12:50AM, School Courtyard

I wonder if she remembers? Danshiro stared at Kikoe’s face as they finished picking up the rest of her spilled bento. Probably not.

“Kiki, Do you remember…” Danshiro’s cheeks flared up as his voice nearly cracked. Summoning all of his courage, he asked her about their fateful promise all those years ago.

“Sorry, Dan! We’ll talk later!” Kikoe abruptly cut him off, taking off after Shotaro.

Damnit. Danshiro made no effort to pull himself from the ground. The utter failure of reaching out to her sapped his strength.

~~~~~~~~~~

I haven’t seen him in a couple days. I wonder where he’s going? Kikoe rushed after Shotaro, making sure to maintain a comfortable distance. To the other students, she was as sneaky as a roaring dinosaur but, to her, she was someone else. Kikoe spied a nearby brown cardboard box and gave into her imagination.

The spotlights scattered near the landing pad illuminated the falling snow over the small island of Shadow Muses. The sound of light chatter was masked by the sound of the helicopter’s blades slicing the air as it descended from the dark sky.

“Agent Nagata, do you copy?” The muffled voice of Colonel Roy Cambell echoed through her earpiece.

“Copy. I’ve got eyes on the target.” Kikoe had her index finger pressed on her earpiece as she responded.  Kikoe was hiding behind a large shipping container as she spied her target through the crowd of heavily armed soldiers. A large, grey facility was barely visible through the nighttime snow.

“You’re our best asset. Be careful.” 

“I’ve brought my best disguise, Colonel.” Kikoe shook her head as she removed her finger from her earpiece. She looked over at a plain brown cardboard box with the words, “Totally Not Suspicious” written with a thick black marker.

With this, I am completely invisible! Kikoe laughed to herself.

In the real world, though, she was running with a cardboard box over her head in the school’s crowded hallways as she tried to stay a safe distance from Shotaro. Peeking through the handle hole on the box, she was able to keep sight of Shotaro but not the countless other students who stared. She could not have attracted more attention to herself if she actually consciously tried.

He’s close to his classroom. If I want to make my move, I need to do it now! Kikoe psyched herself up as she threw off the box, ready to run toward him and make a passionate declaration of love. Instead, she ended up accidentally throwing the cardboard box out the window. She tried in vain to catch it before it fell.

Within just a couple seconds, she heard a voice yell out from below. “Who the hell is throwing boxes out the window!”

Just act normal. Kikoe walked away, trying not to draw any more attention to herself than she already had. Oh my god, they’re really all looking at me. Kikoe saw the side glances as she continued to keep a safe distance from Shotaro. Their glances piercing through her as if they saw her imperfections just the same as she did. Kikoe was nearly at her breaking point before a scream rang out through the hallway.

“Someone fell down the stairs!” A voice rang out from the mostly deserted hallway to her right. What’s going on over there?

She peeked around the corner to see Shotaro staring down the stairs, motionless. She saw him stand for a few seconds before he turned to keep walking.

Is he not going to help? Just as the thought floated through her head, she saw his head jerk back toward the bottom of the stairs. He jumped down the nearby staircase, disappearing from her view.

I must be an idiot! Of course he was going to help. Kikoe moved over to the staircase, looking down she saw Sasaki Nijima trying to lift her classmate, Satou Kiyama, to his feet. Shotaro had rushed to her aid, quickly assisting her in getting him lifted off the ground.

He’s so amazing. Her eyes were locked to Shotaro’s smile. The warm grin that she wishes she got to see everyday.

Why does she get to see it? A pang of jealousy ran through her chest as she turned her attention to Sasaki. “She doesn’t even know him…” Kikoe whispered underneath her breath.

As if Shotaro heard her complaint, he lifted his head and connected his gaze with her. His soft smile melted her heart. 

Kikoe dropped and hid behind a nearby wall. He actually looked at me! Her cheeks grew bright red as she buried her face in her lap.

~~~~~~~~~~

Danshiro Sanaba is a fifteen year old freshman at Hokusai High School. He has short light brown hair with a slender figure. He would be best described as a “stick” because he had so little muscle definition in his arms and legs. He wasn’t ugly by any means, though. He received a few love confessions of his own in middle school but ultimately declined each one. His heart was already stricken with an all consuming infatuation for his childhood friend, Kikoe Nagata. They had made a promise years ago that he was sure she had forgotten.

She really loves him, doesn’t she? Danshiro was slowly walking back to the classroom, his heart downtrodden as Kikoe ran after Shotaro yet again. He doesn’t even know she exists. Hello? I’m right here, dummy. Danshiro shook his head, not watching out where he was walking.

*CRASH*

Danshiro nearly toppled over as he ran into a short black-haired girl. She, on the other hand, fell back on her butt hard. A slight metallic clinking sound resounded as her glasses fell on the ground.

“I’m so sorry!” Danshiro crouched down and grabbed her fallen glasses. She pulled her gaze up to meet him and reached out to grab it from his hands.

Stars… The thought coursed through his head as he found himself lost in her eyes. A beautiful emptiness abounded within their depths. He grabbed her hand and helped her up.

“It’s fine.” The response was cold and empty but lacking malicious intent. It was simply the response of someone disconnected from the world. 

“Are you sure? I gave you a pretty good push.” Danshiro tried to ease the situation with a nervous laugh.

She lost eye contact with him, turning her head to look outside of the window. A slight smile formed on her face.

Is she ignoring me? Danshiro was perplexed on what was going on with the girl in front of him. 

“Um, you’re Hanabi-san, right?” The mention of her name caused her to turn back towards him.

“Do you know if you combine certain over the counter medications, you can get a pretty good euphoric high? All legal too.” The comment was delivered plainly and without emotion.

“I...didn’t know that.” Is this girl seriously on drugs in the middle of school?

“I need to go. It was nice meeting you, Sanaba-san.” She turned away, quickly walking away.

When did I tell her my name? Must’ve picked it up during class sometime. What a weirdo. Danshiro quieted his internal thoughts and continued back to his classroom.