I started riding my bike with no destination.
Which is to say, I had a destination—anywhere that didn't involve talking to people.
That's when I saw her… Kotone Gouma… The Class President.
She stood near the crosswalk, the sunlight made her look like a painting instead of a person. About five-five. Bright red hair that caught the light as if it was actively trying to be noticed. Red eyes, too. Someone had taken the color "warning" and decided to give it human form.
She was wearing a sundress.
Let's jump straight into that spring feeling huh?
I slowed down without meaning to.
I stopped.
She noticed me immediately.
"Good morning, Itsuki Ririku."
I nearly fell off my bike.
I stared at her. "…You know my name?"
She tilted her head. "You're in my class."
"That doesn't mean you know everyone, I don't even speak to anyone in our class.."
She smiled. Did I say something amusing?
"You're riding your bike around town during school hours. That's unusual."
"I'm on spring break."
"So am I."
"…Huh? Then why are you saying… what?"
She stepped closer, hands clasped behind her back. "What?"
Something isn't right here.
I sighed and rested one foot on the curb. "I'm just… riding."
"Riding where?"
"Nowhere."
She blinked. "That's not a place."
"It's my favorite one."
She laughed softly.
"You're avoiding something," she said.
I stared at her. "How would you know?."
"I know you don't participate in class discussions. You sit near the window. You only talk when spoken to. And when you do, you look like you'd rather be anywhere else."
I squinted my eyes. "Wow. You stalk all your classmates like this?"
"Only the interesting ones."
I want to get out of here.
Out loud, I said, "If this is about school, I'm not interested."
"It's not," she said. "It's about why people need school in the first place."
"…Oh no."
She smiled wider. "Spring break is supposed to be a time of rest. But students still feel anxious. Guilty. Like they should be productive. Why do you think that is?"
"I think you're overthinking it."
"I think you're underthinking it."
I rolled my eyes. "School is just a system to keep kids busy until they're useful."
She gasped dramatically. "That's such a bleak way to look at it."
"It's pinpoint."
She stepped closer again. "School gives structure. Community. Purpose."
I snorted. "It gives homework."
"Homework builds discipline."
"So does jail."
She laughed. Again.
Quite the chucklehead this one.
"You really dislike school," she said.
"I dislike being told what matters."
She paused.
Then she looked at me—really looked at me—and something in her expression changed.
"Then what does matter to you?"
My mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
This girl is a danger to my ideology.
"I…" I hesitated, then scoffed. "Sleep. Food. Not being late."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Survival values."
"Low expectations lead to fewer disappointments."
"Is that why you keep your distance from people?"
I stiffened.
"…You're reading too much into this."
She hummed. "Maybe. Or maybe you're afraid that if you care too much, something will go wrong."
Why am I still here?
Why am I still talking?
Why am I answering her questions?
This girl… it's like I can't stop looking at her.
"You're weird." I said.
We stood there in silence for a moment. The wind shifted. A petal drifted by. This was the kind of scene people wrote poetry about.
"Well," she said eventually, stepping back. "Enjoy your nowhere, Itsuki Ririku."
She turned and walked away, sundress swaying.
I watched her go, jaw tight.
"…Unbelievable," I muttered.
I kicked off the curb and rode away fast, heart pounding.
I rather fight ghosts than deal with other people.