THE FORGOTTEN SPRING

CHAPTER 8

"THE FORGOTTEN SPRING"

By: Dark Flame Master

KAI'S POV

The morning started off normal enough. I got up, prepared for school, and convinced myself that today would be a good day. No annoying people, no distractions—just me focusing on my schoolwork. But as soon as I walked into the classroom, my hope was crushed.

“Ohayou, Kai-chan!” (Good morning, Kai!) The cheerful and overly familiar voice rang out, immediately grating on my nerves.

I paused mid-step. There he was—the annoying p*****t. Sitting there with his stupid smile, acting like he owned the place. I ignored him and walked to my seat.

“Good morning, Kai,” Hana greeted me with a warm smile as I passed by.

“Morning,” I mumbled back, taking my seat and trying to focus. I started pulling out my notebook to review my homework when Kerk and Cyrus walked in.

“Morning,” Cyrus said, sitting down beside me.

“Hey, what’s up with the transfer student? He’s looking at us,” Kerk said, his voice filled with curiosity.

I froze, gripping my pencil tightly. Could Kerk not say that out loud? I could already feel his gaze on me, and now Kerk had drawn even more attention.

“Isn’t he looking at you?” Kerk added, his tone teasing.

“Can you shut up?” I hissed under my breath, refusing to look up.

As I stared at my notebook, I heard his chair scrape against the floor. He was getting up. Great, just great.

“Kai-chan, onaka suiteru? Kore, saikin katta nda.” (Are you hungry? I bought this earlier, Kai.) He was standing next to me, holding out some bread with that ridiculous smile on his face.

“Iranai, onaka suitenai,” (No! I'm not hungry.) I snapped, pushing the bread back toward him.

“S-sou ka...” (I-s that so....) he muttered, going back to his seat.

I sighed in relief, but Hana wasn’t done with her curiosity. “Hey, Kai, are you two close? Aren’t you childhood friends?” she whispered, glancing at him.

“NO!, WE. ARE. NOT!” I said firmly, loud enough for him to hear.

“Really? Then why did he say you two are childhood friends?” she asked.

I didn’t bother replying. Thankfully, the teacher entered the room, cutting the conversation short.

The first period was English, and I couldn’t help but glance at him. How was he even following along? He didn’t understand English, did he? Yet, he sat there, acting like he was fully engaged.

“You might look like that, but I know you don’t understand a single thing,” I muttered under my breath.

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When it was time for our third subject, we had to move to the lab for an experiment. I hurried out of the room, hoping to avoid the annoying p*****t, but I could hear his footsteps behind me.

“Nee, Kai-chan, kagaku suki?” (Hey, Kai do you like science?) he asked as he walked beside me.

I ignored him, keeping my eyes straight ahead.

“Kai-chan, isshoni hiru gohan tabemashou.” (Kai, let's eat lunch together.)

He kept talking, his voice following me no matter how much I tried to block it out.

As I walked, I noticed Eli tying her hair into a ponytail. “That’s cute,” I muttered to myself.

“Nani ga?” (What is?) His voice cut in, startling me.

I turned to glare at him, but before I could say anything, I heard a voice behind me.

“ELI!”

A guy walked past me, calling out to her. It was Eli’s boyfriend. He looked confident, cool—everything I wasn’t. Of course, she chose someone like him. Even if I had the courage to talk to her, I’d never be good enough.

“Kai-chan, hayaku!” (Hurry up! Kai.) He called out, breaking my thoughts.

“Get out of my way,” I muttered, walking past him.

The experiment was a nightmare.

“Yamada-san da yo ne?” (You are Yamada right?)

“Hai, demo Hana-chan tte yonde.” (Yes, but just call me Hana-chan.)

Why is that annoying p*****t in our group? Why do we even need to group ourselves into five just to do this experiment? And why does everyone assume I'm his childhood friend when I don’t even know him?

“Aihara-kun, eigo hanasenai no?” (You can't speak English, Aihara?) Cyrus asked him, his tone was curious.

“Sukoshi wakaru kedo, hanasenai,” (I can understand a little, but I can't speak in English.) He replied with that ever-present smile.

