II

Kotoko walked happily down the hallway, hugging her bag enthusiastically. She felt that with the help of Irie-kun, the exams that concluded that week would have great results, approaching her to her desired goal. She was delighted to think about sharing classes with him, and to have the opportunity to be his friend, even after allowing her to have a date with him, where he could see that she could be a good girl to call his girlfriend.

At the moment, he had fulfilled what he had promised and had been explaining it to her—she shut up the voice that repeated it was a trap—and her contact with him was limited to that. They talked about nothing but the subjects that complicated her and he explained, although that did not tarnish her happiness. She was very grateful to him and anxiously awaited those sixty minutes of Tuesday, where she could share a table with Irie-kun, and listen to his rhythmic voice, with the patience to teach perfectly the issues that were difficult for her.

It would be a shame she would not see him during the winter recess, but in January they would continue their meetings, where they were sensei and student, a recurring fantasy in the stories that her mother read in her spare time. Maybe, with luck, the two of them alone...

The sound of someone complaining made her emerge from her reverie and watched that she had reached the edge of the stairs—and would have fallen if not for that person. She saw that a thin tufted boy was halfway up the stairs and had scattered papers all around him, which he was picking up sulkily.

She hurried to help him, so that his task would be faster.

"Eh, thank you," said the boy once they finished, scratching the back of his neck.

"Don't worry, it's something that can happen. It happens to me a lot."

He smiled, watching her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, as if he was inspecting her.

"Yes, especially after those terrible tests that, thanks to Kami-sama, are finished, although I will be as bad as always."

Kotoko laughed and shrugged. She would have been similar at the beginning of the year, perhaps not so exaggerated, but she would be very frightened and bemused of the results.

"It cannot be so bad, I assure you that if you study a little more, for the next time you'll get better."

"Yes," he snorted, "you must be of the best classes."

"You're wrong, I'm from the E."

"Ah, me from F."

She supposed that, because of his fatalism, but she didn't say anything.

"I must go, you'll see that you have to work harder to study."

She continued down the stairs to the library; she wouldn't stop studying even having vacations nearby.

It would be perfect if Irie-kun were there. Only it would not be like that, he never appeared on Fridays, unless he trained.

Hopefully, if she left a few minutes earlier she would see him. Yes, yes, yes.

[...]

As if it had been some design of the gods, Valentine's Day corresponded to that year on Tuesday, so Kotoko saw herself with the best of luck and possibilities to deliver Irie-kun a chocolate, as well to the other people for whom she had purchased.

Her time and her bad skills, which would have caused her to waste ingredients, forced her to buy the chocolates for her special people, but she thought the meaning was what counted.

Irie-kun might not consider her to be his friend, rather an acquaintance, only to her he was an important person, and she wanted to give him a chocolate like she did Hitomi and Watanabe-kun, who had become a close friend to her. It wasn't one to declare herself, or to wait for him to respond to the White Day, it was only a demonstration that he mattered to her, as well as a way of thanking him for helping her, because until now he hadn't asked for anything.

Thanks to Watanabe-kun she had discovered that he was the son of the owner of a video game company, Pandai, of which she knew the names of it creations, and knew that his payment wouldn't be a monetary issue.

She wondered what kind of thing he would ask for in return, maybe he would ask her to be his slave or something, she could not be sure.

She shook her head, she was in a hurry, she could not be distracted now.

She entered the library and saw Irie-kun in the distance, already seated in the usual place, so she approached and took her place next to him, who was concentrated in a book, like other times.

"Hi, Irie-kun," she said, smiling.

He nodded, not taking his eyes off his reading, common in him. Irie-kun waited for her to extract her things to pause in what he read.

Nervously, she found herself searching inside her bag, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world, until she braced herself and took out the chocolate at the same time as her notebooks.

"Here, happy Valentine," she whispered quietly, placing the little chocolate in front of him, on the table.

He finally closed his book and looked closely at the pink wrapper of chocolate, before crossing his cold eyes with hers.

"I don't like sugary," he said with disgust.

"Oh," she whispered, wondering if it was lucky that her friend and her boyfriend did not either. "It's bitter chocolate."

Then another idea occurred to her, that his words were a kind way of rejecting what she delivered.

