During class time—especially Japanese class—Kitaro Aoi used to skip lessons, loitering behind the school buildings with a handful of his friends.
He would smoke his mint cigarettes, squat on his tiptoes, fiddling with his phone. Tall and intimidating, Kitaro seemed larger than the other students. He was notorious, rumors circulated about him, and even the teachers warned against him.
He closed his phone and his gaze drifted to a small insect carrying a crumb of bread on its back, left over from his best friend's meal. The insect, carrying a weight heavier than itself, slithered along in a zigzag pattern, struggling up the paved ground.
Cigarette ash fell to the ground near his feet. Lost in thought, he watched the tiny insect with an open mouth, marveling at how such simple creatures lived, carefree and untroubled.
"Wait~" It was a sweet, innocent voice, speaking in broken Japanese.
The little cat appeared first, running and searching anxiously behind it, dragging its leg with difficulty.
Then he appeared...
Bright blond hair, a sweet, carefree smile, he ran after the cat with utter gentleness. He was dressed perfectly in his school uniform: well-pressed trousers, a clean shirt buttoned all the way up, and a yellow sweater tied around his shoulders. He stopped abruptly when the cat leaped high and landed in Kenji's lap, his best friend... and the only person who looked scarier than him.
He froze in confusion, staring at them and nervously rubbing his hands together. "Oh... uh... hello."
Kitaro's eyebrow shot up, and Kenji straightened his massive frame, standing like an unshakeable mountain.
"What brings you here?"
His voice was huge, deep, and chilling.
"Ah... I'm sorry," the boy blurted out quickly, glancing between them fearfully. Of course...
It was obvious what a nasty bunch of thugs he was about to get involved with—
"Did you see where Kitty-chan went?"
His clear blue eyes stared at Kenji's soul. The boy frowned and looked at the shorter boy in utter surprise, while the blond boy searched the area for the cat.
"Oh, there she is!" he exclaimed in broken Japanese, crouching down near the cat, which had taken refuge in a corner.
"Ooh~ My little one, you must be in a lot of pain," he said in a small voice, carefully and gently stroking the cat's ears with his pale fingertips.
Kenji stared at him with wide eyes, and Kentaro met his gaze with similar surprise. Both of them stared at the blond boy, then at Hinata, who remained sitting indifferently.
"Hey!" Ken called out as he approached him. The little boy's finger froze, and he raised his head to meet Ken's clear blue eyes, silencing the words in his mouth.
"What are you doing here?" Kenji said gruffly, and the little boy trembled, his feathers ruffling like a trapped bird.
"I... I wanted to help Kitty-chan," he stammered, his voice so cute it hurt, and Ken couldn't bear it any longer.
He was cute, it was true, but he seemed so innocent that the difference between them was stark, like night and day, and that bothered him deeply.
"Get out."
The taller boy ordered harshly, and the smaller boy flinched at the sound, causing a surge of anger to rise within Ken.
"Quickly! And don't let me see you again!" His voice rose, a senseless, intense rage.
The blond-haired boy trembled again, then hesitantly straightened, staring at him with that clear, heavenly gaze. "But you'll have to close your eyes whenever you see me—"
"Just get out of my sight!" Ken yelled, and the smaller boy ran away in fear.
"That little rascal."
Ken spat aside and crushed the cigarette with excessive force. He turned angrily when he heard muffled laughter from his smaller friend, Hinata.
"What the hell are you laughing at?!"
Hinata shrugged and covered his mouth with the long sleeve of his pink jacket. It was amusing to see Kenta lose his temper like that.
***
And then the little boy started appearing everywhere. He saw him in the school cafeteria, in the playground, in gym class. He was like an odd flower in a chaotic mess.
His eyes would automatically wander to where the hair was dull. The little boy always had something ridiculous to do. He was a "nerd," as the dictionary defined it, with thick, round eyes and everything.
And he was irritating. Kenta wasn't a bully. Wasting time with insignificant people wasn't his thing. He loved to fight, but only with people his own size. What was the point of messing with the weak? They couldn't even take his punches.
