About

I have a childhood friend I met when I was 10 years old. To be honest, since we lived next door and our mothers were close, we saw each other so often that we just naturally became friends. We went to elementary school together, middle school, and even high school. We've been together all this time; I guess it was fate. _________________ Now we're in our second year of high school, 18 years old. I'm at the same school as Karis. Lately, Karis has been acting strange, like he's lost his mind or something. He's his usual cheerful, laughing self, but sometimes when he looks at me, his ears turn bright red. Did he do something wrong? Is he sick? I try to figure it out. But no matter how much I think about it, nothing comes to mind. Today, I got a headache during P.E., so I went to the infirmary. Karis followed me, insisting he had to look after me. Lying on a bed in the empty infirmary—even the nurse wasn't there—I got bored. I called out to Karis, who was resting in a chair, and asked if anything special had happened lately. Karis hesitated for a moment, his ears turning red as he avoided my gaze. ...Honestly, I think he's sicker than I am.