Kapitel 14: Chapter 14: Sickness Makes You Nostalgic, Doesn't It?
Megumi was resting. It was a perfectly fine Thursday, beautiful weather and everything, yet here she was, resting!
You want to know why?
She was home with the flu. She couldn't believe her luck! Today of all days!
She had stayed up all night with her teacher...only to get sick. She didn't even want to think about her irresponsible aunt. You know what she had to say?!
"Aunt, I'm sick.
"Really? Wow, sucks for you."
"Aunt, I'm sick."
"I heard you the first time."
"Then why aren't you reacting properly?"
"I am reacting properly!"
"You're an adult! Where's the, 'oh, no, are you alright?', or, 'Let me grab some medicine!'...?!"
"Pshh, that much is coddling. Did Gohan cry when Piccolo threw him down to train?! True strength is powering through! If you whine, you'll be weaker than Ciao Tzu during the Saiyans Arc. That's pathetic."
"..."
"W-what's with the silence, your aunt's heart is fragile, say something!"
"Say you're sorry or I'll power through all over your sweater then."
"Nooo! Power through your mom's sweater!"
"So it's fine if it isn't yours?!"
"Mou, I don't want to lose an argument so early in the morning! I'll lose my spirit!"
"How? Anyway, just admit it was your fault! I had to stay up super late because of you yesterday!"
"Hah? That much was normal! It can't be because of me..." Shiori said, averting her eyes. Megumi scoffed. 'Oh really?'
Megumi had listed 20 reasons, about 12 of them being 'because you're you', before Shiori retreated. "What's that? Is that the school bell I hear? Bye!" and Megumi was left raging in her pajamas. Her mom had been the one to put her back to bed.
"Megumi, honestly," she began. "I thought you got a long well enough with my little sister. Why are you picking fights so early in the morning? Hmpfh." she 'hmpfh'ed cutely, and only her obliviousness saved her from the disbelief from her face.
"Did we witness the same scene?!" 'Shiori was clearly the one egging her on!' But her mother shot her a knowing look, and she quieted down.
"Really, don't make me worry. The office is holding a welcome party, so I'll run a bit late. But knowing how reliable you are, I don't have to worry much." she finished putting the fluffy blanket across Megumi - and Megumi, overcome with loneliness, couldn't help but reach a hand across. Her sickness didn't let her. And her mother, reassured by something she didn't understand, smiled wearily before locking the front door.
Again. Like she always did.
A well of emotions threatened to tear down...something. Biting down hard onto the blanket, she withdrew and fell asleep. She'd get over it. Eventually.
_______
Suzuki Shun was many things. He was 178cm tall, 14-years old, a massive nerd on the inside - but he kept that secret, mind you! And newly minted member of the School Council - though, he didn't have a title. All the others seemed to have a title, but hey, he understood. He was the new guy - and if he had to be honest, he wasn't even interested in being a Student Council Member.
It just kind of happened. That, in itself, was scary, but he didn't want to think about it.
He was perfectly okay with the Soccer Club alone...but his fellow Council member, Kouchou Sayuka, sure wasn't. To be honest, he didn't get it. And more than that, he thinks he is just a tiny bit scared of her. Sure, she might be beautiful...but she was bossy and straight-laced. And really, really, strict.
Suzuki shuddered.
'And most importantly', he thought in disbelief. 'Why wouldn't she leave me alone?!'
"I can't believe they won't accept you as a titled member," began Sayuka. Her hair swayed gracefully, her voice serene. The only indication of her anger was the coldness in her eyes. Suzuki paled. The two of them were walking down the hallways during a lesson - Sayuka had dragged him out on Council business. Suzuki was surprised, but the teachers were eerily fine with it.
'She's an upperclassman,' he supposed. 'And a respected member of the Student Council.'
Even so...Suzuki wondered. He couldn't personally expect to do something like obstruct classes willy-nilly the way Sayuka did - at other schools, it just wasn't done. Well, it was a different matter for Shun, he sighed as he clutched his neck.
"It's okay, he began. "I'm new and inexperienced. It's only fair."
"Besides," he laughed, "I think I'd just mess up paperwork. Having such a clumsy kouhai would be more trouble than it's worth, don't you agree, Sayuka-san?" he said.
"..."
He turned to her. "Are, Sayuka-san? What's wrong?"
Sayuka took a little too long to answer. "A-ah, yes! No, Suzuki-kun, I believe you are more than capable for the position! Way more than Igarashi, that's for sure...In any case, please don't worry. I shall make the teachers to reconsider their foolish decision."
'Um? What did I just hear?' thought Suzuki, as he fought to maintain his smile.
But he reasoned that must've just been the wind. Because there was no way that such a princess-like, well-put-together young girl like Kouchou Sayuka could suggest threatening teachers. Taking a brief glance at her face, he suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. It was true. That crazy line he just heard had been the truth.
