Chapter 2: Creating a Place for My Angel

Sunlight hit my eyes, and its glare woke me up.

I sat up and scratched my head.
Ugh, I really don’t want to go to school. Just thinking about it first thing in the morning is depressing. …Well, not like I have a choice.

I washed my face, went through my skincare routine, and ran a comb through my long black hair. Hair that reaches down to your back is a hassle to manage, even with just this much care.

And while changing into my uniform, I found myself thinking about him… Murakumo-kun… Murakumo Kiriya… huh.

Ironically, he has the same first name as my best friend, Kiri.

Kiri was my best friend, full name Kurekumo Kiriya. Same first name, different surname, obviously a different person.

And their personalities couldn’t be more different. Kiri was gentler, brighter… Being around him was fun.

…Though I’ll admit, Murakumo-kun might be the more handsome of the two, Kiri had his charms too. Yeah.

Kiri moved away during spring break of our second year of middle school, right before we became third-years. I haven’t seen him since.

We exchanged messages for about three months, but eventually, his replies stopped, and even the read receipts stopped showing up. That was it.

Well, I figured he must’ve gotten busy with life in a new place. Prepping for high school and all that. I told myself it couldn’t be helped and made peace with it. It did make me a little lonely, though.

Even now, I still think of him as a best friend, and if there’s ever a chance, I’d like to see him again.

…Though honestly, even if I did run into him now, I might hesitate to say anything, looking like this.

Anyway, breakfast’s done. I really don’t want to go, but I’ve gotta head to school. Ugh, my legs feel heavy.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, the doorbell rang.

Who the heck shows up this early in the morning? Grumbling, I went to the door on my way out—
—and standing there was Murakumo-kun.

I froze in shock.

What is he doing here? Why did he come?

“Morning. I came to pick you up.”

…Pick me up? That’s really not necessary!!

And “came to pick you up”?! I never asked for that! If anything, I’d rather you didn’t come!!

While I was stewing, my mom came out from the living room and said:

“Oh my, a friend? Thanks for going out of your way! My, aren’t you handsome? Just yesterday you two met, and now this? Haru-chan, you’ve got quite the presence already. —Oh? Wait a minute… Could it be—?”

“It’s not like that! Murakumo-kun and I aren’t like that!”

She clearly had the wrong idea, so I shut her down immediately.

We are not like that! And we never will be!!

“Oh, so your name is Murakumo-kun? I almost misunderstood. Well then, I’ll be counting on you to take care of Haru-chan.”

You’re not getting it!! You don’t need to “count on” him for anything!!

Because it’s not like that!!

“Good morning. —Haru takes after her mother, I see.”

“Oh my, really? What a sweet talker, but I’ll take the compliment.”

“It’s not flattery. I mean it. You’re both very beautiful.”

“My, my, you’re quite the charmer yourself. And such a handsome boy too, Murakumo-kun.”

What is happening!?

They’re hitting it off while completely ignoring me!

Is he trying to win over my mom first or something? This is bad. I’ve gotta get out of here fast!!

“Murakumo-kun! Let’s go already! Now, come on!”

I pushed him out the door and finally managed to leave the house.

“Let’s go.”

The moment we stepped out, his tone turned blunt, as if all that chitchat with my mom never happened. He barked it out and started walking.

“Wh-why did you come to pick me up?”

I asked hesitantly.

Even though I was thinking why the heck did you come pick me up?!, I knew I couldn’t talk tough with him. He was just that kind of person.

Besides, until yesterday, we hadn’t even exchanged a word.

“—Because Haru belongs to me.”

Murakumo-kun hesitated for a second, then said it.

You jerk!!

Are you serious right now!?

Sure, you said that yesterday, but that doesn’t mean you get to show up at my house!!

And I never agreed to that!!

“Y-you can’t just… decide that on your own! I don’t belong to anyone!”

I mustered a bit of courage and pushed back.

But Murakumo-kun just brushed it off.

“Too late. Haru’s already mine. Mine alone.”

And then he pulled me into a hug—and stole my lips.

It was so sudden, I panicked. I never thought he’d kiss me, out in broad daylight.

He held me so tightly I could barely breathe, as if he didn’t want to let me escape. It hurt a little, but even more than that, the feeling of his lips, the way they moved against mine, the slight lack of oxygen—it all fogged up my brain, and I started to feel… almost good.

A moment later, he pulled back, and a string of saliva connected our lips.

I gasped, desperate for air, and started breathing heavily.

“Now do you get it?”

Unlike me—still breathless and shaken—Murakumo-kun remained perfectly composed, pressing down with a quiet but heavy voice.

I don’t get it!! I don’t get it at all!!

That’s what I wanted to shout, but in my current state, trying to argue back would just end with him silencing me again.

So as the bare minimum resistance, I turned my head sharply to the side.

“…Fine.”

Saying that, he took my hand and started walking.

I wiped my lips and reluctantly followed. To my surprise, he matched his pace to mine.

From the way he acted, I had imagined he’d walk ahead without caring if I kept up, and yell something like “Hurry up!”—but instead, he adjusted to me. That genuinely caught me off guard.

…Was that kindness?

