But as soon as the day began, it ended. The clouds had scattered under the rule of the midday sun, taking with it the rain that had plagued the city moments earlier. Under its brilliance did the pools recede, allowing the courtyard to dry as the students finished up their studies inside.
As the hours prolonged, the great star wavered in power, turning to an orange tone as it retreated from its perch in the center of sky. Slowly but surely, the clouds came back and take its place as it retreated to the horizon.
The red sun was barely peering over the edge of the skyline as the chimes rang again, marking the end of yet another day of tests and papers. With the rain cleared, an earthy smell arose from the pavement as the students changed footwear and headed out, disturbing the murky mirrors on the ground with every fumbling step as they inched closer to leaving the premises.
And out they came in masses.
From the shoe lockers came a horde of students. Going to or coming from club activities, it did not matter. The only thing that mattered to them was getting past the gate, to reclaim what little freedom they had during the week before the sun had set for the day.
Among these, a black haired youth, obsidian locks slicked back to show his eyes despite them being obscured by his spectacles, stumbled with hurried steps to keep up with the teeming crowd of impatient students while avoiding the splash of the muddy puddles that dotted the stretch from the school threshold to the seemingly far gates Papers in hand, he weaved through the mass until he reached the walls that lined the school grounds.
But it was still a bit much for him. Stepping aside to a tree whose branches hang low over the walls, Tetsurou rested against its sturdy trunk, allowing the rest of the students to press through before he did so himself. But he had yet to relax as he heard someone call out to him.
Tetsurou.
Upon hearing his name, he looked up to a familiar sight. Standing by the painted iron gates, two figures stood tall, but both oddly cold for obviously different reasons. The first, a very sullen Kagami, leaned against the inner wall, basking in the shadow set by the penitentiarial fence. The other figure, a bespectacled black haired beauty, sauntered over to the tree, stopping just in front of him. Her face was devoid of feeling as she looked him in the eyes, her words sending a slight shiver down his spine with their condescending tone.
"You're late. Unforgivable."
Despite how emotionless that statement was, how some would have been struck it as odd at how uncaring the tone was with such a statement, he could not help but smile slightly, the corners of his mouth barely turning up as if smirking. His girlfriend was cold, but if there was anything Tetsurou learned over the years, it was that she was forgiving, no matter what the initial level of animosity there was.
"Sorry Yuki, I had to file some forms Kanazawa asked me to take care of..."
But his sheepish statement seemed to have no effect as Yuki merely turned her head away to the gates, ignoring his excuse. If it was any other girl, any other situation, he would be worrying about how to make it up to her in some extravagant way. But he did not. Because he knew she understood. She always did.
By now, the crowd of escapees had dispersed, leaving the trio to stand in silence under the old tree. Without a word, Kagami pushed himself off the wall and, bag in hand, walked past the wrought gates, Tetsurou and Yuki following silently after him.
It may seem strange for this procession to take place, three high school students walking in close and quiet formation, but it was a normal process for them. They had all wandered the same route home since primary school, walked through alleys and other questionable detours together, gotten sidetracked by arcades for hours on end, until they had somehow reached the end of their block, where their houses stood one after the other.
And today was no different from any other day.
So they passed through the streets, counting the blocks as they passed the park they once played at during the summer months, the small family bakery they once frequented during middle school, the train station they would take for some roundabout adventures in Shibuya. But they kept on passing by these memories in silence.
"So, Kagami, are you going today?"
As if on cue, Tetsurou broke, or at least attempted to break, the silence that had recently befallen their group on this long journey home. But all that his inquiry garnered was, like always, a mere shrug from Kagami. A maybe. Which meant, if it was coming from Kagami, there was no chance of it happening. But it was to be expected. It was Monday after all and nothing good ever happens on a Monday.
Especially to Kagami.
So again did the trio quietly trudge through the neighborhood until they reached the main intersection, where there was no lack of sound and the occasional car rushed by. The store fronts were bustling slightly as owners attended to the customers who just got released from school while others awaited for the signal to cross. But despite the passing cars and vendors, the air was still fresh in this part of town after the rain.
As they approached the intersection, Kagami broke away, his windswept hair covering his eyes as he turned away from his colleagues as they joined the crowd that huddled underneath the signal, waiting for the light to change. His words were almost lost beneath the cacophony of engines and pedestrians but made their way to the couple nonetheless.
"Well, I need to drop by the bookstore, so I guess I'll leave you two alone. See you guys tomorrow."
With a small wave to them, Kagami slipped off in the opposite direction, Yuki staring after him as he sank into the depths of another wave of students. But she was jolted as she felt a slight push around her. The light had turned green and the pedestrians began to cross the street.
Turning his attention back from the distanced Kagami to his girlfriend, Tetsurou gritted his teeth slightly as he gave her a small smile.
"Let's go off then?"
