Coming of Age: A BABYMETAL FanFiction

Seventeenth Spring

"Suzuka, honey, I'm so proud of you. You are indeed a brilliant daughter that every mother can be proud of." My mom exclaims. I got used to such flattery since I was a child. Mom is really endearing but she can be aggressive especially if it concerns about her career and her position at Sakura High. She is also a known real estate broker aside from being one of the directors of the school. But in spite of this busy person's attitude, I'm still lucky I have a mom like her.

"It's nothing mom, I got all these recognitions because of my friends, my schoolmates, and most especially you mom." I hug her tightly. To be honest I love my mom more than my dad because of how expressive she is in showing her love. Sure I know dad loves me but he shows it in such the way that sometimes you doubt if he really loves you.

Outstanding Leadership Award, Best in English, Sakura Academy's Role Model of the Year Award, and School Valedictorian, sure these awards are really something I could boast but it feels like these should be given to those people who made me the way I am today. I have my friends Yui and Moa who encourages me to become more of myself and reach for my personal goals. Without them, I believe I could be an outcast in the school. They're my best friends, my little sisters, who inspire me to become more of an older sister than a younger sister. I am the youngest in our family though. And there are my teachers and schoolmates who supported me when I need something during my term as a president. Sure being a student council president is taxing and if your subsidiaries and superiors won't cooperate, your talent of being a good leader would surely be wasted. It is all thanks to them that I achieve this level of maturity.

"Su Onee-chan! We are so proud of you!" Moa shouts as she, together with Yui, runs towards me and gives me a warm hug.

"Thank you, Su-chan for being a sister to us. We will really follow your good example and be good role models and senior students in this school. We will keep your legacy here." Yui says.

"Su-chan do you really need to graduate? Do you really need to leave us here?" I can feel the tears of Moa wetting my graduation toga as she sinks her face in my chest. It melts my heart how these girls really values our relationship. These girls are precious to me. Without them, I can't break that shell that hides the true me and would remain living under the fear and pressure of my position at school.

"It's ok Moa. Don't cry" I rub her back with my hands.

"Well, you know, I decided not to cry." She wipes her tears with her palms and looks at me. "But this feeling started to build up here in my chest and I couldn't hold my tears... Please don't graduate. I wish you wouldn't leave but now it's your time to face more challenges in life, a greater opportunity to reach your dream... And I promise I will continue to support you." I don't know but tears starts falling from my eyes. I promised to myself I won't cry in front of them. I promised to myself I would be a strong girl that these girls could rely on but her speech pierces through my heart that no matter how hard I try not to cry, my feelings just can't resist it.

"Su-chan, Daiski!" She hugs me again and this time I can't hold it any longer. I howl with her as we both cried together in sadness that we won't be seeing each other that much and in happiness because we are going to turn over to the page of the new chapters of my life, our lives. I could feel how heavy the grip was especially that Yui also joined the hug – she hugs me at the back and I could also feel her silently sobbing. I used to hate it when they torture me with this sandwich hug but it feels so good this time. Maybe we can't do this again especially that I would be busy in my high school life. I would really cherish this moment because maybe this would be our last.

I came here at Sakura High's middle school campus welcomed by a warm friendly greeting of the cherry blossoms dancing in the air comforting me with the implied words 'everything would be absolutely alright' and now they also bid goodbye to me with the same scenery of falling pink petals telling me that 'everything would be absolutely alright'. A warm masculine yet comforting hand pats my head. Its touch makes me shiver in a good way that it feels like a console from a father.

"Don't worry, everything would be absolutely alright." Does the season of cherry blossoms personify itself just to give this assurance to me? I look at the man's face but I couldn't see it clearly because of the komorebi from the cherry trees. The man smiles at me and a pair of dimple slowly creases in his cheeks. And from that I know this is also the man whom I told those words when he was helplessly sobbing for his melancholic life, a life which, as what he told me, became more vivid since I came and stirred it up.

"Yuuya." I smile at the man of whom I love.