Chapter 3: Unveiling a Hidden Heart

Sunlight filtered through the windows, casting warm rays across Kyoto's room as morning broke in Tokyo. The gentle twittering of birds filled the air, a soothing contrast to the buzzing of Kyoto's seven o'clock alarm, which blared heavy metal music. With a swift movement, she silenced it to avoid alarming her mother that chaos had erupted in her sanctuary.

The day began with routine precision. Teeth brushed, bath taken, she descended to an empty dining table, a solitary figure against the backdrop of a bustling city. The absence of her mother was a familiar reminder of their parallel lives, her mother had left home for work. Without pause, Kyoto embarked on her journey to school, a path she treaded without hesitation, determined to avoid tardiness.

Upon reaching school, Kyoto confronted her locker, an enigmatic vessel containing the latest chapter in her ongoing saga with a secret admirer. Her fingers delicately extracted the carefully placed love note, a gesture often repeated by her secret admirer for the last one year. Inwardly, she smirked at the thought of his nervousness, fervently hoping he'd remain too scared and refrain from confronting her and plunging into her realm of isolation.

Alas, luck chose to avert its gaze that day. The note's content struck a chord: "Dear Kyoto, I know you have been wondering who puts the fresh cherry blossoms in your locker every morning, along with the love notes." The unbidden response formed within her mind, a cynical whisper of, "Ummm, no I wasn't..." Yet, the note's next words danced before her eyes, "Well, today is the day when I meet you in person. Meet me at the fifth table in the dining hall today after school my sweet, sweet Kyoto."

Her disdain for the situation grew tangible. The fragments of the note crumpled under her hands, a proxy for her conflicted emotions. Her outward demeanor was that of sympathy and disgust. However, a mental echo of her mother's advice resounded, urging her to rectify her social shortcomings lest she remain shackled to the cycle of therapy sessions with Dr. Himoto.

A chuckle escaped her lips, in response to her own thoughts. "I guess its time to venture into the wild world of romance before I turn fifty and reside in a mansion overflowing with forty feline companions," she mused, sardonically extending her inner monologue.

Kyoto moved to her first class of the day, where she meets her annoying seatmate who always smells like boiled fish because he keeps sardines wrapped with bread in his pocket in case, he gets hungry in class. "Kyoto," he calls out her name as their eyes meet. "Sardine boy," she also called out his name, showing him a firm stink eye. "I see today the gates of hell failed to keep one of their demons on a leash," Sardine boy says to Kyoto with a sly grin. "And I see the amoeba king finally found his way out of the trash-can," Kyoto retorts Sardine boys taunts. "Good one, Kyoto, or should I say the lamest witch in the history of witchcraft practitioners," he playfully fires back. "Ah, Sardine boy, the prodigal pocket sardine carrier has returned," Kyoto quips, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Enough of your childishness, Sardine boy. The teacher will be here in five minutes," Kyoto says as she turns her face away, unable to hide a grin, leaving Sardine boy chuckling in her wake.

As the day progressed, the pendulum of time swung toward the moment of revelation. The dismissal bell rang, and Kyoto's steps carried her to her secret admirer, Izuru, stationed at his locker. Trying to prove she always knew it was him she said, "Ok, cut to the chase, Izuru. I know it's you." His confusion was a façade, and his response veiled in ambiguity. "I do not know what you are talking about, Kyoto," he feigned.

Exasperation gripped her, a surge of vocal indignation propelling her to assert, "Don't play games with me, pretty boy. I know you are my secret admirer." A glint of admiration shone in his eyes, mingled with an admission of flattery "kyoto I know I'm really hot stuff but I'm not your secret admirer. however, I'm flattered though". Kyoto's eyes widened, disbelief etched upon her features. "It's not you?" she queried, revealing her surprise. In return, his voice dripped with bewilderment, "No, it's not me."

"so why do you look at me every morning when I close my locker?" Kyoto enquired. However, his laughter in response to Kyoto's inquiry held a key to his true motivations. "Because you are always looking sleep deprived, and I was worried about you," his admission wove a thread of intrigue.

Realization soon struck Kyoto like a gentle gust of wind, altering the trajectory of her thoughts. Her actual secret admirer beckoned, and the layers of the situation peeled away, revealing her vulnerability. "so why did I waste my time on a lump head like you?" teasing Izuru, she set her course for the dining hall raising her shoulders and spreading her legs as she walked, leaving behind a puzzled Izuru, grappling with the riddle he had unintentionally woven.

In the dining hall, Kyoto orchestrated a theatrical entrance, a playful masquerade "it is I Kyoto your one true love" as she blows the door open. Yet, her dramatic crescendo dissolved into stunned silence. Seated upon the table was not the dreamy figure she had envisioned, but rather, her nemesis. Sardine boy, adorned in a clown costume, a striking red nose adorning his visage. A twist neither she nor her audience had foreseen.

His laughter resonated like an applause, a cacophony celebrating the unveiling of his spectacle. He embodied the persona of a supervillain, triumphant in his display. In his wake, Kyoto's world crumbled, replaced by disbelief. Her knees buckled, and she found herself kneeling, uttering incredulous words, "Oh my God, you have got to be kidding me."

And so, he takes his exit after seeing through this bizarre act, leaving Kyoto to grapple with the aftermath. She bore the weight of her vulnerability, an unspoken hurt nestled within her. The scene's conclusion marked the beginning of a new chapter in her story, one laced with the desire for genuine connection amidst the backdrop of her parallel life.