"I suppose you should get many chocolates today, and you won't want any more," she began to chatter in an attempt to set aside disappointment. "I also gave Hitomi-chan and Watanabe-kun, it has no other meaning," she explained. "And that's no confession on my part," she muttered to himself.

"Will you insist until I take it?" he asked, his eyebrow raised.

She shook her hands.

"No, no, you don't have to accept it."

At the same time she placed a hand on the chocolate, he did as well, and the tips of their fingers brushed, making an anthill run through her body.

She blushed.

"We're getting late," he said, setting aside the chocolate, forcing her to release it. "What corresponds to today?"

She looked away from her fingers and hurriedly opened her notebook, so as not to enter into any reverie.

She could feel happy that she accepted her chocolate, but she should not deviate from her goal. At night, she would shout in the company of her mother.

[...]

With the jubilant feeling that made her think she would reach outer space, Kotoko ran to Hitomi and Watanabe-kun, under a cherry tree in the courtyard, and threw herself into the arms of her best friend.

"I'm in Class C!"

Hitomi-chan let out a cry of excitement, for they were both aware of what that meant, spinning alongside her, of happiness, while the ignorant boyfriend watched them with a funny smile.

She felt tremendously pleased to have advanced two classes, entering seventy-seven on the board; this new course she would be in 2-C, and if she continued with her commitment, combined with much more effort, she would reach her desired goal, Class A, and it would be possible that in the third year she would share class with Irie-kun.

She was very excited.

"I'm so happy for you, Kotoko!" exclaimed her friend, parting. "Just a little more."

"Yes, how did you do it?" she asked, remembering that she had not seen the other lists looking for her.

"D."

"It's great!" she celebrated, hugging Hitomi. "Your effort and the help of Watanabe-kun have paid off."

Her pale friend nodded, her green eyes glittering.

"I congratulate you too, Aihara," her blond friend said.

"Thank you, Watanabe-kun, has Irie-kun arrived yet? I want to thank him for explaining and congratulating him on his perfect qualification."

Watanabe-kun shook his head in denial, but stopped looking behind him. "Ah, he's arriving."

She turned and saw that, indeed, he was walking with an indifferent air. Seeing him that first day, quickened her heart.

She nodded in farewell to her friends and went to meet the boy she was in love, in front of whom she stopped, cutting his steps.

"Good morning, Irie-kun," she said, with a big smile.

"Good morning," he replied plainly.

"I want to thank you for helping me get into Class C.

For a moment, his eyes widened a little more than usual, but then he recovered his calm expression, and nodded.

"Also because you got a perfect grade."

"No wonder, it's the result of having studied," he said with a shrug, before continuing to his destination.

Kotoko frowned and tried to go in his way, to ask him about that last fact, it was impossible that he would come out so well without studying.

"Aihara-san."

She had to stop and looked to her right, where a boy with black hair slicked, waited for her.

"Yes?" She said softly, confused. From the corner of her eye she saw that Irie-kun had also stopped, and watched the boy, who was becoming familiar to her.

"Aihara-san, I like you, and I wanted to know if you would accept to be my girlfriend."

She opened her mouth again and again, astonished, because no one had ever spoken to her like that, not even someone she knew, and that boy had just made a sudden request without her knowing who he was. She watched him for a few seconds, trying to remember.

"Eh..." She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."

He smiled genially and it seemed to her he swelled his chest. Looking sideways, she saw Irie-kun rolling his eyes.

"Ikezawa Kinnosuke, from Class F."

With that reference, the penny dropped and her mind came to a meeting on stairs. But she remembered him more weakly and not somehow muscular. She assumed he'd been in the gym ever since, or something.

"Ikezawa-san, I'm sorry, I'm flattered, but I don't know you, I cannot accept it." He did not know what else he could say in a situation like that.

He didn't panic but grinned. "So you'd agree to go on a date with me? To meet me."

She knew she was in love with Irie-kun but she had never given herself a chance to look at others. He looked like a nice guy. And at least she should give him the chance to be friends.

And she was curious what it was to have a date, noone had never invited her, she lost nothing. Although, she knew she could not develop feelings for him, his voice had not caused butterflies in her stomach, nor had he transcended in her mind in their first encounter, so she thought it would not make a difference in the future.

