𝙃𝙚'𝙨 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙚 [𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙈𝙞𝙮𝙖]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 1

"Shizuka, are you sure? Edogawa Gakuen is one of the best, and I don't think Katagiri has a Kyudo club," Saito Sanna asked her daughter one last time during their weekly dinner.

Saito Shizuka's parents were divorced, yet they remained good friends, a testament to their mutual respect. They had the same last name before marriage, which made things simpler for Shizuka.

Now living on her own, Shizuka felt a mix of independence and freedom. "Yes, I am. Izumi has been worrying me, and the last time we talked, it seemed like his situation hasn't improved much. His only friends are Shindou and me."

Two students would swap places, meaning Shizuka would transfer to Katagiri while the other student came to Edogawa. She could have stayed at her current school, but for Izumi's sake, she decided to take the chance to transfer.

"About the Kyudo, I will be representing Edogawa. There will be no need to apply for a club there even if they had one."

"As for the Kyudo, I'll be representing Edogawa. There's no need to apply for a club there, even if they had one."

Her parents exchanged contemplative glances. Saito Fujiwara turned back to her, his expression warm. "Alright then. You may do whatever you desire, my dear." He patted Shizuka's hand, and a small smile crept onto her face.

"By the way, would you like to come to dinner with me and your dad?" Fujiwara asked, sipping his miso soup. Shizuka nodded, her heart swelling with affection for her family.

"Yes, I would love to, Father." Her dad had remarried his best friend, who was his first love before her mother. Shizuka considered him her second father and felt grateful for the love he brought into her life.

"Well then, I will be transferring next week." The family chatted about random things as they finished their dinner, but in the back of her mind, Shizuka couldn't shake the worry about Izumi.

After dinner, Shizuka washed the dishes and retreated to her room. She was staying with her parents till the next day.

Once in her room, she took a quick shower before heading to bed. After about twenty minutes, while drying her hair, she heard a notification sound from her phone. Picking it up, she saw a message from Izumi.

Quickly opening the message, she scanned the text and froze.

"Shizu-chan, good afternoon! How was your day? I called this morning but you didn't answer, so I got worried. I wanted to tell you that I gained a new friend at school. Shocking, right? Her name is Hori Kyouko. Love, Izumi （╹◡╹）"

Shizuka reread the message multiple times, letting out a sigh. Water droplets fell from her hair onto her phone, but she barely noticed. A chill ran down her spine, and she felt an unexpected weight in her chest.

Was it jealousy? The thought was unsettling. She had never felt possessive of Izumi; he was never hers to claim. Yet, as she read his cheerful words, a pang of insecurity washed over her. Would he be excited to see her? Would he find her less interesting now that he had a new friend?

She was happy for him, truly. But why did she feel this tightness in her chest? Shizuka acknowledged her feelings for Izumi long time ago but that doesn't mean she has the right to feel like this.

Shizuka took a moment to remember that besides Izumi, her only other friend was Shindou. It wasn't surprising given her reluctance to socialize with others, even after Shindou had spent two hours trying to help her open up.

A soft chuckle escaped her as she reminisced about the trio they once were—two introverts and one extrovert doing their best to get through middle school.

Letting her hand go limp, she realized she needed to confront her feelings. Wanting to keep Izumi for herself was a new and unsettling thought. "...I'm the worst," she murmured, feeling a wave of self-recrimination wash over her.

"...I'm the worst." Shizuka was unable to sleep the whole night and as a result, didn't get a single wink of sleep. Shizuka spend the whole night reflecting on her thoughts, trying to think like a decent human being and not a horrible friend.

"Why am I like this?" she asked herself, sitting up in bed as her alarm was about to ring. The sigh that escaped her felt heavy, a mix of frustration and fatigue. Slowly, she stretched her sore muscles, which hadn't moved since yesterday, and winced as she heard a satisfying but painful pop.

Glancing at her phone, she saw another message from Izumi. She hesitated, deciding to respond later after taking another quick shower. Amidst her thoughts, she had forgotten to turn on the AC and woke up sweating from head to toe.

As she stepped into her connected bathroom, another notification chimed. She resisted the urge to check her phone, needing to clear her head before thinking about a conversation with Izumi.

"I'm sorry."

***

It had been a few days since she agreed to transfer with the principal. Shizuka is currently standing in front of Katagiri Senior High School. Shizuka adjusted her Kyudo bow bag and walked amongst the crowd of students, not caring how they kept staring and whispering about her.

It was a normal occurrence since she is aware that her appearance is slightly above average. There is a reason she wwas given a title in Edogawa Gakuen. Looking at her schedule, Shizuka searched for her class number. "Let's see. Class 3-1."