(I) Breakup Arc - Episode 2

[Ｏｖｅｒ]

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－ ＦＥＢＲＵＡＲＹ －

𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥

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Three months after the breakup...

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Chiba was not feeling to it today. Again.

A few months have already passed and yet he could not stop replaying inside his mind her words that day – when it had ended. The sunken weight inside his chest remained since then, which affected his concentration in school.

During club practice, he could not get the chords perfectly. In his final exams, although he had achieved high scores, he knew full well that was not the best that he could do.

Even Sugaya would now and then caught wind of his depressing state. There were times when Chiba was back to his normal self until he saw or heard something that reminded him of Hayami. Just seeing a tangerine on their dining table would make him pause and call out her name.

'Does every object bring his mind to her?' The lanky artist had thought one time.

"You alright, man?" asked Sugaya when he had seen his raven-haired flatmate drill holes with his gaze on the hot pack in his hand after taking it out of his pocket.

Due to the distance of his school from home, Chiba had to move out and live alone near the campus. Coincidentally, Sugaya was looking for a roommate and a place to stay within the area since he was going to study in a public school there. His mother was not keen though on his career choice, so he had to move out to start becoming independent and look for a part-time job.

When he heard that Chiba had already found an apartment, he immediately called him up and asked him if he could also stay there and share the rent. Lucky for him, he had managed to find a job as a barista in a café not far off from the apartment.

Chiba snapped back to his senses and looked at Sugaya, who was on the floor drawing on the low table. "I'm okay," he replied meekly before proceeding to the built-in closet.

"You're obviously a mess right now," Sugaya pointed as he intertwined his fingers behind his head, a pen balancing between his nose and upper lip.

"I miss her," Chiba admitted while taking off his uniform.

'Then why the hell did you two break up?' Sugaya thought as he said, "Why don't you start seeing someone else? Maybe it'll help get your mind off her."

After pulling a t-shirt on, Chiba turned towards him. Behind that fringe, he was giving him a look of disbelief. "That is something Maehara would do," he stated.

Sugaya shrugged. "I'm just saying. It's up to you."

***

It was Valentines' Day when his right seatmate, Izumi Miyamoto, walked up to his seat during the lunch period. "Chiba-kun," she began to say as her fingers fiddled on her skirt. "Can I talk to you privately? I-I have something to tell you."

She has a short stature, copper bob cut hair, and a timid personality. They never talked to each other except for a few occasions when she would ask for his help on a math problem.

He hummed in reply before standing up. He could feel some lingering stares, which he tried his best to ignore as he followed Miyamoto out of the room.

They stopped at the back of the school building with no one else around. Sensing the tense atmosphere, he gulped and kept his eyes on her.

"This is –" she pulled out a box of chocolate from her blazer "– for you."

This would be his first time receiving a honmei chocolate. Not even Hayami had given her one. And yet, the thing that stuck into his mind was the chocolate bits from the previous year. Although simple and ordinary, it held more significance than that.

'If they were still together now, what would she have given him?'

"I like you, Chiba-kun," Izumi continued as she blushed. "So please, go out with me!" She extended her arms further until the chocolate was beneath his chin.

["I really respect you. Let's continue to get along from here on out."]

["Let's break up."]

The words that she had said came spiraling inside his head. He felt horrible thinking about someone else when this girl in front of him had been pouring out her feelings for him. He knew that he should be turning her down, but for some reason, he could not.

["Why don't you start seeing someone else? Maybe it'll help get your mind off her."]

He bobbed his head and said after, "OK."