fever dream | miyamura izumi

five

The bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. The class broke into chatter as Sensei called out a last few reminders and Kisa walked out to the hallway with Minako.

Weeks have passed since her encounter with Miyamura that one day. She kept her promise to herself that she wouldn't run to him, even when blood dripped down her face and she could barely see out of her swollen eyes.

It was hard. She wanted to be engulfed by his comfort, and his house was only a few blocks away from hers. But Kisa couldn't, there was too much at stake. No matter how bad it hurts, she can't lose her father.

Miyamura still checked up on her, but only in passing, and it would make her heart race knowing he cared.

Then she wondered if it was all just a delusion in her head; Miyamura is kind to everyone. Oh, and there was also the fact that he was hopelessly in love with and utterly devoted to Hori Kyouko. Everyone knew it.

"Hey, I need to go to the bathroom so you can go ahead," Kisa said to Minako.

"See you tomorrow,"her best friend smiled cheerfully as always. Sometimes she wondered how she got so lucky to have a light like her.

As Kisa got out of the restroom, the halls were already cleared out; only a few students lingered around. On her way to her locker, she stopped in her tracks when she heard incoherent yelling coming from one of the classrooms. Whoever it was, was really, really mad, and Kisa felt bad for whoever was on the receiving end.

She wondered if a student was being yelled at, but as she got closer to the door, she recognized the voice.

"Do you even know how that makes me feel? Do you even love me?" Hori's harsh tone made her cringe.

It felt wrong to eavesdrop, but Kisa felt like it would be abandoning Miyamura if she left. And she owed him that much to make sure he was okay.

Miyamura was so much softer, she had to strain her ears to hear. "I- I do, of course I do Hori-"

"Then why can't you make me happy?"

Slap.

The sound made Kisa shake, and she covered her mouth to avoid letting a gasp escape.

She hit him. Hard.

She was frozen in her place, imagining Miyamura. Vulnerable, scared. Him bearing the pain, all in the name of love.

Kisa wanted to go in there, tell Hori it wasn't right. Tell him he'll be okay. Make her know it was hurting him and breaking-

"H-Hori!" Miyamura called out, and Kisa heard footsteps coming closer.

She quickly braced against the wall, then all she saw was Hori's back as she rushed out of the room angrily. She didn't see me, but I was afraid of what would've happened if she did.

Miyamura didn't follow after her. It was silent, and Kisa wondered what he was thinking. Nothing self-deprecating, she hoped.

A few seconds passed and she felt compelled to walk in and see him.

He was leaned back against one of the desks, eyes trained on the floor. Kisa frowned at the sight of his red, swollen cheek that he was caressing lightly with his fingers.

Once he saw her, he sat up straight, forcing a smile. "Takagi! Hey," Miyamura greeted casually.

He glanced at her guilty expression and his shoulders immediately drooped again. "You heard that, didn't you?"

Kisa bit her lip, contemplating whether a white lie was necessary. "Just a little bit."

He avoided her eyes like an ashamed puppy, and she felt herself wanting to grab his face and make him look at her. She didn't know why, but Kisa didn't want him to hide from her.