Chapter 3: Day at school

And so, that night i slept like a baby, still thinking about my day with Hina.

I remember that i kept touching my lips more than one time, to make sure that the kiss was real.

*Ring Ring*

The alarm rang, waking me up from my deep sleep.

"Uh… *Yawn* It's morning… already…?" I said, while my arm reached the clock to end the alarm.

After waking up, my first thought was Hina.

I wanted to send her a good morning message.

And so i did.

I picked up the phone and turned it on, but i noticed that she anticipated me.

"Good morning, Kai! Are you ready for today? 😴❤️" The text said.

The strange thing was that the message was sent right when the alarm ringed.

"It's just a coincidence… or she wakes up right when i do." I thought, while scratching my chin a little.

Then, i texted her back.

"Good morning, Hina!❤️"

After that message, i gently put the telephone away to prepare for school , but as soon as i did, Hina's reply came instantly.

"What the…" I said to myself.

I felt happy to know that someone on the other side was worrying about me, but at the same time, I felt a sense of unease tickling my heart.

Despite the unease, I pushed the feeling aside and in the blink of an eye, I was all ready for the school.

I took a look at myself at the mirror and "admired" my beauty.

I passed my hand trough my hair like a model would and i said "you're looking gorgeous today, Kai."

Then, i grabbed my bento and my school bag and walked out.

Today was going to be a good day.

Luckily, no tests or interrogations were supposed to happen in class.

As I stepped outside, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Standing right in front of my house was Hina, her face lighting up as soon as she saw me.

"Hina? What are you doing here?" I asked, completely taken aback.

She smiled warmly. "Well, i walk this street everyday to go school, I don't live far from here, you know…"

The coincidence was uncanny, and a part of me wondered if it was truly just a coincidence.

But seeing her there made me feel an immediate sense of comfort and excitement so i didn't think about it too much.

"Well, t-this is a pleasant surprise," I said, smiling back. "Shall we go to school together then?"

Hina happily nodded and clung to my arm, so she could stay close to me.

It was embarrassing but I liked it.

We looked like a couple, and this only was our third day after we met for the first time.

As we walked to school together, the morning air felt crisp and refreshing.

Our conversation flowed naturally, and I found myself even more drawn to her presence.

Hina had a way of making everything seem brighter, more interesting.

"How did you know where I lived?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

She hesitated for a moment before answering, "I didn't know. It was just a coincidence."

After her reply, i could feel the grip around my arm tightening by a little.

Her answer was vague, but I decided not to press further.

There was something mysterious about Hina, something that intrigued me even more.

When we arrived at school, I noticed a few of my classmates giving us curious glances.

Walking in with Hina felt like stepping into a different world, and I couldn't help but feel a mix of pride and anxiety.

"Thanks for walking with me," I said as we reached the school gate.

"Anytime," she replied with a smile. "I'll see you at lunch?"

"Definitely," I said while my heart was racing with anticipation.

After that, Hina smiled to me and then she lowered her gaze to the floor.

Her smile vanished and got replaced by a void expression.

Her grip around my arm tightened more, way too much.

It was very strong, enough to stop my blood circulation.

"H-Hina?" I said, in confusion.

She then "awakened" from her daydreaming and her body twitched a little while she released my arm.

"S-Sorry… it's just that I don't want to leave you…" she said while looking away.

"Oh… she's so adorable…" I said to myself .

"It's okay, we'll see each other at lunch, right?" I asked , trying to cheer her up.

She smiled at me and nodded.

"Yes, Kai-Kun!" She replied cheerfully. "See you later then." Hina added with another smile before leaving to go to her class.

"She's so beautiful, how something so good could happen to me…?" I kept asking to myself.

Everything about that seemed like a dream , so i pinched my cheeks multiple times to be sure that i wasn't dreaming.

Then, while i was lost in my thought , i felt someone slapping my back.

"Ouch!" I said, while almost falling down.

"Ohoho… someone here got a girlfriend, and more than that, the most popular girl…!" A masculine voice called me out.

I turned my head to see Hiro, my best friend.

With him, there were Yuna, Naomi and Haruto.

This was my little group of nerds friends whom i usually hang out with.

"G-Good morning , guys." I said while blushing.

"Good morning, Cupid!" Haruto said with a playful tone.

"Good morning, Kai." Yuna and Naomi replied with a cold tone of voice.

Their face were disappointed in some ways.

Maybe they didn't expect someone like me to have a girlfriend.

After our little greetings, we headed directly into our classrooms.

Classes that day felt like they dragged on forever.

My mind kept drifting to Hina, making it hard to focus on the lessons.

During lunch, I sat with my usual group of friends for 5 minutes, but even their conversations couldn't pull me out of my thoughts.

"Hey, Kai, you seem distracted," my friend Hiro said, snapping me out of my daydream.

"Yeah, just a lot on my mind," I replied, trying to play it off.

Hiro gave me a knowing look. "Is it about that girl?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, something like that."

After that, i explained my situation with Hina to my friends.

"Oh, so you're not a couple." Yuna said, while friendly laughing at me.

"It's… complicated." I said with a sigh.

"No, you're not a couple." Naomi added.

"Heh? Why do you think that we aren't ?" I asked.

"Well, you didn't even ask her out, and probably you never kissed…" Yuna replied , like she wanted to have some kind of confirmation.

"Well… I… uhm…" I didn't know what to say.

While trying to figure out an answer, i felt a tap on my shoulder.