Also, wasn't it a little cruel to accept when she was aware that she was in love with someone else? The right thing would be to refuse, if his intentions were to change her feelings.

Didn't she want the same with Irie-kun?

How complicated; but she knew that she could not give Ikezawa-san false hope. And perhaps she should reconsider whether her efforts would be in vain with Irie-kun, though he had as his argument stupidity.

"I..." she hesitated.

"How quickly do you lose your goals, Aihara?" inquired Irie-kun, as if she felt her doubts.

As soon as he said it, he left, leaving her alone with Ikezawa-san, who was watching her expectantly.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but I like him and I have no interest in other guys. I hope you meet someone better for you."

Ikezawa-san let out a breath. "And could I be your friend, at least?"

"Wouldn't it be uncomfortable for you?"

"Don't worry about me, you're a great girl," he assured her, smiling broadly.

She liked him. "Then I would not mind being your friend."

"I'll introduce you to my friends, too."

[...]

Kotoko was beginning to understand why classes A, B, and C showed less interest in the High School sports festival each year, especially with the end-of-term exams being held nearby. Time for the study was wasted having to be on the court that day.

She could not deny that she wanted to find herself studying, but she also admitted that some outdoor activities would do well to decrease the stress on academic matters. A break would do them good, especially with the invigorating mood of the last three classes, who were most enthusiastic about the plans for that day.

Groups D, E and F had better social and sports skills, so they could stand out in the competitions of the festival, where they put all their strenght and always got the first positions, which weren't possible for them to reach on the boards of ratings. She wasn¿t much interested in it last year, since she was not outstanding in sports; if only by walking she could stumble.

She was content to leave unscathed in that year's participation, like the previous one. It was the single hundred-meter race; she just had to check the condition of her cords and the good condition of the land—which the teachers were in charge too— and she could do as well as she could... at least, she didn't have the expectation of her group to win.

The previous year, in the relays, she helped her group to get third place, after E and F, mainly because they insisted, and avoided joining in a different activity. By no way she would be in obstacles or acrobatics, much less in running backwards, she didn't want to think about the result of such exploits.

With the relays, the meter dash or the borrowed race, she could not be ashamed, more knowing that the eyes of the whole public would be in the race.

She watched her F friends, that seemed very determined to the cause of that day, and waved at them with one hand in the distance, when they waved their green flags in her direction.

Then they called for her participation and she took a strong breath, adjusting the orange ribbon of her head and confirming that the high bun she combed her coppery hair was still there. She saw her feet and everything was going well.

She walked to where the race began and there she turned to the audience, where her friend Hitomi gave her her thumbs up and smiled, just as the flash of a lady's camera next to her friend, who was carrying a small child fastened to her skirt, caught her.

"Did she just photograph me?"

As she knew Hitomi's mother, she was black-haired as her daughter and not light-haired, she knew that she wasn't the mother of her friend, but decided that it was not very important, she should've taken a photo of the event or someone behind, as she repeated her action in other directions, where other girls were.

The lady was the least. The adorable brown-haired little boy was the one who made her thought of someone, but she shrugged when they told her to go to the starting line.

While they were giving them the last directions, her eyes went to the place where Class A was and there she crossed eyes with Watanabe-kun, who smiled at her, next to Irie-kun, who had taken his eyes from the book in his hands, and even with a frown—expression that brought somebody else's head to it—he nodded at her.

It felt like a kind of support, which made her struggle with everything she had to get an excellent result.

It was no surprise that she was rewarded with first place.

[...]

Kinnosuke-kun's laughter made her laugh at the silly content, and then her F friends, Satomi-chan and Jinko-chan, laughed with her, amused by their companion's unreasonable comment.

She liked them; perhaps they didn't excel in their qualifications, but they had good qualities, which made them special. Especially those two, who did not care much for their notes, although they had enough ingenuity, only they did not use it for the school.

Kotoko was not the one to judge, since she had her reasons for wanting to work so hard, that they did not just refer to Irie-kun, but to her mother, to make her feel proud, as well as to have better opportunities for the future. That explained why in midsummer, without going to regular classes, like her friends, she was at high school looking for books in the school library, when she could be resting at home.

