Imagination

Prologue

The clock hands ticked in a steady rhythm, each sound coming closer and closer to the final bell of the uneventful school day.

Just a little longer, and the girl who sat in her chair could finally head home for the weekend. School never really bothered her, but a break every now and then was good to recuperate and refresh her mind.

She was a relatively good student, and was called upon to help her classmates every now and then. Though, she wasn't the most interactive, and tended to stay in her bubble for the most part.

Kaori Kamiya of Aoba Johsai, a top model student in the closest position for receiving the academic excellence scholarship when graduation came rolling around. She had a knack for studying and learning things fairly easily, which made school a bit less stressful. And now that she was in her third and final year of high school, every second of studying counted quite immensely. Especially since she also lived alone for most of her life, which didn't bother her too much.

Her older sister and parents usually worked abroad, giving her a lot more space and free time. Of course, they still supported her even from afar, and called her every month to check in. They also provided her a monthly budget, and were only ever there for small vacations that lasted no more than two days.

They didn't even get Christmas or summer breaks, which was quite a pain. However, Kaori knew that this was all for her own good. Without them providing for her, it would have been a lot more difficult to live a normal life.

Her sister rarely called, but when she did, it was quite heartfelt and genuine. Mostly it was just about grades and how she was doing at school, but she did seem to pester Kaori with finding a boyfriend. She was already engaged, and she usually said how cool it would be if Kaori took a boyfriend to her wedding.

Of course, she always laughed this off, saying that there really was no one in Aoba Johsai that caught her eye. Well, for now at least. She rarely paid attention to looks and attitude, mainly going for the ones who shared similar interests to her.

Other than studying for hours on end, she did spend some time reading, and went out for daily jogs to keep her physical stat in check. Sometimes she even visited the gym, doing light core workouts, and working on building muscles. Her physique wasn't her main concern, but staying fit and healthy was.

She usually went by Aoba Johsai's dress code, which wasn't anything interesting. A pale purple long-sleeve shirt, with a cream sweatshirt on top. A small red tie-knot by the collar of the shirt, and a beige patterned skirt with white stockings and black shoes.

Nothing too flashy, though some others liked to stick out by wearing their club jackets or additional accessories.

Kaori found no interest in joining clubs, and spent most of her high school years encased in her own space, which was comfortable for the most part. She barely paid any attention to a lot of people and seemed to keep it that way for as long as she could. It wasn't horrible for her to speak with someone, she just tended not to out of her own volition.

The bell rang moments later, and she began to pack up all her supplies. It was better not to rush, anyways. She did want to leave as soon as possible, but taking her time felt more relaxing.

As she grabbed her flimsy binder, it slipped gently through her fingers and fell to the floor. The papers that were neatly organized inside were scattered all over the floor around her desk, with the fluttering sounds of them hitting the ground lightly.

She muttered a curse under her breath and stopped cramming her textbooks into her messenger bag. She made her way to the ground and scooped up some of the papers with a swift and agile movement. As she fished a few more into her hands, an unfamiliar presence found their way into her bubble.

"Here. You dropped these, too."

She picked her head up, meeting the eyes of a boy whose name she couldn't recall. His hair was a shade of dark brown, swept to the side in an even way that it made it look a bit messy. His eyes were the same color as his frazzled locks, completely interlocked with Kaori's emerald ones. His complexion was quite attractive, with a curved jawline and defined cheekbones. He wore a small smile on his lips, a tiny hint of a smirk approaching as he handed Kaori the remaining papers gently. They left his fingers delicately, and she quickly organized them there on the spot, doing this as fast as humanly possible.

The man chuckled softly and sent her a small smirk as he stood up from his crouched position.

"Try hanging on to those a little better, gorgeous." He flirted smoothly, grinning quite widely.

She looked back at him with unamusement, and smiled slowly. "I will, thanks for the help."

"Anytime," he spoke with earnest, and sent her a small wink. "See you around."

She waved at him uninterestedly and went back to shoving the binder of papers in her bag. She tried to ponder the name of the man who had helped pick up her fallen sheets of paper, so close to figuring it out. However, her efforts were deemed unnecessary a few moments later.

"Aw man, Miya! You're so lucky to have Toru Oikawa help you out! I would die if he ever called me gorgeous! Uwah...you're so lucky..." an eccentric blonde grumbled, cupping her cheeks in her hands and imagining some sort of scenario in her head with her eyes squeezed shut.

Kaori swung her bag over her shoulder, the strap holding the heaviest part. She had two textbooks, a novel she was halfway through, and her binder with pens and pencils. It was a bit crowded.

"I guess. Well, have a nice weekend, Nanako. I'll see you on Monday," she smiled at the blonde, who was still in her own world.

Kaori's words snapped her out of her daydream, and she nodded happily. "You too, Miya! Text me later, and I'll figure out when we can meet up to study for the science exam!"

"Sure thing. If you wanna bring Emi and Kamade over as well, I'd be fine with that," she added, making the girl named Nanako smile with sincerity.

"Yeah, thanks. I don't think we would have survived high school if it wasn't for you, Miya. Thanks for all the help these past few years," she spoke with gratitude, giving her a head nod. "See you later! I'll text you as soon as I can! Have a great weekend!"

Kaori waved politely to the girl as she dashed out, leaving her all alone in the deserted classroom. The only one who stood before her was her English teacher, who eyed her with curiosity.

"Miya? Are you doing alright?" She asked with concern, grabbing the girl's attention.

"I'm doing fine, Ms. Katagiri. Just a bit tired," she admitted lazily, making the woman smile gently.

"Ah, good to hear that...Oh, I'd like to speak with you on Monday regarding tutoring a student. Would you be interested in that? You already have more than enough credits to graduate high school, but this could be a better look on your resume if you want to apply to higher universities," she suggested.

Kaori smiled and quickly pondered the thought. After a few seconds, she nodded cheerfully.

"That sounds good. I'll be sure to check in with you on Monday, and thank you for giving me this opportunity." She bowed low to her teacher. "Have a great weekend, Ms. Katagiri," Kaori said and bid farewell to the delighted woman at her desk.

"Perfect. You take care now, Miya. Keep up the good work," her teacher added on, speaking as sweetly as possible to the girl. She knew just how hard of a worker Kaori was, and praise didn't seem to go to her head that easily. That was a good thing in terms of bragging and showing off, something Kaori barely ever did.

The girl turned back to face her teacher and shot her a bright smile, and a small nod of her delicate head.

"Thanks. I will."