It's been raining since this morning.

The dark greyish cloud covered the sunlight that should be on it's prime around this time. But instead, they hid almost all the light just leaving a few faint glow throughout the area. From the way I see, this rain won't be away anytime soon.

I never liked the heat of the summer. But, I love it when it rained like this. The cold air seeping through the windows followed by splashes of raindrop. The curtains starting to get drenched so a few people nearby went and closed the windows. The classroom felt kind of warm and cool at the same time.

I settled down at my desk. Fold my arms and lie my head down till my forehead touched the cold desk surface. It's been a while since I last feel this peaceful. It's rare to be exact. With my head facing down, I carefully listened to the muffled raining sound outside the windows.

Bam!!

Someone slammed on my desk just an inch away from my arm. Then smacked my head to gain my attention. I raised my head up to answer whoever did that. But then I got a small heavy pouch thrown towards my face hit my cheek. That was hurt. I bet there were coins in the pouch.

The voices in the class got toned down and followed by whispering and murmurs. They only stood and watched. The area around me slowly cleared out from people except that one girl in front of me and her two followers. They stood proud, head up. With arms folded in front of the chest.

"Get me three sandwiches, one without egg, one without mayonnaise and one without both. Two pack of potato chips. One cup of coffee without sugar. One orange juice. One cup of milk tea, I want them immediately!!" She ordered without stopping to catch breathe that you wouldn't have any clue of what she just said without focus. Then she took a deep breath, sat on the desk in front of me and crossed her leg.

Here goes my peaceful moment

One of the girl beside her suddenly stepped forward then shoved my shoulder and caused me to stumbled back.

"Oi... didn't you hear her, Sasaki-chan said now!!”

Right.

Sasaki Sumire.

I don't know what I did to became one of her bully targets. I didn’t interact with people that much. I only talk when I needed to. So, I didn't think I would left any impressions. I am a low-key ordinary high school boy. But why am I here a target of a bully. A spoilt girl to be precise. She had powerful family background with a lot of cash. She is so arrogant and proud that she actually went around bullying and ordering people, thinking all mighty about herself.

Despite her rotten personality, she got a pretty cute smug face. With her sharp almond shaped grey eyes, Sasaki glared at me. Tapping her finger on her folded arm waiting for me to react. I stared back at her, not because I am angry. I am just confused. I mean... why me?

Corner of her mouth went down. Brows laying low and close. She squinted her eyes and looked furious. She looked like about to explode.

“Did you forget what I just said? I AM not repeating!” She spoke as I kept silent.

Okay... before she started rampaging

I stood up from my chair, picked up the pouch she just threw me. That’s when Sasaki and her two followers started grinning proudly. I don’t want any more trouble. It was so awkward to be treated like that in my own classroom. I might as well as just went out. Escape the heavy stare all students gave me in the class.

I walked toward the door, right before I was out of the class, I caught a glimpse of Sasaki's sharp but confused glare following me. She didn’t look too amused.

As I walked through the hallway, I could feel people’s gaze upon me. People always looked at me, somehow quite intensely. Some would just stare at me with mouth half open, especially when I looked straight back at them too. Some girls and even guys would blushes toward me. Some other people came to me upfront just to say things like “You’re so beautiful!” or “How can you be so pale?”.

There were extremely annoying people who would mistaken me as a girl. Is it my hair? I never really care much about my appearance that I would keep the length in check. I noticed that they went passed my ear already. I have a normal jet black hair like most Japanese got. I am not that different from the average.

That’s what I convinced myself.

I bought the list of things that Sasaki ordered. Put them on a tray and brought them out from the canteen. The canteen lady always say, “Good... good... eat more so you can grow taller boy!” and overjoyed at how many food I bought. Well, I was indeed a bit shorter than average but I believe I still have spaces left to grow on.

I moved back toward the classroom through the same hallway. That has been a routine for me, a daily task given by Sasaki. I knew that she was being mean to me. But, instead of getting all intimidated. I felt nothing. I didn’t fear of her. She looked like a moody Chihuahua to me. As long as she didn't cause commotion that would make people around me feel uncomfortable, that was fine.

I had a peaceful first and second year. It was all started during this third year of high school when she attended here as a first year student. If I was not mistaken, it happened exactly after some polls held within the students and I seemed to ranked the first of something I don’t really asked about.

All I remembered was that I received a flower bouquet as a reward. Weird. That was when Sasaki noticed me from all the way back of her class. She walked into my class furiously. Then she pulled my neck collar closing our distances to mere few inches by her face. She locked her eyes toward me and not blinking, scanning every nook and cranny of my face.

I was just as confused as I am now. I couldn’t think of a reason why would she be so mad. That happened right after the bouquet I received. I called it the bouquet of the beginning.

“What took you so long!!” Sasaki yelled as she saw me with her usual high-pitched voice.

Well, I was moving carefully not to spill the drinks, especially when I had to climb up stairs all the way from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor.

They were waiting in their class.

My class is at the 2nd floor. She came down deliberately just to order me to do this and that. She even gave me money to buy their food. Weird bunch. Well that’s true she would have to give me the money to run her errands but wasn’t that what a bully won’t normally do?

I placed the tray right on her desk. Her followers chuckled a bit and one of them even shoved my back.

“Good boy!” as she patted my head so roughly that my head bowed down from the impact.

Her classmates stared at me for how I was treated. It was not like I couldn’t fight back. As a man, I should be more powerful than those girls. But, I wasn’t really concerned about the fact at all. I don’t want to argue. I don’t want to fight with girls. They looked so frail.

“Hey you!” The girl beside Sasaki suddenly stood up and moved to the back of the classroom.

She kicked the table of a girl who looked so cloudy and dark. That girl looked so... gloomy. She got a very ominous long straight black hair and her bang kind of messy, covering one part of her eyes. She was looking straight at me.

“Who said you can stare!!” Sasaki’s follower gripped that gloomy girl’s jaw with force and rotated her chin up with her palm. Demanding an answer.

But she only gave her a cold stare.

“Tsk” The bully shoved her grip away making her lose balance and fell to the floor.

The real evils were those two girls beside Sasaki. I felt sorry for Sasaki to be part of such a circle. But never mind, seeing Sasaki grinning together with her followers made me cancel what I just thought. She was equally as bad as those girls.

Nobody dared to report this incident to the teachers. They quietly watch or continue doing whatever they were doing. I wonder why was the girl a bully target. What was the common of us both?

Apparently her name is Kisaragi Kazue.

I heard it from the nearby student, whispered about how unlucky that girl was. Kisaragi still lay low on the floor, facing down. She raised her left hand to the chest level and clenched a pendant which hung around her neck into her palm. Then, she raised her head up toward me. She looked straight at me. As if she broke through all my defence.

I was caught in her gaze. There was a weird feeling built in my chest. Looking at her gave me a strange familiar feel, as if I had known her for a long time.

Anyway, I think I should walk away amidst the commotion. I don’t know why would she stare at me. I slowly moved toward the entrance.

I have found you...

I heard a soft whispering out of nowhere as I exited the classroom. It staggered me for a second. I turned my head only to caught a glimpse of Kisaragi being cornered by Sasaki and her bullies.

I shook my head for a bit. I must had misheard it.

Then I walked away.