The bell rang and the others stopped their laughter, looking at her in alarm, as lunch was over. She had been told to accompany her to the library, after finding her in the courtyard, but that prevented them from fulfilling it.

"Go, don't call for problems."

Her two friends said good-bye and ran down the hall to the classroom, while Kinnosuke-kun stood a little behind, in front of her.

"I admire you, Kotoko-chan," he said before hurrying away.

She imagined that someone from F would think that of her for advancing classes and shrugged. She continued her way humming a song that her neighbor listened to a lot, it seemed sticky to her, in spite of being of love.

"You should not be friends with Ikezawa."

She jumped and put a hand to her heart, before turning, altered.

Irie-kun was leaning against the corridor wall, drinking from a bottle of water. He wore a sports uniform, and she remembered that there was club training on vacation. He must have been at rest, or he would be finished.

"Irie-kun, I said you don't scare me like that!" she demanded, her lips curling at the end.

He curled his mouth mockingly.

"You should be more attentive," he argued, before bringing the mouthpiece of the bottle to his lips, momentarily attracting her eyes to them.

Don't loose focus.

With that he said he was right, but Irie-kun was much smarter than she and could easily outgrow. "You will make my heart go out of my chest," she stated, and blushed for the double meaning, beyond the stupid that it sounded.

"Don't overdo it," he snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Even so, next time don't show up so suddenly," she mumbled, biting her lip. "Why?" she asked, remembering the initial situation.

"He does not suit you, he's part of Class F," Irie-kun said, wrinkling his nose.

"Is it because you consider it stupid just to belong to the F? Don't be snob."

"That is your opinion," Irie-kun refuted.

"What else would I think if you behaved like an arrogant man for being the best in school?" she argued, between disappointed and confused. "You don't have to catalog people for the class they belong to, and you don't have to decide who I'm with or not, you're rude, and..."

She opened her eyes as a fleeting stream of electricity ran through her, his lips on hers, inert before he parted from her.

Her heart thundered with immense rapidity.

Had he just kissed her? What did that mean? Did he like her?

He stuck out his tongue. "You deserve it. Do not say things that are not again."

She frowned. "Why did you do that?"

Irie-kun snorted. "Don't get your hopes up, it was the best way to shut you up, and you should not join Ikezawa and company, they'll make it harder for you to reach your goal."

With that, he left, leaving her feeling overwhelmed and not fully understanding what was happening there, although she was stunned because she had just received her first kiss, not as she would have expected, but from whom she wanted.

She was equally confused and disappointed. He didn't like her, but still encouraged her to continue her goal of being in his class? Did he kiss her and tell her that she could not get together with certain people, refusing to catalog people? Did he give her a kiss and act like nothing happened?

That was confusing.

Who understood that genius? She did not.

IQ of 200. Not even in her dreams she would really understand him.

What was clear was that the F was not an impediment to do well, and she would not end their friendship. They didn't encourage her not to study. And everything depended on her efforts, so she should not sacrifice her contact with others, less when she had an incentive with what had just happened.

If with only one contact she felt that reaction, she didn't want to imagine what would cause a real kiss. Or more.

She put her fingers to her lips and her cheeks heated too.

Her first kiss. And Irie-kun had given it to her.

She shook her head, she had something to focus on. With excitement through the skies, she ran to the library, more than determined to be an A student.

[...]

With a groan of frustration, Kotoko re-read the poster outside the library, which reported the closure of the library due to major causes from Tuesday to Friday, which meant that her study session with Irie-kun would be deferred until next week.

It was terrible, she would have to forget receiving a class from him that day, because she had noticed that when it was an exam week and the library was more crowded, he was not very comfortable, and going to the public site, which would have more affluence, would be tedious for him.

So good that she had started that week getting the mid-second trimester results, and now that bad news was before her eyes.

"What will be the cause of force majeure?" she wondered aloud.

"If they wished it were of our knowledge, they would have clearly announced it, Aihara."

Surprised, she turned to face Irie-kun, who was reading over her head, very close to her, quickening her heart, though not by fright, this time she had felt his presence, somehow.

He must have noticed that she was not startled, because he smiled sideways, looking at her from his height.