—No, no, no!! Don’t be fooled!! This is exactly how abusive guys operate!

They show you kindness right after being forceful to mess with your head!! I’m not falling for it!!

Except when I needed both hands—like when taking out my commuter pass at the station—he kept holding my hand like he was afraid I’d escape.

On the train, he stood between me and the crowd like a shield. But even that felt like part of the trap. I won’t let myself be tricked.

And just like that, without a single word exchanged between us, we arrived at school in silence.

As we neared the classroom door, tension gripped me. My hands felt like they were trembling.

I was bracing myself for everyone to look at me like I was some fragile object again—just like yesterday. The thought made my body go rigid.

And just before we stepped inside, Murakumo-kun muttered under his breath:

“Don’t worry.”

Huh? I didn’t even have time to react before he threw an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close—like he was claiming me as his girl—then opened the classroom door.

“Good morni—Murakumo-kun…?”

A girl near the door started greeting him but froze mid-sentence.

Her eyes darted between me and Murakumo-kun, her face contorting into disbelief at what she was seeing.

The girls who were clearly into Murakumo-kun stared in shock too—eyes widening before they turned their glares straight at me.

Ugh. Their stares hurt. They’re scary.

Why is he putting on a show like this!? Why!!

But Murakumo-kun didn’t seem to care one bit about the glares. He kept holding me as he dropped off his bag at his desk, then led me to our usual spot at the back of the room.

“Yo, Kiriya! Never thought I’d see you show up with Appare today. You really don’t turn people away, huh?”

The speaker was Aokuu Nozomu—curly brown hair, easygoing speech and attitude. In every way, he looked like someone who shouldn’t get along with Murakumo-kun. And yet, for some reason, the two were always together. The perfect odd-couple duo.

He spoke with his usual light tone, poking fun without a care.

By the way, “Appare” is a nickname that came from my last name—Amare.

Normally, Murakumo-kun would’ve just brushed off that kind of teasing with a shrug. But today was different.

“Haru is my girl. Don’t joke about it.”

His voice carried weight. Not a joke. You could feel it.

“…You serious? Damn. Got it. I won’t say another word. Chill, man.”

Nozomu blinked in surprise, then accepted it without protest. He slung an arm around Murakumo-kun’s neck, playing around.

They’d been close since first year. He must’ve sensed this wasn’t Murakumo-kun just being playful—this was serious.

“Get off.”

Murakumo-kun swatted Nozomu’s arm away with an obviously annoyed look.

But his expression had softened slightly from earlier. It was enough to show that he wasn’t actually mad—it was just their usual roughhousing.

After that, a few of the other guys gathered around Murakumo-kun and Aokuu-kun, but none of them teased me at all. I ended up spending the time until homeroom quietly in their circle.

The whole time, Murakumo-kun kept one arm wrapped around my shoulder, pulling me close—which honestly made the distant stares from the girls way scarier than anything the guys were doing.

That day, I spent every single break with Murakumo-kun and his group.

It wasn’t exactly by choice. The moment break started, he’d call out, “Haru.” If I hesitated or tried to ignore it, he’d raise his voice and call out “Haru!” even louder, drawing the whole class’s attention. With nowhere else to go, I had no choice but to go to him.

Even during lunch, it was the same. Despite having my own bento, I got dragged along with him to go buy food. I ended up eating with him and his friends too.

In the end, it felt like I spent the entire school day with Murakumo-kun.

Though “with” might be stretching it—we barely talked. Aside from a short conversation with Aokuu-kun, there wasn’t really any proper dialogue. I didn’t say anything, and no one really talked to me. I was just... there. Sitting beside Murakumo-kun.

But honestly, it couldn’t be helped. I was surrounded by the type of guys at the top of the social food chain—guys I’d never even had a proper conversation with before. Of course I felt out of place. Like I didn’t belong there at all.

And just like that, school ended, and it was time to go home.

Right away, I heard him call, “Haru,” and when I turned around, all he said was, “Let’s go,” before starting to pack his things.

“Later, Kiriya.”

It was Aokuu-kun, heading out with his girlfriend from the neighboring class—Kazuhi Wabi-san.

Waving casually at Murakumo-kun, the two left the classroom hand in hand.

“Yeah.”

Murakumo-kun’s reply was short and blunt. But that’s just how he always was, I think.

Kazuhi-san had this big-sisterly, dependable vibe. The type who always looked after others—and Aokuu-kun was often on the receiving end of that. She probably just liked taking care of people.

Now that I think about it… when they were leaving the classroom, I could’ve sworn she looked straight at me. Her gaze wasn’t sharp or cold like the other girls’—it felt more… observing, maybe.

While I was still thinking about that, getting my stuff ready—

“You’re slow.”

The voice came from above. I looked up and saw Murakumo-kun already packed up, standing beside my desk.

“Ah—sorry.”

I quickly gathered my things and stood up, leaving the school with him.

The anxiety I’d felt that morning about going to school ended up being unnecessary—thanks to Murakumo-kun.

Looking back, when he told me “Don’t worry” before we walked into the classroom… maybe that’s what he meant.

…If that’s the case, I might have to give him a little credit.