The sun was high, and everything felt perfect. I was running through the yard, the grass cool beneath my feet, and the wind rushing past me like I was meant to be out there. My friends were trailing behind, shouting my name, but they couldn't catch up. It wasn't because I was faster, it was just one of those days where everything clicked, where running felt like flying. I grinned, the kind of grin that only a kid can have, the one that says,
"I don't care about anything except right now."
From the kitchen, I heard my mom's voice calling me inside.
"Kiyoshi, dinner's ready!"
The smell of food drifted out, warm and familiar, like home. My stomach growled, and I reluctantly slowed down, but not without one last joyful sprint toward the house.
Inside, the table was already set, my dad cracking a joke, his voice light as he gestured to something on TV. Mom was putting the finishing touches on dinner, the sounds of her humming mixing with the clinking of plates and silverware. It felt like one of those rare moments in life where everything just… fit. We all sat down together, the noise of our forks and knives becoming its own kind of music.
Dinner wasn't anything extraordinary, but it didn't need to be. We talked about our day in that easy way that families do—nothing too deep, just small talk about what happened at work, what I learned in school, and the usual back-and-forth. Everything was normal.
Everything was right. And for a moment, I could almost imagine that it would always be this simple, that life would always feel this good.
The next morning, I woke up early, the sun already streaming in through the window, and it felt like the world was ready for another perfect day. I rubbed my eyes and stretched, the familiar light spilling across the room like it had done a thousand times before. I wasn't tired at all, just excited for the day. It was the kind of day that felt made for running, for laughing with friends, for feeling like you could do anything.
I jumped out of bed, threw on my school uniform, and bounded downstairs. My parents were already up. My dad was reading the newspaper, and mom was in the kitchen, humming as she made breakfast. It was all so... normal, in the best way. The smell of toast filled the air, and I grabbed a slice on my way out the door.
"Have a good day, Kiyoshi!"
Mom called after me as I rushed out. My dad waved from the living room, his usual smile on his face.
I made my way to school, my shoes tapping on the pavement with a steady rhythm, and everything felt light, like nothing could go wrong. I joined up with my friends at the school gate, our usual chatter filling the air. It wasn't just any day.... it felt like the kind of day where you could run all the way to the moon if you tried.
But then... something changed.
I'm not sure when, exactly. It was subtle at first, like a shift in the air. I was sitting in class, listening to the teacher drone on about something I wasn't really paying attention to, when I noticed her.
She wasn't someone I knew, but there was something about her that made everything feel suddenly... off. She wasn't standing out in any obvious way, but I couldn't take my eyes off her. Something about the way she moved, the way she carried herself, felt different. And as I watched, my heart began to race, just a little bit faster than usual. I shook my head, trying to shake off the feeling, but it didn't work.
The bell rang, and everyone scrambled to leave the classroom, but I stayed behind, just staring. There was something unsettling about her presence, something I couldn't quite place. Then, just like that, I was somewhere else.
I don't know how it happened, but suddenly, everything felt wrong. The school, the sun, the laughter... it was all gone. Instead, the world was dark, almost suffocating, and I felt a weight in my chest, something heavy pressing down on me. I couldn't move.
The girl was still there, but now she wasn't just a stranger in the hallway. She was closer... right in front of me, staring at me with eyes that seemed to pierce right through me.
And then the voice came, cutting through the silence like a blade.
"Why?" she whispered, her voice full of anger, hurt. "How could you do this?"
I tried to speak, but nothing came out. My throat felt tight, like I couldn't breathe, and the world around me seemed to close in.
"Why did you ruin everything?"
She continued, the words echoing in the air, sharp and bitter.
"You don't deserve anything! Just go away! I don't want to see you!"
The ground beneath me seemed to crumble away, and I felt myself falling, deeper and deeper into the darkness. But I couldn't stop. No matter how hard I tried to scream, nothing happened. I was falling, with her eyes following me, her words ringing in my ears, and all I could feel was dread.
I woke up with a start, my heart pounding in my chest, the remnants of the nightmare clinging to me like a cold sweat. The room was dark, but the familiar shapes of my bedroom brought me back to reality. I was awake, and it was morning.
But the feeling..the unease, the fear...lingered, and I couldn't shake it. I sat up in bed, staring at the walls, trying to make sense of what had just happened. It felt like I'd been pulled into something I couldn't escape.
But it was just a dream, right?
Right!?
The bell rang, and I stayed in my seat for a few extra seconds, letting the classroom clear out around me. It wasn't that I was in a hurry to leave. Honestly, I just needed a moment to collect myself. The nightmare still felt fresh, lingering in the back of my mind. It was the kind of thing that sticks with you, like a song you can't get out of your head. But there wasn't much I could do about it now.
