*Swaaaaa*

The door to the stall he'd been lodging in opened up easily as Amatsuyu pushed against it, displaying his cocky smile to the rest of the bathroom.

If they had the ability, the bathroom would probably want to exchange some words with him judging from his facial expression, but alas, that was impossible so his way out was completely open. There was no fee for his passage, but it was only the road that would prove itself to free.

His planned actions would most definitely have a consequence to them, Amatsuyu's puzzle pieces built-up tensions within. Like they were about to eject out of their casing due to the friction.

Walking through the space where the doors to the bathroom laid, Amatsuyu felt horrible.

It was a sensation he'd never felt before, mostly because of the situation he'd put himself in was one he'd never been before in.

It felt like his head was splitting apart, pain that ran through his head constantly. It felt unbearable, his knee hit the floor as he tried to cope with it the best he could. In the shadow that the detour took, Amatsuyu suddenly saw the person he least expected enter his vision.

Kaharu Kahari half-limped himself forward as he walked, fully focused on making it to his destination. There was an annoyance felt by Amatsuyu as he saw his enemy walking perfectly fine, while he was forced to rest on his knee for the time being. Like his position was so much better than his, like he thought he was superior to him, his mind started racing

- Let's wipe him off of this world immediately!

Wait, Amatsuyu, calm down. It would be rash to rush at him right now.

Be quiet, this pest has tested our patience enough. There is no need to be benevolent to a resistor like this. He shall taste our just wrath.

Yeah, Kaharu thinks he's superior. I can't let that slide.

Our attack can be countered if we attack now, we still don't know what powers he has. We can take it easy, we have time to properly find out, the upper hand is ours! -

His mind kept going in different directions, although he found stability in the conviction of his usual self. It was two against one, and as the legislative powers of the world would usually decide on things, a majority made things happen.

Kaharu had proceeded a considerable distance from that bathroom at that point, so Amatsuyu rose from his kneeled-down position with a conviction.

There was only one goal in mind for him at that moment, and his body obeyed that goal.

But the distraction he usually faced came at him once again, the only constant struggle he had to face even during his changed status.

He wanted to get rid of both his own feelings, but also of the cause. But he could never, she was forever encased in his mind with a special casing around it.

His three-puzzle pieces had no power over it, even though they were in unilateral agreement over what should've been done.

Like an untouchable Consitution, their legislative assembly had no power to obstruct it.

The face, and body, of Chiriko Akisha had appeared in front of him.

That puzzled, complicated feeling he got as he looked up to her had always been there, a constant throughout his ever-changing life, but even then a catalyst for that change.

- Chiri--- -

…

~ ?????????, the ?????????? of May, Year ????, 15:21 ~

The day had worn on the boy heavily.

Everything around him, as he walked with large steps, seemed to mock him with its bright, colorful looks. The wind that cheerfully blew past him, the bright-green leaves that shook in tremor, the older high school students enjoying themselves with their partners.

He was the one who stood out in that environment, but as a part of his everyday his thoughts didn't wonder about it too much. When every day provided you with envy and gloom, there wasn't much to think about.

Only wishing.

Buying an orange-flavored popsicle from the usual vendor, Amatsuyu Kougaku, a middle-schooler at Ikugi Middle school, sat down by the road leading to his school. As he observed idle people walk by, all with different appearances, facial expressions, and moods, his mind wandered to questions about those people.

Were they strong?

Were they wealthy?

Were they happy?

Amatsuyu had no way of getting an answer, but his mind formed answers out of prejudice and speculation. His slightly higher position, as he sat on a short wall of rock, satisfied him.

A young Amatsuyu suddenly walked by the road, taking smaller steps, staring directly towards the ground. An illusion, to be sure. But the memories were real, the first day of Middle school would be hard for Amatsuyu to ever get out of his head.

His nervosity chewing at his heart as he proceeded to his new school with a faint smile.

His optimism as he entered the schoolyard and saw peers all around him.

His quiet, anxious-filled steps into the classroom he'd be attending.

His almost instantaneous rejection because of his perceived obnoxiousness.

His attempt at trying to mimic his parents' demeanor had failed, and as a result, he was quickly isolated in class. One day, and one action, was enough to seal his fate in that weirdly combative environment.

But aside from his sudden situation, there was something else his heart quickly grew distressed for. That was the sight of Chiriko Akisha, a classmate, instantly stole his attention. A blooming, previously unknown, feeling of warmth sprung up within his heart, as he sat confused about his new state. He was almost scared as the feeling was so foreign that he thought something had gone awry with his heart, beating as fast as it did.

Chiriko was like a stunning flower, protected by walls and walls of because of its sought-after qualities, to Amatsuyu. With his status in the classroom sealed, and Chiriko soaring at the top, there was no road between them. There was no way for Amatsuyu to confront his feelings about it, nor was there place for him to explore them.