But when he saw this bright boy, he understood perfectly why someone might want to put him out.
He carried a huge backpack and wore his school uniform like a model student, which he often was. He seemed intelligent; whenever Ken saw him, he carried a huge book and seemed lost in his own world.
"Are you going to eat that?" Hinata asked, having already taken a piece of meat from Ken's plate. Ken glared at him, and Hinata stuffed the food into his full mouth. Ken exhaled.
"I don't understand where all that food you eat goes, really?"
Hinata clutched his chest, feeling betrayed, and pointed at Kenji, who was eating his second plate of food and his third bowl of rice.
"What about him? Why are you cursing me? I'm still growing!"
Ken raised an eyebrow. "Look at him. He's the size of the building you're talking about? It's obvious where all his food goes. And look at you..."
"What?"
Kenji said, his mouth full. Kenta shook his head, and Hinata seized the opportunity to steal an egg from Ken's plate, who was lost in thought again.
Hinata stuffed the whole hard-boiled egg into his mouth and turned to see what Ken was looking at.
"What's so special about that boy, anyway?"
Hinata's words were barely audible, and Kenta glared at him questioningly. "You have eyes. I advise you to use them."
The blue-haired boy pursed his lips and stuffed another mouthful of food—bigger than his mouth—and turned to look at the handsome blond boy. He was sitting alone at a distant table in the corner of the cafeteria, surrounded by the usual high school noise. His nose was buried in a thick book, and his glasses had slipped off, threatening to fall. Hinata thought for a moment, then suddenly straightened up.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ken hissed, but Hinata was already halfway to the blond boy's table.
Hinata burst into his world without warning, without asking permission, like a raging wind that disregards the fragility of the structure.
"Will you drink this?"
His voice was gentle, and Mabel only looked up to see the boy's arm extend into his personal space, grabbing his water bottle, opening the cap, and drinking from the mouth as if it were his own.
The blond boy stared at him wide-eyed, astonished by his blatant rudeness. Not content with just drinking his water, the blond boy invited himself to sit in the chair opposite him, resting both elbows on the table cluttered with Mabel's belongings, and propping his face in his hands with a broad smile.
The English boy thought for a moment, looking at this boy who had so confidently invited himself into his space. He pursed his lips and said hesitantly,
"Um... do I know you?"
"You're hurting my feelings!" Hinata exclaimed dramatically, which only made Mel more flustered. His intense blue eyes blinked rapidly. "Uh... I'm sorry... Could we... could we share some classes?"
That was impossible. It didn't work like that in Japan. Classes were strict and uniform for each department. The only shared class was gym.
"Oh! Unbelievable!"
Hinata flopped down on the table—hitting one of Mel's books—but stifled a scream for dramatic effect. "You saw me when you were chasing that cat, remember?"
"Oh? Were... were you there?"
Hinata's face flushed a light pink, and he found himself laughing loudly.
"So you didn't see me?"
Wiping away a fake tear—because there was nothing funny about it—Mabel replied, "Weren't you playing Genshin on your phone? How did you even see me?"
Even Mabel hadn't expected his excited scream as he clasped his hands together.
"Wow! You know Genshin?"
Mabel responded with an unimpressed look on his face:
"Are you serious? It's not like it's some kind of catchy tune everyone knows."
Hinata's enthusiasm waned. "Then don't play..." He leaned back in his chair in frustration, watching the boy who was lost in his book for a long moment, before saying in a low voice, "I am, but—"
Before Hinata could shout again, Cable bombarded him with questions. "I don't mean to be rude, but what do you want from me? We're not friends. I don't even know your name."
"Hinata Itsuki!" he exclaimed, extending his hand with a huge grin. Mabel's confusion deepened. He couldn't tell if this was a new form of bullying or a stupid challenge from the blue-haired boy's group of friends. He kept his hand firmly gripping the rough pages of the book and stared at him for a long time before whispering hesitantly,
"Mabel... Mabel Adams."