Love.
What is love, exactly?
For centuries, people have loved one another ever since humanity first walked this planet. You've probably heard that question before, but have you ever heard the true meaning of it?
Probably not.
So what is love?
Love is something beautiful, something every living being experiences at least once in their life. To me, love doesn't really have a clear definition. It's just a feeling, one you can't fully understand or explain.
You fall in love over the smallest things.
Kindness.
Looks.
Hard work.
Personality.
You feel embarrassed around the person you love.
You think about them constantly.
You dream about them.
You look at them without even realizing it.
And eventually, you confess.
But sometimes… that love isn't returned.
Your heart breaks. You think you'll never find someone like them again. So what do you do then?
You try again.
Why? You might ask. What's the point of falling in love if you're just going to get hurt again?
Because why not?
Love hurts. And that's okay.
A wise man once said:
"In the name of love, everybody loves somebody."
—
Ichinose Kuroki and Aozaki Satsuki were childhood friends. They had known each other since elementary school, and ever since then, they'd never really left each other's side.
Now, at fifteen years old, that connection still hadn't faded.
BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—
An alarm clock blared inside a girl's bedroom.
Satsuki lay sprawled across her bed, hair a complete mess, still buried deep in sleep.
"Mmm… shut up…"
Click.
The alarm stopped, and she immediately rolled over, drifting right back to sleep.
This sleepy girl was Aozaki Satsuki, a freshman at Suho High School.
Knock knock knock.
"Hey, Satsuki, wake your ass up."
The boy knocking on her door was Ichinose Kuroki, also a freshman at Suho High.
"Mmm…"
"Hey. Satsuki."
"Mmm… shut up," she muttered.
"…What the hell is wrong with her?" Kuroki sighed.
He pulled out a key and unlocked the door.
"Satsuki, wake the hell up. It's the first day of high school."
"Mmm… I don't wanna."
"The hell do you mean 'I don't wanna'?" he snapped. "We have to go. Your mom literally told me to come get you."
"Ohhh… really? Okay, okay, I'll get up…"
"Good," Kuroki said, turning to leave. "And school starts today, and you stayed up all night. God, you're such an idiot."
As he walked out, still yapping, Satsuki dragged herself out of bed just long enough to slam the door shut behind him.
"HEY—!"
Kuroki angrily stomped back.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GET UP! WE HAVE TO GO!"
"So loud…"
"You're useless," he groaned. "You can't even get out of bed for school."
"Relax," she mumbled. "School starts in fifteen minutes. We still have time."
"No, we don't," he said, tossing her uniform at her. "Get dressed and hurry up."
"Yeah… okay…"
Somehow, Satsuki managed to get ready, and the two of them left the apartment together, heading toward school.
—
Both of them walked down the street.
"Yaaaaawn—"
"That's a long yawn," Kuroki said. "What were you doing last night?"
"Huh? Oh," Satsuki shrugged. "I was playing Street Fighter, trying to rank up."
"And?"
"…I deranked."
"Oh my god."
"I'm serious! Every match was against a JP main!"
"So?"
"I was High Master, and now I'm low Platinum!"
"Wow," Kuroki smirked. "You're trash."
"The fuck did you say, you little shit?"
"I said you're trash. How do you fall from Master to Plat?"
"It's not my fault! JP mains are annoying!"
"Sounds like a skill issue."
"Skill issue…?"
"Okay then, shrimp."
"…What did you just say?"
"Oh, you heard me. Shrimp."
"Oh-ho. You wanna play that game?"
"Flat-board."
That one hit a nerve.
"How the hell are you that tall with no chest?" Kuroki shot back.
"Haha, says the girl who gets mistaken for a guy and only attracts other girls—"
"At least I can get girls."
"…."
"AH, SHUT UP, YOU WASHING BOARD! WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING?!"
"TALKING? YOU STARTED IT! You're just mad you need a stool to look me in the eyes!"
"U-Um…"
An older woman approached them nervously.
"BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH—"
The two kept yelling, completely ignoring her.
"E-Excuse me…"
"WHAT?!" they shouted in unison.
"Y-You both go to Suho High, right?"
"Yeah."
"Orientation starts in two minutes."
"…What?"
"OH SHIT—!"
"WE'RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY THERE!"
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT, YOU MIDGET!"
"SHUT UP AND RUN!"
They stopped arguing and bolted down the street, sprinting toward the school as fast as they could.
Hopefully, they weren't too late.