Viridity

2

Elementary school brought along a series of changes.

It seems like years of sheltering from your parents made you quite shy. You were not good at making friends, unlike that one girl in your class, Rae. You don't know how she even managed to get this popular when it was only the first week.

Maybe it had something to do with her quirk, because even you found yourself getting drawn towards her. She was charming and confident, a stark contrast from you. Maybe that contrast was what made you drawn towards her.

You wanted to talk to her, and the only time you could think of was during lunch break. With a excited gleam in your eyes, you walked over to her desk and smiled softly, "Araki-san... Can I join you guys for lunch?" Rae and her other friends looked at each other before giggling and giving you a wide smile, "Of course!"

That day, for the first time, you were actually excited for lunch. You grabbed your lunch that your mother had so carefully packed and walked over to their table. They let you sit with them, but then...

"[Last Name]-san, me and the girls are gonna go to the washroom, please wait here." Rae's sweet voice made you nod your head. You quietly and obediently ate your lunch, counting to yourself as how they took too long.

Maybe the washroom is just packed? Well, they all went together so maybe that's why they're late. There's only 5 more minutes left for lunch break to end, they should hurry up.

You had long finished your lunch.

You're surprised you didn't figure it out sooner. The fact that took their bentos with them should have made it clear. They had ditched the moment you had joined them. They were avoiding you like a plague.

As soon as the realisation dawned upon you, you couldn't help the tears that stung at the edge of your eyes. Trying to maintain what remained of your dignity, you stopped yourself from bursting in tears.

When you made it back to class, you saw Rae and her friends giggling to themselves like they had just heard the Joke Of The Century.

Your confidence took a pretty hard blow after that interaction.

Sometimes when your sister would tell you stories about her friends, you often wondered when it would be your turn to have such fun friends. When would you be getting friends that would care for you and have your back through thick and thin?

With no friends during your early elementary school life, you focused solely on studying. You wanted to at least be good at something.

But fate is crueler than your expected.

Because no matter how much you studied, you could never get grades better than your sister who never even gave it her all. You recall spending your free time studying a particular subject just so you could get proper grades, while your sister only studied the day before the exam. Yet, she was always better at whatever she did than you, who gave it your all.

You weren't jealous of her. But when you would hear what your aunts and uncles would say each time they came to visit, and found out about your academic record, "[Sister Name], if I recall properly, got much higher grades than you at your age, you should work harder to be like her." You could feel your heart burn in anger.

You could only smile and nod, even if you wanted to throw them out of the house and scream your throat until it weren't raw about how much everything was just unfair.

And it didn't help that throughout your first year, Rae made it clear that she did not like you. Sometimes, she would just lay low, joke about your stupid quirk. But sometimes she would go too far.

You knew her handwriting, you recognized it.

So when you found a letter on your desk, you could tell who's work it was. It was something that made you cry as soon as you got home.

Rae was mean, but this was meaner than anything you've ever dealt with.

In her letter, she talked about how you were a burden, how you didn't deserve any friends and no one would like you. Your family didn't know of what you were dealing with, and you wanted to keep it that way. If only you had your mother's quirk, you could have known what Rae was thinking before asking to join her for lunch. You could have saved yourself from all that embarrassment and agony if only you had your mother's quirk.

Luckily, Rae left the school after your 4th year.

It was after that, that you finally made your first ever friend. Ironically, it was one of Rae's henchgirl, Jōkō Riza.

She admitted that Rae would bully her into bullying you. At first, you didn't know if you wanted to believe her. But your asocial self was just so desperate for a friend that you agreed.

Perhaps, that was your best decision you had ever taken.

Because you and Riza grew up to be very close friends. By the end of elementary school, you were like sisters. It really changed you for the better. Suddenly, you became more outgoing, more confident and more cheery. You began to get better grades in school and even your parents noticed how much more peppy you had become.

And Riza herself had gained some confidence. You both were happy in each other's company. You and Riza even had playdates at each other's houses, and even your families had become well acquainted because of you two.

You really had become a newer, better version of yourself, since you remember becoming friends with practically the whole class during your last 2 years.

Your brother, who was 18 by the time you were in your fourth year of elementary school, was close to finishing his high school and finally following his dream to become a police officer.

Meanwhile, your older sister who was 16, wanted to be a psychologist. Both of your siblings chose a path that allowed them to use their quirks to their full potential. And while you were still in elementary school, worries about what you wanted to do had already began to plague your mind.

Thankfully, staying at school and being with Riza always distracted you from your worries. She always knew what to say to make you feel better. She was like your other half and you prayed that you guys would stay together in middle school as well.

But all good things must come to an end. By the end of elementary school, your only friend, Riza had to move away. She was going to move to Osaka because of her father's transfer.

So much for going to the same middle school...

But you didn't let that deter you, "It's fine! We'll just talk to each other on the phone, that way, one day we can meet up!" She seemed rather happy at your suggestion, "Mhm! That sounds like a good idea." And thus, even Riza moved away.

While you were once again, left alone...