Savior

Day 31

"You keep making me lots of sushi lately," commented Teppei as he munched on his bento.

Maeko grinned. "I've been motivated by your posts."

Teppei laughed. "I'm glad to be of service."

Maeko glanced outside the window. "It's almost winter. I'm excited for Christmas. Though I must say, I'm terribly scared for the finals."

Teppei sipped from his mug. "When is it?"

"Two days from now."

Maeko studied hard for the past few weeks. She spent so much time in the library that she even forgot to eat lunch for three consecutive days. Riko scolded her for not taking care of herself when she found out.

Teppei noticed the gloomy look on Maeko's face. "You'll do well. I'm sure of it! You've been working hard for the past few weeks after all."

Maeko sighed. "I suppose I wouldn't fail. Still, it would be amazing if I could get high marks. I envy Riko now. She's always one of the highest scorers in class."

Teppei smiled. "Don't worry. Your hard work will be rewarded. Besides, grades are not everything. As long as you're doing your best, you won't fail."

"I suppose."

Maeko opened her bad and pulled out a small silver lucky charm she made the other day. She wanted to add more colors to it but figured it would look better if the design was simpler. Truth was, she searched the internet for a few hours just to find the perfect design. She dared not tell the others though or she'd get scolded.

"What's that?" asked Teppei as he ate another sushi.

Maeko chuckled nervously and handed the lucky charm to Teppei. "For you. It was a random idea that came into my head so that you wouldn't feel lonely here. I asked the others to write messages on small pieces of paper. You can read them if you open this part of the charm."

Teppei widened his eyes. "Sugoi! This is really amazing! Hontouni arigatou!"

Maeko scratched her reddened cheek. "It's nothing. I just thought it would make you feel better. It must be hard not having a lot of companions everyday."

"I don't feel lonely. I always knew you'd visit anyway. The others also visit me at times though I know they're busy training. I'm really grateful for this precious gift, Maeko-chan. I'm so happy."

Maeko grinned. I'm glad you are.