Strawberries, I awoke to the smell of the sweet red fruit.

One might question if the actual fruit smelled like anything, but I could assure anyone that the strawberry fruit had its own smell. And I love it, as well as strawberries overall--the taste, texture, color, and all.

Thus curiosity filled me. My favorite fruit and food led me to search out the origin.

It must’ve been so strange for me to be where I was. My mind seemed hazy, but I was walking around the halls of a primary school. Such a lolicon feeling I was experiencing. But, I wasn’t a lolicon.

Outside of a classroom, I saw a little girl with long black hair and a side ponytail. In her hands was a small pouch of chocolate covered strawberries. Inside my mouth, saliva was building up. It looked delicious in a way, but there was no way I was about to just take it from a little girl. I would be too awkward to ask as well though.

I mentally sighed at the lure of the fruit. How agonizing.

I phased into the classroom. On the board, there was a small section on birthday announcements. There was one little girl’s name there, ‘Mukaida Manatsu’. Everyone was eating lunch in their own circles of friends and it seemed that there was no sound of ‘happy birthday’ anywhere despite the obviousness of Manatsu’s birthday.

Had I been an old man type of person, I might’ve said something like, “what have kids these days become?” But I refrained and simply looked around the room. I didn’t have a clue who the birthday girl was though. I saw a number of different characters around the room.

Surely enough, the quietest character in the room was sitting alone at the back of the classroom. Strawberries. I wonder what the big deal with them was now. The quiet little girl, who seemed like she would grow to be a Yamato Nadeshiko, was eating from a strawberry patterned bento box.

I felt joy in seeing my favorite fruit being so loved. It was still a bit strange for me to think so much about it.

Suddenly, the girl with the choco-strawberries brushed past me. No, rather she just went right through me. I don’t know. She fiddled around and twiddled her fingers in hesitation.

Then, she slowly approached the quiet one. “Manatsu-san, happy birthday.” A broad smile appeared on her face as she gave the pouch to the quiet girl--Manatsu it seemed she was it.

“A-ariga-t-tou…” The quiet one blushed and stuttered. This was a first possibly.

“Hehe, I’m Takayanagi Akane. Call me--” And then, something crackled and cut off.

+-----------------+

“Manatsu! Manatsu! There’s a chick that fell out of the nest… what should we do????” Akane cried out as she desperately flailed around.

Already, the two girls had grown a bit taller. They were the same height though. Both were at the moment, standing in the courtyard of their junior high. It seemed that Akane was very worried about the birds. Manatsu wasn’t much, but it seemed that Akane cared much about avian creatures.

Manatsu just stood by, seemingly uninterested. She watched as Akane attempted to use her brain to solve the problem. I thought to myself that maybe the two could get an adult to help. Manatsu had a look on her face that said the same thing.

“I’m going to climb the tree,” Akane said. Manatsu didn’t seem to take her friend seriously and ignored it.

Then, without my noticing, the seemingly outgoing one of the duo gently took the chick and started to climb up the tree. In worry, Manatsu immediately ran to the tree ready to catch her friend in the worst case scenario. It seemed that her cool mask was coming off when Akane decided to do something like that.

Akane slowly grappled up the tree, reaching a branch right below the one on which the nest that she worried about was on. She slowly balanced herself on the seemingly weak branch and safely placed the little chick into the nest again. A broad smile went across her face and Akane signaled with a thumb up.

Suddenly, the branch cracked. Unable to hold the weight of a junior high student, it gave out. I tried to run out and catch the still younger girl, but was unable to for some reason. Manatsu was frozen for a second. Then, she jumped out and barely caught the reckless Akane.

“…Y-you…,” she paused with a teary expression, “…idiot…you shouldn’t be--why did you?”

Akane was confused and tilted her head. “Hmm? Because I love birds as much as you love strawberries I guess?”

“…Y-you’re an idiot CHURI, you stupid bird!!”

+-----------------+

‘An idiot, a stupid bird.’ That seemed to stick in my head. That was the last scene wasn’t it?

Akane, who was also called Churi, had grown slightly taller. Manatsu was now taller than Akane. But, it seemed that Akane was like a bird and flew around a lot more than Manatsu.

So quickly, it seemed that they were in the third year of junior high. I didn’t know, but I just knew at the same time. Their uniforms were the same as before, but their ribbon was a different color that was blue. Blue signified that those girls were already in their third year.

Like always, Manatsu was in the back of the classroom. It was the same as before. This time around, it was a new classroom with new clothes and a more mature-yet-still-childish beauty. I looked on at the moment. It seemed as if I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t know why.

Churi was in the front of the room. She was surrounded by people who were eagerly talking to her about all the random whatnots. Despite her strange bird-love, she got along with many people. It was just another part of an unique personality. And considering the fact that everyone was unique…

In the back, I noticed as Manatsu gripped the phone in her hand harshly. There seemed to be a hidden anger in watching Akane. I guess it was jealousy. She quietly muttered under her breath,

“Takayanagi Akane…you idiot.”

+-----------------+

This happened in the first year of high school for the two.

