18 - Butterfly effect

One year has passed since my first meeting with Nagi. We've been close friends since then. As I expected, some of his friends started avoiding him because he chose to be friends with me.

I felt sorry for him, but— Nagi seemed like he didn’t care at all. He didn't even appear to be hurt by their departure.

Since he decided not to mind it, I slowly began to forget it as well.

Even so, I felt happy. Realizing that Nagi truly valued me that much, he always placed me above his other friends.

When I first met him, I thought we lived in two different worlds. But once again, I was wrong. We... live in the same world.

That’s obvious, isn’t it?

I laughed awkwardly, suddenly feeling embarassed by the thought that had just crossed my mind. "Forget it, forget it, forget it..."

I sighed.

Then, I grabbed my scarf that was lying on the sofa and put on a thick wool sweater to keep me warm outside.

Tomorrow is Nagi's birthday. What should I get him?

I walked past rows of winter-season shops, their colorful lights brightening up the streets.

I entered a few stores; toy stores, clothing shops, candy stores, and more. But I felt like Nagi might not really enjoy those kinds of things.

So, I kept walking further, looking for a suitable birthday present for him.

My gaze landed on a food shop. Nagi might appreciate a warm meal in this weather. Maybe a free meal coupon?

Well, he's grateful for anything, so I'm not entirely sure what kind of gift he'd actually like.

I thought about going in, but stopped when I noticed a girl, seemingly lost in thought, at the shop entrance. She was sitting on the steps with a gloomy expression, her knees drawn up and her head resting between them.

Her skin looked pale, and her lips appeared dry. It seemed she had been outside for quite some time. Where are her parents?

I watched her from a distance. For some reason, she reminded me of my younger self.

After debating with myself for a while, I decided to approach her.

The girl looked at me blankly, showing no sign of confusion as I came closer.

I stood right in front of her and reached out my hand. I tried to act as cool as Nagi, but it turned out to be harder than I thought. "H-hi there... My name is Ueda Yuichi, and you...?"

"..."

Come on, say something!

The girl just stared at me with a blank expression for a few seconds, making my face slowly heat up in embarrassment.

"H-hey...!"

"..."

My hand gradually began to feel numb after holding it out for so long. The ache in my palm reminded me that this girl’s situation might be more serious than I’d initially thought.

I've only been outside briefly, and I'm already cold... How has this little girl managed to sit here daydreaming in this weather?

I've been here a while now, standing RIGHT in front of her, but I still hadn’t gotten a response. I let out a quiet sigh, then took off my scarf and put it around the girl.

"Ah...!" The girl made a small sound as I wrapped the scarf around her.

"No need to return it. It might not help much, but if you plan to sit here all day, that scarf should at least keep you a little warmer," I said with a wide smile.

"..." Her face turned red as her breathing grew shaky. A single tear welled up in each eye, though she quickly wiped them away when she realized it.

"Thank you."

I smiled softly.

Looking at her reminded me of my first meeting with Nagi, the kindness and care he showed me back then. It inspired me to want to help others too.

He made me realize that you don’t need to do anything grand to comfort a lonely person. Even small actions are enough, as long as we show that we care.

I've experienced it myself. It may seem trivial, but it has a huge impact... Knowing that someone is by your side, can bring you a great sense of warmth, you know?

"Your name?" After a moment, I decided to ask her name again. Maybe this time, she would answer.

"..."

Still nothing!?

Impossible... I thought my approach was good enough. How did Nagi manage to do it? My heart practically melted when he was kind to me back then. So why is she still so quiet..?

A jolt of reality suddenly struck me.

Maybe I'm just being a bother...

Maybe I should leave...

"W-wait!"

Don't tell me she's going to return the scarf—

"My name is... Yamashita! NICE TO MEET YOU!!!" she said loudly, her voice so strong that it blew my hair back.

"Yamashita..?"

She nodded slightly. "Mhm."

I just gave her an awkward smile, watching her smile shyly. It was obvious she was forcing it; the blush on her cheeks revealed everything.

I thought that a quiet person wouldn't be capable of such a loud voice...

But I guess... I managed to warm her heart.

I smiled back, gently taking both her hands. "Nice to meet you, Shita-chan! Let’s be friends!"

***

That day marked the beginning of our friendship— the three of us. Me, Nagi, and Akane. You could say, it was the true start of the "SPIRITUAL GROUP".

Nagi’s kindness back then was like a butterfly effect. Even though it was a small action, it had a huge impact for me. Thanks to him, my life changed drastically.

If I hadn’t met Nagi at that time, I might never have found a friend like him, met Akane, or been able to return to happiness as I did.

Otherwise— maybe I’d still be stuck with that misguided idea of "a person’s worth and value."

Nagi was always there for me when I was struggling, so I would never want to let him be with anyone else other than me.

A month later after that, my father decided to divorce my mother after realizing how little attention she had given me.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Many other factors contributed to their divorce, like family inheritance disputes and so on.

My mother's departure didn’t make me feel happy, nor did it make me feel sad. I just felt... Nothing? As if her leaving didn’t mean anything, like she was never really there in the first place.

In no time, my father remarried.

Since then, the atmosphere in our family improved. My father used to work late every night, and though he always brought me gifts when he returned, he didn't seem to give my "old" mother enough attention.

Maybe that was why she constantly vented her anger on me. She never hurt me physically, but— it still hurt, when your own mom didn't acknowledge your presence.

After my father remarried, he started making up for his past mistakes, showing us equal attention, and spending more time with his family.

My stepmother was always kind to me, but I still couldn’t get too close to her, even though several years had passed— it still felt very awkward...

Especially with my new little sister... Ugh... She’s such a naughty girl.

TO BE CONTINUED.