1
A day filled with anger and sadness is stained with the shining sun and summer breeze. A young boy runs out in tears from a blue apartment, bursting with shouts and yells, glass breaking.Tearfully, he runs as far as he can.It seems that only color can be truly seen once the boy is out of the apartment complex. Vision blurry from tear-covered eyes, he ran further and further until he reached the place that once brought him joyful memories. There he sat, under the tree which seemed to bend outwards because of the wind that blew against it and its leaves for many years. Leaves seemed to glow various shades of green and shook with the wind, light shining through between each leaf, leaving a slight beam of light visible. The boy gazed upon them, not really thinking of the glowing, sun-bathed leaves, but whether he should take his own life on that beautiful day.
* * * * * *
"Even though the whole world is bathing in the sun, I can't help but think of bad memories," the boy thought to himself. "Maybe if I just...ended it, I could feel that warm feeling of the sun in my heart once again." The boy's world was broken, even though he was only 10; his memories haunt him with words shouted and vivid scenes of his parents fighting constantly. All of which he felt was his fault. He thought that the pressure of a marriage and raising a child while having jobs was too much for them. He figured that if he couldn't take off the pressure of a job or marriage, he could take off the pressure of raising a child by taking his own life. "I really wish I had never been born. Everything would've been so much better if I hadn't been born," he thought. The boy's gaze soon averted away from the leaves to the patch of dirt he had been sitting on, looking downwards and remembering the fight that they had had. The boy grew deeper and deeper in more and more negative thoughts and doubts, as if he were drowning in a pitch black mass.
Suddenly, a volleyball rolled into view. The boy looked at it for a while before looking up at the one who rolled it,a similar-aged boy. Same height, short hair, and a pair of glasses. A few moments before, the boy with the glasses said, “I um… I don't have anyone to play with either...would you like to play catch with me?"
"...oh, um, yeah"
"I um, what's your name?"
"My-my name's Makoto....what's yours?"
"Nice to meet you, Makoto..my name is Kiyoshi."
At that moment, Makoto's thoughts had stopped, and at the moment all he could focus on was the question:
Why?
Why had Kiyoshi asked him, him of all people, to play catch with? Makoto surely wasn’t the best person to ask, especially right now with his tear-stained face and messy hair. Makoto decided to push that question aside for now and thought, “Wwell, there’s no point in questioning it, so I might as well enjoy this moment while it lasts.” From that interaction alone, they had started a bond, one like Makoto hadn’t bonded with someone before. Makoto had trouble making friends at school, mainly because he was toso shy to approach anyone;, but secretly, he knew there was no reason to try and make friends. Sometimes Makoto would catch glimpses of his classmates staring and whispering about him, how he looked, and that he was too quiet. Seeing Kiyoshi choose him to play with, filled him with a sense of hope, almost like everything would turn out for the better. With just that one interaction, from it, they spent the majority of that summer hanging out, riding their bikes, exploring their neighborhood, and getting to know their interests. There would even be times whenre Makoto would go over to Kiyoshi’s dad’s apartment to finish their summer homework.
As their summer break came to an end, Makoto faced the reality that it could be the last time they would ever see each other. Kiyoshi never mentioned where he went to school, so Makoto figured that he went to a different school. Ever since that realization, Makoto dreaded going back to school; so naturally, he began to overthink:
“He was probably just lonely and didn’t want to spend his summer alone. I doubt he really wants to be my friend..” Little did he know how false those doubts and negative thoughts were..
On the morning of the first day of school, Makoto walked to school, which felt longer to him than usual. He wasn’t looking forward to a new year of school, but he figured that his classmates would be a bit different and wouldn’t know who he was. “I really wish Kiyoshi had gone went to the same school as me..” He thought as his mind seemed to make his head stoop lower and lower. “Even if he doesn’t want to be my friend, it sure was a nice time hanging out with him..I just hope we can at least do the same thing next summer..” As this final thought came to him, he decided to look up so he knew where he was on the way to school. In the distance, he could make out a faint, yet recognisable figure; it was Kiyoshi. Makoto’s face lit up as he looked ahead to the back of Kiyoshi,; but that never stoppeds his doubts from emerging. “Oh, wait, he probably has some other friends to walk with him to his school..iIt’s probably best if I just stay back and let him live his life..”
Minutes passed, but no friends of Kiyoshi ever came to walk with him, and he stayed on the same path as Makoto so far. “Wait, could this mean..” Makoto thought to himself, “Does he go to my school..?” Without warning, Kiyoshi stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly. Seeing this, Makoto quickly looked down to hide his face. However, it was pointless, because Kiyoshi recognized him right away, seeing his head pointed down, he smirked, “Sseems just like him to look away,” Kiyoshi thought.
“Hey Makoto!” Kiyoshi shouted across the space between them.
“Hm?” Makoto spranginged up as if he’d been caught.
“Come on!” He waved his hand to invite him.