“Um…urm…um…I moved here recently from Tokyo…um… My name is Furukawa Airi. I’m very pleased to meet you all! Um…and I’m 15 years old.”  A new transfer student suddenly came to the school.

It didn’t look as if Manatsu cared much about that though. Many others were curious and immediately went to talk and question the new Furukawa girl. Seeing Churi act so friendly, I felt that Manatsu must’ve been quite displeased. I could see it in her face as well.

Time went by in a flash. By now, Manatsu and Akane weren’t close anymore. Like a strawberry growing on the ground and a bird soaring away into the skies--that might’ve been the way they were. I know now that I can’t make metaphors nicely.

“--call me Churi!”

That cut it.

Manatsu slammed her hands onto her desk. All eyes went to the quiet girl in the back. They were shocked and flabbergasted at the situation. There was a silence that one would be able to even hear a pin drop. Manatsu walked out of the class muttering the excuse:

“I feel sick right now.”

+-----------------+

I felt uneasy and saddened somehow. Friendships didn’t seem to be smooth at all and Akane’s with Manatsu slowly fell off a cliff. I wanted the two to get along, but the second year of high school didn’t help.

Furukawa Airi seemed to be a cause. Well, I wouldn’t say it was the strange girl’s fault, but Churi was spending so much time around her. More often, a frown would be seen on Manatsu’s face than a smile. Even I would think that a smile was better than a frown.

Furukawa was drawing something on a piece of paper when Akane suddenly popped up and asked, “Airin~ what are you drawing?”

“Eh! Churi!?”

“You ert. What’s this?” Akane took the paper from Airi’s hand.

“Hey! Give me.”

“Hai~hai.”

Then, Akane ran off with the paper instead of giving it back. Airi jumped out of her seat and clumsily bumped into a few desks and chairs before getting it together. Akane ran out of the room and Airi chased after. The artist, Airi, seemed to be a clumsy person. As I saw, her drawings were good though.

Out in the hall, Akane sprinted around, bumping into a few people. She quickly apologized and ran off again. Airi somehow managed to avoid hitting people, but was lagging far behind Akane. She screamed for Churi to stop, but it didn’t seem that it was going to happen.

I saw Manatsu further up the hall with a stack of books in her arms. I felt that this wasn’t going to be good. If only I could actually do something.

Churi crashed into Manatsu with a bang that made me flinch. The books fell out of Manatsu’s arms. Akane quickly helped picked them up. When she finished and handed the books to Manatsu, both girls’ faces went cold.

Manatsu took the books and walked away coldly.

“Churi!!! GIVE IT BACK!!” Seeing as Airi was gaining, Akane could only keep on running farther from Manatsu.

I felt that those two should just make up already. Even though I understood why Manatsu…

+-----------------+

“Happy birthday, Manatsu.” A bag of chocolate strawberries just like before.

“Do you expect that to make up for all that?”

“I’ll always be there for Manatsu and for giving Manatsu choco-strawberries for her birthday, so yes?” Akane answered with a cheeky grin.

“…Y-you…st-stupid bird!” Manatsu’s face gradually began to turn strawberry red.

A slight worry was in Churi’s voice, “M-Manatsu?”

“Y-you’re forgiven, baka Churi!” And then, there were a few tears, smiles, and smack on the head.

I smiled. But, I also felt a dark premonition tugging at me.

+-----------------+

Happy endings don’t exist so easily.

+-----------------+

People said that life flashes before your eyes as you die. I wonder what Manatsu saw then.

Akane’s tears spilled out. Silence. A dozen bullets. This might’ve been a sad way to die. There was so much blood that I wouldn’t want to describe it. But my mind just went ahead.

Some madman armed with a number of guns was roaming. The police hadn’t been able to arrive yet. A number of students from Manatsu and Akane’s high school were around including the two. It was a mass panic. There was the sound of gun fires everywhere.

Misfortune.

What were the chances? One must’ve thought something like that even in the situation. What were the chances of death? I don’t know who would be thinking that or if she was. What types of regrets she may have had and what she might’ve wanted to say, I wouldn’t know.

You know.

Then, a dozen bullets came flying through my chest. It was so simple. And then blood.

Because you.

Akane was crying. The police came too late.

Are.

This wasn’t too long after they made up. So…why?

Mukaida Manatsu.

Darkness. Emptiness. There was nothing after that.

+-----------------+

I guess that was death. What a cruel twist to say that I was Manatsu. I was. I knew. And, life flashed before my eyes. But I felt like I wasn’t Manatsu. I felt like I was. I started to question my identity. So I was dead? I couldn’t tell if it made sense or not.

This world I was in…this world was emptiness, maybe darkness.

I heard light footsteps walk along. A figure clad in black with a large scythe in one arm and a candle in the other. I wondered. This might’ve been a grim reaper or something like that.

A cold, crisp voice asked sweetly yet mockingly,

“You loved Takayanagi Akane am I not right?”

And then, it spilled a cruel truth coldly with malice,

“But in the end, she loved Furukawa Airi more.”

And then, the world cracked apart. When life finished flashing before your eyes, you are officially dead.

Mukaida Manatsu died. Ah, my chest hurt.

FIN