"It's at um... five o' clock, so you have a little bit of time to get ready before you come..."
Fall was coming to a close. Leaves and their blooming flowers had already wilted, slowly turning the season. Snow would be around the corner soon. My eyes looked through the school hall's window.
"You can even come late if you want, don't worry..."
They say that most emotion is shown on the right side of the face. But most times I'm told I don't have much expression on either. I'm just this blank sheet with nothing really special to say. Typical, especially because I don't find many of the things this world offers as particularly interesting. Religion. Politics. School. The need for constant social interaction. Things that a vast majority of the population find essential to living.
The girl who was next to me shifted uncomfortably in the silence. As most people would if the invitation they offered was met with no response. That was quite natural.
She offered me an invitation to a gathering...for what?
What reason? What interest did she have in a blank sheet like myself? I had math with her this year. She was good at it and helped other when they had difficulty. I had PE with her, where she scrambled to the side with a crowd of other girls after the drills were done. I suppose it had to do with the fact that we've been in classes together since we were in the 2nd grade, but we never really spoken frequently at all, thus I could not call her a friend. Therefore the only reason I could think of was obligation.
"Nara-san...?
The girl spoke now, her dark hair moving like silk as she tilted her head to take a peek at my face. She needn't done that, as I turned to look at her. She was shorter than I recall. I must have grown again. I hadn't checked in a while and no one says anything until it's times like these.
"Yuiko."
She squeaked softly and grow flustered at my informality. I never found the reason to use it. Frankly, I just forgot her last name. It was something long. "Yuiko" was easier to remember.
"...san."
I added, just so it would avoid the future trouble. Short was it was, it would be annoying if there was some sort of misunderstanding.
"Sorry."
Not really.
"I've got work."
That's a lie.
That was all I said. She looked up at me and waited as if I had more to say, but I had nothing for her.
"Oh..."
She said after a moment of silence. Her eyes fluttered a little and she looked down with distraught, her lips pursed together with uneasiness.
"It's just...it's my going away party since I'm moving to Kanagawa and we've been in every class together so far, so I figured......"
Her voice trailed off. I couldn't see her face because she refused to look up at me. It made me a little annoyed because I wanted to see if she was crying. I don't know why since it wouldn't change anything, but it was an itching curiosity.
"A-Ah, nevermind!"
She said suddenly, her voice unexpectedly cheerful. I tilted my head a little in surprise by her seemingly full recovery. Is this what Uriyu meant by women being confusing? I watched her bow low to me.
"It was nice meeting you, Nara-san! Till we meet again."
She left suddenly without waiting for my response and I watched her shuffle down the hallway in quick step.
Home 
