance at Mitsuko and pointed at her with her lips. Is she planning on being a duck?

"Yo, you wanna be a duck? Or are you delusional and daydreaming about kissing her?"

"What? 'Course not. I told you. I'm not into that kind of stuff. Having a crush simply means that I admire someone. I was just pointing at her."

"Then why can't you point with your fingers like a normal person?"

"Honey, I don't do things normally in my world. It's hella boring," she said with a 'you-should-know-this' look. Well true, we don't really like doing things normally. "What's her name?" I asked, trying to sound as if I don't know the girl she's crushing on.

"Mitsuko. Tachibana Mitsuko."

Hearing her response made me close my eyes and suck in a breath. I gotta be an actress if I don't want to be found out. Even if Hadzuki said it herself that she's not really observant I'm not taking any chances. This gal right here is the one whom I consider as my best friend. And to have that title? You must be pretty damn special. She might know if I'm lying through my teeth or something. The sh*t*ss can be unpredictable.

"Oh? That's a nice name. But how did you meet her?" I spared a glance at Mitsuko who's now running around with her friend chasing her. Are they playing tag? "She looks like a senior to be honest," I added, shifting my attention back to Hadzuki.

She nodded and snapped her fingers. "Correct. She's a year older than us. I didn't really meet her though. I just saw her. It's like those love at first sight cliches. After that, I became interested and followed her during lunch breaks. She's always with that guy.. Marui? Yeah, I think that's his name. Anyway, if they weren't together, she'd be with Yūka. She's the same grade as us, but from another class."

Dang, that's long. Does this girl ever get tired of talking? Just give her proper training and she could be a rapper (lol). "So, you're a stalker. Hadzuki, I thought higher of you..."

"What?! I'm not a stalker! I just followed her," she reasoned. She had this cute frown on her face and combined with that pout? Yeah, you're in for some cuteness. Cuteness overload. And that's rare for her because she usually acts like a mental hospital patient who escaped.

"Someone who follows someone who doesn't want to be followed is a stalker."

"Yea, but I didn't invade her privacy or anything! I just watched her from afar!"

"Alright calm down. I was joking. But watching from afar, I expected that."

"Hmph. Oh shut up, you. Stop talking as if you were any better. At least I didn't beg for someone to help me to apologize in a chat!"

"Hey! That's crossing the line! I already erased that absolute horrid and cringe-worthy memory. Please don't remind me of that ever again. I feel like crying." I puffed my cheeks and stared at the ground as the memories of my vomit inducing past came rushing in. Ugh, dang it. This is one of the reasons why I want to die right now. How can someone be so.... awkward?

"Are you having a flashback right now? Oh boi, I'm really sorry..." Hadzuki said with a giggle, which made me scoff. Yes, laugh at my misery like a freaking sadist. Twat.

She reached out to pat my back. "Aight. Back to what we're mainly talking about. As I followed Mitsuko, I came to notice her personality. Her smile... It's radiating like the sun."

"How can you look at her straightly then? You usually squint—"

"Shut up. I'm trying to be poetic so let me. Anyway, overall, she's perfect. And her looks are plus points."

"I get it. She's stunning, glamorous, pulchritudinous—you name it." I rolled my eyes playfully, finally free from these chains of mortification. Now that my gears are functioning properly again, I let out a sigh of relief. I opened my mouth to say something when the sound of the school bell boomed, and we looked at each other.

"Dammit! We'll be late! Our class is on the third floor!"

We stood up and sprinted without stopping. We went so fast that everything we went past through came out as a blur. And then, there came hell. The frigging stairs, man.Hadzuki skipped two or three steps while I ran up all them. You can guess what happened to me when we reached out floor. I couldn't breathe properly. This is too much for a shut-in like me. Fortunately, the teacher wasn't there yet when we arrived. I spent the rest of class (not really) trying to control my breathing. The end result? I wasn't able to listen to the teacher.

***

The school bell rang and the loud sound echoed through the hallways. Students came out their respective classrooms in a hurry, eager to get home. I, however, stayed on my seat. I was on cleaning duty today.

My gaze went around the classroom, waiting for the others to go before I get up and start cleaning. From where I sat, I could see Hadzuki putting out the trash.

"Kazumi. I won't be able to clean with you today. My mom told me that I should go home early. Urgent business." A classmate of mine came up and told her story. She even showed me her mom's message making me nod. Deeming her reason valid, I let her go.

Some of the remaining people who has to clean did their duty, but you could tell that they rushed it. They said there goodbyes and walked out the classroom after 5 minutes or so of "cleaning". I pinched the bridge of my nose in irritation and let out an exhausted sigh As I stared at the dusty floor. There were bits of litters here and there, and the board isn't free of chalk marks. The eraser of the board? Let's not talk about that one. All I have to say is I need to brace myself as the chalk dust flies all around and gets on my hands and face.

"We have to do a lot, so we might as well get started." I heard Hadzuki's voice from behind me. I turned around to see her sweeping the floor as she didn't even bother to look at me. Since she's going to be hardworking and stuff, I really should start working too. I grabbed the eraser and cleaned the blackboard, before clapping the erasers together. I ended up wheezing.

Next, I arranged the desks and chairs at the front while Hadzuki took care of the back. I grabbed the vase at the teacher's table and went out for a bit to replace the water (I also got new flowers) before going back. When I entered the classroom, the place was pretty much sparkling. I set the vase down the table before facing Hadzuki.

"Hadzuki," I called, making her face me as she hooked her bag to her shoulder. "You called?"

I swallowed a big lump on my throat as I stared at her eyes. She..... doesn't deserve that at all... I don't know what would happen if that.... Ugh, I don't even want to think about it.