The threatening sheen in her eyes was the reason that Suzuki feared this girl. 'Why is this so important to you?!' he wanted to say, but couldn't. Something like threatening teachers...it was too much!
It was times like these that Suzuki Shun found himself thinking back to simpler times...back when the world made sense.
Back before he transfered, he had looked different. He was much more of a troublemaker.
It was a known story. At every kindergarten, there was always that type. The troublesome student. The former him - careless, disrespectful and cruel - was recklessly ruining the everyday lives of everyone he met. Looking back at it now, it seemed so silly.
But the truth was, he was just acting out. No one at home would take him seriously. His mother was obsessing over his older sister, Ayaka's violin future, and barely acknowledged him. Whenever he would ask for her attention, no matter how obedient and docile, he would be treated badly. Very badly.
"Agh, what do you want? Do you think the shelves are just decoration? Eat something and go away!"
And she would always say, "I'm better than other moms. You know better than to question me!"
It was only later, when all the drama had died down, that his father had apologized and told him the truth. That that woman wasn't his real mother, but simply someone he owed a lot to. That she had an older daughter and she needed a roof over her head. That, since his own mother had died in childbirth, he was willing to shoulder coldness and shame so long as Shun had a real mother growing up.
Seeing his father so vulnerable, young Shun made a choice. Usually, children would clam up and take anything, so long as their parent would be happy. But Shun was different. He was a fundamentally selfish boy.
So he told the truth. He watched as his father, a really stoic man, shook and blistered in anger. He didn't know. He really didn't know about Mother.
And if Mother hadn't told him, then that meant she was lying all along. That she could be questioned.
That Shun hadn't been a bad person.
Embroiled in emotions so tangled he could barely breathe, it was then...that he met Megumi - a breath of fresh air. A light that shone without break. His best friend.
He did everything with her. They, along with the others in their group, went on adventures. They saw beetles in the forests. They raced to the ocean to play. They had fun. If the current Suzuki Shun had to be honest, then that time was probably the most fun he'd ever had in his life. It was a moment of wonder amidst darkness and loathing. When he was with her, he was playing freely. A memory of happiness.
Which was why he didn't understand what was happening with his old friend Megumi. His father had switched jobs once again, and this time he was offered a major promotion at a high-ranking company. The only problem was, it was in a new city - a much smaller one, too! Shun was frustrated, but he also wished for a change...secretly.
So he pushed and dedicated that final year to train. He wanted to be like his role model Shimobe Dan - a master football player at the age of 16. He wanted to be accepted into the high leagues of the football world - to play on that scene not only inside his dreams but in real life too. He had to take that chance.
But how could that ever work, if he was still his pudgy, dorky self?
"But you're adorable!" would Ayaka, his not-really sister say.
"I don't want to be adorable," he'd counter. "I want to be cool! And manly! But most of all super-cool!"
"That just makes you more adorable!" she'd squeal and he'd sigh in frustration. And then like clockwork, his dad would come home from work and say the same thing that Ayaka did, only in that old-man way. Hey, it was his dad, he was allowed to say that much!
"Ayaka-chan is right, Shun. You don't need something like looks. You're perfectly...what was that word? Adorable, just the way you are."
Ayaka had infected him, he was sure. There was no way that stiff old man would say cute things like that before! But after Ayaka's mom went to jail after everything, she lived with them full-time. And Suzuki was afraid of making her feel like he didn't appreciate her. He knew she was struggling after...that. So he said nothing.
'I'll show them, they'll be so shocked!', he thought as he worked out at the local gym.
'I'll become so cool, you won't even know!' and he continued.
And he did, "show them". By which he posed triumphantly and they both burst out laughing. The thing with family was, they had seen you through your good times...but also during your lame times. There was no way they could see you in any other way. Massaging a damaged pride, Shun bitterly bit into an orange and let that be that. No matter what they did, he loved them both anyway.
A little bit happened after that - Dad's young girlfriend became his new Mother - which was strange, to say the least. He gained a little sister, Nana-chan - who was, despite her cuteness, more feral than human (he remembered all the scratches he got as a 'welcome gift'.)
And he finally set foot on his new home - a little city to the North named Neruma. The next week, his father's transfer had been finalized, and they were good to go. And a little later, he was finally able to attend school! It will just be a little longer, he thought. Shun was tired of this! He just wanted to feel normalcy again.
'Transfers', Shun shuddered. 'They were the worst!'
So who could have known that he'd find his savior again? Wholly unrecognizable, but still, it was her! He was still in disbelief.
He yawned as he traversed the street, his blonde hair shimmering in the sun-light. He had seen a barber across the street and got his hair done professionally - whatever that meant. He just wanted to get home already.
It was then that he moved his feet towards his house. Bored out of his mind, he walked towards his house, before noticing a nostalgic color in his peripheral. Turning slightly, he came face-to-face with his long-time childhood friend. He could barely believe it!
It was her.
Who could have ever foreseen the storm that was coming?
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