Lolita Love Story

Kougou left the house early that morning and easily found a seat on the train. He watched the stops rushing by, the people walking down the street towards work and school, and thought of what he had decided to do. He looked at the sparkling ocean whose small waves lapped gently at the rocks. The sky was a soft, pastel blue dotted with only a few small clouds. It was a beautiful morning.

When the train arrived at the station nearest to the school, he got off the train quickly and hurried toward the school. There were few students outside- no one he cared to talk to. He rushed up the stairs to the main doors, and peered into the windows. The hallways were mostly empty. Kougou pushed open the doors and went straight to the art room. It was just a little dirty with paint and clay, like it always was. The windows filtered in the early morning light, causing the dust and dried clay particles to swirl in their own currents. The room was also empty.

He stood there for a moment, letting the adrenaline pump through his body. There was no one here.

She was sweet, talented, gentle, selfless, and beautiful. She built him up from nothing to make him feel as though he belonged, as though he was cared for. She worried about him, about how he felt and what he did. While the other girls around him were concerned about their appearance and their material wealth, she looked to improve and make a future for herself and her family. Her family was not rich, and her parents' social standing did not affect other parts of her life, but neither did she cling to her background and use it as an excuse. As much as she seemed otherwise, she was strong. She-

"Saa, ohayou."

Kougou hurried to stand and bow properly. The art teacher bowed a little as well, smiling disarmingly. He was a charming teacher, and very young compared to the other professors. It was little wonder why the girls tended to gravitate toward art classes in the past year. "Ohayou gozaimasu.... sensei."

"What are you doing here, young man?" the young teacher asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Are you interested in joining art club?"

"Ano... not exactly..." Kougou answered, feeling uncomfortable suddenly. "I-I'm looking for my friend, actually. She comes here often."

"Sai-chan, ne?" He laughed lightly, almost delicately, at Kougou's surprised expression. "Don't be so surprised. She's the only female student I have who seems truly interested in art."

"Sou desu ka...?"

"Sou." The teacher hung his jacket on the back of his chair, but picked up his briefcase. "Anyway, I am sorry to say it, but I have a conference this morning so you cannot stay here. I'm not sure why the door was unlocked to begin with, but if you like, you can stay outside the door in the hallway."

"I see... thank you, sensei." He bowed and slid open the door to the art room.

"There you are, Kou-kun," Takeshi said, wearing the soccer uniform.

"What's going on? Was there practice?"

"Yeah," he said lazily, as if it didn't matter. "Guess they didn't tell you."

"I don't think so."

"Well, you missed it... but it's fine. The guys are getting changed for class." Takeshi looked uncomfortable, and a little disheveled for once. He ran his hand through his hair. "I guess I'll see you around, Kougou."

"Wait, shouldn't I tell Ryota?" Kougou asked. "I mean, I didn't know we had practice..."

"Nah, I'll tell him. It's cool." Takeshi smiled halfheartedly. "We know you wouldn't skip on purpose."

He continued past Kougou toward the locker room. Kougou decided to go back to the front of the school to wait for Saikai. Akihiro was standing outside texting on his phone.

"Hey, Akihiro!" Kougou called out. He looked up.

"Oh, hey Kougou. Why'd you miss practice?" he asked, putting his phone into his pocket. "Everyone was worried."

"Why would they be worried?" he asked uncertainly. He didn't remember telling anyone at school about his life, except Saikai. But she didn't talk to any of the boys from soccer.

"Well, we know about your father... and not to bring up bad stuff, but... well, you know...."

"How do you know about that?" he asked, mind whirling. Who could know about that other than Saikai? Who could she tell that would tell everyone? She wouldn't have told anyone.

"Calm down, man. It's not a big deal. We're just looking out for you, you know? If something did happen, you know you can just tell us, right? We won't force you to stay on the team."

"It's not about that," he said, annoyed. "Akihiro, please tell me who told you. I don't want people to know about my personal life."

"Fumiko. But hey, it really isn't a problem, dude..."

How would she know?

"Hey, Aki-kun, Kou-kun!" Daisuke said, nudging Kougou. "What's with you, man?"

"I'm just thinking," he said, waving his hand a little in dismissal. "No one told me there was practice this morning, though."

"Dude, we tried to call you... but your phone went straight to voicemail," Daisuke told him, looking at him as if he were strange. "Don't you ever charge that thing?"

He looked at the phone in his hand. It hadn't rang last night, nor had it rang in the morning. There were no missed calls or voicemails waiting. But it was true that he wasn't very used to using it. He hadn't had a reason to unless it was an emergency. And it was old.

"Maybe you need a new one," Akihiro said, texting again. "They say you're supposed to get a new one every year and a half."

"Who's 'they'?" Daisuke asked, flipping open his phone. It was an older style too. "Mine's just fine."

"Yours looks like two bricks connected together," Akihiro said with a laugh.

"Oi, omae-ra."

The three boys turned to see an unfamiliar guy. He wore an unfamiliar school uniform and had bright silver hair and some facial piercings. He looked like some kind of musician, but he was also muscular. His black eyes scanned the three guys.

"Oh, you're Nagasawa," he said, stepping closer to Kougou. He took a step back, meeting the strange kid's eyes. The guy looked Kougou up and down. "I'm not sure what she sees in a little boy like you, but she'll prefer me soon enough."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Daisuke demanded, stepping between them.

He smiled darkly. "That's right, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Caym. Now, if you'll move aside, I'm here for Nagasawa." Daisuke didn't move. Caym pushed him aside, though not hard enough to make him fall.

"How do you know me?" Kougou asked, scanning his emotionless black eyes. "Who are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Saikai," he said, crossing his arms and looking away as if it was too much effort to look at Kougou. "I know you because I am like you." He smiled at Kougou's surprise. "You thought you were the only one with clairvoyance? Don't flatter yourself."

He took a step closer. "I just thought I'd get a good look at you before I destroy all of your hopes of being happy."

"Why do you hate me so much?" Kougou asked, uncomprehending. "I don't even know you."

"You don't know me," Caym agreed in a whisper, "but I know you more than you'll ever know. And you will know me soon enough."

Before Kougou could say anything else, a sudden influx of students arrived and he turned away, disappearing surprisingly quickly into the crowd despite his vivid silver hair. He stood there for a moment, unable to gather his thoughts or feelings. Saikai....