She felt small next to him, her eyes fixed on him, but she refused to look away, even without speaking. After the kiss a little more than two months ago, it had taken a few weeks to look at his face. It was of benefit, however, because now she dared to see him at his face infinitely, trapped in his mysterious and captivating eyes.

Irie-kun turned and walked toward the exit of the building.

"I doubt the library near here is empty," he said, placing his bag over his shoulder.

Not wanting to get away from him yet, on a Tuesday she considered of the two, she dared to make a suggestion:

"Would you mind going to my house? It's a long way off, and the metro line that goes by is slow to get here, but it's a quiet place," she offered, hopeful that he would respond in the affirmative.

"It is not necessary."

She deflated and nodded, lowering her head. Of course he would not want to go home, even more with those first references. For Irie-kun it must have been a relief not to have to deal with her that day.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, forcing her to raise her head.

He was at the end of the hall, and he was frowning at her.

"What?"

"Come on, we'll be able to sit down at some school bench. School will remain open until the clubs are finished."

Kotoko blinked in disbelief, because that meant he would give his time despite not being in the library. Could he be kinder?

She ran as far as Irie-ku, her heart racing. "It's not necessary, we can leave it for next week," she said, though she would be discouraged if he answered negatively.

"We're already here, Aihara."

She nodded to him, who waited for her to walk beside him, not behind, feeling that she could explode just for it.

"I thought you'd take advantage of it to go home," she ventured, and he laughed lightly, as if something amused him, which he hoped was not her.

She did not care, as long as she listened to it again. It was a pleasant sound in her ear, so much so that she would be glad to have it constantly.

The third year was near, she had to remember.

"It's not always nice to be home," he remarked, astounding her to make conversation, but she was not going to miss it. It was a step closer to Irie-kun.

"Problems?" she whispered, self-conscious about the subject.

"My mother."

Kotoko frowned... and he let out a short laugh again.

She was infinitely grateful for the problem in the library, whatever it was. The silence of that place prevented her from conversing with him, an opportunity that presented herself perfectly in that section to the schoolyard.

"I don't know what to say," she said, nervous to be wrong with her words.

"It's melodramatic," Irie-kun answered, shrugging. "Nothing that could dismay you."

"Ah, that's good, I suppose all mothers can be sometimes."

"Yes, sometimes," he mumbled, with some irony.

She did not want to insist and wondered what kind of woman his mother was, especially for those last words. She imagined Irie-kun's mother to be someone who was devoted and affectionate, distinguished, very clever, and extremely proud to have such an intelligent son. Although also a little exaggerated in her love, which could be complicated for someone serious as was her son.

"Do you have brothers?" she asked, because Watanabe-kun had not said anything about it.

He nodded. "One, seven years old."

"I always wanted to have siblings, but dad died and mom did not remarry, so we're both alone... thinking now, it would have been complicated to take care of more children, so it's okay to be only two. Sometimes she's like she's a sister to me... I don't know what I would do if she was not." She stopped with one hand to her mouth. "Sorry, you will not want to hear about me."

"Do not worry... I'm sorry about your father."

She sighed. "I was little, so I hardly remember him. I guess I've never known what it's like to have one, but I love him because of what my mother told me. It gives me sadness the day of his death and the anniversaries in which mom looks at his photography, although you get used to it, Don't feel bad, it's something I've accepted. "

She noticed that Irie-kun had stopped and looked at her, but he shook his head and continued to her side. By custom, she did not ask what it was; sometimes it caused initial discomfort to know that her parent had died.

"I thought of something else," Irie-kun muttered, making him pay attention to him. "Not what you said."

She blushed for being so transparent and nodded. "Oh, okay, there's a bench over there," she said, pointing to one under a tree with fallen leaves.

Irie-kun nodded, walking silently beside her, in a way that made her feel really comfortable, as if somehow, closer to him than before.

They sat down and she started to take out her Physics notebook.

"Aihara." She raised her head, looking at Irie-kun, waiting for him to speak.

He sighed and denied.

"Nothing, it's over."

She shrugged, directing her mind to study mode, not to get distracted with him next to her, and decided to forget that strangeness of his, concentrating on what would lead her to her goal. First reach it, then the questions would come.

[...]

Embracing the Valentine's coffee muffin she was going to deliver to Irie-kun that Thursday, Kotoko kept looking for her love among the students, who would soon be in class, and headed to the shelter of the building, for the light snow that fell that winter day.

