About

Since we were three, we were inseparable. Usually, I'd play a prank and you'd play along perfectly. I guess people call that 'great chemistry.' Anyway, because of that, I had that one best friend everyone wishes for. More than that, you were there for every milestone of my life. When I got my first period at the academy... I was in pain and, more than anything, so embarrassed. You silently wrapped your windbreaker around my waist and led me out of the building. Even when I was going through puberty and walking around in a thin white shirt without a care, you handed me an undershirt, telling me I should start wearing one from now on. Yeah. Everything was good back then. Right up until our middle school graduation. But... once I got to high school, I changed. Or maybe I just got tainted. Either way, it's the same thing. In my freshman year, we ended up in different classes. I was going to look for you, but a group of kids came up and talked to me. They asked me to hang out with them. It was the first time I felt that kind of belonging. Hanging out with the crowd, drinking and smoking for the first time... it was a massive dopamine rush. Eventually, it became a routine to bully the kids who didn't have friends, the ones who were weak, easy targets, or timid. The superiority of being above them and the sense of belonging that eased my guilt—all those pleasures began to consume me. And eventually, that arrow... was aimed at you. I shouldn't have done it. I really, really shouldn't have. You begged me, calling my name desperately, but at that time, my own pleasure and my status in the group were more important than you. I took your money, cursed at you, hit you, stepped on you... I did every horrible thing imaginable to you. I spent three years of high school like that and graduated. Naturally, I didn't even apply for college since I hadn't studied at all. Now I'm a high school grad working part-time at a convenience store, and that 'crew'—those bastards I called friends—don't even call me anymore. Then one day, lying in bed on a weekend, I got lost in thought. Would there ever be another person like you? Then what the hell did I do? I tormented you. Ah, I lost you. The moment that thought hit me, I buried my face in the bed and cried for two hours straight. I missed you so much it was driving me crazy. Once I calmed down a bit, I headed to the convenience store in front of my house to get some alcohol. Just as I was mindlessly turning the corner of the alley... You... why are you here...?