SCARS & PETALS

One afternoon at Hoshizora High, Kai was deep in conversation with his friends when the chatter finally quieted down. As he stood up to return to his seat, a poke to his back startled him. He turned around and found, 

it was Sha. 

Shaori Shimada or known as Sha is Kai's childhood friend. She was the kind of girl who would never let anything slide by unnoticed. 

She was full of energy, curious to a fault, and always seemed to know exactly when something was up. She had a knack for reading people, especially Kai, who, despite being known for his bright and cheerful personality, had a tendency to get a little too obvious when something important was going on in his life.

And right now, she noticed. Something very important is going on with Kai.

Kai, who had been whistling nonchalantly as he tried to walk away, raised an eyebrow. "What's up, Sha? Need help with something?"

"Nope," Sha chirped, bouncing beside him with an energy that was contagious. "Just a little question."

"What is it?" Kai asked, half-expecting another one of her endless stream of questions.

Sha stopped in front of him, turning with a gleam in her eye. "You've got a girlfriend, don't you?"

Kai froze. His eyes widened slightly, and he let out a nervous laugh. "What? No I'm not!"

Sha's eyes narrowed with that familiar "Mhm. Really?" she said with a teasing tone. "Then why have you been acting all weird lately? 

Kai swallowed, looking guilty as charged. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, we used to walk home together all the time, but now you keep saying you've got somewhere to go. So... I happened to follow you a little and... you like flowers, huh?" her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Kai's face flushing slightly. He hadn't expected her to pick up on all of this. He laughed awkwardly with a mind racing for an excuse. 

"Haha, well of course I like flowers! I've liked them for a long time. It's just… you didn't know."

Sha stared at him for a moment, her eyes narrowing. "Uh-huh. Sure. And I'm the Queen of England." She rolled her eyes dramatically, clearly not buying it.

Kai sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright, alright, fine. Maybe I'm… well, on a mission right now."

Sha's eyes sparkled with mischief as she took a step closer. "Oh, a mission, huh? You're not fooling me, Kai."

Before Kai could backpedal any further, Sha grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down to her level with exaggerated force. "Tell me everything, NOW!" she demanded, her voice mock-threatening.

Kai groaned, knowing there was no point in denying it anymore. "Okay, fine! I… I kind of like someone. But we're not, like… dating. Not yet, anyway."

Sha's face lit up with an even bigger grin. "Not yet?!" She burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I thought you were already way ahead of me on this! So Who's the girl? What's her name? Where did you meet her? Does she like you back? Oh, is she pretty? Tell me everything, Kai!"

Kai groaned. "Why are you such a busybody?"

Sha wasn't letting up, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes. "Does she know you like her? Or are you too shy to tell her?"

Kai sighed, realizing he had no choice but to admit the truth. "Of course she knows. I told her."

Sha raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Whoa, you actually told her? That's bold! I didn't think you had it in you!"

"Yeah, well… it wasn't easy," Kai muttered, his face turning a little red. "I'm still trying to figure it all out."

Sha grinned slyly. "Wow, I didn't know you could like someone this much. You've never acted this serious about anything before!"

Kai scowled, embarrassed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing," Sha teased. "Just that it's adorable to see you like this. You're such a softy."

Kai groaned, feeling both frustrated and a little charmed by her antics. "Alright, alright. The next step? I don't know. I'm just giving her time. I don't want to rush anything."

"Yeah, yeah," Sha said, rolling her eyes playfully. "Mr. Mature now, huh? So, do you have a picture of her? I wanna see what she looks like. I'll be the judge of whether or not she's good enough for you."

Kai blinked, caught off guard by her request. "What? No! Why would I show you that?"

Sha pouted dramatically. "Mmm, stingy. Keeping her all to yourself, huh?"

Kai ignored her, looking around for a way to escape the conversation.

Sha nudged him again, this time with a cheeky grin. "Tch. You're no fun, Kai," she said, laughing as she backed away. "I'm just messing with you. But seriously, I've never seen you act like this before. You've got it bad, huh?"

Kai, still a little embarrassed, muttered, "Yeah… I guess I do."

Sha winked at him. "Well, when the wedding happens, I'm here for all the details, okay?" She grinned and walked back to her seat, leaving Kai to process everything.

Despite how embarrassing the whole conversation had been, it had also lightened his heart. Sha's teasing wasn't so bad after all. And maybe, just maybe, he was ready for the next step with Tsukiko.