These Feelings of Graduation - Akimoto Sayaka&Ono Erena
You know this whole thing seemed to be easier than I thought for someone who was never really into the school scene it’s not like I would expect myself to be breaking down or anything. You always see those TV shows where people start crying and worrying over their graduation. Everyone’s been fussing about it this whole year; I’ve come to realize that whenever they mention it I tune them out. I just didn’t understand why this was so important. I may have spent the last three years of my life here, but so what? I’m just leaving here to go to another school…
“Sayaka?” I heard Sae call for me as I entered the school, today was our graduation ceremony. “Morning, where is everyone anyways?” I asked confused as to why there were no people straggling through the halls. “Everyone’s already at the gym for the ceremony, unlike you everyone came early.” Sae playfully scolded me. “You know how uninterested I am in all of this.” I replied before letting myself be dragged to the gym.
It wasn’t long before the ceremony started with Miichan giving her speech. I’ll be honest, I was slightly touched by it but not enough to be crying like my classmates. The ceremony passed by in a blink of an eye and everyone was ushered back to the classroom that had been previously decorated. I looked around and everyone was crying, was this graduation really that important? I guess I’ll never understand these feelings, I’ll probably forget all of this by the time we get together for a reunion. I was just lounging at my desk when some of the younger kids called me outside.
“A-ah Akimoto-senpai, could we have your tie?” The one in the middle asked, although I must say all of them looked the same to me. I was confused, my tie? “Uh, sure why not.” I told the three of them who seemed overjoyed at my response. I’ll never understand any of these graduation traditions, I thought to myself while pulling off my tie and handing it to one of the girls. “T-thank you senpai.”They said while bowing and then they ran away. Strange children…
“So, who were the kids asking for your tie?” Sae teased as I walked towards her. “Who knows, they didn’t introduce themselves. Do you know why they asked for it?” I asked, getting more curious about this whole graduation tradition thing. “You mean you don’t know?!” Sae shouted which drew the attention of some of the other people in the classroom. “W-wait are you telling me you gave the girl your tie without knowing what it meant?!” Yuka piped in almost screaming.
“Did I do something wrong?” I said practically cowering from all of their gazes, was I not supposed to hand it over or something? “Oh my god Sayaka, I knew you were dense and all but to do something like this.” Umechan groaned from beside Yuka. Okay, now I’m scared I didn’t like vow to marry her or anything right? I didn’t swear on my life that I’d protect her or something right? “…Okay Sayaka, listen carefully. This is a school tradition, if someone that asks for your tie if you don’t want to give them false hope you don’t give them to the kid. You basically just promised to go to that sakura tree outside of the school to listen to the kid confess her undying love for you. Way to like give the kid false hope and then kill her.” Sae lectured from beside me, my face paled at the idea. I thought I was finally done with all those confessions, I mean I had to run away from them ever single them they came at me with like hearts in their eyes. Can’t I get a day without a kouhai coming to me to confess?
I was counting down the minutes before I had to go meet the kouhai that was going to be confessing to me, I couldn’t even remember what she looked like. Everyone was just looking at me in pity, nobody wanted to me in my spot right now. I was going to break a little girl’s heart, the worse thing I could ever do my graduation date. My hands were getting sweatier as the time came and my grasp on my graduation certificate iron tight. “I-I don’t think I’m ready for this.” I told Sae honestly as she pushed me out the door. “Sayaka, if you don’t go, the girl will hate on you forever and be heartbroken.” She told me again, I know but I just don’t want to see her cry in front of me. I’m not good with crying girls, I might just give in and agree to date her and everything will go downhill from there.
I slowly dragged myself towards that sakura tree outside of our school. I looked through the window and was surprised that there was nobody there already. I guess it’s because everyone knew about the school traditions, maybe I’m just the only person in school who’s never heard about it. By the time I got outside I saw that she was already outside. It was the one on the left that asked for my tie, not the one that I gave it to. She was holding onto my tie in her hands and fidgeting.
Oh god what am I doing here I thought to myself as my fight or flee response kicked in. Just when I was about to run away she noticed that I was there are I froze up in mid-flight. “S-senpai!” You stuttered out as I robotically turned to walk towards you. At this point, my common sense has fled me. Never have I been so nervous, I might as well be the one confessing instead. So we just stood there in front of each other fidgeting and trying our best not to look each other in the eyes.
"Uhm, uh...hi." I managed to stutter out, oh wow where did the usually courageous Akimoto go? She blushed okay, she freaking blushed like a shy little girl. What am I supposed to do, there's no way that I'll be getting out of this alive. W-wait, isn't this kid a first year? A first year is confessing to me. What in the world did I do to deserve this type of torture.
"S-senpai! I-I..." She began stuttering out, she looked like she was almost going to faint. "STOP. Let me explain first." I shouted, what in the world possessed me to say that. She was staring at me expectantly now and I felt like I was dying under the pressure. "I'll be honest I didn't even know anything about this tradition thing. i'm sorry if I gave you false hope or something, I really didn't mean it." I told her honestly before bowing down my head in apology.
I could hear her sniffling, oh god did I make her cry, I'm not supposed to make girls cry. I'll be repenting over this for the rest of my life. "S-senpai. can you listen to me." I heard her ask and I lifted my head up to face her and whatever doom would come next. You were still blushing and your eyes tinged red, “I don’t care if you don’t want to date me or not. J-Just hear me out.” You were fidgeting uncomfortably but then again if I were in your spot I would too. This must be the most uncomfortable thing to do ever, I mean confessing your love to someone who probably doesn’t like you. I’d be far too shy to do something like this.
I gulped waiting for her to get everything over with. In the most shojou manga way ever she told me, “Senpai! I like you, please go out with me.” I wanted to run away to be honest, I’m not good with this type of thing. Never been and probably never will be. “I-I don’t think I’m ready for something like this.” I stuttered out a reply before turning my head away so I wouldn’t see her reaction. It was true; I wasn’t ready for something like a relationship. Actually it was more like the thought of dating someone never passed me, let alone dating a younger girl. It was always like I thought more about school and sports than I thought about dating someone. You see all those cliché movies and then you just laugh at them, they don’t make me d’aw like the other girls. I’m just not interested in any of this.
“Can you just give me a chance?” You asked me, I was so surprised that you didn’t look like you were going to cry at all instead you just stared at me determinedly. “Uhm… ah… let’s be friends?” I told her honestly, friends are always good. Maybe we can work something out from there, I don’t mind having another friend. You just stared at me thinking about what you should say next, my hands were getting sweaty again, too much drama today. “Sure.” You told me with a bright smile; it was only then that I realized how cute you were. I couldn’t possibly be turning gay right? We exchanged phone numbers I was finally able to drag myself back to the classroom where Sae was waiting for my ‘juicy details’.
“So, how’d it go? Don’t tell me you made the girl cry?!” Sae asked jokingly, she knew I could never bring myself to make a girl cry. “It went…well.” I told her cryptically, who knows what could happen from all of this. Together the two of us left the school for the last time, my hands hanging over Sae’s shoulder in a brotherly way. We had gotten right outside the gate when I got a text.
Senpai I know you’re still awkward about everything.
But do you think we could meet up sometime?
You can bring friends if you want.
Even Miyazawa Senpai
Please reply.
Ono Erena
My face flushed from the idea and I quickly closed my phone so that Sae wouldn’t read the message. Who knows maybe graduation isn’t that bad after all.
Topic: [Oneshots] Baking [Shimazaki Haruka & Yokoyama Yui] (Jan 10) (Read 55657 times)