“Ehh? Ja, nande koko ni hikkoshite kita no? Kono gakkou no hito wa hotondo eigo hanaseru yo,” (Why?? Then why did you transfer to this school? Almost everyone here speaks English.) Kerk asked, clearly intrigued.

That annoying p*****t just smiled, and before I could react, he put his hand on my shoulder. “Kai-chan ga koko ni iru kara,” (Because Kai is here.) he said, his voice dripping with mock sincerity.

I brushed his hand off immediately, glaring at him. “Nee, sawaru na tte ittaro. Soshite Kai-chan tte yobu na,” (Hey, didn't I say don't touch me and don't call me Kai-chan.) I hissed.

His smile didn’t falter. Instead, he leaned in closer, whispering, “Kai.”

A shiver ran down my spine, and I instinctively covered my ears. I glared at him, but he just stood there, smiling like he was enjoying this.

I forced myself to go back to the experiment, hoping to drown out his presence by focusing on the task. I just wanted this to be over as fast as possible. Unfortunately, I could still hear their conversation.

“Ano, namae yobi nikui kara, dou yondara ii?” (Um, how should I call you two? Your names are kinda hard to say.) He asked casually, as if trying to bond with them.

“JC, Sai, toka nandemo ii yo,” (You can call me JC, Sai, or whatever you want.) Cyrus answered nonchalantly.

“Rei ka Raine tte yonde ii yo,” (Just call me Rei or Raine.) Kerk added with a grin.

“Ah, Sai-kun to Rei-kun ka,” (Ah, Sai and Rei) He repeated, his tone annoyingly friendly.

“Sou da kedo, kore wo saki ni owarasou,” (Yeah, but let's finish this first.) Cyrus said, trying to steer the group back to the task.

What was he planning? Was he trying to get close to them? Was he going to steal them away from me? No, that’s ridiculous. Why would he even do that? But I couldn’t help it—he was driving me crazy. And that smiling face of his… it irritated me to no end.

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What is he even doing here right now? It's scary how easily he fits into our group. It’s like they’ve known each other for years. And does he really need to sit beside me?

“Rei-kun, sore ga honmono no kami no iro na no?” (Is that the real color of your hair, Rei?) He asked, turning his attention to Kerk.

“Sou. Sugoi daro? Konna fuu ni mieru kara ijime rareru koto no nai gakkou wo eranda nda,” (Yup, cool right? I decided to go to this school so no one would bully me for looking like this.) Kerk replied, casually eating his lunch.

As their conversation carried on, Hana decided to turn her curiosity toward me. “Aihara-kun, hontou ni osananajimi na no?” (Are you really childhood friends?) she asked, looking between me and this annoying p*****t. “Kai wa osananajimi ja nai tte itte ta yo,” (Kai said you're not.) she added, her gaze settling on me.

“H-hey, why are you talking about me?” I asked, a little louder than I intended.

“But I’m curious,” Hana insisted. “Aihara-kun said you’re childhood friends, but you said you aren’t.”

“Wh… whatever. Let’s just eat,” I said, trying to end the conversation quickly.

“Hontou ni oboetenai yo na.” (You don't really remember me.) The annoying p*****t said, looking straight at me with that infuriating smile. “Demo ii yo, mada oboeteru kara,” (But it's fine, I remember you.) he added, his voice calm yet somehow mocking.

“Do you really know me?” I muttered under my breath, too quiet for anyone to hear. It was annoying how he fit in so easily, how he seemed to enjoy himself without any effort. How could everyone have a good life but me?

Eli was laughing with her friends and her boyfriend at the other table. Even this annoying p*****t seemed perfectly happy, sitting here with his stupid smile.

“Kai,” he whispered into my ear, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I immediately covered my ear, glaring at him. “N-nanda yo. Kai tte yobu na,” (W-what, don't call me Kai.) I stammered.

“Suki nano?” (You like her?) he asked, tilting his head toward Eli’s table.

“I-iya, sore ni hanasu na,” (N-no, and don't talk to me.) I muttered, looking away from him.

“Pfft… hahahaha! Don’t lie, Kai,” Cyrus said, laughing as if he found the whole situation amusing.

