Volume 1, Chapter 5: The Turning Point

*****

I walked upstairs to the rooftop to meet with this anonymous person. At one point, I was scared about what could it be that it was so important to call me out on the rooftop, and another point, it made me curious about who've sent me the letter

Just as when I was about to open the door, A big gust of wind suddenly slammed at me. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes again to see who I was meeting with...

...I looked around the rooftop only to know that there were no people besides Hoshizawa, who was staring at the sunset

"I know the chances are very, very slim but...is Hoshizawa the one who sent me the letter?!"

It really isn't a stretch if Hoshizawa was the one who sent me the letter, but surely she wasn't the one...right-

"Oh! You really came! I'm glad!"

SHE REALLY WAS THE ONE WHO SENT IT! But wait, why she called me up here? We hardly ever talked to each other at all!

"You've read the letter right? Well you see...I've been meaning to ask you this but I just never had the right opportunity to come and talk to you..."

Hey, hey, hey, what's with this atmosphere?! What's with this moment?! What's she saying?! Why's she so flustered all of a sudden?! Is it what I think it is?!

Somehow, it was hard to swallow my saliva while this tense situation is happening...

"I'm the type of girl that wants to set things straight. I really can't take it whenever I don't get the answer right away, I wanted it to get out of my chest...so I wanted to ask you before this day ends..."

Wait, wait, wait...I hear her loud and clear, but at the same time my mind is too occupied to process the things she's saying! Is this it?! Is it finally happening?! My love life route?!

No, no, no! Think rationally Shun! First of all, you barely know or talk to each other! second, you don't even have good qualities to begin with! And lastly, she's too good for you! There's no way this is a confession! There has to be another reason!

I thought too hard that I didn't even noticed Hoshizawa was reaching out to me

"Amagasa kun? Amagasa kun??"

I quickly reset my mind and calmed down myself

"Oh, uh, yeah?"

"You seem to be out of it, are you okay?"

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine"

I have to focus! Don't let your wild thoughts get into you Shun! 

"So, why did you called me out here?"

"Well, you see...it's about what I heard today..."

What she heard today?

...

...Oh god, don't tell me...did the rumors between me and the student council president got overly weird?! 

"Ah, uhm...you see, it isn't like that!-"

"What did you mean by 'doing it too much' ?"

"-Eh?"

Say what now? Isn't this about the weird rumors that were spreading about me and the student council president?

"Sorry...I kind of overheard you and the other girls talking about me before class...you said that I'm amazing for being able to help others but you also think I'm doing it too much"

Oh...is this what this is all about? I kinda felt dumb and relieved at the same time knowing that none of the things I've been imagining didn't happen...I'm kinda disappointed to be honest because the first one I thought of wasn't it...kinda...

...but wait, why's she so curious about what I said earlier?

"Uhh...is it that important to you Hoshizawa san?"

"Of course it is! It's about me after all!"

She walked closer to me, her face close to mine as she said that without any hesitation

"O-oh, uhh, i-is that so?"

I averted my eyes from her as I said that. Please read the mood Hoshizawa! You're too close! I've never been too close to a girl like this before!

"Yes..."

She finally backed off and turned her back to me

"You see, Amagasa kun...I've always been helping others since I was a kid. No matter how hard it is, I always see and finish it through the end. It's been like that ever since. My friends always praise and appreciates me whenever I always lend a helping hand to them. Of course I was happy that I was able to be useful to them so helping them out really wasn't a bother to me..."

Oh, this scenario...I've always seen this in a lot of anime series that I've watched. So my hunch on that "Thing" was right on the money...

"But as soon as I got into high school, I often find it harder now to help everyone in need since I, myself have also responsibilities to uphold..."

Of course it gets harder as you grow up, you're tackling the problems of teenagers now, not kids. I'm not gonna be surprised if Hoshizawa also lend a helping hand to others' problems beside school...

Moreover...I wonder if she also lends a hand to the people outside the school?

"Yesterday, I wasn't able to help some of the people in our school due to the overlapping of other people that I promised to help. They were sad about it, but they also understand it in the end..."

I get Hoshizawa's problem really clear as day, she's been doing this since she was a kid, so she's used to that kind of routine...but there's only one reason why she's doing this and I bet she doesn't even realized it herself...

I quickly steeled my resolve and looked at Hoshizawa with serious eyes

"...so your answer before really got me curious and I really just had to know what made you say that-"

"It is what it is, Hoshizawa san, you're doing it too much, doing it too much so that the people you helped around won't hate and disappear from your life"

"!"

