starlit skies | kazubajifuyu

first we feel, second we fall: two

THREE MONTHS EARLIER.

"Ah! Shoot!" Chifuyu trips and accidentally drops the envelope he's holding that contains files for the school. As he gathers them to pick up, someone hands him the other papers. He looked up and saw you.

This is the girl I always see at the riverside, smoking.

"Thank you," Chifuyu said, taking the files from you. When he was about to pick up the rest, his eyes caught some bruises on your arm. You noticed that he was staring at them, so you quickly covered your arms with your sleeves.

"I have to go," you said before you started walking.

"Wait!" Chifuyu stood up. You stopped walking and faced him, tilting your head to the side as you waited for him to say something.

"Are you okay? Do you need help?"

You didn't answer for a while. This is the first time someone has asked you if you're okay. Most people just look at you and pass, as if they see nothing. Your neighbors would hear your father screaming at you and the loud thuds of beating, but they never, not even once, called the police for you.

Tears suddenly fall from your eyes without you knowing. Teardrops landed on your hand, so you touched your face.

"Huh?" you murmured. Confused as to why you're crying because you never cry... You stopped feeling any emotions when you were five, and yet, with just a simple word from a stranger, your tears stream down like waterfalls.

You keep wiping them away, but the tears won't stop falling. Why am I crying?

❀

"Here," Chifuyu handed you a hot cup of chocolate he had bought from the nearest convenience store while you were sitting on the swing at the park.

"You cried when I asked you if you're okay, so that means there's something wrong, right? I don't want to pry into your personal life because I am just a stranger, but I also can't stand to let you go without offering any help."

"I'm fine, mister," you replied, wrapping your hands around the hot cup while staring at the ground.

"You know..." Chifuyu leaned his side against the pole of the swing and crossed his legs. Looking at the students who were passing by, he took a deep breath. "There's nothing wrong with relying on someone and asking for their help."

You lightly scoff and sip your chocolate. "Life is not always rainbows and sparkles, mister. We're not in a fairytale where a fairy godmother shows up to magically make everything in our favor." You look at him directly in the eyes. "You seem like you've been born with a silver spoon. You don't know how cruel the world can be. People will just watch you suffer and do nothing because it's none of their business."

"The world is indeed cruel," Chifuyu said, taking a sip from his cup and sighing as he thought about his curse. "Maybe you're right, but it still doesn't change the fact that in a pool of bad people, there's always someone willing to help."

"Having my hopes up won't do any good. I don't need another disappointment in life." You stood up and dusted your skirt. "You look like a good man, mister, but you can't save everyone. You're not superman. Thanks for this, though," you slightly raised your cup before you bow and walked away.

Chifuyu's eyes widened as he watched your figure slowly fade from his sight. Suddenly, an urge to say something made him open his mouth. "This isn't the end, kid! You can still turn everything in your favor."

"For an adult, you're annoying." You reply without looking back.

The next day, you're at your favorite spot at the riverside, puffing smoke while watching the calm waters of the river.