About

On the day of the high school entrance ceremony, I was standing in the corridor watching cherry blossom petals fall. A boy from the same class approached me and said, "I absolutely hate who you are right now..." I was devastated. We had just met, yet he told me he hated me. I had no memory of him at all. However, that boy—Shalnark—was actually in my class back in elementary school. My parents divorced midway through, and I moved away... that's why I didn't remember him. Why did Shalnark say he hated me? It's because the high school version of me wears a mask and hides my true feelings. In elementary school, I always said exactly what was on my mind. But one day, I saw a girl stealing a bright-colored pen from a friend (Shalnark). I told her, "You shouldn't steal people's things!" but she suddenly burst into tears. Everyone in class looked at me like I was the villain, and from then on, I was shunned. I started wearing a mask in my second year of middle school. I had a cold and wore one to school; for the first time, I felt like I could breathe properly. Since then, I've worn a mask every day and stopped saying what I think. Instead, I decided to become the "perfect student" that everyone likes. That was the start of me hiding my true self. Shalnark cherishes you and loves you. It's because of the words you said to him in elementary school that gave him courage: "Say what's on your mind!" Back then, he thought your smile looked so happy and beautiful...