"You can't stop helping them because you're scared of them leaving you, right?"

Hoshizawa stopped and looked surprised about what I just blurted out. I've been observant to many things. Not only the things surrounding me, but also to other people and their own situations. Although my hunches are mostly right, I always don't assume that what I thought of first might've been the case...I also want to be fair to both sides of the story after all...

But on Hoshizawa's case, it was clear as day that she's doing all of it so that she wouldn't lose that "friendship status" they have...

If you ask me, that's not how you make friends, that's how someone can use you on many things so you can be their "friend"...

"T-thats-"

"'Not true at all' huh? I can't blame you if you think it that way but that's what I've been seeing these past few days, Hoshizawa san. You mentioned earlier that you turned down someone that's in need of your help. Despite that person saying that its okay that you can't help, deep down, you still felt yourself that they might think less of you now because of that, right?"

"..."

Bingo. I hit the mark, didn't I? It might be hard for Hoshizawa to accept what I said just now, but she has to, its for her own good that I'm saying all of this to her...she needs to stop being like that, not in an instant, but little by little...

 "...You're right about that...about everything that you just said..."

Oh? So she knows that herself? So she's doing it not because she loves to...but instead to keep the reputation that she has now...

"Since I was a little kid, I was always alone, no one would play with me because the other kids thought that I wouldn't have fun or understand their definition of 'Fun'. The other kids always talk on my back and said many things like my world's different from them and they shouldn't talk to me because I wouldn't appreciate them. At that time, I didn't understand that much, but as things came more apparent. I just saw in my own two eyes that I'm isolated from the rest of them. I didn't know back then that it was because of my status that it made them wary of me. That made me felt sad and lonely while always thinking why I can't be with them...until the day came, in the third grade of my elementary, I tried to gather up my courage and reached out a helping hand to them. At first they were reluctant and surprised since a 'rich girl' was offering a helping hand to them, thinking that they might have to repay me in some way afterwards...but soon after that, they accepted me and was appreciated for everything that I've done for them without me expecting anything in return...it felt as if it was the first time someone like me, who's so out of reach to them, suddenly caught up to them and finally be one their friends...it was that heartwarming to me..."

I can't help it but felt sad to hear her past, sure it was just a small kid's problem back then, but that problem can really change a person to some extent. That's what made Hoshizawa changed from who she was before to who she is right now...it might've not been the change the she wanted, but its the change that she chose because it changed her life...

"But up until now...I felt like I've let down some people because I couldn't helped them out...its as if I abandoned them being their friend...I know that they said they're okay with it, but I still can't shake the feeling that they might ask less now than before...I don't want that! I don't want them to slowly hate me and disappear! I don't want to go back to that kind of past!"

Being too kind and helpful to others really doesn't benefit you in any way. Sure you're helping them because they're your friend or that's what you want, but the day will come where you have to just stop doing too much to them. It doesn't help them and it doesn't help you either to be a better friend to them...

...If I have to say something to Hoshizawa right now, it'll probably be-

"Them let them be"

"Huh...?"

"Let them hate you, let them make think less of you, let them disappear from your life. Those kinds of friends doesn't deserve to be called friends if they treat you like a tool. Real friends don't always depend on their friends, they always have their backs on each other. They solve problems together, they share the same pain together and they laugh together!"

"!"

"You don't have to force yourself to become someone's friend by helping them, Hoshizawa san"

"But if I don't do that, they'll-"

"You become friends by wanting to become friends with each other. From having similar interests, to hobbies, to even nothing!"

"...?"

"What I'm trying to say is, becoming friends with someone just happens naturally"

Hoshizawa was taken aback by my words and seemed like she understood completely that I spoke from the bottom of my heart. Ryu and I were best friends since elementary school and even though he always depends on me, he never left by my side when I needed him the most. He always made sure that he has time whenever I'm at my worst. He always pisses me off at many things, but I've never regretted to have such a best friend like Ryu on my side. That's the message that I wanted to convey to Hoshizawa

"So what if you cant help them? So what if they hated you for it? So what if they don't want to be your friend because of it?"

"...but I'll be all alone again-"

"That won't happen! cause I'll be your friend! A true friend! Hoshizawa san! no, I want to be your friend!"

"Amagasa kun..."

"I know that deep down, you're just a normal girl, who just wants a friend to hang out with...its to be expected that you can't do everything by yourself, its expected that you also get tired. That's why when the time comes that you can't handle it by yourself anymore, I wanted to be that friend who'll come and comfort you when that happens"

"!"