As she walked, she saw there were some brave lovers, that took pictures of them together with the snow-print—and the warmth they provided each other—making her envy of being reciprocated by their longed for person. She calmed herself, thinking that she might have the next year with Irie-kun.

A soft blizzard blew and she put the scarf up a little above her neck, to shelter and to avoid getting sick, as it was at the beginning of the year. She didn't need a flu in the weeks leading up to her last period of school year exams.

Finally, she found the tall boy she wanted and hurried on, so that this time he would be the first to receive what she would give him, unlike the previous year. Then she would give their muffins to the other people she cared, but Irie-kun had priority.

Kotoko clenched her teeth as she realized that he stood out from being surrounded by other female students who wanted to give him chocolates and anger made her distracted.

She let out an exclamation as she sat on the cold floor, unable to soften the blow with her hands, occupied by her bag and the muffin.

She closed her eyes in frustration, ready to rise between the slight giggles around her.

"Aihara, are you okay?"

She opened her eyes to meet Irie-kun before her, watching her from above with a raised eyebrow. She nodded, embarrassed that he witnessed her foolishness; what she needed to improve her image in his eyes.

"The floor is slippery," she mumbled, deciding that the bag would touch the dampness while his muffin—wrapped in plastic—no.

"Give me the bag," Irie-kun said, holding out his hand.

She thought she heard a gasp, to realize that it was hers.

That returned the heat to her cheeks, and yet she accepted his offer.

He picked up her bag and returned his hand, which she took as if in the middle of a dream. As in other times he had touched her, a tickle passed through her body, which she ignored so as not to make a scene in front of the school.

Easily, Irie-kun helped her to her feet and she snorted, feeling her skirt damp; the heat of the interior would have to do its wonders.

"Thank you, Irie-kun."

He nodded his head in affirmation and returned her bag. By then, she saw that the girls around him were not there anymore, and wondered when they had vanished.

Maybe it was her chance.

"I brought you this," she announced, showing the muffin. "It's with coffee flavor," she explained beforehand, her gaze fixed on his face, expressionless as almost always.

He sighed and picked up the pastry. "Thank you."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Irie-kun, until Tuesday."

"Yes," he corroborated, and watched him walk away from her presence, a smile on her face, as she had not found a reply this time.

[...]

Kotoko's heart pounded in her chest, about to escape her cage because she was unable to contain the emotion that ran through her body.

It was her first day of school in her last year, and her slow steps directed her toward the board where she could see if she had reached her goal of being in class A, with Irie-kun.

Otherwise it would be over, since the last Tuesday of the previous cycle their study sessions had come to an end, and he had actually told her that he saw no object to continue instructing her, for the last year would be a constant review for university exams, and the new subjects, according to the program, were very simple, continuations of the lessons they had already studied.

In few words, he expressed that, if she was not in his class, she shouldn't even bother to go and ask for tutoring. Either way, she would be unable to look at him if she had not fulfilled what she wanted, and she would only concentrate on doing her best that year, to enter college, now that she had more possibilities than at the beggining, for the results in high school .

She held a hand to her stomach, which now she felt scrambled, as she approached the board, where other students sought to know what class they were in that year, and if the results they had, allowed them to move forward. The notes arrived at the end of the course, but not the group location, from that they learned the first day.

She longed to be in A, and to be able to get home that day and return the strong hug her mother gave her in the morning, before going to school, wishing her the best of luck.

She had learned that not only she wanted that for Irie-kun, who had enormous weight in the matter, but to see how far she could go. It would be a pity not to achieve what she wished. She wanted to be able to say that a girl who started in Class E, had gotten into A.

Hitomi-chan and Watanabe-kun hoped she would, but Kotoko didn't share their hopes.

Irie-kun, she didn't know, too, and she would be left with the doubt if she was not in his group, as he would not speak to her again. Nor would she insist on crossing his path.

She walked to the board, where the A list was located, and began to read; it was written by ranking positions; with a perfect score, Irie-kun led it, followed by Watanabe-kun, thus advancing up to the thirty of that class.

Her heart sank and she felt tears fill her eyes, a lump in her throat.

