Turn Around

あなたは過去がただの夢だったと信じさせます.

The next day, Mizumi woke up still feeling light-headed, unaware of what happened yesterday. She had woken up on Sakuta's bed. "Ah... where.. am I?"

She looked to her right, and saw a letter on Sakuta's nightstand. She barely read it, as her bad eyesight won't allow it.

Mizumi-san,

I left the apartment to go to school then work. I'll be back at the end of the day. Treat yourself with the food I made for you on the table. Do not go outside. I promise you that I'll be back to treat your wounds.

I'll also ask Mai-san for help. Our friends will help you overcome your pain, because we have dealt with this before you came. There has to be a reason.

It is not your fault that bad luck's intervening with your life. Please keep that in mind.

Best regards,

Sakuta.

"Oh... I did pass out yesterday.. right? Thank you for taking me in." Mizumi said to herself. She then sat to the dining table and ate whatever Sakuta prepared for her.

After a little while, somebody knocked on the door. She looked through the peephole, and saw a blonde with a ponytail. Mizumi seems to remember her, until she realized she was from an idol group named Sweet Bullet.

"Umm? Is someone in here? My sis sent me... Sakuta, I swear if this is nonsense, I'll drop-kick your sorry ass!!" The blonde said.

Mizumi slowly opened the door, which embarrassed the Sweet Bullet member. "Umm... Sakuta-kun.. he just went to school."

"Eh?? Gomenasai! I thought... Sakuta was just messing with me!" The blonde blushed in embarrassment.

Mizumi waved her hands to refuse her apology, because both of them had a slight misunderstanding. "No, no, no, it's okay! It's fine! I understand both you and Sakuta-kun has a beefy relationship!"

Afterwards, Mizumi let her in. "I am very sorry for what happened by the way. I am Nodoka.... Nodoka Toyohama." The blonde idol said.

Mizumi knew there was something familiar with her, but now that she knows her name, it was clear as a daytime sky. "Wait... you're from that idol group! Sweet Bullet– hang on... don't you have a show?"

"No, it's one of those day-off times, both from school and performance." Nodoka said.

She was actually told by Mai to go to Sakuta's apartment to check on her friend, who is Mizumi. Even though they were both acquaintances, it soon grew stronger because of their taste in music.

When it was nighttime, Sakuta returned home, seeing Mizumi and Nodoka get along so easily. "Tadaima!" He said.

"I'm surprised you two did get along so easily." Sakuta said in a monotone voice to both of them, unpacking his bag that he brought from work.

"Oh it's you, Sakuta-kun. How's your relationship with Big Sis? I was told that your friend here has a serious problem." Nodoka replied.

"Ah you know. The whole Adolescence fiasco all over again. And I'm guessing Mai-san sent you over here to watch over her." Sakuta continued.

"Yep! It wasn't that much of a big deal. I had a pretty free schedule, so it was like a day-off." Nodoka confirmed. She then stood up and went to his kitchen to get herself a glass of water.

"So... Mizumi-san... are you okay?" Sakuta asked.

"I'm okay. I feel fine. Nothing happened today, so it's a relief." Mizumi said to him.

It was a perfectly normal day, which was unusual for Mizumi, considering the fact that she always gets all the bad luck. She realized this just now.

"Hang on... nothing happened to me! Whoa, th- this is so unusual!" Mizumi laughed at herself for that matter. Sakuta just looked at her, feeling sympathetic.

"This is like... the first time... that this ever happened to me.. I–" Mizumi couldn't make up her words. A dead silence just filled the entirety of the room.

Then... tears started falling down Sakuta. He couldn't bear to see Mizumi suffering any longer, but seeing her happy again was a pain taken away from his cold heart. He sat down beside her and hugged her tight.

"I've been longing to see that smile again. Don't worry, Mizumi-san. Tomorrow is just another day, but we'll be here to rewrite it for you." Sakuta gently said to her.

