I hate ducks.
I mean, what ugly creatures. With their long, thin necks, it makes no sense. Every time I look at them, I just wonder how such strange creatures could roam the earth.
Their beady little eyes, almost too intelligent for comfort, seem to follow you everywhere, and the way they waddle—like some bizarre, malfunctioning robot—only adds to the sense that nature made a mistake. And don't get me started on the sound. That quacking. It's not just noise; it's a relentless, grating echo that lodges itself into your brain and refuses to leave. You try to ignore it, but it finds a way, creeping into the corners of your mind when you least expect it —
QUACK!"Sorry, damn…" I throw a piece of bread at the animal in the pond, which it catches in its mouth precisely.
Despite my deep hatred, I sit on the grass, feeding any passing bird. Not like I have anything better to do. Itasano is pretty boring, especially when you're a student with no exact purpose.
Everyone in the town, if that, knows eachother. Hell, I've been going to the same schools with the same people since diapers. But it still feels like I know nobody. I have a lot of friends, sure, but nobody I could meet everyday and go to Mr. Tanaka's convenience shop with to buy rice snacks and go home and laugh with— at least not anymore. My best friend left two years ago, on our first day of high school. Funny, cause we'd dreamed of going on the big field trip to Tokyo they hinted at in middle. Dreamed of going to the school festival and getting girlfriends and all that, even though I knew Ryohad a few girls by 14.
Most schools in Japan, I've heard, don't allow romantic relationships between students, or let them do most of the stuff we do here in Itasano. In all honesty, I've never been a to cram school a day in my life, and I'm already 17.
People here don't really care, though. Our town is hours away from a university, and parents don't really except anything from their kids.
I wouldn't either, not like we got anything going for us.
Most people here just settle down and start a shop or farm or whatever. When Ryo was 13, he said he wanted to move to Tokyo, and I told him keep fucking dreaming.
He said his grandfather owned some big chain back in Tokyo though, and that they couldn't move anytime they wanted. After, he said I should just sit my broke ass back down.
I never believed him though, because he could be sipping form a wine glass in a hot tub in Tokyo right now.
I throw another piece into the water and two birds come flying to it, squawking and flapping their feathers in confrontation at each other, fatasses.
"Hey, Yusuke-kun!" A voice calls out. I look over, and it's Nishimura, the class president, fingers locked with his girlfriend, Yamata.
Nishimura and I have been friends since the last year of middle school, so we're not Really on first-name-basis. But he's the smartest kid in our high school, and somehow always looks like he's about to lecture the world—even when he's just walking down the street. He gives me a nod, his usual half-smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, and Yamata waves. I wave back, but my attention doesn't linger. Birds flap violently in the pond, splashing water everywhere, and I barely notice.
Nishimura's voice drifts to me again. "You coming to the library later? We've got that prep for the festival committee." I shake my head. "Nah, got other stuff to do," I mutter, not even bothering to explain, because honestly, it's none of their business what occupies my brain these days.
Even though it's really blank in there.
"Oh well, see ya tomorrow, Yusuke-kun!" Yamata waves bye as they both walk off.
I take a bite of some bread, looking up at the sky as the sun dimmed. QUACK!
"Shut up!" I aimlessly throw a piece of bread into the lake,more with the goal of hitting a bird than feeding it.
"Still don't like ducks, huh?"
A voice so unfamiliar it feels familiar rings out from my left. "Huh—" I look over and Ryo-fucking-Rishimura is standing right in front of me, and my jaw is on the floor.
Actually, it's glued shut, but not a noise comes out.
Ryo's hair is shaved, which matches him surprisingly well, and his usual grin is gone, replaced by something softer, almost cautious. He's wearing that oversized long sleeve he always borrows from somewhere, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and jeans that look like they've been through a few too many washes—but somehow, it works. He's also tall as hell and looks like he came out a fashion magazine. My brain refuses to form coherent sentences, like it's been erased and replaced with static. "You gonna say something or are ya' just gonna stare at me?"
"Where did you go?" I shoot up from the grass, walking another step towards him. "Tokyo." he says, his voice ten octaves deeper then I remember it.
"Actually?" I blurt. "Like-big city lights Tokyo?"
"Hell yeah," he says, chuckling. "My dad sent us all over there."
"Why?" I ask.
…
Ryo smiles at me the same way why mom did when I was 10 and overheard an adult joke, asking what it means.
"I missed you," he hugs me tightly, as tight as my own family ever held me.
I feel like crying.
"I-I missed you to—" my voice cracks, as I bury my face into his shoulder.
He pulls away, his hands resting on my shoulders. "You really crying?"
"Shut up…" I looked away.
Ryo shakes his head, a soft laugh escaping him, not mocking, just… surprised. "You always were dramatic, Yusuke," he says, and there's this warmth in his tone, like he's trying to calm me down without actually saying it. My chest is tight, throat raw, and I can't stop the tears from spilling over.
I take a shaky step back, wiping at my face, embarrassed. "I—It's just… you're here. I didn't think I'd see you again, not like this." My hands tremble slightly, clutching at my sleeves, trying to act normal, failing miserably.
Ryo tilts his head, eyes searching mine. "I didn't think I'd see you like this either," he admits quietly, almost whispering.
It hits me harder than any slap could.