Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Salali sat in the infirmary, looking over the guy that saved her not only an hour ago. Luckily, the nurse was still in the school, so she was able to get him some bandaged, an ice pack, and an eye-patch. 'Soujiro-kun...we barely ever talk at all. When there's days when Minami is out sick and I have no one to have lunch with, I'd sit with him and try to strike up a conversation, but it always fell through...except for that one time...'

3 weeks ago...

"Ehhh? Chicken Pox? Isn't that something you're suppose to catch when you're younger?" Salali texted Minami and recieved a reply a few minutes later, saying, "How was I suppose to know? I didn't know what they were til this morning when I felt itchy all over. ;-;" "Well, now I don't have anyone to talk to at lunch...except..." "Soujiro? Salaliii! You should probably date him since he is a bit cute." "As if. I've already have my sights on someone else...but, I might as well eat with him at lunch." After Salali stopped texting, the bell rang for her to go to lunch and she headed to the cafeteria. After getting her food, she goes outside to the courtyard where Soujiro always sat, by himself under the tree in the center of the place. Salali sat near the tree, facing left as Soujiro faced right. 'What to say...what to say?' She thought. "So, I've heard alot of gossip about one of our classmates getting pregnant. That's a bit scary for people our age, huh?" She asked, but Soujiro stayed quiet and ate the beef bowl he had with his chopsticks. "Hehehe..." Salali laughed awkwardly. "Then, there's this rumor that a guy from another class is gonna ask one of our girls to the upcoming dance in 2 months. I wonder if someone may ask you or so-" "I don't care for rumors, or gossip, or any of that shit. I'm not a girl." Soujiro said in a cold manner, which made Salali freeze up. "Have you ever thought about stepping away from the boring high school dramas and just taking a look at the small things in life that people overlook, like nice it is today and how the breeze is not too strong, not too light, but just right? Nature is much better than this dreadful high school crap." He tells her.

Salali was a bit confused, but as she thought about what he said, she actually agreed with him and looked around at the grass moving to the flow of the wind. Since nobody else was out there at the time, all she heard was the sound of the leaves above her whistling in the wind. They were just starting to grow back from the previous winter, so there wasn't a flock of leaves, but more of a family of the little green ones, hugging the branches near the top of the tree. "You're right. It is nice out here and it's quite beautiful. Thanks for telling me, Soujiro-kun." Salali said in almost a whisper, but Soujiro heard her and smiled a bit. "I wasn't telling you...I was reminding you. You knew already...you just needed someone to open the world back up to you." He tells her, making her blush a bit. 'He's poetic...' She thought as the bell rang. For the rest of the day, during her classes, she stared out the window and watched that same tree, remembering his words. 'Open the world?'

End of Flashback...

As Salali was deep in thought, her arm was touched by an awakened Soujiro. "Hey. Are you alright?" He asked. "That's my line. You're the one in bed with bandages." Salali replied as Soujiro sat up. The nurse came in and instructed that Soujiro should stay for the night and for Salali to go home. "I'll call his parents to let them know." The nurse tells Salali. "Alright. Get well soon, Soujiro." Salali told him as she was leaving. "Wait, Salali, could you do me a favor?" "Yes?" "...can you make me another one of those delicious cakes?"

To be continued...