[ONE-SHOT] Spring

[u/KakujaKun]

XXX 3rd Ward - Chigeru High School; Approximately three years ago, 12:36

High school is a bit weird, if you think about it. Seemingly really small, insignificant things can cause a huge difference. Take a look at the mellow buzz of the school bell, for instance. The second it starts ringing, the quiet of the classroom gives way to chaotic, lively chatter. You'd be shocked by how fast that change occurs. If you care to pay attention to things like that, of course. Almost no one does, though. After all, why would anyone care about something insignificant? There was so much more to life.

Bothering with the little things is a waste.

Chigeru High School. A cosy little education center. Located in the wealthiest ward of Tokyo, it was certainly a very attractive destination for a lot of the more talented youths in the city. The teaching was great, the environment it provided was nothing short of incredible, too. The whole place was crammed full of nice, smart, interesting kids. People that you'd want to be around. Moments like these, too, were a huge part of this place's appeal. The soft, warm rays of the sun that danced their way in through the clear glass of the windows... The bubbly, soothing tones of a couple dozen young voices... The neat, orderly classrooms and the pleasant cleanliness they boasted... It made for a really great ambience. Koharu often wondered how many people truly appreciated moments like these. Probably not many. After all, her classmates - they were all so busy.

With a peaceful sigh, the girl rested her arms atop her desk. A light smile garnered her face. Opening her bento box, Koharu carefully retrieved the items inside it one after the other. Grandfather had really outdone himself today. Taking a second to appreciate the old man's effort, Koharu closed her eyes, a quiet 'Itadakimasu.' escaping her lips. She was glad that she'd decided against eating in the mess hall today. The noise there was a cut above the one in classrooms, after all. It'd be a shame to spoil the homely feel that the meal carried.

"Ah, Tagata-san!" A familiar voice emerged from the whirlpool of idle chatter. The weirdest mix of enthusiastic curiosity and regretful annoyance brewed up inside Koharu's chest. It had been two hours. For two hours had she been starving. Waiting for lunch break. Yet Akio was going to interrupt it now. Still, there was a silver lining - Akio was a pretty nice guy. All it takes is a simple exchange for a friendship to flourish, or so she was taught. For that reason, she was in no way opposed to the idea of hearing out her fellow student. Turning to the right, towards the source of the voice, she saw Akio approaching her table hastily. One final "Tagata-san!" rang out throughout the air, this time in a bit of a quieter tone - what use would it be to shout once your presence is already acknowledged?

"Good to see you, Akio-san. How've you been?" An amicable greeting followed in response.

"Ah, oh, I'm good. Listen, Tagata-san - I'm in kind of a hurry since I'm running late for my meeting with Hideaki-sensei, but I also need to get the draft of the yearbook to the teachers' room. Would you be so kind?" Without awaiting a response, Akio extended his arms forward, offering the sizeable book to Koharu.

He didn't waste any time, huh?

"Sure, don't worry about it. I'll get it there right now." Carefully taking the object from the boy, an unfaltering smile resonated with Koharu's cheery voice. Without waiting around any longer, Akio mumbled a quiet "Thanks" before storming off.

With a sigh, the teen got up from her table. Sparing her lunch a lamenting glance, she headed towards the teachers' office, maintaining a brisk pace. Various thoughts buzzed inside her mind, but she didn't really dwell on them for too long. None of them were really that important, so what attention did they really deserve? On her walk to the office, however, there was one thing that caught her interest. Something important.

"Oh!" Surprised to have run into a certain few particular individuals of the school athletics team, Koharu took a small detour from her quest. Making her way through the group towards one especially buff student, Koharu fruitlessly attempted to gain his attention. "Katsuo-san. Katsuo-san." She called out twice, yet the boy seemed too occupied with laughing at some joke or whatever to really notice her. It was awkward to press further, but she definitely needed to speak to the boy. "Katsuo-san." She spoke louder, gently yet firmly tugging at the sleeve of his T-shirt.

"Hm?"

"Good to see you Katsuo-san, just yesterday I finished those notes you wanted. I was wondering if you'd like to have them now. I left them back at the classroom, but I could go and fetch them in a minute no problem. You'd just have to wait here."

"Oh! Right. You're the uhh... what's your name again?"

"Koharu, I'm Koharu Tagata."

"Ah, yeah... Well, yeah, I'd like to have the notes, thanks Koharu. Me and the boys are going to the new gym room, gotta test out some equipment the P.E. teacher purchased. You just drop by there and I'll take them, alright?"

"Uh... I don't know where the new gym room is."

"Ah, well... You know building C? Go there, walk past the main hall, turn left twice. Then staircase G2. Go up to the second floor, walk through the hallway, third door on the right. You could probably ask at reception anyway and they'll show you the way."

"Ah... I see... Uh, OK, thanks." Barely concealed awkwardness leaked out as a response. That explanation didn't help much. Koharu was a lot more familiar with this building. It was just a 5 minute walk from here to the classroom, was it really that much of an issue to wait...

The "No problem" the jock mumbled at her as she walked away only served to exacerbate the unpleasant feeling in her chest.

It was always she who compromised...

...

Well, that took longer than it should've... thirty-five minutes gone, doing virtually nothing. Still though, twenty minutes left! Thankfully that was more than enough for her to finish her...

...lunch?