"If you ever see Marui, turn around and run away as far as possible. Just stay away from him."

"Huh? Why? Also, shouldn't you be using honorifics? They're—"

"Hadzuki." I sighed heavily and ran a hand through my silver hair before gripping on it. Hard. "Just promise me. Please."

She stood there with furrowed eyebrows. Confusion is evident in her face as her eyes silently asked me questions. I couldn't help but look away though, I can't bear to make eye contact any longer.

"Alright.... I assume you have your reasons?"

I only nodded wordlessly, anxious that a single move would expose my intentions.

"Okay. I understand. I'll choose to trust you." Hadzuki flashed me a small smile and walked out, leaving me alone.

***

I wandered down the streets as I looked at the various shops. They're everywhere. I stepped to the side to avoid blocking the way for people as I stared at the people working. At the corner of my eye, I took note of an old lady trying to carry a few boxes stacked on top of each other. Each box were pretty much the same height as a bond paper (I know I could make a better analogy but this is really all I could think of at this time).

Carrying them doesn't seem like much but the old lady can't even lift the first box. As I watched from the sidewalk, I also noticed her poor posture.

I wasn't really planning on standing there and wasting time, but I was also hesitating to come over and lend a hand. My body decided that for me though. My feet moved on their own and only until I was standing in front of the old lady did I realize what happened.

"Umm, need some help?" I timidly asked, shuffling my feet as my gaze darted from the old lady to the boxes. She blinked and smiled warmly, shaking her head. "No dearie, it's alright. I can take care of this myself."

I looked inside the shop to see no one. Without really thinking, I reached for the box and carried it, making me almost stumble from the sudden weight. I returned the smile to the old lady. "I can carry these without any problem. It's fine. You should take care of yourself though, Ma'am. Your posture isn't looking great."

I walked over to the door and luckily, it wasn't a sliding door. I pushed the door open with my feet but I was surprised to see a hand on the glass door. The door was easily opened, and I walked inside, taking in the beautiful sight of teasets. There are also a wide variation of tea (of course).

"Woah!!"

"You can just put the box here at the corner," the lady said, and I did as I was told. I brought the remaining boxes inside as the lady went to the counter. She fumbled with the cashier thing (Yea I forgot what it was called) before taking out a ¥1000 bill. I gaped at the money in her hand as she took my hand and placed it on my palm.

"Take this, dearie. Think of it as a thank you gift from me."

"W-what? Umm, I appreciate this but I won't be able to take it. All I did was carry some boxes. This is—it's equivalent to the payment of part-time jobs."

"It's really alright. You should take it. What you did is something you wouldn't see the youth doing these days. It's also nice that you're concerned for my well-being. People usually mock me for being slouched and well, old-looking."

"I really won't be able to consider this as "mine". What if I worked a part-time job here? Then I could receive this bill! That's the only time I would be accepting bills. You don't look like you have any employee... Ah, but that's if you hire people though."

"It's true that we don't have any worker, but because this place is small, we don't really need them. My son is actually in charge of this shop. It's kind of our storage room when we need supplies but also serves as a store. He isn't here today, so I have to take over. We have a cafe though, run by me and my husband. There isn't much workers, so things get pretty hectic when there's a lot of customers."

"Then maybe...? "

"Hmm, I don't know. How old are you?"

"I'm 15. I had my birthday a year ago."

"But wouldn't a job hinder you from studying?"

"Umm, I think I could manage. I could work during weekends. And when I'm free."

She looked hesitantly at me and crossed her arms. "How about your parents? Are they okay with this?"

"Oh.. I have to ask them, but I think they'll be fine with it."

"Then, come back and give me your answer. I'll be willing to welcome you. I'm Yukari Otsumoto. Nice to meet you."

"Umm, right. My name is Kazumi Miyazaki. And before I go, can I have some green tea please?" I said and returned the money and she smiled.

"Of course. Then how about taking the green tea for free? I can't just let you go without repaying you, Miyazaki-san. You even offered to help me. Even though that's not confirmed yet..." Otsumoto-san grabbed a box of green tea and handed it to me. After a few chats, we bid goodbye to each other.

I was a few blocks away from my neighborhood and only needed to turn to make it when I collided with someone, making me step back. I was lucky that I didn't fall. I looked at the person I bumped into and felt my blood turn cold. Who could've thought...

"What are you doing here, Marui?" I asked coldly, fuming with pure hatred although he took it as a joke, chortling. "Why do you have to be so cold? It's not even winter here, yet you're radiating such an intimidating aura that could freeze anything around you almost instantly." I looked around and noticed the gazes of the people on me. I hung my head and sighed.

"Relax. I'm not here to do anything bad, if that's what you're thinking. I'm an innocent person that abides law, alright?" Marui replied, smiling. I rolled my eyes and snorted, flipping my hair. "Law abiding, huh? I don't think you're referring to yourself anymore."

"Well then, it's you who won't believe me. Your loss." Marui turned around and smiled one last time, before his expression turned stoic. His eyes held no emotion, and his lips formed a straight line. He walked away with his hands in his pockets, not letting me reply.

With a sigh, I muttered to myself,"As long as I live, I won't let ******* mess with them."

=====
Indeed. I won't let anything mess with my dear readers as long as I'm alive. A vote can help me help you, don't you think so?

So, I'm going to make this short. School is being a d*ck. I'm going crazy. Then poof! All hell breaks loose.

This will be the first time I get to say something like this. I'm not fine. I'm freaking out. π_π ( TДT)

Anyway, hope you had a lovely day and thanks for reading!

Love ya'll!

~Kazumi_Nyay624