Sorrow Shadows || TEIS Fanfiction.

Hermanos Over Azadas

Today, like any other day, she encounters her least favorite classmate, Kageno, at the school gate. "Good morning, Kageno," Akane greets him with a smile.

As always, Minoru responds in his usual monotonous tone, "Good morning, Nishimura."

Internally, Akane screams, "It's Nishino, not Nishimura!" However, she maintains her pleasant demeanor and heads towards the shoe rack.

For the past three months, they have been in the same class and have had the exact same exchange every morning. Akane initially thought that Minoru would eventually realize his mistake and correct it, so she didn't say anything about it for the first month.

But as Golden Week came and went, and Minoru still hadn't gotten her name right, Akane decided it was time to address the issue. She vividly remembers how that conversation played out...

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"You know, Kageno, my name isn't actually Nishimura," Akane asserts, hoping for some progress.

"Huh?" Minoru blinks repeatedly, his face a mix of confusion and curiosity. "It isn't?"

"No, it's--"

"Wait, hold up. I remember now. You're a Named Character."

"A what?" Akane cocks her head, puzzled by the term.

"Never mind. I make sure to memorize the names of all the important characters, but I guess sometimes I get one wrong."

"Don't worry about it. It happens to everyone." Akane tries to brush it off, offering a forgiving smile.

But then, Minoru's next words freeze her in place.

"Sorry about that, Nishitani."

Akane clenches her fists, fighting the urge to deliver a right straight punch to that idiot's face. "...It's Nishino."

"Huh?"

"My name is Nishino." The tension fills the air, as the two stare each other down. The silence is so thick, you could slice it with a knife.

For the rest of the day, Akane refuses to utter another word to Minoru. However, as the next morning arrives, she finds her anger has subsided. After all, Minoru didn't mean any harm. It's not worth getting so worked up over a simple misremembered name.

So, she decides to greet him like usual and put the incident behind her.

"Morning, Kageno."

"Morning, Nishimura."

And just like that, they're back to square one! Akane wants to scream, but she masks her frustration with a determined smile.

What annoys her the most is how Minoru acts as if their conversation from yesterday never happened. He continues to call her Nishimura, never really looking at her. His gaze feels distant, as if focused on something far away.

Above all else, that's what truly gets under her skin. The name mix-up is annoying, but bearable. But feeling like she never enters his line of sight? That's unbearable.

And thus, her hatred for him starts to grow.

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From then on, Akane starts going out of her way to avoid interacting with him. Some might call it the 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘶 𝘖𝘭𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘴, where Akane takes home the gold medal in avoiding him at all costs.

She still greets him each morning, but that’s all.

Because let's be honest, who has the energy to do more than that for someone who can't even remember your name?