恋愛 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛?

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐹𝑖𝑣𝑒

A couple of months passed from that afternoon and from mid-June it was September.
Winter lasted from October until February - divided into autumn and winter. Schools were closed during this time due to heavy snowfall. They reopened, then, during the summer that went from March to September - divided into spring and summer. The winter snowed so much that the roads were full of snow. So much snow that some people enjoyed skiing down the mountains on the island.
For the first time in their lives, Daisy and Nozomi got into a fight. A stupid quarrel. Of which they didn't even remember the reason, but which was in danger of tearing their friendship apart. Skikon couldn't stand their silence at the table. Their looks are avoided. The sadness in little Nozomi's eyes . Why don't they make up, if they don't even remember why? The boy asked himself continuously, not knowing what to do to make peace between the two friends.

One day he noticed a piano in one of the many rooms. His legs trembled at the thought. He shook his head. Hw would do anything for his friends. Nothing was going to change his mind. He wrote a note to both of them - pretending that it was the two of them who wrote to each other - and waited them in the room. When he saw that the two were bewildered and about to tear each other to pieces, he intervened. «Please... Make peace... I know that words may not be enough... For that... For that's why I'd like you to hear this.» He went to play, but panic took possession of his body again. This time he wasn't going to give up. He wanted to help them, and he would do it. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes – there was no sheet music in front of it. He started playing. He played that very song. The song his sister loved so much. Playing it after such a long time caused him immense pain. He didn't stop. He was determined with all his being. The girls immediately felt at peace. As if in front of them there was an angelic creature playing something unique and indecipherable.
When the song was over, the girls clapped their hands. «You were able to play!», Nozomi said proudly of him. «It was a beautiful song. Who wrote it?», added. «My sister... It was her favorite.» He tapped the keys in a melancholy tone. «You must miss her a lot.» Daisy looked into his sky-colored eyes, which were now shiny. He's going to cry, she thought. «You don't know how much...» And so the evening passed, with Skikon continuing to play for them.

Weeks later, Daisy woke up early, as always, to study. Her mother called her suddenly from downstairs. «Daisy! There's a letter for you!» The little girl jumped to her feet and ran downstairs, jumping off the railing. The two girls' room was on the second floor. They often enjoyed sliding off the railing or simply jumping down. What good were the stairs for vampires, after all? She picked up the letter and ran straight to her room, hopping up to her floor, and entering. She read the neat little letter with her heart in her throat. The wrapper was of light blue in color and smelled of rosebuds. The handwriting was very pretty, framed by a small wavy reddish outline.

«Dear Daisy,
It's been a long time since we've been in touch, how are you? I hope for the best. You know, here in America it's a deadly bore. I would love to be in Japan with you. Unfortunately, I'm still too young to come and live there.
I'm actually writing to let you know that I managed to convince my parents to take a vacation in Japan on your island - I showed them the map you sent me. I hope this makes you happy.
I can't wait to meet you and to get to know the girl you always tell me about. Oh, right! In the last letter, you told me that you met a kind human. I hope to meet him too.

See you soon.
Your Dear Friend,
Skakon.»

The girl was very excited. She would finally meet her dear American pen pal. Although she never imagined that Skikon, out of jealousy, would be harassing him.
Skakon arrived in Centopia the following week. He would only stay a week, but it was enough and left over for the two. Daisy introduced him to Nozomi first. When it was Skikon's turn, he just wasn't at home. He was already out. Even though he lived with them now, he had never stopped working in that neko café. The boy saw them from afar as he walked home. Daisy laughing at jokes that weren't his. Daisy talking more than she should with a boy who wasn't him. At that moment, his heart seemed to shatter. He slowly approached, and it was only then that the two noticed him. «He's the guy I was telling you about», Daisy said to Skakon. «P-pleasure. I'm Skakon Vodafon. Daisy's pen pal. I'm from New York.» The boy held out his hand hesitantly and timidly. «Here we don't shake hands, we bow», he said bluntly and disgusted to the boy. Skakon felt embarrassed. He made a slight bow, nervous. Daisy looked at Skikon badly and coldly. «Needless to say it in that tone», she said, but Skikon ignored her. This bothered the girl a lot.
Skakon was the complete opposite of him. He had a sweet soul and was very shy. He was human. In short, he had not lived a childhood like his. His was truly a pure soul. He was even awkward at times. «Let's go Skakon, we have to finish the tour.»
«O-ok...» Skikon saw them walk away. He didn't say anything, but he knew he had fucked up. Something inside him was broken. He had noticed. Oh, of course he did. There wasn't much he could do about it, even though he wished he could go back in time and make up for it. But above all... What was this new feeling that was taking hold of  a "pure soul" like his? He couldn't recognize himself.
At dinner, every time, he ignored Skakon trying to have a conversation with him and left indignantly every time he made Daisy laugh.

One Sunday, while working, he saw Daisy and Nozomi enter the club. Behind them was he: Skakon. The three sat down at a table, and Skikon approached. «What would you like to order?» He tried to smile, but the more he tried, the more he looked like a psychopath. On the night of his mother's murder, something had changed in him that, with the passage of time and with the presence of that boy, grew more and more. He couldn't figure out what it was. Once he had taken his orders, left. He came back a few minutes later with what they had ordered. He was about to leave the water Skakon had ordered on the table. He had second thoughts and threw it at him. «Oh sorry, my hand slip-» He didn't finish the sentence that found himself soaked. Wide-eyed, he turned to Daisy. The girl had just thrown water on him and still had the glass in her hand. The other hand placed on the table, to reach out to the boy. «For real. Lately I don't understand you! Let's go Skakon.» The two stood up, followed by Nozomi who, before leaving the venue, turned to him. «You should apologize... And not just with Skakon...» Finally she went out too. Skikon stood there, motionless, a droplet dripping from the blond lock of his bangs. With glassy, dull eyes, he stared at the table where, until recently, the three of them stood.

Eventually, after the incident, he apologized to both of them and managed to befriend the boy. Unfortunately, in the end they had to say goodbye and saw him leave on the plane. Skikon had learned a lesson he would never forget.