THE FORGOTTEN SPRING

CHAPTER 18

"THE FORGOTTEN SPRING"

by: Dark Flame Master

KAI'S POV

I stared at him, confused. "Hey, I’m really curious about that. Do I really know you?" I asked, my tears slowing as curiosity took over.

Haru’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t answer right away.

"My mom doesn’t remember any Haru," I continued. "But you keep saying we were childhood friends. Why don’t I remember?"

Haru’s grip on me tightened, but his eyes looked distant, like he was searching for the right words. I waited, my heart pounding, wondering if I even wanted to hear the answer.

"Etto... Kinyoubi ni tesuto arunda. Suugaku to Eigo." (We... we have a test this Friday. It’s math and English) he blurted out. His voice was quick, like he was trying to steer the conversation somewhere else.

“That’s not what—” I started, but before I could finish, I slipped out of his grip and turned to face him fully.

Before I could get another word out, he pulled me back into a tight hug. His arms wrapped around me like he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.

“Look, Kai, can’t we please not talk about that today? I don’t want to talk about it now,” he whispered, his voice shaky but firm. “Just... relax and think about me. You’ve suffered enough, and I don’t want to hurt you anymore, okay?”

His words made no sense to me. What did he mean, I’ve suffered enough? Why did he always avoid answering when I asked about the past? At the start, he was the one always asking if I remembered him, always reminding me we were childhood friends. But now that I was asking him, he wouldn’t even give me a straight answer.

“You’re really not going to tell me,” I muttered under my breath, feeling a mixture of frustration and sadness bubbling inside me.

“Junbi dekitaraiu ne.” (I'll tell you when you I'm ready.) he said, his voice softer now. “But trust me, we really do know each other. Maybe you’ll remember me someday.”

I sighed, stepping back and away from his embrace. “Fine,” I muttered, not wanting to push him further. “Then help me with math. I heard the teachers say you’re from one of top school here.”

“Ehh? H-help? Help you?” Haru stammered, clearly caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic.

“We’re friends now, aren’t we?” I said, a small smile forming on my lips. Before he could respond, I turned and started running off. “Let’s continue this tomorrow at school. Ja ne!” (bye)

As I ran, I glanced back once and saw his confused face. It was too funny. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

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"Okaeri, Kai. Doko ittetan da? Mou soto kurai zo." (Welcome home, Kai. Where did you go? It’s already dark outside.) Dad asked as I stepped into the house. He came home earlier than usual, which was a surprise.

"Chotto Haru ni ai ni itteta dake da." (I just went out to see Haru.) I replied. I didn’t want him to ask too many questions. I made my way to my room, closing the door behind me. My mind replayed the events of the day, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit shaken.

I lay down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. The thought of sharing my past with someone still felt surreal. "Pretty ironic, isn’t it? I shared my past with the kind of person I hate the most," I muttered to myself.

My lips curled into a smile as I remembered how flustered Haru looked earlier. He was so awkward when I teased him, and the memory of it made me laugh out loud. "Pfft… hahaha! He looked so stupid earlier!" I said to myself. I felt... calm. That was new. Usually, the silence of my room brought an unsettling heaviness, but tonight, it was different.

As I lay there, I remember Cyrus. What I overheard about him possibly dating someone... Could it be true? And if it is, why wouldn’t he tell me? Is it because of how I’ve acted in the past? My chest tightened with guilt. "I’m such a jerk," I whispered.

I replayed every moment where I might’ve said something hurtful without realizing it. Cyrus was nothing like Reo. He had always accepted me. Even when I was difficult to deal with, Cyrus never left. He deserved the same from me, didn’t he? If he really is going out with a guy, then it’s not my place to judge him. "I need to stop being such an i***t. Cyrus is my friend, and I should support him no matter what."

A grin tugged at my lips again as my thoughts shifted back to Haru. "Hahaha… I’m really changing, aren’t I? It’s all that annoying Haru’s fault," I murmured, feeling a strange mix of amusement and warmth.

Mom’s voice interrupted my thoughts. "Kai, let’s eat!"

"Hai...!" I said, pushing myself off the bed.

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As I walked into the classroom, everything seemed normal but today, I couldn’t help but feel different. I felt… happy. It was a strange feeling, something I wasn’t used to.

I glanced around and saw the three of them talking and laughing about something. Watching them like that made me smile. I never thought I’d feel so comfortable walking into a room like this.

