All it took was an unfortunate encounter with someone who knew much more than what met the eye. From their meeting at an adventure course to measuring the distance between the sun and the moon, there was no telling how deep she had fallen for him; n...
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35 ☆ ("HEAVEN KNOWS I TRIED." )
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"And last but not least, Yamaguchi Hisako," We all clapped as Yamaguchi took her steps on the stage. I smiled from behind the podium, cheering softly, but she must've heard me. She spared me a glance, bowing her head and winking. Then, she directed her attention back to our principal, bowing once more and taking her diploma. With a snap! of a camera, Yamaguchi walked off–and now, it was my turn to shine.
Teacher Fujii stood up and walked to the podium, fixing the microphone for my height. However, he bent his knees slightly to speak and wore his smile with great pride. "I had the greatest pleasure of being able to teach our valedictorian this year. She is a great student with a love for learning new things and exploring the world. She has been one of my greatest pupils by far and is Class 1A's president. May I call up for her speech, Sato Rie–a student going to the University of Tokyo!"
The secret was out. I heard a general amount of cheers and loud clapping, permitting me to walk to the podium. I could see Riki's blond-black hair in the crowd, but I didn't give him a look–Teacher Fujii was right if I had seen what his face looked like in the two seconds he said my university name, I wouldn't be able to speak. "Hello, graduating class! I'm Sato Rie if you don't know me already, your valedictorian," I announced, gripping tight on the podium. Breathe, Rie, breathe. "To parents and family, thank you for coming to our commencement. I know for all the students in the room, it means the world that you're present in."
I searched the stands myself, trying to find my parents. I set my eyes on every seat–they weren't there. I was directing my speech to thin air. They still couldn't compromise, not even for one of the biggest days of my life.
So, I swallowed, holding in my turmoil. "Really, thank you all for being here," I paused. "We've finally made it to one of the biggest moments of our lives–and it's a shame that it's so short-lived."
Don't look, Rie.
I inhaled. "If there's something I remembered out of all the things I learned, it's not academics, it's from my friendship: Loving something for so many years sounds impossible, yet it isn't. However, it adheres to the fact that the seasons will continue to rotate... and the world must move on–We all need to move on."
