[A side character’s morning jog]

The next day, I woke up earlier than usual. I remembered my ignorance yesterday talking with the two beauties beside me. It was too embarrassing I just wanted to get my mind off the topic so I decided to go for a jog before going to school. I went downstairs as my mom greeted me with a bubbly “good morning Hitokun~ “. My mom’s something you could call a [Forever 19 lady]. She has good genetics I guess. She’s also a single mom as my dad went to go buy milk when I was 5 months old and well I’m still waiting for the milk to this day. She’s also the only one who supported me when I decided to not go to school due to various reasons. It’s some sort of trauma I had at the end of my first term in middle school but I’d rather not talk about it even if I’m just doing my daily monologue.

“Maaaa! I’m going to head out for a bit, I’m probably back at around an hour” is what I said before heading out as I hear a faint…

“Take care~ “

I ran and ran and ran and I found myself in the middle of an unfamiliar street. I was walking when I suddenly heard a loud crash in the distance. It came from an alleyway and well I saw a fallen down girl in white clothes and a guy helping her up. And well, I thought “That’s another romance in the making that’s for sure. Imagine having that and then there’s me, someone who’s absolutely lost in life right now. I should at least bless this wonderful and joyous miracle of a coincidence I guess, I wish you luck in obtaining your happy ending.” And then I continued my jog and then I remembered “I’M LOST!” I laughed my situation out and tried to trace back where I came from when I suddenly heard a voice calling me.

“--aashi Hitoka-kun? Ataashi-kun?? Hitoka-kun!!!”

I didn’t notice someone was calling me up until it was right behind me and when I peeked at who it was, it just shook me like getting electrocuted by a lightning bolt and then getting hit by a massive truck running 60mph. It was…

“S- Sae!?- I- Ichiban Saena!!?, W- What are you doing here?”

I screamed, a little bit on the outside and a whole lot in the inside. I was just screaming and freaking out on what just happened. Where exactly am I? Why and How is Saena here? Why did she talk to me even though she completely ignored me just yesterday? Just a lot of questions. My mind was shutting down. I wanted to teleport out of there but I couldn’t. The sight before me made me speechless. A cute yet still has that coldish aura but now more on the 1mellower side looking up to me so innocently as she tucked in her hair that fell down into her ear. “Oh my god you’re too cute, too cute, my heart, m- my virgin heart!” As I was thinking up all this thoughts which basically took about 0.1 second. She spoke.

“I live around here! I was doing my daily jog when I saw you!”

“Oh my god, I’m too lovestruck. She was only speaking but everything she’s doing is just too cute!!! Is that her natural voice? She’s too 2moe!!! Ahhh!!!” My thoughts is all over the place. It’s getting creepy and I’m aware of that. I’d rather not say this out loud or I’m dead! Just dead!!!

“U- uhmmm… Thanks?”

She spoke? Did I say something? She’s blushing? why is she blushing!… and then I realized. I was mumbling them. My thoughts went out. I say I was mumbling them but it was enough to be heard clearly. Oh my god, Holy sh- Oh my god, Holy shi- Oh my god HOLY SHI- . I just realized how grave the situation is. Even I’m too creeped out on what I said, my heart is just pumping out way too hard, it’s hard enough it might even go out my chest right now. I just wanted to 3disintegrate and just be one with the wind. My mind is breaking as I flesh out excuses or just something to escape this situation. I was malfunctioning and then my brain just completely shut down.

.

.

“Will u remember? Hitoka—"

.

The next thing I knew, I felt something at the back of my head. Something soft and comfy as I felt a soft delicate hand stroking my head. I wanted to just open my eyes but I also wanted to stay like this just a little bit longer. I was finally able to breathe. I was able to just breathe. A breather… that’s what I lacked this days, my mind was just free from the worries of this world. I could finally think…

“Good morning~ “

A faint soft voice awoke me from reality and when I opened my eyes. The face of a pristine goddess smiling down upon me was just blasted right in front of my face. I just wanted to shout so hard at this point in time. I really couldn’t take it anymore. Then a couple of minutes just staring at her and being at peace… I realized my situation. A lap pillow. Right now, right then and there, I was resting my head on the lap of someone that’s just way too beyond my level. Someone even gods would fall for. I could feel my face burning up. I slowly lifted my self up from the forbidden lap pillow. Fixed myself and sat properly beside her. It was pure silence, I needed to speak, I have to speak something or just anything and well I was about to open my mouth when-

“Well Ataashi Hitoka-kun, see you at school~ ”

I was dumbfounded, everything happened way too fast. I could only wonder just how and why and what just happened as she walked away. I really am just speechless. I was just starring at nothing right in front of me in that one bench as I process and organize my thoughts. A moment of peace and silence, and then I’m right back to my hell. A world of darkness and indecisiveness. I got back up and started to walk. I started recognizing the streets and buildings and as I walk further “Ah… My middle school…” I didn’t recognize it earlier but I was in my middle school. A place I wanted to forget. The mold I can’t get rid off in my life. I was high up, like really high up just a few minutes ago and then I get slapped in my face about the reality of my life. A messy and cruel life that’s made up of just mistakes and failures built up over the years. I knew I was overcomplicating things. I’m not even an adult yet and I’m thinking of complicated stuff but I really felt that I was deep down in the ground. Just stacks and stacks of things, burdens, worries in the span of a short period of time. Before my overthinking got the better of me. I checked my watch.

“7:30?”

I woke up at around 5 am and told my mom I’d be back in an hour and it’s been 2 hours and a half. What’s worse is that my class starts in 30 minutes! I ran and because I remembered the way to our house from my middle school, I got there in less than 10min. My mom was worried on where I went and I just told her I got lost. I quickly took a bath and got a piece of bread and headed off with my mom saying the usual “take care~ “.

I was running, I never really missed any of my class and I rarely go to school late but due to being side tracked earlier, my perfect record is at risk! I looked around me when I saw a bunch of people also running late for class. A male and female even bumped together so hard they both got angry at each other. I just saw a stereotypical boy bumps girl scene right there and then which got me at least less focused on my overthinking.

I arrived at my school in the nick of time before the guard closed the gate and as I was walking to my class, I remembered the things that happened just earlier, the lap pillow. I became more scared and nervous than ever because unfortunately I can’t even remove her out of my mind when she’s just sitting right beside me. I reached my classroom, I could hear the chattering of my classmates, I opened it and the class became silent. It was so awkward just being stared at by the entire class as you quickly go to your sit. To make matters worse, Saena was there. I just wanted to go dig a hole and put my head into it but eventually I calmed down. I looked over to Saena’s sit and saw her generic look. An ice cold unapproachable flower. “Was all that earlier just a dream?” I saw a completely different side of Saena just a few hours ago which makes me wonder if all that was an illusion made by my own mind.

Then…