They had to be stuck inside, like everything else. His circle of friends remained non-existent.

Throwing away a popsicle stick with "LOSS" written, Amatsuyu proceeded to walk the opposite way of his younger counterpart. The bump in his back-pocket had bothered him, so he had rushed eating the ice cream. The remaining journey home was filled with the same context the first part was. Everything around him was perceived by him to be cheery and colorful.

The same could be said for the entrance to his home, a small veranda with a large, luxurious door-frame to mark the entrance to an established and successful family. That's the image that was provided as one walked past it, and the truth was partly that.

Amatsuyu stepped inside the quite luxurious house, marble floors, and large lamps that stuck out from the high-reaching walls.

Despite having so much space, it was relatively empty, and barely lit as all of the lights weren't on.

Shoes thrown to a rack in the hallway, Amatsuyu started walking towards his room as he stumbled upon his parents, making a mess as they tried to hurry towards the door Amatsuyu just entered from.

"Ah, Amatsuyu, you're home! There is food out on the table, I and your father need to hurry to a shoot right now."

*SHUT*

Without even being able to say anything back, like an "I'm home", the door quickly shut behind him as he nodded to himself slowly. It was frequent, so he didn't worry about it too much, but there was an emptiness mirrored in the house felt in his heart.

Walking by a magazine where they featured, Amatsuyu took a silent look at it as he subconsciously compared himself to the figures of his parents on the paper.

Was he truly their son?

Someone like him, who was supposed to have inherited the DNA from the two very naturally attractive people, didn't feel like he fit in in that household.

He was average, although his inner thoughts told him differently.

Eating dinner by a large, empty dinner table, Amatsuyu sped up his eating. Partly because it felt uncomfortable to sit there in the scary silence, but also as a show he frequently watched would soon air and it was bad manners to eat by the TV, as he'd been told by his parents. He brought up the bulky object in his back-pocket as it'd annoyed him once again, although he was reluctant to face it again. The piece of paper he brought up to the table almost felt like an artifact filled with the undesirable emotions of that day.

"I guess I gotta write a new one now…

It's got the wrong date at this point..."

The pink-colored letter was thrown into a drawer of other pink-colored letters with poorly drawn hearts on their fronts after he was finished with dinner, and his body was quickly drawn to the TV as his favorite series started, his eyes quickly sparkling with joy like stars on a clear night.

The TV was his sun, his attention being completely dedicated to it as it continued to play, revolving around it.

But even the sun dies out at some point, and as the credits rolled down the screen, a silence was again permeating the room. But it would soon change as his star-like energy and attitude soon blossomed into a sun of its own, suddenly screaming out

"SaikyouMan is so cool! He defeated Akuro the sea monster all by himself, he's so brave!"

Whilst dancing around in his living room, a sudden strike of reality hit him.

What if he, like SaikyouMan, just summoned up some courage to deliver his love-letter?

Again, his heart started beating, but it stood strong in its resolution as well. It'd been a long time since he first started middle school, and it was time for him to finally own up to his own feelings. Although he'd felt like that for a while, never dared to follow through with his inner feelings and resolve existed for him. He was in a motivational state after seeing SaikyouMan display such courage on the screen, dragging Akuro away from where it would be dangerous for people and destroy him. If he could do so much, what stopped Amatsuyu from even trying?

It wasn't like he had anything else at school, the only thing he held close to him were the feelings for Chiriko. Although they were obscure to him at first, as time passed and she was visible to him every day, his feelings grew clearer and clearer. Organizing his thoughts, Amatsuyu thought as he sat on the plastic-clad sofa

- I don't have anything to lose anyway, let's do this!

I heard earlier in school that Chiriko was going with her friends to that Karaoke place by the Korean diner, I'll see if I can see her there…! -

With that, he made the house even emptier as it suddenly had no lights on at all to light up its large, unused surface area.

Running through the streets with an enthusiastic smile, people looked at him strangely. A reminder of youth was delivered to the older folks wandering the city, although Amatsuyu seemed a little too young to already have his spring delivered.

Amatsuyu didn't care about that, for a second as he ran, he had nothing except his goal in mind. The constant self-belittling, comparing, disappointment and angst that filled his usual thoughts were replaced by a romantic mindset as he ran past the vendor he bought his usual ice-cream at, and turned a sharp corner like his mind, concentrated.

Standing slightly to the side of the Karaoke building, he quickly scanned his surrounding environment to see if he found Chiriko anywhere.

*THUMP*

The pink-colored letter with a poorly-drawn heart on its cover, signaling an honest attempt at romance, dropped to the dry and cold patch of grass directly beneath him.

That dryness would soon see a temporary solution as like a single drop from a water-can handled by a content gardener, a single, salty tear from a chaotic individual dropped to it.

But that temporary solution would prove to be futile as the spot was quickly trampled by a confused, angry ten-year-old.

The sight he saw proved to be too much.

,,,