"It's amazing!"
My eyes widen as I take in the grandeur of the high school building, struck by how much the Japanese government has invested in order to breed the next generation of taxpayers.
The building itself has a modern and minimalistic design. Its wide entrance is flanked by a sleek beige concrete arch that reflects sunlight, casting a warm, inviting glow.
On either side of the corridor, smooth walls draw my attention inward. As I walk closer, I notice how the layout opens up into a large courtyard that leads to the main building, which is a big, rectangular block stretching back several floors.
Towering windows punctuate every floor, flooding the interior with daylight so bright you could practically charge your phone off the atmosphere.
Forget the architecture, what really grabs me (aside from those scandalously short skirts that'd put even a nun into cardiac arrest) are the sakura petals pirouetting through the air, drifting gently from the clusters of cherry blossom trees framing the main pathway.
"Whoa!" I gasp, stretching out my hand to capture one of the feisty petals dancing in front of my nose, just before it flits out of reach.
"Even flowers fall for me! Must be my tragic hero aura or something." I quip, tucking the vanishingly light petal between my fingers. It's so weightless it almost dissolves in my palm, leaving only a faint, velvety kiss on my fingertips.
"Aha!" I hold the petal aloft like some priceless relic.
Any second now... (Universe, you owe me this much). A gorgeous and aloof tsun~tsun waifu will appear, and we'll trade witty banter under these cascading cherry blossoms, just like in every classic rom-com anime plot. Right? ...Right?
Hold on.
A flash of memory hits me—there she is: the blue-haired girl on the bus who slipped past me like water and snagged that seat while I was busy ogling her skirt.
I didn't catch much of her face—too mesmerized by that perfect swoosh of her panties—but I remember thinking, Damn, she's cute. And the best part? She didn't even spare me a second glance.
This is it. I've hit the motherlode of rom-com clichés. Bingo!
I freeze mid-step, heart hammering as my brain scrambles for a plan.
Should I drop a smirking accusation? Or perhaps break into a ridiculous bird-dance?
Anyway, before I can settle on anything, my mouth has other ideas. I spin around like a disco ball mid-party, nearly tripping over my own feet, arms wide and grinning from ear to ear, fully expecting her to materialize before me.
"GIRL WHO STOLE MY SEAT! YOUR DEBT WILL BE PAID IN DATES!" I bellow, arms outstretched like Christ the Redeemer statue, my voice booming through the courtyard like a preacher in a grand cathedral.
But she never shows up. All I get is the soft rustle of petals in the breeze and the distant murmur of students filing through the gate, every pair of eyes subtly (or not so subtly) glued to me.
Sigh. Welp, no waifu this time.
Congrats! You've just unlocked a new achievement: Public Humiliation.
Before I can even pinpoint their faces, whispers sneak up behind me. Two students have stopped just out of arm's reach:
A tall boy wearing glasses leans in. "Who's that weirdo?"
"Dunno—but I'm not sticking around to find out." Responds the other, a short-haired girl clutching a book.
Their whispers trail off as they hurry past, their footsteps fading faster than my dignity... and my will to live.
I cast them a nonchalant glare, then pivot and stride toward the school entrance, putting as much distance between me and Public Humiliation Plaza as possible.
The fragile petal I was clutching drifts from my fingers, caught in a playful gust that carries it off toward who-knows-where, a silent reminder that even the most perfect moments slip through your grasp. I clench my fist around empty air as a hollow ache settles in my chest.
Shaking off the melancholy, I straighten my shoulders and step through the grand entrance, leaving the fallen petal behind.