Mizumi closed her eyes, thanking him inside her mind.

"This is awesome. This is such... a beautiful thing. The bond that you both hold... it's cool." Nodoka interrupted.

"I ruined the moment, did I?" Nodoka smirked, realizing she had to ruin the moment. Sakuta and Mizumi both nodded at her demurral.

After some time, Mai finally came over to see Mizumi's status. "Ojamashimasu!"

"Hello.. Mai-san. How you've been doing lately?" Sakuta asked her.

"It's been nothing, really. Just work... and work, until you can't anymore." Mai answered, laying her handbag on the dining table.

They all sat down on the couch all crammed up, forcing Sakuta to sit on one of the arm rest.

"So how do we do this? It all feels like deja vu at this point. Do we have a plan? Nah... we don't need a plan." Sakuta babbled.

"We just need to know how do we make her Adolescence Syndrome go away. Well... how did it come to this anyway.. Mizumi-san?" Mai explained.

"Umm... well... it all started when everything was not really going my way. Everything was hell at that point. Then I said to myself, 'I just hope I got all the bad luck so that at some point in the future I can kill myself.' I didn't know it would really come to this." Mizumi said.

"So... you calling me, then me bleeding... was just a symptom of my bad luck coming from you?" Sakuta asked her.

"Well... I do not know... but maybe...? I really did not know what was going on. Everyone soon started turning their backs on me... blaming me for everything. Almost everyday of my life from that day... there's something bad happening to me." Mizumi further told everyone.

"Well... what do you really want in your life right now, if I may ask...?" Nodoka questioned.

"Well... all I wanted right now... is to be happy, but everytime I do, it all just turns into sadness." Mizumi lowered her head and closed her eyes, as she recalls that very unfortunate time.

Sakuta held Mizumi's hands tight. "We will... try and give you the happiness you've deserved... even if it means that we could be in pain.."

"You guys... I–"

"We could ride rollercoasters, we could eat ice cream, we... could just swim at that harbor... the cold one." Sakuta said, but Mizumi tried to refuse his offer.

"Guys... please stop. I certainly have had enough of your efforts. I mean... it just doesn't work. I'm still the same person I falsely wished for." Mizumi whimpered.

"Then... then we'll find a way. We'll surely find one." Sakuta tried to persuade her, but she already made up her mind.

"But–" Before even making another statement, Sakuta interrupted her.

"Please, Mizumi-san! I need you to be fine! Let us solve it... It's just that we haven't tried it enough..." Sakuta already tried to convince her, but there was no other way. He even bowed down in front of her in deep sorrow.

Mai and Nodoka couldn't help but get teary-eyed. Mizumi lifted hopeful Sakuta's head. "It's okay, Sakuta."

Mizumi then stood up. "I just need to face my own problems then. This is what we do, right? I've always ran away from my problems at hand. I think it's time I face it... for good intentions."

"Mizumi-san..." Nodoka murmured.

"Even if it means... that myself... would get hurt. It's my own problem." Mizumi added.

"Mizumi-san... it's your own problem, but please let us help you. It... would also help us fulfill a promise between ourselves." Mai-san requested.

"But... I don't want others to see them get hurt because of me... It's always me the reason– me, me, me!" Mizumi babbled.

"But we also couldn't bear to see you suffer everyday. You're now a big part of our family now, and we always have to look after each other... When someone's in trouble, everyone gets in to solve it." Mai-san stood up.

Mizumi lost balance and fell to the floor, all crying. The tears kept rushing down her pink cheeks, as she tries to brush it off with her hands. Sakuta consoled her, while the rest stared in sympathy.

Here's a thing about her. Mizumi-san... is weak. She tries to control everything on her own... but she needs help from others. She may have cared for everyone else so that's why she carries all her problems all by herself, but that means shutting everyone out of her way just to be complete.

She can do it... but not completely without everyone else's effort, that's why it's our obligation to do so.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Originally created on: Mar. 29, 2021