Chie Maruyama knew she could be loud, but she didn't like being labeled as noisy. She wasn't just a girl who was loud; she was loud with purpose. Maybe it was because, since childhood, Chie had always hung out with the quiet and timid, ugly-duckling like Haruki Nakano. Chie felt the need to be lively to brighten Haru's life. As Haru's first friend – and his only one for the first years of their lives – she felt obligated to.

Too bad for her, Haru turned into a handsome swan after her family moved to Osaka. She felt slightly betrayed for not being around to see Haru changed. She knew from the start that Haru was the whole package – he was a bit shy but kind and generous, and rather exotic-looking thanks to his tanned skin. She always had a feeling that one day her best friend would transform into someone special. If only he were more confident, she often wished in silence, knowing exactly that confindence was the one quality girls seek in a guy in their little town. So, when Haru finally owned his coolness and became the guy he is now, she felt a mix of emotions. Relief flooded in, like when a mother bird sees her chick take its first flight. But there was also this bittersweet vibe, a yearning for the moments she missed, like catching snapshots of her best friend's transformation that happened in her absence.

People always said that growing up meant finding your own path. In Yoshino, folks thought she was all brave and independent because she never held back her thoughts, but deep down, she was just a girl. She loved having company, and maybe a bit too optimistically, she hoped that at least one of her friends would stick around. Haru, to be specific. She always jealous of Haru's mother, Mrs. Nakano, who was good friends with Nishii-san, the woman she nicknamed "Auntie from Tokyo". Those two had been friends for decades, since they were young. Even after life scattered them into different cities, Nishii-san still made regular visit to her old friend in Yoshino. She couldn't help but wish for a friendship with Haru that would stand the test of time, just like Mrs. Nakano and Nishii-san.

She felt a wave of despair when her family announced the move to Osaka, having to uproot everything back in Yoshino. Adults often misunderstood young folks like her, thinking that teenagers found it easy to make friends. In Osaka, she learned that big city folks often make friends only for the sake of politeness or personal gain. And as she grew older, building true friendships became more challenging. Life priorities led people to set aside friendship, thinking that a human being could survive without companionship.

The unexpected reunion with Haru at university reassured her that their friendship was indeed special. Chie felt like life had effortlessly transported her back to the good old days of high school. Haru and she shared a bond so ridiculously deep that they could almost telepathically read each other's thoughts. Not only did they choose the same university, but they also picked the same major (surprise, surprise).

Thanks to this, she and Haru could never keep secrets from each other because one of them would find out eventually. She correctly guessed who Fujiwara-san was after noticing that Haru always walk to campus with him every day. Although Haru was always friendly, he tended to be overly polite when meeting strangers (thanks to growing up in a ryokan, plus his past insecurity about his look). Haru was most likely to be close to people he encountered often, like neighbors (such as Chie herself).

But lately, Haru seemed to be keeping something from her. She observed him carrying a bundle of papers every where. When she asked, "What is that?" Haru simply replied, "None of your business," an answer that annoyed Chie. If Haru told her, she'd stop wondering. If Haru asked her to keep it a secret, she'd keep her mouth shut and took whatever it was to her grave. She liked to talk but Chie Maruyama knew how to keep a secret. Haru's attitude of keeping the bundle far away from her made her feel like she was being treated like a pest.

Now, as Chie waited for the next class to start, she noticed the secret bundle on the table right next to her. This was the first time she had seen Haru part with the bundle. Usually, he always took it everywhere, but today he left it behind to go to the cafeteria. She studied her surroundings. The classroom was empty. There were only Oda and her gang; they always arrived first in class and sat in the front row (there were always nerds like that in every class). Haru and she had to come early because today's class was important, and they were worried about finding seats. But she had about twenty minutes before Sensei arrived.

This is a real struggle, she thought. If this were a cartoon, there would be an angel and a little devil on her shoulders, both of them arguing to incite her.

Chie sighed and surrendered to the demon. I'll just peek, no big deal, she told herself. Haru wouldn't know at all. But first, she needed to make sure Haru would't return soon.

She grabbed her phone and called Haru.

"What?" he answered, sounding annoyed.