She wasn't there.

She felt disappointed, but she could not cry in front of everyone, she would do it in some of the toilets in solitude, with all those negative feelings that flooded her after seeing that she didn't achieve that goal.

There was nothing left but to see in which class she was in, she thought, holding her hands.

As if someone made fun of her, she saw her name in the first position in the B list, with a point, a point, less than the last student of A.

That could not be happening.

Disturbed, she ran to get away from that terrible reality.

[...]

The end of the first day of class was filled with supporting words of Hitomi-chan—still in class D—and consoling words from Watanabe-kun, who still didn't know why she really hoped to reach his class.

Again, she would be the group head, because she was the first, and from then on nothing transcendental had happened that day, besides spending extra time to talk to the teacher about her responsibilities, which she already knew, but she listened anyway.

Of course, there was no news of Irie-kun, of whom she didn't bother to seek, rather avoid, out of sheer shame. She would have the consolation that he had been her first kiss and spent a year and a half in his company.

Soon, she regained her study routine, along with her work and activities at home, and normality began to become hollow in her life, with the company of her friends, the only people with whom she could cheer a little, until the idea of being in the B settled completely in her head.

There was nothing left but resignation. Being number one in her class, the thirty-first grade in school, was not a bad situation; only she had not been able to fulfill her goal... although it did manage to make her feel wonderful in the eyes of her mother, who was the best comfort for her fallen moment. If Irie-kun had not been able to see how great she was, somebody would come; Aihara Kotoko was a great young woman, the best, no one had managed to advance as much as her.

Her mother always knew how to cheer her up. She couldn't forget Irie-kun, but she had to put one foot forward and put it aside; in the end, it was his problem if he didn't like stupid people.

That she was not. And thinking it over, the one who set out to reach class A, was her; he didn't answer yes, only pushed her in that direction, reminding her.

Maybe it was not in her true love.

She sighed. She would not follow him around. It was in the past. And she had to get over it, as she thought she was doing.

She left the school building, later than usual for staying in the library to read vocational books, and then hit against a solid body, which made her complain loudly.

"I wonder how much longer you'll keep avoiding me."

She froze, recognizing Irie-kun's voice.

"I figured it must be me who have to intercepted you," he continued.

She pressed her lips together, to say nothing—with the illusion that welled up in her chest—, and then shrugged, determined to leave.

He took her by the wrist as he circled her, making the electricity feel between them, along with the feeling that the world was stirring around her.

Yes, it was deep what he caused.

"Quake," said Irie-kun, and she bit her tongue at the awkwardness she had thought, as the ground continued to flutter slightly. "It's not very strong."

She stood still as he held his grip until the telluric movement was over.

"Do not think you're going to escape."

She looked back at Irie-kun at his words, intrigued.

"Why?"

"Where was your determination to be with me?" he asked.

She sighed, lowering her shoulders.

"I didn't get to be in your class, I don't feel entitled to continue in your presence."

Irie-kun rolled his eyes and snorted. "Do not act like an idiot now, you have shown that you can continue in my presence. I like it."

"What?" she murmured, stunned.

For a second, she saw him blush.

"Let's have some ice cream," he invited, walking toward the high school exit, still holding her wrist.

The words pierced her mind like an arrow. That was, like a date?

She swallowed and struggled to free herself, catching him by surprise, as she saw it in his eyes when he turned.

"I didn't fulfill what I promised, I don't deserve an opportunity, even if I still like you," she explained in a low, embarrassed voice.

Irie-kun burst into laughter, before denying it with a hand on his head.

"You're amazing, come on," he repeated, moving forward. "Don't stay behind."

"But…"

"You never paid me to help you, you owe me," he said, watching her over his shoulder, with a glint in his eyes that looked like fun. "Being my girlfriend can be enough."

She felt her heart leap and she moved quickly to where he was. She gave him a smile, which he corresponded with an intense look.

And it was like writing a new chapter in her life.

AN: This was a little rushed.

Anyway, this story is done. As I said in the original, I didn't write some parts, cause I pretend to use them in future fics.

Hope you liked it.

With love, Karo

Guest: Thanks. :D And yeah, it's good to have them in different ways, I love to write them like that, though I do my best not to change their personalities, well, a lot.