I wonder really what’s up with him.

I mean why is he always sitting by my side?

Does he have something against me?

Such thoughts pass through my mind while I look at him reading his book.

Isn’t everybody supposed to keep their distance from me?

Am I not a person that is cursed by the wheels?

Such person is often avoided by others, why doesn’t he do the same then?

Is it a new form of harassment?

“haa…”

I leak out a sigh while having such thoughts.

Despite such a thing being common to me, the boy doesn’t look at me with disgust neither does he abuse me with words, contrary to my expectations he only stays there quietly reading his book.

“He doesn’t know about me” such a thought never passed through my mind, not because I didn’t think of it, but because I didn’t want to think that was it.

Even such a person that is me, even I want to live a normal life, even I want to have someone I can call a friend.

While having such thoughts, the boy turns to look at me and finds me staring at him.

The boy, with white hair and red eyes, wears a class A uniform, one of the geniuses of this city, there is no way a person like him never had anything about me said to him.

The boy finally opened his mouth after I had such thoughts, and as if to mock everything I thought he says what I feared the most.

“My name is Lios, nice to meet you miss…?”

He doesn’t know me, if it was the me in the past I would be very happy, but… now that I know what happens when someone doesn’t know me, it’s just a hammer crushing my hopes down.

“You probably shouldn’t talk to me.”

I say while making the most serious face I can.

“Why?”

The boy asks me crushing my hopes even further.

“I mean, I’m an existence cursed by the wheels, everybody knows that those cursed by the wheels aren’t people you should talk to.”

And as if suddenly remembering something the boy says what hammers the final nail in the coffin that is the hope I had of making friends.

“Oh, so you’re miss Athen?”

And trying hard not to let my feelings of despair leak out I respond.

“Yes, now that you know you should stay away from me.”

I make a bit more effort to drive him away.

“Now go-go, away from me”

And the response is something I didn’t even imagine in my dreams.

“Why?”

And the boy continues as if it’s the most common thing in the world.

“I can’t cultivate anywhere else because of my cultivation technique restrictions so I plan to stay here to cultivate, if that’s okay with you.”

Oh I see, so he wants me to leave here then.

What did I think it was, there isn’t anything else that someone can take from me.

But the boy continues talking.

“Of course, I won’t drive you away as you were here longer than me, and I can’t leave you like this.”

Eh?

“Eh?”

My thoughts leak out in a stupid voice.

“I mean, with a face that says you will cry at any moment, I can’t leave a person like this alone.”

“What are you talking about?”

I try to play dumb and pretend I know nothing.

“You are pretty much crying right now.”

I quickly touch my face to see if I leaked out any tears.

But my face isn’t wet and there aren’t any tears.

I turn to look at him and see him smile, not a playful grin that others give me mockingly, neither is it a smile that is having fun seeing me sad.

But a smile that is trying to reach me in the deepest part of my heart that says comforting words, and the image in my mind and the boy in front on me say the same thing.

“”It’s okay to cry, it’s okay to be sad because from now on you won’t be alone anymore.””

And as if a dam has burst open I start to cry, and the boy in front of me hugs me to say that everything will be fine from now on.