'*•.¸♡ 008 ♡¸.•*'

"Y/N~~," Kazutora said in a cheerful voice as he entered her class during the lunch break but his expressions changed when he didn't find her. "Oi!!" he called out for one of the students standing closest to him. "Is Y/N absent today too?" He asked gaining a nod from the student.

"She's been absent for three days..." He heard a familiar voice from behind him. He turned around and was greeted by Emma, Mikey, and Chifuyu. "I know that," Kazutora replied. "But why?"

"I have no clue what happened. She doesn't miss school often. She is either late or has some work to do at the pet shop. That's the only time when she is absent." Emma informed.

"The pet shop has been closed for three days," Chifuyu said.

"Is she sick?" Mikey asked.

"That could be a possibility but that doesn't explain why the pet shop has been closed." Emma pointed.

The four of them went in deep thought trying to figure out why Y/N was missing her school. On Monday when Chifuyu went to the pet shop for work he was stunned to see a notice saying that they'll be closed for some time.

"She didn't even reply to my messages," Kazutora said as he showed the others his phone.

"She doesn't even have a reason to reply to YOUR messages." Emma snickered making the others laugh while Kazutora huffed "At least she leaves me on seen. That way I know, she saw my message but she didn't even do that."

Mikey laughed harder at that statement "Look at him. Being proud about being left on seen."

"Come on! Stop making fun of me!! The point is why isn't she coming."

"She didn't reply to my messages too nor did she pick up the calls," Chifuyu informed.

"You talk to her?!?!" Kazutora asked.

"Ummm... Yeah?"

"I told you to stay away from her right?" Kazutora grabbed Chifuyu by his collar. Mikey grabbed Kazutora's arm and jerked it away "Kazutora, you are overreacting. You don't own Y/N, so don't go on deciding who can talk to her who can't."

"I am fine with anyone talking to her but not him!!"

"Well... It's doesn't matter you know." Chifuyu stated as he fixed his shirt.

"Woah-" Emma spoke up "Why do I feel that Y/N has a line of guys behind her..."

"What do you mean?" The three of them asked in sync making Emma laugh "Nothing."

"What if she is actually sick or something bad happened? I want to see her..." Mikey pouted. "She was quite interesting."

"WAS?!?" Emma shouted. "Mikey!! She isn't dead!"

---

The day passed by really quickly. Everyone called and messaged Y/N but didn't get any response from her side. They didn't know if visiting her without knowing what's going on will be right or not so they decided to stand by for another day.

"Sano Emma?" The teacher roll called.

"Here sir!!"

"L/N Y/N?"

The class went silent. "She didn't come today too? Does anyone know what's going on with her? Emma? You are her best friend right? Do you know anything?"

"No sir. I haven't been in contact with her for quite some time."

Just as she finished speaking the class door slid and everyone's heads turned towards it. "Present sir..." The H/C female spoke in a low voice. "You are late Ms. L/-"

"Sorry..." She apologized and walked slowly to her seat at the back of the class. Her behavior was off and everyone noticed it. Usually, she is loud and would try to explain herself even if it doesn't make sense. But today she was rather quiet and apologized for coming late, something she didn't do for the whole year.

"Are you fine?" The teacher asked.

"Yes! I am completely fine!!" She replied with a smile.

The classes weren't important and time passed quickly to lunch break. Emma got up from her seat to talk to Y/N because she couldn't do it during classes but Y/N just picked up her lunch box and walked past Emma. She was quite shocked by Y/N's behavior. Emma followed Y/N out of the class but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Yo! Emma," Mikey said as he waved to her. "Mikey, did you see Y/N?"

"She came to school today?"

"Yes!! And what I feel is that something is going on with her."

"What's going on?" Another voice spoke up. Emma turned around and saw Chifuyu with Kazutora which was a rare sight. Both of them can't stand each other and yet they were together.

"Y/N was behaving oddly today and right now she even ignored me. She just grabbed her lunch and walked out of the classroom hurriedly."

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Chifuyu mumbled.

"We should look for her," Mikey suggested and everyone gave him a nod.

---

Chifuyu noticed that the terrace door was open. He wasn't sure if Y/N was up there but he thought that it would be better if he checked it once. The cool breeze hit his face. The terrace is a really relaxing place. It's calm and soothing. He walked forward glancing in every direction trying to find Y/N and that's when his eyes fell on the female sitting on the bench looking up in the sky.

"Y/N?" He spoke up.

She was startled by the sudden voice which made her flinch and look in his direction. "What are you doing up here?" He asked as he took a seat next to her. She looked down at her hands and fidgeted her fingers. "Nothing..."

"Don't lie to me."

"I am not lying."

"Yes, you are. Emma told us that you were acting weird. You even ignored her. You didn't even come to school for three days. I called and messaged you countless times but you didn't give a response."

She stayed silent. "Look at me," Chifuyu commanded and she followed his words. "If you are going through something then tell me. You should share things with your friends. If you keep things to yourself then it will bother you more. Trust me, you'll feel better if you let it out."

"Do you remember Milo?" She asked. "Yes, I do."

"He passed away..."

Silence engulfed them. "He was more than just an animal at the pet shop. Actually, I saw him as my own pet. I found him a few months back, he was left alone in a box and was really skinny plus he had a wound on his right paw. I felt bad for him so I brought him with me. My parents were shocked when they saw his condition so we treated him and fed him. I used to play with him the most. Taking him on walks, feeding him, and troubling him sometimes. Even if he was there with me for a few months, I was attached to him the most. He caught a mild fever and couldn't recover. That is the reason I didn't attend school. I didn't feel like meeting or talking to anyone either."

Chifuyu held her hand "I am sure he is at a better place. I know it's hard to accept. Cherish the moments you spent with him and keep him alive in your memories. You know... I won't say that I can understand how you are feeling because I haven't lost a pet but I am sure it must hurt a lot. I have a pet cat too and I can't even imagine how I would feel if I were to lose him."

"It feels as if someone important has left you..."

Y/N squeezed his hand, she felt sad and Chifuyu could clearly see it. She is always so cheerful and full of energy but right now she was quiet. It was as if someone else was sitting with him. "Y/N... Will you come with me after school?" He asked.

"Hm? Why...?"

"Being alone won't help. You need to shift your mind somewhere else for some time... I want to see you smile once again. You look pretty when you smile."

Y/N's eyes widened. She could feel the butterflies and the heat in her cheeks. Her heartbeat increased after hearing those words. She felt a bit happy.

"Chifuyu... sometimes the things you say makes me feel butterflies."

♡

Hope you enjoyed <3

I didn't proofread this so please ignore the mistakes. Also, to those who don't know, I'll be going on one-month hiatus for exams. The next update will be in December.