“I’m not lying! I… don’t really… like her anymore,” I said, my voice faltering as I avoided looking at anyone.

Cyrus raised an eyebrow, still smirking, while Kerk just shrugged and continued eating. this p*****t, however, didn’t say anything. He just looked at me with that same knowing smile, as if he could see through me. It was unbearable.

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After school, I thought I could finally get away. I packed my things quickly, determined to head home without running into him again. But, of course, he was waiting outside the classroom.

“Kai-chan, isshoni kaerou?” (Let's go home together?) he said, falling into step beside me.

“No,” I replied bluntly, walking faster.

“Demo, boku no ie wa kono houkou da yo,” (But my house is in the same direction as yours.) he said casually, as if we were old friends.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to respond. We weren’t friends. We weren’t anything. He had no right to act like we were close.

“Ne, Kai,” he started again, his tone softer this time. "Boku no koto, hontou ni oboetenai no?" (Do you really not remember me?)

I stopped in my tracks, turning to glare at him. “Mata kono hanashi?” (This topic again?)

He tilted his head, his smile fading for a moment. "Kodomo no koro... isshoni asonda darou? Oboetenai no?" (When we were kids… we used to play together. You don’t remember?)

“No,” I said coldly. “And I don’t care.”

His expression didn’t change. If anything, his smile returned, but this time it felt different—almost sad. I didn’t have time for this. “Stop acting like you know me,” I said, turning away and walking off.

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The next few days followed the same pattern. He was always there—smiling, talking, invading my space. No matter how much I tried to ignore him, he had a way of making his presence impossible to overlook.

One day during gym class, I stayed behind to avoid playing. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with everyone’s energy. Sitting on the bleachers, I watched the others running around. He was among them, effortlessly blending in with the other students. He was athletic, quick on his feet, and, of course, charming. Everyone seemed to like him.

Why couldn’t he just stay there, with them? Why did he keep bothering me?

“Saboten no?” (Skipping class?) a voice suddenly cut through my thoughts. He was standing at the base of the bleachers, looking up at me with that ever-present smile.

"Nani ga hoshii no?" (What do you want?) I asked, my tone was sharper than I intended.

"Hanashi ni kita." (To talk.) he said simply, climbing up and sitting beside me. "Kai, itsumo hitori darou? Tsukarenainda?" (You’re always alone, Kai. Don’t you get tired of it?)

I froze for a moment, his words hitting me harder than I expected. What does he mean, alone? I’m not alone—I have Hana, Cyrus, and Kerk. But even as I thought that, a small voice in my head whispered the truth I didn’t want to hear.

Even when I’m with them, I feel like I don’t belong. They laugh together, talk so easily, and share things that I can’t. And now here he is, this annoying p*****t, pointing it out so bluntly, like he’s somehow figured out something I’ve tried so hard to hide. I hate him for it. I hate how easily he sees through me, how he says it out loud like it’s no big deal.

But I’ll never admit it. Never. Even if he’s right, even if being alone hurts, I’d rather keep it to myself. So what if he thinks I’m alone? That’s my problem, not his. I clenched my fists, staring at the ground, refusing to let him see how much his words bothered me.

"Hitori ni naranakute ii." (You don’t have to be alone.) he continued, his voice softer now.

I turned to glare at him. "Nande? Nande soko made ki ni suru no?" (Why? Why do you care so much?)

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked out at the field, his expression thoughtful. "Hitori ga donna kanji ka, shitteru kara." (Because I know what it feels like to be alone.) he said finally. "Soshite, sonna omoi shite hoshikunai." (And I don’t want you to feel that way.)

His words caught me off guard. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. Was he being serious? Or was this just another one of his games?

Before I could respond, the whistle blew, signaling the end of class. He stood up, brushing off his pants.

That night, I couldn’t stop replaying his words in my head. I don’t want you to feel that way. What did he mean? Was he really trying to help me, or was there some hidden motive behind his actions? As much as I wanted to push him away, a small part of me couldn’t help but wonder… what if he was telling the truth?

Shaking my head, I buried my face in my pillow. I didn’t need him. I didn’t need anyone. But no matter how much I tried to convince myself, he's words keep on playing on my head.