"Hey, can you buy me some melon bread? I'll pay you when you're back," she said, trying to sound as nice as possible. "Sorry for asking suddenly. Oda is eating one right in front of me, and it looks really delicious. Sensei hasn't arrived yet."

"The bread shop is near the front gate. I'm heading back to class."

"Walking is good for your health. You're still growing, you know?"

Haru groaned.

"Thank you so much! You're the bestest friend!" Without waiting for his response, she ended the call.

Chie started reading. The front page didn't have a title or author's name, adding to the mysterious impression. Could this be some sort of secret textbook that Haru borrowed from the library?

Chie delved into the first part. Turns out, it was a story.

It is set in a small town, and the main character is Shinji, a high schooler who is badly bullied by his classmates because his body is small and skinny, like a rat. This brought Chie back to Yoshino, where she witnessed Haru experiencing the same thing. Some of the girls tried to bully her too for being talkative, but she always managed to shut them off with her sharp words. High schoolers can be very mean, she reckoned. She still hasn't grasped the idea of how some kids were really cute – almost angelic when they were little, but turned out to be the meanest, most evil people in high school, as if they became tired of being good and decided to completely override their personalities.

She paused after the first chapter, a sudden realization dawning on her. This story was too real. Did Haru write it? Was he Shinji, the main character?

Snatch!

Someone yanked the page she was reading. Chie looked up and found Haru standing in front of her, looking furious. "What are you doing?"

She was stunned and speechless, so engrossed in the story that she hadn't realized Haru had arrived.

"Why are you reading it?" Haru said fiercely. "Did you ask me to buy this melon bread just so you could secretly read this story?"

"You never said I couldn't read it," she defended herself. "Why are you treating it like the scripture anyway? I'm just curious."

Haru threw the melon bread and grabbed the bundle.

"What's wrong with you?" she yelled. "Why are you so angry?"

Oda and her gang peeked from their seats and started whispering.

"You should ask yourself," Haru replied sharply.

"Did you write that story? Are you Shinji?"

"No. I can't tell you yet."

"Why?"

"I just can't," Haru hissed stubbornly. "Why are you so curious?"

"You're embarrassed, aren't you?"

"Why should I be embarrassed?" Haru flinched. "I'm not the one sneaking around like a thief. It's you who should be embarrassed!"

"I didn't know you write. Is that some kind of autobiography?"

"I said I didn't write it."

Haru's jaw tightened, his nostrils flared. He took a notebook and covered the bundle of manuscripts with it.

"Aren't you too young to write an autobiography?" she pressed on.

"Are you deaf? I said I didn't write it."

"But Shinji was bullied because of his physique. He must be you, right?"

"No, he's not. I swear to God, you have to stop sneaking around, Chie."

"Just tell me what kind of story it is, then."

"Chie, please listen to me carefully." Haru clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He addressed her as 'Chie,' signaling he was being dead serious. "First of all, I'm not your future husband. Stop treating me like one. We were in second grade when I promised to marry you. I only did it because the whole class was watching at that time."

Who would take a second grader's oath seriously? But Haru raised his index finger, stopping her before she could argue. "Secondly, please improve your attitude. You always do everything as you please, like a man. You'll never get a boyfriend if you continue like this."

It was strange to hear those words coming out of Haru's mouth. He was the one who befriended her. Chie remembered their first meeting vividly, as if it had just happened. She had just finished breakfast and was running around with her dog in their front yard when she saw the skinny, tanned neighbor kid coming towards her and asking her to play marbles.

"If you think I'm such a noisy person, why do you still want to be friends with me?"

Haru opened his mouth to answer but quickly closed it again. Finally, he just sighed. "I never said you're noisy. You're honest, Chie. You never sugarcoat anything."

"So that's a good thing, right?"

"Your breed is getting rare these days."

"What does that suppose to mean?"

"It means I like your honesty. Just try to be less pushy, would you?"

"Well, then, now I can honestly tell you, I want to finish that story. Look, I won't judge you at all, Haru. You can trust me," she inched closer. "Pretty please?"

"No, sorry. I can't let you."

"Haruki Nakano, you are so cruel! I'd die of curiosity, you know!"

Haru scooped up his backpack. He slipped out of the table next to her and moved right to the front row, next to the nerdy Oda gang.

Chie was totally flabbergasted. She knew very well what this means: Haru was really angry.