THE FORGOTTEN SPRING

CHAPTER 7

"THE FORGOTTEN SPRING"

by: Dark Flame Master

KAI'S POV

"Sore ni, Kai-chan ga suki," (Beside, I like you) he added, his smile widening.

Those words from the annoying p*****t were the last straw. I couldn’t take it anymore. He was officially the most annoying person I had ever met. Like me? Seriously? How could he even say that? Was he crazy? Why would a guy like me?

"Kai-chan!"

I don’t even know him! Childhood friends? Was he kidding? I never had a friend when I was a kid—well, I did have one, but I don’t care about him anymore. I hate him now. He’s not worth thinking about. Wait, why am I even thinking about him? Focus, Kai.

"Kai-chan, Kaiiii-chan, Kai-chan, ne ka—"

“WHAT? Mada tsuitekiteru no?” (You're still following me?) I spun around to face him, my frustration boiling over. Didn’t he have something better to do than follow me around?

He smiled like some kind of crazy people, his eyes sparkling as if he was enjoying this. “Kai-chan su—”

Before he could finish whatever nonsense he was about to say, I slapped my hand over his mouth and grabbed his wrist. I was done. This had to stop. “Kocchi ni koi. Shaberu na. Koe nanka kikitakunai,” (Come here, don't talk. I don't want to hear your voice.) I hissed as I dragged him along.

So annoying. I was going to scare him so badly he’d never even think about saying he liked me again. Let’s see if he’d still follow me after this. But then I heard it. “Haa...huff...haaaa.” What now? Was he...panting?

“Oi, nani ga okashii n da yo?” (Hey, what's wrong with you?) I turned to look at him, already regretting it. His face was red, and he was covering his mouth with his hand.

“Oi, hentai ka yo?” (Are you a p*****t?) I asked, disgusted, and let go of his wrist.

This guy wasn’t just annoying—he was a full-blown p*****t. I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the staircase, a spot I knew most students avoided.

“Ittai nan nan da yo?” (What the heck is wrong with you?) I demanded, letting go of his collar. He stumbled and sat on the staircase, still panting like some kind of maniac.

He looked up at me, still red-faced, and muttered, “Sakki boku no te o nigitta yo ne...te, sugoku yawarakai.” (You hold my hands earlier. Your hand, it's so soft)

What. The. Heck.

This guy was a certified creep. I needed to get away from him fast.

“Sore ni, kuchi o fusagareta toki, te no nioi ga shita...” (And when you cover my mouth I smell your hands) he continued.

That was it. I couldn’t deal with this anymore. He was bad news. I grabbed him by the collar again and got right in his face. “Hentai! Kai-chan tte yobu na. Hontou ni sou yobareru no ga iya nan da. Nidoto tsuitekuru na, boku o miru na, suki da nante iu na. Boku nanka inai to omoe, wakatta ka, hentai?” (p*****t, stop calling me Kai-chan. I really hate being called that way. Don't ever follow me, don't look at me, and stop saying you like me. Just pretend that I don't exist, you understand, p*****t?)

I let go of his collar and stepped back, expecting him to get scared and leave me alone. But no—he was blushing. Blushing! This annoying p*****t was enjoying this.

“Sayonara, p*****t,” (Goodbye, p*****t) I spat and turned to walk away.

“Matte, sayonara nante iu na yo,” (Wait, don't say goodbye.) he called after me.

Before I could react, he grabbed my wrist and hugged me from behind. “...Mata aeta no ni, doushite tebanaseru n da? Mou nidoto tebanasanai yo.” (Why would I let you go when I finally saw you again? I won't let you go again)

His whisper sent a shiver down my spine, and not the good kind.

“H-hanase yo,” (L-let me go) I said, trying to pull away. No. No, no, no. I could feel it coming—the tightness in my chest, the dizziness, the panic. If he didn’t let go, I’d have another panic attack.

“Kai-chan, ochitsuite,” (Calm down) he said softly, turning me around and hugging me properly this time. “Daijoubu, nani mo shinai yo,” (It's fine, I won't do anything.) he added, patting my back like I was some scared child.

“I-I...” My words got stuck in my throat.

“Ii daro, gobyou dake dakishimesasete kure,” (It's fine, let me just hug you for five seconds) he said.

Five seconds felt like an eternity, but he finally let go and stepped back. “Hora, mou itte ii yo,” (There, you can go now) he said with a smile, patting my head like I was some kind of pet.