I heard a loud silence around me.

My friend stopped talking and their expression changed from a normal one to a… strange one.

They looked scared.

I turned my head back to see and I saw Hina.

She had a smile printed upon her face and her eyes were closed in a "friendly" way.

"Kai-Kun, didn't you say that we were going to have lunch together today? I was waiting for you on the rooftop." She said with a sad but menacing tone. "You didn't even see my messages, i was worried." She added.

In her hands, there were two lunch boxes, she made one for me.

"Oh… you're right! I'm sorry, i was with my friends." I tried to justify myself.

"It's okay…" then, Hina looked at them.

It looked like her eyes were burning.

Her expression was filled with disgust, but she still had a smile on her face.

She only bowed to them and said "Excuse us." Before grabbing my arm.

I got up and said "see you later , guys."

Nobody spoke a word.

After that, i went to the rooftop with Hina to have our lunch.

She returned her normal self, the kind and genuine girl that i met the first day.

We kept speaking about lots of things, but she always tried to focus her question on my friends, especially the two girls, Yuna and Naomi.

"So, you also have female friends, don't you?" She asked with a pout.

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?" I asked.

"No… but you see , I'm a… little bit… J-jealous…" she whispered while looking on the floor.

It looked like her body was trembling.

"It's okay to feel jealous, but there's no need. They're only friends… you're the only one for me now. You're special." I said while patting her back.

She calmed down a little and she smiled , but it seemed a menacing smile.

"Thank you for understanding , Kai-Kun…" she replied while getting closer and resting her head on my shoulder.

Then, after our little moment of love, the bel rang and we returned in our classes.

But before parting ways, we decided to go to a Cafè after school.

After what felt like an eternity, the final bell rang.

I gathered my things and headed out, eager to meet Hina again.

As I walked towards the café where we planned to meet, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness.

When I arrived, I saw Hina already there, waiting for me with a smile.

She looked even more beautiful than I remembered, her presence brightening up the entire café.

"Hi, Kai-kun!" she greeted me cheerfully.

"Hi, Hina," I replied, unable to hide my smile. "How was your day at school?"

"It was good, but I couldn't stop thinking about seeing you again," she said, her eyes sparkling with sincerity.

We ordered our drinks and found a cozy corner to sit in.

Conversation flowed easily, just like the day before.

Hina had a way of making me feel comfortable and understood.

We talked about our classes, our interests, and our dreams.

As we chatted, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something special about Hina.

It was as if we were connected in a way that went beyond the ordinary.

"I feel like I've known you for so much longer than just a couple of days," I admitted, looking into her eyes.

"I feel the same way," she said softly, reaching out to hold my hand. "There's something... magical about this."

Her words sent a shiver down my spine, but in a good way.

It was as if she had voiced what I had been feeling all along.

We finished our drinks and decided to take a walk through the nearby park, but another one.

It was called "the park of lovers".

The evening air was cool and refreshing, the perfect backdrop for our conversation.

As we strolled along the path, Hina pointed out different flowers and trees, sharing little stories about them.

"There's a legend about this tree," she said, stopping in front of a large oak. "They say that if you make a wish and tie a ribbon around its branch, your wish will come true."

"Really? Have you ever tried it?" I asked, intrigued.

She nodded. "Once, a long time ago. And it came true."

"Do you have a ribbon with you now?" I asked, feeling a sudden urge to participate in the tradition.

Hina reached into her bag and pulled out a small, red ribbon. "Here, you can have this one."

I took the ribbon from her, feeling its smooth texture between my fingers. "What should I wish for?"

"Anything your heart desires," she said with a smile.

I thought for a moment, then closed my eyes and made my wish.

I tied the ribbon around a low branch, hoping that the legend would hold true.

As we continued our walk, I couldn't help but feel a deeper connection to Hina.

It was as if our paths had crossed for a reason, and I was eager to see where this journey would lead.

The sun began to set, casting a warm, golden glow over the park.

We found a bench and sat down, watching as the sky changed colors.

"Kai," Hina said softly, breaking the comfortable silence. "There's something I need to tell you."

Her tone was serious, and it made my heart race. "What is it?"

"It might seem strange but… I really , really like you…" she said while blushing.

Her words were enough to make my heart stop for a second.

"It's… strange… it's the first time for me to feel something like this…" she said while resting her hands on her heart.

She looked at me with a light in her eyes.

She looked really beautiful.

The dark sky was making everything more beautiful than usual.

After some seconds of silence, Hina asked me:

"Kai-Kun, can… can we be a couple? Can I be your girlfriend ? I… I feel such a deep connection with you… my heart is burning… I think that I can even go mad…" she said, while looking at me with her beautiful eyes.

Her voice was almost a whisper full of love and emotions.

She was 100% sincere, I could feel it.

"Hina… are… are you serious about what you said right now?" I asked, while my heart was racing with all kinds of emotions that a human can feel.

I wanted to be sure that everything that came out from her mouth was real and that i wasn't dreaming.

Hina nodded and replied:

"Yes… i want it. I want you." She said while licking her lower lip.

"Oh… this… this is such a bad situation… I didn't expect something like that…!" That's what I was thinking…

"What should I do ?"

Meanwhile , Hina was looking at me.

Her eyes were still sparkling and she was actually getting closer.

Her lips were partially open and were literally calling out for a deep, passionate kiss.

"Do I have to say yes…? What should I say?"

That was the most difficult decision of my life.