"Ohayou," (Good morning) I greeted as I approached them.

Hana looked up first. "Ohayou, Kai!" (Good morning, Kai!) she said with a bright smile.

Kerk, however, squinted at me, pretending to be suspicious. "Oh, what’s this?" he said dramatically, covering his mouth. "You’re more cheerful than usual. It’s making me uncomfortable," he teased.

I rolled my eyes and noticed some girly hair clips sitting on his desk. Without a second thought, I grabbed them and pretended like I was about to crush them.

"H-hey, Kai! Don’t do that!" Kerk panicked, reaching out to stop me. "Those are gifts from—" He cut himself off, flustered, and tried to grab the clips back.

Before I could tease him more, Cyrus leaned closer and pulled my arm gently, whispering, "Kai, it’s because of Haru, right?"

I froze, surprised. "Ehh? How did you know?" I asked, blinking at him.

"Really? You two are flirting right in front of me?" Kerk said, pouting like a kid who just lost his candy.

"What flirting—" I started to say, but Cyrus interrupted with a smirk.

"What? You’re jealous?" Cyrus teased as he reached over and ruffled Kerk’s hair.

"H-hey! Don’t do that! I spent an hour on my hair!" Kerk protested, trying to fix it quickly. I couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t actually mad. His face was slightly pink, almost like he was blushing or maybe I was just imagining it.

Hana, who had been watching us, suddenly spoke up. "Kai, look under your desk," she said, tilting her head toward my spot.

"Huh? Under my desk?" I asked, confused. I set my bag down, sat in my chair, and leaned forward to check. To my surprise, I found my favorite bread there.

I grabbed the bread, but as I did, a small note fell to the floor. I picked it up and stared at it, feeling a little nervous.

"Nani sore?" (What is that?) Hana asked curiously, leaning closer to see.

"It’s a note," I replied, unfolding it carefully.

[Hi Kai! This is your favorite bread. Eat this so you can focus on class. You’re curious why I know this, right? Well… I asked Cyrus. Don’t be mad at him. (￣⁠³⁠￣)—From your friend, Haru.]

As I read the note, a smile slowly spread across my face. I couldn’t help it. My chest felt warm, like a fire had been lit there.

Just then, Haru walked into the room and headed to his usual seat. As he sat down, he turned to look at me, smiling and pointing at the bread in my hand. He looked so proud of himself.

I smiled back at him.

"What happened to both of you?" Hana asked, narrowing her eyes at me suspiciously.

"What’s wrong? We’re friends," I said simply, shrugging as I tucked the bread and note into my bag.

Friends. The word felt strange on my tongue, but at the same time, it felt… right. Haru and I were friends now, weren’t we? It was new, but maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

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The morning classes went by smoothly, and before I knew it, lunch came. Like always, Haru sat down next to me, but today, I didn’t feel the usual discomfort. It felt… normal. Maybe even nice. As we ate, I kept stealing glances at Cyrus. My thoughts were tangled. I wanted to ask him something, but I didn’t know how to start or when the right time would be. What if he got angry? What if he—

"Kai, stop that, please. Just say what you want. I can’t eat properly," Cyrus said, putting his chopsticks down.

I blinked in surprise. "Ah, gomen," (sorry) I said quickly. Am I really been staring at him for that long?

He looked at me, his gaze steady. "What is it?" he asked.

Hana and Haru were busy talking about something and Kerk was quietly eating, oblivious to the tension I was feeling. I hesitated but finally took a deep breath.

"D-don’t get angry, okay?" I started nervously. "Are you… are you going out with a guy?"

The time seemed to freeze for a second. Hana and Haru stopped talking mid-sentence, and Kerk choked on his food, coughing loudly.

"Kerk, what’s wrong with you? Here, drink some water," Cyrus said quickly, handing him a glass and patting his back.

Once Kerk had calmed down, I repeated my question. "So, are you going out with a guy?"

"W-what are you saying, Kai? Just keep eating," Cyrus muttered, clearly avoiding my question.

I leaned forward slightly. "Just be honest with me. I won’t be angry. We’re friends, aren’t we?"

The words left my mouth before I could really think about them. Friends. Yeah, we were friends. Hana, Kerk, Cyrus—they were good people. I don't want us to be people who would forget each other as time passed. I want to be with them. I wanted to trust them.

