“All rise. Bow.”
I made it through another day.
It has been about two months since I enrolled in this school. Every day is a mechanical routine, a repetitive task of simply showing up.
I don't have friends... Well, I do. But I also don't.
I have friends back in my hometown. We still keep in touch.
So, where exactly am I now?
I left my hometown to live on my own. My aunt—my mother’s older sister—lives in this town, but I don't contact her unless there’s a specific reason to.
Back in middle school, I was involved in a violent incident.
That said, I don’t believe I did anything wrong in the slightest. I did what I did because it was the only way to pay them back for the sadness they caused my childhood friend.
But after that, I became an outcast in my class.
It wasn’t that I was being bullied; it was just that everyone avoided me. My friends, and even my childhood friend.
I decided to leave my hometown and chose a high school in a different prefecture. My parents only agreed on the condition that I live in this town near my aunt. I managed to pass the entrance exams and enrolled.
And that brings me to the present.
I had intended to do things right here. No one knows about my middle school years, so I thought I could just lead a normal high school life.
But luck wasn't on my side.
In my class, there are idiots whose maturity stopped developing somewhere back in middle school. It’s as if the same crowd from my old school followed me here and ended up in the same room.
To be honest, I’m disappointed.
Eventually, as those guys grew louder and more obnoxious, the rest of the class began falling in line, yielding to the loudest voices just to keep the peace.
I’m not eccentric enough to waste my time on fools, and seeing them only reminded me of the things I wanted to forget about middle school. Eventually, I just stopped interacting with everyone altogether.
Before I knew it, I was isolated again.
Then, one day, I found a letter in my shoe box.
It was so cliché that I suspected a prank, but I headed to the rooftop just in case.
The result... well, you already know.
Since then, nothing has really happened. I’m not being bullied. If I felt like I was, I wouldn't just take it lying down. I’m simply being ignored and left alone.
I moved all this way just to forget that feeling, and yet, here I am again.
Am I simply destined to be alone?
Fine. If that’s the case, I’ll embrace it.
I decided that, while at school, I wouldn’t interfere with anyone of my own accord.
That “of my own accord” was a bit of half-heartedness on my part. Deep down, the truth was that I didn’t want to give up on the hope that someone would eventually appear—someone who would understand me, who would accept me.
After school, I was watering the flowerbeds.
It started when I first visited this spot; I couldn't bear to see the plants wilting, so I gave them some water. I pull the weeds once in a while, too. I have plenty of time to kill, after all.
I don’t come every day, but I’m here about once every two or three days. It seems someone else has been looking after them as well; the weeds I’d pulled were neatly cleared away.
I used the hose with a spray attachment to water them, deciding that would be enough for today.
Today didn’t end with just that bit of trouble at school.
On the way home, I happened to find a wallet. Naturally, I took it straight to the police box. I’ve lost my wallet before and know how much of a nightmare it is, so I know how grateful the owner will be to get it back.
I suppose that's the kind of thing you can't truly understand unless you've experienced it yourself.
I really have to wonder what’s going on today.
As I reached the stairs of the shrine where I occasionally go to pray, I saw an old woman sitting on the steps.
Even though I could see her clearly, it felt wrong to just walk past. It was probably just paranoia, but the moment I stopped to look, I felt like the eyes of every passerby were demanding to know why I wasn't helping her.
In the end, I couldn't just leave her there, so I spoke up.
“Are you all right, ma'am?”
“Yes, I just have quite a lot of bags, so I’m taking a short rest.”
I looked at the luggage beside her. She had several shopping bags, and they looked heavy.
“Where do you live?”
“The shrine at the top of these stairs.”
So she was from the shrine. In that case, carrying them to the house at the top wouldn’t be much trouble.
“I’ll carry your bags for you. Are you ready to walk?”
“Oh no, no. I’ll be fine after another moment of rest.”
I expected her to decline out of politeness.
“I was planning to head up to pray anyway, so it’s on my way. Don’t worry about it.”
I hadn’t actually planned on visiting today, but I do come here occasionally, so I figured I might as well.
The old woman hesitated for a moment.
“I’m sorry to trouble you... Could I ask you to do that, then?”
“Sure. I’ll take the bags. Take your time coming up.”
In situations like this, it’s faster to just grab the bags before they can keep apologizing. I gathered all the bags and started up the stairs, leaving her behind.
Once I reached the top, I waited for her to catch up, then headed toward the main residence. I waited at the entrance for a few moments until she arrived.
“I’m so sorry for making you carry everything...”
“It was no problem. I’ll leave them here for you. Goodbye.”
“Oh—”
I noticed she was about to say something else, but I wasn't looking for a reward or a thank-you. I wouldn’t say I did it reluctantly, but it was more out of a compulsive sense of obligation than genuine kindness. I don't really have any "goodness" in me.
I headed straight back down the stairs.
Wait... I forgot to pray. Oh well.