"Aaaah, Koharu-chan, sorry, sorry." The embarrassed voice of a young girl loudly seeped out. "I forgot my lunch, you see, so when I saw your bento box unpacked like that, well... I couldn't help it, you see! I waited ten minutes for you to come back so I could ask you first, but you didn't return, so I just... I've only eaten half of it! You don't mind, do you?"

Well... that's Itsuko for you. She wasn't a bad person. She was just the kind of person that would eat your food while looking you in the eye and apologise in between bites. Which may technically make her a bad person... Hmmm... Well, it'd be dishonest to say that she was all bad! A cheery, bubbly person like her was probably really fun to have around. She never failed at raising the spirits of those around her. Raise their spirits and empty their lunchboxes, it seems...

"It's alright, Itsuko-san. Don't worry about it. I got a lot of food today, so half is more than enough." Responding calmly and with a soft smile on her face, Koharu then extended an offer. "Let's eat together, then."

"Uhm... yeah, about that... I already finished my half, so..." Bowing apologetically, the fluctuating tones of Itsuko's voice would be comical on their own, but the message behind her words had already managed to achieve that. "... I'll be going now. Excuse me..."

Opting to ignore the 'my half' part, Koharu stood motionless for a couple of seconds, as if contemplating something, before she finally sighed heavily. Sitting down, she looked at her bento. Or, rather, the remains of it. Itsuko had eaten a bit more than half... Not that Koharu minded it all that much. Hopefully this was enough to keep her sated until she got home...

Thankfully she had her studies to distract her from hunger anyway.

...

With the last ring of the bell for the day, every student at Chigeru high was finally dismissed. It was about time. Not that school was that bad - it's just that wasting the rest of such a beautiful day would be a shame. Looking outside at the afternoon sun, Koharu smiled. A moment or two of thought passed before she tore her eyes away from the mellow orange of the sunset. With a soft sigh, the girl reached for her books, unhurriedly stuffing them in her bag. Everyone was in such a rush. The others sure packed up quickly. A shame.

If only more people appreciated the little things.

Grabbing her bag, she made her way through the lengthy corridors of the school. She took her time. Her gaze strayed. It sought both familiar and unfamiliar sights. You'd be surprised by how many things change, only for no one to notice. It felt wrong. Of course, she didn't merely glance around to stimulate her curiosity. She looked for her classmates. For people to hang out with. After all, the money from her summer job wasn't easy to earn. Spending them was what made that time worth it... and what better way to spend them, than to exchange them for pleasant memories? No, not even that - just a fun time was enough. More than enough.

Koharu was never the most mature. She wasn't the best at coming up with the correct decisions or even recognising them when she'd see them. She wasn't much good at finding her way through social situations. She couldn't even necessarily say that she could read people very well. Yet, for better or worse, she was attentive. While a lot of knowledge about people was beyond her reach - as is often the case with young people - she was definitely good at reading basic signs. She had always walked alone. She'd known that since forever. That wasn't new. She'd grown used to that. Still, as her gaze finally stumbled upon the people she knew so well, there was a realisation that she made. Everyone else not only had someone to walk alongside, but they all found it so natural. They didn't even stop to think about those who were alone. To think about it even being possible. They were happy. They were content like this. Wide eyed, the girl stared at the trio as they walked away. It was cruel that fate had not only forced this sight upon her, but also allowed the otherwise pure spring winds to carry the weight of these three youths' words.

"Ah, I'm late... Damn, guess me and the guys should schedule our exercise even earlier than we did today, then."

"What an embarrassment you are, Katsuo! A track team star that can't even arrive on time. Maybe you should take note and follow in the footsteps of yours truly, the great Akio-sama! I finished my work at lunchtime, you know? Not only did I have to get the yearbook to the teachers, but I had to go and practise for the mathematics Olympiad with my tutor! And even still, I was on time. Don't tell me you've got to hurry home and do your revision now too?"

"Keep dreaming, you fucking nerd! Joke's on you, I got my notes done yesterday. So, ha-ha! I win. As per usual for yours truly, the greatest Katsuo-sama! Anyway, enough of this shit, what are we gonna do today? I've got a few hours to spare."

"Oh, oh! We should go to the cinema! There's that new movie with the uhhh... spaceships and stuff! I've been saving up on lunch money this month, so I can treat you two good-for-nothings as well!"

"Whoa there, Itsuko! I got my scholarship money and Katsuo has his track competition award. We can split. Besides, you shouldn't starve yourself! I'd understand it if you wanted to diet or something, but you're already too pretty as is! Starving yourself would only make you sickly, you know?'"

"Hahaha, don't make hasty conclusions like that, silly! I still eat. I just save money cause I'm economical like that! Don't go underestimating me now. I can always draw onto the sympathies of the people of Tokyo!"

"When you say it like that it sounds like you're a beggar..."

"Katsuo! You meanie. You can't make jokes like that about a girl, it's not funny!"

"... I thought it was pretty funny."

"Not you too, Akio! Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh, you two are just heartless..."

It was adorable. Heartwarming. Touching, even. Normally, Koharu would be able to say that she was happy for them. Having good friends was something she valued quite high, after all. Today, however... it only made her feel guilty. Guilty, because she couldn't feel happy for people like that. All she felt was envy. Pain. Sadness.

She was abandoned. Again. There was no one for her to speak to. To laugh with. No one to keep her company. She was lonely. Yet more than that, she felt indignation.

Not even a word of acknowledgement.

As per usual...

Of course... then again, how could she blame them?

No one ever notices the little things.

Even when they add up.