Cyrus sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I’m not really go—" he started, but I cut him off.

"I’m sorry," I said. "Sorry if the things I’ve said in the past hurt you. I didn’t mean to say all of that. Kerk, I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to mock you for the things you like. You’re free to like what you like. We’re friends, so I’ll accept it."

For a moment, Cyrus didn’t say anything. Then, his expression softened. "Is that so?" he said quietly. "Well, then… I am going out with someone. It’s a guy. I didn’t tell you because—"

"It’s fine," I interrupted, trying to reassure him. "You were just worried about me, right?"

Cyrus nodded, and I couldn’t help but smile a little. "But who is it?" I asked. "By the looks of it, all of you already knew. I guess I was the only one who didn’t. I’m really sorry about the things I’ve said."

Cyrus smirked. "Do you want to meet him?"

Before I could respond, Kerk suddenly looked up. "Hey, what do you think you’re doing?" Kerk said, narrowing his eyes at Cyrus.

Cyrus ignored him and pulled Kerk close, planting a kiss on his cheek. "I’m going out with him," Cyrus said with a playful smile.

"WHAT?!" I shouted, standing up so fast that my chair scraped loudly against the floor. Heads turned in our direction, and I immediately sat back down, it's so embarrassing.

Cyrus chuckled. "Why? Isn’t he cute?" he teased, wrapping an arm around Kerk, who was now covering his face with both hands, clearly blushing.

I stared at them in disbelief. How could I not have noticed? The four of us had known each other for three years, and yet I never realized? Hana knew and didn’t tell me? Even Haru knew, but I didn’t?

Kerk peeked through his fingers, his face still red. "I… I… um…" he stammered.

Cyrus just looked at him with a wide grin, clearly enjoying the moment. They looked so… happy and in love.

"I’m sorry," I said quietly, guilt settling in my chest. "Really, I didn’t know."

"It’s fine. Let’s stop talking about it," Kerk muttered, his voice softer than usual. He was still shy, which was something I’d never seen from him before.

I didn’t know what else to say, but I knew one thing for sure , I wasn’t disgusted. Not even a little. If I hadn’t met Haru, I probably wouldn’t have realized that. I would have kept hurting both of them without even knowing it.

“S-so where should we study for the test?” Hana asked, clearly trying to change the topic.

Ah, right. The test. I’d completely forgotten about it. I glanced at Haru, and for some reason, a small smile formed on my lips. Not that anyone could see it because Im still wearing my mask. Maybe one day, I’d be able to walk around without it.

"W-why are you looking at me like that, Kai?" Haru asked, tilting his head as he looked at me.

"You promised me you’d teach me math. Let’s study at your house," I said, the words slipping out almost casually. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t just about studying. I wanted to test myself. If I could go to Haru’s house, maybe I could start being okay with things like trusting people or getting close with them again.

"Ehh? I didn’t promise anything! You just decided that on your own," Haru said, flustered, his voice rising a little.

"But you’re from that top school. You don’t want to help me? I thought we were friends," I teased, leaning slightly closer to him.

"Ehh? Aihara-kun? Maji?" (Really?) Hana said, looking at Haru in surprise, her voice full of curiosity.

Haru looked down, his cheeks slightly red. "H-hai," (Y-yes) he muttered quietly.

"Then why would you transfer here? It’s such a waste," Kerk asked, raising an eyebrow.

Haru looked up at me and, out of nowhere, grabbed my shoulder, pulling me a bit closer. "I told you already. Kai is here, so I transferred here," he said firmly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I blinked at him, stunned, but before I could respond, he turned to the others and added, "About going to my house… I’ve never really invited anyone over, but since Kai wants to go, then you can all come. You’ll be my first visitors ever."

"You’ve never brought anyone to your house?" Cyrus asked, looking genuinely surprised.

Haru shook his head. "Yes. I didn’t even have friends before I met you guys. My mom will be happy to see you."

He doesnt have friends? That didn’t seem possible. Then again, Haru could be cold and distant sometimes, so maybe that explained it. And if he really was adopted, maybe he didn’t want anyone to know.

"Okay, then let’s go after school ends," I said.

For the first time, I felt like I was moving forward—not just with Haru, but with all of them. Maybe trusting people wasn’t as impossible as I thought. Maybe I could get used to this again.