Chapter 11: Curtain Call for the Romantic Comedy
As soon as Kyoko stepped out of the dormitory, she saw the boy pacing under a tree.
“Yo!”
“Kyoko!” The boy’s face lit up as he called out her name.
He had been waiting for what felt like an eternity, convinced that this was just another one of Kosan’s elaborate pranks.
But it wasn’t…
‘Sorry for doubting you, Kosan,’ he thought, a wave of gratitude washing over him as he walked towards Kyoko, who was looking at him with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension.
“Yo, have you been waiting long?”
“N-no, not really.”
“…”
“…”
The two stood there, gazing at each other, a comfortable silence settling between them.
“I heard you wanted to talk to me,” Kyoko said, her voice barely a whisper.
Seeing the hope in her eyes, the boy nodded.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Kyoko.”
A cold wind whipped around them, but the boy felt his cheeks burning.
“I… I’ve always had this girl I cared about,” he began, his voice gaining strength as he spoke.
“She’s responsible, kind, and…”
Kyoko blushed, her heart pounding in her chest.
“But lately, she’s changed.”
The boy paused, his voice laced with sadness. “For some reason, she’s lost her smile.”
Kyoko opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, unsure what to say.
“I realized then… that I had lost something precious.”
“Yo…” Kyoko’s eyes softened.
“I wanted to do something for her, but I didn’t know what.”
“Thankfully… someone pointed me in the right direction.”
He nodded towards Kosan, who had emerged from the dormitory and was hiding behind another tree, watching them with a mischievous grin.
‘Not bad, Yo, not bad at all,’ she thought, giving him a thumbs-up.
“It turns out… I was the clueless one all along.”
The boy gazed at Kyoko, his eyes filled with warmth.
“I like you, Kyoko.”
“I… I like you too.”
Tears welled up in Kyoko’s eyes as a wide smile spread across her face.
“Yo…”
“Kyoko…”
They moved closer, about to share a tender moment, when Kosan, unable to contain herself any longer, let out a piercing shriek.
“Reeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
“What?!”
“What was that?!”
The earsplitting scream echoed through the dormitory, jolting the couple apart.
“Come look, everyone! Kyoko’s about to do something naughty!”
The next moment, the other students, alerted by Kosan’s well-timed interruption, poured out of the dormitory, their faces a mixture of curiosity and amusement.
“Wow, Yo, you’re a bold one!” A girl with sparkling eyes exclaimed.
“Kyoko, you have terrible taste! That scrawny little runt?” A jealous boy scoffed.
“Nice one, buddy!” Yo’s roommate nudged him, grinning.
“Glad I stayed up late for this,” a girl yawned.
Kyoko and Yo stood there, frozen in the spotlight, surrounded by their classmates.
After a moment of stunned silence, Kyoko snapped.
“Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!”
“Kosan, I’m going to kill you!”
(And thus, the romantic comedy came to an abrupt end.)
……………………………………………………..
Thanks to Kosan’s well-timed interruption, Kyoko and Yo’s relationship remained somewhat awkward.
Instead of becoming inseparable lovebirds, they returned to their usual routine.
Well, not entirely.
“Here you go, Kyoko.” The boy placed a bowl of food on her table.
“Thank you, Yo.” Kyoko mumbled, blushing.
“Hee hee.” The boy grinned sheepishly.
“Get a room, you two!” Kosan groaned, rolling her eyes.
“Go eat somewhere else,” Kyoko said, glaring at the uninvited guest as if she were something unpleasant.
“Ouch! Is that how you treat your matchmaker?” Kosan feigned hurt.
“You? My matchmaker?” Kyoko scoffed.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“…”
Bubbles, watching their interaction, giggled happily.
She was glad things had turned out this way. When she first arrived, she had been filled with anxiety.
Compared to the familiar orphanage, Private Cherry Blossom Elementary School was a completely unknown world.
She didn’t know what kind of people she would meet, how she would be treated… everything was uncertain.
But it had all turned out better than she could have imagined.
A kind teacher, friendly classmates, a caring class president, a mischievous deskmate…
Bubbles loved it here. She cherished every day.
‘It’s so much fun being with everyone. I wish I could stay here forever,’ she thought.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Spring arrived, chasing away the winter chill. Bubbles had been at Private Cherry Blossom Elementary School for three months now.
She had learned so much: basic arithmetic, the fact that the Federation was a multi-ethnic nation…
And most importantly, she had finally learned to write.
After school, while her classmates were back in the dormitory, enjoying their favorite TV shows, Bubbles stayed behind in the classroom.
With Ms. Eve’s encouragement, she concentrated all her effort into writing her name, the characters wobbly and uneven.
“Bub-bles.” Ms. Eve smiled, her heart swelling with pride as she looked at the two characters scrawled on the page.
Bubbles had started with almost no foundation, unable to read or write.
Knowing this, Ms. Eve had dedicated an hour each day after school to tutoring her.
“You’re a fast learner, Bubbles,” Ms. Eve praised.
Bubbles beamed, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. She was proud of herself too.
“You’re doing so well, Bubbles. In a few years, you’ll be ready for a better school.”
Bubbles’ face fell. “But Ms. Eve, I don’t want to go anywhere else. I like it here.”
“Silly girl, you haven’t been to other schools.”
“There are more friends to make, more teachers to learn from…” Ms. Eve tried to reason with her, hoping to motivate her.
“The cafeteria is bigger, and they have meat every day.”
“They have more snacks.”
“The beds in the dorms are softer…”
“No! No! Bubbles doesn’t want to leave!” Bubbles shook her head vehemently.
“Are you afraid of making new friends? Don’t worry, you’re such a sweet girl, everyone will love you.”
“No!”
“Then… are you worried about falling behind? About not being able to keep up with the other students?” Ms. Eve pointed at herself. “You have to trust me, Bubbles.”
“No! No!”
Bubbles was unusually stubborn. “I just don’t want to go!”
“…” Ms. Eve was confused.
Bubbles looked at her, her expression serious. “No matter how good other places are, if Ms. Eve and everyone else aren’t there, Bubbles doesn’t want to go!”
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