Dreaming Boy Wakes Up

Chapter 7: Inner Conflict

"The first secret of getting what you want is knowing what you want."

-Arthur D. Hlavaty

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I don't get it. I don't get it at all. Wataru, myself, and everybody else. Why do I have to feel this irritated and gloomy? It's all that his fault!

We switched seats in the classroom. I ended up a seat behind me, and that guy ended up in the very front, the seat right next to the hallway. I was happy and relieved to know that things would be a bit more quiet now, and I was looking forward to him being called out by the teacher more. He deserved it for being so obnoxious all the time.

So, why? Why does it feel so uncomfortable? I'm sitting on my seat, not bothering anybody. I talk with people if I feel like it, and am alone when I feel like it. I'm doing exactly as I please, and yet...?

Kei ended up right behind that guy, and from day one, she started talking more and more with him. When I saw him getting annoyed, I realized that he really treated me in a special way. But, that was only the case in the beginning. They clearly started to get closer as the days went on.

He's got someone he knows close to him. That's why it makes sense that they would talk more frequently, and get along. However, I don't have anybody like that around me. That's why Kei would often make time to talk to me. Especially during recess, which brightens up my mood a lot. There's even other people slowly starting to talk to me. At the same time, that guy started talking to me less. I would try to go up to him but it seemed like every time I was about to he'd walk away quickly.

Wait.

I could have just said that, and yet whenever I'm dealing with Wataru, I end up doing everything much more forcefully. There, for the first time, I saw something like annoyance in his expression when I talked to him. Since this never happened before, I grew scared, and could only respond in a quiet voice. We did walk to school together after that, but we barely spoke anything...and for some reason, I couldn't really motivate myself to do anything that day.

A few days later, there were some suspicious seniors on my way to school. They stood on both sides of the street, which left me too scared to walk past them, when that guy and his older sister appeared. Unlike him, she's actually calm and very cool...For a second, I doubted if they were actually related by blood, but seeing that guy's tactless attitude, it felt like really were brother and sister. I wouldn't want it to escalate like that, but maybe I could build up a relationship similar to it with Airi as well.

Wataru showed a confident side I had never seen before when talking to the older guys who were clearly waiting for his sister. They also cleared up that he really had gotten into a scuffle with the second years like Kei said. Since when does he get in fights?

Even the student council president seemed taken aback by Wataru's attitude and fearlessness towards them. When we were walking Wataru put his arm around me. I didn't even hear why he did that I just felt so good I let it happen..

Why?

I should've pushed him away like always but this time I let him walk me to the hallway like that. As soon as he let go I felt empty and I almost blurted out for him to put his arm back before I snapped out of my senses. Is this some weird trick he's doing to my heart?

I got a bit angry at that guy, and walked to the classroom, when Kei practically leaped at me. She talked about the public morals committee president Shinomiya-senpai being angry or something...W-What did you do now, Wataru?

Apparently, Shinomiya-senpai had some kind of pre arrangement with him because she told him that she wanted to meet him in the same place as before. Seriously?