Classes were over.
Time to move on.
Before I could shake off my thoughts, I felt a sudden smack on my shoulder, and I jolted, almost knocking my pencil off the desk.
"Yo, Kiyoshi! You good?"
Haruto's voice was loud and cheerful, cutting through the fog of my thoughts. He stood there, grinning like he'd just won some kind of victory.
Haruto, my one real friend. The guy with more energy than I could ever dream of having, always making noise and dragging me into stuff I didn't really care about. He was the complete opposite of me. The baseball star, the guy who seemed to get everything he wanted, while I was the quiet, reserved guy who kept to myself.
But somehow, we clicked. Go figure.
"Hey, no baseball practice today. Want to hit the roof?"
Haruto didn't even wait for an answer, already turning toward the door.
I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts.
"Uh… sure."
It wasn't like I had anything better to do. Plus, the roof was a good place to get some fresh air and clear my head. I followed him up, the cool breeze hitting me the moment we stepped outside. It was a nice change from the usual stuffy classrooms.
Haruto, of course, wasted no time throwing himself dramatically on the ground, lying back like he was on some vacation.
"Man, it's so nice to get away from all the studying and stuff, right?"
He grinned, staring up at the sky like he had all the time in the world.
"Hey, Kiyoshi, you ever thought about love?"
I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic.
"What?"
"Love, man! You know, that feeling when everything just clicks?"
He waved his hand around dramatically, like he was giving a speech.
"When you meet someone and suddenly, you don't care about anything else? Your heart's all, like, in your throat, and you get butterflies every time you see them."
I stared at him, my expression probably a little blank.
"You're really getting into this, huh?"
Haruto sat up, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Of course! I'm just trying to help a guy out."
Then he started doing some weird imitation of a "romantic" gesture, like he was acting in some cheesy movie.
"You gotta be mysterious, write her poems, whisper sweet nothings—trust me, that's how you win her over."
I sighed, feeling the awkwardness creeping in.
"Yeah, I'll... keep that in mind."
But Haruto didn't seem to notice my discomfort, continuing on with his nonsense. It was like he didn't have a care in the world, always talking about love and relationships like it was some game he could win with enough effort. I didn't know what to think about all of that.
Me? Love wasn't something I really had the time to think about.
But then, the conversation took a turn.
"I mean, someday I'll meet a girl,"
Haruto said casually, glancing down at the courtyard below.
"She'll be beautiful, popular… and single, of course."
His voice dropped into this dramatic tone, like he was picturing it in his mind.
"Can you imagine a girl like that, Kiyoshi? She'd be the one to make all the other guys jealous."
I followed his gaze and looked down at the courtyard. And there she was. The girl he was talking about. She was everything Haruto described... confident, beautiful, the kind of girl who made everyone look twice. She walked with that confidence that said she knew everyone was watching.
For a moment, I felt my heart skip. Yeah, I guess I could imagine what it'd be like to be with someone like that.
But Haruto kept talking, oblivious.
"Man, if I could date someone like her… I'd probably have to fight off the whole school. She's got that look, you know? Hot and single, ready to mingle!"
I felt this weird knot in my stomach, an uncomfortable tightness. I glanced at Haruto, whose eyes were practically sparkling with excitement. It was strange, but something about his enthusiasm was rubbing me the wrong way. I turned back to the girl, my stomach twisting again, and then Haruto's voice broke through my thoughts.
"Kiyoshi, someone like her would never even look at a guy like you, right?"
The words hit me harder than I expected. My chest tightened, and I just nodded slowly, not trusting myself to say anything. He didn't even seem to notice the shift, too caught up in his rambling about "dream girls" and how they could be the center of every guy's attention. I wasn't even sure if I cared about all that stuff.
I mumbled, more to myself than to him,
"Man, I don't know what you're talking about. Love's just... not something I have time for."
But as Haruto kept talking, I realized something. As much as I felt like I didn't belong in these kinds of conversations, Haruto was always there. He was the one who pulled me out of my own head, kept me grounded. Even if he was clueless about the darker stuff I dealt with, even if he didn't understand everything, he was here. That was something.
The wind picked up again, and I closed my eyes for a second, just letting it hit my face. Maybe, just for today, I could forget about the nightmares, the weight of everything that kept me up at night. Maybe I could just breathe for a moment.
Maybe I could enjoy this... just sitting here with a friend who actually cared, even if he didn't get it.