I walked up closer to her and grabbed her by the shoulders while looking at her in the eye

"Don't do everything by yourself idiot!, don't do anything else anymore, when the time comes that you were the one who needs help, you can depend on me too you know, I told you just now that I wanted to be friends with you right? no, we're now friends alright?! So let me ease your pain, just this once, Hoshizawa san. I know you've been holding it out for too long now, so let it all out, I'm here for you"

Once I said that, Hoshizawa broke down to tears and couldn't stop crying, I also felt relieved that she understood everything I just said...I just hope that she'll let the 'Idiot' thing slide, I DEFINITELY didn't mean to say that! It just came out all of a sudden!

*****

...

After a good solid 10 minutes of her crying, Hoshizawa and I patched things up as I was about to leave

"Thank you for coming today, Amagasa kun. You really helped me a lot...I guess this is also my first time getting a helping hand..."

"Oh! It was nothing! I'm glad that you were able to let out the thing that was bottling up inside of you"

Seriously, I'm glad that Hoshizawa was able to let it all out. I hope this will change her and her own decisions in a good way...even if what I did was just a little...

"Yes! I was able to let it all out because Amagasa kun gave me an earful!"

"Eh? Now I'm the bad guy?!"

She laughed as she said that and gave me the brightest smile that I haven't seen her doing before. The smile that she gave were nothing like the smiles that the past Hoshizawa gave. Its like, I'm seeing the real Hoshizawa for the first time...

"You know, Hoshizawa san, your smile is more radiant and shining than before"

"Eh- really? I haven't even noticed..."

"Yeah, you should smile like that even more, it brings out your beauty. I mean, you're already beautiful enough, but you'll be even more cuter when you smile like that"

"!"

I also gave her a smile as if I was reciprocating the smile that she gave me. 

But for some reason, she was fidgeting over what she was about to say next

"I-i-is that so? I-I guess I'll do it even more from now on!"

Huh? Is it just me or is she blushing hard right now?

...

Oh! I think I get it, she isn't used to be complemented by others, that's probably why she doesn't know how to respond to what I've just said

...

After a few seconds had passed, we heard a scream from outside the school

"That scream...that sounds like-"

I looked down only to see Ryu getting swarmed by a bunch of ladies again...that guy, he always gets himself into trouble...luckily Hoshizawa and I were done talking in the rooftop, I just have to say goodbye to her

"Looks like my friend down there is about to self destruct again, sorry about this, but I have to go now, Hoshizawa san"

"S-Sure! t-thank you again...Amagasa kun..."

"See you tomorrow!"

"...yes...see you..."

I hurriedly rushed down the stairs leaving a seemingly worried Hoshizawa on the rooftop and quickly gone straight to where Ryu is

*****

"Thanks again man! If you came a minute later, I think I'd be dead meat!"

"You really think those girls are cannibals?"

"No, but I'm convinced they do, since they jumped on me like that!"

Dude. You literally passed out the moment 5 other girls talked to you at once, what are you even talking about

*Sigh* "Anyways, sorry that it took longer than I expected. Apparently, the one who called me out to the rooftop was-"

"Nah, skip that part, Shun! I have a great news that I have to share with you!"

Let me guess, its about-

"The ChokoChoko Company will release another chocolate! Its a chocolate that's half chocolate, half white chocolate with almonds in it! Isn't that amazing?!"

I knew it, its about chocolates again, and this "great news" that you're talking about is really relevant to the one who called me up to the rooftop you know!

"Yeah I guess, they must've been hitting it off if they're going to create another type of product"

"Of course they do! They're the famous ChokoChoko Company after all!"

"About that, I'm surprised that ChokoChoko Company was that popular to many people"

"They are! Ever since they released their first product!"

"Wait what, really? Since elementary?"

"Yeah! Why do you think the other kids like us back then were always buying their chocolate?"

"Well to be honest, I thought they were just popular to kids"

"You're really ignorant aren't you Shun? You should pay more attention to your surroundings!"

I don't want to hear that from someone who only seems to have chocolates running through his head!

I was absorbed in Ryu's ramblings that I've forgot to tell him that it was Hoshizawa who called me out to the rooftop...oh well...I probably can't even stop Ryu on his ramblings once he starts so I'll leave it at that...

I hope Hoshizawa didn't thought of anything too much when I abruptly left her out there, it wasn't on purpose Hoshizawa san! I swear!

...And thus, the day ended with me and Ryu's "detailed discussion" on ChokoChoko Company's history as we walk home together from school

*****

End of Chapter 5