Dandelion Fluff [Sugawara Koushi]

Dandelion Fluff

Sugawara didn't know what he was doing. He stood in a field, it wasn't anything special, just grass and untamed weeds. Even so he found him self reluctant to leave. He should have been heading home to finish the math paper due the following day, but instead he let the wind toss his hair and brush against his skin. As he stood in the field watching the sun paint the sky with bleeding hues of blue and pink with splashes orange and lilac designs, he wished for courage. Or more specifically he wished he was less passive.

The last thing he saw before catching his train was [Name] reading a letter with her name scrawled messily across the envelope. Immediately he felt a twinge of irritation, followed by slight confusion. He didn't understand why he felt annoyed at the sight of her reading a mere letter, then he saw the scarlet dusting her cheeks. The simple shade of crimson sent his heart racing, and his own visage warmed slightly, then he felt envy. Envy for the writer, this faceless character who had caused her expression.

Finally, standing in this field of swaying grass he felt a mixture of fear and regret; fear of [Name] going out with this anonymous author and regret for not being this unknown person. He regretted not confessing sooner, by now she could have agreed to go out with this person, whomever they were. He wished he had told her he liked her. But would she have liked him back? His conclusion saddened him; no, she most likely would not have accepted this hypothetical confession. He was a plain boy of average looks, without initiative and lacking courage. He didn't think she'd notice him. And the thought alone saddened him.

The setter didn't know when he started liking her, he just noticed one day that his heart sped up whenever she came into his view. He wanted to smile whenever a grin graced her lips or a laugh escaped her mouth. Butterflies erupted in his stomach whenever they exchanged simple words like 'good morning'.

"I like you, [Name]," Suga said into the wind, letting it carry his words and turned to head home.

It was then that he noticed the little flower, moving with the breeze. On impulse, he reached down and plucked the dandelion. He almost laughed at how childish he was being, he was a high school student, and he was about to do something incredibly childish. He lifted it so that the white fluff was only a few inches away from his lips and blew. At the same time he made his wish.

'I wish you liked me back.'