“Nan dattan da yo, sore? Sawaru na,” (What was that for? Stop touching me) I snapped, brushing his hand off.

Without looking back, I turned and walked away. My chest felt strange—tight but not in the usual way. It wasn’t a panic attack, but it wasn’t normal either. Annoying. He's really annoying..

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When I got back to class, Hana was the first to notice me.

“Kai, where did you go?” she asked as I slumped into my seat. “You’re just on time. If you came any later, our teacher would’ve scolded you.”

“I just went to the bathroom,” I mumbled, trying to sound casual. “There were so many guys earlier.”

A few minutes later, the teacher arrived, and the afternoon classes began. Thankfully, the annoying p*****t stayed quiet. For once, I could actually focus.

Eli caught my eye again. She was so cute, but I knew I had to stop thinking about her. She has a boyfriend now. I sighed and forced myself to pay attention to the teacher instead.

When the final bell rang, everyone started packing up to leave. As I was getting my things, I noticed Eli’s pin on the floor near her desk. She must have dropped it.

I grabbed it and ran after her. She hadn’t gone far.

“E-Eli, h-here’s your pin. It f-fell on the floor,” I stammered.

She turned to me with a smile that made my heart skip a beat. “Thanks,” she said. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Um...what is it?”

“You’re that guy from the train, right? First day of school, remember?”

She remembered that?

“Y-yeah, um...thank you for your help that day,” I said, feeling my face heat up. “Oh, and um...your handkerchief—I’ve been meaning to give it back, but you’re always surrounded by people...”

She laughed softly. “Calm down, would you?” she said. “And about the handkerchief, don’t worry about it.”

She smiled again and walked away, leaving me standing there like an i***t. If only I’d talked to her earlier, maybe—

“Dare da?” (Who is that)

I felt a hand on my shoulder and nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned around and saw him.

“W-what?” I stammered.

The annoying p*****t grinned. “Kata kara te o dokero,” (Take your hands off my shoulder.) I said, brushing his hand off.

“Oyy, Kai, we’re gonna—” Cyrus’s voice cut through the tension. He looked surprised when he saw this annoying p*****t. “Haru, right?”

This p*****t next to me just tilted his head like he didn’t understand. Of course. He didn’t speak English.

“Take your hands off Kai’s shoulder,” Cyrus said firmly, brushing the p*****t’s hand off me. “You okay, Kai?”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “You need to go now. Look, Kerk looks annoyed,” I added, pointing at Kerk and Hana waiting outside.

Cyrus hesitated before nodding and running to join them. I grabbed my bag and left the classroom as quickly as I could.

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As I walked home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following me. I quickened my pace, but the footsteps behind me did the same. When I finally turned around, I saw him.

“Kondo wa boku o suto-ka- shiteru no ka?” (Are you stalking me now?) I snapped.

“Suto-ka-? Iya, suto-ka- janai. Onaji houkou ni iku dake da yo,” (Stalker? I'm not stalking you. I'm also headed this way.) he said with that same stupid smile.

“Jaa, boku ga hayaku aruku toki, nande hayaku aruku n da?” (So, why do you walk faster when I walk faster?) I demanded, pointing at him.

“S-sore wa ki no sei da yo” (I-its just your imagination.) he said, brushing off my question and walking past me like nothing had happened.

I stopped walking, watching him as he walked ahead. What the heck was wrong with that guy? He was annoying, a p*****t, and now a stalker? It’s only the second time we’ve met, but he’s already the most annoying person I’ve ever encountered.

I sighed, glaring at his back. Maybe if I ignored him completely, he’d get bored and leave me alone. But deep down, I had a feeling that he wasn’t the type to give up so easily.

“Oi, arukanai no ka?” (Aren't you gonna walk?) he called over his shoulder. “Isoge yo, kuraku natte kiteru.” (Hurry, it's getting darker.)

“So what if it gets dark?” I muttered under my breath. “Ima motto ayashii zo, hentai.” (You're more suspicious right now, p*****t)

I rolled my eyes and walked past him, breaking into a run as soon as I could.

When I reached my house, I finally felt safe—until I heard his voice again.

“Aa, koko ga ie ka,” (Ah, so this is your house.) he said, stopping a few feet away.

“Jaa mata ashita, Kai-chan,” (Kai, see you tomorrow.) he added, waving at me with that annoying smile before walking away.