in which minami kotori, a fashion student at otonokizaka university, develops a strange fondness for sonoda umi, the girl who sits in the row in front of hers.
[this book is based on a comic strip of kotoumi that inspired me to transform it into an...
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the hydrangea "heartfelt emotions"
— in which kotori tries to convey her feelings.
~
the dōjō was just around the corner, and kotori inhales the autumn air, feet treading carefully on the dried leaves lining the path.
she hadn't thought this through: what will she say? will umi even be there? will umi ignore her?
her legs shake underneath her, but she exhales sharply, gathering up all her resolve. she had to do this. there was no time for worrying. she needed to sort this out; it was messing her up bad. she didn't want this invisible burden clinging on to her shoulders.
she rounds the bend, eyes trained on her shoes, anxiety plaguing her chest. she prays that everything will turn out okay.
"kotori?"
~
"break!" umi yells out, removing her headgear and tucking it under her arm, reaching for her white towel on the benches to wipe the sweat dribbling down her neck.
"that was a good one, umi-san!" her partner bows, and she gives a brief nod in his direction. the kid was good, but he lacked precision and tactic in his strikes.
"i'll be going out back," she says, and picks up her bottle, her towel in her other hand, not really caring if her partner had heard her. she needed a break.
she gulps down water, her feet habitually finding their way to the line of sinks outside the dōjō. her thoughts were not allowing her to concentrate; golden eyes were just haunting her left and right.
she runs the towel on her skin, feeling the familiar shroud of sadness hanging on her shoulders again. she had never hated herself this much before. she could still remember the sounds of their bodies colliding clumsily before kotori ran away.
she was always running away.
umi couldn't deny that it hurt her to see someone grappling at any chance to get away from her. was she really that repulsive?
"not good enough."
she winces at the sound of her father's voice echo faintly in her ears. tightening her grip around her bottle, she breathes in deeply, attempting to calm her nerves.
she reaches for the tap and turns it out, running her towel under cold water. as she's turning it off, she hears the low mummer of people talking just right by the dōjō. curious, she steps out a little, hoping that she wouldn't be intruding on anything confidential. the last time, two students had been fighting, and she had to walk away from the scene awkwardly.