At this point, Makoto had gone through a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, even before school started, he set himself up to be alone this year. But it turned out he was wrong; he stood there, bewildered in his thought process of what was going on. Moments later, he snapped out of his confused haze and ran to catch up with Kiyoshi.
“I didn’t know you went to the same school as me,.” Makoto said.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Kiyoshi replied with a slight laugh.
When Makoto thought about it, he had mentioned it;, it was one of the times he came over to Kiyoshi’s to finish their summer homework. He was too caught up in his doubts that he had completely missed that detail.
“Oh, you’re right, you did say that, it must’ve slipped my mind,.” Makoto said in a sort of embarrassed state.
“Come on, let’s get to class..wanna race to the gate?” Kiyoshi challenged.
“For sure!” Makoto replied with a somewhat confident manner.
“I didn’t make manyuch friends after that., I tried to, though, but none of my other classmates wanted to be friends. But now I was ok with that, Kiyoshi’s a good friend, and I don’t mind if other people don’t want to be my friend. But that doesn’t mean I never made another friend again..” Makoto thought, reflecting on his life.
A few years later, while in Junior High, he made his second friend ever. Her name was Aisami;, she’s somewhat nice to Makoto and Kiyoshi, but it was mainly to Kiyoshi. Most times, Aisami would hit him or say cruel things, but she never stopped being Makoto’s friend,and oftentimes would apologize to him a little while afterwards. He thought it was nice; that she could be mean but at the same time be a good friend and stick by him. After Aisami, Makoto never really made any more friends, even now that he, Kiyoshi, and Aisami are in high school, they’ve always had their small circle of friends since junior high, and they were ok with that. They’ve all made memories together, some good, some bad, but that never separated them from each other.
In current times, the year is 2087, and humanity has overcome most of the global problems, hunger, homelessness, and they’ve found cures to most diseases;, and technology has developed significantly at a rapid pace. However, this does not mean world peace has been established…... . .
Makoto and his two friends are now in High School, still sharing their lives together, with no sign of their friendship triangle ending any time soon. Makoto had grown quite tall;, however, that shy, low self esteem kid was still showing through. Kiyoshi has grown to be quite academically talented;, he tries to brush it off, but he’s seen mostly as a student with a bright future. As for Aisami, once she entered high school, a lot of boys paid a lot of attention to her, but she chose to stay close to her two close friends, not really wanting that popularity. Their lives in high school seemed to start off well for the three of them, but what would be able to stop their ordinary lives?...
A day filled with anger and sadness is stained with the shining sun and summer breeze. A young boy runs out in tears from a blue apartment, bursting with shouts and yells, glass breaking.Tearfully, he runs as far as he can.It seems that only color can be truly seen once the boy is out of the apartment complex. Vision blurry from tear-covered eyes, he ran further and further until he reached the place that once brought him joyful memories. There he sat, under the tree which seemed to bend outwards because of the wind that blew against it and its leaves for many years. Leaves seemed to glow various shades of green and shook with the wind, light shining through between each leaf, leaving a slight beam of light visible. The boy gazed upon them, not really thinking of the glowing, sun-bathed leaves, but whether he should take his own life on that beautiful day.
* * * * * *
"Even though the whole world is bathing in the sun, I can't help but think of bad memories," the boy thought to himself. "Maybe if I just...ended it, I could feel that warm feeling of the sun in my heart once again." The boy's world was broken, even though he was only 10; his memories haunt him with words shouted and vivid scenes of his parents fighting constantly. All of which he felt was his fault. He thought that the pressure of a marriage and raising a child while having jobs was too much for them. He figured that if he couldn't take off the pressure of a job or marriage, he could take off the pressure of raising a child by taking his own life. "I really wish I had never been born. Everything would've been so much better if I hadn't been born," he thought. The boy's gaze soon averted away from the leaves to the patch of dirt he had been sitting on, looking downwards and remembering the fight that they had had. The boy grew deeper and deeper in more and more negative thoughts and doubts, as if he were drowning in a pitch black mass.
Suddenly, a volleyball rolled into view. The boy looked at it for a while before looking up at the one who rolled it,a similar-aged boy. Same height, short hair, and a pair of glasses. A few moments before, the boy with the glasses said, “I um… I don't have anyone to play with either...would you like to play catch with me?"
"...oh, um, yeah"
"I um, what's your name?"
"My-my name's Makoto....what's yours?"
"Nice to meet you, Makoto..my name is Kiyoshi."
At that moment, Makoto's thoughts had stopped, and at the moment all he could focus on was the question:
Why?
