sunflower┇aiura x teruhashi

4┇mild confusion

┇four┇

To say that Teruhashi was confused was a simple understatement.

Teruhashi has been looking more and more down as days pass. The realisation that Saiki must've preferred Aiura over her ate her up inside. It at first tickled, and then pricked her conscious jealousy, and soon, numbness. The pink flower which she had grown in the seedless field has begun withering in a state of grimace, her once bubbly personality had taken a turn. She's now quieter than ever, looking almost tired even.

She disliked Aiura at first, but after a while of observation, she saw how much of a wonderous girl Aiura is. She couldn't bring herself to detest the blonde, and soon accepted that Aiura was simply better than her.

But she despised the fact that she was better than her.

She was supposed to be the pretty girl, wasn't she? She could get almost everything she wanted with her perfect looks and her perfect personality, why didn't he care? In what ways were Aiura better than her? She needed to know. She wanted to change, she wanted to overcome Aiura.

Whispers and glances were shared across the classroom. Everyone took notice of the sudden shift in Teruhashi's mood. Many had tried to ask her what's wrong, but her bright smile that told them 'nothing was wrong' was undeniably strong and persistent.

Once, Aiura took notice as well. She felt responsible, slightly guilty to top it off. She somehow knew about the fact that Teruhashi loves Saiki, but ignored it and decided to stick with Saiki in the name of 'soulmates'.

But, she knew how the future would be like. She knew how their relationship would turn out: blank. Absolutely nothing showed up in her crystal ball when she asked the question. Irritation and despair spread through her veins like poison. She knew immediately, that she and Saiki would never get together, no matter what. Just because they're soulmates, doesn't mean they'll love each other like couples do.

She would have given up long ago, though her sullen heart decides to hang around him for a bit longer, in hopes that she could change the future somehow. Well, she didn't. Not only that, but she also made a cheery girl swallow in misery. Guilt has been piling up her throat for so long, she felt that it was time to make a redemption. She had her fun, now it's time to make amends.

The bell rung, signaling the beginning of lunch. Aiura found her way towards Teruhashi's classroom. She knocked once, and twice, before going inside and asking for her to come to the back of the school. The girl only looked up at her with confusion, and without an answer, Aiura walked out and went.

*

They met, and although Aiura had all her thoughts planned out, it suddenly crashed and gone all down a drain. Long, awkward silence passed by as Aiura quickly gathers up her messy mind.

"...So, you like Saiki, right?" She spoke up, immediately going straight to the point.

"Eh?" Teruhashi feigned. The sudden question had caught her off guard, immensely. She did indeed consider the possibilities of this being a conversation about the particular pink-haired boy, but she didn't realise that Aiura would be so straightforward.

"Oh, so you do like Saiki."

"Wait! But I haven't said anything yet!"

"Pfft- C'mon, you might have hidden it from the others, but not me. I've seen those kind of admiring eyes before, I know the faces of someone, like, in love." Aiura continued. She chuckled slightly, her head drooped at the last sentence, because that someone, was her. "You love him don't 'cha?"

"...What if I say I do?" Teruhashi answered, skepticism was clear in her words as she laced them with care. Even if Aiura was a good person, you'll never know what one might be hiding behind their backs.

"I mean... If you're thinking that I'm telling you to go away or somethin', you're totally wrong."

Teruhashi narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"I just kinda wanted to say I want to help you. I guess. You like him, and so do I, but to be honest, I've given up, and like, I don't want to just leave him like that. Plus, I guess I'm just quite nosy." Aiura let out a giggle. She scratched her face as her eyes looked away, she didn't want to admit it, but she felt responsible for the pain Teruhashi felt.

"Eh? Eh? B-but, you like him? I mean, I would want some help but... Huh?" Teruhashi's mind was scrambled. She didn't know what to do really, in a situation like this. It felt as though a massive boulder had been lifted from her shoulder when she heard that Aiura had given up, but she felt guilty for suddenly intruding like that.

"Aw c'mon, if you feel guilty or anything, dump that trashy feeling in the bin. I said I've given up on him already, it's my own decision and you don't have to feel bad about it. I'm going to help you no matter what you say, after all, both of you deserve happiness."

"Eh- Ah, I'm... I... Thank you so much. Thank you, really, thank you so much." Teruhashi spoke, her voice was delighted with an emotional tone. She doesn't have to stay low for the two of them anymore; she no longer has to watch from the sidelines.

Her heart was in a state of ecstasy, tears began to well as she wiped them off with the hem of her sleeves.

"Wha- why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?" Aiura panicked, she quickly stumbled to her side and wiping her tears with her own uniform sleeves as she patted her on the back. Teruhashi really did love him immensely, huh.

"N-no... You didn't do anything wrong. Thank you.. is it okay to keep this a secret though? Just between us two."

"Yea, sure! It's a promise, alright? I'm not going to make a move on him, and I'll help you reach that cold, dumbass heart of his."

"Promise. Also, is there anything you want? I just want to say thank you for all of this..."

"What I want? Mmm... I just want Saiki to be happy, nothing else. Clearly I wasn't the one for it." Aiura laughed.

They both walked back to class, both with the weight on their shoulders lifted.