Why had Kiyoshi asked him, him of all people, to play catch with? Makoto surely wasn’t the best person to ask, especially right now with his tear-stained face and messy hair. Makoto decided to push that question aside for now and thought, “Wwell, there’s no point in questioning it, so I might as well enjoy this moment while it lasts.” From that interaction alone, they had started a bond, one like Makoto hadn’t bonded with someone before. Makoto had trouble making friends at school, mainly because he was toso shy to approach anyone;, but secretly, he knew there was no reason to try and make friends. Sometimes Makoto would catch glimpses of his classmates staring and whispering about him, how he looked, and that he was too quiet. Seeing Kiyoshi choose him to play with, filled him with a sense of hope, almost like everything would turn out for the better. With just that one interaction, from it, they spent the majority of that summer hanging out, riding their bikes, exploring their neighborhood, and getting to know their interests. There would even be times whenre Makoto would go over to Kiyoshi’s dad’s apartment to finish their summer homework.
As their summer break came to an end, Makoto faced the reality that it could be the last time they would ever see each other. Kiyoshi never mentioned where he went to school, so Makoto figured that he went to a different school. Ever since that realization, Makoto dreaded going back to school; so naturally, he began to overthink:
“He was probably just lonely and didn’t want to spend his summer alone. I doubt he really wants to be my friend..” Little did he know how false those doubts and negative thoughts were..
On the morning of the first day of school, Makoto walked to school, which felt longer to him than usual. He wasn’t looking forward to a new year of school, but he figured that his classmates would be a bit different and wouldn’t know who he was. “I really wish Kiyoshi had gone went to the same school as me..” He thought as his mind seemed to make his head stoop lower and lower. “Even if he doesn’t want to be my friend, it sure was a nice time hanging out with him..I just hope we can at least do the same thing next summer..” As this final thought came to him, he decided to look up so he knew where he was on the way to school. In the distance, he could make out a faint, yet recognisable figure; it was Kiyoshi. Makoto’s face lit up as he looked ahead to the back of Kiyoshi,; but that never stoppeds his doubts from emerging. “Oh, wait, he probably has some other friends to walk with him to his school..iIt’s probably best if I just stay back and let him live his life..”
Minutes passed, but no friends of Kiyoshi ever came to walk with him, and he stayed on the same path as Makoto so far. “Wait, could this mean..” Makoto thought to himself, “Does he go to my school..?” Without warning, Kiyoshi stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly. Seeing this, Makoto quickly looked down to hide his face. However, it was pointless, because Kiyoshi recognized him right away, seeing his head pointed down, he smirked, “Sseems just like him to look away,” Kiyoshi thought.
“Hey Makoto!” Kiyoshi shouted across the space between them.
“Hm?” Makoto spranginged up as if he’d been caught.
“Come on!” He waved his hand to invite him.
At this point, Makoto had gone through a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, even before school started, he set himself up to be alone this year. But it turned out he was wrong; he stood there, bewildered in his thought process of what was going on. Moments later, he snapped out of his confused haze and ran to catch up with Kiyoshi.
“I didn’t know you went to the same school as me,.” Makoto said.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Kiyoshi replied with a slight laugh.
When Makoto thought about it, he had mentioned it;, it was one of the times he came over to Kiyoshi’s to finish their summer homework. He was too caught up in his doubts that he had completely missed that detail.
“Oh, you’re right, you did say that, it must’ve slipped my mind,.” Makoto said in a sort of embarrassed state.
“Come on, let’s get to class..wanna race to the gate?” Kiyoshi challenged.
“For sure!” Makoto replied with a somewhat confident manner.
“I didn’t make manyuch friends after that., I tried to, though, but none of my other classmates wanted to be friends. But now I was ok with that, Kiyoshi’s a good friend, and I don’t mind if other people don’t want to be my friend. But that doesn’t mean I never made another friend again..” Makoto thought, reflecting on his life.
A few years later, while in Junior High, he made his second friend ever. Her name was Aisami;, she’s somewhat nice to Makoto and Kiyoshi, but it was mainly to Kiyoshi. Most times, Aisami would hit him or say cruel things, but she never stopped being Makoto’s friend,and oftentimes would apologize to him a little while afterwards. He thought it was nice; that she could be mean but at the same time be a good friend and stick by him. After Aisami, Makoto never really made any more friends, even now that he, Kiyoshi, and Aisami are in high school, they’ve always had their small circle of friends since junior high, and they were ok with that. They’ve all made memories together, some good, some bad, but that never separated them from each other.
In current times, the year is 2087, and humanity has overcome most of the global problems, hunger, homelessness, and they’ve found cures to most diseases;, and technology has developed significantly at a rapid pace. However, this does not mean world peace has been established…... . .
Makoto and his two friends are now in High School, still sharing their lives together, with no sign of their friendship triangle ending any time soon. Makoto had grown quite tall;, however, that shy, low self esteem kid was still showing through. Kiyoshi has grown to be quite academically talented;, he tries to brush it off, but he’s seen mostly as a student with a bright future. As for Aisami, once she entered high school, a lot of boys paid a lot of attention to her, but she chose to stay close to her two close friends, not really wanting that popularity. Their lives in high school seemed to start off well for the three of them, but what would be able to stop their ordinary lives?...
